Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 199 The Breeze Accompanies the Beauty (First Update, Asking for Monthly Tickets)

Chen Siyuan listened intently, and heard the monk say, "Amitabha, monks do not tell lies. This page has indeed been stained. How could I, a humble monk, sully someone's blood and white for no reason?"

The little girl was about to speak again when another gentle female voice said, "Forget it... Master Zhixin, I'll just rewrite this page."

Nachi Shinto said: "This... has already been bound into a book, how can it be changed?"

"Humph, this thief just wants to steal my money, but I can't hear it!"

"Shut up! Master Zhixin, I'll charge you less money then."

"Excellent, excellent, young lady, you are quite sensible. Suzhou is a place of great literary talent, and countless scholars have come to the temple to seek work copying Buddhist scriptures. In that case, how about charging 35 wen for 100 characters this time?"

The female voice said, "This... is too little. Please, Master Zhixin, add some more."

"That's thirty-seven cents, no more."

Chen Siyuan shook his head secretly upon hearing this. That thief Zhixin was clearly bullying. Copying Buddhist scriptures was hard work, and the price had always been fifty cents per hundred words. He was taking advantage of the girl because she couldn't find other work, so he was trying to lower the price.

"Okay, Master, please pay me quickly."

Monk Nazhixin smiled and said, "Very good, I will settle the account within three days. With that, I will take my leave."

Chen Siyuan shook his head secretly after hearing this, but he was not a pushover, so he naturally did not want to help others for no reason. So after some activities, he returned to the main house in the front yard.

The front yard had three main rooms, one or two side rooms on the right, and one room was used as a hall. Of the three main rooms, two were used as living rooms and one as a study. The bedrooms were located on the second floor.

Suzhou is surrounded by water and the ground is damp, so one needs to live on high ground to feel comfortable.

Chen Siyuan went upstairs, opened the window and looked out towards the west courtyard. Because the side rooms blocked the view, he could only catch a glimpse of a corner, but did not see the two girls.

While Qingwen was mending Chen Siyuan's socks, she asked, "When does Master plan to pay respects to Miss Lin's parents?"

Chen Siyuan said, "It will take two days to go back and forth to Xuanmu Mountain, so let's schedule it for the day after tomorrow."

Qingwen paused her needlework and said with a smile, "After Master's marriage is finalized, it might be five or six years before Miss Lin can marry."

Chen Siyuan was drawn to Daiyu's family background; as long as the status was confirmed, his goal would be achieved. As for Daiyu... let it be as fate would have it. Sister Lin was too young to be in a relationship right now? I'm afraid he's overthinking it.

He leaned against the window frame and casually looked around. Suddenly, he saw two girls, one tall and one short, turning around. The younger one angrily said, "Sister, that thief bald man is obviously bullying us!"

The girl smiled and said, "Suffering a loss is a blessing. Master Zhixin was right. Suzhou is a wealthy city, and I wonder how many poor scholars have been seeking work copying scriptures but can't get it. I was able to get this job, isn't it because the wages are low?"

The younger one said angrily, "Sis, you are so noncompetitive. You will definitely suffer a great loss in the future!"

"Zhuan'er, if you continue like this, I won't be able to keep you here."

Zhuan'er immediately changed his tone and said, "Forget it, forget it. I will take good care of you from now on so that you won't suffer any loss."

Zhuan'er? Chen Siyuan upstairs pondered. This name... seems to be Xing Xiuyan's maid? In that case, isn't the girl in front of him Xing Xiuyan?

As if she had sensed something, Xing Xiuyan suddenly looked over here, and seeing Chen Siyuan's burning gaze, she nodded quickly, pulled Zhuan'er and walked into the room.

Just then, a maid brought in breakfast, and Chen Siyuan glanced over and asked, "What's the surname of the family next door?"

This woman was hired by Zhen Fengshi, and she immediately replied, "My lord, my surname is Xing, and the man in charge seems to be called Xing Zhong."

There's no doubt about it, that girl is Xing Xiuyan!
Qingwen noticed his strange expression and waited for the maid to leave before asking, "Master, what are you thinking about? For no apparent reason... could it be that you've taken a fancy to that girl?"

