Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 24 Buyback
After leaving the alley, Chen Siyuan walked around and saw no one was following him. The joy on his face quickly faded. It was just a mere one thousand taels of silver. His master had left him three thousand taels before his death! Chen Siyuan was just being polite, trying to keep Sun Guangcheng from figuring out his intentions.

Having known each other for only two months, Chen Siyuan thought to himself that while Sun Guangcheng was shrewd and calculating, he was also obsessed with money. With such a large piece of juicy meat hanging in the Qin family's arms, he expected Sun Guangcheng to investigate.

Chen Siyuan sneered inwardly, thinking that it would be a good idea to investigate. If the noble person behind the Qin family was really alarmed, the Sun family would be killed without Chen Siyuan taking any action; even if the noble person was not alarmed, it would be good to distract the Sun family's attention.

I touched the letter in my arms, and it felt like a hot yam. Then I thought, I came from nowhere, so I might as well take a risk! If I succeeded, the world would be full of possibilities, like a leap into the sky!

With his mind made up, Chen Siyuan hired a carriage and headed for the Zhengyang Gate. He soon arrived at Zhubao Market Corridor, got off the carriage, and immediately saw the three-bay Xue's Silk Shop.

Looking around, although it was late autumn, there was constant coming and going inside, and the beads on the abacus in the accounting office were clacking loudly.

Chen Siyuan walked in with his head held high. A waiter came to greet him and bowed with a smile, saying, "Sir, would you like to choose some silk? We only have Su-style goods, which are rarely seen in the capital."

Chen Siyuan said: "My last name is Chen."

The clerk was stunned, still confused about what Chen Siyuan meant. From behind him came a wealthy middle-aged man. He bowed and said, "So it's the new boss who's here. I'm so sorry."

"Okay, what's your name?"

The man replied, "My name is Zhang. I've won the favor of the boss and am now the shopkeeper of this silk shop." After a pause, Zhang continued, "The madam has instructed that when Mr. Chen arrives, I will take the shop assistants and the accountant with me and leave. All the money and silks here will become Mr. Chen's property."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Then I'd rather obey your command than be disrespectful. I'll thank my concubine for her kindness later."

At that moment, Manager Zhang said nothing more. He told the clerks, maids, and accountant to file out, and they left in a flash.

Chen Siyuan was not in a hurry and simply found a chair to sit down. After waiting for only a cup of tea, he saw an old man coming to the door.

"Thank you for your hard work. May I ask if you are Mr. Chen?"

Anyone who says "hard work" must be a man of the world.

Chen Siyuan smiled and stood up, bowing, saying, "Excuse me, may I ask your name, sir? What do you want from me?"

The old man smiled and bowed, saying, "Yesterday I heard that Xue's business had been sold. I was overjoyed, and that's why I'm so proud to be waiting for Master Chen to come visit. May I ask, Master Chen, do you run this shop yourself, or do you rent it out?"

Chen Siyuan asked, "What do you mean by 'rent'? What do you mean by 'sell'?"

The old man said, "As for renting, it's based on the market. The monthly rent is twenty-eight taels, with a deposit of ten taels, payable annually. As for selling, it's quite simple. Mr. Chen's shop has sixteen and a half rooms, front and back, and the market value is about eight hundred taels of silver. However, as long as Mr. Chen sells it within three days, I will make up the difference and pay one thousand taels."

This price is absolutely fair. The capital is divided into two cities, the inner and outer cities. The average price of a shop is between 35 and 45 taels, and in better places it can be 70 or 80 taels.

This three-bay shop only refers to the front of the store. There is also a warehouse behind the front of the store, etc., which makes a total of sixteen and a half rooms. It is fair to give it one thousand taels.

Chen Siyuan was not in a hurry to agree. He said, "To be honest, I haven't thought about this matter yet. By the way, may I know your name?"

As he invited the man to sit down, the old man said, "My name is not worth mentioning. My surname is Zhang and my given name is Dehui."

