Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 217 A Good Thing

Chen Siyuan hugged Madam Xing and couldn't help wondering, "Why is the Master suddenly worshipping the gods and Buddhas?"

"Him?" Madam Xing rolled her eyes and said, "He's obsessed with Zizhu in the Shangniang Temple!"

Chen Siyuan blinked, puzzled. Madam Xing then muttered something. Apparently, it was because of the last time he asked for Zizhu, Madam Xing became pregnant. Jia She, overjoyed, distributed Zizhu to his concubines and used the rest to socialize with various families without spending any money.

Strangely enough, only the one plant at Madam Xing's place survived; the rest of the scattered ones died within a month. Last year, when Madam Xing gave birth to her fourth son, Jia She boasted about the purple bamboo at his hundred-day celebration in the winter.

As the saying goes, the speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it to heart. As expected, the old and strong nobleman became obsessed with purple bamboo. He went to the temple of the goddess several times and dug up countless purple bamboos. However, the purple bamboos died after only half a year.

Some people with bad intentions went to cause trouble for the Niangniang Temple. The abbot was frightened and simply said that only those with great fortune could move the purple bamboo back and take care of it.

Who are these people with great fortune? One is that old fellow Ma Shang, and the other is none other than Jia She.

The master's abacus beads jingled, and he thought that this matter was profitable. He casually invited Zizhu to come back and give her some gifts. It was a good deal without any cost, and the nobles would still remember him well. Why not do it?
Chen Siyuan was at a loss for words after hearing this, thinking to himself, "It has to be you, Master!" You're the one who's doing this, after all, because you're greedy for Daiyu's fortune, plus the monthly dividend from Baicaotang. Otherwise, Master Jia She might hire Zizhu and then sell her off... It's truly unacceptable.

He glanced down and saw Madam Xing frowning and pursing her lips, clearly at a loss. This time was different from the last time. Madam Xing had her fourth brother, so naturally, it was not easy for her to get everyone involved with Chen Siyuan. Moreover, no matter how close a nephew was, he was still closer than a son. Jia Lian was at the mansion right now, and he would be there to serve him when he went to Miaofeng Mountain to fulfill his vow. How could it be a problem for Chen Siyuan?

Since Chen Siyuan was at a loss for the moment, he smiled and said, "I think we should find another opportunity."

Mrs. Xing frowned and sighed. What else could she do?

Suddenly, he squinted at me again with a sullen look on his face and said in a cold voice, "When did you deal with those two little rascals?"

This naturally refers to Miao'er and Tiao'er. Chen Siyuan was startled, then understood what Madam Xing was thinking. No matter how careful and attentive Madam Xing was, she couldn't hide the truth from her two personal servants over time. On the other hand, if she implicated the two personal servants, it would naturally facilitate their future private meetings.

Chen Siyuan said vaguely, "There are eyes everywhere in this mansion. What do you want me to do?"

Mrs. Xing said, "I'm going to give those two little hooves a few days off tomorrow. You mustn't miss it."

Chen Siyuan said, "Let's talk about it later. This business is at a critical juncture right now."

Mrs. Xing suddenly said, "Yes, Dequan is idle at home every day, which is really shameful. Your livelihood..."

Chen Siyuan quickly stopped him from talking: "Stop it, my business is worth hundreds of thousands of silver coins. If he comes and messes up things, who will take the responsibility?"

Mrs. Xing thought about it and realized that Xing Dequan was not capable of accomplishing anything and was always causing trouble. How could she dare to let him get involved in such a big event?

She then said, "You don't know, he came to see me yesterday and showed off for a long time before he told me that he had led some people to beat up my second brother-in-law in the middle of the night!"

Chen Siyuan chuckled. It was perfectly reasonable for a brother-in-law to beat up his brother-in-law. Second Sister Xing's husband was indeed a jerk, but Xing Dequan had done a good deed this time.

The two of them argued for a while before Mrs. Xing called Miao'er to send Chen Siyuan out.

Miao'er led the way, and soon they were nearing the third-tier ceremonial gate. Chen Siyuan whispered, "Aunt just said that she appreciates your hard work over the years and said she'll set aside a few days every month for you to have a day off."

