Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 324 Crane Shadow Crossing the Cold Pond

She wore a bright red scarlet felt over a light purple, multicolored printed silk jacket, and a long, duck-egg-blue skirt underneath. Her hair was styled in a small bun, adorned with hairpins. Her eyebrows and features resembled Baochai's by seven or eight points, and she had the same pair of almond-shaped eyes. However, she lacked Baochai's composure and possessed more of a youthful liveliness.

He moved closer, put down the basket he was carrying, and gave a slow bow.

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "What brings you here, Sister Qin?"

Baochai, suppressing her displeasure, stood up and smiled, "Sister, your timing is perfect."

Baoqin said, "Isn't that right? They say it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. I just saw Sister Hongyu carrying a copper pot, and I guessed that Brother Yuan's place had some good food, so I brought some pastries I made myself to mooch a meal." She paused, then glanced at Sister Bao with a smile, and said, "I just didn't expect that you would come to Brother Yuan's place as soon as you got back. Everyone says that Brother Yuan and you admire each other, and seeing you today, it's definitely true."

Chen Siyuan raised an eyebrow. "Excellent tea ceremony!" Baochai had to observe mourning and remain unmarried. Even though the two had already arranged their marriage in private, it was not appropriate for them to meet in private like this.

Sister Bao smiled and said, "Good sister, your mouth is getting more and more eloquent, just like a matchmaker. It's just that the frost on my skirt hasn't melted yet."

Baoqin feigned surprise and said, "Sister, you just arrived too? That's quite a coincidence."

Baochai laughed and said, "Sister, you have such a bad memory. Have you forgotten when I left Mother's courtyard?"

Baoqin said, "I didn't see that. My aunt lives in the back courtyard, and I live in the front courtyard. My sister left through the side gate, so how would I know when she left?"

Chen Siyuan felt that if he didn't speak up soon, the two sisters might keep bickering all day. So he quickly said, "Sister Qin, sit down and talk. I had some lamb stored away. We'll have it cooked in a copper pot later."

“Okay.” Baoqin sat down without hesitation.

Baochai smiled and nodded slightly at him, then turned her head and glared at Chen Siyuan.

Is Baoqin jealous? It's strange, Chen Siyuan thought to himself. Baoqin wasn't like this before. How come she's suddenly become so skilled at teasing?
With Baoqin present, Chen Siyuan naturally couldn't continue his intimate conversations with Baochai. The three of them chatted on and on, talking about all sorts of trivial matters.

After a while, Hongyu placed the copper pot on the stove, lit the silver charcoal, and then laid out dishes such as lamb, shrimp, and cave vegetables. The three washed their hands and sat down, eating and chatting.

During the meal, Chen Siyuan also tried the matcha mung bean cake. The taste was just average, but it was indeed made by Baoqin herself.

At this moment, Baoqin said, "This is my first time making this too, and my skills are not good. Please forgive me, Brother Yuan." After a pause, she added, "Brother Yuan, you don't know, but Miss is far superior to me in both needlework and cooking. I suppose you have tasted her pastries before, and they must be much better than mine, right?"

"Sister Bao can make pastries?" This thought had barely crossed Chen Siyuan's mind when he realized that Baoqin was trying to sow discord. Sure enough, a quick glance revealed Sister Bao's smile, which was even more captivating than the most heartless of them all. She said, "We sisters have been separated for several years, so you must have misremembered. As for needlework, I am certainly a master, but I have never touched cakes and pastries before."

Baoqin frowned and pouted, saying, "Really? Then I must have misremembered."

Chen Siyuan suddenly remembered something, coughed, and said, "The cook can handle the cakes and pastries, so Bao-mei doesn't need to make them herself. Besides, I always eat them quite well."

Having spent a lot of time with Chen Siyuan, Baochai naturally understood immediately. Almost subconsciously, she raised her hand to cover her chest, her pretty face instantly turning red. She gave Chen Siyuan a reproachful look, then quickly picked up a piece of blanched cave vegetables and put it in his bowl, saying, "Eat more."

A person has only one mouth, which has only three uses. At this moment, the one that cannot be spoken of is useless and cannot be spoken of, so naturally, it can only be used for eating.

Chen Siyuan wanted to try to smooth things over for Baochai, but Baochai, embarrassed and annoyed, blocked his way.

Baoqin was still young, and seeing the strange expressions on the two people's faces, she couldn't understand what they were talking about for a moment.

She sighed inwardly, realizing how important the order of arrival was, and how Brother Yuan was indeed protecting his sister in every way. But then she thought, there's no rush; the one who laughs last laughs best.

