Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 347 Old Grudges Resurface at Year's End
Xiren responded with a sound of annoyance, said a few words of complaint to her uncles and sisters, and then bid farewell to her sister-in-law before heading outside. When she reached the door, she glanced at the door and saw that it was Qingyu, Chen Siyuan's servant.

Seeing Hua Zifang by her side, Xiren quickly said, "Did Second Master send you? Then I'll go with you."

Qingyu agreed, smiling as he extended his hand in invitation, saying, "Sister Hua, please come in quickly. Second Master is waiting in a private room at the teahouse outside the alley."

Hua Zifang, dressed in mourning clothes but with a beaming smile, urged, "Sister, hurry up, it's not good to keep Master Bao waiting. Oh dear, let me take you there."

Qingyu quickly stopped him, saying, "Second Master only invited Sister Hua. You're dressed in mourning... it wouldn't be good to offend Second Master Bao."

Hua Zifang quickly stopped, cupped her hands, and said angrily, "It's my fault. I forgot that I just saw Mother off. In that case, sister, please go quickly."

Xi Ren pursed her lips and nodded, then followed Qing Yu out of the alley.

They arrived at the teahouse in no time. Qingyu led her upstairs and stopped near a private room. He said, "Sister Hua, please go in quickly. The master is waiting."

Xi Ren nodded in agreement, walked around the screen, and saw Chen Siyuan, wearing a satin rat-skin cloak, pouring himself a drink.

Xiren was quick-witted; she stepped forward to greet him and then came over to serve him tea.

Chen Siyuan said in a low voice, "I should have come a few days ago, but I was busy with many affairs around the end of the year and ran around the city quite a bit. Has your mother's funeral been taken care of? Do you have enough money?"

Xiren pursed her lips and curtsied, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Master Yuan. Everything is settled regarding Mother's funeral arrangements. As for the money, the household gave twenty taels of silver, and Madam added another twenty taels, which should be enough."

"Is that really enough?" Chen Siyuan asked, raising his eyes. That Hua Zifang was no easy person to deal with. In the past six months, taking advantage of his mother's diabetes, she had been embezzling a lot of money from the medicine money. She was also a person who cared about her reputation. Forty taels of silver seemed like a lot, but with such a lavish celebration, Xiren would probably have to secretly subsidize it.

Xi Ren was deeply moved. Ever since she had driven away her most favored concubines, Qian Xue and Qing Wen, Xi Ren thought she had Bao Yu completely under her control. Last time she returned home after the New Year, Bao Yu even came to see her.

And what was the result? This Baoyu was both passionate and fickle. He would pour his heart out to you in person, but once you left the mansion, he would completely forget about you.

During the funeral of Hua's mother, only Yuanyang and Ping'er sneaked over once, while Baoyu remained completely indifferent. On the contrary, it was this Yuan Da Ye, who seemed cold and calculating towards him, who actually came to see him. To avoid being criticized, he even specially chose this private place.

Moved by the story, Xiren felt a deep sense of regret. Had she known Baoyu was like this, she shouldn't have given away her virginity so early. Although she had a few fleeting encounters with this Master Yuan, she had ultimately lost her virginity and could no longer enter his room.

Seeing that he was lost in thought and silent, Chen Siyuan took another closer look and noticed that he only had a simple silver hairpin in his hair. He sighed and said, "I'm afraid you've sacrificed a lot of your appearance and personal wealth for this."

As he spoke, he took two silver notes from his sleeve, grabbed Xiren's hand and stuffed them into the notes, saying, "I suppose you know that Xia Jingui has already given herself to Baoyu. Xia Jingui is not someone to be trifled with. You should save more money. If things don't go well, at least you'll have some money to rely on."

Xiren held the silver note silently, but after a while, her eyes reddened and tears fell.

Her pitiful appearance stirred a pang of sympathy in Chen Siyuan's heart. However, this woman was far too cunning, truly embodying the saying, "Every pitiful person has something hateful about them." He casually gave her two hundred taels of silver; perhaps this pawn would prove invaluable in the future.

Chen Siyuan finished his tea in one gulp, casually tossed aside a piece of silver, and stood up, saying, "You don't need to rush back to the Rongguo Mansion. You should take care of the follow-up matters first. Besides, Xia Jingui won't be able to enter the mansion for a year or two, so you should have some room to maneuver. Well, take care of yourself."

Xi Ren responded softly, then suddenly rushed over and threw herself into Chen Siyuan's arms, clinging tightly to his waist and sobbing uncontrollably. The words that were about to come out of her mouth were swallowed back down.