Miao'er blinked and said happily, "Really? That's great."

Servants didn't normally have holidays these days. Maids like Miao'er could only rest for a few days each month during her menstrual period, but the rest of the time they couldn't rest at all. If they wanted to see their families, they could only go home and stay for a day or two during the New Year holidays with the blessing of Madam Xing.

If there were holidays every month, firstly, I could go home more often, and secondly... Miao'er stole a glance at Chen Siyuan, and secondly, maybe I could spend more time with Brother Yuan.

Chen Siyuan whispered, "I went to the Imperial Household Department last time to look at some headgear, but I don't know what to give you right now. When you have your day off, I'll take you to look at some."

Miao'er felt embarrassed, but nodded quickly in agreement.

Chen Siyuan smiled and took advantage of no one looking to secretly pull the girl's hand, causing Miao'er's cheeks to blush. Then he strode away with his hands behind his back.

They walked out of the black oil gate and entered the Rongguo Mansion. As soon as they entered the inner courtyard from the corner door next to the stable, they saw Xing Xiuyan and Zhuan'er walking towards them.

Zhuan'er caught sight of Chen Siyuan and immediately jumped up and waved, "Uncle Yuan!"

Chen Siyuan's eyes lit up, a smile appeared on his face, and he took two quick steps forward and asked, "Where did my cousin go?"

Xing Xiuyan smiled faintly, and before she could answer, Zhuan'er said, "Ms. Bao is looking for our young lady to make some lace."

"Sister Bao?"

Zhuan'er said, "Miss Bao is beautiful and kind-hearted. Seeing that our daughter has few accessories, she just gave her a hairpin."

Not only that, Baochai saw Zhuan'er's frailty and felt sorry for her life, so she found a lot of fruits and snacks for Zhuan'er. Zhuan'er not only ate her fill, but also filled her waist pouch with various preserved fruits. To her, wasn't Sister Bao a good person?

Xing Xiuyan glanced at Zhuan'er, who then stopped talking awkwardly. Xing Xiuyan then looked up at Chen Siyuan with a half-smile, the meaning of which was difficult to interpret.

Chen Siyuan was thoughtful... Sister Bao is really a "virtuous woman". Before she even got married, she first took care of Daiyu, and now she is taking care of Xing Xiuyun.

Cousin Xing Xiuyun was smart and knew that Baochai would not be friendly with her for no reason, so after a little thought, she concluded that it must be because of herself?
Thinking about this, although Chen Siyuan felt embarrassed, he said calmly, "That's good. Cousin, you can get along more with the sisters in the mansion, so you won't be lonely and bored."

Xing Xiuyan said, "Your manuscript hasn't been delivered for quite some time."

Chen Siyuan said, "I have something important to deal with recently, so I'm afraid the manuscript will be delayed for some time."

Xing Xiuyan said, "In that case, it's certainly a serious matter. I have nothing else to do here, so you don't have to worry too much."

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "It's only been a few days... Yes, the last time my cousin went back to Longcui Temple..."

Before Chen Siyuan could finish, Xing Xiuyan's face changed. Zhuan'er frowned even more and said, "Master Yuan, please stop talking. When Master Miaoyu saw the young lady, she started to speak in a sarcastic tone within a few words. It's only because you have a good temper that I would have lost my temper in the morning."

"You're too talkative." Xing Xiuyan scolded Zhuan'er softly, then said with relief, "She may not have truly valued me in her early years. Perhaps she treated me like a cat or a dog, teasing me when she was happy and ignoring me when she was unhappy. Ever since Master Chang fell into trouble, she's been unhappy and has become increasingly disgusted with me.

Forget it, I live my own life. If she doesn't like me, I won't hang around her anymore."

"What my cousin said makes sense."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that Miaoyu was aloof and weird by nature. If Xing Xiuyan's guess was true, it might be because the Chang family fell into trouble that made Miaoyu dislike Xing Xiuyan even more... Maybe it was because Xing Xiuyan knew her background?
The two chatted briefly in the small corridor and then said goodbye to each other.

