Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 204 Let nature take its course
The firm voice fell into Zhuan'er's ears, and he was stunned but also overjoyed!
Look at that Mr. Chen, he gave out thirty taels of silver without blinking an eye. If my sister marries him, she will surely live a peaceful life in the future. Maybe she can also get a monthly allowance of five hundred coins like Yunxiang!

When Zhuan'er came to his senses, he saw Xing Xiuyan take a few steps towards the stairs and then hurriedly turned back.

"elder sister?"

"I forgot something."

Xing Xiuyan sat in front of the small, palm-sized mirror, removing her wooden hairpin and replacing it with a plum blossom-shaped gold one. Her worries were gone, and a relieved smile spread across her face.

He stood up, went downstairs, led Zhuan'er out of the door, and soon arrived at Zhen Feng's door.

Since they had decided to leave the day after tomorrow, Yunxiang was currently arguing with the servant Qingyu. Upon seeing Xing Xiuyan arrive, Yunxiang immediately greeted her with a smile, "Cousin, are you here?"

Xing Xiuyan smiled and nodded. Although her clothes were old and gray, they could not hide her pretty face. She smiled and nodded and said, "Is your master here?"

"Yes, he just returned to his room. I'll take my cousin to look for him!"

Yunxiang smiled and led the way. Although Yunxiang didn't know much about human affairs, she knew her master's ways well... Generally speaking, he'd kill someone if he made a mistake, and never let them go. In short, a girl with such good looks and a kind disposition as my cousin, my master would definitely not miss out!
When they reached the front building, Yunxiang shouted, "Master, Master, my cousin is here!"

The window opened, and Chen Siyuan peeked in. Seeing that it was indeed Xing Xiuyan, a smile immediately spread across his face. With a slight nod, he turned and went downstairs to greet her.

Inside, Qingwen and Xiangling were packing their clothes. Qingwen was about to go down to serve, but Xiangling pulled her back and said with a low laugh, "Silly sister, how can you come forward now?"

Qingwen pondered for a moment before re-sitting at the head of the bed. Frowning, she said to Xiangling, "I still don't know what to say about the matters of the Second Young Lady and Miss Wang, and now this cousin has come along. I really don't know what Master will think."

Xiangling smiled and whispered, "I actually think it's better for my cousin to marry you, Master, than to marry anyone else. My cousin is a refined and elegant woman with the appearance and character of a white magnolia. It's a good thing that she and Master are in love."

Qingwen thought to herself, her master is naturally very kind to the women around him. He speaks kindly, never loses his temper, and can put aside his pride to play with them. Even more rare is that he always protects them and is always there to intervene when something goes wrong. If someone like my cousin were to become a couple with her master, it wouldn't be a disgrace at all.

But isn't there a bit too many girls around the master? There are the Second and Third Concubines, and now there's Xiangling. There are three concubines alone. Can my cousin, after she gets married, suppress the Second and Third Concubines?

As if she knew what he was thinking, Xiangling said, "No one is perfect. Although you are a bit lustful, you are kind-hearted. Besides, this problem is just due to your age... I think it will be gone in a few years."

Qingwen sighed, "Master Bao still has over a dozen maids waiting on him. At your age, for a young man from a wealthy family, the number of girls around him is quite small... I'm just worried that Master might become ill."

Xiangling laughed and said, "He couldn't bear it himself, so he naturally learned to restrain himself."

Qingwen thought about it and agreed, so she covered her mouth and smiled without saying anything.

On the other side, Chen Siyuan came downstairs and saw the little maid Yunxiang Xianbao also leading Xing Xiuyan in.

She wore a moon-white silk jacket with a cross-collar, over which she wore a half-worn blue-grey cotton bodice, the collar of which revealed an inch of the pine-patterned hem of her undergarment. Below her was a dark blue cotton skirt, the hem of which was embroidered with sparse white plum blossoms.

She wore a plum blossom-shaped gold hairpin in her hair, her face bare. Although her eyes were shy, they were always staring at herself, and there was a faint smile on her face.

He was looking at Xing Xiuyan, and Xing Xiuyan was naturally looking at him as well. His eyes dropped slightly, and when he caught a glimpse of the Xiuyu buckle belt tied around his waist, a smile spread across his face.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward and bowed, "Cousin."

