Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 234 Enmity
On the hillside.

Daiyu flipped through a few pages and found herself increasingly engrossed in the book. So she simply put down her flower hoe, found a large rock to sit on, and began to read the manuscript.

Seeing that Sanbai and Yunniang had just met, and that Sanbai had pointed at Yunniang and declared he would marry no one but her, Daiyu blushed. She thought to herself, "These two are only thirteen or fourteen years old, how can they be engaged so early?"

Sure enough, on the next page, the two got married. Unlike what Daiyu had imagined to be a poignant and dramatic affair, their marriage was neither earth-shattering nor sentimental; instead, it was extremely ordinary, as if they had simply lived out their lives in the mortal world.

Sanbai hosted a banquet for his friends, but had no money to buy wine. Yunniang then "took off her hairpin to buy wine without making a sound, not wanting to let such a beautiful moment slip by."

On the Qixi Festival, Sanbai, grateful for marrying his beautiful wife, carved two stone seals, one in intaglio and one in relief, both bearing the inscription: "May we be husband and wife for all eternity."

The couple painted their eyebrows in their boudoir. Yunniang admired Li Bai and took Bai Letian as her mentor. It is said that Bai Letian's courtesy name was Sanbai, which shows that Yunniang's life was inseparable from the character Bai.

Yunniang then jokingly said, "You're destined to make many mistakes; you'll probably be writing a lot of them in the future."

Daiyu watched intently. Unlike the romantic scenes of talented men and beautiful women on the stage, this essay was full of the unique charm between Sanbai and Yunniang.

The writing is simple, yet it leaves a lingering fragrance on the palate.

After carefully reading it once, Daiyu couldn't bear to stop, and couldn't help but stare at some of the unique scenes endlessly.

After a long while, she realized that Chen Siyuan had also sat down beside her. Fortunately, the boulder was spacious, and the two were more than half a foot apart.

Daiyu, not wanting to continue reading, reluctantly put the book down and asked, "Did you write this?"

"Hmm, just a doodle." Chen Siyuan observed Daiyu's expression and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. This time, even a mistake could be considered a mistake! This "Fleeting Life Like a Dream" was a compilation of his memories of the Six Records of a Fleeting Life, mixed with some small episodes he remembered.

The novel *Six Records of a Floating Life* has a nickname: "Little Dream of the Red Chamber." Doesn't that perfectly capture Daiyu's feelings?
He focused solely on writing about the pleasures of the boudoir, hoping to earn some royalties. Little did he know that he would swindle over a thousand taels of silver as soon as he left the mountain with his master. Thus, a great novelist fell from grace, and the world gained a notorious swindler known as the Sparrow Gate.

Daiyu couldn't help but wonder, "The writing is so serene, it doesn't seem like it was written by you."

Chen Siyuan chuckled self-deprecatingly, leaning back as he said, "Human hearts are fickle. I'd rather stay in my little house and courtyard, with just myself, a cup of tea and a bowl of rice, ignoring the myriad sights of this chaotic world... but circumstances are beyond my control." He turned to Daiyu with a serious expression and said, "I don't fight or grab, yet others want to devour me. If I were in your shoes, what would I do?"

A few years ago, Daiyu might have been clueless. But after her father Lin Ruhai passed away, and her teacher Jia Yucun handled the Yangzhou salt case, which resulted in a massacre, even without Chen Siyuan's previous explanation, how could Daiyu not understand the reasons behind it?

He couldn't help but think to himself, "Yes, this world is inherently cannibalistic. Weren't my own parents and half-brother eaten by those greedy people?"
That's why I couldn't help but understand Chen Siyuan a little better. So I shook my head and said, "I don't know either... I guess it's about fighting for your life. You've finally come into this world, so you should live well until you grow old and see all the wonders of the world clearly, so that you won't feel ashamed of your parents who raised you."

Chen Siyuan nodded and smiled, "That's exactly the point."

The two exchanged a brief glance, and Daiyu turned her head away.

Daiyu rolled up the scroll, reluctant to return it. Chen Siyuan, understanding her meaning, said, "It was just a playful piece, but it seems to suit your taste, sister. In that case, sister, take it back and examine it."

Daiyu was indeed delighted, turning her head and smiling, "Really?"

