Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 342 Feng Zhao cleverly uses winter as a time for burial
As soon as the words were spoken, Jia Huan's shifty eyes darted around, and he stammered, unable to utter a word. The maidservant beside Tan Chun added, "Auntie, you shouldn't falsely accuse our young lady. Ever since Auntie went outside the city to worship Buddha, our young lady has been managing the household affairs while also urging Third Master Huan to study hard. But Third Master Huan himself isn't making any progress; he sneaks out whenever he has a spare moment. Our young lady has reprimanded Third Master Huan for this several times!"

Cui Mo also said, "In just over a month, every single thing we eat, wear, and use has been handled by our young lady. What you're saying, Aunt, is truly chilling."

Aunt Zhao was taken aback. Turning her head, she saw Jia Huan's shifty-eyed appearance again. She was so angry that she punched Jia Huan twice and scolded him, "You good-for-nothing, you heartless brat! Your sister takes care of you, and you want to accuse her of neglecting you?"

Jia Huan was in the wrong and couldn't say a word.

Tan Chun then said, “Huan’er’s temperament is already set and difficult to change. I’m afraid he won’t achieve anything in his studies or the imperial examinations in the future. Your aunt has never been favored by the madam, and now the master dislikes her too. For the sake of the future, we must find a suitable job for Huan’er so that he can make a living.”

Aunt Zhao thought about it and realized that what she said made sense, so she immediately smiled broadly and said, "Tan'er is right." She then reached out and slapped Jia Huan again, saying, "You good-for-nothing, why aren't you apologizing to your sister?"

Jia Huan immediately became displeased and said, "Why should I apologize to her?"

"you--"

Aunt Zhao raised her hand. Because she had always doted on Jia Huan, she had given him a few slaps just now after a month apart, and she was reluctant to hit him again.

Tan Chun saw this and naturally understood, so she sneered, "There's no need to be angry. I only hope that Huan-ge'er won't drag me down in the future."

Aunt Zhao thought to herself, "The old lady doesn't manage things, the mistress is in charge, and I've offended the master. How can I possibly live in peace in this mansion in the future? If I want to break this deadlock, I'm afraid I'll have to rely on the third girl."

For a woman to change her fate, marriage is the only shortcut. If Tan'er can find a suitable marriage for her, even if she doesn't win the master's favor, she can still be financially secure for the rest of her life. Perhaps Huan'er's future will depend on Tan'er's husband.

So he quickly got up and hugged Tan Chun, saying, "What are you saying? No matter what, we are still siblings. Huan'er is a bit mischievous, but he is still young. With proper guidance, he can be corrected."

Tan Chun glanced coldly at Jia Huan and said, "I hope so."

Aunt Zhao smiled, pulled Tan Chun to sit on the kang (heated brick bed), and held Tan Chun's hand, saying, "Tan Chun, I just heard from Huan'er that you had an accident while riding in the carriage last time? Were you hurt anywhere?"

Tan Chun shook her head and said, "Thanks to Brother Yuan's timely rescue, I only had a fever when I came back, but otherwise I'm fine."

Aunt Zhao said, "Since there's nothing seriously wrong, why did you hand over the job of steward? With you as steward, Huan-ge and I at least had some good days. Now that you've changed people, I'm afraid we'll have to go back to the old ways."

Tan Chun said coldly, "This time it was the horse that got spooked. Auntie, what do you think will happen next if I don't hand over the stewardship?"

Aunt Zhao was slightly taken aback, and frowned, saying, "You mean—"

Tan Chun gently covered Aunt Zhao's mouth with her hand and said, "There is no evidence, Aunt, it would be best to be careful what you say."

Aunt Zhao was furious and gritted her teeth, saying, "She's taking advantage of the master's absence to try and kill us, her children!"

Tan Chun said, "The situation in the mansion is turbulent, and the two sides are evenly matched, so it is difficult to determine a winner in the short term. Now that Madam is focused on fighting with Sister Feng, Auntie only needs to be careful and avoid provoking Madam, and she can remain safe for the time being."

Without Jia Zheng's protection, Aunt Zhao naturally lost her former arrogance. After some thought, she realized that Tan Chun was right. However, the thought of how she herself had plotted to harm Bao Yu last year so that Huan Ge'er could inherit the second branch of the family business… or even the Rongguo Mansion's business, made the contrast between the two seem like night and day!

How could Aunt Zhao possibly accept this?

