Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 211: Fangyuan Yingxi Daguan Name (Part )
Near Nengren Temple is the new house of the Chen family.

Third Sister You did not go anywhere today. She left all matters concerning the New Year's goods to Second Sister You and Qingwen. She closed the door and lay down for a while, her mind full of thoughts about Old Lady You.

Chen Siyuan was stunned that day. Although he had never looked down on her, after this incident, Third Sister You began to look down on her. In addition, she had previously embezzled a lot of money, so she felt that she was a burden to Chen Siyuan.

She came to him day and night in order to find love with Chen Siyuan, not for the money or future.

Third Sister You naturally felt guilty because of what had happened to Old Lady You. While she was thinking, the maid Chunxi called out from outside, "The master has returned home!"

Third Sister You forced herself to cheer up, hurriedly slipped on her shoes and went to the door, only to see Chen Siyuan returning with a sullen face. Second Sister You hurried from the back building to meet him, but she dared not say a word when she saw this scene.

Third Sister You bit her lip, thinking that Dr. Guo was being difficult to talk to, and said, "Brother Yuan, is that inappropriate?"

Chen Siyuan smiled, reached out and took Third Sister You into the room, saying, "Let's sit down and talk. Don't worry, the result is not bad."

After everyone was seated and Qingwen brought tea and snacks, Chen Siyuan said in a deep voice, "Doctor Guo has been complaining for a long time, bafflingly mentioning two matters. One is that the old You family mansion will be deeded to Doctor Guo. The second is that in the future, regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl, the Guo family will not be responsible for any weddings or funerals. Only you three sisters will be responsible."

Upon hearing this, You Erjie couldn't help but think to herself, the old house has nothing to do with her, it was originally left for You Lao Niang to live in, but the money for the child's future marriage... if the three sisters share it equally, each of them will need at least five hundred or one thousand taels, right?

Yin Shi frowned and said, "The old house has been deeded, but as for what will happen in the future... I think it would be better if I could find my eldest sister to discuss it with her."

Third Sister You said coldly, "This is a simple matter. Since she's married into the Guo family, there's no need to worry about the money for her upbringing. That's three hundred and sixty taels a year. Once we have three thousand taels, it should be enough for any wedding, right?"

"I forgot about the money for support," You Erjie thought to herself. If the money for support is cut off, I won't have to give half of my monthly allowance to Old Lady You anymore, right? So she said happily, "If that's the case, I have nothing else to say."

Third Sister You continued, "When the child is full-term, why not bring him home and raise him for us sisters? If it's a girl, that's fine, but if it's a boy, we can treat him as the head of the You family and just tell everyone that he was sent here to inherit the family because a branch of the family couldn't make ends meet."

You Erjie nodded repeatedly and couldn't help but smile and said, "I think my eldest sister will be relieved to hear this."

Old Lady You was the second wife, and when she married, she brought along two daughters, Second Sister You and Third Sister You. Even after Master You passed away, no male offspring remained. Naturally, the lineage of the You family was cut short. Previously, the concubines had hoped to adopt a son, but Old Lady You had constantly vetoed it, preventing it from happening.

If Old Lady You really gave birth to a boy this time, the You family's lineage would at least not be extinct.

After the plan was finalized, You Erjie, eager to gain the benefits Youshi had promised, said, "Well, I'll go to Ningguo Mansion and tell my eldest sister so that she won't worry about it."

Chen Siyuan agreed, and You Erjie left gracefully.

Only he and Third Sister You were left inside. Third Sister You couldn't help feeling depressed, frowning and frustrated, and kept saying that she was a burden to Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan's persuasion was futile, so he simply carried Third Sister You sideways and went to hang out in the back room. Isn't it just that she's not clear-headed? I guarantee that after a few spring breezes, she'll definitely be clear-headed!
At first Third Sister You was just trying to please him, but after being lost twice, she became obsessed with him and kept clinging to Chen Siyuan.

You Erjie returned at night. When she entered the inner courtyard, she heard You Sanjie shouting wildly in the main room. Because she had obtained a jade bracelet from Youshi, You Erjie was in a good mood at the moment, so she simply went to the back building by herself and did not go to the main room to disturb them.