Xing Xiuyan returned the greeting: "Brother Yuan."

Chen Siyuan stepped aside and said, "Cousin, let's sit down and talk." As he spoke, he waved his hands behind his back at the little maid Yunxiang.

Yunxiang was indeed clever. She immediately pulled Zhuan'er, who was watching the fun, and walked out: "Zhuan'er, I bought some rice dumpling candies yesterday. Would you like to try some?"

Zhuan'er was so greedy that his mouth was watering. He vaguely guessed what Yunxiang meant, so he nodded and followed Yunxiang.

Only Xing Xiuyan and Chen Siyuan were left inside. Xing Xiuyan walked to the chair and was about to sit down, but she bit her lip and walked lightly to Chen Siyuan.

"I...ha!" Xing Xiuyan covered her mouth and laughed as soon as she opened her mouth.

When Chen Siyuan saw her smile, he also started smiling.

After laughing, Xing Xiuyan put all her previous thoughts aside and said with a hint of playfulness, "I've been undecided about whether to come and find you. I just lost two copper coins. I thought everything depends on fate. Words will come, but not appearances."

Chen Siyuan bowed to the four people and said, "Thank you very much. Although I don't know which great master has come to help me, I will offer you four seasonal offerings in the future."

Xing Xiuyan laughed angrily and said, "You've thanked the wrong person...I lost face those two times."

Chen Siyuan was stunned when he heard this. He put down his hands and looked at the shy affection in the girl's eyes. How could he not know what she was thinking?
After a brief thought, he borrowed a line from the Augmented Collection of Wise Sayings and said, "You must be cautious again and again, and above all, do not deceive yourself."

Xing Xiuyan lowered her eyes and sighed, "I don't deceive myself, but I don't know if I will be deceived in the future."

Chen Siyuan said seriously, "My cousin is intelligent and well-versed in Buddhist scriptures. I'm afraid she has already understood the affairs of the world. But I don't know who can deceive her."

"To be able to understand it thoroughly is one thing, but not wanting to understand it is another." After a pause, Xing Xiuyan whispered, "Brother Yuan is like a bright moon now, but I..."

Chen Siyuan's thoughts turned, and he said: "I am like the moon, and you are like the stars."

This poem is adapted from Fan Chengda's "Che Yao Yao Pian" in the Song Dynasty. One of the passages is: I wish I were like a star and you were like the moon, shining brightly every night.

Xing Xiuyan naturally understood this veiled confession. She clenched her handkerchief tightly and tilted her head away. Chen Siyuan saw that her ears had turned red in the blink of an eye.

She turned away and sat down, her face still red, not daring to look at Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan remained silent, only walking a few steps, fetching the kettle from the charcoal stove, and brewing two cups of almond tea.

"Cousin, would you like to try it?"

Xing Xiuyan forced herself to calm down. Seeing the bright white tea in the cup, supplemented with peanuts, sesame seeds, rose, osmanthus, raisins, wolfberries, and icing sugar, it looked extremely strange. She asked, "What is this?"

"Almond tea, which originated in the capital, is the best way to warm your spleen and stomach in winter."

Xing Xiuyan took it with a smile, moved the spoon and took a sip, it was indeed sweet.

Seeing Chen Siyuan also sitting beside her, enjoying a cup, Xing Xiuyan felt her heart flutter. Having made up her mind, she was willing to speak freely. So, she said, "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me... A few days ago, I went to deliver some scriptures and saw Master Zhixin setting out a fortune stick. You know I don't like fortune-telling, but for some reason I drew one that day."

The girl's eyes sparkled, and Chen Siyuan's heart was moved.

So he smiled and said, "Oh? I wonder what the fortune says?"

Xing Xiuyan smiled, scooped some almond tea on the table with a small spoon, dipped her slender jade fingers in it, and wrote the four words "Bright Moon in My Arms".

Chen Siyuan had been in the underworld for a few years and was naturally well-informed. So after thinking it over, he said, "Marriage is destined by heaven. It's a very good omen."