It's no wonder Qingwen is suspicious. Look inside Chen Siyuan's room: Hongyu, Xiangling, and Liu Wu'er. And then look outside: You Erjie, You Sanjie, and Qingwen herself—that's six in total! Who knows if Chen Siyuan, overjoyed by the sight of prey, will have other thoughts?

Chen Siyuan came back to his senses and frowned, saying angrily, "No way! If nothing unexpected happens, then Xing Zhong should be my uncle, and that girl must be my cousin Xing Xiuyan."

"Huh?" Qingwen was stunned. She blinked and smiled, "This is really a coincidence."

Chen Siyuan said, "It's okay if you don't know... Later, you can find Qingyu and Yunxiang and prepare a local ritual. I'll go there when I have time this afternoon."

Qingwen agreed, dropped her work, and went downstairs to look for Yunxiang. Yunxiang, the little maid, was counting ants at the base of the wall with Qingyu. Qingwen pulled her aside and explained the situation.

Unexpectedly, Yunxiang didn't listen at all. After hearing it, she was even more shocked than Qingwen: "Ah? The master's cousin's house is next door? This...this, this..."

Qingwen was tired of hearing his nagging and said, "Remember to prepare it quickly, so that you won't have to rush when Master needs it."

"Sister!" Qingwen turned to leave, but Yunxiang grabbed her sleeve and snuck up to the corner. Yunxiang said, "I think you're kind, so I'm telling you this. Please don't tell anyone else!"

"Uh-huh."

"Sister, you'd better be kind to that girl. It will only bring good things in the future. Remember that!"

Qingwen frowned and said, "She is my master's cousin, so I'm naturally respectful to her. Do I need you to explain anything else?"

"No—" Yunxiang was anxious. She turned her head and looked around before whispering, "I heard from Sister Miao'er in the east courtyard that the eldest lady seems to be trying to match the master with that girl."

"Ah?" Qingwen said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Aren't they the Second Miss and Miss Wang?"

Yunxiang curled her lips and said, "The eldest master is so hot-tempered that he'd like to squeeze some oil out of a stone. He's always putting on airs. I'm afraid the second young lady won't be able to do that. The second wife has been looking for the eldest master several times, but now the Rongguo Mansion doesn't mention Miss Wang anymore, so I guess there's no trace of her. So, after all the calculations, doesn't it have to be this Miss Xing?"

Qingwen said, "Who knows whether it's true or not? Maybe it's just a rumor. Anyway, I think the girl is very kind, so I think she's a good person. I wouldn't be disrespectful for no reason."

Just then, a curious maid came in from outside. She caught sight of Qingwen and said, "Young lady, there's a man next door knocking on the door. He says... he says he's your master's cousin."

Qingwen and Yunxiang looked at each other, thanked the old woman, and hurried to find Chen Siyuan.

A moment ago.

Xing Zhong entered the house, walked around the front, and glanced at Zhuan'er and Xing Xiuyan who were busy washing clothes. He snorted coldly and walked to the back.

Xing Zhen was busy scrubbing the clothes without raising her head or opening her eyes. Xing Zhong snorted, walked with his hands behind his back, and shouted, "Hurry up and prepare some food, you bastard! You've been playing all night, and now you're feeling good."

"No!" Xing Zhen stiffened her neck and said, "There's no food at home, where will we get it?" Her eyes reddened as she spoke. "I borrowed two taels of silver from the neighbor right after you left yesterday. Xiuyan hasn't been paid for copying the scriptures yet, and the rent for this season is due soon... Master, why don't we move back to Panxiang Temple?"

"Women's opinions!" Xing Zhong fumbled around in his pockets and pulled out a piece of silver. He casually tossed it over and said, "It's just silver. Look what this is?"

Xing Zhen hurriedly took the silver, still unwilling to believe it. She opened her mouth and bit two rows of teeth marks on the silver. Seeing that it was indeed real, she was immediately puzzled and asked, "Where did this... come from?"

Xing Zhong put his hands behind his back and curled his lips, saying, "I told you before, I'm just unlucky for a while, can I expect it to last forever? This is what I won last night. Use it to buy some wine and food. I need to eat and then have a good sleep."