Chen Siyuan was engrossed in eating and drinking when he felt an embroidered shoe quietly step on his shoe, pressing down slightly before pulling it back. Chen Siyuan looked up and saw Baochai calmly eating lamb, as if it hadn't been Baochai who stepped on him.

He was secretly pleased. He appeared calm on the surface but was actually quite cheerful inside. Baochai's current appearance was much better than the cold and fake-smiling Baochai in the original book.

After finishing the meal cooked in a copper pot, seeing that there was still a lot left on the table, he instructed Hongyu to move it away and cut more lamb for everyone in the courtyard to share.

Chen Siyuan sat down with the Xue sisters to drink tea. Baoqin took a sip, then immediately looked down at the tea and asked in surprise, "What kind of tea is this? This is the first time I've ever had it."

Baochai smiled gently, "Sister, you don't know, this is barley tea that Brother Yuan roasted himself. It's very soothing to the stomach. If you like it, I have some left. I'll send you a packet later."

Baoqin laughed and said, "That won't be necessary. I imagine you don't have much either, so I might as well ask Brother Yuan for some." She turned to Chen Siyuan with a smile, then blinked her eyes twice and said, "Brother Yuan, you'll give me some, right?"

Well, I've got this problem on my shoulders now. Whether I give it to them or not is a dilemma. If I give it to them, it means I'm treating the Xue sisters equally, and Baochai will definitely be angry. If I don't give it to them, that little devil Baoqin will surely cause trouble.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "The barley tea was made in the summer, and there isn't much left. However, I do have some buckwheat tea. If Sister Qin doesn't mind, you can take two packets back with you when you leave."

Baoqin smiled and said, "Okay, okay, then thank you very much, Brother Yuan." She drank the barley tea in her cup in one gulp, and then said, "It's getting late, I won't disturb you and Brother Yuan's conversation any longer."

Chen Siyuan got up to see her off. Without any instructions, Hongyu had already prepared two packets of buckwheat tea and handed them to Xiaoluo, who had come with her.

When Baoqin reached the door, she repeatedly asked them to stay, and led Xiaoluo away quickly.

Returning inside, they saw that Baochai's face was pale. Chen Siyuan quickly came over and asked, "Qin'er, what's wrong?"

“Her?” Baochai sneered, “She has always been comparing herself to me since childhood. Before, my family owed her family money, so she naturally had to tolerate it in every way. Now that she has received the money and the title of Imperial Merchant, Xue Ke will at least be more respectful because of my family’s previous connections, but she has no restraint and will say whatever she wants to provoke me.”

Chen Siyuan put his arm around Baochai and laughed, "It's just a quarrel of pride, why are you making such a fuss?"

Baochai pursed her lips, thinking to herself that it was not good to involve Chen Siyuan in such a quarrel between sisters, so she said, "Forget it, it is common for sisters to quarrel. What family's sisters are always harmonious? You don't need to worry about this. I will handle it myself from now on."

After saying this, Baochai gently touched Chen Siyuan's chest, stood up and said, "I still need to observe the mourning period, so I can't stay here any longer. I'll be leaving now."

Chen Siyuan was reluctant to part with her, but he knew that Baochai cherished her reputation, so he could only nod in agreement and get up to see Baochai out of the courtyard.

The night was calm and peaceful.

The next day, before noon, Aunt Xue came looking for her. After exchanging some ordinary words and dismissing the maids and servants, she said, "My sister is afraid that she might have bad intentions now that our family has no male heir."

Chen Siyuan said, "Now it's the darkest place under the lamp. If you and Baochai stay in the Rongguo Mansion, it will be harder for Madam to make a move."

Aunt Xue shook her head and said, "That's hard to say. I don't think that Xia family girl is easy to deal with. She might try to instigate my sister to go against our family. Young master, you should be careful too."

Sister Bao had said the same thing yesterday, and Chen Siyuan quickly nodded in agreement.

After comforting Aunt Xue for a while, Chen Siyuan saw her out, feeling extremely troubled. In the original book, Madam Wang was all talk and no action, and all she used was coercion. But Xia Jingui was shameless, and Madam Wang had no ideas of her own, so she might easily be instigated by her to do something stupid.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. As a man, he could simply bring more guards when he went out in the future. His biggest fear was that Madam Wang would be blinded by greed and make a move against the young ladies in the mansion again. He couldn't keep watch over them forever... If things really didn't go as planned, wouldn't that be the death of him?