Who would have thought that as soon as he reached the front of the hall, he ran into Baoyu who was coming with a heavy heart.

When Baoyu saw that it was Chen Siyuan, his brows furrowed even deeper.

Chen Siyuan knew the reason, but smiled and asked, "Where are you going, Brother Bao?"

Baoyu said, "The master sent someone to look for me. Brother Yuan, please go ahead."

After saying this, he picked up his robe and hurried to Lady Wang's courtyard.

Chen Siyuan looked at her twice, then turned his head to look towards the hall, but unfortunately he didn't see Xiren, and didn't know how Xiren was doing recently... Could he still get some money?

Chen Siyuan walked steadily, and soon arrived in front of Madam Wang's courtyard. He heard a woman chuckle and say, "I just put on some fragrant rouge on my lips. Do you want to eat it now?"

Soon another woman said, "The master has summoned me, and I'm feeling quite uneasy, yet you're mocking me. Go in now while you can."

Chen Siyuan happened to pass by the door and glanced inside. He saw Caiyun pushing Baoyu inside, and the head maid Jin Chuan'er covering her mouth and laughing.

Chen Siyuan walked without stopping, and in a moment he had bypassed Madam Wang's courtyard and was nearing the gate of the northeast upper courtyard. Just then, the head maid, Yuchuan'er, hurried over. She caught sight of Chen Siyuan and gave a startled cry. Then, she quickly took two steps forward, bowed, and said with a smile, "I was just thinking I'd made a wasted trip. I didn't expect to run into the real deal when I turned around."

Chen Siyuan stopped and said with a smile, "Is it Madam who wants to talk to me about something?"

Yuchuaner smiled and nodded, lowering her voice, she said, "The Empress has orally ordered that the young lady and her brother live separately in the garden. Madam said that she will inform the Empress later, and when the time comes, the master will live separately in the thatched cottage in Qingtang."

Chen Siyuan quickly smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. Thank you, Miss Yuchuan'er, for telling me."

Yuchuan'er covered her mouth and smiled, "It's what I should have done. I'll go and reply first."

Chen Siyuan agreed, and Yuchuaner entered Lady Wang's courtyard through the corner gate.

Chen Siyuan took two steps to the northeast of the small courtyard, and the head maid Tongxi saw him and hurried over to greet him with a smile.

Chen Siyuan asked him, "Is my concubine here?"

Tongxi said, "Uncle Yuan, you came at the right time. Our wife just came back from the old house."

At that moment, one side made way for the other, while the other side passed the message inside: "Madam, Master Yuan is here!"

Suddenly turning around the front yard, Chen Siyuan followed Tongxi to the back yard. When he looked up, he saw Aunt Xue standing at the door to greet him.

Chen Siyuan went forward to meet her, and saw that although Aunt Xue looked happy, she was more worried.

After they entered and sat down, and tea was served, Aunt Xue asked, "Brother Yuan, have you come here today? Have you found any plans for your business?"

Aunt Xue suppressed her emotions and spoke in a serious tone, her eyes frequently glancing behind the screen. She knew without asking that it must be Sister Bao who was hiding behind the screen.

Chen Siyuan said, "That's right. I've tried several times and have come up with a few recipes. They will be of great use to both the military and civilians in the future."

"As expected?" Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness, I knew Brother Yuan was capable."

Chen Siyuan asked, "Will my concubine be free tomorrow? If she is, let's go to the workshop outside the city to see the real things. I can't take your money with empty promises."

Aunt Xue covered her mouth and smiled, "Who doesn't know what Brother Yuan is capable of? He is helping my family this time, so how could I not trust Brother Yuan?" Suddenly, seeing Chen Siyuan's burning eyes, Aunt Xue knew that the thing she saw was fake, and she was afraid that the secret meeting was real.

Because of the New Year holidays and visits to relatives, the two of them only met once during the first month of the year, so Aunt Xue naturally missed him very much. So, she changed the subject and said, "But I'm also very curious. I've always wanted to see what new things Brother Yuan has come up with..." After a pause, she glanced at Chen Siyuan with a pair of charming eyes and said, "...Then, let's go and take a look tomorrow?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and bowed, "Okay...but this is confidential. Anyone interested will know my recipe. Please keep your entourage small."