Seeing Chen Siyuan nod with a smile, Daiyu said, "Then thank you very much. This manuscript is very much to my liking. It is full of unique charm. I must take a look at it more often when I get back."

As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled clap of thunder sounded, and dark clouds began to blanket the sky. Chen Siyuan looked up and glanced around, then said, "It's going to rain. Sister, you should head home early."

Daiyu agreed, tucked the book into her handkerchief, picked up her flower hoe, and waved goodbye to Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan watched her leave, then turned and smiled as he returned to his thatched cottage.

Meanwhile, Daiyu descended the hillside and arrived near the small kitchen, beyond which lay the Pear Fragrance Courtyard. Suddenly, a young opera singer began to sing: "Most delightful is this day when the spring wine is ready, and the flowers bloom like embroidery. May we, year after year, be among the blossoms, always drinking spring wine..."

Daiyu stopped and listened for a while. When she heard the line "A person is under the flowers, often drinking spring wine," she recalled the situation just now and thought to herself, "Isn't this the fulfillment of 'a person is under the flowers'? But I wonder if I will be able to 'often drink spring wine' in the future."

With her free left hand touching the manuscript in her handkerchief, Daiyu smiled and carried her flower hoe back to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

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

A procession of carriages and horses entered the Rongguo Mansion through the side gate.

The servants hurriedly found a footstool, and soon Aunt Xue, Baochai, Madam Wang, Baoyu, Fengjie and others got off the carriage with solemn expressions.

Today is the birthday of Madam Wang. Early this morning, Madam Wang, Baoyu, Aunt Xue, Baochai, and Fengjie went to the Wang family to offer their birthday wishes.

What should have been a joyous occasion turned into a major unpleasant incident due to unforeseen complications.

Firstly, Baochai's intervention that day had 'completely ruined' her cousin Wang Yunping's plans. Upon their reunion, Wang Yunping naturally resorted to sarcasm and ridicule, wishing she could tear off the Xue family mother and daughter's faces and trample them on the ground!
Secondly, Wang Ren, Feng Jie'er's brother, was also present. During the meal, Wang Yunping praised Chen Siyuan highly, and even said that he himself possessed the talent of Li Ye.

Although Wang Ren was uneducated, he had at least read some books. He immediately explained Li Ye's situation to her face, which made Wang Yunping so angry that her face turned ashen!
Thirdly, upon hearing that the latex stock had already been purchased by the Ministry of Revenue, Aunt Wang knew she couldn't gain any advantage and her expression immediately changed.

The banquet ended badly, and on the way home, apart from the carefree Baoyu, everyone else was preoccupied.

Aunt Xue and Baochai had a strained relationship with Fengjie because Fengjie had always obeyed the old lady's orders in the past few years. In private, Baochai wouldn't even call her cousin, only referring to her as "Feng girl".

The two had long been in love with Chen Siyuan, and naturally couldn't bear to see Wang Ren expose their affair, causing a rift between the Wang family and Chen Siyuan. Since Wang Ren was also Feng Jie'er's brother, the mother and daughter disliked Feng Jie'er even more now.
Sister Feng was also feeling frustrated. She had originally planned to find an opportunity to help Brother Yuan find a way to make money, but Wang Ren had been too talkative and had now completely offended Brother Yuan. How could she possibly ask him for advice now?

Although Madam Wang was displeased, she didn't make things too difficult. It was originally a good thing, but matchmaking isn't something that can be done just by looking at each other's faces. Unfortunately, her niece, Wang Yunping, was really unruly. She said she would hide behind the screen, but she actually came out and humiliated herself.

Yuan-ge'er was a man of temper, and he couldn't stand such a proud and arrogant young lady. It was understandable that he would make sarcastic remarks. It's just a pity that the marriage can't go through. Recently, there have been rumors that the eldest son's family intends to marry their second daughter, Ying-chun, to Yuan-ge'er.

If this is indeed a marriage between relatives, then Lady Wang will probably be unable to control Yuan-ge'er anymore.

The three groups each had their own thoughts. After getting off the carriage, Laiwang's wife came looking for Fengjie. Because Fengjie had been gone for a day, no one was making decisions about the household affairs. Although Fengjie wanted to talk to Madam Wang, she couldn't bear the burden of household affairs and had to deal with miscellaneous matters first.