In the maid's room on the first floor of the back building, Qingwen was afraid of polluting Luan'er's ears, so she took her sister to Madam Qu's room.

Dinner had already been served, and Qingwen was teaching Luan'er how to knit. The door creaked open, and Madam Qu entered carrying a dish of preserved fruit.

Glancing at the two sisters, he hurriedly called out, "Luan'er, come quickly and see what Mammy brought you!"

"It's delicious!" Luan'er immediately dropped the messy net and jumped towards Madam Qu excitedly.

Qingwen took one look at her and said angrily, "Madam, please don't spoil her. Luan'er always refuses to eat properly when she sees sweets. Master says if she continues like this, her teeth will inevitably be rotten."

Aunt Qu smiled and said, "It's okay. Just brush your teeth and rinse your mouth carefully after eating. Poor thing, you've left your mother at such a young age." As she spoke, she stroked Luan'er's little head and said, "Luan'er, eat in the side. I want to talk to your elder sister for a while."

"Hey." Luan'er agreed happily, took the plate and went to the side to eat.

Nanny Qu sat down on the edge of the kang and whispered to Qingwen, "Master is truly capable. It's already been two hours, and Third Aunt's voice is hoarse."

Qingwen's pretty face flushed instantly. She had just led Luan'er out of the side room and into this room because the shouting was too loud. She said shyly, "Mammy, you're going to say something inappropriate again."

"How is this etiquette of family and relationship not proper?" Madam Qu said with a low laugh, "I finally have time to ask you today, young lady... How are you and Master going south this time?"

Qingwen lowered her head, blushing and shaking her head. Although Qingwen and Chen Siyuan had shared a bed together for some time and had done all kinds of intimate things, the master had forcibly restrained himself from doing that last step, saying that she was still young.

Seeing this, Aunt Qu couldn't help but sigh and said, "What did I say to you earlier? How come you don't know how to seize this rare opportunity?"

Qingwen hesitated to respond, thinking to herself, "How could a girl like her take the initiative in such matters? During that time when she was emotionally moved, Qingwen had made up her mind to give herself up. Who would have thought that the master could hold back?"

Seeing that she was silent, Madam Qu could not help but sigh in anger at her lack of protest, "Young lady, don't blame me for nagging. Don't you know what the master is like? He's already a successful candidate at such a young age, and he's earned a fortune. It's not an exaggeration to call such a person a dragon among men, right?"

I'm afraid the girl doesn't know how many unmarried women out there are ready to pounce on the master!"

Qingwen couldn't bear to listen any longer, so she stood up and said, "Madam, please stop talking! If you continue, I'll leave."

"Forget it, forget it. I'm doing this for the young lady's own good, but she's just not in a hurry." Nanny Qu frowned and went to tease Luan'er.

Qingwen, who was left far away, couldn't help biting her lip and thinking. Her originally calm heart was suddenly provoked by Nanny Qu and became irritable. She wished she could have a good time with Chen Siyuan right away.

The day passed quickly.

The next day, Third Sister You was indeed refreshed both physically and mentally! She woke up in the morning with a rosy complexion and a lively spirit, and got busy.

As usual, Chen Siyuan practiced standing meditation early in the morning. After Third Sister You really treated him as the master and served him breakfast, he leisurely returned to Rongguo Mansion.

Not long after he left, Youshi came to the door.

The three sisters carefully considered the matter and immediately sent a message to the Guo family. Before noon, the deed to the You family's old house had been transferred. The matter of Old Lady You was put aside for the time being, and the three sisters all breathed a sigh of relief.

Yu Shi exchanged glances with You Erjie again, wanting to urge them to get married, but the New Year was approaching and Yuanchun was going to come home to visit, so she had to put it aside for the time being.

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

But it is said that on this day Chen Siyuan returned to Rongguo Mansion, took a short rest, and after lunch, thinking that he had not visited Xing Xiuyan for two or three days, he went to the east wing.