Aunt Xue, hearing the melody, understood the meaning and said solemnly, "We can't be careless about this... In that case, I'll ride in the same carriage with Brother Yuan tomorrow."

Chen Siyuan pretended to hesitate for a moment before nodding his agreement. After drinking a cup of tea, he stood up and said goodbye.

As soon as he left, Sister Bao came out from behind the screen.

Aunt Xue was afraid that her daughter would see what was happening, so she held up a teacup to cover it up.

Sister Bao, however, had other thoughts on her mind. She immediately sat down next to Aunt Xue and whispered, "Mother, what exactly is the story behind Brother Yuan's livelihood?"

Seeing that Tongxi and the others were far away, Aunt Xue lowered her voice and said, "They say it's a latex business, but I'll see what it's like tomorrow."

Sister Bao nodded and said, "Brother Yuan has always had the ability of Tao Zhu. I heard his confident words and I think this rubber latex business will be a good one."

Aunt Xue was pleased with herself. She took a sip of tea before saying, "Of course I knew that. Just looking at the previous few chapters, I knew that Brother Yuan was a capable man. But the imperial court took 30% of the money, leaving only 20% for our family...it's really too little."

Sister Bao blinked, weighed the pros and cons briefly, and said, "The Imperial Treasury only holds 30% of the wealth. How can we possibly surpass it? Mother, you must know that pride brings harm, while humility brings benefit. By hiding behind the Imperial Treasury, we can quietly make a fortune. If we become the first to stand out, we might attract the covetous eyes of those with ulterior motives one day."

Aunt Xue had only said it casually, but now, realizing that Baochai's words made sense, she nodded and said, "My child, you are right. 20% is 20%, but it's a pity that we don't know whether such a good thing will happen in the future."

Sister Bao added, "On the other hand, since Brother Yuan is helping our family, Mother shouldn't be too critical of him. Take, for example, the twenty thousand silver coins we borrowed. If it were up to me, I'd just do him a favor and not charge the interest."

Aunt Xue glanced at her suspiciously, wondering how this daughter could be more generous than herself. Aunt Xue had already figured it out in her mind: she would just charge less interest in the future. But who knew that Baochai would not even ask for the interest!

Seeing Baochai's calm face and her clear, almond-shaped eyes, Aunt Xue thought she was overthinking it and said, "Brother Yuan can't stand being wronged, but he also doesn't want to take advantage of others for no reason... I'll settle the matter with him tomorrow."

Baochai secretly clenched her fists, her face remaining calm as she said, "Well, mother makes the decision. I'm just helping her with a few comments." Instead of mentioning the separate thoughts of mother and daughter, Baoyu entered Lady Wang's room with a droopy head. Yuanchun hadn't said anything, so Jia Zheng naturally didn't know that the poem had been revised by Yuanchun that day.

Because Jia Zheng was in a rare good mood and gave Baoyu some instructions, he turned around and made Jia Zheng very unhappy because Baoyu casually mentioned Xiren.

Then he scolded Baoyu and drove him out of the room.

Baoyu breathed a sigh of relief when he came out of the room. When he saw Jin Chuan'er sticking out her tongue and making a face, he hurried to Qixianzhai.

Just as he passed through the hall, he ran into Xiren coming to greet him.

Xiren asked casually, then said, "I was just about to ask for leave from you. I finally managed to get Doctor Ding from Heniantang to come and see me today. You know my brother is a failure, and I'm afraid it would be bad if I wasn't there to watch over him."

Baoyu was so preoccupied with moving into the Grand View Garden that he was about to go talk to Xiangyun. He had no time to bother with Xiren. He waved his hand as he walked away, saying, "You can go by yourself."

Seeing him hurry away, Xiren bit her lower lip, then sighed softly and went to the back door. She didn't know what to feel in her heart, she was afraid of running into Chen Siyuan, but also secretly hoped to run into him.

Unfortunately, she had been so anxious for nothing, and she waited for him to leave the back door without running into him. Xiren breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back home.