Chen Siyuan could no longer concentrate on his studies, so he put down his books and simply led his servant Qingyu out the door.

By the afternoon of that day, Chen Siyuan went straight to Ma Panlong's house. Ma Panlong was currently working in the inner palace, and his residence was still the same one in the outer city.

From afar, one could see a woman inside scattering rice bran to feed chickens. Upon seeing Chen Siyuan arrive, she quickly lowered the curtain to greet him, saying, "Chen Xiaolian has arrived?" The one speaking was naturally Qianxue, whose face had been disfigured. Before Chen Siyuan could reply, the door behind him creaked open, and an old woman came out carrying a child.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward to greet them and said with a smile, "Greetings, Aunt and Sister-in-law."

Qianxue smiled and said, "Xiaolian, please don't flatter us too much. If I were still in the Rongguo Mansion, I'm afraid I would still have to call you 'Young Master' or 'Master'."

Chen Siyuan said, "Now that my sister-in-law has long since severed ties with the Rongguo Mansion, there's no need to mention those titles anymore."

Qianxue couldn't refuse him, so she had no choice but to lead him inside. The old woman was Ma Panlong's mother, a woman of few words who only smiled when she saw Chen Siyuan. The child in her arms was just over a year old and was very fussy. Since his mother had been sitting with him for a while, and seeing that the servant Qingyu was also there, she simply went to the east wing.

Qianxue went to brew tea again, while Chen Siyuan stayed in the hall to wait.

A short while later, there was a slight commotion outside, and then Ma Panlong pushed open the door and entered.

Upon seeing Chen Siyuan, he was naturally overjoyed. After a brief exchange, Chen Siyuan said, "Brother, I've come here today for a reason. I have a favor to ask of you."

Ma Panlong said, "I am able to get to where I am today thanks to Brother Yuan's help. Brother Yuan, please tell me if you have any difficulties, and I will do my best to help."

"It's a simple matter. Recently, a thief sneaked into my new house, causing quite a commotion in the back courtyard. I came here to ask you, brother, if you know any female bodyguards who are skilled in martial arts? They shouldn't be too old, and it would be best if they could be maids."

Ma Panlong blinked and said, "That's it? What's so difficult about this? I'll write a letter to my hometown tomorrow. There are many girls in the village who practice martial arts. It's not easy for two or three petty thieves to get close to them."

Chen Siyuan was overjoyed and cupped his hands, saying, "In that case, thank you very much, brother. I don't ask for much; finding ten or eight would be enough."

Ma Panlong was about to drink his tea when he held up the teacup and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He asked in surprise, "Ten or eight? Brother, your house doesn't look that big."

Chen Siyuan said with a worried look, "Brother, you don't know, I now need to marry two wives who will inherit my family line, and I also need to marry a principal wife. There aren't enough guards for me."

Ma Panlong exclaimed in astonishment, "Uh... Brother, you really have a lot of luck with women."

Chen Siyuan laughed it off, thinking to himself that this was nothing; he hadn't even mentioned his mistress yet. Thinking of the mistress, Chen Siyuan realized that it had been quite a while since he had visited Miaoyu, and he wondered how much of the girl's arrogance had faded.

Now that he was at Ma Panlong's house, Chen Siyuan couldn't just leave after finishing his business. Ma Panlong then prepared a feast, and Chen Siyuan and Chen Siyuan drank until dusk, when Chen Siyuan finally led his servant Qingyu back home.

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

The female nurse won't arrive in a short time. Shandong is far from the capital, and it would take at least a month for her to come and go.

Having been reminded by Baochai and her daughter, Chen Siyuan naturally became more cautious. He spent his days either reading in his study or visiting the You sisters and Qingwen at their new residence. Oh, and he also visited Miaoyu twice near Nengren Temple.

However, every day a guard accompanied the servant Qingyu to stand in front of the house, and whenever Chen Siyuan went out, he would follow behind.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was Laba Festival.

That day, Chen Siyuan simply led Xiangling, Hongyu, and others back to the new house, where they lived in joy and peace, which goes without saying.

Meanwhile, Jia Heng came to see Jia Lian again that day.

Jia Lian sent someone to lead him to the outer study. Upon seeing him, he smiled and said, "Why are you here again? I can't go. There are a lot of things to do in the manor today, and I really can't leave."

It's not that he can't leave; it's because Second Master Lian has been spending money recklessly these days and has run out of money. And since he's concerned about his reputation, he has no choice but to stay cooped up in his mansion.

Jia Heng said, "Brother Lian, today I'll take you to see something interesting. I guarantee you'll be delighted. Come on, come on, we're having a banquet at Zuiyun Tower at noon, and I'll be treating everyone today."