Unexpectedly, the eldest master, Jia She, returned early that day. Upon hearing that Chen Siyuan had arrived, he took him to the outer study and spoke to him for a while. His intention was to encourage Chen Siyuan to find a good job, so that his eldest master could enjoy the benefits and then marry Yingchun to him.

Chen Siyuan hummed and hawed and passed it off vaguely, feeling disdainful in his heart.

He, Chen Siyuan, is no longer the Chen Shuliang of the past, but the master still looks at people with old eyes and really has no conscience at all... If he had not been thinking about the sisters in the garden, Chen Siyuan would have left long ago!
After secretly complaining about this, Chen Siyuan left the outer study and headed towards the third-floor ceremonial gate, passing by the three side rooms where Xing Zhong and his family were staying. He glanced inside, but saw no one. He wondered if Xing Zhong and his family were in the main room at this time.

After the maid behind the ceremonial gate informed them, Miao'er smiled and ushered Chen Siyuan in. Entering the main room, Chen Siyuan looked up and saw Madam Xing sitting on a soft couch, with Xing Zhenshi and Xing Xiuyan sitting beside her.

They had been together day and night for over a month, and now they hadn't seen each other for three days, so they missed each other terribly. As soon as they glanced at each other, their gazes became thick, and it took a long while before they separated.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward to greet her. Madam Xing had a playful look on her face and indifferently invited Chen Siyuan to sit down. She then spoke to Madam Xing Zhen about the New Year's events for a while before sending the mother and daughter away.

Chen Siyuan's eyes followed Xing Xiuyan all the way until Xing Xiuyan turned around the screen, and then he looked away with a sense of loss.

Both of them were noticed by Madam Xing. She snorted and signaled Miao'er and Tiao'er to retreat. Then she said jokingly, "Why, you can't take your eyes off now?"

Chen Siyuan smiled awkwardly and said nothing more.

Madam Xing said angrily, "If my sister-in-law hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you were flirting with Xiuyan all this time."

"Are you jealous?" Chen Siyuan asked back, which immediately made Mrs. Xing very angry.

Chen Siyuan knew Madam Xing's temperament well, so he approached her with a smile and comforted her. He only stopped when Madam Xing could no longer resist rubbing and begging for mercy.

Mrs. Xing gathered her clothes and said a few words of rebuke, then went on to talk about the first and second visits to her parents' home. She had originally wanted to take this opportunity to match Chen Siyuan with Miao'er and Tiao'er, but because she was also thinking about it, she felt particularly embarrassed.

Chen Siyuan smiled upon hearing this and said, "Let's focus on you first. How can we put the cart before the horse? As for Miao'er and Tiao'er, when you have time, let them relax for a couple of days. I'll have my own way of dealing with them."

Mrs. Xing thought about it and couldn't help but said with a charming look, "Then I'll do as you say."

After chatting for a while, Madam Xing urged, "I know you've been thinking about something, so I won't hold you back. Go find Xiuyan now. I just hope you'll remember me occasionally in the future."

These words clearly stirred up a jar of jealousy, so how could Chen Siyuan leave? He immediately embraced Madam Xing and gave her a long, affectionate hug, soothing her with gentle words for a long time. Only when her anger turned to joy did he leave the main room.

This time, a servant was sent to escort her to the third-floor ceremonial gate. As soon as Chen Siyuan came out, he saw Xing Zhen standing at the door of the wing room, looking forward to seeing her.

Glancing at Chen Siyuan coming out, Xing Zhen hurriedly said with a smile, "Brother Yuan, come quickly! I was just worrying about not being able to reach him, and luckily, Brother Yuan is here."

Chen Siyuan smiled and stepped forward to greet them, then was pulled into the inner room by Xing Zhenshi. Xing Zhenshi pointed at the vase on the antique shelf and said, "Your uncle is not here, and Xiuyan and I are not tall enough, so we had to ask Brother Yuan to move the vase down."

Chen Siyuan glanced at the chair not far away, and without revealing it in front of him, he slightly crossed his legs and took down the vase. Xing Zhenshi took the vase and said with a smile, "Brother Yuan, please wait a moment. I will go to the back to clean it. Brother Yuan, you need to return it to its original place."

