Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 286 Ripples
After Biyue spoke, Li Wan hurriedly replied from inside, "I understand, I'll be right back."

Biyue turned to Suyun and said, "Perhaps Grandma has become obsessed with chanting scriptures. You should go and fetch the boy back first."

Su Yun agreed and turned to leave.

Biyue waited a while longer, but still saw no movement from inside. She frowned and went to look for her in the main hall. Although the door was open, the window of the east wing was closed at some point. Biyue didn't see Li Wan for a moment, and called out from afar, "Grandma?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Wan emerged from behind the window, her head bowed. Though her clothes were neat, her hair was disheveled. Bi Yue glanced at Li Wan and noticed her face was flushed. She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What's wrong, Madam?"

Li Wan tried to cover it up, saying, "I...I don't know what happened, I felt dizzy just now and almost fell."

Biyue immediately frowned and stepped forward to help her up, saying with concern, "Could it be that you have heatstroke? Autumn has long passed, but the sun is still scorching during the day. Grandma must have been exposed to too much sun back then. I'll help you walk slowly, and I'll ask Suyunduan to bring you a bowl of cool tea to soothe your heat."

Li Wan stammered in agreement, her face burning with embarrassment, but secretly relieved that she had managed to cover it up. Reaching the door, she saw Biyue about to close and lock it. Li Wan glanced at the open hall again, her heart filled with worry about how Chen Siyuan would return.

Just then, Suyun led Jia Lan from afar. Jia Lan called out from a distance, and Li Wan could no longer care about anything else, so she had to follow Biyue to greet them.

Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan, who was hiding in the main hall, was cursing under his breath. He was just a moment away from consummating their relationship when Jia Lan suddenly dropped out of school... This sudden cold shower left him feeling utterly disappointed.

Chen Siyuan calmed himself down slightly, then got up, found a side room, climbed up, and carefully landed outside the Jade Emperor Temple. Hearing an old woman talking to Xiangling in his own thatched hut, Chen Siyuan's eyes lit up. He was feeling incredibly stifled; Xiangling had finally found herself alone, how could he miss this opportunity?

Emerging from the woods, they descended the path between the Jade Emperor Temple and the Green Bamboo Nunnery, heading back towards the Qingtang Thatched Cottage, when they suddenly heard Fourth Sister Xichun calling from afar, "Brother Yuan!"

Chen Siyuan stopped and looked up to see Xiao Xichun hopping and waving at him, with the Third Sister Tanchun accompanying her.

Chen Siyuan took a deep breath, then smiled and waved to Tan Chun and Xi Chun. A moment later, the two approached, and Chen Siyuan asked, "Why aren't you watching the play up front?"

Xichun said, "Now they're showing 'Havoc in Heaven,' that play has been repeated countless times, it's really boring, so I came back with my third sister first." She paused, then suddenly clutched her stomach and frowned, "Oh no, I have to go change my clothes."

Tan Chun chided from the side, "You always crave cold food. I told you to eat less of it."

Xichun, with a pained expression, didn't say a word. She clutched her stomach and hurried back. Caiping, who was with her, said, "Miss, why don't you go to Qingtang Thatched Cottage? It'll be a long walk back from here!"

Xi Chun blushed and glanced shyly at Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan then smiled and said, "Fourth Sister, hurry up, Xiangling just came back from my place."

Xichun exclaimed "Oh dear!" again, and immediately disregarded everything else, running headlong towards the thatched cottage in the Qingtang.

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but chuckle, his inner turmoil instantly dissipating. Turning around, Tan Chun suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Eh? Brother Yuan, are you feeling hot?" Pointing, she said, "You have a huge blister on your lip!"

Chen Siyuan reached out and touched it; sure enough, blisters had formed. He couldn't help but think to himself, "Damn it, these are all from holding it in!"
Embarrassed, Chen Siyuan made up a story: "Perhaps it's because I've been eating too many nourishing foods lately... Cough, by the way, when will Third Sister start her club?"

