Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 233 Burying Flowers (Second Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets)
"It was just a spontaneous expression of feeling, so how can it be considered witty?"

Chen Siyuan teased Baochai with a smile. Just as Baochai was about to get angry, she suddenly saw Chen Siyuan looking into the distance. He then pulled Baochai and hid behind a ginkgo tree next to a peach tree.

Baochai, pressed against the tree trunk, couldn't help but gasp slightly. She suddenly realized Chen Siyuan was pressed against her. Just as she was about to frown and say something, she saw Chen Siyuan put his index finger to his lips: "Shh—"

Baochai immediately fell silent, turning her head to peek out. She saw Baoyu and Miaoyu walking side by side. They seemed oblivious to what was happening here, chatting and laughing. After a while, they entered the square pavilion and sat down to talk.

Chen Siyuan then lowered his head and said, "It seems we'll have to stay a while longer."

"Mmm," Baochai responded softly, her voice barely audible, her delicate hands pressed against Chen Siyuan's chest. Even through his clothes, Baochai could feel his strong, pounding heartbeat, and her face flushed instantly.

Sensing something was amiss, she said somewhat stiffly, "Just now, the First Madam said something that made me realize it was the First Master who acted on his own initiative..."

She couldn't continue speaking halfway through. Understanding something is one thing; hearing it from someone's own mouth is quite another. Otherwise, why would Sister Bao have rushed to find Chen Siyuan?

Chen Siyuan responded jokingly, saying, "Sister Bao is precocious, and I doubt she would believe such empty words. The master is just using me as a raft—he wants to hoard latex at a low price, so he brought up Second Sister as a pretext to trap me."

Baochai blushed even more after her repeated missteps today. She responded in a barely audible voice, then sighed, looked up, and pouted, saying, "I was annoyed and impatient... I was just trying to coax you."

"Ha, I know."

Baochai's ears were flushed red, so she turned her head away from Chen Siyuan's gaze and whispered, "Second Sister is, after all, a daughter of the Duke's mansion. In terms of background, she's a hundred times better than me—"

Chen Siyuan said quipped, “Is that so? I hadn’t thought of that... Now that Sister Bao has said so, I’ll think about it carefully later.”

"You!" Baochai was annoyed and reached out to gently punch his chest.

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, took the soft hand in his palm, raised it to his lips, and gently pecked it. Before Baochai could run away, he said, "Last time when Auntie went to the workshop, she seemed to have loosened her grip... I think we should charter a pleasure boat to the Goldfish Pond in a few days, and it would be quite a pleasure for us to go boating on the lake."

Baochai responded with a sound of agreement, suppressing her shyness as she said, "There are always things to do with romance and poetry. You...you must study harder in the future."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "As expected of Sister Bao, even in her moments of passion, she doesn't forget to urge her beloved to strive for success." He then said, "This is the foundation of one's livelihood. Even if you hadn't said so, would I have delayed it?"

Baochai thought to herself, the person in front of her is not like Baoyu who does not know how to make progress. She doesn't need to "stop weaving" in the future. She might even have to advise him to combine work and rest.

Seeing Chen Siyuan's gaze becoming increasingly intense, Baochai could no longer bear it. She turned her head to look around and saw that Miaoyu and Baoyu were no longer in the pavilion. She quickly gave Chen Siyuan a slight push, took two steps to the side, and mumbled, "I, I have to go back, otherwise Mother will come looking for me again."

After saying that, he took two steps back, intending to turn and leave, but then he remembered something and stopped, saying, "Lin Daiyu is the loneliest. You, you should go and see her more often when you have time."

"Ah."

Chen Siyuan agreed, and Baochai then smoothed the hair at her temples and fled to find Ying'er. The two of them hurriedly headed towards Hengwu Garden.

Chen Siyuan stood still, thinking to himself, "If I really do go boating on the lake next time... I'm sure I'll be able to get close to her, right?"
As for Baochai's instructions, Chen Siyuan could only believe half of them. What woman in the world isn't jealous and envious? Even Madam Xing and Aunt Xue, who only interacted with him privately due to their social status, hadn't they secretly complained about the many girls around Chen Siyuan?
Chen Siyuan does need to associate more with Lin Daiyu, but if he bypasses Baochai, Baochai will probably object immediately... Tsk, women, so hypocritical!
After shaking his head and swaying for a while, Chen Siyuan leisurely returned to his thatched cottage, and said no more.

