Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 348: Moisturizing Things Silently
Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia was so angry that she nearly fainted. She clutched her forehead and swayed, only managing to stay upright thanks to the support of the maids on either side.

Just then, another maidservant called out, "The second young lady is here."

As soon as she finished speaking, the second young lady, Yingchun, led Siqi and Xiuju around the screen and respectfully curtsied before them. She looked up and asked in surprise, "Grandmother, what brings you here today?"

Madam Wang, no longer bothering to turn her prayer beads, knew that this was going to be a difficult situation. She immediately said sternly, "Yingchun, I am not well and have appointed you to manage the household. It has only been ten days or so, how has the mansion become like this? Come and see for yourself, the old lady's green rice porridge is made with moldy and rotten rice!"

Yingchun exclaimed in astonishment, "Is that so? Grandmother, I... I really didn't know!"

Madam Xing sneered and chimed in, "Sister-in-law, that's not right. You sent Yingchun to manage the affairs of the garden. The front and back courtyards are managed by Zhou Rui's wife, right? The problem occurred in the main kitchen, not the small kitchen in the garden. How can you blame Yingchun?"

Lady Wang frowned in thought, unsure how to respond. Grandmother Jia, having calmed down somewhat, repeatedly tapped her cane on the ground and said, "Go and summon Zhou Rui's wife to give an explanation!"

The old woman outside responded and went to fetch Zhou Rui's wife's name for questioning.

The head maid, Yuanyang, darted around, observing Madam Xing's smug satisfaction, Madam Wang's worried expression, and the Second Miss's bewildered state. She was filled with suspicion. She wondered to herself, "Could this whole affair be orchestrated by the First Madam?" But the First Madam was known for her shrewdness; how could she possibly possess such cunning?

Suddenly, I remembered Chen Siyuan's arrival and thought that it was probably Uncle Yuan who was devising the plan behind the scenes.

Composing herself, Yuanyang quickly said, "Grandma, the most urgent thing is to appease the maids and servants outside. The New Year is just around the corner, and we can't afford to let outsiders laugh at us at this critical juncture."

Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "You're right... Since Zhou Rui's wife can't manage the front, then she shouldn't manage the back anymore. Yingchun, from now on you will also manage the back of the house. Now go and appease the maids and servants."

Yingchun agreed and led the two maids toward the hanging flower gate at the front.

Before long, Yingchun returned. Two maids accompanied her, each carrying a tray with several bowls of moldy rice. Two talkative old women followed, immediately kneeling on the floor and begging Grandmother Jia to intervene.

Zhou Rui's wife hasn't arrived yet. She is Madam Wang's most trusted maid, so how could she easily let her go? Moreover, today's incident has already been suppressed, and there's no doubt that the storeroom affairs will be thoroughly investigated later. It's true that secrets can't be kept forever.

So Madam Wang got up and knelt down in front of the soft couch, pleading, "Old Madam, all the mistakes are mine. It is I who have made a mistake in managing the household. Please punish me."

Grandmother Jia glared at Lady Wang, and after thinking for a long time, she said, "Alright, you may all leave for now. I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter."

Madam Xing was displeased upon hearing this and stood up, saying, "Grandma, it's good that my sister-in-law works hard managing the household. It's true that she should be given a minor punishment for any mistakes, but she can't just leave without any explanation, can she?"

With a cold face, Grandmother Jia said, "Then, according to you, shouldn't the job of managing the household be handed over to you?"

"I—" Madam Xing was about to agree when she saw Yingchun slightly shake her head at her.

Remembering Chen Siyuan's earlier warning, she suppressed her anger and said, "Grandma, you're joking. Fourth Brother is still young. How could I possibly have time to manage the household? Fine, whatever you say goes. Come on, take Fourth Brother back to the east wing."

With a cold snort, Madam Xing led her maids and servants away from Rongqing Hall.

Yingchun was about to leave when she was stopped by Grandmother Jia.

Grandmother Jia instructed Yuanyang to help Lady Wang up, and Lady Wang stood before her and said, "This year, the household has incurred two deficits. I have carefully considered the matter, and if we do not cut back on expenses, I am afraid we will not be able to survive until the summer grain is stored. I had no choice but to resort to this measure."

When the new rice from Liaodong was stored, I ordered that half of it be exchanged for old rice… but the subordinates were greedy and unscrupulous, and they replaced all the perfectly good old rice with moldy and rotten rice.”

An old woman outside said, "Grandma, Zhou Rui's wife has arrived."

"Bring her in!"