Xing Xiuyan smiled and said, "At that time, I thought that it would be nice to have the bright moon in my arms, but I was afraid that the moon would wax and wane..."

Chen Siyuan said, "The waxing and waning of the moon is normal, and the stars accompanying the bright moon is eternal."

"Yeah." Xing Xiuyan nodded in response.

Perhaps because she was in a panic, Xing Xiuyan was about to reach out to grab the teacup, but she accidentally dropped the silver spoon to the ground, making a crisp tinkling sound.

Xing Xiuyan hurriedly leaned over to pick it up, but unexpectedly Chen Siyuan moved over and also leaned over to pick it up. Just as the two hands, one large and one small, were about to touch the silver spoon, they froze in mid-air. Before the delicate hand could retract, it was grabbed by the big hand...

"Brother Yuan——"

"cousin……"

The sun was half-slanting, shining in through the window. The two figures fell to the ground, as if they were bowing to each other. The room fell silent for a moment.

Zhuan'er, who was sitting outside, couldn't resist his curiosity and pried open the crack in the door to take a look. But before he could see anything, Yunxiang grabbed his ear and dragged him away. He could only vaguely hear the two people inside saying, "We're leaving the day after tomorrow. Do you have any plans, cousin?"

"I do have some thoughts, but it depends on what Daddy and Mommy have to say..."

After they walked a little further, Yunxiang frowned and said, "I wonder what you are thinking of interfering with the good things between the master and the cousin at this moment!"

Zhuan'er brushed off Yunxiang's hand, his face expression nonchalant. He grabbed another zongzi candy and put it in his mouth, mumbling, "It was just a sneak peek, what's the point?"

Yunxiang stared at the now-deflated bag and gritted her teeth. How could someone be so shameless? I was just being polite, but who knew Zhuan'er would keep eating! This bag of rice dumplings and candy cost two silver coins, and at least one of them went into Zhuan'er's stomach!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Yunxiang simply hid the bag of candy behind her and frowned at Zhuan'er.

Zhuan'er rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, the monthly allowance is five hundred coins, so what are the rules for rewarding?"

Yunxiang said unhappily, "The reward is given four times a year, and each time is about two months' monthly allowance."

Zhuan'er glared at him and said, "Oh my! If you don't count food, clothing, and other expenses, wouldn't that be twenty taels of silver for the whole year? No wonder you can only afford rice dumplings and candy!"

The money I used to buy the candy was earned by myself from listening to rumors!

She was about to blurt out these words, but Yunxiang forced herself to hold them back. She thought to herself, this Zhuan'er is shameless. What if he finds out about this way of making money and takes it away from me?
So no matter how Zhuan'er coaxed or asked, little Yunxiang just pursed her lips and said nothing.

When it was almost time for dinner, the door of the main room in the front yard was pushed open, and Chen Siyuan and Xing Xiuyan walked out together. Zhuan'er just came up to Xing Xiuyan with a rice dumpling candy in his mouth.

"Brother Yuan, please stay."

"I'll see my cousin off."

As the two of them were talking, Chen Siyuan finally sent Xing Xiuyan to the door, and watched her enter the next yard before returning happily.

When he turned around, he saw Xiangling and Qingwen rushing out and heading straight for the side room. Chen Siyuan blinked and immediately scratched his head... Perhaps these two had been stuck upstairs for a long time and only came down to the toilet after Xing Xiuyan left?

After a while, Chen Siyuan was indeed teased by Xiangling and Qingwen, but he just swallowed his pride and enjoyed himself.

On the other side, Xing Xiuyan and Zhuan'er returned to the front building, and Xing Zhen came over to watch.

Seeing that Xing Xiuyan's face was less worried, she felt more certain. When she had some free time, she went to Zhuan'er to ask him about it. Zhuan'er not only did not lie, but instead exaggerated the story for a long time, making Xing Zhenshi laugh.

I thought this perfect couple was about to get married.

In the afternoon of that day, Xing Zhong returned home in a daze.

Xing Zhen naturally complained a lot, but Master Xing Zhong leaned back on the bed and said with a squinting smile, "Isn't there Brother Yuan?" After a pause, he added, "Xiu Yan is still in a bad mood?"

