Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 203 Don't Deceive

Chen Siyuan blinked, lost in thought for a moment. Who did he take with him? Luan'er? He glanced past Qingwen, at the little girl, burping and clutching her belly, and couldn't help but frown slightly.

It wasn't because of anything else, it was just because Luan'er was too young, and how could she be without her mother's care? She started crying and making a fuss, and it was really hard to comfort her.

Qingwen knew what he was thinking and whispered, "Don't worry, Master. I'll take care of you. I think you'll be fine after a while."

Chen Siyuan pondered, "Is your mother...in trouble?"

"Yeah." Qingwen frowned and nodded.

Poor couples have many worries. They would haggle for days over a penny, not to mention that Qingwen's mother remarried with a little maid. How could her current in-laws not have something to say?
Just as Chen Siyuan was about to speak, Qingwen's mother came over with a bitter face and begged.

"Uncle Chen!"

As she spoke, she was about to kneel down. Chen Siyuan, not caring about anything else, quickly reached out and stopped her: "Auntie, if you have something to say, please say it nicely. Don't shorten my life."

Qingwen's mother couldn't kneel any further, so she bowed and said, "There's really nothing I can do. Otherwise, I wouldn't have opened my mouth like this when we first met."

She kept rambling on and on about how, ever since she got married, her mother-in-law had looked down on Luan'er. This was because, at that time, although the man had to pay a betrothal gift, the woman's family would double the dowry, and then both the betrothal gift and the dowry would be taken to the man's family and considered the woman's personal property.

Except for the bride, no one else can touch this private part.

So there is Luan'er, not only one more mouth to feed, but also a dowry in the future. How could her husband's family be willing to do such a losing business?

So ever since Qingwen's mother got married, the shrewish mother-in-law had one evil idea after another. First, she said that Panxiang Temple was accepting young nuns, so it would be better to send Luan'er there and take her back when she was older. Later, she said that the Huiban troupe was accepting young actors, so it would be better to send Luan'er there to learn acting. Maybe one day she could become a concubine of a wealthy family. When she was in confinement, the mother-in-law arranged to send Luan'er away to be a child bride.

How could Qingwen's mother be willing to push her daughter into this fire pit? Panxiang Temple's reputation had long been tarnished! That actor was of the lowest class, so who would want the daughter of a good family to marry him? And then there were those child brides. Qingwen's mother had seen them before. They were just slaves to others, and she couldn't bear to let them go!

Qingwen's mother looked soft on the outside but had a strong character. No matter how her mother-in-law tried to persuade her, she refused to agree. So the mother-in-law was so angry that she hurried back home after Qingwen finished her confinement.

She had originally planned to go back to work after she finished her confinement, so that the man and she could earn nearly thirty taels a year. But now she is trapped and has to rely on the man to row the boat to earn some money, but how can it be enough for her to spend?

The man was originally a good-tempered person, but he had quarreled with Qingwen's mother several times because of the lack of daily necessities, and even Luan'er was scolded by him for no reason as a "money-loser".

Chen Siyuan sighed after hearing this. It is said that when people are poor, they have low aspirations. For the sake of a bite to eat, they will put aside the relationships between husband and wife, and between father and daughter.

Luan'er sat on a small stool, blinking and looking over at her confusedly. After her mother finished speaking, Luan'er said, "Mom, don't you want me anymore?"

Qingwen's mother burst into tears and turned around to hug the little girl in her arms: "Mom can't bear to leave Luan'er, but Mom can't afford to raise her."

Luan'er looked at Qingwen and said, "Big sister has money. Mom, why don't you ask big sister for money? That way, Luan'er won't have to leave."

Qingwen's mother sobbed and shook her head.

Qingwen had suggested leaving more money, but as the saying goes, one should help in emergencies, not in poverty. After all, the whole family can't rely on Qingwen for support. Besides, leaving too little money won't help, and leaving too much... I'm afraid it will bring disaster!
Chen Siyuan, after a brief moment of reflection, understood what Qingwen's mother could clearly think through. He sighed and said with a smile, "I think Luan'er is quite clever. If you're willing, just let her stay with me."

Qingwen's mother was overjoyed. She quickly wiped away her tears and pushed Luan'er over to her: "Luan'er, kowtow to Master Chen!"

Luan'er was pressed to the ground and kowtowed, but this time Chen Siyuan didn't stop her.

