Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 210: The Worry of Attacking People
Without mentioning Sister Bao who was waiting at the door to see me off, my mind was filled with a thousand thoughts.

Let’s just say that Chen Siyuan bowed to Baochai and said goodbye, then got on the carriage and leisurely returned to Rongguo Mansion. Now that he had the approval of Prince Yanping, he had to send the banknotes and the badge to Li Wan.

Thinking of meeting Aunt Xue tomorrow, Chen Siyuan's imagination ran wild. Suddenly, he thought of the small courtyard at the entrance of the big grid lane, which was untended. Not only was the house cold and shabby, but there was probably dust everywhere. How could he meet Aunt Xue?
As the carriage returned to the Rongguo Mansion, Chen Siyuan called over the servant Qingyu and instructed him, "It's a shame to leave the house in Da Gezi Lane unattended. It's still early, so go to the market and spend some money to hire a maid to clean it up. Then buy some silver frost charcoal and send it over."

Qing Yu was surprised and asked, "Master, are you planning to rent out that house?"

Chen Siyuan said vaguely, "We'll give this place to our classmates from the Imperial College to stay in the future. It wouldn't be too shabby." He handed over two taels of silver. "The rest is your reward."

The servant Qingyu didn't ask anything else and left happily after receiving the money.

Chen Siyuan watched her go away, turned around and walked into the back door of Rongguo Mansion. Unexpectedly, he had not walked far when he saw a maid coming towards him with a panicked look on her face and hurried steps.

Seeing Chen Siyuan, he quickly bowed and said, "Uncle Yuan."

Only then did Chen Siyuan see clearly that the person coming was Xiren, Baoyu's maid.

Then he bowed and said with a smile: "It is Miss Xiren."

"I dare not call you Miss," Xiren said with a forced smile, "Master Yuan, just call me Xiren."

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "Since you have urgent matters, please do as you please."

Xiren bowed again, thanked Chen Siyuan, and then went to the back door. When Chen Siyuan reached the corner, he turned around and saw Xiren arguing with a man in his twenties.

Because they were far away and couldn't hear clearly, the two men went to the side and hid behind the wall in a blink of an eye.

Chen Siyuan didn't think much about it. He went back to his own courtyard first, changed his clothes, and hurried to Li Wan's room.

After entering the garden, I had just come down from the Great Master Mountain and walked to the side of the villa where my parents came to visit me. From a distance, I saw Jia Lian leading a servant across the sluice bridge, and they happened to meet a woman on the way.

Just at this moment, Chen Si got closer and could see from a distance that the woman was quite pretty. She was wearing a pink jacket and a light green flowered skirt. Although it was winter, the collar was slightly open, revealing part of her neck.

Her dark hair was loosely tied up, with a few strands playfully falling on her cheeks. Her face was lightly powdered, and her eyes were slightly upturned, with a hint of spring in the corners, like two pools of clear autumn water, captivating the heart.

When they passed by Jia Lian, Miss Duo opened her red lips slightly, with a smile that was not a smile. Her laughter was like the sound of a yellow oriole singing in a valley, crisp and melodious, with a bit of seductiveness.

She deliberately moved slowly, her body slightly tilted to one side, her waist swaying like a willow swaying in the wind. Her eyes were fixed on Jia Lian, her gaze slowly sliding from Jia Lian's eyebrows to his clothes, and then slowly moving up. Her eyes were full of charm, as if she wanted to hook Jia Lian's soul away!
Jia Lian was a lustful man to begin with, and because Sister Feng was away treating an illness, he could not be around her. Apart from occasional flirtations with Ping'er, he spent the rest of his time in the outer study room using the servants to relieve his sexual desires.

Now, being glanced at by Miss Duo like this, he felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and his steps unconsciously paused. He hurriedly pretended to be calm and nodded slightly, but his eyes could not help but linger on Miss Duo for a long time. His heart felt like it had been scratched by a cat, and for a moment, he felt itchy and lustful!
Seeing Jia Lian lost in thought, the servant said, "Second Master, are you interested?"

Everyone knew Miss Duo's name, and Jia Lian had even spoken to her before in front of the villa where she was staying. But he was busy with the visit and Sister Feng was keeping a close eye on her, so he had no chance to try.

