Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 216: Xue Baochai's Reckless Behavior

Feng Jieer was feeling uneasy. She clutched her handkerchief and pondered secretly during the meal. When the old man began to sing, Feng Jieer laughed and said, "I am uneducated, and I actually prefer those lively operas that the East Palace ordered a while ago. This singing is really boring. Grandfather, this Guo Ziyi can be said to be a wise prime minister, but he reminds me of a foolish official."

Grandmother Jia was secretly thinking about her luck, but she couldn't ignore Sister Feng, so she forced a smile and said, "Where did this foolish official come from?"

Sister Feng smiled and said, "I heard Ping'er say it a while ago. There's a new county magistrate who's a complete bookworm. On his first day in office, he was thinking about making great plans and establishing his authority over the people.

Someone came to report that their chicken had been stolen. Upon hearing this, the county magistrate immediately sat up straight, cleared his throat, and asked, "What color was the chicken?"

The reporter replied: "It's a white-feathered chicken."

The magistrate then asked, "Where does this chicken usually move around?"

The man said, "Just strolling in the yard."

The county magistrate listened, bowed his head and pondered for a while, then slammed the gavel and shouted: "This chicken must be tired of the dull life at home and has gone out to travel. When it has had enough fun, it will return. I dismiss the court!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Xing, and Aunt Xue were all delighted, and Lady Jia also joined in the laughter.

Mrs. Wang asked, "Where did Feng Lazi find such a funny joke?"

Feng Jieer laughed and said, "Isn't it easy to come up with jokes? Old Ancestor, please don't disbelieve me. I'll tell you another one. There was an old farmer who didn't know the difference between left and right shoes -"

Sister Feng laughed, scolded, and used all her special skills to tell several jokes in a row, which finally made Lady Jia laugh.

When the play was over, Jia's mother knew that a quarrel at this moment would only hurt both sides' reputation, so she simply said, "Alright, alright, we've had enough of this fun today, let's all go our separate ways. By the way, today's play was good, Feng'er, don't forget to reward me."

Sister Feng hastily agreed and ordered Ping'er to bestow the reward. The troupe leader led a group of actors to express their gratitude without further ado.

Grandmother Jia left the western room first, and then everyone left without even having a drink of tea.

This avoided a misunderstanding. In the original novel, Lady Jia selected two young actors as a reward. Sister Feng understood Lady Jia's thoughts and asked everyone with a smile who one of the actors looked like.

Before anyone else could say anything, Shi Xiangyun bluntly said, "Like Sister Lin." Baoyu quickly winked at her, and then a lot of trouble arose.

In fact, Feng Jieer had good intentions. She pointed out that Daiyu came here to compete with Baochai. Unfortunately, this was said by Shi Xiangyun, who had always been trying to compete with Daiyu, so everyone was unhappy.

At that moment, Feng Jieer took Ping'er inside and ordered people to tidy up. The maids waiting in the outer porch rushed in, holding lanterns and sending the ladies back.

Sanchun and Daiyu walked to the back building. Mrs. Xing led Xing Xiuyan to the east courtyard. Mrs. Wang went with Aunt Xue and Baochai. They chatted on the way, but Mrs. Wang kept glancing at Baochai. She couldn't help thinking to herself, "Thank goodness I have a good eye for people. This niece pretends to be quiet, but in fact she has a bad temper."

Mrs. Wang had been married into the Jia family for more than twenty years and had never dared to contradict the old lady like this, but Baochai happened to do it!
Mrs. Wang was naturally happy to see the old lady angry. But if Baochai got angry with me in the same way someday, how would I deal with it?
Forget it, there is no point in thinking too much. Baoyu will never marry Baochai in the future anyway, so this trouble will not fall on me.

The three of them separated from the east corner gate. Aunt Xue, with a gloomy face, led Baochai out of the north corner gate. Diagonally opposite was the northeast upper courtyard.

As they entered the room, Aunt Xue could no longer hold back and asked, "My son, why are you contradicting us for no reason?"

Baochai blinked and said innocently, "Mother, what you said is unreasonable. When have I ever contradicted you?"

"The show you ordered—"

Sister Bao said calmly, "The first act is a confession of her own motives, and the second is a praise of the emperor and the nobles. There's nothing insinuating about them. But who can the old lady blame for being so suspicious?"