Aunt Xue and Baochai exchanged a glance, and the mother and daughter went to Madam Wang's courtyard together.

After entering and drinking a cup of tea, Madam Wang sighed and said, "I should have listened to my sister last time. Now we've made enemies."

Aunt Xue already harbored resentment towards Wang Ziteng and his family because of Wang Ziteng's intention to seize the Xue family's assets. This latest offense against Chen Siyuan has only fueled her anger even more than before!

Aunt Xue snorted and said, "Sister, haven't you realized it yet? With your brother serving as an official away from home, isn't your sister-in-law in charge? Look at today, the congratulatory gifts alone probably filled a warehouse. Your sister-in-law's ambition is so high now. She probably already thinks Yunping is some kind of golden branch and jade leaf, and every family is eager to climb up to her."

Madam Wang sighed again and said, "If I had known things would turn out this way, I shouldn't have called Yuan-ge'er over back then."

Baochai chimed in, "Aunt, since ancient times, the paths of civil and military officials have been different. It's just that Aunt is a bit... overconfident. Brother Yuan is a young scholar who passed the provincial examination; who knows, he might pass the imperial examination next time. He's only twenty years old and if he gets lucky and enters the Hanlin Academy, who knows who will be better in twenty years?"
I thought my uncle originally intended to make good connections, but my cousin and aunt... turned what should have been a good thing into this mess.

Since it involved elders, Baochai naturally couldn't directly criticize them. In her mind, both the mother and daughter were clueless and ignorant! It's been said since ancient times that one shouldn't bully the young but bully the old. A good deed had inadvertently brought a great enemy upon her uncle. When her uncle, Wang Ziteng, found out in the future, he would definitely be furious!
Aunt Xue added, "Now look what's happened. The trouble that those two, mother and daughter, have caused is now our problem, and we're caught in the middle. It's really difficult."

Madam Wang said, "What you think is your business, sister-in-law. Yuan-ge has never wronged us. I think it's best to just continue as before."

Aunt Xue immediately smiled and nodded: "Sister is absolutely right."

Upon hearing Madam Wang's words, Aunt Xue and Baochai both breathed a sigh of relief.

After chatting for a while, Madam Wang remembered something else and glanced meaningfully at Baochai, saying, "These past few days, everyone in the mansion has been saying that my sister-in-law intends to marry my second daughter to Yuan-ge'er."

Aunt Xue said, "I overheard it too... They said it was the First Madam who said it herself when she went to Zhuijin Tower that day?"

Madam Wang nodded and said, "It must be true. That person has never been able to keep a secret. I suppose it must have been my uncle who leaked the information, which is why he rushed to find Yingchun to tell her."

Aunt Xue didn't think it was related to her, and just laughed and said, "Master... you're not satisfied with getting the Lin family's property, so you've set your sights on Yuan-ge'er?"

According to what the young master said, those tens of thousands of taels of silver invested would multiply several times in five years. By then, even if the young master's wealth couldn't compare to the Rongguo Mansion or the Xue family, it would be more than enough to make him a wealthy ordinary family. If the second young lady really did marry into that family, she would be truly blessed.

Then, seeing that Lady Wang glanced at Baochai with a hint of hesitation, Aunt Xue immediately looked over and saw that Baochai was quietly bowing her head and not saying a word.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Although Baochai hadn't said anything, Aunt Xue knew that Baochai was behaving strangely. Normally, Baochai would have offered congratulations and jokes, so why was she suddenly silent?

Aunt Xue was startled: Yes, the young master is so charming and handsome that even she couldn't help but fall for him, let alone a young lady like Baochai.

Baoyu is a good-for-nothing, while the girl has always harbored lofty ambitions. If there were no comparison, things would be fine, but unfortunately, both of them are in the Rongguo Mansion. Comparing the two, if it were her, she would definitely prefer the promising young man, and would never bother with a naughty child like Baoyu.
Remembering what the young master had said that day, Aunt Xue's heart wavered, but she still held a sliver of hope. So she echoed his words for a while, and then suddenly said to Baochai, "Look at you, you can't sit still either, go find Baoyu to play with."

Baochai calmly agreed, rose, curtsied, and took her leave.

