Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 278 Trouble rises again
"...There is only you and me, and at this moment, we can also silently understand and be at peace."

The fragrance of styrax wafted through the air, and cicadas chirped incessantly. A slender hand put down a book, and her starry eyes glanced sideways at the bed. She saw that Master Chen Siyuan seemed to be dozing off with his arm as a pillow, and it was unclear whether he was asleep or awake.

Xing Xiuyan gave a slight reproach, but before she could speak, Chen Siyuan opened his eyes and praised, "Excellent writing, I am no match for it."

Xing Xiuyan covered her mouth and laughed, "This is the work of the second-place scholar of this year's imperial examination, so it is naturally excellent." She paused, then added, "But Yuan-ge'er, you don't need to belittle yourself. That second-place scholar is forty-three years old, which is a generation below you. I also read the eight-legged essay you wrote a few days ago. It was very pleasant to read. Even if you can't expect to get first or second place, you should at least be able to get third place, right?"

Chen Siyuan raised an eyebrow and said quietly, "A concubine is not as good as a wife; they are both Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) but not the same."

Xing Xiuyan smiled and playfully scolded, "You're aiming too high."

Chen Siyuan shook his head, having his own plans. Li Wan's frightened departure that day had given Chen Siyuan a moment to ponder, but now, injured, he had to suppress any such thoughts. Besides, he had countless romantic entanglements; though he harbored feelings, they were merely expressions of affection, restrained by propriety. He had never actually provoked Li Wan.
Starting the next day, Li Wan, the eldest sister-in-law, avoided coming over. Every day, she would send Suyun and Biyue with food boxes to visit.

The sisters also came to visit him these past two days. Seeing that Chen Siyuan's injuries had improved, they no longer needed to visit him every day as before.

Sister Bao was like that, and so was Sister Lin. Little Xichun didn't hold back at all, but she was so talkative that Tanchun thought Fourth Sister was disturbing Chen Siyuan's recovery, so she simply didn't let her come today.

Everyone else avoided her, but Xing Xiuyan came openly and stayed for two days. She either played chess with Chen Siyuan or read books to him, and Chen Siyuan thoroughly enjoyed the company of her.

"Move a little to the east, this is it! Hey, hurry up and net it!"

The maid Yunxiang was gesturing wildly outside, while Zhuan'er, standing on a ladder, grabbed a sticky net and tried to catch cicadas. After several attempts, she couldn't catch any and angrily said, "If you say another word, you can catch them yourself!"

Yunxiang retorted, "If I grow taller, why would I need you?"

The two maids were bickering incessantly. Just as Xing Xiuyan was about to scold them, Wu'er suddenly returned from outside.

Chen Siyuan hurriedly asked, "How is Hongyu?"

Wu'er smiled and said, "I'm feeling much better these past two days. Just now, she even walked me home with her cane."

As they were talking, Wu'er noticed that Xing Xiuyan's teacup was empty, so she quickly poured her some more tea.

"Miss, please have some tea."

Xing Xiuyan thanked her with a smile, and Wu'er continued, "I was just a little worried about you, Master. I carefully inquired about your condition these past few days and heard that you can get out of bed and walk around now, so I'm relieved." As she spoke, she covered her mouth and chuckled.

Chen Siyuan asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Wu'er covered her mouth and said, "Siqi was there at the time, and she joked that Hongyu's parents were deaf and mute, and now Hongyu and Master have become a pair of disabled people."

Hmm? That's right, I injured my shoulder and can't move my left arm much, and Hongyu injured her ankle. Isn't that a perfect case of being crippled?

"Haha—" Chen Siyuan also burst into laughter.

At this moment, Miao'er brought in two food boxes and said with a smile, "Since Miss Biao came, the young master has been smiling more often than usual." As she spoke, she placed the food boxes on the table and added, "I just came out of the small kitchen and bumped into Biyue who came to deliver the food boxes."

Wu'er leaned closer and asked, "It smells so good, what did Grandma make this time?"

Miao'er lifted the lid of the food box, inside was a bowl of freshly cooked wontons. Wu'er exclaimed, "Putting everything else aside, Grandma's cooking is truly perfect in color, aroma, and taste. I'm afraid even the head chef in the small kitchen would find it hard to match."