At Grandmother Jia's command, Zhou Rui's wife went around the screen, entered, and knelt down on the ground, banging her head against the wall, saying, "Grandmother, I'm innocent! The main kitchen has always used whatever the storeroom allocates. I've always followed the rules and never cheated anyone." After a pause, she continued, "This time, it must be that heartless person who deliberately did something bad, giving the stale rice meant for the servants to the masters. Please, Grandmother, do justice!"

"Shut up!" Grandmother Jia waved her hand and said, "Zhou Rui's wife has failed in her duty. She is dismissed from her post immediately and given twenty strokes of the cane!"

Zhou Rui's wife was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly begged for mercy, "Grandma, spare me... Madam, spare me!"

Madam Wang hurriedly pleaded, "Madam, this matter has nothing to do with her. I suspect it was a mistake made by the cooks downstairs. Please allow me to investigate further."

Grandmother Jia then said, “I’m getting old, and you’re in charge of this business now. These past two years have been tough, but no matter how frugal we are, we can’t just feed people moldy rice and grain, can we? Fine, Madam, you can investigate this yourself, and you’ll have to give me an explanation later.”

Lady Wang bowed her head and nodded in agreement. Grandmother Jia sighed and rose, letting her maid help her to the west wing.

Madam Wang raised her head, her face flushed with embarrassment. In her more than twenty years of marriage into the Rongguo Mansion, this was the first time Madam Wang had felt so ashamed.

Turning her head to look at the timid Yingchun, Madam Wang gritted her teeth and said, "The rice and grains were all purchased together, so why is it that only the main kitchen had an accident, while the small kitchen remained silent?"

Yingchun lowered her head, not daring to serve the maid. Siqi, standing beside her, stepped forward and said, "Madam is probably wronging our young lady. The rice delivered from the small kitchen a couple of days ago was also moldy and rotten. After just one meal, the servants were about to rebel. More than a dozen old women came to Zhuijin Tower and made a ruckus. The young lady had no choice but to use her own savings to buy two hundred catties of new rice to deal with it."

"Madam knows our young lady doesn't have much money. Once these two hundred catties are used up, I'm afraid there will be a commotion just like in the main kitchen."

"Is that so?" Seeing Yingchun's reddened eyes and pitiful expression, Madam Wang immediately believed her. She frowned and said angrily, "That Li Gui! I asked him to do a task, and this is how he does it?"

Zhou Rui's wife was still kneeling on the ground, pleading, "Madam, I, I..."

Madam Wang glanced at him and immediately frowned. She thought it would be difficult to refute the old lady, and that punishing Li Gui alone would not be enough to convince the public. So she said, "Since the old lady has spoken, just listen to her. After you receive your punishment, you can rest for a while. I will assign you a task after the New Year."

Zhou Rui's wife was on the verge of tears and had no choice but to dejectedly agree.

Lady Wang turned her head and saw Yingchun weeping sadly. She thought to herself, "Fengjie has given up, and Tanchun is too stubborn. Now, the only one I can rely on is the second young lady, Yingchun. If she also quits, won't there be no one to manage the household?"
So he leaned forward and forced a smile, saying, "My child, I wronged you just now, please don't hold it against me."

Yingchun cried, "This stewardship job was forced upon me; I already have to be extremely careful just in the garden. Now that this has happened, the old lady insists on assigning me the same tasks from before, Madam—"

Madam Wang knew things were going badly as soon as she heard this, and quickly said, "What does this have to do with you? It's all because the servants didn't do their job well. Since I invited you to manage the household, it means I believe you can manage it well. There's no need to refuse anymore. From now on, you will manage the inner quarters as well. If something like this happens again in the future, just let me know in advance. Don't make a scene in front of the old lady again."

Yingchun nodded silently in agreement. Madam Wang offered a few more words of comfort, but inwardly resented Li Gui for his incompetence, before hurrying away.

After Madam Wang left, Yingchun's expression turned solemn. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, smiled slightly, and said, "Let's go back."

After the three of them left Rongqing Hall and passed through the corridor, Siqi said, "The old lady is too soft-hearted. She caused such a big incident, but she raised the stick high and then put it down lightly."

Yingchun said, "The household is running a deficit, and if we really run into financial difficulties, we might have to ask Madam to use her dowry to make up the shortfall. Do you think anyone else can manage the household besides Madam?"

Xiuju said in surprise, "So that's how it is. The old lady actually had such thoughts."