Zhang Dehui? This person is the old steward of the Xue family. Tsk! I understand. It seems that the Xue family bought it back.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that it must be because of his stubborn temper that day that Aunt Xue was a little more cautious when she apologized. He was afraid that if he gave her money directly, she would feel insulted, so he gave her a shop.

But Chen Siyuan had no staff and no source of goods. Even if he got the shop, what good would it do? He would have to sell it. So he sent Zhang Dehui to find it. After this transaction, he still got 1,000 taels of silver, which sounded much better. So Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, pulled the contract out of his sleeve pocket, slammed it on the table, and said, "Do you still need me to deal with this contract?"

Zhang Dehui smiled and said, "I think I still have some respect in Shuntian Prefecture, so I don't need Mr. Chen to work hard."

"That's a good deal."

Zhang Dehui didn't waste any words, immediately beckoning his attendants outside and handing over a thousand taels of silver. Chen Siyuan pocketed the silver and left. They both knew the matter well, so there was no need for pleasantries or entanglement.

When we returned to Rongguo Mansion by car, we arrived at the black oil-painted gate and the steward immediately came forward to greet us.

"Master Yuan is here?"

Seeing the man's attentiveness but also his cautiousness, Chen Siyuan knew that his temper had spread throughout the Rongguo Mansion. The day before yesterday, when he came to visit Madam Xing, the man didn't even look at him.

Chen Siyuan shook his sleeves, casually threw over a dime, and said, "Take this and have some wine."

The doorman took it hurriedly, and seeing that the silver was at least three coins, he immediately smiled and said, "Thank you for the gift, Master Yuan! I heard that Master Yuan went out this morning. If you want to go out later, please let me know so that I can prepare a carriage for you in advance."

The servants in the Jia family all had eyes for wealth and status. Chen Siyuan now had a lot of money at hand, which was a good thing for him - as the saying goes, money makes the world go round.

The doorman bowed and led Chen Siyuan inside. Chen Siyuan asked casually, "Is the master at home?"

The doorman whispered back, "Mrs. Rong has passed away, and the master took leave early this morning and has been staying at home ever since. But a guest just came, and the master is entertaining him now."

Chen Siyuan stopped and asked, "Oh? Who's coming?"

The doorman replied, "The ones who came are Master Chen from the Duke of Qi's Mansion and Master Ma from the Duke of Zhi's Mansion." After a pause, the doorman continued, "I see that the eldest master is in a very bad mood. I'm afraid he doesn't have time to see you... Why don't you come back another day?"

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that, judging by Jia She's furious behavior that day, he must have known about the Qin family's dealings, perhaps even been involved. Now that the Duke of Qi and the Duke of Zhi had both sent people looking for Jia She, could it be because of Qin Keqing's death?
It would be bad luck to visit now, so it would be better to come another day.

Chen Siyuan thought, "Since my uncle is entertaining distinguished guests, I shouldn't disturb him. As expected, I've come at a bad time."

After a pause, he looked at Menzi and said, "Yes, what's your name?"

The gatekeeper said respectfully, "My name is Yu Si, and I have a brother named Yu Liu who also works as a gatekeeper at the corner gate."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad. I will remember you. I will definitely reward you in the future."

After hearing the compliment, Yu Si immediately smiled and said auspicious words without stopping until Chen Siyuan walked out of the black oil gate.

But Chen Siyuan walked from the private alley to the back door. When he passed by the private alley, he listened carefully, but he only heard the silence in Ningguo Mansion, and no other movement.

He shook his head and walked out of the alley. As he neared the back door, he saw a handsome man coming out. The two were about to pass each other when the man glanced at Chen Siyuan, then suddenly bowed and smiled, "Is it Uncle Yuan who's here?"

Chen Siyuan stopped, glanced at the man, and asked, "Who are you?"

The man bowed and said, "My nephew Jia Yun, greeting Uncle Yuan."

(End of this chapter)