Xing Xiuyan took the booklet of current affairs and stood up, saying, "It's getting late, I should head back now. I'll come again tomorrow if I have time."

Chen Siyuan said, "Cousin, why don't you stay and have some with us?"

Xing Xiuyan shook her head and said, "I had arranged to play chess with my second sister later. The game we played yesterday went on until late at night and we still couldn't decide a winner, so we simply closed the chessboard."

Chen Siyuan knew that Xing Xiuyan was just using this as an excuse. Although she was very close to him, she would not do anything inappropriate.

Left with no other choice, he got up to see her off, but Xing Xiuyan immediately retorted, "It's not like this is my first time here. Why did you have to come down to see me off? Go and rest. I'm leaving."

Wu'er and Miao'er also came to stop Chen Siyuan. Miao'er turned around to see Xing Xiuyan off, and Chen Siyuan could only stand there and watch the ethereal woman drift away.

Just as they were about to have dinner, the maid Yunxiang exclaimed with delight, "Master, Sister Xiangling is back!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiangling hurriedly went inside.

Chen Siyuan was eating wontons when he asked in surprise, "Why are you back? Is your mother feeling any better?"

Xiangling sighed, "I had a high fever for several days, and I was also vomiting and having diarrhea. I only got a little better today. I was worried about Master, and Second Aunt, Third Aunt, and Qingwen were all urging me to come back, so I rushed back."

As she spoke, Xiangling carefully examined Chen Siyuan and noticed that his complexion was rosy and his face seemed to have gained more flesh than last month, which put her at ease.

He went outside to wash his hands, then turned back and took the spoon, serving Chen Siyuan his meal.

Chen Siyuan could not refuse, so he ate and ate while inquiring about Zhen Fengshi's condition. Upon arriving in the capital, seeing that Zhen Fengshi had a persistent high fever, Qingwen hurriedly found a nearby doctor to take a look.

The doctor was certain it was heatstroke and prescribed a medicine for Zhen Fengshi to rest. However, the medicine was not effective; not only did her high fever persist, but she also began vomiting and having diarrhea.

When Sister You returned to her new house, she saw something was wrong and hurriedly asked Ding Daojian to come and treat her. Only then was she diagnosed with the plague!
These words startled everyone in the new house. You Sanjie immediately ordered the doors and windows to be closed, and found a suitable house in the garden to house Zhen Fengshi. She hired two old women at great expense to look after her, and even Xiangling was not allowed to enter the house normally, only able to exchange a few words with Zhen Fengshi through the window.

Now that Zhen Fengshi's high fever has subsided, Ding Daojian has determined that the epidemic has ended, and Xiangling hurriedly returned to Qingtang Thatched Cottage.

Wu'er listened for a while, and only said after Xiangling stopped talking: "No wonder Third Aunt has only sent Chunxi to inquire about Master's condition these past few days, and Chunxi doesn't even dare to enter through the back door... It turns out that Aunt Zhen has contracted the plague."

Xiangling nodded and said, "That's right. Luckily, the maids and servants around Mother are strong, otherwise they might have caught it too."

Chen Siyuan sighed and said to Xiangling, "Aunt Zhen's health was really bad in the past few years, and I'm afraid she can't withstand the long journey. I think it's better not to trouble your mother in the future. If you want to, you can just go to Suzhou to see Aunt Zhen."

Xiangling said gratefully, "That's what I thought too. This trip to the capital almost cost me my life; I wouldn't dare to risk it again next time."

After serving Chen Siyuan dinner, Xiangling heard that Hongyu was injured again, so she hurriedly went to the Lin family's house in the back to visit Hongyu. Miao'er remained silent and did not mention returning to the east courtyard at all.

Having finally arrived at Qingtang Thatched Cottage, Miao'er was eager not to go back.

Chen Si hadn't worked in a long time and felt rusty. He wanted to stroll around the garden, but Wu'er stubbornly refused. Helpless, he could only walk back and forth in the courtyard.

Just as he was feeling utterly bored, the little maid Yunxiang sneaked over.