Seemingly noticing the resentment on Aunt Zhao's face, Tan Chun was afraid that Aunt Zhao would do something shameless again and reveal her true colors, at which point she would be dead.
So he hurriedly instructed, "Auntie! You mustn't have any more bad intentions!"

"Ah?" Aunt Zhao came to her senses and hurriedly said, "Now that your father doesn't care about the three of us, I, how could I dare to have any other thoughts?"

"It's good that you wouldn't dare." Tan Chun grasped Aunt Zhao's hand in return and said, "Also, Aunt, please take good care of Huan-ge'er... Even if he grows up to be a spoiled brat, don't let him cause trouble."

Aunt Zhao mumbled a few responses, then added, "Yes, while I was away, how were you and Yuan-ge'er doing?"

Tan Chun was taken aback, a strange feeling that had been suppressed in her heart stirred, causing her a pang of bitterness. She forced herself to speak, "What can I do with Brother Yuan?"

Aunt Zhao frowned and slapped Tan Chun, saying, "My child, don't pretend to be stupid. I've told you this several times before, why don't you take it to heart?"

“I…” Tan Chun didn’t know how to speak.

Aunt Zhao advised again, "Master has changed his mind, and Madam has long since grown tired of us. My son, if you wait and rely on her, you may end up an old maid and still not find a good marriage."

I think Yuan-ge'er is a good man. He's already passed the imperial examination and will surely achieve great success in the future. If you marry him, not only Bao-ya, but even Lin-ya will be inferior to you.”

Tan Chun felt stifled. The Rongguo Mansion was rife with rumors, and her second sister Ying Chun's several trips with Chen Siyuan had naturally caught the attention of those with ulterior motives, causing quite a stir.

These past two days, the sisters have been together, and Xichun has teased her second sister Yingchun a few times. Just by looking at her second sister's shy appearance, Tanchun knows that her second sister must have something going on with Brother Yuan in private.

She was much younger than Chen Siyuan and didn't know when she would get married; her second sister was about the same age as Chen Siyuan, and her second sister hadn't had a good life all these years, so Tan Chun sincerely hoped that her second sister would have a good life after she got married.

Furthermore, Tan Chun considers herself to be strong-willed, and even if she doesn't find a good marriage partner in the future, she is confident that she can make a name for herself through her own abilities.

After much deliberation, she suppressed the thoughts that had just arisen in her heart and never revealed them again. Now that Aunt Zhao had brought up the old matter again, how bitter and unbearable it must have been for her.

She suppressed her emotions and said, "Auntie, please don't talk nonsense. Brother Yuan has always treated me and Fourth Sister as his own sisters."

Aunt Zhao said anxiously, "How can we, who are not even related, become siblings?"

It was not appropriate to reveal the matter concerning her second sister, so Tan Chun said, "Aunt, please don't say anymore. In short, I have no affair with Brother Yuan." After saying this, she pulled her hand away, curtsied, and said, "Aunt has just returned, so please rest well first. I will come to see you again tomorrow."

Tan Chun led her maid and walked quickly away, though Aunt Zhao called out to her repeatedly but couldn't catch up. Seeing the three of them leave her courtyard, Aunt Zhao flung her hand away and said, "That wretched girl, why can't she understand? Would I possibly harm her?"

She secretly thought to herself that it was probably because Tan Chun was still young and perhaps didn't understand matters of the heart. Tan Chun might not understand, but as her own mother, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing for her. Recalling the month or so she had spent at the Buddhist temple, where she had spent her days with the dim light of the lamp and the ancient Buddha, she had managed to obtain two blessed Buddhist artifacts. Aunt Zhao quickly found a string of prayer beads, held them in her hand, and pondered to herself that she would find an excuse to go see Chen Siyuan the next day.

As the saying goes, it's easy for a man to pursue a woman but difficult for a woman to pursue a man. San Ya is impeccable in terms of looks and character, and Chen Siyuan is a womanizer. She doesn't believe that Chen Siyuan won't be tempted!
Just as she was pondering this, Yu Chuan came to invite her, saying, "Auntie, Madam wants you to come over and ask her some questions."

Aunt Zhao composed herself, but sighed inwardly, knowing that this trip would surely bring her another scolding.

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

Two days later, Aunt Zhao indeed brought Buddhist prayer beads to bother us, and stayed at the thatched cottage in the main hall, talking about all sorts of random things.

Chen Siyuan was both amused and exasperated, merely humming and hawing without responding. Even if he harbored feelings for Tan Chun, he dared not confess, for Tan Chun was still so young at the moment.
Besides, she just made an agreement with her second sister, but then she turned around and started thinking about her third sister. If word got out... it wouldn't sound good.

