Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 371 Homeownership
Qingwen's voice was as melodious as a nightingale's. Upon hearing it, Chen Siyuan paused slightly, his mind racing with thoughts. In the bustling capital, even a random stone thrown into a disturbance might hit some noble or high-ranking official. To run a business, one must first make sure to smooth things over with all parties involved before opening for business.

Chen Siyuan's Baicaotang, thanks to the investment of Jia Zhen and others, had long since bribed the Shuntian Prefecture and the city patrol corps. In the years since it opened, not a single ruffian has dared to cause trouble at its door.

Normally, Chen Siyuan would have just thought she was a greenhorn, but having met Prince Yanping and received his guidance, Chen Siyuan knew that once the Dowager Consort left, the Emperor would probably deal with the Zhen and Jia families. He couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that some family guessed the Emperor's intentions and came to test the waters by making trouble?
On second thought, it didn't quite make sense. If he really wanted to cause trouble, why not go after the Jia family? How much does Baicaotang actually make in a year? He himself takes the lion's share of the profits.

He was interested in taking a look, and then he thought that what Qingwen said made sense. Jia Zhen had earned ten or twenty thousand taels of silver in the past few years, so it was only right that he should do his part.

The two walked together toward the main house, and at the end of the covered corridor, they bumped into the wet nurse carrying the eldest daughter and coming forward.

The wet nurse was taken aback when she saw Chen Siyuan and quickly bowed.

Chen Siyuan's expression softened when he caught sight of his own daughter, and he asked with a smile, "It's still cold, why did you bring her out?"

The wet nurse was quick-witted, and said with a smile, "Master, you don't know, but the two concubines take the eldest daughter out for a stroll every day whenever they have a spare moment, and they've gotten used to it. The eldest daughter has just finished nursing and is already fussing to come out and see the world. If you don't let her, she's afraid she'll start crying and making a scene."

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded, then leaned forward and pinched the eldest sister's cheek. The eldest sister immediately turned her head away in disgust, muttering incessantly.

Chen Siyuan looked embarrassed. He had never raised a child in his two lifetimes, so he didn't know how to amuse him. He instructed the wet nurse to take good care of him and then went into the main room with Qingwen.

The main room was cleaned and swept every day. Chen Siyuan sat down leisurely, and Qingwen served him fragrant tea. Then she sat down casually to the side, tilted her head and smiled at Chen Siyuan, saying, "Master, take a closer look, but you can't see anything unusual."

Chen Siyuan looked around and spotted the ink-wash screen in front of the door. From a distance, it looked like an ink painting, but upon closer inspection, it was embroidery. Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Is it finished? Let me take a look."

He got up and leaned over to take a look, nodding approvingly. Qingwen smiled broadly.

After sitting down again, Qingwen hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. She wasn't one to keep her thoughts to herself, so after drinking a cup of tea, she said, "Master, you don't know, but yesterday a Mrs. Dou came to visit and chatted with Third Aunt for quite a while. When she was leaving, she noticed this screen. Hearing that it was my work, she took my hand and begged me to embroider a kang screen for her."

The master knew that Third Concubine treated Luan'er and me well, and since Madam Dou was brought by Third Concubine, I couldn't refuse, so I agreed. Who knew that at the last minute, Madam Dou would insist on giving me two hundred taels of silver.

Chen Siyuan smiled and reached out to rub Qingwen's head, saying, "I knew your needlework was excellent. Now it seems you're no less skilled than Huiwen. It turns out there are people who appreciate your work as much as I do."

Qingwen smiled smugly and said, "As soon as Madam Dou left, Second Aunt came to find me and talked to me for a long time, saying that she wanted to open an embroidery shop with me. She also said that she would send someone to Jiangnan to invite more than a dozen embroiderers. At that time, I would only be responsible for supervising the production of high-quality embroidery, and the embroiderers would take care of the rest of the staff."

She looked up at Chen Siyuan, pursed her lips, and stammered, "I... I'm not sure what to do. I asked Third Aunt, but she couldn't decide either. She just told me to think about it myself... Master, is this embroidery shop viable?"

Since Qingwen had said that, how could Chen Siyuan not know that Qingwen had come to terms with it? After careful consideration, he realized that Qingwen herself didn't care much about money. Ever since she was harassed by a lecherous man while shopping with Granny Qu, she would never leave the house unless he led her by herself.

She herself was not short of money, but she had a younger sister named Luan'er. With her sister by her side, the older sister naturally had to plan for Luan'er's future and save more money to prepare a dowry for her in the future.

After a moment's thought, Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Forget about the embroidery shop—"

The smile on Qingwen's face immediately faded, and she frowned, saying, "Since you say so, then I'll ask Third Aunt to introduce a few more ladies."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "I haven't finished yet. Forget about the embroidery shop, but opening a wedding shop is definitely an option."

"Wedding shop?"

Chen Siyuan said, "From wedding clothes, veils, and bedding to handkerchiefs and socks, families in the capital buy their daughters' clothes from wedding shops to maintain appearances, unless they have needlework skills at home. I have some connections in the Imperial Household Department, so once your shop opens, I can introduce you to some jobs."

"Really?" Qingwen was overjoyed and couldn't help but lean over and sit in Chen Siyuan's arms, hugging his neck and dreaming: "Master knows that I can't do anything except needlework. If it were just me, it would be fine, since Master wouldn't shortchange me on food and clothing. But I have Luan'er to take care of."

Chen Siyuan chuckled and said, "Since she's your sister, how could I not care?"

Qingwen shook her head repeatedly and said, "Although I am proud, I know that I am not a girl from any family. It is only because the master takes pity on me that he does not hold it against me. In other families, someone like me would probably have been thrown out by the mistress long ago."