But after a short wait, Ding Daojian indeed came with a medicine box and a medicine boy.

Hua Zifang invited him inside. Ding Daojian first took his pulse and then carefully inquired about the prescriptions he had given. He frowned and thought for a long time before coming out and saying to Xiren, "Although I am an expert in internal medicine, I cannot treat this thirst. The prescription prescribed by Doctor Qian is quite mysterious and I believe it will be miraculous. I am truly inferior to him."

Hua Zifang was also nearby. Upon hearing this, she said, "I told you that Doctor Qian was the most appropriate, but you didn't believe me."

Xiren didn't bother to pay attention to Hua Zifang and just said to Ding Daojian, "Excuse me, Doctor Ding, if you were to treat me, what would you prescribe?"

Ding Daojian pondered for a moment, then shook his head and sighed, "Difficult, difficult, difficult. Given your mother's current condition, you must control your diet and supplement with Huanglian Ejiao Decoction, perhaps it will prolong your life."

Xiren was a thoughtful person, certainly not a fool. Ding Daojian's words were vague, but she understood them clearly. This diabetes was incurable. The donkey hide gelatin and coptis chinensis decoction prescribed by Doctor Qian might be effective, but the ginseng and white tiger decoction was simply embarrassing. Saving his mother in the previous incident was perhaps a stroke of luck.

But if even Ding Daojian wasn't sure, how could Xiren be sure? After sending Ding Daojian away with many thanks, Xiren felt a dilemma. This was about her mother's life; she simply couldn't make a rash decision.

Hua Zifang said, "The doctor Ding my sister found is obviously incompetent. If mother falls into his hands, she might not even survive the last round." After a pause, she said, "Since mother is getting better now, why not let Doctor Qian treat her for a while longer? Maybe she will be fully recovered."

Hua Zifang touched her upper lip to her lower lip and said lightly, "Wasn't it Xiren who would take the silver later?"

But how could such money be easily taken? After a few times, Mr. Yuan might still be tempted by the novelty. But after a while, I'm afraid he would get tired of it.

Xiren pursed her lips and thought, since she had taken that step, there was no turning back. She also knew that she could not compare to Xiangling and Qingwen in Chen Siyuan's room, so she could only start from other aspects and make Mr. Yuan willing to pay for her.

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

The next day was the 29th day of the first lunar month.

Early that morning, Chen Siyuan drove himself to pick up Aunt Xue, and they went out of the city together. Halfway through, he pretended to hide and hired a carriage to go straight to Dagezi Lane.

Once inside, Aunt Xue wanted to say something else, but Chen Siyuan didn't pay any attention. He just carried her horizontally to the bed. The rain blew away the banana leaves, and the spring breeze blew again and again, bringing tenderness and caress.

She didn't stop until her pretty eyes were half-slanted, her pink arms were stretched out, the rain moistened the delicate branches, and the flowers flew into the jade cave.

The two of them hugged each other and took a short nap. After a while, Aunt Xue finally calmed down. She leaned against Chen Siyuan's chest and raised her eyes, saying angrily, "You don't have any strength left now, and you still want to go and see the lotion."

Chen Siyuan said lazily, "You've already tried it, why bother looking?"

Aunt Xue was stunned for a moment before she finally reacted. Her pretty face flushed red and she couldn't help but spit, "I don't know where you learned those torturous ways!"

"How can the joy of the boudoir be called a torment?"

Aunt Xue was in high spirits, but she refused to admit it. Chen Siyuan knew that she was still shy, so he stopped teasing her and turned to serious matters.

"Tomorrow you can bring the 40,000 taels of silver first, and then we can settle the matter with the Imperial Household Department, and then we can start our business right away."

Aunt Xue pondered, "We've always kept the banknotes ready, just in case you need them at some point. Baochai told me yesterday that since you're helping our family, I wouldn't want to ask for too much interest."

What a virtuous wife! Chen Siyuan was delighted, but his expression remained calm.

Seeing Aunt Xue's careful observation, he said, "How can borrowing money be considered unprofitable? Let's just settle this matter."