Lady Xing came from a humble family, and most of her dowry went into Jia She's pocket. Moreover, she was frivolous and would likely squander the family fortune within a month if she were in charge of the household. Feng Jie, on the other hand, didn't care about managing the household; she only wanted to be in charge. Her dowry was also not as generous as Lady Wang's. In addition, Grandmother Jia was biased and was happy to let Lady Wang fill the gaps.

In this way, Madam Wang became the most suitable candidate to take charge of the household.

Siqi then said, "What a pity, I thought we could bring down that scoundrel Wu Xingdeng this time."

Yingchun smiled and said, "This is just a warning shot. Besides, Wu Xingdeng isn't Madam's personal maid. Keeping him around is more useful than getting rid of him. He's a weathervane; he sides with Madam today, but who knows if he won't side with someone else tomorrow?" Siqi's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Yingchun was now showing her sharp edge and was clearly not someone to be trifled with. Siqi had still hoped to become Yingchun's maid and marry into the family, so she naturally dared not be too presumptuous. Therefore, when she spoke again, she couldn't help but flatter her.

Unexpectedly, the second daughter, Yingchun, became just like before, remaining silent even when the old woman made sarcastic remarks.

That afternoon, Lady Wang dealt with the two men. Following Grandmother Jia's instructions, she punished Zhou Rui's wife and also gave Li Guizhong thirty lashes, stripped him of his monthly allowance for a year, and ordered him to do hard labor at the estate for half a year.

Immediately, Wu Xingdeng's family stepped in and sold off all the moldy rice, and the very next day they bought a full quantity of new rice for the year. The gossip in the household vanished, but privately they harbored much resentment towards Madam Wang, saying that she was greedy, despicable, and mistreated her servants.

Sister Feng's children's courtyard.

Ping'er told Feng Jie about Madam Wang's handling of the matter. Feng Jie, who was resting, immediately felt her headache lessen and said with a sneer, "Trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead, my aunt is probably secretly rejoicing right now."

Ping'er smiled and said, "The hearts of the people may seem useless at times, but when they become truly useful, it's too late to make amends."

"Hmph," Sister Feng said, "It's just a pity that old dog Wu Xingdeng escaped again."

The room was stuffy and hot, with the kang (heated brick bed) and incense burner steaming. Seeing Feng Jie loosen her collar, Ping'er fetched a round fan to fan her. She whispered, "Grandma, do you think... this time, it was Master Yuan who did it?"

“You,” Feng Jie poked Ping’er with her finger, “you’re underestimating the Second Miss too much. I thought she had been patient for more than ten years and would pretend to be a blockhead until she got married. Who knew that she would learn to be so cunning without making a sound.”

"Is it the Second Miss?"

Sister Feng laughed and said, "Brother Yuan is a smart man. He knows what kind of person the First Madam is. Why would he scheme for the First Madam? If he really did scheme for her, he might end up harming the First Madam instead."

Ping'er pondered, "If that's the case, this second young lady is truly remarkable. She did it all without leaving a trace, yet she still managed to save face for the madam."

Sister Feng laughed and said, "I didn't expect this either... Just you wait and see. By the time Madam realizes what's going on, I'm afraid Second Sister will already be in charge of all the affairs of the mansion."

Fengjie thought to herself, she had long heard that Daiyu's mother was quite capable of managing a household, and that the Jia family had a tradition of having young ladies in charge. First, there was the Third Miss, who managed the household with an iron fist, and now there was the Second Miss, who was gentle and pervasive. It was fortunate that the Second Miss would get married someday, otherwise she would have ended up like her aunt, Lady Wang, and had been suppressed for more than twenty years before finally being able to take charge of the household.

"Alright, I'm tired too. You may leave now."

Ping'er obediently agreed and went to the east side room to see Qiao'er. Feng'er lay down alone, thinking about the matter of having offspring again. The words of Doctor Ding were still ringing in her ears. How could Feng'er be willing to have no heir? She racked her brains for a way to give birth to a boy to inherit the family business.

A simple thatched cottage.

The matter of Chen Mi caused quite a stir, and the gossipmonger Yunxiang ran back and forth, relaying every piece of news she received to Chen Siyuan. That day, after Yunxiang finished recounting the outcome, she received her reward and happily departed.

Among the maids in the room, Xiangling was unassuming, Wu'er was still young, but Hongyu seemed lost in thought. Chen Siyuan knew that Yingchun did not want to reveal her intentions, so he kept the matter to himself.

She entered the study, picked up a book, and after reading only one page, she began to ponder. This second sister was indeed capable; she skillfully used leverage, and in the end, she never aroused Lady Wang's suspicion.

Sure enough, this woman, skilled in both the righteous and the wicked, was never lacking in cunning.