After she left, Aunt Xue whispered to Madam Wang, "Sister, everyone in the east wing is thinking of strengthening family ties through marriage, but they don't know about Baochai and Baoyu..."

Madam Wang frowned immediately and said, "It's too early to talk about these things now. Firstly, Baoyu is still young, only thirteen now, and he's like a mischievous monkey, his temperament is unpredictable. How can we settle things so soon? Secondly, as you know, sister, Baoyu's marriage... I'm afraid only the Old Madam can decide. First, she kept Daiyu in the gauze-curtained room, and now she's keeping Yun'er. Don't you know what she's up to?"

This matter is not urgent; it requires careful consideration.

All that talk of taking it in the long run was just an excuse. Things are different now. Madam Wang's personal attendants now hold lucrative positions in the accounting and storerooms. Apart from the purchasing office and the nominal head steward, Madam Wang can now control most of the Rongguo Mansion.

What could the old lady do if she disagreed? Lady Wang only needed to slap the IOU across, and she was guaranteed to shut up. It's hard to part with charitable wealth; even during the previous hardship, the old lady didn't set aside any of her own money to supplement the public funds. Why would she possibly fill the deficit now?

Aunt Xue knew perfectly well that her good sister was only making excuses because Yuan Chun had become arrogant after being made a concubine, looked down on the Xue family's status, and couldn't repay the money in time.

Aunt Xue was also getting angry. She thought to herself that her daughter was good in every way. Could it be that she was really going to hang herself on the Jia family?

Suddenly remembering her young lover, Aunt Xue hesitated and her guard was slightly shaken. Then she thought, why not look for a suitable match among other noble families?

The two sisters talked for a long time before Aunt Xue finally said, "Sister, you know that my family is also in a difficult situation now. The Imperial Household Department has sent us on assignments, and in two or three years, we may have a huge deficit to cover. If we really can't make ends meet, I'm afraid we will have to come and ask you to repay the money."

Madam Wang was immediately worried, but said, "It's because of the garden renovation and the visit to my family. Now that both things are over, there's a surplus in the public funds. I'll save it up and return it to my sister as soon as possible."

Aunt Xue smiled and agreed, then drank the tea in her cup before getting up to say goodbye and leave.

After seeing Aunt Xue off, Madam Wang frowned deeply. How could she not hear the threat in Aunt Xue's voice? If the marriage wasn't settled, then the money would be returned, with only two or three years given!

You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. In the past, Madam Wang was just a figurehead. The old lady made the decisions on important matters, while Feng Jie handled the minor ones herself. However, Feng Jie was biased towards the old lady, which put Madam Wang, the head of the household, in an awkward position, neither in the top nor in the bottom.

Ever since she truly took over the household last year, Madam Wang has been worried every month. Firstly, the number of people in the family has increased, and expenses have grown. If she hadn't forced Feng Jie to lend out her monthly allowance, it would have been even more difficult to maintain the household.

Secondly, the upper class sets an example for the lower class. The old lady was enjoying a life of luxury and happiness, and those below followed suit, indulging in extravagance as much as possible. Ordinary girls would hold banquets and hire opera troupes to celebrate their birthdays, which would cost tens of taels of silver, and sometimes even hundreds of taels.
Thirdly, the old lady indulged the servants, and the servants in the house became increasingly unruly. Without money or benefits, they wouldn't do their jobs diligently. Some of the more unruly ones even took advantage of the situation and bullied their master!
Overwhelmed with a thousand and one problems, Madam Wang was at a loss. Since the old lady was still alive, she dared not drastically eliminate the bad practices. Thus, she could only continue to maintain the status quo, and the household accounts became increasingly unsustainable. The talk of a surplus was nothing but a way to appease Aunt Xue. Madam Wang thought to herself that it would be best to find a suitable marriage for Baoyu one day, so that the household deficit could be completely covered in one fell swoop.

With the Xue family nearing its end, what kind of future could a widow and her orphan possibly have?
Fortunately, the younger sister did not break off relations, so there is still room for maneuver. In two or three years, a suitable marriage should be arranged for Baoyu... If only the eldest daughter could be promoted to Imperial Concubine during this period.

