Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 29: A Woman and a Woman Can Make a Family Together (Part )

This is a skirt room with a courtyard door on the side, used to accommodate the servants and women in the mansion. At this moment, the small door was open, and Chen Siyuan walked into the courtyard without saying a word.

Yunxiang and Hongyu followed closely behind. In the courtyard, a woman was hanging something out to dry. Suddenly, she saw three people rush in. She couldn't help but frown and asked, "Who are you? Is there something wrong?"

The woman had never met Chen Siyuan, but she knew Hongyu, knowing that she had once been a maid at Master Bao's place. Suddenly, she remembered that Hongyu had changed her name back to her original name and been assigned to the newly arrived nephew of the eldest wife. Her gaze turned back to Chen Siyuan, her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly realized that the person coming was Chen Siyuan.

The woman's expression suddenly changed as she scolded him, "Little... Hongyu, no matter how urgent the matter is, you shouldn't rush into someone else's house like this."

At this moment, the door opened and a man walked out. He was immediately panicked after taking a look, but he forced himself to maintain the composure and bowed to Chen Siyuan, saying, "It's Master Chen... Although Master is the master, it's not appropriate for him to barge in without permission."

The little maidservant Yunxiang hid half of her body behind Chen Siyuan, then poked her head out and shouted, "Zhao, you intercepted my master's screen on the way. Now that my master is here in person, why don't you return it quickly?"

Zhao Yihua frowned and said, "Don't say that carelessly. It was Second Master Bao who chose that screen. I'm just doing my job, how can you blame me? If Master Chen is dissatisfied, why don't you go find Second Master Bao and talk to him?"

Chen Siyuan knew exactly what Zhao Yihua was thinking. It was difficult for a man like him, a stranger, to go into the inner chambers to look for Baoyu, and how could he have the opportunity to confront him face to face?

Chen Siyuan was merely asserting his authority; arguing with him would inevitably be disrespectful, so he remained silent. Hongyu, however, stepped forward and chided him, "Zhao Yihua, stop using Master Bao's influence to your advantage! Qixianzhai uses a six-panel screen. What's the point of Master Bao asking for a four-panel screen?"

Zhao Yihua said, "I'm just a servant, and I'll do whatever the master tells me to do. As I said, Master Chen, why don't you go look for the treasure, Master Er."

Chen Siyuan sneered and waved towards Zhao Yihua. Zhao Yihua was apprehensive, but he finally stepped forward and said, "I wonder what Master Chen wants to say...ah——"

Before he could finish his words, Chen Siyuan kicked out. Zhao Yihua was caught off guard and flew out with a scream, falling to the ground.

The woman hurried over to support him, saying anxiously, "Even if you are the master, you can't hit people without permission!"

Chen Siyuan ignored him and just ordered, "Go inside and see if the screen is there."

The sudden attack startled the maid Yunxiang, who was stunned. Hongyu, however, went inside without a word. The woman, not caring about Zhao Yihua, rushed to stop her. Hongyu knew that this day would not end peacefully, so she simply pushed the woman aside and rushed into the house.

Then he turned around and lifted the door curtain, saying to Chen Siyuan, "Master, look, this screen has indeed been taken back home by this cunning slave!"

The woman panicked, hesitating and mumbling "this, this, this," but unable to utter a single word. Zhao Yihua, having received a solid kick in the stomach, knew he had run into a tough opponent and regretted it immensely. He kept his head down and said nothing.

The maidservant Yunxiang had come to her senses by now. Seeing Master Chen displaying his might, she immediately took advantage of his power and said, "What else do you have to say, you wicked slave?" Seeing Zhao Yihua remain silent, she instigated, "Master, we are in the right. We should just kill this wicked slave!"

Hongyu was anxious. She came up and twisted Yunxiang's ear, scolding her, "If you keep messing around, I'll send you home tomorrow!"

The little maid Yunxiang was speechless.

Hongyu then said to Chen Siyuan, who was standing with his hands behind his back, "Master, let's report this matter to the Second Mistress for disposal."