Just then, Li Wan's maid, Biyue, came to deliver some cooling white fungus and lotus seed soup, which gave Chen Siyuan an excuse to send Aunt Zhao away.

Turning to Biyue, he asked, "Has Sister-in-law stopped going to the Jade Emperor Temple to chant sutras these past few days?"

Biyue laughed and said, "The Second Master is locked up in the family temple, so where can our Grandma go?" Chen Siyuan cursed inwardly. Damn Jia Lian, he occupied the family temple, leaving him nowhere to meet with Li Wan and Madam Xing in secret.

After inquiring about Jia Lan's condition, Bi Yue only said that everything was fine, so Chen Siyuan sent Wu'er to see him off.

As soon as Biyue left, Yunxiang slipped in, whispering furtively, "Sir, sir, that vixen Qiutong goes to the Jade Emperor Temple every day. I was just sneaking along the wall and heard all those moaning and groaning sounds coming from inside. She's so shameless! If this keeps up, I'm afraid someone will die in a few days!"

Chen Siyuan frowned and admonished, "Don't meddle in such matters. Don't forget that your indenture is still in the manor. If you anger Brother Lian, even I can't protect you."

Yunxiang shrank her neck, still feeling scared, and said, "I only heard it from the other maids. I only told the master myself, and I never told anyone else."

Chen Siyuan stopped lecturing her, but Hongyu picked up the conversation again, saying, "Now that Granny Wang is patrolling around, be careful not to get caught by her, or you'll be in for a good beating."

Yunxiang gritted her teeth and said, "I was on good terms with Sister-in-law Qin, but yesterday she fined me a whole string of cash just because I wasn't walking properly!"

Taking someone's money is like killing their parents!

This cute little face immediately made Chen Siyuan burst into laughter, saying, "You've grown another year older with the new year, you should learn to behave yourself."

Yunxiang frowned and said, "Maybe I shouldn't grow up." Then she thought, since her master would be living in a different mansion someday, and she was his confidante, she might have to go with him. She could get a job as a manager and still be able to gossip around every day. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Then, beaming, she said, "No, no, I misspoke. It should be that I should grow up right away!"

Her unpredictable temper naturally drew the ire of Hongyu, who gave her a good scolding. After begging for mercy for quite some time, she finally ran away in a flash.

Just as Chen Siyuan was about to go to his study to read, Zijuan came and said, "Master Yuan, our young lady isn't feeling well, so she won't be going to the workshop tomorrow."

Chen Siyuan frowned in surprise and asked, "How is Lin Daiyu? Has the imperial physician been summoned to examine her?"

Zijuan covered her mouth and laughed, "It's just a girl's little problem, Master Yuan, you don't need to worry about it."

Oh, it's because Daiyu has her period. Chen Siyuan felt embarrassed, coughed lightly, sent someone to see Zijuan off, and then instructed Hongyu to cook a pot of brown sugar, jujube, and lotus seed soup to send to Daiyu.

When he heard that Master Jia She had returned to the east wing that afternoon, Chen Siyuan leisurely headed towards the east wing.

With the year-end approaching, it was unclear who Jia She had been drinking with that afternoon, but he was now slightly tipsy and had found a reclining chair to take a nap in the outer study.

When the servants reported that Chen Siyuan requested an audience, Jia She was quite displeased, as he kept a long face throughout the meeting.

"Brother Yuan, please sit down. What brings you to see me today?"

Chen Siyuan cupped his hands and said, "Uncle, my nephew has encountered some difficulties and has come to ask for your help."

Jia She was quite surprised and quickly got up to ask, "Are you in trouble? Tell me about it. If it's not too much trouble, I'll take care of it for you."

Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "This... I wonder if Uncle could lend some money to his nephew? It won't be long, he'll definitely pay it back after the New Year."

Jia She's eyes darted around, and he wondered to himself, "Who is this Chen Siyuan? Everyone says he's the reincarnation of Tao Zhu, with the ability to turn stone into gold. Putting everything else aside, just his shares in Baicaotang alone generate a considerable monthly profit. How could Chen Siyuan possibly be short of money?"
"That doesn't make sense. Yuan-ge'er has various businesses and shares that generate a considerable monthly income. Why would he need to ask me for a loan?"

Chen Siyuan said evasively, "Well... it's because my nephew has his eye on a few houses and shops, but he's short on money, so he had no choice but to ask his uncle for a loan."