"All right!" Xing Zhen said cheerfully, "This afternoon, Zi Xiuyan took Zhuan'er to the next door for a walk. It took her more than half an hour to return. This time, she didn't frown anymore. Zhuan'er said that my daughter and Yuan'er are doing well."

Xing Zhong nodded repeatedly, slapped his thigh and said, "Okay, okay, that's all right. I'll go to the capital tomorrow and ask my elder sister to make the decision, and then it'll be done!"

Xing Zhen thought for a moment and said, "But Brother Yuan said he'll be leaving for Jinling the day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow?" Xing Zhong said, "Then let's go to Jinling together."

"Ah? But this house and furniture..."

Xing Zhong curled his lips and said, "If the old doesn't go, the new won't come. With Brother Yuan here, why should you and I worry about it?"

As the saying goes, people of the same family are alike, and Xing Zhenshi is not one who knows how to live. Thinking about how Chen Siyuan casually took out thirty taels today, she immediately smiled and said, "Okay, then we will leave the day after tomorrow!"

The couple made up their minds and did not ask Xing Xiuyan about her feelings. The next day, Xing Zhong came to the house in person and told Chen Siyuan about going to Nanjing.

Chen Siyuan and Xing Xiuyan had just started talking, and they were timidly exchanging glances and looking shyly and affectionately at each other, so he agreed immediately.

After Xing Zhong left satisfied, Qingwen asked for leave, took her sister Luan'er, and went out of the city with the servant Qingyu to visit her mother.

Xiangling helped Chen Siyuan get dressed, and then Chen Siyuan hired a carriage to go to the governor's office - he had to say goodbye to Jia Yucun.

However, things did not go as planned. When Chen Siyuan arrived at the governor's office, he learned that Jia Yucun had led the governor's flag to Taihu Lake to suppress the bandits yesterday.

Since he failed to meet the visitor, he had no choice but to leave a letter and return leisurely.

............................................................

The carriage rumbled by, and Luan'er beside her was eating osmanthus cake. In just two days, the little girl had transformed. She was now dressed in a fine cotton-padded jacket and skirt, her twin buns tied with red silk. She was now nibbling at the cake.

Qingwen parted the curtains and saw the servant Qingyu leading the way on a donkey. The village loomed in the distance. Pulling the curtains aside, Qingwen warned, "Luan'er, don't speak carelessly when you see mother later... If there are others around, call me sister, not eldest sister."

"Yeah, I understand, big sister."

Luan'er is so young, how could she know the pain of separation? Qingwen felt pity for her and pulled out her handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth. After collecting the handkerchief, Qingwen swayed back and forth with the carriage, her eyes fixed in a trance.

She was sold by her father when she was young, and what happened that day became a demon in her heart. She hoped that her mother did not know about it, but she was also afraid that her mother would agree to sell her.

After they met, Qingwen's inner demons were all gone. Seeing her mother's miserable life, she couldn't help but worry about her... She was afraid that her mother would work hard, that she would be angry with her mother-in-law, and that her stepfather would take his anger out on her.

After this separation, it was unknown when they would see each other again, and even Chen Siyuan was helpless, so Qingwen's heart was in turmoil. After a while, when the carriage stopped, a donkey brayed outside. Qingyu cursed for a long time before saying, "Miss Qingwen, we've arrived."

Qingwen pulled Luan'er aside, lifted the curtain, and stepped out of the carriage. She saw Qingyu, covered in mud, arguing with the stubborn donkey: "If you weren't hired, I would have slaughtered you and eaten your meat sooner or later... Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eat, stupid donkey!"

Luan'er was so amused that she giggled uncontrollably, while Qingwen's face remained gloomy. She pulled Luan'er along and went into the alley. They arrived at their home in a moment. Just then, the door to the inner room opened, and they saw an old woman, beaming, about to emerge, holding a basin of diapers from the previous day.

"...Just take care of the baby, I'll take care of everything. Dachuan will be back by noon, saying he's been offered a good job and will earn two hundred coins in half a day. I've already told him to bring back two pounds of meat for you at noon to nourish you."

Qingwen's mother replied, "There's no need to cut off the meat. The family doesn't have enough money anyway..."

