Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 354 The Embroidered Chamber and the Nightingale's Song: A Wedding Ceremony

The Shi family had two marquises, but the title of Marquis of Baoling should have belonged to Xiangyun's father. However, Xiangyun's parents died young, and the title fell to the current Marquis of Baoling, Shi Nai.

The dowry left by Xiangyun's mother was to be carried along with Xiangyun's marriage. If Xiangyun died before marriage, the dowry would belong to Xiangyun's mother's family; if Xiangyun died after marriage and left no children, the dowry should be taken back to the Marquis of Baoling's mansion.

Thinking about it this way, it seems that what Lady Baoling and the Earl of Xiangcheng were plotting was for Xiangyun to die after her marriage. In that case, Xiangyun's dowry would rightfully return to the Marquis of Baoling's mansion... But who knows what benefits the Shi family promised the Chen family.

Seeing that Chen Siyuan had finished thinking, Baochai whispered, "That's why the old lady was furious. A few days ago, she sent Lian Erge to bring Yun'er back early." She paused, then added, "It seems that the old lady also sent a letter to the Marquis of Baoling's mansion that day. The Marquis of Baoling's mansion replied that day, and the old lady was so angry after reading it that she didn't eat or drink anything for a whole day. It was only after Feng'er comforted her that she ate a little something the next day."

After a moment's thought, Chen Siyuan said, "Could it be that the old lady is bringing up old matters again?"

Baochai said, "I don't know... but even if we bring up the old matter again, Lady Baolinghou has not agreed."

Indeed, since the Shi family wanted to scheme for Xiangyun's dowry, how could they possibly allow Xiangyun to marry Baoyu? No matter how high Jia Mu's rank was, she was now a member of the Jia family and could no longer interfere in the Shi family's affairs. Thinking back carefully, it seems that only the Lady of Zhongjing Marquis came once during the year, while the Baoling Marquis's family was nowhere to be seen. This shows that the estrangement between the Shi family and the Jia family was deepening.

Chen Siyuan came to his senses and said to Baochai, "Sister, are you worried about Xiangyun?"

Baochai hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "Humans are not plants or trees, how can they be without feelings? These days I have spent every day with Yun'er, and I cannot bear to see her end up in such a state in the future."

Chen Siyuan pondered, "Xiangyun is still young, and it will be another three to five years before she gets married. My sister knows that times change, and what is the case today may not be the case in the future."

Baochai immediately understood what Chen Siyuan meant, and laughed, "Even if you pass the imperial examination next year, in three or four years, I'm afraid you'll still be in the Imperial Academy."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "I have already handled several important matters before I have even entered officialdom. Do you think that I will be worse off after I enter officialdom?"

Indeed, whether it was the two openings of ports, the gradual spread of Wan Ke Lai to major cities, or the increasingly popular latex business, all of these demonstrated Chen Siyuan's talent and ability. If he was so capable even as a commoner, one can imagine how he would excel after entering officialdom.

Although it was just a wishful thought, the memory of Chen Siyuan's promise to one day secure an imperial title for her stirred up a surge of emotion in Baochai, and her almond-shaped eyes welled up with tears. Seeing that no one was around, she quietly hooked her hand around Chen Siyuan's and said with a gentle smile, "In the past, I always dreamed that my future husband would be ennobled and appointed as a high-ranking official, but now I've changed my mind."

"Changed your mind?"

Baochai said, "Now I only wish that you and I are safe and healthy, and stay together for the rest of our lives..."

Chen Siyuan was aroused by the gentle words and couldn't speak for a moment as he played with Baochai's soft hand.

In the original text, Baochai would urge Baoyu to make progress from time to time, but now that he is with her, she no longer urges him. Instead, she shows deep affection and concern... It is clear that Baochai's true feelings have never been for Baoyu!
Just as they were about to say something, they suddenly heard a young boy shout, "Where are you going?" Immediately, two deer leaped out from the green peaks, followed by Jia Lan, who was carrying a child's bow.

The two deer, in their panic, rushed towards the two of them. Baochai was terrified and didn't know what to do, so Chen Siyuan grabbed her and pulled her aside. Amidst the cries of the deer, the two deer passed each other, and Jia Lan stood frozen in shock a short distance away.

When the two looked over, Jia Lan hurriedly bowed, but then heard Li Wan's scolding voice from behind, and he was immediately at a loss. Chen Siyuan subtly waved to him, and Jia Lan immediately ran away.

Chen Siyuan then looked at Baochai and asked, "Are you alright?"

Baochai smiled and shook her head, saying, "Lan-ge'er seems to be getting more and more lively."