Aunt Xue's suspicions faded slightly, and she smiled and said, "I thought about this last night. The interest rate is really too high. You only need to pay back 30,000 silver coins in five years."

Chen Siyuan naturally would not refuse, so he agreed with a smile.

Aunt Xue added, "Your latex business is a new thing. If you want to expand it, you'll probably need to open a workshop..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Siyuan sneered and said, "Of course I have to open a workshop, but it won't cost much money."

How much money is there in such a small processing fee? Chen Siyuan would never do that, even if he had to appease the craftsman who was poisoned by the smoke and the neighbors who were complaining.

He only needed to work out various latex recipes, verify their effectiveness with the actual products, and then sell them everywhere. He would use the money earned from selling latex to order more latex from various sources. As long as he controlled the source, he would still make the most money.

Chen Siyuan briefly told Aunt Xue his idea, which immediately made her eyes light up!

I thought to myself, this is a person of extraordinary talent. Ordinary people just follow the rules, but Brother Yuan has a wild and imaginative mind. When I think about it carefully, it makes a lot of sense.

Aunt Xue was filled with admiration and couldn't help but be moved.

Chen Siyuan noticed this and looked over with a wicked smile. Aunt Xue immediately begged for mercy, "No, no, no, if you keep trying I'm afraid it'll fall apart."

The woman's cry of begging for mercy on the bed was more gratifying than any praise. Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, becoming even more complacent.

Aunt Xue was afraid she wouldn't be able to get out of bed today, so she asked quickly, "Why did I look so sad yesterday?"

Chen Siyuan hurriedly asked, and Aunt Xue frowned and said, "It's all because of Pan'er!"

Xue Pan secretly went to Baicaotang and bought a lot of pills. After returning, he was even more energetic and reveled every night.

However, there was thunder but no rain. Xue Pan had become even thinner due to all the trouble he had done, but his two maids were nowhere to be seen.

Yesterday, Aunt Xue specially asked a doctor to examine the two maids, He Xin and Sui Jin, and the doctor said they were in good health. In this case, wouldn't Xue Pan be the one with the problem?
It was because of this that Aunt Xue was so worried yesterday.

Chen Siyuan said, "Perhaps it's not the time for you to have children yet. Wenlong is only a little old, why are you so anxious?"

Aunt Xue thought about it and agreed, so she put the matter aside for the time being.

The two of them lingered until late afternoon, when Aunt Xue finally left under the pretext of leaving. Chen Siyuan took the carriage but did not go outside the city. Seeing that it was almost noon, he simply returned to his new house near Nengren Temple.

When they arrived at the place, only You Erjie came to greet them.

For some reason, You Erjie's face was filled with joy. She greeted Chen Siyuan warmly and, without waiting for him to ask, said, "Third sister has gone to Baicaotang to settle accounts. She might not be back until dark."

Chen Siyuan had just had a tender moment with Aunt Xue, so naturally he put aside his romantic thoughts for the moment and just responded with a "yes".

You Erjie walked a few steps with him and whispered in his ear, "I got a Taoist technique the other day. It looks quite mysterious. Should we try it later?"

"Hmm?" Chen Siyuan stopped and asked, "What kind of skills?"

You Erjie smiled charmingly and said, "It seems to be called something like Dongxuanzi. I am not much of a reader, but I find the pictures inside very interesting."

Little goblin!
This seemingly attentive appearance must mean something. Chen Siyuan smiled and didn't expose her. He said, "Go back to your room first. I'll check on Qingwen and Luan'er and then go find you."

You Erjie thought that he had some thoughts, so she smiled and went to the back building first.

When Chen Siyuan arrived near the main house, he vaguely heard the sound of reading coming from the ear room. Following the sound, he saw through the window that Liu Wu'er was teaching Qingwen and Luan'er how to read.

Wu'er caught sight of Chen Siyuan and quickly bowed with a smile. Qingwen and Luan'er also rose to greet her. Chen Siyuan pushed the door open and entered, smiling, "How many characters have you learned?"

Qingwen laughed angrily and said, "Master, please stop mentioning it. It was fine at first, but these past few days, learning the Hundred Family Names is really getting to the point of being daunting. To be honest, I've never seen a maid in a household learn to read and write, yet you're the one who's trying to embarrass us."