Although no written contract had been signed, the kowtow had sealed the relationship between master and servant. Chen Siyuan fished out two silver coins from his sleeve and handed them to Luan'er with a smile, "Here, Luan'er, take them."

Luan'er took it naively. Young as she was, she had no idea what the barley grains were for. She had only ever seen coins and small change, which were usually black, not as shiny as the barley grains.
Just as Qingwen's mother was about to press Luan'er's hand and kowtow again, a male voice came from outside: "Wife, are there guests?"

Chen Siyuan turned his head and saw a rough-hewn man in shorts striding into the yard. The man caught a glimpse of Chen Siyuan and then of Qingwen and was stunned.

Qingwen's mother quickly gave Qingwen a quiet snort, then hurried out to greet her, "Is the headmistress back?"

The man nodded and whispered, "This is—"

Qingwen's mother said, "This is Mr. Chen from Shuntian Prefecture. He said he would buy Luan'er to be her maid."

The man blinked, and was immediately overjoyed. He smiled flatteringly and said, "Oh, it's Master Chen. I bow to you, Master Chen."

As he spoke, he bowed deeply, and when he stood up, he began to praise: "Although Luan'er is young, she is very pretty. Master Chen will take her home and raise her for a few years. She will definitely grow up to be beautiful. This..." The man turned his head and whispered to Qingwen's mother: "Have you mentioned the price?"

Qingwen's mother shook her head, and the man gritted his teeth and held up two fingers: "Twenty taels, no less."

Qingwen, who was standing by, was shaking with anger, and Chen Siyuan sneered in laughter.

A five-year-old girl in Zhili would cost at most three taels of silver, and the government would only charge five taels of silver for a palace maid around six years old. Although Jiangnan was rich, it didn't make sense to charge twenty taels of silver for a four-year-old child.

Just as he was about to speak, Qingwen beside him spat, "Tsk! You are dishonest. Do you think my master is a scoundrel? She's only four years old. No matter how beautiful she is, is she worth five taels? Forget it, since you're asking for twenty taels, I don't think you're sincere. Master, let's look somewhere else!"

After saying that, she pulled Chen Siyuan away and was about to leave. The little girl, Luan'er, was stunned. Just as she was about to speak, her mother gave her a glare and she immediately covered her mouth and remained silent.

The man hurriedly stopped him and said, "Well... there's a saying that goes, 'If you ask for a high price, you'll pay the low price.' Twenty taels is high... what about fifteen taels... ten taels? How about ten taels? Master Chen, you can tell he's not short of money."

Qingwen then bargained with the man with a sullen face, and after a while they finally settled on a price of seven taels of silver.

There was no need for Chen Siyuan to pay at the moment. Qingwen paid the money out of her own purse.

The man was very happy to get the silver and the bag, and he kept thanking the man.

Qingwen ignored the man and turned her head to look at her mother meaningfully. She sighed and walked to Luan'er, leaning over and saying, "Sister, just follow me."

She pulled Luan'er's hand, and Luan'er followed her out in a daze.

When she reached the door, Luan'er finally reacted and turned around, crying, "Mom, Mom—"

Qingwen's mother naturally covered her mouth with her hands as she wept, but she forced a smile and waved her hands at her, sobbing, "Luan'er, be good. Follow your elder sister. Then you can have enough food to eat and wear new clothes in the future..."

Seeing Qingwen pulling Luan'er out of the door, Qingwen's mother hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but chase out to see what was going on. Only after she saw them get on the carriage at the entrance of the alley did she harden her heart and turn back.

The man was counting the silver. Seeing her sobbing, he came over and said with a smile, "Luan'er is going to live a good life. Why are you crying? If you can't bear to part with your daughter, we can just have another one later."

Qingwen's mother lowered her head and said nothing, just clutching the corner of her clothes tightly.

Elsewhere, the carriage started its journey back to Suzhou. Luan'er was still crying, and Qingwen's coaxing was ineffective. She couldn't help but feel impatient. Chen Siyuan thought for a moment, then parted the curtain and called out, "Qingyu, give me some of your candy beans."

Qing Yu hurriedly pulled a few candy beans from his purse, muttering, "I don't have many left," but ultimately gave them to Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan turned around and stuffed one into Luan'er's mouth. Luan'er cried a few times, then suddenly felt the sweetness in her mouth. Her tears stopped immediately, and she blinked her watery eyes and said, "Sweet! It's candy!"