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

The next day, merchants from the capital who had received the news flocked to the ceremonial gate, and the old woman at the gate seemed to be on fire, delivering visiting cards to the Qingtang thatched cottage time and time again.

Then, the esteemed Master Jia She personally visited Qingtang Thatched Cottage, carefully examined the visiting cards, and immediately frowned, pointing to the two cards and saying, "Yuan-ge'er, these two need no attention."

Chen Siyuan bowed and remained silent, so the old man said, "These two are retainers of Prince Zhongshun. Humph! They stole Yuan-ge'er's prescription last time, so what gives them the nerve to come begging again?"

A retainer of the Prince of Zhongshun? Chen Siyuan's face was solemn. He cupped his hands and said, "Uncle is right. Even a clay figure has some spirit. I will definitely not pay attention to such a spineless person."

Jia She was immediately pleased and stroked his beard, praising, "Excellent, excellent. That's right, when will Yuan-ge'er's latex arrive in Tianjin?"

Chen Siyuan said, “According to the contract between my nephew and the Imperial Household Department, starting from the beginning of June, all the latex produced on Zheng He Island will belong to my nephew. I plan to send people to Zheng He Island to stay in the next few days, and then send people to Songjiang and Tianjin to order goods from merchants, or pay a deposit in the capital and pick them up in the two places, or take the money directly to purchase them.”

Jia She exclaimed in astonishment, "It's only been three months! Isn't that a waste of three months? Hiss... Doesn't that mean the Pang family, the imperial merchants, made a fortune for nothing?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "The Pang family has suffered a lot of losses in the past five years. How much can they earn back in just three months?"

Jia She said, "No, we must guard against the Pang family killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. It would be best if Yuan-ge'er quickly sent men to Zheng He Island."

Chen Siyuan readily agreed, and Jia She then frowned, stroked his beard, and left.

No sooner had Jia She left than an old woman delivered another invitation, this time from the Ministry of Revenue, to arrange a share transfer with Chen Siyuan the day after tomorrow. That day, Chen Siyuan had briefly discussed the matter with the physician, agreeing on a price of one tael and five mace per share. The Ministry of Revenue was powerful and wealthy, and Chen Siyuan couldn't pretend to be ignorant of social etiquette, so he had to find an opportunity to send them some gifts of ice and charcoal.

Seeing the old woman at the ceremonial gate staring at him expectantly, Chen Siyuan understood the unspoken meaning and said, "These past two days, my two sisters-in-law have been very busy. Hongyu, go and get two strings of cash to buy some wine and drinks for you two to help you relax."

The old woman was overjoyed and thanked her profusely. When she finally received the two strings of coins that Hongyu had given her, she bowed and scraped repeatedly, saying auspicious words for a long time before turning away.

No sooner had the old woman from the ceremonial gate left than another old woman from the back gate came looking for them, saying that a maid named Xia Zhu wanted to see them.

Xia Zhu? Chen Siyuan's heart skipped a beat, guessing that Madam You must be unable to restrain herself again.

He then asked, feigning ignorance, "Did she say what it was about?"

The old woman laughed and said, "They said someone asked their daughter to buy some latex from Master Yuan."

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "I'll trouble you to go and tell her that I understand and that I'll go and discuss it with Second Sister when I have time."

The old woman responded and left.

Chen Siyuan stayed in his study writing for a long time. When he saw that it was past 7 a.m., he remembered the sight of his second sister and You Shi lying there with their bodies exposed. He could no longer bear it. He immediately tidied himself up and, under the pretext of discussing business, went to his new house near Nengren Temple.

Meanwhile, in the back building of the new house, You Shi and her sister You Erjie sat facing each other. You Sanjie had gone to Widow Dou's place early that morning. You Shi had gone there empty-handed the day before. Later, Jia Zhen said that he had arranged a good deal with Jia She. You Shi immediately said that she had originally agreed with Erjie, but had changed her mind at the last minute, so she had to come and tell her.