The old woman said angrily, "My husband and I still have some money saved up. We can finally get through until the baby is weaned. Then you can go out and work, and life will get better... Hey, why are you back?"

But when the old woman saw Luan'er, her face suddenly turned cold.

Qingwen's heart sank, and Luan'er beside her timidly called out, "Grandma."

The old woman didn't respond. Only then did she look at Qingwen. Seeing her luxurious clothes, she quickly smiled and said, "Young lady, what are you doing..."

Qingwen frowned and said sternly, "My master is leaving tomorrow. He was worried that Luan'er would miss her mother, so he sent me to bring her back home to visit her."

"Oh, oh, it's as it should be." The old woman hurried forward to open the wooden door and let the two of them in.

Luan'er, missing her mother, ran inside, shouting all the way. The old woman tried to get close to Qingwen, but Qingwen was disgusted and only agreed sporadically.

The old woman thought Qingwen was disgusted with the dirty diaper, so she took a basin and went to find stream water to wash it.

Only after the old woman left did Qingwen enter.

When she looked up, she saw Luan'er taking cakes out of her small purse and stuffing them into her mother's mouth.

Her mother said, "That's enough, Luan'er has eaten too," while she caressed Luan'er's little face reluctantly. Seeing Qingwen come in, her mother sighed and said, "But...are you leaving?"

"Yeah." Qingwen nodded in a depressed mood.

Her mother said, "That's fine. This day will come sooner or later." She then lowered her head and instructed Luan'er, "When you go out, listen to your elder sister and don't get into trouble. Do you understand?"

Luan'er nodded continuously: "I remember."

"Well, Luan'er is so good." As she said this, her mother couldn't help but have tears in her eyes.

Qingwen came forward, still trying to persuade her mother to go with her. Her mother seemed to see through her thoughts and shook her head, saying, "Que'er, please stop trying to persuade me. I'm doing fine now."

"What's wrong?" Qingwen asked with a frown.

"My mother-in-law came yesterday. I don't have to do anything myself, just focus on taking care of the children. Since Luan'er left, my mother-in-law has smiled more often, and she has stopped saying those weird things."

Qingwen curled her lips and said, "Mom, if you come with me to the capital, I guarantee you'll live a better life than you do now."

His mother smiled and shook her head, saying, "The capital? That's where Que'er and Luan'er should go. I should stay in Suzhou."

Although Qingwen was eloquent, she was not good at persuading others. Seeing that her mother had made up her mind, she was reluctant to try to persuade her any further.

Around noon, the old woman came back after washing the diapers, and then the man also came back happily with a piece of pork.

The old woman pretended to invite Qingwen to have dinner with her. Qingwen felt depressed and declined a few words. Then she took Luan'er and left.

As they were about to reach the entrance of the alley, Luan'er, who was holding my hand, said, "Big sister, I left my purse behind."

It was freezing outside, so Qingwen let Luan'er get in the carriage first while she went back to look for it. But when they were still a few dozen steps from the courtyard, they saw an old woman smiling and stirring dishes. A man named Dachuan was holding a child in his arms, and the child was jumping around like a monkey. This immediately made his mother angry, and even the old woman cursed at him a few times...

Qingwen stood there, biting her lower lip for a long time without moving, then she sighed and turned back.

As soon as they got on the carriage, Luan'er asked, "Big sister, have you found my purse?"

Qingwen forced a smile and said, "Luan'er, be good. That purse is dirty. I'll embroider another one for you later."

"Okay, I want that duck purse that my elder sister embroidered, too."

"What kind of duck is that? It's a mandarin duck."

The carriage turned and rumbled on. Qingwen bickered with Luan'er, yet at the same time, she felt relieved. It turns out that forcing a melon to grow bitter doesn't make it sweet. Perhaps letting things take their natural course is best... just like how she had ended up by chance with the master.

That night, because they had to set off the next morning, Xiangling and Zhen Feng, mother and daughter, slept in the back building, while only Qingwen and Chen Siyuan stayed in the front building.

The two of them just lay there hugging each other, and Qingwen said leisurely, "Master, don't you think it's best to let nature take its course?"

"How to say?"