Chen Siyuan stuffed a handful of candy beans into Luan'er's hands and said, "As long as Luan'er doesn't cry, I'll give you all the candy beans, okay?"

"Well... okay!" Luan'er agreed readily, clutched the candy beans tightly, and stopped crying.

Qingwen rubbed her temples and breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Siyuan observed her expression and said with a smile, "You are still a child yourself, how can you take care of a child? Why don't you ask Aunt Zhen and the two maids to help take care of the child for a while when you return?"

Qingwen gave Chen Siyuan a sidelong glance, meaning: You know I'm still young? Why didn't you remember it last night?

Chen Siyuan's old face turned red and he looked embarrassed.

Then he coughed and asked, "Did you leave any money for your mother?"

Qingwen shook her head and said, "I wanted to keep it before, but mother wouldn't accept it."

Chen Siyuan thought, "No rush. We still have a few days to stay here, so we can just leave some before we leave." He paused and said, "It's not good to leave too many, or we might attract the attention of thieves."

Qingwen nodded and said, "Well, I've thought it over myself, and I'll keep twenty taels."

Chen Siyuan nodded in agreement. Seeing that Luan'er was eating with relish, he reached out and rubbed her little head. He then said to Qingwen, "I'll buy some cloth later and make some clothes for Luan'er...especially cotton-padded clothes."

It was snowing in Suzhou, and Luan'er was only wearing a patched jacket, which looked really awful.

By the time the carriage reached Suzhou City, it was already past noon. Chen Siyuan and his party found a cloth shop and bought some cloth of various colors. With Qingwen as his biological sister, Chen Siyuan didn't have to worry about Luan'er's clothes.

So the carriage turned back to Jianxia Street, and as soon as everyone entered the door, the little maid Yunxiang came to greet them.

"Master... uh, where did this little girl come from?"

The servant Qingyu replied, "Ms. Qingwen's younger sister will also stay with the master from now on."

Yunxiang rolled her eyes, and seeing that the timid Luan'er was too young, she didn't take it seriously. She just said, "Master, someone came this morning, saying they were from the Lin family, and they left a note."

Chen Siyuan extended his hand, and Yunxiang hurriedly handed him the visiting card.

Chen Siyuan took a quick look and signed his name - Lin Hong.

Lin Hong? The Lin family? Did the news leak out from the Futai Yamen? That's right, there's no such thing as a wall that's impenetrable. The Lin family must have gotten the news, and that's why they came rushing to find me.

Chen Siyuan frowned in thought. The other branches of the Lin family resembled the other branches of the Xue family; how could they possibly be good people? To put it bluntly, Jia Lian had brought Daiyu back to the Rongguo Mansion, and at least she had lived a few more years. If she had stayed with the Lin family, it was hard to say whether she could have survived the next year!

Why did he come to my house now? He didn't dare to look for Jia Yucun, so he came to look for me, a vulnerable person? Oh, there's a saying that goes, "A tailor doesn't bring a ruler..." He has bad intentions!

Since this is the case, it is better not to meet each other.

After a brief calculation, he realized that it had been more than a month since he left Beijing, and it was already the beginning of winter. He still had to go to Nanjing and Yangzhou. If he wanted to return before the New Year, he would have to leave in the next few days.

Having made up his mind, Chen Siyuan returned to his room without a sound. When Xiangling came to greet him, she was surprised to see Luan'er. After the other girls chattered for a while, Xiangling smiled and said, "You are still young, how can you take care of a child? It just so happens that my mother is busy, so why don't you let her take care of it?"

Qingwen had known that children were difficult to deal with during the trip, so she didn't argue and just agreed silently. Xiangling waved to Luan'er, and perhaps because she saw Xiangling's friendly face, Luan'er smiled and came over to let Xiangling hold her hand.

Qingwen gritted her teeth and said, "You just go when someone beckons you. If I don't keep a close eye on you, you might get kidnapped someday!" She blinked, then realized something and said to Xiangling, "Sister, I wasn't talking about you."

Xiangling said with both anger and laughter, "You, think before you speak from now on."