Upon hearing this, Tan Chun burst into laughter and said, "I was just arguing with my third sister... I went to ask my eldest sister-in-law and Sister Feng for help first, but my fourth sister insisted on coming to ask my eldest brother for help first—"

Chen Siyuan immediately laughed and said, "Who told me I have the most money?" As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve and rummaged around for a while, then found two hundred taels of silver notes and handed them over.

Tan Chun blinked and quickly said, "Why would we need so much?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Third sister, is this poetry club only held once?"

Tan Chun said, "I'm thinking of starting the event now, and then the sisters can take turns hosting, which will save some money."

Chen Siyuan then said, “How much money do you sisters have for cosmetics? Rather than making things difficult for others, I think it would be better to use mine first. This way, not only will everyone be spared trouble, but the society can also enjoy itself more. Here is two hundred and three taels for you, sister. If it is not enough later, I will buy more.”

Tan Chun said, both amused and exasperated, "That's enough, that's enough. This club isn't something we do every day. I think two hundred taels is enough to last a year if we're frugal." She paused, then added, "That's right. Brother Yuan, please come and join in a few times when you have time. The sisters all want to hear you compose new lyrics, but we don't dare to bother you because you need to study them."

Chen Siyuan smiled and agreed, saying he would go when he had time.

As she spoke, Xiao Xichun turned back in embarrassment, her face contorted with grief, and said, "I dare not eat cold food again. It felt like worms had crawled into my stomach, and it hurt terribly!"

These words immediately drew a scolding from Tan Chun, while Xi Chun pouted and nodded in agreement. Seeing that Tan Chun was still not stopping, she coquettishly pleaded with Chen Siyuan, "Brother Yuan, look at her! Third Sister really never stops talking about people. Luckily it's me; anyone else would have given up long ago!"

Tan Chun immediately retorted angrily, "You ungrateful little thing, I've been so good to you for nothing!"

Xi Chun hid behind Chen Si Yuan, only making faces at Tan Chun from the outside. Tan Chun was naturally annoyed and chased Chen Si Yuan for a long time before finally catching Xi Chun. She reached out and tickled Xi Chun, making Xi Chun collapse to the ground, begging for mercy.

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, reached out and ruffled Xichun's hair, pulling her up. Knowing she was no match for Tanchun, little Xichun rolled her eyes and said, "Brother Yuan, do you know that Aunt Zhao and Huan-ge have been extremely well-behaved these past few days!"

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

Tan Chun bit her lower lip, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and gave Xi Chun a reproachful look before speaking to Chen Siyuan. Meanwhile, Lady Wang's decision to keep Jia Lan in her room for upbringing immediately terrified Aunt Zhao!

Aunt Zhao was afraid that Lady Wang would keep Jia Huan in her room in the future, so she had been humble and submissive these days and dared not disobey in the slightest. As a result, Jia Huan had also been obedient these days, patiently going to the private school to study every day and not daring to delay for even half a day.

Since Madam Wang had suddenly been removed from her position as head of the household, she had been preoccupied with figuring out how to outmaneuver the old lady and had no time to pay attention to Aunt Zhao and her son. Little did Aunt Zhao know that this situation, in her eyes, made her think that Madam Wang was plotting something wicked, and she became increasingly uneasy.

So, just now, when Tan Chun and Xi Chun left their seats, Aunt Zhao hurriedly chased after them to ask for their advice, leaving Tan Chun speechless for quite some time.

"I already said it's a good thing that Madam ignores her, but she just won't believe me no matter what I say!" Tan Chun said angrily, then laughed again and said, "Well, it's good that she's thinking such nonsense, so as not to cause any more trouble."

Chen Siyuan nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that Aunt Zhao would take advantage of any slight, but he couldn't suppress her too much, lest she take risks like last time. So he had to keep her in check from time to time.

The two sisters talked with Chen Siyuan for a while longer before leisurely leaving.