Jia Lian was about to reply with a smile on his face when someone suddenly called out from behind him, "What are you looking at, Brother Lian?"

Jia Lian turned around and saw that it was Chen Siyuan. He laughed and said, "Where are you going, Brother Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Second Brother Lian, you don't know. Before I left Jinling, the Li family asked me to deliver something to my eldest sister-in-law. Unfortunately, I was so busy after returning that I couldn't find it. I just came back and the maid said she found it again. So, I rushed to deliver it to my eldest sister-in-law Zhu."

"So that's how it is..." Jia Lian raised his hand and pointed to the villa where the imperial visit was held. "Madam sent me here to count the expenses for the visit."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and said goodbye to Jia Lian. After passing Qinfang Pavilion, he looked back and saw that Jia Lian had disappeared. He couldn't help but think to himself, I'm afraid that Jia Lian will end up with Miss Duo in the near future.

Later, there was a woman named Bao Erjia... However, there were so many servants in the Rongguo Mansion that Chen Siyuan had never seen Bao Erjia.

Thinking this way, he left the garden and soon arrived at the west gate of Li Wan's room. He reached out and knocked on the door. In a moment, Suyun came from inside and said, "I'm coming."

With a creak, the door opened. Suyun stood in the small corridor and looked out. Seeing that it was Chen Siyuan, she smiled and said, "Oh, it's Master Yuan."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I have completed everything my sister-in-law asked me to do yesterday."

Suyun hurriedly invited Chen Siyuan in and went inside to greet him.

This time, Li Wan came out to greet her without waiting for Bi Yue.

After not seeing each other for a day, Li Wan still looked so haggard and lifeless. When she saw Chen Siyuan, she couldn't help but look at him with questioning eyes.

This matter was not to be made public, so Li Wan invited Chen Siyuan into the house and left only Jia Lan by her side. Suyun, Biyue and a maid all left.

When no one else was inside, Chen Siyuan said, "It's done." He then took out seventy thousand taels of banknotes and said, "These are banknotes from the Imperial Household Bank, ten thousand taels each. The prince has instructed that since the bank has just opened, it's best not to withdraw too much. If you need anything urgently, you can withdraw twenty or thirty thousand taels."

Li Wan hurriedly laughed and said, "Brother Yuan, you're joking. Nowadays, we mother and son don't need much money for food, clothing, and other expenses. Why would we need 20,000 or 30,000 silver coins?"

Not now, but I can’t say for sure about the future.

Chen Siyuan then handed over the waist badge given by Prince Yanping. "This is the waist badge of the palace. No matter what the matter is, no matter when, you can take this badge to the palace of Prince Yanping and ask for help."

Li Wan took it with a solemn expression, holding it in her palm and secretly breathing a sigh of relief. To her, this badge was probably more important than the 70,000 taels of banknotes!
Li Wan was the daughter of Li Shouzhong, born in his old age, and was naturally a great treasure to him. Because of Lady Jia's preference, she was well-read, though not particularly revealing.

Reading history reveals the unchanging rise and fall of dynasties. Li Wan knew this in her heart. Apart from the two families in the south and north, where else in the world could there be a thousand-year-old family? There's a saying in the book, "The grace of a gentleman is cut off after five generations." And the common people often say, "Wealth doesn't last beyond three generations." This is common sense!

The title of nobility had been passed down through three generations of the Rongguo Mansion, but the fifth generation already had Jia Lan. Since the past two years, the monthly allowance had been paid increasingly late, clearly indicating that the Jia family's growing population was causing them to run out of money.

Li Wan, a widow and unemployed, knew that the Jia family was in a bad situation, but she was powerless to save the situation. So she focused all her attention on Jia Lan and saved some money for her future use.

Because of her mother-in-law, Lady Wang's cold attitude, Li Wan felt lonely, resentful, and worried, and inevitably treated Jia Lan a little harshly.

Now that she had received the banknote and the promise from King Ping of Yan, Li Wan breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that she didn't say anything for a while, Jia Lan came over and asked, "Mother?"