Chen Siyuan said, "This is how children of this age should behave. To be so focused on studying as usual is somewhat dehumanizing."

As they were talking, Li Wan had already headed north to catch up with Jia Lan, while Bao Yu was hurrying towards them. The two quickly separated, and Bao Yu, seeing them, immediately came running over excitedly.

Upon approaching, Baoyu smiled and said, "Brother Yuan, Sister Bao, I heard we're going to the lantern festival today. Would you mind joining me?"

Chen Siyuan was immediately at his wit's end! Baoyu was no easy person to deal with; who knew what trouble he might cause while strolling through the lantern festival at night? Even if he didn't cause any trouble, just getting in the way of him and Lin Daiyu would be annoying enough.

As if knowing what Chen Siyuan was thinking, Sister Bao said, "Brother Bao, where did you hear that? I still need to observe mourning, so I won't be going today. Besides, Brother Yuan isn't going straight to the lantern festival; he'll be going to the workshops outside the city later."

Baoyu, unaware of the implications, said, "I've been cooped up in the mansion all year and haven't had a chance to go out. I've heard that Sister Feng's workshop is extremely large, and I'm thinking of going to take a look."

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Brother Bao, have you asked your wife?"

"This……"

Seeing the hesitation on Baoyu's face, Chen Siyuan said earnestly, "It seems you haven't asked yet. Brother Bao, you should ask Madam first. If Madam agrees, then it's fine to go to the lantern festival together."

Baoyu frowned immediately. Because Xia Jingui had just been found to be pregnant, Lady Wang hadn't been giving Baoyu a kind look lately, and had even ordered him not to wander off. If he went to ask Lady Wang now, she would certainly forbid it. Understanding this, Baoyu felt ashamed and depressed.

"Never mind, there's nothing to see at the lantern festival. I'm going to find Xiangyun and play with her for a while!" After saying goodbye to the two, Baoyu hurriedly headed towards Hengwu Garden.

Baochai and Chen Siyuan smiled at each other, and Baochai said, "I'll go and see my mother again."

Chen Siyuan agreed, and after calculating the time, he realized it was time to go to the workshop with Sister Feng.

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

Chen Siyuan returned to Qingtang Thatched Cottage for a short rest. After half past Chenshi (7-9 AM), Chen Siyuan tidied himself up and excitedly headed forward.

Upon arriving at the ceremonial gate, one sees groups of beautiful women, some in small groups. Now, it is the second young lady, Yingchun, who is in charge of the household. Ever since receiving the news yesterday, Yingchun has arranged the carriages and horses. Besides dismissing the servants and young men who would accompany her, she has also transferred three female servants from her own household to accompany her, just in case something goes wrong at the lantern festival that night.

Just as they were about to board the carriage, a master and a servant came out through the side gate. The second young lady, Yingchun, hurriedly went to greet them, exchanged a few words, and then turned to Fengjie and said, "Sister Feng, the old lady has said that she will also take Yun'er to relax this time."

Seeing Xiangyun's tense and worried face, Fengjie laughed and said, "I told you I would take you with me, but you insisted on keeping it to yourself. Don't look so down, you should be cheerful when you go out." After a pause, she added, "Lin has her own carriage, why don't you squeeze in with her?"

Xiangyun sighed and agreed, then led Cuilu into Daiyu's carriage.

Before long, the side gate opened, and carriages and horses emerged one after another from the mansion, winding their way towards the city outskirts. Although the purpose was to inspect the workshops, it wouldn't be good to let the young ladies suffer from the long journey, so Chen Siyuan naturally had made arrangements in advance.

The carriages and horses had traveled no more than three miles out of the city when they came to a manor. Chen Siyuan had paid in advance and had already booked the manor. Apart from himself and Wang Xifeng, everyone else rested there.

When the carriage arrived at the manor, the servants scattered. The men of the manor had already left, leaving only the women and children. Daiyu, Xiangyun, Xichun, Baoqin and others got off the carriage. Xiangyun asked in surprise, "Where did Brother Yuan find this manor? It looks very tidy."

The servant Qingyu left behind by Chen Siyuan then said with a smile: "Reporting to the young lady, this place is the estate of Cao Xuezhen, a physician in the Fengchen Academy. My master visited Physician Cao a few days ago and decided to borrow this estate for the young ladies to rest."

Xichun leaned closer and said with a smile, "Brother Yuan has plenty of ways to make things happen. Since he invited us here, he must have made all the arrangements long ago."

As they were talking, two more women dressed in Tatar attire came over and whispered something to the old woman in charge of the estate.

Baoqin saw this and immediately exclaimed in surprise, "How come there are Mongolian women here?"