She was terrified of running into Sister You San, but when she arrived at the place and saw only Sister You Er coming to greet her, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The two sisters went to the back building together and chatted about this and that. Seeing that Madam You was becoming increasingly absent-minded, the second sister covered her mouth and laughed, "Why are you acting like this, eldest sister? Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

Madam You immediately blushed and fell silent. He had always admired Chen Siyuan's handsome and elegant demeanor, and after their two previous intimate encounters, his feelings for him only intensified.

In the height of spring, willows sway and flowers bloom, swallows chatter and birds sing in pairs. Yet she seems to be living a life of widowhood; how could she not be tempted?
Moreover, this woman was trembling with fear the first time she secretly returned to her lover, and felt uneasy the second time. As their visits increased, she became bolder and bolder.

Jia Zhen in Ningguo Mansion became increasingly unrestrained, and he paid no attention to You Shi. You Shi had previously only intended to take revenge, but now it was hard to say how much of it was revenge, and how much was affection for Chen Siyuan.

But every night she tossed and turned, lamenting her lonely fate and untimely death, feeling that her sorrows were hard to shake and how she could sleep through the long nights. Seeing that she was left with only a few sheets on her pillow, she became even more attached to Chen Siyuan.

Sister You Er laughed and said, "Since you're so reluctant, I already agreed. Do you think I can control you?"

He immediately summoned his maid Xia Zhu and sent her to the back gate of Rongguo Mansion to invite Chen Siyuan.

After a while, Xia Zhu came back and said that Chen Siyuan had spoken, saying that he would come when he had time.

Madam You was still unsure whether Chen Siyuan would come, but Second Sister You was certain that her husband would arrive today. So she left Madam You behind and hurried to the front to prepare the food and wine.

Left alone in the room, Yu's heart was in turmoil. She sat up and stood up, and couldn't help but look out the window.

When it was past mid-morning, there was a sudden commotion ahead, and Madam You knew that Chen Siyuan must have arrived.

Sure enough, a moment later, a maid named Xia Zhu came to invite Madam You. Madam You nervously went to the front, and stole a glance at the composed Chen Siyuan. Then, her second sister You said with a smile, "Eldest sister has something to discuss with Master. She came to see him yesterday but couldn't find him... Go down and urge the banquet to begin. Master and eldest sister can talk first."

Chen Siyuan gave a vague reply, and before Madam You could speak, Second Sister You drifted away.

Only two people remained inside, and at this moment, Madam You fell silent again.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself with amusement, and looked at the silent Madam You, and asked, "Did you come to see me for something?"

Madam You looked up hastily and met his gaze, then quickly lowered her head and whispered, "Yes... yesterday he urged me to come and ask Brother Yuan to lend some shares. In the afternoon, Uncle She came by, but he changed his mind. He said there was another way to make money. I... I was afraid they would ruin your plans, so I came to tell you."

"Well, thank you very much."

After a few words, the two fell silent again. Madam You bit her lower lip, knowing in her heart that the man before her probably looked down on her. She was already a married woman, and her mother had first done such a shameless thing, and then drugged him and forced him... Yes, let alone him, even an ordinary person would look down on her, right?
Madam You felt a pang of sorrow. She sniffed and thought of the poems she had written in her spare time these past few days. She reached into her sleeve to look for them, but she trembled and the paper fell out.

As she stood there bewildered, Chen Siyuan bent down and picked it up. Seeing the paper folded into a square knot, and noticing that Madam You was bowing her head in silence, he unfolded it and found a poem written inside:

Spring light arrives first on a bright sunny day, and in her boudoir, she languidly embroiders mandarin ducks.
Where the railings are moved, a scene of intoxication unfolds, where peach blossoms smile and willows are shrouded in mist.

Chen Siyuan was no fool; how could he not see through the woman's infidelity?

He looked up and saw that Madam You was wearing a light blue silk cloak with lotus embroidery and a flesh-pink printed collar, over which was a white cross-collar jacket and a pine-colored horse-face skirt. Her hair was adorned with a gold hairpin and palace flowers. Her eyes were lowered, but she couldn't help but steal glances in his direction; her hands were twisting a handkerchief, and her embroidered brocade shoes were pressed together, shifting back and forth nervously.