"You——" Aunt Xue was not a quick-witted person, and for a moment she was choked by Baochai's words and was speechless.

Baochai then continued, "Besides, that little piece of 'Liu Er Pang Yi' was almost directed at cursing our Xue family. Ever since we came to the mansion, the old lady has only been kind on the surface, but deep down she's disgusted with us. Mother, do you think you can please the old lady by trying to please her?"
My daughter has to say something unpleasant, but some things are not worth pursuing in a hurry."

Aunt Xue knew Baochai was right. She sighed and frowned, thinking about it. First, she thought of Chen Siyuan's previous words, and then she thought of her sister, Lady Wang. Although she believed in Chen Siyuan, she was unwilling to see the Xue family fall into decline in her hands, so she selfishly relied more on Lady Wang.

Then Aunt Xue said, "Forget it, let's forget it this time. But the old lady is very angry, and I'm afraid she will look down on us even more in the future. Now we can only rely on your aunt..."

What was she counting on? Lady Jia was getting old, so she was counting on Lady Wang to outlive her. Then, naturally, it would be Lady Wang's turn to make the final decision. Even if Lady Wang had other plans, she still owed the Xue family a considerable sum of money. With the Jia family in this state, how could they afford to pay their debts?
Who knows, the debt will be counted as dowry, and Baochai and the rest will belong to the Rongguo Mansion.

Sister Bao was already very smart. Hearing Aunt Xue's hesitation, how could she not know what she was thinking? Sister Bao frowned immediately, wanting to persuade her, but swallowed the words back when they came to her lips.

As the saying goes, more haste makes waste. If I try to persuade you at this time, I am afraid it will backfire.

When the mother and daughter entered the main room, Aunt Xue felt a little sleepy because she was lost in thought and had drunk a few more glasses of wine during the meal.

So he just sat down and drank half a cup of tea, and then Tongxi and Tonggui helped him wash up and rest.

Sister Bao drank a cup of tea, thinking back to what had just happened in Rongqing Hall, and remembering Lady Jia's sullen face, she suddenly felt relieved!

All the virtues of being gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and modest are thrown aside. No matter how good one's moral character is, how can it compare to the pleasure of confronting the malicious person face to face?
Sister Bao's heart was in turmoil for a long time, and she couldn't help but drink two more cups of tea. When the excitement faded, she immediately reflected on herself... If it were Brother Yuan, I'm afraid he would have angered the old lady to death, but others would have been speechless, right?

It turns out that I am still a little lacking in skills.

Thinking of this, Sister Bao smiled faintly and couldn't help but think of Chen Siyuan. Suddenly, she remembered that Chen Siyuan had left early and had not returned yet. Her heart was moved: Yes, maybe he is still waiting for her now?

Thinking of this, how could Sister Bao sit still?

She rose and looked around, and saw that Aunt Xue had indeed fallen asleep in the western room. She whispered to Ying'er, "You've had too much to drink and can't sleep for a while. Come with me for a walk in the garden."

Ying'er agreed, thinking to herself that the girl must be thinking about that Mr. Yuan.

The master and servant left the small courtyard in the northeast and entered the Grand View Garden through the main gate after a while.

It was only the beginning of the evening hour, and a few lanterns were lit around the Grand View Garden, giving it a slightly desolate feel.

The master and servant had just wandered eastwards, and had not gone far when they heard the crackling of pebbles. A lantern lit the corner leading to Yihong Courtyard, and Baochai peered closely. She saw a figure bending down to pick up a stone, then hurling it with all her might. The stone flew high over the courtyard wall and landed in the small courtyard to the northeast.

Baochai blinked and thought to herself, is this person really impatient and just throwing stones at himself?
Perhaps because he had drunk some wine, and also because he had just spoken against Lady Jia, Sister Bao immediately covered her mouth and started laughing when she saw Chen Siyuan behaving like a naughty boy.

Ying'er, standing by, couldn't help laughing. She looked around, but seeing no one was around, she quickly whispered, "Master Yuan, please stop losing it! Be careful and smash a hole in the girl's window!"

"Hmm?" Chen Siyuan looked over in the direction of the voice and saw a master and a servant standing not far away. Sister Bao was looking at him with her hand covering her mouth and a smile.

