Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 20 Ning Mansion Hears
"Uncle She... this matter... is too difficult to explain in a few words!" Jia Zhen was as sad as if he had lost his parents. He pulled Jia She and walked inside: "Let's talk inside."

Jia She was about to yell again, but when he saw everyone was there, his face turned pale and he forced himself to suppress it, and followed Jia Zhen to the back room to talk.

Chen Siyuan was extremely curious, but he couldn't follow them in, so he just stopped in the hall. Glancing around, he saw that all six chairs were occupied, so he found a corner to wait.

More people came in one after another. Judging from the way they addressed each other, most of them were relatives of the Jia family.

Then two young men in their twenties came over. One of them bowed and said, "Brother, I don't know who you are. Which family are you from?"

Chen Siyuan said, "Hello, brothers. I am the nephew of the eldest lady of the West Mansion. My name is Chen Siyuan."

The two men's faces froze, then they smiled and said, "So it's Brother Chen. Since he's the eldest wife's nephew, then we're not outsiders either. We need to get closer to him from now on."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries with Chen Siyuan, then went off to chat with someone else. Chen Siyuan had been around for a while, and as a second-generation man, he naturally knew that the two were just being polite and shouldn't be taken seriously.

Mrs. Xing was a concubine and came from a poor family, so she was naturally not looked down upon by the Jia family.

After a while, a steward suddenly came looking for Jia Zhen. He went inside and found him nowhere to be found. He then bowed and said, "Where is the master? Madam Rong wants to stay in the bed now. Please tell her to come over."

Chen Siyuan took a quick look and saw that the manager was only in his early thirties. He didn't know if it was Lai Sheng. The so-called "staying at home" was just a taboo.

After a person dies, according to the current rules, the initial and final rites must be performed first.

The Dashun Dynasty inherited the Ming system. At the time of death, the men and women in the deceased's family would cry and mourn, and then the body would be carried and placed on a mat in the hall, which was called "laying on the bed". The body would lie on the coffin and a curtain would be set up according to the ritual. However, no spirit tablet would be set up outside the curtain for the time being to prepare for the coffin.

At this time, the body is laid with the head facing north and the feet facing south. A saucer of tea oil is placed at the head and feet, and a wick is placed in each. When the wick is lit, it becomes a lamp, which is called an "eternal lamp." The body is placed on the coffin, which is called a "normal sleep."

After the deceased passed away, the family members issued an obituary to inform relatives and friends, and then discussed the funeral arrangements.

Chen Siyuan knew everything because he had just sent his master away.

As soon as the steward finished speaking, Jia Zhen and Jia She came out from the back room. Jia Zhen gave a few instructions and the steward took them and left.

Jia She found a chair to sit down and glanced at him. Chen Siyuan hurried to stand behind him. Jia Zhen was greeting relatives and friends. Whenever the visitors mentioned Qin Shi, Jia Zhen couldn't help but burst into tears.

A little later another maid came to ask about the curtain, and after receiving instructions she trotted off. Then came more relatives and friends, and for a while Jia Zhen was kept very busy.

Seeing him so busy that he had to personally take care of the accommodation of the foreign women, Jia She couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhen, why isn't your wife coming out now?"

Jia Zhen replied, "Uncle, you don't know, but Mrs. You just happened to have a stomachache and is lying in the back right now."

Jia She frowned thoughtfully, then said, "The matter of the funeral involves many things, and someone in the backyard must be in charge."

Jia Zhen sighed and said, "Uncle, you know that Youshi was never very capable to begin with, and now she's ill. Where can I find help all at once?" Jia She was about to say something when another guest arrived. The guest came forward to comfort him. Jia Zhen couldn't help but cry, "Everyone in the family, from relatives and friends near and far, knows that my daughter-in-law is ten times better than my son! Now she's gone, which shows that there is no one left in the eldest house." He paused and shed tears again, "How can I deal with it? I'll just do my best!"

Just as the guests were settled, another servant came to report that Qin Ye, Qin Zhong, Mrs. You Laoan, You Erjie, You Sanjie and all the relatives of the You family had arrived.

Jia Zhen bowed and said, "Stop accompanying me," then strode out to greet them. Chen Siyuan had thought he could see how the Yu sisters looked, but he didn't expect that only Qin Ye and Qin Zhong were with Jia Zhen.

Qin Ye was over seventy, with a gray beard and a few age spots on his face. His brow was frowning as he walked, but it was only with anguish, not a trace of sadness. Looking at Qin Zhong, he also had a stern expression, not even a hint of redness under his eyes.

Qin Ye was fine, but Qin Zhong's behavior was somewhat unacceptable. Qin Ye never remarried, so he must have been raised by Qin Keqing since childhood. It seemed that Qin Keqing had previously interceded for Qin Zhong's admission to the academy. Even though they weren't siblings, they couldn't be completely devoid of affection, right?
Chen Siyuan thought to himself that either Qin Zhong was a cold-hearted person, or... the father and son of the Qin family had never considered Qin Keqing as one of their own family.

There was another flurry of activity at the moment. Qin Ye just sighed repeatedly after sitting down. Perhaps because there were no one else around, he didn't say a word.

After a long while, the steward came to report that with Mrs. Wang's help, the accommodation was finally arranged.

Jia Zhen then pointed to a man and said, "Go to the Imperial Observatory early tomorrow morning and ask them to choose a date."

After the man agreed, Jia Zhen bowed to the others and said, "My dear friends, I am deeply troubled by the passing of Rong's daughter-in-law. I am truly sorry for my inadequate hospitality. You should all go back first. We can discuss funeral arrangements tomorrow after the obituary is delivered."

Everyone responded in a chaotic manner and said goodbye. Chen Siyuan stopped behind Jia She. Seeing Jia Zhen and Jia She exchanged glances, Jia She turned around and said, "Brother Yuan, go back and rest first."

"Yes." Chen Siyuan agreed and followed the crowd out.

After leaving the Neiyi Gate, Chen Siyuan felt urgent and hurried to find the maid in front of the door and asked, "Where is the bathroom?"

The maid bowed and pointed, "There are screens and clean buckets in the rooms on the east and west sides of the inner hall."

Chen Siyuan headed towards the east wing. As expected, he saw a screen standing in the corner. As he undressed and was about to pee, he heard voices coming from the compartment.

"Brother Rong, you wear your hat so securely... I just saw that guy dragging the maid into the side room. Tsk tsk!"

Another person said, "Brother Zhen made the decision, how dare Rong'er disobey? Besides, with Ningguo Mansion being such a prestigious family, it wouldn't be a problem if they could just marry a concubine properly someday."

"Hey... I heard that old man Jiao Da mentioned the 'stealing' incident... Could it be that Brother Zhen..."

Another person sneered, "It's not just Brother Zhen. But I think Brother Zhen still has some sincerity. Oh, it's hard to say about others."

"Shh, walls have ears, let's talk about this in private."

The two men pushed the door open and walked out. Chen Siyuan had been holding his breath and listening. When he saw the two men leave, he hurried out and opened the crack of the door to look. He saw that the two men's backs were vaguely Jia Heng and Jia Gao.

After they left, Chen Siyuan returned to relieve himself. While doing so, he wondered, "From what they were saying, it seems Qin Keqing is indeed an 'adopted daughter,' but what does the book say about the furnishings in her room?"
(End of this chapter)