Firstly, she had already lost her innocence, and secondly, because she had invested so much effort into Baoyu, how could she easily give up?

After a short while, she sobbed and said, "I will always remember your kindness, Master Yuan. I will repay you if I have the chance in the future."

That's exactly what Chen Siyuan wanted to hear! When it comes to her own safety, Xiren would never want to suffer; but if it didn't involve her, Xiren would definitely do Chen Siyuan a favor.

Chen Siyuan offered a few words of comfort, then, considering that Xiren had just lost her mother, he prepared to take his leave. Unexpectedly, Xiren whispered, "Master Yuan... my aunt has gone to visit relatives in the countryside. She'll leave tomorrow morning and won't be back until after the fifteenth."

Chen Siyuan understood the implied meaning and said in a low voice, "Then I will come to see you again in a few days."

After saying that, he reached out and lifted Xiren's chin. Xiren's face tilted up little by little, and when she met Chen Siyuan's clear eyes, she immediately closed her eyes in embarrassment and began to breathe heavily.

Xi Ren clearly felt their breaths close, but then they abruptly moved away, and the hand that had been holding her chin let go. Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Let's go back quickly."

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Two days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Chen Siyuan returned to his new residence and prepared generous gifts before visiting Jia Yucun's home. Half a year had passed, and Jia Yucun's official prestige was even greater. He served as a minister in the Grand Council, advising on military and political affairs, and it seemed that he would soon be appointed as a prime minister.

The two talked for the time it takes to drink two cups of tea. First, they asked about Chen Siyuan's studies, then about Daiyu's condition, and finally they talked about the Dowager Empress's illness and the Emperor's intention to hold a special imperial examination.

The relationships between people, even among the closest relatives, can vary depending on the time and circumstances. Previously, when Chen Siyuan passed the imperial examination, Jia Yucun naturally held him in high regard; now that Jia Yucun has risen to a high-ranking position, he inevitably puts on airs again.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, if he passes the special imperial examination in the future, Jia Yucun will probably treat him the same way he did before.

Feeling slightly stifled after delivering New Year's gifts, Chen Siyuan thought of Xiren and went straight to her aunt's house. Upon arriving, the two were instantly aroused and spent a passionate and intimate time together.

Perhaps Xiren was feeling very pent-up, because she kept demanding things all day. As the spring breeze blew and the two were lost in their passion, a knock came at the door.

Startled, Xiren trembled uncontrollably. After a long while, she recovered her senses and said with a pale face, "Oh no, could it be that my aunt's family has returned?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Gui said from the outer room, "Is Xiren here? Master Bao came to see you, but when he went to your house he found no one there. Your brother said he came here."

"Baoyu is here?" Xiren turned around to push Chen Siyuan away, but Chen Siyuan grabbed her and made her unable to move.

Xi Ren pleaded twice, but Chen Siyuan ignored her and waited until the wind and rain stopped before letting go of her. Xi Ren didn't bother to dress properly, she just hurriedly wrapped her outer clothes around herself and rushed out to open the door.

Outside the door, Li Gui was banging on it impatiently, and Bao Yu, wrapped in a sable fur coat, stood behind him.

Li Gui glanced at Xi Ren's flushed face, frowned, and asked, "Why did it take you so long to open the door?"

Xiren lied and said, "I caught a cold from attending the funeral a couple of days ago. My aunt asked me to clean the house. I was busy with that all morning, but I just got so sleepy that I had to rest."

Baoyu reached out and pushed Li Gui aside, then stepped forward and asked with a gentle smile, "Xiren, have you settled things at home? When will you be back?"

As he was speaking, he took a step to go inside, but Xiren stepped in front of him and stopped him, saying, "I have to wait a few days before I go back... Master Bao, please don't come in. I have caught a cold and I don't want to get sick."

Baoyu assumed that Xiren was thinking of him, so he stopped and said, "Then you must recover quickly. I feel very uncomfortable when you're not in the room."

Li Gui also said, "You don't know, Second Master has recently contracted a strange illness. He gets dizzy and nauseous every now and then, and even the imperial physicians have been able to treat him without any effect."

At this moment, Xiren didn't care whether Baoyu lived or died. She immediately said, "Perhaps you caught a chill and were infected by an external evil. It's getting colder lately, so you'd better not move around too much."

Baoyu laughed and said, "That's what Grandmother said too. Well, I just came to see you... Oh, do you have enough money?" As he spoke, he took off the purse from his waist and handed it over.