After bidding farewell to Tan Chun and Xi Chun, Chen Siyuan turned back to his thatched cottage. But as soon as he reached the door, a maidservant entered from the east corner gate. Upon seeing Chen Siyuan, she hurriedly called out, "Master Yuan!"

Chen Siyuan stopped and turned around to see that the one who had called him was Yindie, who was by You Shi's side.

Chen Siyuan frowned slightly, then relaxed. The Ningguo Mansion was a cesspool, and Chen Siyuan dared not get involved. Because of Sister You, although he had some thoughts about it earlier, he suppressed them later. His relationship with Sister You was merely a matter of mutual benefit, and there was really no affection between them, so he did not want to have much contact with her in private.

Then, remembering that Madam You was pregnant, Chen Siyuan became more patient. After Yindie stepped forward to greet him, Chen Siyuan asked, "Is there something you need?"

Yindie looked around and, seeing that Qin Xian's wife wasn't looking over, lowered her voice and said, "Our grandmother sent me to tell Master Yuan that she would trouble him to pass on a message to Second Aunt... Our grandmother's miscarriage has been aggravated, but I'm afraid there's another reason."

"What do you mean?" Chen Siyuan asked, puzzled.

Yindie pursed her lips, took a sachet from her sleeve, and quietly handed it to Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan opened it, sniffed it, and immediately frowned. He looked up, uncertainly, and asked, "Musk?"

Yindie nodded repeatedly and said, "Today, the First Madam mentioned it, and the more Grandmother thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. So she sent Jin'e and me to search carefully, and who knew we would find this item at the bottom of the chest! If this sachet is full, I'm afraid it has already been used up by more than half."

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Has your grandmother suspected anyone?"

Silver Butterfly said dejectedly, "Besides the master, who else in this mansion can be trusted?"

Yes, not to mention Jia Zhen's concubines, even Jia Rong didn't want You Shi to give birth to a son... Hiss, such willful and reckless behavior, it's possible that it was Jia Rong who did it!

Chen Siyuan couldn't think of a solution for a moment, so he said, "I understand. I'll have my second sister come to visit later."

Silver Butterfly nodded, curtsied, and took her leave.

Chen Siyuan held the musk sachet, frowning in deep thought. The private affairs within this grand mansion were truly shameful. Not to mention that Jia Zhen and his son Jia Rong had both fallen ill, Jia Zhen had asked Jia Heng for help, but nothing had come of it... This was probably due to You Shi's influence.

How did Lady You manage to do it? She only needed to add the contraceptive soup to the food, and no one would have noticed. Those concubines weren't all fools; by now they'd realized what was going on, and they might have even conspired with Jia Rong to harm Lady You.

Gee...

Chen Siyuan shook his head repeatedly, secretly relieved that he had no relationship with Madam You, otherwise he would have been implicated this time.

He tiptoed inside, where Xiangling was folding clothes in a side room. Chen Siyuan quietly approached from behind and pulled her into his arms.

Xiangling was so startled that she cried out. When she realized it was Chen Siyuan, she was both amused and exasperated and said, "Sir, please stop fooling around. I haven't even folded these clothes yet."

With the warm, soft body in his arms, Chen Siyuan's heart was burning with desire. While acting mischievously, he whispered pleadingly, "Good Xiangling, let me get closer... Look, I have blisters on my lips from all this pent-up frustration these past few days."

Hearing his pitiful expression, Xiangling turned her head and saw that Chen Siyuan indeed had blisters on his lips. She immediately covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "But we all agreed on this..."

Chen Siyuan said, "I'm fine now..."

"That's hard to say. We're always just waiting for the worst."

Chen Siyuan chuckled and said, "Then you can come up in a bit."

Xiangling was kneaded until she was limp and weak. In fact, it wasn't just Chen Siyuan who was feeling stifled; Xiangling hadn't been intimate with him for over ten days and was also longing for him.

Half-heartedly, she followed Chen Siyuan to the bed, but just as they were about to consummate their marriage, an old woman outside announced, "Miss Bao is here!"