Chen Siyuan wasn't exactly a moral gentleman; he could claim ignorance the first time, but it wouldn't hold water the second time. Having promised You Shi, he had to keep his word.

He glanced outside, and Xia Zhu, who was guarding the door, was startled. She quickly bit her lower lip and closed the door. Chen Siyuan got up and moved to stand in front of Madam You, reaching out to pinch her chin.

Madam You trembled all over, and after a brief exchange of glances, she couldn't help but whisper, "Brother Yuan."

Chen Siyuan remained silent, leaned down and kissed her lips, hooked one arm around Madam You's neck and kneaded her breasts with the other, and Madam You responded with moans.

A moment later, Chen Siyuan picked up Madam You and carried her straight to the bedroom in the west wing.

The young maid, Xia Zhu, who was standing guard at the door, heard faint noises coming from inside and immediately blushed. When Sister You returned, Xia Zhu could only call out "Miss" before falling silent.

Sister You raised an eyebrow and looked inside, and Xia Zhu nodded hurriedly. Sister You then chuckled and instructed, "Keep a close watch on the door."

After Xia Zhu nodded in agreement, she pushed open the door and entered.

As Sister You entered, she peeked through the curtain and saw that the room was filled with a beautiful woman. On the bed, two people were glued together as if they were glued together. In no time, Sister You was completely exhausted and weak, unable to resist.

Sister You, unable to resist the allure, seized a moment and slipped into the western wing as well. The enchanting scenery within is best left unsaid…

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A few days later, Chen Siyuan indeed transferred 20% of the latex shares to the Ministry of Revenue, valued at 30,000 taels. As soon as the money arrived, Chen Siyuan went to find Li Wan—as for the 10,000 taels owed to Aunt Xue, Chen Siyuan wasn't in a hurry to return it; he always wanted to keep some money on hand for emergencies. Because Li Wan had to teach her three younger sisters that day, Chen Siyuan didn't leave until late afternoon. Unexpectedly, he bumped into the young maid Yunxiang wandering around the garden.

Yunxiang was taken aback, feeling a sense of déjà vu, like an employee slacking off and being caught by the boss on patrol.

Yunxiang's eyes darted around, and she quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Master, Master, lately, I don't know what's going on, but everyone's saying that the Master intends to marry the Second Miss to you."

Chen Siyuan asked with a playful tone, "That's it?"

The Rongguo Mansion is like a dilapidated house leaking from all sides; any big or small matter will be spread like wildfire and known to everyone. That day, Madam Xing did not try to hide her actions and mentioned this matter in front of several maids, and sure enough, it became the talk of the town.
Yunxiang blinked and quickly added, "Yes, today is the day Wang Jiashu gave birth. Madam took Bao Erye to the Wang family to celebrate her birthday this morning. As for anything else... anything else... shall I go and find out more?"

Chen Siyuan was secretly pleased and waved his hand to send the relieved Yunxiang away.

As he walked with his hands behind his back, just as he turned the corner of Qinfang Bridge, he heard the sound of wind rushing towards him. If it had been last year, Chen Siyuan might not have been able to react at all. Perhaps it was because he had grown older, and because he had been practicing stance training diligently for the past six months, that Chen Siyuan instinctively turned his head to the side.

Then he felt something fly past his face with a whoosh, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was a small feathered arrow.

Chen Siyuan was startled and looked in the direction from which the arrow had come. He saw a frail figure on the green artificial mountain, holding a bow and arrow and looking anxious.

"Uncle Yuan? This... I deserve to die! I only intended to shoot a bird, but I almost injured you!"

Jia Lan was about to jump down in a hurry. How old was he? Chen Siyuan was so frightened that he quickly reached out and said, "Stop! Come down slowly, don't jump down."

Jia Lan obediently agreed and slowly moved down from the artificial hill.

Chen Siyuan had already approached, and Jia Lan dropped his bow and bowed, saying, "Uncle Yuan, it's all my fault—"

Chen Siyuan waved his hand and said, "It was just an unintentional mistake, nothing to worry about. But there are people coming and going in this garden, so it's not good to mess around with bows and crossbows."