Chen Siyuan, in his second life, was not the kind of spineless coward who only liked naive and innocent girls. Besides, there are genuine and fake naive girls. If they are genuinely naive, then it means that you are the one who is naive, and they are just playing to your taste.

He never disliked women who were scheming, but he disliked that their scheming was used to harm others. Now that Lin Daiyu and Baochai were both adopted wives, even if they obtained official titles in a few years, it would be difficult for them to travel to the inner courtyard of Chen Siyuan's mansion.

Previously, Chen Siyuan had some doubts about choosing his second sister, fearing that she would only be a decoration after marriage. Now, however, she seems exceptionally suitable.

What's that saying again? Marry a virtuous wife. With Second Sister Yingchun's shrewdness, she's more than capable of being a virtuous and helpful wife.

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard a commotion outside, and a moment later Hongyu said with a smile, "Master, Miss Qin has arrived."

Chen Siyuan responded and was about to get up to greet her when he saw Baoqin leading Xiaoluo with light, graceful steps into the room. Upon seeing Chen Siyuan, she quickened her pace to the study, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling as she said, "I just heard you mention yesterday, Sister, that Brother Yuan is going to spend the New Year at the new house?"

“Exactly,” Chen Siyuan said with a smile. “During the New Year, the women of each household visit each other frequently, so it’s not very convenient for me to stay in the courtyard. It would be better for me to go home and stay until the fifteenth.”

Baoqin frowned slightly, as if to play a trick, and said, "I thought I could celebrate the New Year with Brother Yuan, what a pity. But it's alright, there will be plenty of time to spend with Brother Yuan in the future."

So they're putting on an act again?

Chen Siyuan chuckled inwardly, led Baoqin into the study and seated her, then instructed Hongyu to serve her fragrant tea.

Baoqin took a sip of fragrant tea, then noticed the various books scattered on the table and said, "The New Year is just around the corner, Brother Yuan, are you still studying?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I visited the Grand Marshal's residence a couple of days ago and received news that His Majesty intends to hold a special imperial examination. So, we must prepare for the exam at the last minute."

Baoqin said happily, "Is there going to be a special imperial examination? It's almost the first month of the lunar calendar, so even if there is one, it won't be until next year. If we think about it that way, wouldn't Brother Yuan be able to take the exam twice? Even if he doesn't pass the first time, he'll pass the second time."

"Ha, thank you for your kind words."

Baoqin quickly said, "It's only been a little over a year, I wouldn't dare to keep you up. In that case, Brother Yuan, just focus on your studies, I'll leave after a while."

Knowing that Baoqin was about to cause trouble again, Chen Siyuan thought for a moment and agreed, saying, "In that case, sister, please do as you please."

After saying that, he picked up the book and began to recite it silently.

Baoqin drank a cup of tea, then silently rose, fiddled with the incense burner for a while, added styrax incense, and lit it. Seeing that the ink in the inkstone was sparse, she simply found some ink and began to grind it.

As the saying goes, a bad pen is worse than a good memory, so Chen Siyuan put down the book and picked up a pen to write down the insights in the book in tiny characters.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly realized that Baoqin had bumped into him, causing his tiny calligraphy to sag.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "Is Qin Yatou finally unable to hold back?" Sure enough, she bumped into him again a short while later.

Chen Siyuan looked up, ready to face him, but when he looked up he saw Baoqin nodding repeatedly as if she were dozing off, and she stopped grinding ink in her hand.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that Baoqin had faint dark circles under her eyes... Did she not sleep well last night?

As he was pondering this, Baoqin swayed again. Chen Siyuan didn't react for a moment, then quickly reached out to catch her, and Baoqin cried out as she fell into Chen Siyuan's arms.

A pair of almond-shaped eyes met Chen Siyuan's gaze in a daze, and a blush quickly rose to her cheeks. Chen Siyuan asked, "Didn't you sleep well?"

Baoqin nodded, then fumbled in her sleeve and pulled out something, pouting and saying, "I was thinking of giving it to Brother Yuan in a few days. But I heard yesterday that you were going back to your own house, so I stayed up all night and only just got it out now."

Chen Siyuan reached out and took it; it was a small purse. The stitching was a bit rough, and the floral design was somewhat distorted, but the embroidered characters were acceptable. There were only eight characters in two lines: "May you have no worries every year" and "May your wishes come true."

Chen Siyuan was slightly moved, but at that moment Baoqin came up to him again and said in a high-pitched voice, "Brother, do you like it? I've pricked my hand several times because of this purse."

(End of this chapter)