Chen Siyuan immediately became interested and beckoned with his finger. Yunxiang quickly came to his side and said, "Master, that Miss Xia is quite resourceful. She has been scattering money around these past few days. Whenever someone troubles her, she will give her a few coins or even a few taels. Now everyone in the family is praising Miss Xia as a money-spending prodigy."

Chen Siyuan immediately laughed: "Is that so?"

You know what, Xia Jingui has really learned all the tricks of the Xue family. I just wonder if the Xia family will later instruct their maids to set up gambling dens and win people over.

Yunxiang nodded repeatedly, too embarrassed to say that she had given Baochan some pointers and received five qian of silver as a reward. With a quick glance, she added, "This morning, Madam and Master Miaoyu went to the palace. When they returned, Madam's expression wasn't very good. I noticed that Yuchuan and the others all had stiff faces and didn't smile at all."

"Oh," Chen Siyuan asked, "Is there anything else?"

Yunxiang said dejectedly, "That's all... But these past two days, Master Bao has been frequently visiting Yihong Courtyard. Now everyone in the household is saying that Miss Xia will be Master Bao's mistress one day."

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but chuckle, pondering that Xia Jingui was following the Xue family's old path, leaving them with nowhere to go. Then he thought again, could it be that Aunt Xue or Baochai were secretly plotting this? Otherwise, why would Xia Jingui follow suit?

As for the reason, Chen Siyuan pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. Aunt Xue went to the Xue family's old house again, and Chen Siyuan, currently injured, couldn't very well go to that large alley to find Aunt Xue and ask her for clarification. Sister Bao went to deal with the latex accounts today; it's just unknown whether Sister Bao knows about it.

Seeing that Yunxiang had nothing more to say, Chen Siyuan waved his hand to try to dismiss her. Yunxiang immediately pouted and muttered, "Really, nothing much has happened in the manor these past few days..."

Nothing much happened, so naturally, her gossiping ways wouldn't yield any useful information. Without useful information, how will her monthly allowance increase next month?
Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Alright, considering your hard work, I'll give you an extra string of cash next month."

"Hehehe, thank you so much, sir." Yunxiang left happily.

But before she could even leave, she excitedly turned back and said to Chen Siyuan, "Master, Miss Bao is here."

Chen Siyuan moved to the gate of the thatched cottage in Deqing Hall and saw Baochai leading Ying'er along the path. He stopped in front of the gate and waved to Baochai. At first, Baochai smiled and nodded, but then her expression changed. She hurried over and, with a stern face, said, "Why are you out here?"

Chen Siyuan said, "It's just a shoulder injury, not a leg injury... Why are you making such a fuss, sister? Besides, if I don't move around, I'm afraid my thigh muscles will 'grow back'."

Baochai gave him a reproachful look and said, "You must have been wandering around for quite a while. Go inside and rest."

Chen Siyuan reluctantly agreed and slowly led Baochai inside.

Ying'er went off to play with Yunxiang, and Wu'er served fragrant tea and quietly withdrew. Only the two of them remained. Baochai then took a long, narrow brocade box from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and then said with a smile, "Guess what it is?"

After a moment's thought, Chen Siyuan asked in surprise, "Profit sharing in the latex business?"

Baochai smiled and nodded, saying, "Today, Ding Daolong, the head of the Prince's Palace's kitchen, also came to discuss with the people from the Ministry of Works about distributing last month's profits."

After happily finishing her story, Baochai opened the brocade box and handed a stack of silver notes to Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan counted them on his fingers and knew it was eight hundred taels. Because of the previous pre-sale, she would receive a larger share of the profits last month.

Chen Siyuan had calculated in private that, excluding the profits from his previous schemes, he could expect to earn around 30,000 to 40,000 taels of silver over the next five years. That would amount to about 500 to 600 taels of silver per month.

Six or seven thousand taels of silver a year doesn't seem like much, not even comparable to the Tibetan medicine business. In reality, the latex business is extremely stable, while the medicine shop business might have its secret recipes discovered at any time, and then it would never be able to earn such exorbitant profits again.

Chen Siyuan had made up his mind that he would either make a name for himself in the imperial examinations and enter the Hanlin Academy, or he would become a censor; in short, he planned to mingle among the upright officials. If a family in the upright ranks had a few tens of thousands of taels of silver, that would be fine, but if they were extremely wealthy, they would lose their very means of survival.