"Hey, hey!" Xing Zhen was overjoyed. She shook the wet stains off her hands, wiped them on her apron, and immediately stood up to go to the kitchen. Suddenly, she remembered that she was short of rice, so she hurried to the rice shop at the entrance of the alley and bought five catties of long-grain rice, half a catty of braised pork, and a pot of liquor.

When they returned home, Xing Zhong was already sitting on the bed, much like the eldest master. Xing Zhen offered him some wine and food, and Xing Zhong sipped a cup, saying happily, "This is what life is all about... You said you were going back to Panxiang Temple and staying there forever, but how could Xiuyan be considered a good family? My eldest sister wrote to me the other day saying that the young man from the Chen family had passed the imperial examination, and who knows, he might even be on the imperial examination list someday. Hey, the young man from the Chen family is about the same age as Xiuyan. I think my eldest sister is interested in bringing them together."

"The Chen family? Chen... Chen Siyuan?"

"That's right." Xing Zhong sighed, "Who would have thought that my cousin's son would be so successful?"

Xing Zhen hesitated and said, "This... can the nephew of the head of the family look down on Xiu Yan?"

Xing Zhong took a bite of the braised pork and said, "My nephew is still living in the Rongguo Mansion. His parents passed away long ago. Isn't it up to my eldest sister to decide on this important matter of marriage? Since my eldest sister mentioned it in her letter, I think it's almost certain."

Xing Zhen came closer and sat down, pondering, "This Juren is certainly good... but I think it would be better if my eldest sister could help me find a good family among the nobles. Even a rotten ship can still have three thousand nails, so how can a mere Juren compare to the sons of nobles? Instead of marrying Chen Siyuan, I think it would be better for her to become a concubine of a noble family."

"What do you know?" Xing Zhong raised his chopsticks and nodded at Xing Zhen twice, lowering his voice and saying, "My nephew can do that!"

Although Madam Xing's letter only briefly mentioned this, it gave us a glimpse of the situation. Xing Zhong then said, "My elder sister said that Brother Yuan is now well off and has bought a three-story house with a garden in the capital."

"Oh my god! That would probably cost two or three thousand silver coins, right?" Xing Zhen said in horror.

"Two or three thousand? Ha, I'm afraid even a few times more wouldn't be enough!" Xing Zhong poured himself another drink and pondered, "If he could afford to buy a house with that much money, then Brother Yuan probably has at least that much money on hand!"

As he spoke, he extended another index finger.

Xing Zhenshi speculated, "One thousand..." Seeing Xing Zhong curl his lips and shake his head, Xing Zhenshi's tone suddenly became much higher: "Ten thousand taels? Oh my god!"

Xing Zhen gasped. Ten thousand taels of silver, and a three-story house with a garden—if her daughter married him, wouldn't she be in luck? Who knows, maybe the two of them could even take advantage!
He immediately said, "Boss, why don't we go to the capital now?"

"That's just a woman's opinion!" Xing Zhong said, "The Rongguo Mansion is busy with the virtuous concubine's visit, so how can they have time to entertain us? No rush, we can talk about it next year."

Xing Zhen agreed, then remembered she had to return the money to her neighbor, so she got up and left. In a moment, she reached the east house door, knocked on it, and smilingly handed the money to the maid who opened the door, then spoke a few more words.

Hearing the chatter of Qingyu and Yunxiang in the courtyard, Xing Zhenshi said casually, "Are there guests at home? I saw several carriages arriving yesterday."

The old woman said, "It's the Madam's daughter who has returned, and she has brought her son-in-law with her."

"Visiting your parents? That's truly a happy event."

The old woman sighed and said, "The lady has a miserable life. She was kidnapped by a kidnapper years ago. After years of wandering around, she finally ran into Master Chen. Master Chen was kind-hearted and pitied the lady. He asked around and finally found out where the lady was. Last year, he sent someone to escort the lady a thousand miles to find her relatives. The mother and daughter were finally reunited."

Xing Zhen was extremely surprised to hear this and said, "This Mr. Chen is truly kindhearted... Then, was your daughter married through a formal matchmaker?"