Jia Lan said sheepishly, "It was because my mother saw that I was weak that she asked my second aunt to find a bow and arrow from the storeroom... I won't dare to do it again. I'll find a quiet place to set up a target and play by myself."

Chen Siyuan smiled and agreed, then added, "By the way, has your mother returned to Daoxiang Village?"

Jia Lan looked up in shock and said in astonishment, "This... I've already gotten angry, why did you have to tell Mother, Uncle Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan was both amused and exasperated, and said, "Nonsense, I'm here to repay a debt to your mother."

Jia Lan sighed in relief and said with a forced smile, "I thought Uncle Yuan was being petty and would go and complain about me."

Jia Lan then took his bow and arrow and led Chen Siyuan toward Daoxiang Village. In a short while, Daoxiang Village was right in front of them. Chen Siyuan saw that the land had already been cultivated and planted. Half of Luxue Temple was divided into four fields. One field was planted with rice, and the rest were planted with fruits and vegetables.

The usually lively and energetic Jia Lan immediately became well-behaved upon arriving near Daoxiang Village. Only after entering did she call out, "Mother, Uncle Yuan is here!"

Soon after, Li Wan, dressed in simple clothes and wearing an apron, came to greet her. Perhaps she had just carried water to irrigate the fields, because her face was flushed from the sun, and her peach blossom eyes were more lively, making her look more vibrant than before when she was withered and lifeless.

Upon seeing Chen Siyuan, Li Wan wiped the sweat from her temples and said with a smile, "Brother Yuan, you've arrived?"

Chen Siyuan bowed respectfully, thinking to himself that perhaps Li Wan had been too idle in the past, and now that she was doing farm work, she seemed more energetic.

Li Wan then ushered Chen Siyuan inside. After they were seated, Biyue served fragrant tea. Chen Siyuan gave her a look, and Li Wan then dismissed the two maids.

With only three people remaining, Chen Siyuan took out a stack of bank notes from his sleeve and respectfully handed them over with both hands, saying, "I'm returning them in full. Please count them carefully, Sister-in-law Zhu."

Li Wan agreed with surprise and took the money, saying, "I had heard that Brother Yuan's business was going well, but I didn't expect that Brother Yuan would come to repay the money after only a few days."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Since the Ministry of Revenue took a liking to me, I transferred 20% of my shares, which brought in exactly 30,000 taels."

Li Wan frowned and said, "Brother Yuan, do you have any spare money? You absolutely cannot be short of cash when you're running a business."

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Sister-in-law is right. I still have quite a bit of money on hand."

Li Wan then began to count the items. After a while, once the count was complete, Li Wan found a box and hid it. Then, she frowned and turned back, thinking to Chen Siyuan, "Well, Lan'er was studying at Brother Yuan's place, and she seems to have made great progress these past few days. It has already been a trouble for Brother Yuan. But now that things have come to this, I have another request to make."

"Oh? Sister-in-law, please tell me. I will definitely lend a hand if it is within my power."

“It is like this—” Li Wan then told him that her elder brother, Li Chongming, would be coming soon to ask for the Diamond Sutra.

Chen Siyuan frowned upon hearing this, but after he finished speaking, he quickly asked him a few questions before his brows relaxed slightly.

It seems that Li Shouzhong knew that Li Chongming was all talk and no action, and couldn't even keep a close watch on things, so he found a pretext to send the Diamond Sutra to Li Wan in the capital.
Indeed, the original Diamond Sutra is a national treasure. If it is well hidden, that's fine, but if any clue is revealed, it will surely attract a swarm of interested people. Li Chongming is currently just a purchased official; once Li Shouzhong passes away, how can he possibly bear the weight of such a national treasure?
Those with a conscience will seize their mistakes and force them to hand them over; those without a conscience will seize them by trickery and force, deliberately frame them and throw them in jail. In the end, what they want will be up to them.
Unfortunately, Li Chongming was obsessed with officialdom and wanted to use the Diamond Sutra as a stepping stone to advancement. Upon hearing that the Diamond Sutra had been sent to the capital, he disregarded Li Shouzhong's objections and secretly went to the capital to request it.