Besides, whether it's Lin Daiyu or Baochai, both sisters have dowries. How could Chen Siyuan be short of money to spend in the future?

Because Chen Siyuan was extremely satisfied, even Baochai in front of him had a smile on her face.

Seeing that Chen Siyuan's face remained calm, Baojie said, "This is already quite a lot. You should know that every month thereafter it will be roughly the same amount. If you calculate it, it's more than the combined income of all the businesses in my family."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Yes, that's quite a lot. I was already prepared, so I was less surprised."

Sister Bao said, "You should keep some money on hand for spending. As for the rest, whether you use it to buy land or real estate, you should always make money work for you. Otherwise, if the money just sits in the bank, it won't generate much profit all year round, and you'll end up losing money."

Chen Siyuan said, "Forget about the farmland. I'll buy a few shops and rent them out later. That'll be a good source of income."

Baochai teased, "Forget it, it's not my place to give you advice... You should know that Eunuch Ding and the Ministry of Works both praised you for having the abilities of Tao Zhu."

Chen Siyuan immediately frowned and said, "This is not a good thing."

Baochai asked in surprise, "Why is it not good?"

Chen Siyuan said with distress, "If Your Highness is certain that I have the abilities of Tao Zhu, it would be bad if you put me in the Ministry of Revenue in the future."

Baochai covered her mouth and laughed, "You haven't even taken the exam yet, and you're already thinking about where you'll serve as an official in the future?"

Chen Siyuan feigned disdain and said, "What, you dare doubt my abilities?"

Baochai was immediately annoyed and raised her hand to hit him, but then remembered that his injury had not yet healed, so she raised it high and gently brought it down, poking his forehead with her finger, and said: "You only know how to talk nonsense. You don't need to worry about anything else now. The important thing is to get your injury healed as soon as possible."

Chen Siyuan readily agreed, and then took the opportunity to fondle the soft hand for a while. After some time, he finally brought up Xia Jingui's situation. He then asked, "Why does this Xia family girl's behavior seem so familiar? Could it be that my sister... or the aunt was behind it all?"

Bao-jie had known about this for a long time, and now she frowned and said, "I asked my mother before, and she was also very surprised. She said in private... that it was probably Auntie's idea."

Was it Lady Wang's idea? Yes, one is bound to be indebted to others. Even if it's just for that ten thousand taels of silver, shouldn't we give the Xia family some ideas? We might as well take the opportunity to annoy Grandmother Jia as well, killing two birds with one stone.

Baochai continued, "But it's hard to say... That Mrs. Xia can support her family business on her own, and her business is growing bigger and bigger. She must be quite something." Chen Siyuan nodded repeatedly, but suddenly he heard Baochai's stomach rumble, and she blushed... Chen Siyuan quickly said, "That's right, my sister just got back. She probably hasn't had dinner yet. Wu'er, go to the small kitchen and see if you can find something you like to bring over." Wu'er outside agreed, and Chen Siyuan rubbed his plump little hands and said, "Shall I eat with my sister?"

Baochai hadn't seen Chen Siyuan all day, and she was naturally worried about him, so she gave a low reply.

After a while, Wu'er returned, bringing back quite a few snacks. At this time, Xiangling, having seen Hongyu, returned to the thatched cottage and brewed a pot of "daughter's tea." Chen Siyuan sat beside her, coaxing Baochai to eat and drink more.

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

After having dinner at Qixianzhai, Baoyu, having grown increasingly close to Xia Jingui these past few days, decided to go to Yihongyuan to talk to her.

Just as he came out of Qixianzhai, he bumped into Jia Huan, who had just finished school.

Aunt Zhao pleaded with Jia Zheng, who, considering it wouldn't be right to dismiss the tutor he had hired, decided to let Jia Huan study under the tutor.

This was a real hardship for Jia Huan, who was already an uneducated and lazy person. In the past, Aunt Zhao had never pressured him to study. Now, however, the situation had reversed. Aunt Zhao was pressuring him every day, and the teacher was beating his hands with a stick every day. Jia Huan was miserable and felt that life was meaningless.