As she was thinking this, she suddenly heard a commotion outside, which immediately interrupted her thoughts. After listening for a moment, she vaguely heard what sounded like Jia Huan, so she frowned and ordered, "Go and see what's going on!"

Jin Chuan'er responded and came out. After a while, she came back in and said, "Third Master Huan caught a toad, which scared Caiyun and Caixia so much that they ran away in all directions."

Madam Wang frowned immediately, displeased. She was already in a bad mood, and the thought of Aunt Zhao and her son made her feel nauseous. So she said, "Go and call Huan-ge'er here."

Jin Chuan'er agreed again, and couldn't help but laugh as she turned around, secretly thinking that Zi Huan Lao San was going to be in trouble again soon!
After a short while, Jin Chuan led the filthy Jia Huan inside. After he greeted her, Madam Wang spoke a few ordinary words with a stern face, and then instructed, "Now that you can read and write, it's just that your temperament is too impulsive. How can you catch a toad and scare the maids around? Today, you will copy the Diamond Sutra once, which will also help to temper your temperament."

Jia Huan, feeling ashamed, dared not refuse and turned around to pretend to copy scriptures on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Just then, the sky outside became overcast, indicating that another spring rain was about to fall. Yu Chuan then lit the lamp, but Jia Huan, being fickle, put on airs for a long time without actually copying a few large characters. One moment he called Caiyun to pour tea, the next he asked Yu Chuan to trim the lamp wick, and then he had Jin Chuan block the lamplight.

Jin Chuan'er, Yu Chuan'er, and others had always looked down on Jia Huan. Only Aunt Zhao, who had secretly promised Cai Xia a favor, came to pour Jia Huan a cup of tea and whispered, "You should behave yourself. Why make yourself disliked like this?"

Jia Huan knew that Lady Wang was in a bad mood today, and since she was using him as a pretext, he said in a huff, "I know that too, don't try to fool me. Now that you and Baoyu are together, you're ignoring me, and I can see that too."

Caixia bit her lip, poked Jia Huan on the head with her finger, and said, "You heartless bastard! You're the one who bites the hand that feeds you, not recognizing a kind heart!"

As they were talking, it was clear that Sister Feng had finished dealing with some official business and came to find Lady Wang. Soon after, Bao Yu also came over. Seeing that he was still tipsy, Lady Wang told him to rest on the kang (a heated brick bed) and called Cai Xia to pat him down.

Baoyu then chatted and laughed with Caixia, but Caixia remained indifferent, her eyes only looking at Jia Huan inside. Seeing this, Baoyu simply laughed and grabbed Caixia's hand, saying, "Good sister, please pay attention to me too."

Caixia snatched the hand away and said, "If you keep making a fuss, I'll yell!"

Jia Huan, who was already restless on the kang (heated brick bed), saw Caixia patting Baoyu and his thieving eyes immediately began to linger on him. Seeing Baoyu like this, Jia Huan was instantly filled with rage and his evil intentions were born.

The third brother rolled his eyes and suddenly pretended to accidentally knock over the candlestick. The oily wax splashed right onto Baoyu's face, burning him so badly that he cried out in pain.

Everyone around was startled and quickly lit lamps to see what was happening. They saw that Baoyu's head and face were covered in wax. Lady Wang was both angry and resentful, and she pointed at Jia Huan's nose and gave him a good scolding.

Sister Feng came over to help Baoyu tidy up. Seeing that Madam Wang's scolding was not hitting the mark, she laughed and said, "Third brother is still as clumsy as a chicken. I said you are not fit for high places. Aunt Zhao should teach him a lesson more often."

These words awakened Madam Wang, and she immediately stopped scolding Jia Huan. She sent someone to summon Aunt Zhao, who was still puzzled by her behavior, and began to berate her: "You've raised such an unreasonable, despicable, and black-hearted child, and you don't even care! I've let it go several times, but you've become complacent, and now you're getting even more arrogant!"

With the principal wife present, and without Master Jia Zheng standing by to protect her, and given that it was Jia Huan who had caused the trouble, Aunt Zhao, secretly harboring resentment, outwardly remained submissive. After being scolded, she finally led Jia Huan away.