Chen Siyuan was a distant relative living with the Jia family, so it was naturally difficult for him to deal with the Jia family's servants.

Chen Siyuan said, "No rush, you two should move the screen out first and then we can talk about other things."

Yunxiang said, "Yes, we must get the things back first." Hongyu and Yunxiang went inside to move the screen. The woman finally came to her senses and fell to her knees, begging, "Master Chen, I... the master was confused for a moment. I hope you will spare him this time for the sake of my wife."

Chen Siyuan ignored her, and the woman kept on rambling for a while without any response, so she stopped talking for the time being. At this time, Yunxiang and Hongyu brought out the four-panel screen.

Chen Siyuan glanced at it and knew it was a fine piece. Made entirely of ebony, it was intricately carved, with each of its four panels depicting a gentleman, such as plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo. If it were sold, it would probably be worth at least several hundred taels of silver.

"Uncle, are we moving back now?" Yunxiang asked.

Chen Siyuan ordered, "Just put it down."

Hongyu and Yunxiang put it down as instructed, and then saw Chen Siyuan step forward and kick the screen, breaking it with a snap. He then kicked it a few more times, and the screen was shattered to the ground.

Chen Siyuan stopped and said, "I won't use this thing even if it's smashed to pieces after being used by a dog slave!" He then ordered Hongyu, "Go find my second sister-in-law. I'll wait here!"

Yunxiang was so frightened that she was silent. Hongyu responded and hurried to look for her.

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

Sister Feng's children's courtyard.

Just as Sister Feng had returned, her three sisters-in-law came looking for her. She briefly explained the Ning Mansion's affairs, then suddenly feigned annoyance and said, "Brother, you've asked so much, and Madam has spoken. What else can I say? I had no choice but to agree. And now I've discovered that Baoyu was the one who came up with that awful idea! It really makes me mad!"

This means that today, Fengjie went to Ningguo Mansion with Lady Xing and Lady Wang to help. On the way, Jia Zhen broke into the back hall and said that the family was in chaos and Youshi had relapsed of her old illness and could not manage the affairs, so she begged Fengjie to come to the mansion to help.

Feng Jieer was a power-hungry person, so she was naturally willing to do it, but she was reluctant to do it because Mrs. Wang was there. Later, Mrs. Wang gave the order, and Feng Jieer agreed.

Upon hearing this, Tanchun said, "Sister-in-law You is ill, and the Ningguo Mansion is in chaos. After all, isn't it Sister Feng who handles things properly?"

Yingchun also smiled and said, "Brother Zhen is very good at selecting people. Sister Feng's visit will naturally help sort out the subsequent matters."

Hearing this, Sister Feng laughed sweetly and said, "Oh my, you little ones, stop flattering me. I haven't figured out all these complicated things yet, and I can't leave the Rongguo Mansion behind. I might even have to be split in two someday."

Just then, Ping'er suddenly came in. Seeing her serious expression, Sister Feng asked, "What's the matter?"

Ping'er said, "Hongyu, who is with Master Chen, is here to look for the Second Mistress."

I thought Sister Feng would send the three sisters-in-law away first, but unexpectedly Sister Feng frowned and asked directly: "Just say it directly. Are these three little ones still outsiders?"

Ping'er laughed and said, "I was afraid of polluting the ears of the three young ladies... It's like this: Zhao Yihua stole Mr. Chen's screen and took it home for his own use, but he said it was Second Master Bao's idea. Mr. Chen went to his house to take a look, and found that the screen was already there. Now that he has been caught red-handed, Mr. Chen has sent Hongyu to ask Second Madam what to do with it."

A cold flash flashed across Feng Jieer's triangular, almond-shaped eyes. After a moment's thought, she sneered, "I knew the servants in this house had lost their dignity. Servants aren't servants, and masters aren't masters, but at least they can still keep their composure. Now, how dare they ride on the master's head!"

(End of this chapter)