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, threw aside the fist-sized stone he had dug out from the rockery with great difficulty, clapped his hands and walked forward.

As the two of them approached, Bao-jie smiled and bowed, while Chen Si-yuan also smiled and bowed, then glanced at Ying-er. Ying-er, obediently, handed the lantern directly to Chen Si-yuan and made up a random excuse, saying, "I just heard there were wild ducks in the water. I'll go check them out. Please, Master Yuan, keep an eye on my daughter."

After saying that, he dropped the lantern and ran away.

Chen Siyuan and Baochai looked at each other and smiled, then went back to Yihong Courtyard.

Chen Siyuan asked, "How is Sister Bao today?"

Baochai was much bolder than usual and actually shook her head and said, "It was not good originally, but now it is extremely good."

"Oh?" Chen Siyuan glanced sideways.

Sister Bao smiled and said, "The old lady is looking for trouble again. I chose two pieces of music to irritate her, but she got so upset that she collapsed on her back."

"Is there anything else going on?"

"Yes." Baochai smiled and told what had happened.

Chen Siyuan listened carefully, and sighed in his heart after hearing it. It was indeed quite different from before!

After Sister Bao finished speaking, she saw that Chen Siyuan was silent for a moment, and she couldn't help but feel anxious. She said, "Am I... too presumptuous?"

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and said, "Repay evil with justice, and repay kindness with virtue. Gongyang's teachings may be a bit extreme, but the Master is right. Sister Bao's actions today have grasped the true meaning of the sages, so how can you say you are being willful?"

After a pause, he continued, "In this world, morality is praised, and the original intention is naturally good... But it is inevitable that there will be villains who use this to oppress the good. Sister Bao's virtue is not suitable for treating good people. As for those who are not kind, I have a rough word that is just right." He turned and smiled at Baochai, saying, "Let go of your personal qualities and enjoy a life of immorality."

Sister Bao blinked, paused for a moment, then covered her mouth with her hands and chuckled, saying, "Where does this weird talk come from?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "I was just thinking about it randomly."

He had only said it casually, but Sister Bao had already taken notice. She thought to herself, "Yes, Brother Yuan's mother died young, and his father was a man of few virtues. He married a second wife and then ignored her, and she treated him harshly afterwards... If he had endured it all this time, he would have been murdered by that vicious second wife by now. How could he be in this situation today?"
Thinking of this, Sister Bao's pair of watery almond eyes became bright and moist, with a hint of pity.

At this moment, Chen Siyuan suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Yes, I almost forgot to go."

As he spoke, he fished out a brocade box from his sleeve, turned around, and presented it with a smile: "Congratulations on your birthday, little sister. May your youth and beauty last forever."

Baochai took it and was about to say that there was no need to go to so much trouble, but she was troubled by Chen Siyuan's words "her youth will last forever".

Seeing him biting his lower lip in thought, Chen Siyuan asked, "What's wrong?"

Baochai then asked, "Do you know that I have a golden lock on me?"

"It's a perfect match, you'll know as soon as you enter the mansion."

Sister Bao immediately gave him a reproachful look, then said, "There's a sentence like this on my golden lock."

Chen Siyuan naturally knew, but at this moment he pretended to be puzzled and said, "Really? I don't believe it. Sister Bao, why don't you let me take a look?"

Baochai was a little embarrassed, but finally she found a golden locket from her coat. This locket was originally paired with a gold necklace, but because it was cold, she took off the necklace and kept the locket alone to wear next to her body.

Chen Siyuan felt a warmth in his hand, evidently the lingering warmth of Baochai's body. Using the lantern to examine it, he saw the words "Never leave, never abandon, forever young" engraved on it.

Chen Siyuan marveled and said, "Sister, you are so lucky. I have never had any monks or Taoist priests give me gifts when they passed by since I was a child."

Baochai frowned and thought for a moment, then lowered her voice and said, "Where are these monks or Taoist priests? This golden lock was only made a few years ago."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "As expected. This golden locket must have been made by the Xue family just before they went to the capital, as a result of correspondence between Lady Wang and Aunt Xue. It must have been made for Baoyu."