After saying this, without waiting for Chen Siyuan's agreement, he took the vase and turned away.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that Xing Zhen's tactics to keep him here were rather crude. He didn't wait around in the hall anymore and immediately went to the east side room.

The little maid Zhuan'er had gone somewhere to play, and only Xing Xiuyan was sitting behind the desk, with her head lowered as if reading a book, but she had a faint smile on her face and couldn't help but glance over at her.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward and said with a smile, "Cousin, the book is upside down."

Xing Xiuyan's face was in a state of panic. She hurriedly turned the book around, but this time it was really overturned. She raised her hand and looked at him angrily, pouting, "You are always so careless."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and simply moved a chair to sit next to Xing Xiuyan. Xing Xiuyan looked flustered, turned her head to glance out the window, bit her lower lip and said, "There are so many people coming and going outside, you...sit further away."

Chen Siyuan simply stood up and took two steps over to draw the curtains, saying with a smile, "Isn't this the end?"

Xing Xiuyan was immediately at a loss for words and said, "Isn't this just like trying to cover your ears and steal the bell? Hurry up and open the curtains, or I don't know what people outside will say about me."

Chen Siyuan thought about it and agreed, so he opened the curtains, turned around, pulled a chair, and sat down opposite Xing Xiuyan. Xing Xiuyan's expression softened a bit after that.

Chen Siyuan said, "I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had time to come see you."

Xing Xiuyan replied, "You're a man, and it's almost the end of the year, so it's normal for you to be a little busy. You don't have to come see me all the time."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "You didn't want me to come, but I couldn't help but come."

"It's nonsense again."

"Yes, have you met all the sisters in the mansion?"

Xing Xiuyan nodded, then frowned as she said, "That day I went to the Rongqing Hall in the west courtyard to pay my respects to the old lady and met several of the sisters, but I was missing Sister Bao—" After a pause, she praised sincerely, "Sister Lin really is a fairy-like figure." (Note 1)

Chen Siyuan pondered, "Sister Lin certainly seemed like a gift from heaven, but cousin, you're also rare in this world. Cousin, you should know that plum blossom gilded hairpin was originally a commonplace item in the shop, but now that it's on your hair, it's become a 'jade in the snow'—in this world, fairies who are detached from the mundane world are easy to find, but it's your kind of pine wind, water, and moon that truly makes people want you forever." Xing Xiuyan's ears flushed at the praise, and she tilted her head and muttered, "I didn't know I was so good."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "No matter how indifferent one is, one cannot avoid worldly things during the New Year."

As he spoke, Chen Siyuan reached into his sleeve and began to feel around. Xing Xiuyan suppressed her shyness and looked over.

After a moment, he took out a red envelope from his sleeve and handed it to me with a smile: "Cousin, this is New Year's money."

Xing Xiuyan blinked, then said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "How can you give me New Year's money?"

Chen Siyuan had his own twisted theories and said, "Why not? Look, I've passed the imperial examination and have established a family, while my cousin is still unmarried. So, isn't it only natural for me to give my cousin New Year's money?"

Xing Xiuyan covered her mouth, smiled and shook her head.

Seeing that she refused to take it, Chen Siyuan pulled her hand and forced the red seal into her hand, saying, "Why should we be so fussy about what's going on between you and me? The servants in this mansion are all obsessed with wealth and luxury. If I don't take care of things, I'm afraid life will be difficult."

Xing Xiuyan held the red envelope, feeling it was quite heavy. She thought to herself, "Yes, always being so clear with him makes me seem a bit eccentric." She remembered how Chen Siyuan had gone around in circles asking her to copy a book, only then shoving fabric, brocade, rouge, and powder into her hands. Now, he'd even managed to come up with a 'lucky gift,' his love and care were evident. Xing Xiuyan was already deeply in love with him, so how could she not be grateful?
Xing Xiuyan was moved. She exchanged glances with him before mumbling a response. Then, belatedly realizing her hand had been pulled, she quickly pulled back shyly, blushing again.

The matter was settled, so it was not appropriate to stay any longer. Chen Siyuan stood up and said, "It's not easy for me to go back and forth to the East Cross Courtyard very often. After the New Year, maybe my cousin will move to the garden. Then everything will be fine."