Li Wan came back to her senses after hearing the call, and couldn't help but smile at him. With this smile, her peach blossom eyes suddenly became smart, and in Chen Siyuan's eyes, it was like a hundred flowers blooming!
Li Wan reached out and touched Jia Lan's cheek, then said with a smile, "Go and thank your Uncle Yuan!"

Jia Lan didn't understand why, but he turned around and bowed politely: "Thank you, Uncle Yuan!"

Chen Siyuan came back to his senses and nodded slightly at Jia Lan. Unexpectedly, Li Wan also stood up and bowed. Chen Siyuan was so panicked that he quickly stood up and moved away, saying, "What are you doing, sister-in-law?"

Li Wan was moved and said, "Thanks to Brother Yuan's intercession, otherwise, if those things fell into the hands of mother and son, it would be a disaster rather than a blessing."

Chen Siyuan waved his hand and said, "This matter was caused by me, so I will do my best to help. Now that the eldest sister-in-law is satisfied, my trip is not in vain."

Li Wan smiled and said, "More than satisfied, I'm afraid there's nothing better. Brother Yuan, please sit down and try this Lu'an tea."

Chen Siyuan sat down again and asked Jia Lan about his homework. Seeing that Jia Lan spoke very clearly like a scholar, he couldn't help but frown.

Seeing this, Li Wan asked, "But isn't Lan'er's answer correct? Brother Yuan knows I'm not well-educated and is worried I might corrupt Lan'er."

Chen Siyuan waved his hand and said, "Sister-in-law, you're worrying too much. Brother Lan is naturally very good at learning...but the problem is that he's very good at it."

Seeing Li Wan's confusion, Chen Siyuan asked, "Sister-in-law, have you forgotten about the injury to Zhongyong?"

When they are young, they are full of life, and when they grow up, they are clear-headed. Such examples can be seen frequently, and Li Wan suddenly became worried.

Then Chen Siyuan said, "First, youth is the time for growth. If you exercise more now, you will grow stronger in the future. Second, at your age, it would be enough for you to just learn the three hundred thousand words according to common sense. It would be better to recite the scriptures and articles when you are able to open your eyes."

Li Wan said with a bitter face, "Brother Yuan, I don't know what the private school is like... I was worried that Brother Lan would be kidnapped and led astray, so I secretly gave him many lessons."

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "Sister-in-law is not as knowledgeable as the scholars, so it's okay for her to guide Lang'er. However, there's no need to rush for success. You should allow Lang'er to play around for a while."

Jia Lan was not even eight years old, at the age when he loved to play and make mischief, but Li Wan had disciplined him like a little adult. Hearing what Chen Siyuan said, he couldn't help but smile.

Li Wan had long intended to ask Chen Siyuan to teach Jia Lan, but it was difficult to bring it up now. She said, "I've taken note of what Brother Yuan said. It just so happens that the New Year is approaching, so I'll let Brother Lan off easy for a while." Turning to look at Jia Lan, she saw his delight and said with a chuckle, "That's what you want."

Jia Lan just laughed.

Chen Siyuan drank a cup of tea and then stood up to say goodbye. Because the widow's door was full of gossip, he was afraid that if he came once or twice, he would be criticized.

Chen Siyuan stayed in the mansion that day. Hongyu and Liu Wuer were still waiting for his care in the room.

When they arrived at their own courtyard, it was already dark outside. Xiangling, Hongyu, and Liu Wu'er seemed to have made a plan. When night fell, Xiangling and Liu Wu'er quietly went to the west wing, leaving Hongyu alone in the room to serve.

There was no one else inside, and when he was helping Chen Siyuan wash up, he just touched his body, and Hongyu let out a whimper and was very angry.

"Uncle~"

Chen Siyuan raised his eyes and glanced over, and saw that Hongyu's eyes were moist, as if they seemed to be able to ooze tears.

It is said that "one night of marriage brings a hundred nights of love". No matter what Hongyu had planned before, ever since she gave herself to Chen Siyuan, she only thought about Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan smiled and asked, "Have you missed me?"

"Yeah." Hongyu nodded vigorously.

Chen Siyuan then pulled him and walked towards the western end.

Nothing happened that night. The next day, Chen Siyuan went to the yard to practice standing meditation early in the morning. When he returned to the room, Hongyu had not yet gotten up.