Just then, Jia Huan bumped into Bao Yu, which only fueled his anger. Bao Yu, unaware of the previous incident involving the curse, was still shaken by the burn on his face caused by Jia Huan. So he pretended not to see him and quietly tried to walk past Jia Huan.

In Jia Huan's eyes, this was a sign that Bao Yu looked down on him. Jia Huan was no pushover either; his eyes darted around and he sneered, "What's so great about you? You can't even keep your own maid; someone else got her anyway."

Baoyu stopped upon hearing the sound, turned to look at Jia Huan, and asked, "What did you say?"

Jia Huan stared at Baoyu for a couple of seconds, then suddenly clasped his hands together and laughed, "That's right, it seems everyone's been keeping it from you. Hey, you probably don't know that Qingwen came to the mansion a few days ago, do you?" He then winked and said, "Oh my, that little girl has grown even more beautiful. Seeing that Chen Siyuan almost died, Qingwen was truly heartbroken."

After saying that, he made a face at Baoyu and skipped away to his own home.

Baoyu said urgently, "Explain yourself clearly!"

Without turning his head, the guy said, "Go find out for yourself!"

Qingwen was already a thorn in Baoyu's side... and it wasn't just Qingwen. Qianxue, Bihen, Qiuwen, Meiren, which one of them wasn't a thorn in Baoyu's side?
If no one mentions it again, that's fine; Baoyu himself naturally won't remember it. But hearing Jia Huan say this now, Baoyu immediately became anxious.

He stood there for a moment to think, then stamped his foot and returned to Qixianzhai.

Inside, Mushe and Xiren were about to have their meal. Xiren was worried about Chen Siyuan and was looking for an opportunity to sneak a peek, but Baoyu returned angrily.

Musk Moon couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why did you go back? Didn't you say you were going to find the Xia family's daughter?"

Baoyu approached them angrily, staring at the two of them and said, "Let me ask you, did Qingwen come to the mansion a few days ago?"

Musk Moon and Xi Ren exchanged a glance and both fell silent. Madam had given a gag order for this matter, forbidding it from being mentioned in front of Bao Yu. Where did he hear about it from?
Seeing that the two maids were stammering and wouldn't say anything, Baoyu was so angry that he trembled all over. He said, "Fine, fine, if you won't talk, I'll find someone who can talk to eavesdrop!"

After saying that, he turned and ran away. Xiren and Sheyue exchanged a glance. Xiren knew that Baoyu was probably going to make a scene again, so she quickly said, "I don't know where he got the news. I'm afraid he's going to make a scene again... Quickly send someone to follow him. I'll go and tell Madam!"

Before Musk Moon could agree, Xi Ren hurried off to Lady Wang's courtyard. Musk Moon had no other choice but to call a maidservant and rush after Bao Yu.

Meanwhile, Baoyu ran wildly into the Grand View Garden, where he bumped into a young maidservant who was eleven or twelve years old. The maidservant was plump and broad-faced, and she was carrying a bucket of water to the tea room.

Upon seeing Baoyu, the maidservant immediately greeted him with a smile, "Where are you going, Second Master?"

Baoyu stopped, unable to recall the maid's background for a moment, and asked, "Tell me, did Qingwen come a few days ago?"

Who is Qingwen?

Baoyu was taken aback and asked again, "The day Brother Chen...Yuan was injured last time, were there any pretty maids from outside entering the mansion?"

The maidservant immediately laughed and said, "Young Master Bao really likes pretty things. I went to see them the other day, and they were all extremely beautiful... There was one pretty maidservant who was standing outside the hall, crying so hard that she could wring tears out of her handkerchief."

Just then, the old woman from the tea room came to greet them. Hearing the two talking like this, she was so frightened that she stepped forward and covered the maid's mouth, saying, "You dare not talk nonsense, or you will be punished by the madam!"

Baoyu lost his temper and pointed at the old woman, saying, "Fine, Madam is keeping it from me, and you're keeping it from me too! If you don't explain yourself clearly today, believe it or not... believe it or not—" Seeing that the old woman was burly, Baoyu lowered his raised fist, grabbed the jade pendant hanging around his neck, and said, "Believe it or not, I'll smash this damn thing!"