Xing Xiuyan responded again, and then heard him say, "I can't stay any longer, I'll be back soon."

Xing Xiuyan responded again, then came to her senses and hurriedly stood up to see him off.

After sending Chen Siyuan out the door, and watching him walk out of the black oil-painted door with his hands behind his back, Xing Xiuyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then returned to the room holding the red seal.

After shaking it slightly, a rustling sound could be heard from inside. Xing Xiuyan was surprised and quickly opened it to take a look. She saw that it was actually a bag full of golden pumpkin seeds.

The gold melon seeds weighed about one qian each, and a bag of them probably held twenty taels, which could be exchanged for two hundred taels of silver. Xing Xiuyan was stunned, but also felt more at ease. She sat down at her desk again, her mind lost in thought, even as she held the book.

Suddenly, hearing Xing Zhenshi enter the room, Xing Xiuyan hurriedly hid the red seal.

Xing Zhen entered the room at this moment, glanced around, and couldn't help but frowned and asked, "Where's Brother Yuan?"

Xing Xiuyan said, "My cousin waited for a long while, but because he had other things to do in his room, he went back first."

Xing Zhen thought her daughter was too shy to answer properly, so she frowned and scolded her, "You, I found an excuse to keep Yuan-ge'er, but you yourself are so unmotivated!"

Xing Xiuyan ignored him and sat down at her desk again, her hand on her cheek, lost in thought. Thinking of the past, she couldn't help but smile.

There was nothing else to do in the next few days, and I was busy until the New Year arrived.

Because the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was Yuanchun's visit to her parents, the Jia family's New Year celebrations were somewhat perfunctory. Although they followed the traditional custom of paying homage to the palace, paying respects to the ancestral temple at Ningguo Mansion, and hosting a banquet in Rongxi Hall that night, every third conversation was about the visit.

At the New Year's Eve banquet, Xing Xiuyan sat at the table with the women, but Xing Zhong and Xing Zhen were seen hanging out with the servants. This was clearly disgusting, but Madam Xing and Jia She didn't mind, so Xing Xiuyan felt very uncomfortable.

Also, because Aunt Xue and Bao-sister were both staying up to celebrate the New Year at the Xue family's old house, and Xiangyun had returned to the Baolinghou Mansion, Baoyu couldn't help feeling lonely when facing Sister Lin. He just drank sweet wine and soon got drunk.

Without Baoyu's frivolous presence, the girls naturally found it difficult to play around. After the banquet ended, everyone went home. Chen Siyuan only took the opportunity to exchange glances with Lin Daiyu and Xing Xiuyan.

When Chen Siyuan returned to his own courtyard, he immediately took Xiangling, Hongyu, Liu Wuer and Yunxiang to the new house in Nengren Temple.

It was another banquet, and even though Chen Siyuan had a good alcohol tolerance, he couldn't help getting drunk.

On the first day of the New Year, everyone was spending time in the new house. Some were playing in the side garden, while others were playing dominoes in the main room. Yunxiang was also noisy and wanted to play tossing pots, but she was too ambitious and her skills were too poor. She lost a bunch of money and was very disappointed on the spot.

That night, Chen Siyuan and his party returned to Rongguo Mansion. The next day, after breakfast, Chen Siyuan hurried to the front and went to Xing's house along with Mrs. Xing's carriage.

Mrs. Xing had a brilliant idea. Second Sister Xing lived far away, so she'd probably have to leave early. Third Sister Xing had only gotten pregnant last month, so she probably wouldn't stay long. In the afternoon, she could just administer a potion to knock Xing Dequan and the entire room of maids unconscious, and then let her and Chen Siyuan have their fun.
But things went against my wishes!

Since Third Sister Xing got married, Xing Dequan had been living a carefree life. Although Third Sister Xing had been managing the family's meager assets and giving him a monthly stipend, Xing Dequan couldn't resist the instigation of his cronies and resorted to borrowing money to live a life of luxury.

Before the New Year, debt collectors came to Xing Dequan's house, and he had no choice but to give all his money to the creditors. Xing Dequan had no money on hand, so he had to pawn valuables to scrape together a table.