Hongyu said angrily, "Next time I won't dare stay in the room alone... I don't know why, but Master seems to be even more aggressive than before."

These words were like nectar, instantly making Chen Siyuan feel refreshed and extremely comfortable.

Some time later, after breakfast, the servant Qing Yu came to ask for a meeting.

Chen Siyuan was afraid that the news would spread, so he simply came out to meet Qingyu.

Qing Yu returned the key and said with a smile, "My Lord, all the houses in Da Gezi Lane have been cleaned. I stayed in the room last night and lit two charcoal fires to dispel the cold. Including buying silver frost charcoal and hiring a maid, the total cost was one or two taels..."

Chen Siyuan waved his hand: "No need to report, the rest is your reward."

Qingyu was overjoyed, and seeing that there were no further instructions, he skipped off. This naturally aroused the suspicion of the little maid Yunxiang, who hurriedly followed behind and asked questions.

Qingyu is not stupid. He answered the question personally, but he probably didn't want outsiders to know. No matter how Yunxiang asked, he just shook his head and said nothing, which made Yunxiang very angry.

Chen Siyuan had no mood to write that day. At the end of the noon hour, he made an excuse that he was going out to visit an old friend from the Imperial College. He left the Rongguo Mansion through the back door, hired a carriage and went straight to Dagezi Lane.

Arriving at the place, Chen Siyuan opened the door and went in. Although it was cold inside, there was no frost. Not only that, the bed was even covered with a brand new blanket.

After secretly praising the young servant Qing Yu for his increasingly discerning eyesight, Chen Siyuan lit a brazier and lay on the bed, waiting in a daze.

As it was almost noon, there was a noise outside. Chen Siyuan jumped up and hurried to the bed to take a look. He saw that the person who came was indeed Aunt Xue!
Chen Siyuan smiled and simply hid himself beside the antique display case. A moment later, Aunt Xue pushed the door open and walked in. She tentatively called out "Brother Yuan," but when no one answered, she lightly stepped towards the back of the room.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he came in, he was hugged by Chen Siyuan around the waist.

Aunt Xue exclaimed, and then heard Chen Siyuan say, "But you made me wait so long!"

Aunt Xue finally relaxed and could not help but say angrily, "You're so good at tricking people! I thought a thief had sneaked in!"

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and said, "That's not wrong. Today I will play the role of the thief who stole the fragrance and jade."

He immediately picked up Aunt Xue by the waist, ignoring her screams, and in three or two steps he reached the bed, where the two of them rolled together.

The two of them were so separated that they felt like they were in love. As soon as their eyes met, they no longer cared about anything else.

Poetry bears witness to this: Red is shy, green is timid, yet love is strong; willows beside flowers are carefree and easily infatuated. A pair of mandarin ducks drift off to sleep, their brocade quilts and silk mattresses overflowing with spring. A spring breeze blows, the bedclothes ruffled, the figure within, a jade-like figure slumped on the pillow, her emotions flaring. Aunt Xue sprawled across the couch, eyes closed, napping, only half covered by the quilt, leaving most of her arms exposed. Her skin was as smooth as cream, the color of jade. Her lips prickled, her body numb, a feeling of being no longer in the world.

Chen Siyuan, who had already rested, half-raised himself and looked at Aunt Xue's expression while jokingly smiling and picking up a strand of her hair to playfully touch her face.

Aunt Xue felt itchy on her face, and finally couldn't help but open her eyes and glared at the little enemy in front of her.

She had been alone for a long time, and this short separation was better than a new beginning, so she naturally resisted and clung to him. But this little enemy was completely different. After the battle, it was only a short while before he was back, braving the waves and breaking through the wind.

Aunt Xue was capable of doing anything, but after two attempts she lost her energy and just let him do whatever he wanted.

She then said, "You don't even know how to take care of yourself. How can you live like this any longer?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "You are useless, why are you blaming me?"

Aunt Xue thought to herself, "Perhaps it's because the little boy is getting older?" She looked carefully and saw that he had indeed gained some weight. She stopped talking and rose slightly, folding herself in his arms. The two of them exchanged sweet words.

Aunt Xue, feeling sorry for Chen Siyuan, wrapped herself in her clothes and fetched a pot of warm tea from the brazier. She drank heartily herself, but then, noticing Chen Siyuan also complaining of thirst, she gave in to his pleas and offered him a leather cup.