Jia She immediately looked dejected and said, "I'm still waiting for the New Year's gifts from the Liaodong estate. Where would I get any other money? I'm not trying to be mean, but you should do things within your means. The shops and houses aren't going anywhere. What difference does it make whether you get them sooner or later?"

“Well… Uncle is right, it’s just a pity about the good price.” After a pause, Chen Siyuan frowned, opened his mouth several times as if to say something but then stopped, and finally sighed, “Never mind, then I… will think of other ways.”

After saying this, he got up to take his leave and returned to his thatched cottage with a worried look on his face.

Jia She pursed his lips and muttered, "Ask me for money? I'd like to ask you for money!" He leaned back in his recliner, which creaked and rocked a few times. Suddenly, Jia She, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them wide and slapped the armrest, saying, "Strange!"

Who is Chen Siyuan? He's the kind of person who'd rather take advantage than suffer a loss! In recent years, housing prices in the capital have stabilized, with minimal fluctuations. Even if he negotiated a good price, it wouldn't be worth him asking to borrow money. He should know that the interest rates on such loans are extremely high!

If there weren't significant profits involved, I doubt this nephew would have ever asked me for a loan.

After a moment's thought, Jia She cursed, "You little beast! You must have found some lucrative business to run behind my back! Guards!"

A servant pushed open the door and entered. Jia She instructed, "Have someone listen in and find out what Yuan-ge'er has been busy with lately."

The servant took the order and left. A full hour later, he returned to report: "Master, all the maids and servants say that Master Yuan is as usual and there is nothing unusual about him."

"Useless thing, get out!" After scolding the servant away, Jia She stroked his beard and sneered, "Nothing unusual? This little beast has covered it up well. But the more he covers it up, the more profitable this business will likely be!"

After his eyes darted around, Jia She remembered that Chen Siyuan and Madam Xing were very close, so he left the outer study and went through three layers of ceremonial gates to the main room.

Upon entering, Madam Xing was teasing Fourth Brother. She glanced at Jia She and subtly rolled her eyes. Remembering Chen Siyuan's instructions, she quickly asked, "Did you drink the medicinal wine today, Master?"

Jia She said, "I've drunk too much today, so let's skip the medicinal wine."

Madam Xing was hoping Jia She would die soon, so she immediately said, "How can this be? Physician Bao, who prepared the medicinal wine, said that this medicinal wine must be taken every day without fail. How can this be done, sir? Miao'er, quickly go and get a cup of medicinal wine for sir."

Jia She was preoccupied with questioning Chen Siyuan about his new business and had no interest in medicinal wine. A moment later, Miao'er brought the medicinal wine, which Jia She picked up and drank in one gulp, making Madam Xing, who was watching him intently, secretly delighted.

After the fragrant tea was served, Jia She said, "Yuan-ge'er has come by several times these past two days. What did he say to you?"

Madam Xing was startled and her face changed color immediately. She wondered if someone had overheard her conversation with the thief. Her face turned pale and she said, "No, it was just ordinary talk. We didn't say anything else." She paused and then added, "Oh, right, we did talk about Dequan's marriage. Yuan'er said he would help his uncle in the future."

"Is that all?" Jia She approached with a gloomy face, startling Madam Xing so much that she leaned back, her heart filled with even more panic.

"No, nothing else."

Jia She was furious and slammed his hand on the table, saying, "You think you can fool me? Let me tell you the truth: someone told me about Yuan-ge'er's plans for a new business a long time ago!"

Madam Xing blinked, immediately feeling relieved. Fearing that her actions might arouse Jia She's suspicion, she feigned panic and said, "This, this... it's not even close to being settled yet, who's spreading these rumors?"

Oh dear, I knew it!
While secretly pleased, Jia She feigned anger and said, "How long do you intend to keep this a secret? Tell me quickly!"

Madam Xing thought to herself, "That little thief never mentioned any new business. But I should at least answer Jia She correctly." So she made up a story, "That day, Yuan-ge'er mentioned it briefly, but when I asked what kind of business it was, he wouldn't say. Well... sir, I don't really know either."

After using threats and inducements, the next step was to offer incentives. Jia She's expression softened, and he said, "Yuan-ge'er has grown too big for his britches now. He doesn't even discuss such a good thing with us elders. It's outrageous! Tomorrow, you go and call Yuan-ge'er over yourself. I'll definitely give him a good talking to!"

(End of this chapter)