Who would have thought that Chen Siyuan would appear here? That golden marriage has long since vanished into thin air, and Sister Bao is now determined to become the young lady of the Chen family.

Feeling proud, Chen Siyuan put down the golden lock, shook his hand and took out something from his sleeve: "Sister, please take a look at this. Is it worthy of me?"

Baochai took a closer look and cried out in surprise. She saw that Chen Siyuan was holding a piece of jade the size of a pigeon egg in his palm. It was inlaid with gold and jade and had a chain. Under the light of the lantern, faint words appeared on the jade.

Baochai reached out and took it to examine it carefully, and sure enough, she saw the words "Never lose it, never forget it, and may you live forever" written on it.

Sister Bao's expression suddenly changed. She asked, "Why did you bring Baoyu's jade here?"

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and whispered, "Sister, have you forgotten that Liu Yan'er stole Baoyu's spiritual jade last time?"

He then explained the whole story one by one.

When Baochai heard that Chen Siyuan had asked the Imperial Household Department to make a number of spiritual jades in one go, she was immediately at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

After a long pause, he said, "My mother thought that the spiritual jade was indeed magical. It was broken into pieces and could be restored to its original state after being nurtured for a period of time. I never thought... I never thought it would be like this!"

Baochai's expression became increasingly confused. Not to mention Aunt Xue, wasn't she the same? If it weren't for coincidence that she fell in love with Chen Siyuan, she might never have known until her death that this magical jade was actually a fake!
On second thought, yes, humans are not that magical, so how can a dead object be magical?
I'm afraid that my aunt, Mrs. Wang, forged this thing just to raise her own status before giving birth.

Baochai thought about it and quickly pushed the jade stone over, saying, "Put it away quickly. Don't let others see it."

Chen Siyuan smiled and agreed, saying, "Brother Bao and I have no grudges against each other, so I naturally won't harm him."

It's really unfair to Baoyu. Not only did he steal the two candidates for Baoyu's second wife one after another, but he even made his personal maid Xiren a bed warmer.

After stewing it, Chen Siyuan said again: "Sister, don't you want to take a look at what's inside?"

"Yes." Sister Bao agreed, slowly opened the brocade box, and took something out of it.

It is black and white all over, looks like a cat and a dog, and looks very cute.

Sister Bao looked at Chen Siyuan in surprise: "What is this?"

"Giant panda." Chen Siyuan scratched his head and sighed, "I wanted to make a doll based on my sister's appearance, but the craftsman said it was unlucky, so I made this."

Baochai rolled her eyes at him, then took a closer look at the doll. She kneaded it a little and felt it bounce back softly. She squeezed it again and it squeaked! "Ah!" Baochai jumped in shock, dropped the brocade box and the doll, and stumbled backwards.

Chen Siyuan had never drunk alcohol, so he didn't care about anything else. He just took a step sideways and reached out to hold Sister Bao in his arms.

"How's my sister?"

When her waist was held, Sister Bao felt as if her vital points were being controlled. She let out a moan and blushed. For a moment, she looked at Chen Siyuan and was speechless.

She exchanged a quick glance with Chen Siyuan, then quickly closed her eyes shyly.

Chen Siyuan was no fool, so how could he miss such a good opportunity? He called out "Precious Sister" and leaned over to kiss her.

Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps approaching. Before Ying'er could even come out, she called out in a low voice, "Miss, the night watchwoman is coming this way!"

Baochai quickly broke free, blushing and giving Chen Siyuan a look of anger. She then bent over to pick up the doll and the brocade box, then said to Chen Siyuan, "I, I'll be back first. You should go to bed early too."

He didn't even care about the lantern and hurried to meet Ying'er.

"Hey? Lantern!"

Chen Siyuan called out, but Bao-chai ignored him completely. A moment later, Ying-erh came running up, took the lantern, bowed, and then turned to chase Bao-chai again.

Chen Siyuan paused, his hands behind his back, savoring the moment, a smile on his face. He thought to himself, this boudoir bliss is certainly wonderful, but this romance seems to be quite mysterious as well.
After standing there for a long time, until the coolness penetrated his body, Chen Siyuan leisurely returned home.

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

It was early spring, the sky was just getting light, and the Rongguo Mansion was shrouded in morning mist.