"I went to see Mom today. Even without Luan'er, Mom and that family are living happily together."

"You're not a fish—" Chen Siyuan hugged Qingwen tightly and said, "There's a saying: Respect the fate of others, let go of the desire to help others, and avoid being moved by your own feelings." Seeing that Qingwen didn't understand, he said, "Let me give you an example. When I was a child, I was running around in the winter, sweating all over. My mother saw me and quickly wrapped me in a coat. Then I was sitting alone in my room, and my mother was busy handling household chores, so hot that she saw I was wearing a coat and quickly took it off for me..."

Qingwen blinked and said, "Wouldn't that mean I'd catch a cold?"

Chen Siyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Isn't it? I caught colds repeatedly when I was young, probably because of this. Later... an elder couldn't stand it anymore and scolded my mother, and she finally realized it. Who knew that a few days later, she would act like this again.

So there is a kind of coldness, which is when your mother thinks you are cold."

Qingwen smiled and whispered, "Master, are you trying to tell me that what I think is good for others may not necessarily be good for them?"

"Exactly that."

Qingwen snuggled in Chen Siyuan's arms and said, "But I still can't bear to leave my mother."

Chen Siyuan patted her smooth back and said soothingly, "Spring comes and goes, flowers bloom and fade. We can come and see it again when we have time."

"Yeah." Qingwen agreed, her worries gone. She was in a good mood and pestered Chen Siyuan with both hands and feet. After some persuasion, she finally fell asleep.

............................................................

The next morning, both the East and West Courtyards were bustling with activity. Chen Siyuan and his group of seven, Xing Xiuyan's family of four, totaling eleven people.

Because he disliked the bumpy ride in the carriage, Chen Siyuan hired two black-sailed boats. The eleven people took the black-sailed boats to the dock and then moved their luggage to the chartered Wuxi express boat.

Zhen Feng came to see Xiangling off and said goodbye to her with tears. She also agreed to go to the capital to see Xiangling in the spring and summer of next year. Then the mother and daughter said goodbye.

At that time, there were probably two waterways from Suzhou to Jinling. One went along the canal to Zhenjiang, and then went upstream along the Yangtze River after arriving in Zhenjiang; the other went straight north, followed a section of the canal, passed Changshu and Fushan, entered the Yangtze River, and then also went west along the river.

Although the former is time-consuming, it is stable. Chen Siyuan has no shortage of money, so he naturally chose the former.

As the hour of Chen was about to end, the speedboat started moving. Xiangling stood at the bow and kept waving to Zhen Fengshi. Zhen Fengshi followed the direction of the boat for a while until she was stopped by the accompanying maid. Only then did she stop and watch the boat go away.

When the speedboat turned a corner and Zhen Fengshi was no longer in sight, Xiangling wiped her tears and returned to the cabin. Qingwen came forward to comfort her, saying, "Sister, why are you so upset? Your mother said she would come to the capital next year."

"Yeah." Xiangling responded with a smile.

Qingwen grumbled, "As for me, I don't know when I can see mother again."

Xiangling then took over and tried to comfort Qingwen. But how could words comfort such a matter of separation of flesh and blood? Even though Xiangling and Chen Siyuan tried their best to persuade her, Qingwen didn't seem to get better.

As the boat left Suzhou City, Luan'er suddenly called out from outside, "Big sister, big sister, look, it's Mom!"

Qingwen was startled and hurried out to see what was happening. Sure enough, she saw a figure in coarse cloth and a thorny hairpin perched on the slope in the distance. It was her mother!

Qingwen could no longer hold back, and together with Luan'er, she kept calling out "Mom" and "Mother". The woman in the distance clapped her hands and called out a few times, but she was too far away, and her voice was vague and could not be heard clearly.

Qingwen understood and clasped her hands together, saying, "Don't worry, mother. I will take good care of Luan'er! I'll come visit you again when I have time."

His mother seemed to have heard it, so she covered her mouth with one hand and waved the other hand...

After the boat passed the lock bridge, his mother's figure had long disappeared. Chen Siyuan came over and said, "It's cold on the water. Go in and warm up quickly, or Luan'er will catch a cold."

Only then did Qingwen agree, wiped her tears, and led Luan'er into the cabin.