The old woman scowled, somewhat displeased, but still replied, "The young lady used to be someone else's maid... but now she's your concubine. She brought the mistress to the capital and even prepared a feast for her."

"Oh, that's it."

The old woman was afraid that Zhen Feng would look down on her, so she added, "Master Chen was just a student before, but he passed the imperial examination in August and is now a successful candidate. The most important thing is that he is only fifteen or sixteen years old, the same age as our young lady."

In August, only the capital held the Autumn Examination. Zhen Fengshi said, "What a coincidence! My husband has a nephew named Chen, who also passed the imperial examination in August—" As she spoke, Zhen Fengshi couldn't help but stare and said, "Wait a minute... Could your Master Chen be my nephew?"

The old woman tried hard not to curse and said, "Mr. Chen's last name is Chen Siyuan. You...eh?"

Zhen Feng cried out, turned around and ran home.

The old woman was puzzled and could only close the door while complaining inwardly.

It was said that Xing Zhen came trotting into the house. Xing Xiuyan and Zhuan'er were hanging out clothes to dry. Seeing her running towards them in a panic, they hurried over and frowned, saying, "Mom, what happened that makes you so flustered?"

But Xing Zhen pushed Xing Xiuyan away and said with a smile, "Happy news, great news. I'm going to talk to your father!"

He immediately left Xing Xiuyan behind and went through the hall to the back. Xing Zhong was still drinking by himself when Xing Zhen came running over and said happily, "Master, the son-in-law of the sister-in-law next door is our nephew!"

Xing Zhong was puzzled and frowned, saying, "Tell me more in detail."

Xing Zhen immediately started talking incoherently.

After hearing this, Xing Zhong was overjoyed. He didn't even bother to drink the wine and ran out in his slippers.

Xing Zhen, following behind, suddenly realized, "Master, how can an uncle visit his nephew? I think it would be better if Zhuan'er went to inform him."

Xing Zhong scolded him, "You have long hair but little knowledge. You're not even trying to curry favor with your nephew. By the time they get engaged, we won't even have time to eat warm shit!" Xing Zhen sneered, thinking to herself: Yes, that Yuan brother is wealthy and has passed the imperial examination. He's on the verge of success. Not to mention his uncle visiting him, even if Xing Zhong calls him uncle, he'd be happy!

The couple hurried through the corridor. Xing Xiuyan, seeing this, became even more anxious. She quickly stopped Xing Zhen and asked, "Mom, what's going on?"

Seeing that she couldn't break free, Xing Zhen said, "Child, this is naturally a great joy. Do you still remember your cousin from the Chen family?"

Xing Xiuyan thought about it and recalled that when she was young, she had gone with her parents to the Chen family in Yangzhou. After a few days, they went back to Jinling and finally settled in Panxiang Temple. She also remembered a little boy with a runny nose who kept pestering her, calling her "sister."

So she nodded, and Xing Zhen said excitedly, "Brother Yuan is really amazing now! Not only did he pass the imperial examination and become a juren, he has also quietly amassed a fortune. Your aunt in the capital said that Brother Yuan has saved at least this much!"

Xing Zhen first raised one finger, then thought that the three-story house with a garden might be worth ten thousand silver coins, so she raised another one.

Xing Xiuyan nodded, and before she could ask further questions, Xing Zhen said with great joy, "What a coincidence! I just went next door to pay back some money, and I didn't expect your cousin to live there right now. Look, your father must have gone to look for him." After a moment's thought, thinking that Yuan Ge'er was a wealthy son-in-law, Xing Zhen pulled Xing Xiuyan aside and said, "Come on, let's go meet your cousin together!"

Xing Xiuyan was naturally calm and composed, and she wasn't stupid, so how could she not know her parents were trying to curry favor with her? Furthermore, she was only a year older than Chen Siyuan, and the fact that they were pushing themselves to meet him was obvious.

Although she was poor and humble, she refused to stoop to low status. She struggled hard to get back and said, "Mom, just go by yourself. Why drag me along?"

Xing Zhen frowned and said, "You kid... they're all relatives. We played together when we were little. What's wrong with meeting them now?"

Xing Xiuyan had already broken free, took two steps back and said calmly, "Nothing serious, Mom might have forgotten the rules of gender separation. If you want to go, just go by yourself. I'll hang out the clothes first."