Liu Wu'er had just finished washing up when she turned around to see Chen Siyuan yawning as he walked out in shorts. She hurried forward to greet him. Chen Siyuan then instructed, "I'm going to the garden to practice standing meditation. Xiangling and Hongyu are still asleep. Go and wake them up later."

Liu Wuer agreed, feeling quite bewildered. She thought to herself that Xiangling was fine, but she'd recently become more and more addicted to poetry, often reading late into the night. Even during the day, she couldn't see distant objects clearly. It was normal for her to stay in bed in the mornings. But Sister Hongyu was always diligent, so why was she the one staying in bed this time?

Chen Siyuan said nothing else, but just walked away with big strides.

After a while, Liu Wu'er finished tidying up and went to the small kitchen in the Grand View Garden to get a lunch box. Seeing that the door of the main room was ajar, she simply pushed it open and walked in.

As soon as I put down the food box, I heard whispers inside.

At first, Xiangling giggled for a while, but then Hongyu started to complain coquettishly, saying, "Sister, you're still laughing because you're indulging me. Now Master is torturing me in more and more ways. I can't even move my legs!"

Xiangling laughed and said, "You're blaming me now, but I don't know who it was last night—"

"Hey, how dare you say that!"

Then came some words like "the tactics of a foxy woman" and "the pleasures of a boudoir" which Liu Wu'er could not understand.

The laughter and playfulness made Wu'er very surprised. Unable to resist her curiosity, she moved to the west end of the room, lifted the curtain and asked, "Are the sisters awake yet?"

As he spoke, he glanced inside and saw Xiangling lying there with the quilt rolled up, while Hongyu was half-raised, wearing only a tight-fitting bellyband, revealing a large area of ​​her snow-white back.

The two girls looked over at the sound, and Hongyu said, "I'm getting up now."

The two girls immediately got up in a hurry. Liu Wu'er went to spread out the food boxes. Hongyu took advantage of Wu'er's absence to quickly wrap the "Demon Pestle" in a handkerchief and put it at the bottom of the box.

By the time the two women had finished dressing, Chen Siyuan had returned drenched in sweat. Xiangling, feeling lazy, let Hongyu and Wu'er help Chen Siyuan wash up before setting the table for him and remaining at his side.

Chen Siyuan ate a little and said, "I have to go to the new house to rest tonight. Don't wait for me tonight." After a pause, he said to Hongyu, "How much of the calligraphy have you learned? How is your abacus going?"

Hongyu pouted and said, "I have learned a little bit. Have I made some progress compared to last month?"

Chen Siyuan said, "It's a waste of your talent for you to only take care of the affairs in the room. I have a business that needs help."

Unexpectedly, Hongyu was not pleased when she heard this, but rather annoyed, saying, "You guys can take care of your business outside, and I'll just take care of the household affairs."

Chen Siyuan was puzzled when he heard this. He raised his eyes and smiled, "Why don't I find you a good job?"

Hongyu thought to herself, "First, I don't know how to manage the accounts. I'm careless and there will inevitably be mistakes. How can I compare to an experienced accountant with years of experience? Secondly, I just need to look after the master and not worry about anything else."

Chen Siyuan laughed a few times and felt very relieved.

Hongyu is intelligent and self-aware; Xiangling is so obsessed with poetry that she probably doesn't have the time to care about anything else; Third Sister has already taken care of Baicaotang, so it's not good to let her get involved in the latex business; Second Sister You is very thoughtful, and Chen Siyuan doesn't trust her.

The remaining Wu'er and Qingwen were still young and didn't look like they were capable of managing the business. So, after counting and recounting the group of women around him, there wasn't a single one capable of shouldering the responsibility.

Chen Siyuan was immediately troubled. He couldn't just be a hands-off boss and rely entirely on Jia Yun for support, right?
The human heart is the most difficult to test. Faced with mountains of gold and silver, countless honest and upright people would do wrong things on impulse. Chen Siyuan did not dare to rely on human nature for this matter.

Then he thought again, cousin Xing Xiuyan... not suitable, she has always been a carefree person, she would definitely not want to meddle in other people's affairs. And there are Xing Zhong and Xing Zhenshi behind her... What about Sister Bao?
Eh? It seems like Sister Bao is the most suitable?
Firstly, Sister Bao had been helping Aunt Xue with the accounts; secondly, it was a good opportunity to transfer Sister Bao out of the house so that the two of them could interact more often; thirdly, it would also save Baoyu from bothering her.