The old woman was taken aback, thinking to herself that although this magical object had supernatural powers, if it angered Master Bao, the old lady might not be able to forgive her later. She begged for mercy repeatedly, and seeing that Baoyu was indeed about to smash it, she had no choice but to honestly say, "Yes, Qingwen is now Master Yuan's maid."

Upon hearing this, Baoyu felt as if the world was spinning!
Lin Daiyu was snatched away by that Chen fellow, then Baochai was also snatched away by him, and now even Qingwen has become one of his concubines... This is intolerable!

Enraged, Baoyu stormed off to the thatched cottage in the Qingtang. Just then, Musk Moon and the others entered the Grand View Garden. The old woman pointed in Baoyu's direction and exclaimed, "It's terrible! Second Master Bao has lost his temper and is going to cause trouble for Master Yuan!"

Musk Moon and another maid exchanged a glance, then hurriedly chased after them back to the thatched cottage.

Meanwhile, in the quiet thatched cottage, Chen Siyuan and Baochai were deeply in love. As the saying goes, when people are well-fed and warm, they think of lustful desires. Baochai, having satisfied her needs, found Chen Siyuan's words increasingly pleasing to the ear. Moreover, they hadn't been intimate for quite some time, and even Baochai herself longed for that tenderness.

So, after a while, the two of them ended up embracing each other again.

The maids inside had already slipped away, and Chen Siyuan was about to kiss her when suddenly a commotion arose outside: "Is Second Master Bao here to see my master? Hey? What is Second Master Bao doing?"

Then Wu'er said, "How can Second Master Bao barge in so recklessly?"

Yunxiang cried out, "Oh no! Master Bao has lost his temper again! Quickly go and fetch Madam!"

Hearing hurried footsteps, Baochai and Chen Siyuan exchanged a glance and quickly separated.

Chen Siyuan frowned and asked in surprise, "What's wrong with Baoyu?"

Baochai frowned and shook her head.

Chen Siyuan then asked, "Sister, why don't you hide for a bit?"

Baochai showed no hesitation whatsoever, only wondered, "I came to see you openly and honestly, so why should I hide from others?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and got up to go outside. He and Baochai went out of the side room and saw Baoyu coming in with a fierce aura.

When Baoyu saw Chen Siyuan and Baochai standing side by side, their faces looking at him with sullen expressions as if they were cut from the same mold, he became even more annoyed!

Pointing a finger at Chen Siyuan, he said, "You...you're truly not a human being!"

Chen Siyuan asked in surprise, "Brother Bao, what makes you say that?"

"You still want to hide it from me now? I, I ask you, what happened to Qingwen?"

Chen Siyuan was slightly surprised, but not overly disturbed. The Rongguo Mansion was notoriously leaky, so it was understandable that Baoyu would find out. He smiled and asked, "What happened to Qingwen?"

Baoyu said, "Qingwen was originally a maid in my room, how did she end up in yours?"

Chen Siyuan stood with his hands behind his back, a full head taller than Baoyu, and said calmly, "Brother Bao, what you say makes no sense. Let me ask you, was Qingwen kicked out of the mansion... oh, no, was she dragged out?"

Baoyu stared wide-eyed without saying a word.

Chen Siyuan then asked, "Brother Bao, may I ask you one more question? Has the household given Qingwen a contract of indenture?"

"This……"

Seeing that Baoyu was speechless, Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Since she is a maid released from the manor, what's wrong with me hiring her? Heh, to say something that hurts, when Qingwen was sick and calling for her mother that day... where was Brother Bao? When Qingwen had no relatives in Jiangnan, where was Brother Bao?"

How come it's my fault for kindly taking Qingwen in and finding her a husband, only to have her end up with Brother Bao?

“This, this…” Baoyu was speechless.

At this moment, Baochai stepped forward and said, "Brother Bao, please stop making a fuss. You keep kicking out several maids from your room every few days, but I haven't seen you ask about their current situation. Brother Yuan kindly took in Qingwen, so why did this cause trouble?"