Chen Siyuan was stunned, and suddenly felt utterly hopeless. Xiangling, while tightening her clothes, covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Miss Bao is here, Master, please hide for now... We'll talk about it tonight... Hehehe."

Xiangling, smiling, tidied herself up and hurried out to greet Baochai. Seeing Xiangling's delighted smile, Baochai couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Is something funny?"

Xiangling glanced inside curiously before saying to Baochai, "I won't tell you, Miss Bao can ask Master later."

Baochai, being precocious, noticed that Xiangling's hair was slightly disheveled and immediately understood what had happened. She smiled and said, "In that case, my arrival was rather unfortunate."

Xiangling said, "How is it not a coincidence? It seems like a coincidence to me. I've only finished half of my embroidered plum blossom knot and I really don't know how to finish it. I'd like to ask Miss Bao for help."

Baochai knew that Chen Siyuan was probably...ashamed to be seen by others at this moment, so she smiled and said, "I'm also rusty, but Ying'er is good at this. Why don't you let Ying'er take a look?"

Xiangling was taken aback, blushed, and agreed, quickly going to the side room to fetch the knot. Baochai was sitting in the main hall, waiting for Xiangling to return. She took the knot and fiddled with it for a moment before Chen Siyuan came out awkwardly from the side room.

Xiangling covered her mouth and laughed, then pulled Ying'er to the side room to talk, leaving only Baochai and Chen Siyuan inside.

Chen Siyuan coughed lightly, about to say something, when Baochai looked up and saw the blister on his lips. She immediately smiled and said, "You should tell the kitchen later that you should eat a lighter diet these days."

Chen Siyuan gave a vague reply, convinced that it was because he had been feeling stifled for too long. After talking with Baochai for a while, he couldn't resist reaching out to touch her soft hand, but Baochai smiled and dodged him, saying with a playful laugh, "I dare not provoke you right now. You can leave your thoughts to Xiangling."

Chen Siyuan stared in disbelief. After laughing, Baochai quickly got down to business, saying, "Auntie has been arguing with Xia Jingui these past few days, I wonder what she's up to. Mother went to Auntie's room early this morning to talk for a while, but Auntie didn't say a word." After a pause, Baochai couldn't help but gloat, "In my opinion, Feng'er is probably in trouble."

This is only natural. Whether it's Lady Wang or Sister Feng, they both crave power. Lady Wang secretly wants to take over the entire Rongguo Mansion, and might even kill the eldest son's family so that she can pass the title to Baoyu. As for Sister Feng, her domineering attitude reveals her true nature.

With Grandmother Jia's methods now in place, even if the aunt and niece know it's Grandmother Jia's doing, they'll probably fight each other to the bitter end.

As for keeping it a secret from Aunt Xue... Because of her own reasons, Aunt Xue stopped lending money and gave up on the idea of ​​a marriage of convenience, which caused her to become estranged from Madam Wang.

Chen Siyuan was quite surprised when Baochai called her "Feng Yatou," so he asked her why.

After thinking for a moment, Baochai said with a cold laugh, "What else can we do? Years ago, she was always the best of the best in Jinling. Not to mention my mother and me, she didn't even respect my father. Later, she came to the capital and lived in the Ningguo Mansion, and that's when we stopped having any contact."

Later, when my family came to the capital, she obeyed the old lady's every command. Every time the old lady made veiled criticisms, wasn't it actually her who orchestrated it all?

Chen Siyuan asked, "Ningguo Prefecture?"

Baochai paused for a moment, then said softly, "Besides her older brother, Fengya also has an older sister. Her eldest cousin married Brother Zhen, but sadly, she didn't live long—"

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and suddenly realized that this made perfect sense. The military governor of the capital garrison was originally appointed by the Ningguo Mansion. If Jia Zhen had not married into the Wang family, how could Jia Jing have relinquished the military governorship of the capital garrison to Wang Ziteng?
No wonder Jia Zhen always called Feng Jie "Big Sister" whenever he saw her, and no wonder Feng Jie treated Jia Rong so intimately. It turns out that, according to Feng Jie, Jia Rong was her own nephew.