Luan'er was too young to understand the meaning of parting, so she just kept asking, "Big sister, how far is the capital?"

"It's very far, at least several thousand miles."

"Then can you arrive tomorrow... the day after tomorrow?"

"It'll take a month."

"It's so far? Then what if I miss my mother in the future?"

Qingwen smiled and hugged the small figure, saying, "Don't you still have me?"

..................................................................

Three days later.

There was a dim light in the cabin. Due to the strong northwest wind, Xing Xiuyan stayed in the cabin in the afternoon and read by the light of the lamp.

There was a noise coming from next door. It was Xing Zhong and Xing Zhenshi. Xing Xiuyan sighed, and her eyes were filled with sadness.

Ever since they boarded the ship, his father Xing Zhong had been causing trouble. Sometimes he wanted to eat roast goose, sometimes he wanted to drink Shaoxing yellow wine, and he would often invite Chen Siyuan to drink together, and every time he would get himself drunk.

Xing Xiuyan knows her own business. She is a girl from a poor family and has such unreliable parents. How can she find a good family in the future?

She and Chen Siyuan are just expressing their feelings to each other now. As for what will happen in the future, Xing Xiuyan doesn't want to think about it for the time being. She only thinks about the sweet and affectionate glances she is exchanging with Chen Siyuan.

While he was thinking, the hatch opened and Zhuan'er entered, holding a lantern. The room suddenly became brighter. Xing Xiuyan squinted her eyes to adjust. When she saw the lantern in Zhuan'er's hand, she was immediately puzzled and asked, "Where did you get this?"

"Sister, you're asking even though you already know the answer. Who could have given you this wonderful gift?" Zhuan'er smiled softly, placing the whale oil lamp on the table. Then, squatting down and resting her hand on her face, she said, "I just mentioned that you were reading, and Master Chen was worried that you might hurt your eyes, so he rushed back to his room to get a lamp and asked me to bring it to you."

Xing Xiuyan gave a vague response, feeling quite relieved. She glanced at Zhuan'er, her face hesitant to speak.

Zhuan'er said with a smile, "Sister, do you want to ask what Master Chen is doing now?"

Xing Xiuyan said shyly, "If you want to say it, then say it. If you don't want to, forget it."

Zhuan'er said chuckledly, "Then I won't tell you anything. Let sister guess for herself."

Xing Xiuyan pursed her lips and said nothing. She flipped through two pages at random, then simply threw the book down, stood up and walked out.

"Eh? Where are you going, sister?"

Xing Xiuyan laughed and said, "What is he doing? Why don't I go and see it myself?"

After saying that, he ignored Zhuan'er and walked out of the cabin by himself. Not far away, he stopped in front of a cabin and gently knocked on the door.

There was a flurry of rustling inside, and then Xiangling pulled the hatch open, blushing and smiling as she said, "My cousin is here! Come in quickly! I was just talking about her."

Xing Xiuyan took a look and saw that Xiangling's face was flushed and their clothes were a little messy. How could she not know what had happened just now?

Chen Siyuan had been able to endure it for the past two days, but how could he endure it last night? The cabin was already cramped and not soundproof, so the slightest noise naturally fell into Xing Xiuyan's ears.

Xing Xiuyan knew Xiangling's true identity, so she pulled her hand and said, "Sister, just call me Sister from now on."

Xiangling agreed and said, "I'll go get two cups of tea for my sister and uncle." Then she left the cabin and closed the door behind her.

There were only two people left inside. Chen Siyuan smiled awkwardly and invited Xing Xiuyan to sit down. He said, "Are you feeling stuffy? I just asked the captain, and he says the wind is blowing against us now. I'm afraid it will take another three days to reach Nanjing." (Note 1)

Xing Xiuyan said, "Brother Yuan, I know you're so... great because of me, but you can't let my father drink any more. If this continues, it'll be fine if he doesn't achieve anything, but I'm afraid he'll ruin his health."

Chen Siyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Now that we're in the same boat, I have no choice but to avoid it."

Xing Xiuyan thought about it and frowned, saying, "We won't be able to let him do what he wants when we get to Jinling."

(End of this chapter)