Moreover, Li Wan was born to a second wife, and she and Li Chongming did not share the same mother. How much affection could the two siblings possibly have? It's quite possible that the day she visits his door will be the day they fall out.

The Rongguo Mansion is now in even greater financial trouble, having not only misappropriated Daiyu's assets but also borrowed money from the Xue family. If they were to hear that Li Wan has so much money, how could Lady Wang and the eldest master not be tempted?

Let's not even mention Jia She; he's practically obsessed with money. The moment the marriage agreement was finalized, he hastily moved all of Daiyu's remaining meager assets to the east wing. If he knew Li Wan had 70,000 taels of silver, who knows if he wouldn't have wicked thoughts? As for Lady Wang… she already harbored resentment towards Li Wan because of Jia Zhu's early death, and she didn't even like Jia Lan much. Who knows, upon hearing this, she might also contemplate killing the mother and son and seizing the money for herself!
As for whether or not Li Shouzhong will be offended... what difference does it make if he offends a dismissed Imperial Academy Chancellor? In times of emergency, one must act expediently. Who knows when the Li family's retaliation will come? We must first address the immediate crisis before considering anything else.

After careful consideration, Chen Siyuan said, "This matter is sudden, and I don't know what to do right now. It will take several days to arrive. Let me make up my mind before I talk to my sister-in-law about it."

Li Wan gritted her teeth and agreed. After Chen Siyuan got up to take his leave, she and Jia Lan saw him off politely from Daoxiang Village.

Chen Siyuan frowned as he pondered his return to Qingtang Thatched Cottage, but couldn't come up with a plan. Frustrated, he decided to take his manuscript and stroll through the garden. However, in his haste, he made a mistake; instead of the manuscript he was currently working on about the Warring States period, he had picked up a storybook he had hastily written years ago in Yangzhou.

He left the thatched cottage, crossed the Qinfang Gate Bridge, and then passed the Aojing Creek Pavilion, and unknowingly arrived at the back of the hillside. Seeing a huge rock by the peach grove that could be used as a seat or recliner, he simply lifted his robe and sat down.

As he pondered, a gentle breeze swept by, and peach blossoms drifted down, covering his head and face. Chen Siyuan, preoccupied with finding a way to break the deadlock, didn't react immediately, simply clutching his book and deep in thought.

Suddenly someone said from behind, "What are you doing here?"

Chen Siyuan snapped out of his daze and turned his head, only to see a man in a moon-white cross-collar embroidered long coat with orchids, covered with a lake-blue printed shawl, carrying a small flower hoe on his shoulder with a flower bag hanging from it, and holding a flower broom in his hand.

Her oval face was slightly pale, and her eyes, which seemed to be crying but were not, looked over with surprise—it was Daiyu.

Chen Siyuan immediately forgot about Li Wan's entrustment—what's a worry for tomorrow will be a problem for tomorrow. He had been longing to meet Lin Daiyu by chance but had never succeeded; now that he had finally stumbled upon her, how could he let the opportunity pass him by?

Chen Siyuan's mind raced, and he suddenly laughed, "Sister, you've come at the perfect time. Quickly sweep these peach blossoms down and throw them into the water."

Daiyu said, “It’s not good to leave them in the water. Look how clean the water is here, but once it flows out, it gets mixed up with the dirty and smelly water in the places where people live, and it will still ruin the flower garden. I have a flower mound in that corner. Now I’ll sweep it up, put it in this silk bag, cover it with soil, and in time it will just decompose with the soil. Wouldn’t that be cleaner?”

Chen Siyuan shook his head with a smile and said, "No, I thought it would be better to put it in the water."

Daiyu realized that he had something else in mind, and after a little thought, she understood that this was exactly what he meant by "the falling flowers are willing, but the flowing water is heartless." Knowing that he was saying that he had repeatedly tried to win her favor, but only received a lukewarm response, Daiyu couldn't help but blush.

"Nonsense!" Daiyu scolded lightly, then shouldered the flower hoe and went forward. After a while, she put it down and used a flower broom to sweep the peach blossoms scattered under the tree into her flower bag.