Xing Zhen was about to curse in a hurry, but she caught a glimpse of Xing Zhong already out the door. She didn't bother to curse Xing Xiuyan anymore, and just said, "I'll talk to you when I come back," and then quickly ran after him.

Only Xing Xiuyan and Zhuan'er were left in the courtyard. Zhuan'er came over and said, "Sister, why don't you go? That Yuan brother sounds very rich, and he's a successful candidate in the imperial examination!"

"You're so talkative!" Xing Xiuyan squinted at Zhuan'er. Zhuan'er, fearing she would be chased away, said jokingly, "Forget it, if Sister doesn't want to go, then I won't go. Anyway, I'll go wherever Sister goes."

Xing Xiuyan took some clothes from the basin and hung them up to dry. She couldn't help but think of the man she had bumped into earlier. She thought to herself, "That man must be Yuan Ge'er... After more than ten years, he's so handsome now. I never thought he'd become so handsome!"
While she was thinking about it, Xing Zhong knocked on the door. When the old woman heard what he said, she was so shocked that she turned around to look for Chen Siyuan.

She happened to see Qingwen and the little maid Yunxiang whispering in a corner, so she told them about the matter.

Qingwen and Yunxiang looked at each other in surprise, and hurried to the back to look for Chen Siyuan.

At this moment, Chen Siyuan was sitting in the study, flipping through a book, when two maids came in. Yunxiang said in a low voice, "Master, your cousin is here to see you!"

Qingwen frowned as she listened, reached out and poked Yunxiang with a finger, saying, "Speak nicely! You're talking like you're asking for a debt!"

Yunxiang muttered, "My uncle came to my house just to collect the debt."

Chen Siyuan put down the book and said with a smile, "I came to visit you this afternoon, but I didn't expect my cousin to show up. Well, I'll go and greet him."

They hurried out to greet them. Qingwen and Yunxiang followed a few steps behind. The little maid Yunxiang nudged Qingwen with her elbow and nodded, implying that she should not forget what she had just told her.

Qingwen made a strange face at him, and couldn't help thinking to herself, "That Miss Xing looks really outstanding. I'm afraid my master will be tempted again this time. Could it be that Miss Xing can really become the principal wife?"
A moment later, Chen Siyuan arrived at the door and saw a couple in their early forties standing there. The man, though slovenly dressed and drunk, was quite handsome; the woman, on the other hand, looked ordinary.

"But Brother Yuan?" Xing Zhong asked eagerly.

Chen Siyuan hurriedly bowed and said, "Nephew Chen Siyuan greets his uncle." He stood up and said with a smile, "What a coincidence! I just arrived here yesterday and only found out this morning that my uncle lives next door. I had my servants prepare the local rituals and was planning to visit him in the afternoon, but he and his aunt are already here."

Calling him "uncle" several times made Xing Zhong's heart blossom. He couldn't help but grin and said, "Brother Yuan, you are so polite. What's the point of being polite? It's good that you can come and see your uncle!"

Chen Siyuan thought that this was Xiangling's mother's residence, so it would be difficult to entertain guests. Moreover, Xing Zhong lived next door, so he said, "It's not a good place to entertain my cousin. Please go back first. I will come to visit you in a while."

"Oh, okay, okay, then uncle will be waiting for you, Brother Yuan!"

At that moment, Xing Zhong and his wife left happily.

Chen Siyuan turned around and smiled as he said to Qingwen and Yunxiang, "Don't be idle. Prepare the rituals and let's go now, shall we?"

Qingwen frowned and said, "Master..."

The concern in his eyes was evident, and it was clear that he disliked the Xing Zhong couple. Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what's going on."

At that moment, Qingyu, Yunxiang, Qingwen and the two maids got busy. Xiangling, who was behind them, came to help after receiving the news. In a moment, all the earthenware and ritual materials were prepared.

After counting, there were only four mouse skins (two white and two yellow) (not real mice, probably weasels or something like that), a bag of five pounds of various wild mushrooms, a box of two ten-year-old ginseng roots, a Songhua stone inkstone, a box of deer antlers, and two jars of aged osmanthus wine.