Xiren tried to refuse, but Baoyu forcefully grabbed her hand, stuffed the purse into her palm, and said, "Take it, I don't need the money. You're still sick, so it's not good for you to be exposed to the cold wind. I'll be leaving now."

Having said that, she led Li Gui back. Xiren followed them out, stood at the door watching the two leave, and then secretly breathed a sigh of relief before quickly closing and bolting the door. Opening the purse given to her by Baoyu, she saw silver coins and gold coins inside, estimating that it would add up to thirty or forty taels.

Xiren immediately curled her lip in disdain. It's true what they say, comparisons are odious! She had served Baoyu wholeheartedly for so many years, yet in the end, she couldn't even compare to the amount of money that Master Yuan casually gave her.

Xiren was a shrewd person by nature, and she had sensed Xia Jingui's subtle malice towards her earlier. She knew that once Xia Jingui entered the household, she would likely suffer greatly. Today, after Chen Siyuan's advice, since she couldn't possibly covet Bao Er Ye's concubine, she might as well save up some money for herself!

Given Baoyu's passionate yet heartless nature, if something were to happen to him someday, he might cry a couple of times at most, but he would be of no use whatsoever. Compared to that, real money would be much more suitable.

After thinking it over, he remembered that Chen Siyuan had given him nearly eight hundred taels of silver. If it weren't for the fact that his mother needed the money for medical treatment, he could have bought a small, detached house and lived a comfortable life.

For a fleeting moment, Xiren even considered leaving with Chen Si. But she quickly changed her mind... thinking that a wife was not as good as a concubine, and a concubine was not as good as a stolen affair. Perhaps Master Yuan had given her so much money with this in mind. If that was the case, why not go with the flow?

Having made up her mind, Xiren quickly returned to the room.

Upon entering the east wing room, they saw Chen Siyuan lounging on the kang (a heated brick bed) with his chest open, leisurely sipping his tea.

Chen Siyuan glanced at her, and Xiren pursed her lips, quickly took off her coat, and then, like a cat, obediently pounced on the kang (a heated brick bed), clinging to Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan, taken aback, chuckled and said, "What, haven't you had enough of pestering me yet?"

Xi Ren bit her lower lip and remained silent, her crimson lips raining down on Chen Siyuan as her body gradually moved downwards...

A moment later, Chen Siyuan gasped and exclaimed, "What a vixen!" He got up, grabbed Xiren, flipped her over, and pinned her down. The intimate moments in their bedroom are best left unsaid.

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After more than ten days of housekeeping, Yingchun, aside from flattering Wang Shanbao's mother and daughter-in-law who were showing off their power everywhere, followed the old rules and regulations in everything else.

Early that morning, Yingchun, under the pretense of visiting the sick, went to see Fengjie. The two sisters-in-law chatted for a while, when the head maid Siqi suddenly pulled Ping'er aside and said, "It's been a while since we've seen Qiaojie. Let's go find her and have a chat."

Ping'er was quick-witted and understood immediately. She knew that the Second Miss Yingchun had something to say to Fengjie in private, so she smiled and nodded in agreement, and left with Siqi.

Once only the second young lady Yingchun and Sister Feng remained inside, Sister Feng took a sip of tea and then said, "Second sister, please tell me what you need my help with."

Yingchun then said, "Li Gui, who serves Madam, colluded with the warehouse staff to steal and sell most of the new rice from Liaodong, and bought old rice to make up the difference. Does Sister Feng know about this?"

Sister Feng rubbed her forehead and said, "I did hear Ping'er mention it, but I'm not going to think about it too much lately, so I'll leave it aside for now... What, is Second Sister planning to deal with Li Gui?"

Yingchun laughed and said, "There are complaints all over the place. If it were just rice that's been stored for a year, that would be one thing, but most of the rice that Li Gui buys has been stored for two or three years. It tastes moldy and is clearly meant to be fed to animals, not to be eaten by humans."

Sister Feng frowned and said, "The end of the year is approaching, it's better to avoid trouble... If we start now, Second Sister, aren't you afraid of incurring the old lady's displeasure?"

Yingchun said slowly and deliberately, "Sister Feng is wrong. It wasn't us who stole and sold the new grain. If the Ancestor is angry, it will be Li Gui and the others. What does it have to do with us?"

After thinking about it, Sister Feng agreed and asked, "What does Second Sister plan to do?"

Yingchun smiled and said, "Of course we must go all the way." As she spoke, she leaned forward, clasped her hands together, and whispered something in Fengjie's ear, which made Fengjie stare in astonishment.