Chen Siyuan took a sip of tea and said thoughtfully, "The Lin family sent an invitation, saying they'll visit the day after tomorrow. I'm planning to avoid them for now, and then we'll set off for Nanjing in a few days." He paused, then said to Qingwen, "When you're free these few days, have Qingyu take you to see your mother."

Qingwen agreed.

Xiangling smiled and said, "Finally I'm leaving. Master, you don't know, but it was all right in the first few days. Mother cared about me every day and loved me dearly. But after a few days, she changed. One moment she says I'm stupid, the next she's urging me to have a baby. Oh, oh, please leave quickly! I can't stand it anymore."

Chen Siyuan laughed, but he didn't believe it in his heart. He just thought Xiangling didn't want to embarrass herself.

After lingering for a while, it was almost noon. Thinking of Xing Xiuyan next door, Chen Siyuan could no longer hold back his thoughts and got up to go to the next door alone to look for her.

Who knew that when they knocked on the door, only Xing Zhen was home. Xing Zhen smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Brother Yuan, you've come at an inopportune time. Xiu Yan just took Zhuan'er to the temple to deliver some scriptures... We calculated they'd be back in an hour. Brother Yuan, why don't you wait a bit?"

If I wait any longer, won’t I just waste my breath arguing with Xing Zhen?
Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I see. I'll come look for my cousin again tomorrow."

Xing Zhen smiled from ear to ear and said, "Brother Yuan, come early tomorrow."

The day passed quickly, and at night Qingwen hugged Chen Siyuan and talked to him for a long time. She felt relieved, but more of it was pity for her mother.

The next day, Qingwen urged Qingyu to hire a carriage early in the morning to go out of the city to see her mother.

Chen Siyuan had nothing else to do, so he took a nap in his room. When the morning came, he leisurely went to the next room to look for Xing Xiuyan.

Unexpectedly, Xing Xiuyan was there this time, but she was avoiding him. Only the little maid Zhuan'er blocked the door and winked at Chen Siyuan, saying, "Master Chen, my daughter is not feeling well today."

Chen Siyuan knew something was up just by looking at Zhuan'er's expression, so he casually agreed and went back to the next room. After a while, Zhuan'er came looking for him.

He looked around as if feeling guilty, then pulled Chen Siyuan to the eaves of the wing room and said flatteringly, "Master Chen, the other day the mistress let the cat out of the bag. Our daughter learned that you are engaged and she is worried. I think she will have a restless night."

"Because of this?"

Zhuan'er choked and continued, "The madam seems to have said again that our girl's family background is not worthy of the master, saying... saying that being a concubine would be perfect." Eh? This Xing Zhen is quite self-aware. Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and knew that he shouldn't take the initiative in this matter. He needed Xing Xiuyan to come around on her own, otherwise it would be troublesome in the future.

Since it was him, he smiled and thanked Zhuan'er, then fished out a piece of silver and stuffed it into his pocket: "Use this to buy some snacks."

Zhuan'er felt a weight in her hand, it must be at least one or two taels of silver. She did not receive a single copper coin as monthly allowance when she came to the Xing family, so she was overjoyed!
I thought to myself that this Mr. Chen was really generous. If I acted as a middleman and brought my sister and Mr. Chen together, my sister would naturally find a good home. Wouldn't I also be able to live a good life in the future?
Zhuan'er blinked and quickly bowed, "Thank you, Master Chen, for the reward!" Then he whispered, "If anything happens to our girl in the future, I will definitely tell you secretly."

How come Zhuan'er seems even more obsessed with money than Yunxiang? Chen Siyuan couldn't help laughing and said, "If you have anything, just let me know. I will definitely help you in the future."

Zhuan'er agreed without hesitation and then left happily.

As soon as he left, Yunxiang came over with a frown and said to Chen Siyuan, "Master, what did Zhuan'er say?"

"Ok?"

Yunxiang curled her lips and said, "I don't know why, but I always feel that Zhuan'er is hiding something treacherous in her heart. Master, you better be careful, or you won't be fooled by her!"

Chen Siyuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, thinking: Could this be what it means when colleagues become enemies?
So he started to scold her, "She just told me about my cousin's situation. How does that bother you?"

As he spoke, Chen Siyuan reached out and ruffled Yunxiang's hair, and the little maid ran away with her head in her hands.

Another day passed, and Chen Siyuan went to Xuanmiao Temple early in the morning. His original intention was to avoid the Lin family, but he did not expect that this trip would bring him rewards.