However, the difficulty here was probably how to convince Aunt Xue. Chen Siyuan had no other options for the time being and thought to himself, since he couldn't convince her, he might as well just sleep with her!
Having made up his mind secretly, Chen Siyuan quickly ate his breakfast, changed his clothes, and took a car straight to the slum he had just rented.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving, he saw a large number of people gathered in front of the gate, some of whom were busy with their activities and were swearing in the street. Chen Siyuan was hesitant to approach, so he quickly sent his servant Qing Yu to investigate.

After a long while, when the people had dispersed and gone home, Qingyu finally came to reply to Jia Yun, who had a bitter face.

"Uncle Yuan!"

Chen Siyuan asked him to get on the carriage, and after he sat down, he asked, "What happened just now?"

Jia Yun spoke with a mixture of laughter and tears. The reason for this was that the latex was being smoked with sulfur, and the people inside had to be replaced every moment, and the neighbors couldn't stand the pungent smell. Who knew who had instigated them, but they had come to block the door early this morning, demanding an explanation from Jia Yun.

What could Jia Yun say? He apologized profusely and said he would find a solution as quickly as possible.

Chen Siyuan thought about it and realized that he couldn't make his neighbors uneasy just because he was trying out the latex recipe, right?
At this moment, Jia Yun said, "Uncle Yuan, if I were to ask you, why don't we find an open space outside the city? This will prevent us from disturbing the people and also keep our secret from being leaked. But I'm afraid we'll have to hire some help..."

The people hired were naturally thugs, to prevent the new servants from getting the prescription and selling it.

Chen Siyuan pondered and said, "Find a place southwest of the city where no matter what kind of wind blows into the city. I'll also leave the matter of hiring people to you."

Jia Yun agreed.

Chen Siyuan was tempted to give up the rice and grain so that the neighbors would be more tolerant for a few days, but on second thought, he felt that this was too immoral, so he gave up the idea and waited until Jia Yun found a place outside the city before testing the latex recipe.

In the past two days, Chen Siyuan has been devoted to his rubber latex business and has ignored everything else. Not to mention Xing Xiuyan and Bao Sister's place, even when he returned to the new house, he rarely slept on plain food twice... Let's not talk about it for now.

The day after Baochai gave birth, Yuanchun sent riddles to the sisters for them to guess. Grandmother Jia had been mad the day before, and she was feeling rather down and out that day. So the riddles were a hasty affair. After everyone had guessed a few, the eunuchs were dispatched to report back to Yuanchun.

The next day Yuanchun sent a young eunuch to deliver a message, ordering that all the poems written that day should be copied down and compiled by Tanchun in order, and she should edit them herself and comment on their merits and demerits. She also ordered them to be engraved on a stone in the Grand View Garden to be passed down through the ages as a romantic and elegant event.

The Rongguo Mansion did not dare to neglect the order. Jia Zheng personally selected skilled craftsmen to grind the stone and engrave the words, and Jia Zhen led Jia Rong, Jia Ping and others to supervise the work.

Jia Qin was given another assignment, leading a group of twelve young monks and twelve young Taoist priests from the Jade Emperor Temple and the Bodhidharma Temple to move to the Tiekan Temple.

In addition, the annex of the Qingtang thatched cottage was being renovated, and for a while the Grand View Garden became a construction site with all the noise and clanging.

A few days passed quickly, and Chen Siyuan returned home jubilant. He had finally figured out a recipe for latex after some experimentation. His business, already a sure thing, was now even more secure.

It was just past noon at this time. As soon as Chen Siyuan entered, he happened to run into Tanchun and Xichun who were returning books.

After the three of them had met, Xichun said angrily, "Brother Yuan, you haven't been seen for a while."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "I won't be too busy starting tomorrow. If Fourth Sister wants to learn the flute, just come find me."

Xichun suddenly became happy and said, "I'm afraid Brother Yuan doesn't know, but Concubine Xian De issued an oral order this morning saying that the Grand View Garden doesn't need to be sealed off and that we can live there from now on!"