After careful consideration, realizing that this would not only be a way to exchange cards but also to smear Madam Wang, Feng Jie gritted her teeth and nodded, saying, "Alright, let's do as Second Sister says."

Before we knew it, it was dinnertime.

Since receiving Jia Mu's verbal permission, Madam Xing rarely visited Rongqing Hall to pay her respects morning and evening unless there was something else to do. But on this day, she brought her fourth son, along with a large entourage of maids and servants, to Rongqing Hall, saying that her fourth son had not seen Jia Mu for a long time and was thinking of the old matriarch.

As the saying goes, flattery will get you everywhere. The fourth brother, sporadic in his murmurs and wobbling about, was at his most endearing.

Even though Grandmother Jia disliked Madam Xing, she doted on Fourth Brother when she saw him.

Not only did Grandmother Jia hold Fourth Prince on the soft couch for a while, but during dinner she also ordered the wet nurse to hold Fourth Prince and sit beside him, occasionally picking out a piece of soft, glutinous food for him. Seeing Fourth Prince eating so happily, Grandmother Jia was naturally delighted and even ate a little more herself.

When the meal was served, today's dish was green rice porridge.

Yuanyang scooped half a bowl for Fourth Brother, and Madam Xing personally fed him a spoonful of rice porridge. But as soon as the porridge entered his mouth, Fourth Brother vomited it up.

Madam Xing feigned anger and said, "You child, even if you don't want to eat, you can't waste food!"

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Perhaps the rice porridge is a little hot. Blow on it to cool it down before feeding it to me."

Unexpectedly, Fourth Brother blurted out, "It tastes awful, it tastes awful, I don't want to eat it!"

"What's wrong with it?" Madam Xing took a spoonful herself, then spat it out immediately. She pointed at the rice porridge in astonishment and said, "You scoundrel! Who used this kind of rice to fool their master?"

Grandmother Jia frowned and said, "Xing, why are you making such a fuss?"

Madam Xing protested, "Old Madam, it's not that I'm being fussy, it's just that this rice porridge is really hard to swallow... If you don't believe me, Old Madam, try it yourself."

Why would Grandmother Jia need to do this? Yuanyang immediately served herself some, but she spat it out as soon as she put it in her mouth. After rinsing her mouth, she frowned and whispered to Grandmother Jia, "Grandma, this rice porridge isn't right. It seems to be made with rice that's over two years old!"

Madam Wang, who had been watching the commotion, was suddenly startled and realized that today's events had been a trap set for her!

Unfortunately, Lady Wang was not quick-witted and had not yet figured out how to deal with the situation when Grandmother Jia was already angry.

He slammed his hand on the table, angrily saying, "Fine! How dare they try to fool the master with this kind of rice! Bring me the cook who made this porridge. I want to know what he's up to!"

The head maid, Amber, who was guarding the room, quickly agreed and went to the side hall to give instructions. After a while, she brought over a cook who was in her early thirties.

The cook, with a plain face, immediately knelt down upon entering, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for forgiveness: "Grandma, please spare me! I was just too busy and used the rice meant for the servants in the master's food. This old servant is guilty, please forgive me!"

Madam Xing glared and said, "What a wicked servant! Even livestock wouldn't eat this stale rice, yet you're feeding it to the servants in this household?"

The cook kowtowed and said, "It's not my fault. I just used whatever rice and grain the storehouse gave me."

Grandmother Jia immediately sensed something was amiss and pondered, "Wasn't the new rice from Liaodong only stored away a few days ago? Why are we using old rice already?"

Madam Xing frowned and said, "It must be because Yingchun has never managed the household properly, and that's why she made a mistake in her haste... Come here, go and call the second young lady over, let her see if this is edible!"

Miao'er, who was beside her, agreed and quickly went out to find the second young lady, Yingchun.

Madam Wang finally spoke up, saying, "I don't think we need to make a big deal out of this. The grain stored in this granary contains both new and old rice. Perhaps the servants were careless and took the wrong grain? I'll hold them accountable later and give them a small punishment as a warning."

No sooner had Lady Wang finished speaking than a commotion erupted outside. Grandmother Jia, startled, ordered, "Go and see what's happened now!"

Yuanyang agreed, but before she could go out to inquire, Liuli quickly stepped inside and said, "Grandma, something bad has happened! Fifty or sixty maids and servants from all over have gathered and are kneeling in a dark mass outside the hanging flower gate. They are saying that the main kitchen is mistreating the servants and have been begging you, Grandma, to uphold justice."

(End of this chapter)