Luan Er said in confusion: "Big sister is stupid, I have learned everything but you still can't!"

Qingwen immediately gritted her teeth and rubbed Luan'er's little head, saying, "You are such a heartless little thing. I've treated you so badly."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I don't think you are ordinary maids."

As soon as these words came out, not only Qingwen, but even Wu'er couldn't help blushing. If she wasn't an ordinary maid, she must be a concubine.

Liu Wu'er turned her head away shyly and said nothing. Even if Qingwen had a sharp tongue, she would not argue at this moment.

Luan'er was quite perceptive. She took great pains to move a chair over and said in a baby voice, "Master, sit down."

"Well, thank you Luan'er." He smiled and rubbed Luan'er's little head. Chen Siyuan sat down and Qingwen hurriedly served tea: "Don't be disgusted, sir. There is only one cup in this room for me."

She had used the rouge on her lips countless times, so how could Chen Siyuan dislike Qingwen?
After taking a sip of tea, she briefly inquired about the sisters' recent progress. Then Qingwen frowned and began to criticize Luan'er for many things: not sleeping at night, not getting up in the morning, wetting the bed, kicking the quilt, and being clingy. She didn't stop until Luan'er was annoyed.

Even though Qingwen said she disliked Luan'er as a little burden, she actually treasured her. Last time, You Erjie said something sarcastic to Luan'er, which made Qingwen chase You Erjie and make a lot of noise.

After sitting for a while, Chen Siyuan stood up and said, "Then you guys go ahead and learn. I'll go check out the back."

Liu Wu'er agreed, while Qingwen bit her lip. She waited until Chen Siyuan pushed the door open before calling out "Master" and chasing him out. Once outside, Qingwen pulled Chen Siyuan under the eaves of the main hallway and muttered softly, "Second Concubine has been going to Ningguo Mansion quite frequently lately. She even brought back quite a few things the other day...Master, the Ningguo Mansion doesn't have a good reputation. I think it would be better to send Xia Zhu to another job and find a suitable maid to accompany her."

"Hmm?" Chen Siyuan thought to himself. Qingwen was worried that You Erjie was having an affair... but he didn't know that this affair originated from the Ningguo Mansion. He then smiled and said, "It's normal for them to interact with each other."

Qingwen frowned and said coldly, "Forget it. The emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

After saying that, he threw his hands and tried to leave, but was pulled back by Chen Siyuan, who said with a smile, "Where does your temper come from?"

Qingwen pursed her lips and sighed, "It's not because of Master... I just look down on Second Concubine."

Chen Siyuan said, "My third sister and I will protect you, so just ignore her."

Qingwen then responded in silence, and felt that she had not dared to act in a bad temper just now. She looked up and saw that Chen Siyuan did not care, so she felt relieved.

After saying goodbye to Qingwen, Chen Siyuan walked towards the back building. When he reached You Erjie's room, he saw two red silk silks hanging from the beams.

You Erjie sat crookedly at the head of the bed, wearing only a bamboo-green jacket with a colorful embroidered collar and an emerald-green double-breasted jacket, lined with a scarlet bodice, and bare feet. She held a book in her hands and looked over at him with a charming look. Seeing Chen Siyuan, she waved, "Come quickly! This flying butterfly is quite interesting."

Chen Siyuan smiled and sat down beside him. He reached out and pinched his chin and said, "If you're being nice to me for no reason... you're either a traitor or a thief. So, what's the matter?"

You Erjie blinked and said coquettishly, "I just wanted to take advantage of Third Sister's absence to be affectionate with you, but you are suspicious of me!"

She tilted her head, but her body leaned more towards Chen Siyuan.

"So... nothing's wrong?" Chen Siyuan said, "If nothing's wrong, then I'll go back to Rongguo Mansion soon. I have something important to attend to."

Seeing that he was not falling for her trick, You Erjie suddenly became anxious and said, "In fact...in fact, there is something...a good thing."

Chen Siyuan was delighted, thinking to himself, isn't this the main part of the play?
(End of this chapter)