Unfortunately, Xing Erjie's husband was a picky person. When he saw the shabby table, he said some strange words.

Third Sister Xing was not a good-tempered person to begin with, and she was pregnant at the time. She immediately became angry when she heard what was said, and stood up and started to complain about how her second brother-in-law had treated her second sister harshly.

The second brother-in-law was too embarrassed to bear the thought and left without even eating. Second Sister Xing was a weak-willed person, and even with the support of Madam Xing and Third Sister Xing, she didn't dare to disobey her husband, so she followed him with a humble attitude.

That would have been fine, but perhaps anger was harmful to the body, and Third Sister Xing suddenly had a miscarriage!
The servants and the others were in a panic. It was only then that Chen Siyuan rode on horseback in the wind and snow to find Ding Daojian, who prescribed a prescription and used silver needles to calm Third Sister Xing down.

With all this commotion going on, who would still have the heart to enjoy the banquet? Third Sister Xing and her husband hurried back in a carriage. Madame Xing was so angry that she cursed Xing Dequan profusely. Seeing that the afternoon was almost over, she simply got up and left.

Xing Dequan sent the group out of the house with an embarrassed look on his face, and then looked at Chen Siyuan, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

He was about to speak, but Madam Xing's face was filled with anger. She lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Brother Yuan, come into my carriage and talk for a while..." Then she pointed at Xing Dequan with a cold look and said, "Be careful, I will definitely give you a good lesson when I come back!"

Xing Dequan immediately swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, bowed and kowtowed repeatedly, and shouted, "I was wrong. I won't dare to do it again. Big sister, please forgive me this time!"

Mrs. Xing snorted coldly, lowered the carriage curtain, and ignored him. Chen Siyuan glanced at Xing Dequan, thinking that he was indeed a hopeless case. He had originally thought of getting Xing Dequan into the latex business after the New Year, but now it seemed he had better forget it.

He stepped onto the stool and got into the car, then slowly sat down next to Mrs. Xing.

As the carriage rumbled on, Chen Siyuan finally pulled her hand and said, "Don't be angry, or you'll get sick."

Mrs. Xing's eyes reddened as she spoke, "Before, when Third Sister was still married, I could at least keep her in check. But now that she's married, he's like a dog with its leash loosened, a donkey with its bit loosened. He's squandering the family money in any way he can! If he keeps this up, the Xing family will be completely ruined by him!"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Let him lose, it won't cost him much anyway."

Mrs. Xing stared in amazement.

Chen Siyuan whispered, "After the new year, when the business is well established, let alone a small fortune, we can earn ten or a hundred times as much."

"Really?" Mrs. Xing's face lit up with joy, but then she frowned and said, "It's just that I really don't have much money on hand." As for the eldest master Jia She, what does that have to do with her? Jia She earned money, so how could he let Mrs. Xing spend it at will?

Chen Siyuan reached out and embraced the plump figure in his arms, whispering in her ear, "This time, we'll imitate the previous maritime trade event. Once we've built up momentum, we'll need you to distribute the high-priced shares. I'll make up for the interest and give you half of the share."

Mrs. Xing felt relieved immediately. She couldn't help but glance at him and sighed, "Thank goodness you're here. Otherwise, I don't know how I'd get through this day."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "With this half share, I wouldn't say how much more it will be, but I guarantee you'll make a profit of three thousand taels a year. Let him ruin the family business. In two years, you, as the eldest sister, can find a suitable family and marry him off, and then everything will be fine."

Mrs. Xing put her face against his chest and held Chen Siyuan with her left hand. She felt that she had found such a good man and had nothing else to ask for.

No... I still have something to ask for.

She suddenly stood up and frowned, saying, "Hurry up and take those two little hooves off."

Mrs. Xing was the eldest wife of the Rongguo Mansion, so she couldn't just go around like Aunt Xue. If she wanted to have an affair with Chen Siyuan, she had to drag Miao'er and Tiao'er into it.

Chen Siyuan naturally agreed, but the timing was still uncertain.