Baoyu's eyes reddened with anxiety, and he kept saying, "How can they be the same? How can they be the same?"

Just as Baochai was about to try to persuade him again, a flurry of footsteps came from outside. It was Musk Moon and the others who had caught up. They entered the room, panting, fearing that Baoyu would go crazy again. They quickly grabbed one of his arms and dragged him backward, saying, "Second Master, please stop making a scene. If Master finds out later, he will definitely not let you off!"

Upon hearing Jia Zheng's name, Baoyu immediately lost all his enthusiasm.

Musk Moon kept complaining to Chen Siyuan, but Chen Siyuan didn't care at all and just said it was no problem.

Baoyu was dragged out of the thatched hut by two maids like a walking corpse. Soon after, Lady Wang arrived with her maids and servants. She went up to inquire briefly and, upon hearing that Baoyu had not made a fuss, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He glanced around scrutinizingly and said, "I already spoke up about Qingwen's matter. Who is this good-for-nothing spreading rumors again?"

All the maids, including the old woman from the tea room, said they didn't know. Lady Wang asked Baoyu a few more questions, but Baoyu just kept crying silently and didn't answer a single word.

Seeing Chen Siyuan and Baochai approaching from the thatched cottage, Lady Wang sighed, "What a wretched child!" and ordered someone to drag Baoyu to her room first.

Turning around, she walked a few steps towards Chen Siyuan and Baochai. When the three of them met, Madam Wang couldn't help but feel embarrassed and said, "Yuan-ge'er, Baoyu has caused you trouble again."

Chen Siyuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "That's alright, it's just a matter of saying a few words of reason. I just don't know who instigated Brother Bao this time."

Madam Wang frowned and said, "If I find out, I will not let you off easily!"

After inquiring about Chen Siyuan's injuries, Madam Wang hurriedly returned to her own courtyard.

Baochai watched Madam Wang walk away quickly, shook her head, and couldn't help but feel secretly relieved.

They're clueless, irresponsible, and utterly incompetent... How could such a bunch of people be a good match for her? It's fortunate she chose the person beside her; otherwise, who knows how much trouble she and Baoyu would have had in the future!

She looked up at Chen Siyuan, only to find him looking right at her. Their eyes met, and Baochai felt half of her body go weak. If they weren't still in the outer room, she would have loved to throw herself into his arms.

Seeing Baochai's watery almond-shaped eyes, Chen Siyuan was immediately tempted and said, "Sister...why don't you come back to my thatched cottage in Qingtang with me and have a chat for a while?"

Baochai was extremely tempted, but then she was horrified and shook her head, saying, "Oh no, you have bad intentions. I'm afraid if I go there, I won't be able to come out."

He then led Ying'er toward Qinfang Bridge. Upon reaching the bridge, he stopped and turned back, smiling as he instructed, "Hurry up and recover from your injury."

This statement was only half-finished; as for what would happen after he recovered from his injury... Chen Siyuan's mind immediately wandered.

As Chen Siyuan watched Baochai leave, he was about to turn around when he suddenly saw a figure in green robes strolling towards him from the direction of Qinfang Pavilion.

Chen Siyuan glanced at her briefly but was certain that the figure was Xia Jingui. Knowing that this woman was no pushover, Chen Siyuan didn't linger and turned back to Qingtang Thatched Cottage.

There was nothing else to do today, but as evening approached, Xiangling came to report: "Master, Madam is here."

Chen Siyuan was taken aback. He wondered to himself, "Li Wan has been avoiding me these past few days, why is she coming to visit again now?"

As she pondered, she rose and went to greet her at the door. She looked up and saw Li Wan enter the courtyard, looking preoccupied. When she reached the door, Li Wan curtsied, her brows furrowed and her expression sorrowful. Even her usually bright eyes had lost their sparkle.

After exchanging greetings, the two entered the room, and Li Wan anxiously asked, "Brother Yuan, what should we do?"

Chen Siyuan said, "Don't panic, sister-in-law, what exactly happened?"

Li Wan almost burst into tears, her voice trembling as she said, "Su Yun was passing by when she heard Zhou Rui's wife telling someone that... that Madam intended to keep Lan'er in her room to raise her!"

(End of this chapter)