Inside the main room, everyone busied themselves with preparations, and they discussed how they couldn't hide it from the old lady. Baoyu felt embarrassed, knowing that his reckless behavior had brought this trouble upon him. He was afraid that the old lady would summon Jia Huan, and Jia Huan would reveal what he had done... How would the other sisters view him in the future?
Therefore, he pretended to be magnanimous and did not hold it against Jia Huan, only saying that when he saw the old lady the next day, he would say that he had accidentally done it.

Fengjie had seen everything clearly, so she naturally wouldn't pressure Baoyu to tell the truth. Although Lady Wang had her back to Baoyu and didn't see it, no one knows a son better than his mother. Baoyu looked embarrassed, so he must have done something shameful. For the sake of Baoyu's reputation, Lady Wang didn't go to the old lady to complain.

The two women, Aunt Zhao and her son, were in their own courtyard. There would be plenty of ways to deal with them in the future.

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

A night of fierce wind and rain, and in the blink of an eye, dawn broke, only to be followed by a prolonged period of drizzle.

Chen Siyuan was unusually lazy; after breakfast, he crawled back into bed. With Hongyu and Xiangling's periods approaching, only Liu Wu'er remained in the room to serve them.

Liu Wu'er, who was already fully dressed, was coaxed by Chen Siyuan into taking off her clothes and crawling into bed with him. The two cuddled for a while, and Liu Wu'er nestled comfortably in his arms.

This girl is sentimental and doesn't usually talk much with Hongyu and Xiangling, but she will say a few more words when she is with Chen Siyuan.

They chatted idly for a few moments, and then he suddenly asked, "Sir, are you going to marry Miss Bao someday?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask that?"

Liu Wu'er said reproachfully, "Last time Miss Bao came, she asked about my diet and daily life, and who was on night duty. She gave me detailed instructions on everything... She seems to be the mistress of the house."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Isn't Miss Bao good?"

Liu Wu'er shook her head with a smile and said, "What does it matter to me whether it's good or bad? I just hope that after Grandma marries into the family, Master won't dislike me."

Chen Siyuan pinched Yingrou's cheek, but she was still a budding flower, and Wu'er immediately scolded her. He then said, "Don't worry."

Although Liu Wu'er is sentimental, she is simple-minded, and Baochai (Baojie) is too lazy to deal with her. The same applies to Xiangling, Qingwen, and You Sanjie. As for Hongyu and You Erjie, Hongyu is fine as long as she doesn't develop any ulterior motives, but if You Erjie doesn't behave herself in the future, she might be used as a tool by Baochai.

With a gentle touch and a moment's hesitation, Liu Wu'er couldn't resist; her eyes welled up with tears, clearly aroused. Chen Siyuan quickly withdrew, afraid he might lose control...

Liu Wu'er is a bit older than Qingwen, and she is fourteen years old this year, but she is physically weak. Chen Siyuan dares not take her in right now.

After a while, Chen Siyuan finally got up and let Liu Wu'er help him get dressed. Suddenly, a little maid named Yunxiang called out from the window, "Master, master, the girls are wearing the raincoats and rain boots you gave them and they are playing in the water in the garden right now!"

"I understand." After dismissing the maid Yunxiang, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but smile at himself in the mirror. He guessed that it must have been Xiangyun who couldn't resist his urging; she had mentioned last time that she wanted to play around in the rain.

A short while later, Yunxiang returned and said, "Master, Master, Sister Miao from the east courtyard has come and said that the Madam requests your presence."

"Ah."

Chen Siyuan agreed again, then turned and instructed Liu Wu'er to find his raincoat and rain boots. The raincoat and rain boots were two sizes too big, so Chen Siyuan simply put on shoe covers, then told Liu Wu'er to rest well, and went out in the drizzling rain.

As they approached Qinfang Bridge, Chen Siyuan heard the sounds of laughter growing louder. He turned his head and saw that the area near Aojingxi Pavilion on the opposite side was filled with vibrant colors. A group of girls wearing colorful raincoats were playing in the rain, while maids holding umbrellas were shouting and laughing nearby.

Chen Siyuan was quite surprised... The raincoats and rain boots he gave him were either black or yellow, so how did they become so colorful? After looking closely, he realized that the raincoats were covered with silk, which made them so colorful.