Then she thought again, what about the matter of Lady You…could it be that Sister Feng was involved? After a moment's thought, she felt something was amiss. Jia Rong was inherently cold-hearted and vicious; he probably wouldn't need Sister Feng's advice to come up with a way to harm people on his own. At this moment, Sister Bao asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh—" Chen Siyuan came back to his senses and suddenly remembered the workshop he had partnered with Sister Feng. In the past, he wouldn't have needed to say much to Sister Bao; but since Sister Bao had pointed out the discord between him and Sister Feng, he had to mention it to her. "There is one thing, but because I didn't know the details beforehand, I agreed to it."

He then recounted the events at the workshop. Upon hearing this, Baochai scolded him, "Why are you telling me this? Friendship is friendship, and business is business. Fengya and I just don't get along. How has that bothered you? Do you think I'm just a petty person?"

Chen Siyuan smiled ingratiatingly and said, "I was just afraid that my sister would overthink things." He then showered her with compliments until Baojie blushed before saying, "If my sister has some free time, why don't you take over the workshop's business as well?"

Baochai was slightly tempted, but quickly shook her head and said, "Forget it. I already go out two or three times a month, which is already quite excessive. How can I go out any more?"

Baochai was of marriageable age and should have stayed at home. However, the Xue family had no suitable men, and Chen Siyuan didn't care about that, so Baochai reluctantly took on the latex business.

After a pause, Sister Bao suddenly thought for a moment and said, "If you are really willing, why not entrust this matter to Sister Lin?"

"Lin Daiyu?" Chen Siyuan's expression turned strange. He thought to himself, "In the original text, you two didn't get along. How come you're on good terms now?"

Baochai then said, “Don’t underestimate Lin’s young age; she’s got a clever mind and can’t be fooled by ordinary people. Besides… the Lin family’s assets may never be recovered in the future, and given the state of the Rongguo Mansion, who knows how much dowry they’ll have to pay in the future. Giving this business to Lin will put her mind at ease.”

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "That makes sense. I'm just afraid of tiring her out."

Baochai smiled and said, "I think Lin is much better than she was two years ago. A few days ago, when the weather turned cool, she coughed a couple of times and was fine the next day. Zijuan said last time that it was all thanks to the cordyceps you gave her. If she takes care of her for a few more years, she might even get rid of her illness completely."

“That’s great! I’ll talk to Lin Daiyu about it later.”

Bao-jie nodded in agreement, but when she met Chen Siyuan's cunning eyes, she quickly stood up and said, "It's getting late, and Mother might have to go back by now. I'll go check ahead."

Seeing Chen Siyuan's sorrowful face, Baochai covered her mouth and smiled as she left the hall, calling Ying'er over before quickly departing.

Chen Siyuan intended to go look for Xiangling again, but Xiangling had disappeared somewhere and the room was empty. He was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

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Meanwhile, Wu'er, supporting Hongyu, watched the excitement for a long time. When the last act of the play was over, they reluctantly turned back.

After leaving the Rongxi Hall courtyard, they passed through the passageway and onto the alley. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Grand View Garden, where they bumped into Sister Bao leading Ying'er towards Aunt Xue's small courtyard to the northeast.

After a few words, the group gathered together and Baochai led Ying'er into the small courtyard in the northeast.

Seeing that Baochai's smile was strange, Wu'er couldn't help but say, "Miss Baochai has been smiling for a while, but I don't know what she's smiling about."

Hongyu stopped using her cane, reached out and poked Wu'er with her finger, and laughed, "You silly girl... do you think Sister Xiangling left early?"

Wu'er frowned and said, "Didn't you say you didn't like watching monkey shows... Oh, could it be—"

Hongyu quickly covered his mouth and said, "Shh, how dare you say such a thing out loud?" Hongyu smiled and said, "I might have been caught red-handed by Miss Bao, and I would be so ashamed right now."