"Is there such a thing?" Chen Siyuan raised his eyebrows. He thought to himself, now I can finally live in the garden.

Tanchun also laughed and said, "Although it's a good thing, but now there are people grinding stones and engraving words all over the garden, and other houses need to be repaired. I'm afraid we won't be able to move in until next month."

Xichun said, "I heard from Madam that the renovated thatched cottage was reserved for Brother Yuan. I've thought about it, and since the Jade Emperor Temple and Bodhidharma Temple are empty, I might as well move in. It would be perfect for me to live next door to Brother Yuan."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, and Tanchun couldn't help laughing too. She reached out and rubbed little Xichun's head and said, "Don't make a fuss, Fourth sister. That's a temple and a nunnery, where is it suitable for you to stay?"

Xichun pouted and became unhappy again.

Chen Siyuan consoled her and then said to Tanchun, "Did Third Sister help Madam with the household management a few days ago?"

Tanchun immediately waved her hand and said, "Don't mention it. I was only a vanguard for two days. I was completely in the dark and had no idea what was going on. It's a good thing Sister Feng was free, otherwise I don't know how much time I would have spent on this."

Chen Siyuan said meaningfully, "Third sister is so young, I think she will be a good housekeeper in the future."

Xichun said, "Yes, our family has always had the rule that daughters are in charge of the household. I heard that it used to be the aunt who was in charge."

This refers to Daiyu's mother, Jia Min. Chen Siyuan thought to himself that if it weren't for Jia Min being the housekeeper, Mrs. Wang wouldn't have hated Daiyu so much as to extend her hatred to everyone in the family.

The two children lingered for a while, then took their books and left. Chen Siyuan rested briefly, thinking that February was almost here and he should go and see Li Wan to settle the score. He also remembered that he hadn't been to the East Cross Courtyard for several days, and he felt compelled to see both Madam Xing and Xing Xiuyan.

Having changed his clothes, he went to the east wing by himself.

Who would have thought that he had just entered the Grand View Garden and had not walked far when he ran into Siqi again.

"Uncle Yuan..."

The girl folded her hands and frowned, her face full of resentment, like a grudged woman. Chen Siyuan knew the reason, and this romantic debt must be repaid.

He smiled and stepped forward, saying, "I've been busy these past few days, and I only have some free time today... When are you going to ask for leave?"

Siqi breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "How is Hou'er?"

"it is good."

After a few words, the matter was settled. Chen Siyuan took advantage of the fact that no one was around to touch Siqi's face again, which made Siqi blush. Then he walked away leisurely with his hands behind his back.

After a while, he arrived at the east wing courtyard, walked to the third-floor ceremonial gate and went to the wing room to look around, but found that it was empty inside. He didn't know where Xing Xiuyan and Zhuan'er had gone.

Qin Yu's wife led Chen Siyuan inside, and as soon as Chen Siyuan entered the main room, Mrs. Xing gave him a glare.

The two of them talked for a while before Mrs. Xing sent everyone away.

After the man left, Madam Xing asked, "What have you been doing these days? Why haven't I seen you come?"

Chen Siyuan said, "Of course I was busy with that business... I haven't even seen my cousin."

Mrs. Xing naturally knew this, and immediately snorted and said, "This cousin is calling me so affectionately."

Isn't this tone a bit wrong?
After a brief thought, Chen Siyuan asked, "But is your period coming?"

Madam Xing blinked and asked in surprise, "How do you know?"

Chen Siyuan was at a loss for words and said, "You look like you've eaten firecrackers today. How could I not know that?"

Mrs. Xing blinked, then suddenly realized, "Yes, I was wondering why I was so impatient. When Si'er cried just now, I wanted to slap him twice." After a pause, she said with embarrassment, "Even if you hadn't come today, I would have come to you to tell you something."

"Yeah." Chen Siyuan stood up and sat down next to Mrs. Xing naturally.

Madam Xing's eyes flickered as she spoke, "I, I told the Master yesterday about fulfilling our vow... Who would have thought the Master would be even more concerned than I was, saying he would personally donate a thousand kilograms of incense oil this time."

Chen Siyuan blinked, wondering what was wrong with Jia She? He was a man who never did anything without profit, yet he was burning incense to fulfill his vow?

(End of this chapter)