Mrs. Xing also knew that this matter needed the right time, so she came up with another plan. "How about, after the visit, I go to Xiangshan to fulfill my vow? The eldest master will definitely not want to go, so you can come along then."

Chen Siyuan thought about it and agreed, so he simply said, "Okay."

When they returned to the east wing of Rongguo Mansion, Mrs. Xing opened the door and let Chen Siyuan go to the side room to find Miao'er and Tiao'er, the two little ones, to play around.

It was a pity that there were so many people and so many gossips, that the wing room that was previously used for secret meetings was now vacated for Xing Zhong's family to live in. Chen Siyuan took advantage of it and hurried back.

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

In the blink of an eye, it was the eighth day.

Early that morning, a eunuch came to the Rongguo Mansion and told the Jia family where to change clothes, where to sit, where to receive gifts, where to hold the banquet, and where to rest.

There were also eunuchs in charge of local inspections, such as the Chief Eunuch, who brought many young eunuchs with him to set up gates and block curtains at various places. They instructed the people in the Jia residence where to retreat, where to kneel, where to eat, and where to announce things, with all kinds of etiquette.

Outside, officials from the Ministry of Works and the Five Cities Military Preparations Department were cleaning the streets and driving out idlers.

Chen Siyuan and Jia Lian were conscripted by Jia She as young men, and were ordered to supervise craftsmen in making lanterns, fireworks and the like.

By the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Chen Siyuan had finished all his tasks. Thinking that he had not been to the new house for a few days, he took a car to the new house in the afternoon.

After serving as an able-bodied soldier for a few days, Chen Siyuan returned to his new home and acted like a master.

He sat down on the chair slowly, and Qingwen served him tea attentively. The second sister bent down to massage his legs, and the third sister came around behind him to massage his shoulders.

You Erjie then asked, "Why are you here only today? My sister and I were just saying yesterday that if you didn't come, we would go to Rongguo Mansion and visit you."

Third Sister You said coquettishly, "That's right, that's right! Could it be that Brother Yuan is only concerned about Xiangling and has completely forgotten about me?"

Chen Siyuan sighed and said, "Don't mention it. I've been drafted by the master these days and have been supervising miscellaneous tasks. I'm busy from morning till night and there's really no time to rest."

Third Sister You pretended to be surprised and said, "Yes, I think it's because Consort Xiande will be visiting her parents soon."

You Erjie continued, "Master, maybe you'll be able to meet the virtuous concubine someday."

Chen Siyuan scoffed and said, "I'll move here when I'm fourteen. I'm taking the official path of the imperial examination, so why should Consort Xiande look at me any differently?"

You Erjie was still puzzled, but You Sanjie behind her couldn't help but praise: "That's right, that's the truth!"

Seeing Qingwen standing by, Chen Siyuan was about to ask about Luan'er's situation when the maid Xia Zhu hurried in, bowed, and said, "Master, there is a girl named Xiren outside who wants to see you."

As soon as these words were spoken, You Erjie and You Sanjie looked at each other in bewilderment, and Qingwen frowned even more. Chen Siyuan feigned surprise and shook his head with Qingwen, frowning thoughtfully as he said, "Could it be that Brother Bao is nearby? Perhaps he has something urgent to do... Well, I'll go and take a look."

At that moment, Chen Siyuan stood up and walked out. Qingwen pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment, then followed him with lotus steps.

As soon as he arrived at the gatehouse, Chen Siyuan looked up and saw that the visitor had a slender figure and a long face. He was wearing a long jacket with a cross-collar made of light gold satin and rose red dark pattern silk cuffs, a white cross-collar jacket inside, and a white cotton skirt. He looked eager and expectant.

Seeing Qingwen accompanying Chen Siyuan, Xiren remained impassive, yet was filled with astonishment. She wondered, "Didn't Qingwen return to Suzhou? Why is she here at Master Yuan's house?"

Seeing Qingwen's scrutiny, Xiren knew this was not the place to talk. She bowed her head in greeting, then nodded casually to Qingwen. Then, frowning, she said anxiously, "Master Yuan, there's something urgent at home. Please return home at once."

(End of this chapter)