Seeing that it was almost the end of the afternoon, Aunt Xue's mood gradually calmed down, and she started to talk seriously with Chen Siyuan.

"So what's the deal with the latex business?"

Chen Siyuan rested his head on his arm and said, "What else can we do? The Imperial Household takes 30%, and the remaining 70% is left for us to share."

Aunt Xue stood up and said, "Is it really possible to make money?"

Chen Siyuan made a "tsk" sound and squinted his eyes without saying anything.

Aunt Xue smiled awkwardly and said, "I didn't say I didn't trust you... In that case, how about leaving 40% for my family?"

Sister Bao said yesterday that the Xue family only had 60,000 to 70,000 silver coins on their account, and Aunt Xue was able to come up with 40,000, which shows how much she trusts her.

Chen Siyuan said, "To be honest, this business is a sure win. Investing ten thousand silver coins now might earn you fifty or eighty thousand in five years. Your Xue family took forty percent. Do you think you'd be envied?" He paused, then continued, "Let's not talk about the wolves and tigers out there. If your family really did get a few hundred thousand, would your brother be concerned? Would the other branches of the Xue family be concerned? Would the Jia family have other ideas?"

Aunt Xue frowned and thought for a long time. Chen Siyuan's words were certainly true. No matter how powerful the Xue family was, they were only imperial merchants and naturally could not compare with other nobles.

This noble family is said to be more respectable than the Yangzhou salt merchants. After several generations of accumulation, their wealth is even richer than that of the salt merchants. But in reality, they are just a bunch of slick donkey dung!

The so-called wealth of noble families is mostly in houses, land, antiques, calligraphy and paintings. In terms of cash, they are not as good as ordinary wealthy merchants, so how can they be compared with the Yangzhou salt merchants?
During the reign of the Supreme Lord, salt merchants from Lianghuai competed for wealth. One family showered two boxes of gold foil from the White Pagoda, while another released lanterns that blocked the river. How could the Jia family even compare to such extravagance?
Aunt Xue pondered, "Isn't there still the Cao family?"

Chen Siyuan sneered, "Doctor Cao is only a doctor in the inner court. How can he defeat your brother and the Jia family?"

Aunt Xue knew this was true, so she sighed and said, "Never mind, there's always that 20% left, right?"

Chen Siyuan turned around, looked at him, and said, "According to me, your family still has to pay 40,000 silver coins. 20,000 will be converted into equity, and the remaining 20,000 will be considered as a loan. In five years, I will return double the amount. How do you do that?"

Aunt Xue raised her hand and hit him with a slap, saying, "So you want to do this business with no capital!"

Chen Siyuan reached out and grabbed Roudi, playing with her in his palm. He said with a smile, "Don't you think about it? Without my skills, the latex would be useless. How can we earn money from it?"

Aunt Xue was so upset by the pressure that she said, "The imperial treasury gets 30%, my family gets 20%, and you get 20%. That leaves only 30%... Who are you going to leave it to?"

Chen Siyuan said sullenly, "The Jia family's East and West Mansions have long since run out of money. They're lucky to be able to scrape together 10,000 or 20,000... The rest will naturally go to the highest bidder."

Aunt Xue said, "You're so good at talking and talking, but these people don't know your abilities, so how can you get money out of them?"

Chen Siyuan suddenly said jokingly, "Why are you just talking nonsense? I'll bring you the real thing someday. I guarantee you'll be happy."

Aunt Xue saw that his face looked rather frivolous and immediately became suspicious. She didn't know what kind of thing he would bring to her that day.

When it was 3 p.m., Aunt Xue was no longer reluctant to leave, so she quickly packed up, said goodbye to Chen Siyuan in a hurry, and returned to the Xue family's old house.

Chen Siyuan was lazy for a while, and when the charcoal fire in the brazier went out, he dressed himself leisurely, left the alley, hired a carriage, and returned to Rongguo Mansion.

He had his own thoughts. After spending several rounds of affection with Aunt Xue today, he was inevitably exhausted. Naturally, it would not be appropriate for him to go to the new house to look for You Erjie and You Sanjie.