Qingyu replied, "My master invited them. This morning, the farm slaughtered a pig for the New Year, and also slaughtered two sheep and a deer. They were roasted early this morning, so the girls will be able to enjoy this special delicacy from beyond the Great Wall at noon." He paused, then turned to Daiyu and whispered, "Knowing that Miss Lin doesn't like this kind of food, my master also bought a cartload of local dishes and invited a master chef from a Huaiyang restaurant to cook them."

Daiyu felt immediately comforted and smiled, "There's no need to go to such trouble for me."

Xichun said, "Who doesn't know that we benefited from Sister Lin's help this time? Brother Yuan has gone to so much trouble, Sister Lin can just thank you privately later, there's no need to say these things in front of us."

Daiyu immediately retorted, embarrassed and annoyed, "Fourth Sister, watch your skin!"

Xichun giggled and hid behind Baoqin, pleading mischievously, "Good sister, please forgive me this time!"

Amidst the playful banter, an old woman came to inquire, saying that a changing room had been prepared, and everyone went to change. The second courtyard of the manor had already been vacated, and Daiyu and the others rested briefly before a maid came to inform them that lunch had been prepared.

As the maids moved into the main room, various roasted dishes were served. The newly slaughtered pig was roasted into pork, and the three-month-old lamb was roasted to a golden brown and sliced ​​for presentation. Venison was also roasted, served in a continuous stream with various stir-fried local vegetables, prompting Xiangyun and Xichun to exclaim in amazement, both saying they wanted to eat more later. Daiyu looked around but couldn't find Chen Siyuan or Fengjie, so she went to Qingyu to inquire.

Qingyu replied with a smile, "There are still important matters in the workshop. I have divided up some food and sent it over. The master and mistress will return around Shenshi (3-5 PM)."

Daiyu frowned and asked, "While you're here, did you leave anyone to serve Brother Yuan?"

Qingyu replied, "The master said he doesn't need anyone to serve him, and ordered me to stay at the manor to serve Miss Lin."

Daiyu scolded, "I have maids and servants with me, why do I need you to serve me? There's nothing else to do at the estate, you just need to go to the workshop to serve him."

"This……"

Daiyu glared at her and snapped, "Why aren't you going yet?"

Qingyu thought to himself, "This Miss Lin is one of the future mistresses; I dare not offend her." So he quickly bowed and agreed. He then turned and took his horse, riding towards the workshop a few miles away.

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

Meanwhile, in a side room of the workshop...

Chen Siyuan and Feng Jie sat facing each other. On the table, a food box was spread out, containing several kinds of roasted meat, several kinds of stir-fried cave dishes, and a pot of hot chrysanthemum wine.

As the two ate and ate, they chatted. Feng Jie said, "It's fortunate that Brother Yuan persuaded the Prince to give us more time to recover, otherwise we would have suffered a loss. The manager just said that the orders from Wan Ke Lai will be complete in three to five days, and we can take a break after the New Year." She paused, then added worriedly, "But after the New Year, the orders have decreased by more than half. I don't know what will happen after the New Year."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Second sister-in-law usually manages her business, but does she know that all kinds of businesses have peak and off-peak seasons? It's a bit slow after the New Year, but it will pick up again in March, so second sister-in-law doesn't need to worry too much."

Sister Feng thought about it and agreed, then said with a smile, "That makes sense. That's how it is in my cloth shop. Come, let me toast Brother Yuan."

"Easy to say."

The two shared a cup, and Sister Feng poured more wine for them. Just then, Qingyu arrived. Chen Siyuan was busy talking to Qingyu, but when he heard that he had come at Daiyu's behest, Sister Feng immediately laughed and said, "Look, this Lin girl is getting more and more caring."

Chen Siyuan laughed without replying, wondering to himself if Daiyu had finally come to her senses. Overjoyed, he turned and picked up the wine cup again, downing it in one gulp.

"Hey?" Feng Jie called out late. Chen Siyuan finished his drink and asked in surprise, "Second sister-in-law, is something wrong?"

Sister Feng bit her lower lip, unsure how to explain, because Chen Siyuan was holding a wine cup, and even her own. Sister Feng thought to herself that if she revealed the truth, it would only make things awkward for both of them, so it would be better to pretend to be confused and cover it up.

Hesitating slightly, he smiled and said, "Brother Yuan, why are you drinking by yourself?" As he spoke, he subtly picked up Chen Siyuan's wine cup, "You didn't even say you wanted to drink with me."

After saying that, Sister Feng drank it all in one gulp. Chen Siyuan was puzzled. He looked down and saw that there was a smear of rouge on his wine cup.