Having said that, he dragged Jia Lian away. Jia Lian was puzzled and asked, "Where did you make your fortune this time, brother?"

Jia Heng mumbled, "I received two hundred taels of silver as a reward for doing errands for Brother Zhen a few days ago. Enough said, hurry up and go, or you'll miss it."

Jia Lian smiled and agreed, but he was very puzzled. He wondered where Jia Zhen had found two hundred taels of silver to give to Jia Heng, since even he might not be able to carry two hundred taels with him when he went out these days.

Without further ado, the two left the mansion together and took a carriage to the outer city.

Two quarters of an hour later, they arrived at Nantangzi Alley. Jia Heng, familiar with the place, went straight to a teahouse and pulled Jia Lian to sit down. Jia Lian, seeing the table covered in grease, immediately said with disgust, "Is this the place you were talking about, brother?"

Jia Heng smiled and said, "Don't rush, brother, wait a moment." As he spoke, he glanced outside and immediately smiled even more brightly, pointing to the beautiful figure outside the glass window and saying, "Brother, take a look at this woman, what do you think?"

"Ok?"

Jia Lian followed Jia Heng's finger and saw a woman of about eighteen or nineteen years old carrying a basket, walking gracefully towards them. The young woman was accompanied only by a maid, and she walked with an elegant and graceful gait, pushing open the door to a small courtyard and disappearing from sight.

Jia Heng kept smiling as he watched Jia Lian. Seeing that Jia Lian was staring intently at the woman, and that he didn't look away even after they reached the small courtyard and closed the door, Jia Heng's smile grew even wider.

After a moment, Jia Lian came to his senses and met Jia Heng's amused gaze. He immediately chuckled and said, "I didn't expect there to be such a beautiful woman outside the city. I wonder which family she belongs to? Judging from her attire, she seems to be married already?"

Just as Jia Heng was about to speak, a commotion broke out outside. A group of old and young people surrounded the small courtyard, banging on the door and cursing loudly.

Jia Lian listened for a while, vaguely hearing words like "unfaithful woman," "drowned in a pig cage," and "jinx." He turned his head, even more surprised, and asked, "She's a widow?"

Jia Heng laughed and said, "Brother Lian, you don't know, this woman's name is Zhang Jingge. She was married into the Chang'an garrison. But the garrison commander's son was short-lived and died only three months after the marriage. Her husband's family believed that she was a jinx, and her in-laws also felt that they had lost face, so neither family would take her in. This woman then came out on her own with her dowry to live."

"I see," Jia Lian said. "But I didn't know, brother, why did you bring me here today?"

Jia Heng said, “My concubine and this woman used to be best friends. How many women can truly keep their word? Otherwise, wouldn’t the world be full of chastity arches? Hehe, brother, seeing that I’m so old and still have no children, that’s why I’ve decided to bring them together.”

Jia Lian was overjoyed. Thinking of Zhang Jinge's appearance, he couldn't help but drink the tea in his cup in one gulp. Then he thought of the shrewish Feng Jie and hesitated, "No, you know what kind of temperament my wife has. I'm afraid she might not allow me to take a concubine."

"You," Jia Heng said with exasperation, "how can a man be controlled by a woman confined to the inner quarters? Feng'er is only getting away with it because she's from the Wang family; otherwise, according to the seven grounds for divorce, she would have been kicked out long ago. What, brother, are you afraid of Feng'er?"

Jia Lian sneered, "Afraid of her? If it weren't for the old lady and the madam backing her up, why would I give her any face?"

"Yes!" Jia Heng slammed his hand on the table and said, "But how many years have you two been married? You still have no children. Brother, do you think the old lady might have other ideas? Having children and continuing the family line is of utmost importance. Brother Lian, as long as you ask the old lady for her approval, no matter how much trouble that girl Feng makes, she will have to accept it."

Jia Lian thought about it and realized it made sense. He had cheated on his wife twice, and the old lady had always protected him. Maybe if he pleaded with the old lady properly, he could get it done.

Seeing that he was considering it, Jia Heng further coaxed, "Alright, since Brother Lian has reservations, then let me have it. I'll have Xiao Yun come to visit tomorrow..."

"Wait!" Jia Lian immediately became anxious, stood up, picked up the teapot and poured tea for the two of them, and said, "Brother, how can I refuse your kindness? Don't worry, brother, if this matter is successful, I will definitely give you a reward later."

"It's easy to talk about."

(End of this chapter)