Except for the sweet-scented osmanthus wine, the rest are specialties from outside the Great Wall.

Xiangling wanted to go with them, but Chen Siyuan only asked her to go back and talk to Zhen Fengshi. He led Qingwen, Yunxiang and others out of the house in a mighty procession. After only ten steps, they arrived at the gate of the Xing family.

Xing Zhong and his wife were waiting at the door with eager eyes. The little maid Zhuan'er was standing on tiptoe, observing the local ceremonies, while Xing Xiuyan was standing behind the couple with her hands folded.

Seeing Chen Siyuan glancing over, Xing Xiuyan smiled and nodded slightly.

Chen Siyuan and Xing Zhong and his wife exchanged greetings. Seeing everyone carrying their local gifts, they were overjoyed. They kept saying that Chen Siyuan was too polite and quickly let him in.

Soon they were in the main hall. The maid Zhuan'er was frantically serving tea. Qingwen couldn't stand it any more. Without waiting for Xing Xiuyan to come over, she leaned over and said, "Why don't I do it?"

Xing Zhen smiled awkwardly and said, "Zhuan'er has just arrived and doesn't know the rules yet. He is really being laughed at by Yuan'er."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "It's okay. Are uncle and aunt still in good health? It's been more than ten years since we last met. I only vaguely remember that my uncle came to visit when he was a child, but I can't remember what he looked like."

Xing Zhong couldn't help but grumble, "Your mother... well, let's not talk about it. Now everything's finally okay. Brother Yuan has achieved academic success and has built up a family business. I'm sure my cousin would be delighted if she knew about this in the afterlife."

Chen Siyuan felt a little relieved because it was a long time ago and the master was still young at that time, so it was normal that he didn't remember much.

After talking for a while, Xing Zhen suddenly remembered that she should prepare a banquet to entertain Chen Siyuan, but the money she had just received had already been returned, so where would she get the money to buy things?

She was thinking about the gift of earthenware that Chen Siyuan had given her, so she apologized and said, "You uncle and nephew, please talk first. I'll go and get the banquet."

He immediately stood up and called Zhuan'er, saying, "Hurry and move the things down!"

Zhuan'er reluctantly agreed and had no choice but to gather the large and small packages one by one. Xing Zhen examined each item, her delight growing with each glance. Apart from the other items, the rat skins and ginseng were both valuable treasures! A quick calculation would likely cost at least dozens of taels of silver, perhaps even hundreds!
While secretly astonished, marveling at Chen Siyuan's success, he was also secretly worried - he had received such a generous gift, so he couldn't treat him poorly, right? If the banquet was shabby, it would be embarrassing.

But she was short of money and it was not easy to sell the local gifts that had just been sent to her, so she frowned and was at a loss.

Seeing Zhuan'er laboriously carrying the last two jars of aged osmanthus wine, Xing Zhen blinked, and suddenly a plan came to mind. She pulled Zhuan'er aside and ordered, "Go and call Xiuyan."

Zhuan'er agreed and turned to call Xing Xiuyan over. Xing Xiuyan then asked, "Mom is calling me?"

Xing Zhen bit her lower lip, wanting to speak but stopping herself. She glanced at the plum blossom gilded hairpin on Xing Xiuyan's head. After a long pause, she said, "My son, please lend me your hairpin for a moment."

Xing Xiuyan blinked and said, "Don't you have money to entertain your cousin?"

Xing Zhen nodded and said awkwardly, "I'll sell some of these earthenware ceremonies later and redeem your hairpin."

"Okay." Xing Xiuyan didn't waste any words and took off the hairpin and handed it to Xing Zhenshi.

This plum blossom gilded hairpin is gilded on the outside and silver on the inside. If it were pawned, it would probably be worth one or two taels of silver. Xing Xiuyan estimated it and said, "I have another bracelet. Mom, you should pawn it too. It won't be too shabby."

Xing Zhen agreed without hesitation, and after Xing Xiuyan came back with the bracelet, she hurried out.

At this moment, Xing Xiuyan had already changed into a pear blossom fragrant wood hairpin. Her face was calm. She only glanced at the pouting Zhuan'er, then returned to the hall with a smile.