When Chen Siyuan entered the temple, he saw a dozen Taoists practicing Daoyin (Daoyin) techniques, while several others were practicing boxing and swordplay. He was so envious that he immediately donated some money and sought out an old Taoist to teach him the Daoyin technique.

The Taoist's name was Duan Jing. He had white hair and a youthful face, and looked quite like an immortal.

Chen Siyuan pestered him for a long time, and Taoist Duan Jing could no longer bear it. He smiled bitterly and said, "If the believers only want to cultivate their character and strengthen their bodies, they only need to learn the standing meditation. Regular practice of our sect's standing meditation has the effect of strengthening the tendons and bones."

Chen Siyuan was overjoyed and in no hurry to leave. He came to Xuanmiao Temple every day to practice standing meditation with the Taoists. After a few days, Chen Siyuan learned from a young Taoist that standing meditation was the introductory exercise of Zhengyi Tai Chi. He praised it so much that no one knew whether it was true or not.

However, Taoist Duan Jing, mindful of Chen Siyuan's generous donation, held nothing back. Not only did he personally instruct him for two days, he also shared his true teachings. The true teachings could be summed up in just twenty words: walk like wading through mud, raise your hands like sharp edges, move your body like carrying waves, and have a back like an ox.

After seven days, Taoist Duan Jing saw that Chen Siyuan had practiced the standing meditation quite well, so he said to him, "Now that you have mastered this practice, you don't need to come and watch after you finish it."

Chen Siyuan was afraid of being fooled, so he questioned Taoist Duan Jing for a long time. Taoist Duan Jing said with a smile: "The believers only want to strengthen their bodies and replenish their qi and blood. They don't need to learn boxing techniques. Why should they spend several years on it?"

Chen Siyuan finally believed it, thanked the Taoist priest, and leisurely returned to Jianxia Lane.

On this day, the Lin family came to visit again but was not met. After the two visits, even a fool would have known that Chen Siyuan was deliberately not meeting them, because the man said some very unpleasant words, and Yunxiang learned them all and told them all to Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan was in a very good mood and said with a smile: "It's just a dog barking, don't pay attention to it."

He then went inside, found Qingwen and Xiangling, and said, "It is already the middle of winter. Pack your bags tomorrow, and we will leave for Nanjing the day after tomorrow."

After staying for seven or eight more days, both Xiangling and Qingwen were able to fully realize their mother-daughter bond. Xiangling aside, Qingwen would go outside the city every day and secretly give her mother twenty taels of silver. Even so, the little girl was still reluctant to leave.

Chen Siyuan saw his dejected expression, so he pulled him aside and whispered, "If you're so reluctant, why don't you persuade your mother to divorce you, and then come with us to the capital."

Qingwen pouted and said, "I said that a while ago, and Mom scolded me for it."

Chen Siyuan sighed and fell silent. A husband and wife are bound together for a hundred days, and with a baby in their arms, how could Qingwen's mother bear to leave him behind?

Chen Siyuan thought for a moment and then said, "Then tomorrow you can go ask your mother and stepfather if they are willing to go to the capital with us. I will find them some work later."

Qingwen said with a sad face, "I, I've said that too. Mother was quite interested the day before, but the next day she just shook her head."

It's obvious that the man and his in-laws are unwilling to accept this. First, leaving one's hometown is a lowly thing, and going to the capital rashly, who knows whether it is a good thing or a bad thing? Second, Qingwen's mother couldn't explain Qingwen's identity. At present, Chen Siyuan is only a Juren. Jiangnan is a place where literary talent gathers. Not to mention Juren, you can see Jinshi archways in any village. If you want to take refuge with your master, why go all the way to the capital to take refuge with a Juren?
Maybe her husband's family also has other intentions... For example, this matter was arranged by Qingwen's mother, who knows if she will take advantage of Chen Siyuan's power and turn around to suppress her husband's family?
Neither this nor that works. It seems that mother and daughter are destined to be separated. Chen Siyuan doesn't know how to persuade her and can only wait for Qingwen to figure it out herself.

After a short rest, Chen Siyuan went to the next door. Before leaving the next day, he had to talk to Xing Zhong and his family. But before he even left the house, he heard a commotion coming from the next door.