As he stopped, someone saw him, immediately jumped up and waved, then clasped their hands and shouted, "Brother Yuan, come quickly!"

It's Xiao Xichun.

Then Tan Chun and Xiang Yun called Chen Siyuan to play together.

Chen Siyuan waved from the bridge and replied, "I'll be there in a bit!"

He then cupped his hands in greeting and left the Grand View Garden, heading east to the next courtyard.

After a while, he entered through the black lacquered gate and was then led by Miao'er through the third ceremonial gate. When they entered the main room, Madam Xing was sipping tea. Upon seeing his dark and grimy appearance, she couldn't help but spit out her tea and frowned, saying, "What do you look like!"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Auntie doesn't know, these are raincoats and rain boots made of latex. They are lighter than straw raincoats, easier to care for, and don't get moldy easily. They will surely be very popular in the future."

Madam Xing glared at him and instructed Miao'er and Tiao'er to quickly remove his raincoat. Once he looked normal again, Madam Xing secretly breathed a sigh of relief—he looked pleasing to the eye this time.

Just then, the wet nurse brought over the fourth son, and Chen Siyuan played with him for a while. Perhaps it was a father-son bond, but the fourth son was never close to Jia She, and instead doted on Chen Siyuan.

In the blink of an eye, Fourth Brother was amused and kept laughing, so much so that he choked on some water and coughed repeatedly.

Madam Xing, who had been watching with a smile and occasionally making a comment, immediately scolded when she saw her precious son being wronged: "Stop teasing him! You always make Fourth Brother choke on his own!"

The wet nurse took the fourth son away, and Madam Xing dismissed the maids and servants. Only then did the two of them begin to have a private conversation.

Madam Xing said, "Everyone knows about your affair with the second young lady, and the master hasn't said anything. It seems that this time it's settled."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "You still believe him? The master never gets up early for nothing. If he really wants to marry Second Sister, I'm afraid he will be unwilling if I don't give away half of my family fortune."

Madam Xing smiled and said, "You're always good at attracting attention, how could this be difficult for you? He's already given his tacit approval, so just keep seeing the second young lady in private, and one day you might as well make it a fait accompli—"

Chen Siyuan quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't be ridiculous! If I really did something like that, wouldn't I have any face left?"

Madam Xing rolled her eyes at him and said, "When have you ever cared about your reputation?"

Chen Siyuan was both amused and exasperated, and could only say, "I may be shameless in private, but I still need to maintain a facade of respectability in public. Besides, with a father like the First Master, if I were to marry my second sister, I might be constantly being schemed against by my father-in-law for the family fortune. What would I be after?"

Madam Xing, however, was unreasonable. She glared at him and said, "If you despise the master, do you also dislike me?"

That's why it's sometimes difficult to reason with women.

Chen Siyuan quickly calculated and realized that Madam Xing was also nearing her period, which explained her unreasonable behavior. After some thought, he simply told the truth: "Compared to Second Sister, I prefer Bao Sister."

"Who? Baochai?" Madam Xing frowned immediately and asked, "How is she better than Yingchun?"

Chen Siyuan said honestly, "It looks good."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xing fell silent. The second young lady seemed amiable, but in terms of looks, she was ultimately inferior to Baochai. She frowned and advised, "When choosing a wife, choose a virtuous one..."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Tell me, in what way is Second Sister more virtuous than Baochai?"

Madam Xing stammered for a long time, unable to give a coherent answer. Finally, she simply said, "If you marry Yingchun, she won't be very good at controlling you."

Chen Siyuan said, "Bao Meimei only asks me to make progress so that I can earn a title for her in the future. She won't care about me then."

Unable to argue further, Madam Xing snapped angrily, "Fine, fine, whatever you want. I just can't stand the sight of you today. Get out of here and stop making me angry!"

Chen Siyuan wasn't about to leave. He had no choice but to step forward and use his shameless skills to comfort and soothe Madam Xing, eventually managing to appease her somewhat.

The two agreed to meet again at the Jade Emperor Temple in a few days before Chen Siyuan took his leave. As soon as he left, Madam Xing pondered, thinking that since she couldn't persuade Chen Siyuan... why not try to persuade Yingchun first?
With the major events still undecided, it's hard to say who will ultimately win!

(End of this chapter)