Wu'er immediately chuckled. Just as she was about to help Hongyu turn around, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her. The two turned around and saw Fengjie leading a little maid named Feng'er rushing towards them.

When Sister Feng caught sight of Hongyu, her eyes lit up. She stepped forward and asked, "Hongyu, are your legs feeling any better?"

"Thanks to Second Grandmother, he looks much better, but he still doesn't dare to put weight on it much."

Sister Feng said, "It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. You're young, so it will probably take more than a month to fully recover. It's a pity that I'm so busy today. I was just thinking of asking Brother Yuan to lend you some of my things, but then I remembered that your legs aren't very strong these days, so I gave up."

"Yes, how are your parents?"

"Everything is fine."

Sister Feng smiled and nodded, then instructed Feng'er, "I have a few plasters hidden in my room. They were bought when Second Master was beaten last time, but they're useless now. You should think about sending them to Hongyu later."

Hongyu quickly replied, "Oh, how could I possibly accept such a thing?"

Sister Feng smiled and said, "I love your quick wit. I might need your help sometime. That's all for now. I have other things to do, so I'll go take care of them."

"Oh, Second Grandma, take care."

Watching Sister Feng leave in a hurry, Wu'er couldn't help but say enviously, "Second Mistress always talks to Sister about this whenever she comes back. It's clear that Sister has truly won Second Mistress's favor."

Hongyu smiled and said, "Half and half."

Wu'er was puzzled, but Hongyu did not explain.

Hongyu's parents, Lin Zhixiao is the head accountant, and Lin Zhixiao's wife is the internal manager. Now that Sister Feng is in charge of the household, wouldn't it be even more necessary to win them over?

The monthly allowances for the maids and servants are now in Sister Feng's hands, but the monthly allowances for the outer courtyard servants are managed by the accounting office.

As the two maids approached the Qinfang Bridge, Suyun caught up from behind.

After saying a few words, he handed the food box to Wu'er and said with a smile, "It just so happens that this is the braised crab meat lion's head that our grandma prepared for Grandpa Yuan. Second Grandma just conscripted me, and I'm in a hurry to go to the villa to pick up some things, so I won't go to Qingtang Thatched Cottage."

Wu'er took the food box, and Suyun quickly turned and left.

Hongyu looked at Suyun's retreating figure thoughtfully and said, "Second Madam is having a hard time too."

Lady Wang has eight households of servants, and Feng Jie is no match for her. Not only is she short-handed, but her rank is also lower. I don't know what the old lady was thinking, elevating Feng Jie to manage the household now. Just wait and see, the house will be in chaos.

Hongyu suddenly thought of her parents, and her heart tightened. She had been won over by the Madam before, and who knows, she might be won over by the Second Madam this time... Such opportunistic behavior was not appropriate, and she had to talk to her parents to make things clear.

He immediately stopped using his cane and pleaded, "Good Wu'er, I suddenly remembered something. Please help me home quickly."

Wu'er, without any suspicion, said, "Then wait a moment, sister, I'll take the food box back first."

Hongyu frowned and agreed, stopping to wait. Wu'er hurriedly delivered the food box, then returned to help Hongyu to the back, and that's another story.

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Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan was staring blankly at the food box, which contained a braised crab meat lion's head and a winter melon soup, making Chen Siyuan secretly marvel.

Is Li Wan trying to help me reduce my internal heat through food? Is this what's causing my irritability?

He ate the lion's head meatball in a huff, not even glancing at the winter melon soup. After sitting idly for a while, seeing that Xiangling, Hongyu, and Wu'er hadn't returned even as darkness fell, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.

Not coming back, huh? He doesn't believe he can't find somewhere to vent his frustrations.

He got up and left the thatched hut. After a moment's thought, he decided to go through the back door.

He walked through the garden and through the gate, and in the blink of an eye came out through the back gate. He was about to walk to his new house when he saw a pretty figure with a small bundle on her shoulder parked near the back gate.