Chen Siyuan was puzzled, and when he went out, he saw two groups of people parked at the door next door. One group consisted of three people, a cashier with two young men, and the other group consisted of two nuns, one old and one young.

Immediately, a young man came forward and knocked on the door: "Xing Zhong, open the door quickly! If you dare to delay for a moment, I will tear down your door!"

After a moment, the door opened a crack, and Xing Zhen appeared, half of her face trembling with fear. She asked tremblingly, "You, what are you going to do?"

Qingpi curled his lips and said, "Of course I'm collecting a debt!"

A shopkeeper stepped forward and said, "Ms. Xing Zhen, your husband dined at Deyue Tower six days ago, and the bill totaled three taels and two cents. He also wrote a promissory note and withdrew ten taels of silver. He agreed to return it yesterday, but he was nowhere to be found. As a last resort, I have come here in person to collect the money."

"what?"

Before Xing Zhen could say anything, the old nun beside her said, "Amitabha, benefactor, please return my disciple to me."

Chen Siyuan stepped forward and vaguely caught a glimpse of Xing Xiuyan behind the door. His heart was moved and he stepped forward and shouted, "What do you want to do?"

Everyone looked over. When Xing Zhen saw Chen Siyuan, she felt like she had found a savior. She jumped out and pulled Chen Siyuan, saying, "Brother Yuan is here. This, this... I really don't know what to do."

Chen Siyuan comforted her, "Don't worry, aunt, I'll take care of everything."

The shopkeeper saw that Chen Siyuan was dressed in an extraordinary manner and did not dare to neglect him. He bowed and said with a smile: "This young man, please..."

Chen Siyuan said with a sullen face, "Let's not waste words. Let's go through each one of these things. Xing Zhong is my cousin. Since he owes you money, can you leave a receipt?"

"Yes, yes!" The shopkeeper hurriedly took out two IOUs from his sleeve.

Chen Siyuan snatched it away, glanced at the words on it that looked like earthworms crawling, frowned and said, "Wait a moment."

After saying that, he slipped into the door and saw Xing Xiuyan standing behind the door, with a wooden hairpin in her hair and a frightened Zhuan'er hiding behind her.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward and nodded, then handed over the IOU and said, "Cousin, please take a look. Is this written by my uncle?"

Xing Xiuyan responded with a complicated tone, lowered her head to examine it for a few seconds, and then said, "It was written by my father."

"Okay, I'll send him away right away."

Chen Siyuan turned around and came out, fished out two ten-liang silver notes from his sleeve, handed them over and said, "Change, pay the bill."

The shopkeeper was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Young Master, you are so straightforward. If that's the case, I won't count it as interest."

He immediately sent Qingpi to break open the banknote and return six taels and eight cents of silver. Without further ado, the three of them bowed and hurried off, apparently to collect the debt from the next house.

Chen Siyuan looked at the two nuns again and asked, "Are you two looking for Zhuan'er?"

The old nun chanted the Buddha's name and said, "Donor, you don't know, Zhuan'er has been raised in the temple for several years. I wanted to pass on my teachings to him, but who knew he was kidnapped."

Zhuan'er inside yelled, "Bah! I ran away on my own, what does it have to do with you, sister?"

The old nun frowned and said, "No matter what, my Panxiang Temple has raised Zhuan'er. Now he has come to the Xing family for unknown reasons. There must be an explanation, right?"

Chen Siyuan was amused and said, "After all, it's just about that thing. Master, don't beat around the bush. Just name the price."

The old nun considered it and exchanged a glance with the young nun, who held up two fingers. The old nun then said, "It will cost twenty taels of silver to raise her."

Chen Siyuan sneered, fished out ten taels of silver, and tossed them over along with the six taels of silver he had just given him. He said, "That's all!"

The two nuns took the money without saying a word and followed the example of the debt collector, walking away quickly.

After everyone had left, Xing Zhen finally came to her senses and couldn't help but sigh, "Thank goodness Brother Yuan is here, otherwise... I don't know what would have happened!" After a pause, she cursed, "Your cousin is such a heartless guy. He only cares about his own extravagant life and never takes care of the family. Wuwuwu..."

As Xing Zhen spoke, she began to sob.

Xing Xiuyan heard the noise inside the door and hurried out to help Xing Zhenshi. She couldn't help but look at Chen Siyuan, then lowered her head and comforted Xing Zhenshi.