The carriage rumbled on, and after three quarters of an hour they arrived at Ningrong Back Street. Because there were carriages blocking the road ahead, Chen Siyuan simply paid the fare and got off to walk.

Before they had gone far, they saw Xiren and the man from yesterday arguing in the alley. Chen Siyuan was curious and couldn't help but want to find out what was going on, so he quietly walked to the alley entrance and listened.

Then the man said, "...Mom is in such a bad condition now, spending countless dollars every day. She says she's dying, but as her children, how can we just watch her die? I know you're a proud person, but the situation is beyond our control... Master Qu said that since my sister is the head maid in the Rongguo Mansion, he's willing to pay her a betrothal gift of three hundred taels."

Xiren said, "Brother, please stop talking. Even if I die, I will never be a concubine to that useless Master Qu."

When Chen Siyuan heard this, he realized that the man was Xiren's brother, and his name seemed to be Hua Zifang?

At this time, Hua Zifang sneered and said, "If my sister stays in Rongguo Mansion, won't she become Master Bao's concubine in the future?"

"How can it be the same?" Xiren knew her own pain. Three hundred taels of silver was not a small amount of money. When Rongguo Mansion hired her as a maid, it was only twenty or so taels of silver.

Xiren was quite tempted by the prospect of prolonging her mother's life, given her mother's affliction with the affluence of the rich. However, she knew her own situation: she had first experienced sex with Baoyu years earlier, and was no longer a virgin. How could it be worth three hundred taels?

If she agreed to this, she was afraid that Master Naqu would be furious and angry, which would bring disaster to her family. But as a girl, it was difficult for her to tell her brother about this matter.

"What's different?"

Xiren couldn't answer, so she just said, "I'll think of something else. The silver box in Qixianzhai is in my hands... If all else fails, I can move some of the treasures out and exchange them for some silver."

Hua Zifang stamped her feet and said, "How foolish! The Jia family's belongings are all numbered. If anything is missing, there will be another lawsuit tomorrow! Don't forget those maids up front. Two days ago, I saw that maid Bihen, all painted up, sitting on the shoulders of a eunuch, on her way to the restaurant!"

Xiren said, "Then I'll go and ask Master Bao for help."

"Him? He's just a naughty boy now. How much can he get every month?" Hua Zifang said irritably, "Forget it. I'll go pawn your sister-in-law's headgear first. We have to wait until the New Year before we can talk about it."

The rustling sound of footsteps gradually faded away. Xiren bit her lip and stood there for a while before turning around and lowering her head to walk towards the entrance of the alley.

Because Chen Siyuan was not too far away, he could only hear vaguely what was said. He only vaguely heard that Xiren's mother seemed to have contracted some kind of rich disease?

When he heard Xiren approaching, Chen Siyuan turned around and stepped back ten steps, then walked back with his hands behind his back.

Xiren walked on in silence, still pondering in her mind. Her brother Hua Zifang was right. The items in Qixianzhai were naturally limited. Xiren was a virtuous person. It would be difficult for her to even ask Master Bao for them, let alone steal them.

She lowered her head and thought to herself, where can she find a few hundred taels of silver?

There is no need to mention the old lady. Although the lady now treats me differently, there is no reason for her to spend hundreds of taels of silver for a maid.

The remaining ones are Mrs. Zhu, Mrs. Lian, the second lady, the third lady, the fourth lady, Miss Lin, Miss Bao... After thinking about them all, Xiren suddenly thought of Mr. Lian.

This person has always been generous. If it really doesn't work -

"Huh? Xiren?"

Suddenly, a call came from behind. Xiren stopped and turned around, and saw Chen Siyuan coming towards her lightly and nimbly.

Xiren hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Master Yuan."

Chen Siyuan stopped and smiled, "You just came from home? Hey, I see you look a little off, is there something wrong at home?"

Xiren had just shaken her head when a thought struck her: "Yes, how could I have forgotten this Master Yuan! He's only three years older than Master Bao, and besides being a brilliant writer, he's also quite capable of commerce. His two previous maritime trade ventures were nothing short of impressive, and he also went on to found Baicaotang. Now, the Madam's monthly share of profits alone is three or four hundred silver coins."