Upon seeing Chen Siyuan, the figure quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Uncle Yuan~"

Chen Siyuan squinted and glanced at her, noticing the worry on Xiren's face, and immediately said, "Go back and see your mother?"

Xi Ren nodded in agreement.

Chen Siyuan then asked, "Yes, are you short of silver?"

Xi Ren shook her head and said, "Miss Xia has been very generous with her rewards these days, so we are not short of money—" As she spoke, she bit her lip and then looked up at Chen Siyuan with a charming gaze.

Chen Siyuan was immediately intrigued and asked, "Have you told your family beforehand?"

Xi Ren shook her head.

Chen Siyuan then instructed, "I will wait for you on the back street. You hire a carriage to pick me up."

Xi Ren pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Chen Siyuan nodded and strode away.

Leaving aside Chen Siyuan, Xiren glanced around and, as Chen Siyuan had instructed, hired a carriage at the street corner, told the driver to make a roundabout way, and then picked up Chen Siyuan from behind.

As soon as Chen Siyuan got into the car, he instructed, "Go to Da Gezi Alley."

As they spoke, he sat down next to Xiren, reached out and pulled her into his arms, and asked with a smile, "Grandma Bao must have bribed you quite a bit, right?"

Xiren said bitterly, "Why does Master Yuan ask such a question when he already knows the answer? Although Miss Xia is good at pretending, I can tell that she is intolerant of others. Besides, there is Baochan... Just yesterday, Miss Xia instigated Baoyu to scold Zhui'er. I think I might be kicked out of the mansion at any time."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "You have your wife as your backer, so why are you afraid of her?"

Xiren said, "Madam is extremely fond of Miss Xia now, and she seeks her advice from time to time... How could Madam possibly distance herself from Miss Xia for the sake of me, a mere maid?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Even a thousand-mile-long pavilion can only be built to shelter everyone from the hustle and bustle of the world... Heh, who knows what the future holds? I think you should just look after yourselves."

As he spoke, the strange hand had already slipped inside her clothes. Xi Ren couldn't resist any longer and let out a soft moan as she nestled into Chen Siyuan's arms.

After about half an hour, the carriage arrived at Da Gezi Alley. Chen Siyuan paid the fare and pulled Xiren into the small courtyard.

After the lamps were lit, Chen Siyuan could no longer contain himself and, pulling Xiren along, began to make love. Xiren, reliving her old dream, experienced unbearable pleasure, drifting between trance and ecstasy, her body as supple as a silkworm, truly intoxicated—but I won't go into details…

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Daoxiangcun.

Li Wan, preoccupied with her own thoughts, had no time to instruct Jia Lan, letting him frolic in the garden. She sat listlessly by the bedside, her face flushing intermittently, clearly recalling the intimate moments of the afternoon. If it hadn't been for Bi Yue's voice then, she feared she would have already given herself to her brother Yuan.

The intoxicating atmosphere inside was so captivating that Li Wan lingered there, and even felt less lonely. Just as she was contemplating how shameless she had been, Biyue led an old woman inside.

"Grandma, Granny Chu has come to report."

Li Wan hurriedly took a deep breath. Seeing that the lamps were already lit, she figured no one could tell her expression, and she felt slightly relieved. She responded, and then Granny Chu came in.

After exchanging pleasantries, Granny Chu said with a forced smile, "Madam, the shop outside said that repairing that hairpin might not be easy and would cost at least five taels of silver."

Biyue said, "Five taels? That's really a bit expensive!"

Li Wan pondered for a moment, then looked up at Granny Chu and said, "It was originally a memento left by my deceased husband. Since this is the price, then let it go."

Granny Chu was taken aback, and quickly said, "Madam, I haven't finished yet. I do know a craftsman who can fix it for about three taels of silver. Madam, you see—"

To everyone's surprise, Li Wan said, "Forget it, let's not repair it. We can melt it down and make a longevity lock for Lan-ge later."

Granny Chu was speechless for a while, inwardly grumbling to herself. She had no choice but to return the broken gold hairpin to Biyue and then left dejectedly.

(End of this chapter)