Chen Siyuan stared at Xing Xiuyan and said, "Don't worry, Aunt. The clouds in the sky have dispersed now, haven't they?"

"But the money—"

"It's just a little bit of yellow and white, what's the point of talking about it?"

Upon hearing this, Xing Zhen wiped her tears and said, "Brother Yuan, I've made a fool of myself. Hurry, Brother Yuan, come in and sit down."

Chen Siyuan glanced at Xing Xiuyan, and seeing that she didn't say anything, he smiled and said, "No, my uncle is not here, so I can't go in."

Xing Zhen frowned and said, "What are you talking about? Your uncle is not here, but your aunt is here. Do you think Brother Yuan treats me as an outsider?"

Chen Siyuan smiled but didn't answer. He said, "I had to come today because I've been staying in Suzhou for a long time. Before leaving for the capital, I received a request from the elders, so I have to go to Nanjing. After that, I have to return to Yangzhou to deal with some mundane matters."

Upon hearing this, Xing Zhen's tone suddenly became a little higher: "Brother Yuan, are you leaving now?"

At this time, Xing Xiuyan also raised her head and looked at Chen Siyuan, and Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "Yes, we will set off the day after tomorrow."

“This, this, this——”

Without waiting for Xing Zhenshi to say anything, Chen Siyuan smiled and bowed, "Well, I'll go back first. I'll come back tomorrow when my uncle returns."

Xing Zhenshi quickly agreed, watching Chen Siyuan leave casually. A moment later, he entered the next room. She was filled with anxiety, turning her head to glance at Xing Xiuyan. Frowning, she patted her, angrily saying, "You ignored Brother Yuan, and now he's leaving!"

Xing Xiuyan pursed her lips and remained silent, but her heart was in turmoil. By the time she was sixteen, although she'd often been seen in public, it was only the occasional lecher who'd come to chat her up. When had she ever truly interacted with anyone?
Although she had been hiding from Chen Siyuan for seven or eight days, she felt extremely uncomfortable during these days. On the one hand, she knew she shouldn't continue to have contact with him, but on the other hand, she couldn't help but think about him.

Xing Xiuyan once laughed at Miaoyu's aloofness, but it was because she couldn't see through things but thought she understood everything. Now, she herself understood everything, but she was like a moth caught in a spider's web, the more she struggled, the deeper she fell.

Then he sighed and said, "Mom, can you give me another day to think about it?"

Xing Zhen scolded, "I don't know what you're thinking about. There's no one as good as Yuan-ge'er, even if you search with a lantern. I won't hide it from you, the noble ladies in the capital are all vying to marry him. With a family like ours, if you weren't related to him, it would be difficult for you to even become his concubine!"

After Xing Zhen had finished her nagging, Xing Xiuyan returned to her room. Seeing Zhuan'er seeming to hesitate, Xing Xiuyan said, "Don't try to persuade me. I just want to think it through on my own."

Upon hearing this, Zhuan'er had no choice but to step aside.

Xing Xiuyan went upstairs, leaned on the bed, held her cheek with her hands and frowned secretly, but the more she thought about it, the more confused her mind became.

Zhuan'er sighed beside him. He was confused. It was obvious that he could live a good life with Uncle Chen, so why couldn't his sister understand this?

At this moment, Xing Xiuyan sighed, stood up, found a brand new copper coin, held it in her palm, and muttered, "The face is gone, but the words are not. The face is gone, but the words are not."

The copper coin was thrown up and landed in the palm of his hand. When it was unfolded, it turned out to be a word.

Xing Xiuyan frowned and said, "Best of three."

The coin was thrown up again, and it fell down again as a word.

Zhuan'er held his forehead with his hands, his heart was dead for a moment, and he wished he could crush the copper coin into powder!

Just at this moment, Xing Xiuyan dropped the copper coin, stood up and walked out.

"elder sister?"

Xing Xiuyan stopped and said, "Let's go find him."

"Huh?" Zhuan'er looked puzzled and said, "But that copper coin..."

Xing Xiuyan smiled in relief and said, "Since I was able to throw him away a second time, and I'm still thinking about throwing him away a third time, that means I can't let him go. Huanglong Huinan Zen Master once said: I should not deceive God, I should not deceive others, and I should not deceive my own heart.

Now that I know my own heart, I will go find him!"

(End of this chapter)