The wife gets so much profit, so how could the instigator, Mr. Yuan, get nothing?

It was possible that the money would have to go to Master Yuan. However, she was useless and not a virgin, so she was afraid that she would have to do something to coax the money out of him.

So she took a sneak peek and thought to herself that compared to Mr. Lian, who ate both meat and vegetables, this Mr. Yuan seemed more pleasing.

Xiren stopped, lowered her head, sniffed, and said pitifully, "Master Yuan, there's nothing else to say."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "You don't look like you're okay."

Xiren then said, "My... mother is ill—she has diabetes."

"Oh?" Chen Siyuan frowned. He had some knowledge of medicine, so he knew that diabetes mellitus was the same as diabetes in his previous life. It was a disease of the rich.

He immediately asked, "Did the doctor prescribe a prescription?"

"They've been prescribed," Xiren whispered. "One is Ginseng and White Tiger Decoction, and the other is Coptis chinensis and Donkey-hide Gelatin Decoction."

These two options were indeed appropriate, but they were extremely wasteful. Chen Siyuan had just enjoyed a few intimate moments with Aunt Xue, and now, like an old monk in meditation, he had no lewd thoughts. He only thought that it was thanks to Xiren's manipulation that he had first won Qingwen and then secured his marriage to Daiyu.

Thinking that one day he might have to borrow Xiren's ability to make Baoyu dislike Baojie again... Chen Siyuan sighed and said, "This is a disease of the rich. Do you have enough money at home?"

Xiren looked up at him pitifully, sniffing without saying a word.

Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "I guess it's not easy for you to tell Brother Bao... Even if you tell him, Brother Bao is still young and I'm afraid he can't help much." As he spoke, he pulled out a banknote from his sleeve and stuffed it directly into Xiren's hand.

Xiren blinked and saw that the banknote was for fifty taels. She immediately looked up in surprise and said, "Master Yuan, this..."

Chen Siyuan said, "I left in a hurry today and didn't bring much money with me. Keep it for now. If you don't have enough, just come find me later."

After saying this, he nodded at Xiren and walked away casually.

Xiren turned around and watched him go away, then hurriedly bowed again: "Thank you, Master Yuan!"

When she stood up, she saw Chen Siyuan waving his hand and then walking into the back door of Rongguo Mansion without looking back. Xiren held the fifty-liang note in her hand and bit her lower lip, as if thinking about something.

He got fifty taels so easily? Mr. Yuan is indeed a good man. If that's the case, I'll pretend to be pitiful again tomorrow... Xiren suddenly thought of Xiangling before and Jia Rong after her, and it was as if a basin of cold water was poured over her head!
I thought to myself, yes, this Mr. Yuan is not someone who can be easily fooled. I gave him fifty taels casually, perhaps to establish a good relationship. If I want to ask for it back later, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it without giving something back.

Xiren felt a mixture of emotions. For a moment, she couldn't imagine what Chen Siyuan could ask of her, so she sighed. She figured at least she'd gotten fifty taels, which would at least get her through the first month of the year. If she didn't have enough money after the first month, she could find another way.

Without mentioning Xiren's wild thoughts, let's talk about Chen Siyuan returning to his own courtyard. It was indeed Liu Wu'er who stayed at his house that day. The two of them were very affectionate that night, so I won't mention it anymore.

The next day, after practicing standing meditation early in the morning, Chen Siyuan finally remembered Third Sister You's request. So after breakfast, he headed to his new house near Nengren Temple.

When they got inside, Third Sister You frowned and asked urgently, "Brother Yuan, is there any solution to this matter?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'll intercept Dr. Guo when the court is dismissed this afternoon. Once I understand what he wants, we can then counter his moves."

Yu Sanjie naturally believed him and nodded repeatedly after hearing what he said.

Chen Siyuan added, "It's almost the New Year, so it's not a good time to make any big moves. After the first month of the year, think about finding some craftsmen and asking for the death contract."

The spread of technology is inevitable, and it may be possible to hold on to it for a while. After all, what Chen Siyuan did this time was just for the sake of money.

Sister You San asked a few questions and quickly agreed.

That afternoon, Chen Siyuan took his own carriage and took his servant Qingyu to the Taichang Temple.

(End of this chapter)