At this time, Chen Siyuan was talking to Xing Zhong impatiently, because Xing Zhong kept talking about the affairs of each branch of the Xing family, but Chen Siyuan was an imposter. Although he had heard some of what Mrs. Xing said, how could he remember it so clearly at the moment?

Besides, he came here for his cousin Xing Xiuyan, not Xing Zhong.

Seeing Xing Xiuyan returning, Chen Siyuan took a glance and saw that she had a new wooden hairpin on her head.

Xing Zhong saw the look in his eyes and suddenly realized what was happening. He quickly said, "It turns out that you two cousins ​​used to play together when you were little. I'm a little drunk now, so you two can continue talking while I go to the back and take a rest for a while."

Although Xing Xiuyan was shy, she went over to help Xing Zhong. When Xing Zhong was helped to the door, he gave her a subtle look that made her blush.

"You go and talk to your cousin. I can walk on my own."

Xing Zhong left Xing Xiuyan and walked away in square steps. Xing Xiuyan stopped in front of the door to relax for a while before turning around and coming back.

After she sat down, she smiled and said, "My father is drunk, don't mind it, cousin."

At this time, Qingwen came over, poured tea for Xing Xiuyan, and said with a smile, "Miss, please have some tea."

Xing Xiuyan thanked her and, glancing over, noticed Qingwen had a filigree, pearl-inlaid, orchid-shaped gold hairpin in her hair. Furthermore, her clothes were even more gorgeous, perhaps surpassing those of ordinary wealthy girls.

An ordinary person might have felt sad and started to blame themselves. But Xing Xiuyan, with her naturally calm temperament, acted as if she hadn't noticed and turned to look at Chen Siyuan again.

Chen Siyuan saw all this and was filled with admiration for his cheap cousin.

How many men, let alone girls, can have such a carefree and hermit-like temperament?
Because it was him, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, cousin... Yes, uncle is right. I vaguely remember that when I was a child, I always pestered my cousin."

Xing Xiuyan couldn't help but laugh, "I'm surprised you still remember it. It's been over a decade. Who would have thought that the little kid would have grown up so tall?"

"Haha, isn't it the same for my cousin?"

Xing Xiuyan laughed and said, "My cousin passed the Autumn Examination this time, and I haven't even congratulated him yet."

Chen Siyuan said a few humble words, and after a while he turned and said, "I heard that the monk came to visit us early this morning. Now I think my cousin is also educated?"

Xing Xiuyan shook her head and said, "I only know a few words. It was when I lived in Panxiang Temple a few years ago that an older sister took pity on me and taught me."

Zhuan'er couldn't bear to listen any longer, so he said, "Our girl's calligraphy is very exquisite. Buddhist temples all around often come to us and ask us to copy Buddhist scriptures."

"You're too talkative." Xing Xiuyan gently scolded Zhuan'er, saying, "Exquisiteness lies in appearance, but true flavor lies in the bones and blood. My calligraphy can only be used to copy Buddhist scriptures to earn some money, but it can't compare to the profound meaning of my cousin's words."

Qingwen jokingly said, "Master, cousin, I think you two should stop praising each other. If this gets out, won't people laugh at you?"

Xing Xiuyan immediately laughed and said, "That's right, that's right. Let's stop talking about this."

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded, then went on to talk about local customs and practices, first mentioning Yangzhou and then the capital. Xing Xiuyan's eyes sparkled, clearly captivated by what she was hearing, her heart filled with longing.

After more than half an hour, Xing Zhen finally returned. Seeing the two people chatting happily in the hall from afar, Xing Zhen immediately covered her mouth and laughed.

He then made an excuse that he was preparing something and turned around and went to the back.

As soon as he entered, he said excitedly, "Master, I see Xiuyan and Yuange'er are talking lively!"

Unexpectedly, Xing Zhong said worriedly, "It's difficult."

"Ah? Why is it so difficult?"

Xing Zhongyi stood up and said, "You've seen that girl called Qingwen too. She's no less beautiful than our Xiuyan, and she's just a maid." As he spoke, he pointed to the east and said, "The girl next door is Yuan'er's concubine. Do you think her color can be any worse?"

(End of this chapter)