Chen Siyuan strolled over and followed him, but only stood aside and watched with a smile.

After a while, Daiyu felt uncomfortable being stared at, and turned her head away, scolding, "Is that all you're going to do?"

Chen Siyuan said leisurely, "Burying peach blossoms in spring is an elegant affair. Sister, you know that plants and trees have no feelings, yet you still insist on burying them. It is clear that you did this to fulfill your own desires."

Daiyu asked in surprise, "I have no idea what I'm thinking."

Chen Siyuan slammed the book in his hand and said, "Perhaps it's for purity, or out of pity, or perhaps... loneliness in the heart, unable to see the way forward."

Daiyu felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but look closely at Chen Siyuan. Although she was sentimental, she wasn't stupid. When she was young, she buried flowers simply out of pity for their falling petals. Who knew that after burying osmanthus flowers twice, the fragrance of the flower mound would linger, earning high praise from her mother and father.

This time, I buried flowers again, firstly to remember my parents, and secondly... also because of my lonely and miserable life.

Daiyu had initially believed Chen Siyuan to be a despicable and ruthless man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. However, she was surprised to learn that he understood her thoughts... which made Daiyu look at him with new respect.

Even though Daiyu's thoughts had been exposed, she was still defiant and immediately said, "Nonsense."

Chen Siyuan smiled without saying a word, so Daiyu ignored him and silently swept all the fallen petals into her flower bag. After a while, she found a hoe, dug a hole on a gentle slope, and buried the flower bag in it.

Chen Siyuan watched him, his admiration growing with each glance. His parents had both died, and he lived with his maternal grandmother. The servants treated him poorly, his grandmother was unpredictable, his aunt looked down on him, and his cousin, whom he had to patiently get along with, was a womanizer who was utterly unreliable in times of need.

In such circumstances, a slightly more fragile young lady would probably not have survived. The fact that Daiyu was able to live in the Rongguo Mansion for many years, and that Lady Wang almost killed her by changing her medicine, shows her strong character.

At this moment, Daiyu was covered in sweat and turned back with her flower hoe on her shoulder. As she passed Chen Siyuan, she glanced at him and said, "Now that you are satisfied, why bother with me? I think you should go and play with Sister Bao more often."

Just as she was about to take a step, Chen Siyuan said, "I cannot agree with what you said, sister." Seeing Daiyu stop and look over, Chen Siyuan said in a low voice, "It was clearly in accordance with your wishes, sister, so why do you say that it was in accordance with mine?"

Daiyu frowned slightly, and soon she understood. If it weren't for Chen Siyuan's marriage certificate, she would have had to accept her fate even if her second brother Lian had lost it. From then on, she would live in the Rongguo Mansion, waiting for her maternal grandmother to arrange her marriage with Baoyu.

However, some things, if not settled by the day, may change in the future. No one expected that the eldest daughter, Yuan Chun, would be granted the title of Virtuous Consort, and from then on, her aunt would become Bao Yu's brother-in-law. Considering that her aunt already disliked her, how could the marriage not be fraught with difficulties in the future?
Chen Siyuan meant that he had only given Daiyu another option that day, and Daiyu made her decision after thinking it over carefully.

After a moment, Daiyu sighed, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly, and said, "What you say is true, it was indeed my own choice. But now I see less and less clearly what the future holds."

Chen Siyuan then said, "Life is fleeting, and there are countless people who live in a daze. How many people can see what the future holds? Some things can only be known as good or bad after experiencing them together."

Daiyu nodded blankly, not wanting to continue the conversation, but then she noticed the scroll in his hand and asked, "What are you holding?"

"The manuscript." Chen Siyuan replied casually, glancing down at it and immediately frowning slightly.

Daiyu seemed to have untied her knot a little, and upon seeing this, she immediately scoffed, "Well, it must be an improper manuscript."

Chen Siyuan said, "It's just something I did for fun that day, not a serious book." As he spoke, he handed it over.

Daiyu paused for a moment, then stepped forward to take it. She saw that the cover had the four words "Life is but a dream" written on it.

He picked up the flower hoe and flipped through a few pages, only then realizing that it seemed to be a story about a young couple.

(End of this chapter)