Strangely, when Sister Feng called out, she realized she had used the wrong wine cup. An ordinary person would probably be extremely embarrassed, but Chen Siyuan was thick-skinned, so he remained calm and continued to chat happily with Sister Feng.

As they talked, they somehow started talking about Huiwen. The screen on Grandmother Jia's kang made Fengjie very envious, so Chen Siyuan said with a smile, "If Second Sister-in-law really likes it, I'll give you one for your birthday celebration tomorrow. I guarantee it won't be any worse than Huiwen's."

Sister Feng asked in surprise, "I haven't heard of any woman whose embroidery skills are comparable to Hui Niang's lately, but I wonder whose handiwork it is?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Second sister-in-law, do you still remember Qingwen?"

Sister Feng pondered, "Of course I remember, that girl has always been skillful... Could it be that Qingwen's needlework has become increasingly proficient lately?"

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "I just embroidered a screen, and I think it's excellent. I'll have Qingwen embroider a kang screen for you later; I guarantee Second Sister-in-law will be delighted."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng smiled and said, "Then I'll wait."

After lunch, the two continued to sort out the accounts. They didn't return to the estate until after late afternoon.

The two entered the manor but did not see Daiyu or the others. They asked a maid to inquire and learned that Xiangyun had taken a bow and arrow and was going to shoot rabbits in the fields.

Sister Feng scolded him a few times and then sent someone to find him and bring him back.

Seeing that it was still early, Chen Siyuan said, "There's no need to rush. Just get back to the city before the gates are locked. Since we've come out here, let them make a fuss for a while."

Sister Feng thought about it and agreed with a smile. Then Sister Feng and Ping'er went to the back to rest, while Chen Siyuan stayed in the front.

After changing her clothes, Sister Feng, weary from her journey, took a short rest in her room. But as she closed her eyes to rest, she unexpectedly recalled the wine cups they had exchanged earlier. Reflecting on it carefully, it seemed as if the cup she had drunk herself… had a unique flavor.

After marrying into the Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie enjoyed several years of comfortable life. However, things took a sharp turn for the worse in the last two years. Ever since Jia Lian escorted Daiyu to Yangzhou, the couple's affection had grown increasingly distant. Subsequently, Jia Lian had affairs with Bao Er's wife and Duo Guniang, took Zhang Jinge as a concubine, and had an affair with Granny Hu. The bond between the two weakened further until Fengjie grew to despise him.

Ping'er had already brewed the pre-rain Longjing tea, and the covered bowl was placed on the small table next to her. The rising steam carried the aroma of the tea, and the charcoal in the nearby incense burner was burning brightly, filling the room with the fragrance of agarwood. She half-closed her eyes, her knuckles unconsciously tracing the dark patterns on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

The image of Chen Siyuan lingered in her mind. From the moment she mistakenly took the wine cup, she recalled Chen Siyuan's naivety when he first arrived.

Although she knew it was wrong, Sister Feng's heart was still pounding.

"Grandma...Grandma?"

Ping'er called her name a few times before Feng Jie came to her senses and asked, "What is it?"

Ping'er said, "Uncle Yuan said that there is still half a cart of vegetables left in the cave, as well as various kinds of meat left over from lunch. We don't know when we will return from the lantern festival tonight. Uncle Yuan said that we might as well have dinner at the manor."

Sister Feng replied, "Alright, fetch water and help me wash my face."

Feng Jie quickly washed and dressed, then followed Ping'er forward. Just then, Daiyu, Xiangyun, and the others turned around, chattering and laughing. The maid Cuilu was carrying a gray rabbit, and Xiaolu was carrying two rabbits, one gray and one white.

They swarmed into the house, their little faces all red from the cold.

Xiangyun snatched the rabbit and boasted, "Sister Feng, I shot this rabbit!"

Daiyu teased, "You've shot out two quiver of arrows, and you finally hit the target once. I don't know what you're so proud of."

Xichun also said, "Bows and arrows are too troublesome. Sister Qin's slingshot is much more convenient."

Sister Feng asked in surprise, "A slingshot?"

Turning her head, she saw Baoqin shaking the object in her hand. She had found a tree branch, peeled off the bark, tied two strands of latex to the branch, and then used deerskin to hold the pebbles.

Sister Feng laughed and asked, "Where did this object come from?"

Baoqin said, "My cousin mentioned it before the New Year, so I found some materials and made one myself."

Sister Feng took the pebble and examined it closely. She then tried throwing a pebble at it and was full of praise. After playing for a while, the girls were tired. They rested and had dinner. At dusk, they took a carriage back to the capital.

Daiyu was frail and sleepy, while Xiangyun chattered excitedly.

(End of this chapter)