I'm already lucky to have received your protection, so how could I dare to hope that Luan'er will also receive good fortune? Marriages are often about marrying down to marry up. I'll prepare a generous dowry for Luan'er, not expecting her to marry a high-ranking official, but even marrying a scholar or a lower-ranking official is better than her being a slave to someone.

As soon as she finished speaking, Qingwen realized something was amiss and quickly added, "Don't take it personally, sir. I didn't mean anything by myself."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "I gave you your indenture a long time ago, and I was going to go to the yamen to release you from your free status, but you wouldn't have it."

Qingwen hummed twice without speaking, but she had her own plans. So what if she was released from her official status? She was literate enough, and no matter how proud she was, she couldn't pretend to be a young lady of a wealthy family. Rather than calculating the days to come and wait for the master to come to her room, it would be better to become a concubine as a maid. Although the rank was not high, she would be the master's closest person, and even if the mistress entered the house, she wouldn't dare to treat her arbitrarily.

Just then, a noise came from the outer room, and a maid announced that Granny Qu had brought Luan'er.

Qingwen quickly got up to serve her, and soon saw Granny Qu leading Luan'er through the screen. Perhaps because she had grown a year older, and with Granny Qu's daily guidance, Luan'er had finally become more obedient. She entered, greeted them respectfully, said some words of gratitude, and then followed Granny Qu away.

As soon as the two left, Qingwen smiled broadly and said, "She's finally starting to understand things. Wu'er comes to teach her every morning, and Luan'er doesn't make a fuss anymore. She writes several pages of calligraphy every day."

Chen Siyuan felt a pang of sadness when he saw Qingwen's appearance. He thought to himself that Qingwen had the body of a maid but the mind of a young lady, and he knew that there was no way to change her. So he focused on teaching Luan'er well, so that Luan'er could fulfill her own wish in the future.

Chen Siyuan offered a few words of praise, then suddenly said, "Since we're going to open a wedding shop, we need to first hire embroiderers from Jiangnan, and at the same time find a suitable storefront." As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve, counted out one thousand taels, and stuffed them into Qingwen's hand.

Qingwen quickly declined, saying, "Sir, I only received two hundred taels, I don't need the money."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Buying shops, stockpiling fabrics, hiring embroiderers—every single thing costs money. Second Sister is afraid of being poor. To put it bluntly... she's really desperate to make money. If you partner with her, it's better to leave the account books to Third Sister."

Qingwen smiled and said, "I'm not stupid. I've been thinking of troubling Third Aunt for a while now."

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "Keep this money. Second Sister has some savings. You can keep an eye on it. She'll definitely come to me for the money later."

When Qingwen thought of You Erjie, she immediately covered her mouth and giggled incessantly.

Before she knew it, Qingwen was sitting in Chen Siyuan's lap again. She was small, and her two embroidered shoes were suspended in the air, swinging back and forth slightly because she was in a very good mood.

When it was past 11:30 AM, there was a slight commotion outside, and then Sister You San, with a cold face, and Sister You Er, with her head bowed and eyes lowered, entered together.

Second Sister You lowered her head and remained silent. Third Sister You noticed that Chen Siyuan's expression had softened a bit. She greeted him briefly, then sat down in a huff, picked up her teacup, and drank it all in one gulp.

Qingwen had learned to read the room and knew that something bad might have happened, so she quietly withdrew.

Chen Siyuan took You Sanjie's hand and asked, "What did Brother Zhen say?" You Sanjie shook her head and said, "A few petty thieves. The Ningguo Prefecture sent the steward to deliver a letter to the city patrol garrison. In less than half an hour, they received a reply saying that the troublemakers had been locked up."

At this moment, Sister You Er was wringing out her handkerchief and hurriedly got up, saying, "It's almost noon, I'll go to the kitchen to check. Master is coming back, we should order a few dishes that suit his taste."

Sister You San didn't raise her head or open her eyes. Chen Siyuan glanced at Sister You Er before nodding, and Sister You Er quickly left.

Chen Siyuan then asked, "What did your older sister say this time?"

Third Sister You retorted angrily, "I don't have an elder sister like that!" Knowing full well that she and Chen Siyuan were in love, she still conspired with Second Sister You to conceive a child! Now that Jia Rong had returned, Madam You was even more uneasy. She had somehow heard that the succession to the title depended on the Ministry of Rites' regulations: if there was a legitimate heir, the eldest son would be chosen; if not, the eldest son would be chosen.

In other words, as long as Jia Rong is alive, the title will never fall to Ugly Boy.

Perhaps feeling guilty, You Shi was uneasy after only one glance at Jia Rong yesterday, and today she went to find You Erjie, intending to hire someone to kill Jia Rong.

Second Sister You was not very brave, but she was greedy for money. If Third Sister You hadn't gone into You Shi's room to overhear a few words after talking with Jia Zhen, and hadn't threatened her, the two of them would probably have taken the money to hire someone to do something dirty.

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but ask in surprise, "How much silver did the You family contribute?"

Sister You gritted her teeth and said, "Two thousand taels, that's like emptying the bottom of the chest!"

Chen Siyuan sneered, "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Jia Rong is impotent, why should she be worried? Tell her later that when it comes to inheriting the title, Jia Zhen will probably be even more anxious than she is."

After a moment's thought, Sister You nodded and said, "That's right. I was so angry that I forgot about that." She paused and then added, "However, my eldest sister said that Jia Rong's eyes have been sinister since he came back this time, and I don't know what kind of evil thoughts he has... If he were to kill Jia Zhen with dirty tricks, I'm afraid the title would eventually fall to Jia Rong."

Chen Siyuan pondered and said, "That's true... But Jia Rong has been away from home for more than half a year. I suppose your eldest sister has already gotten rid of all his personal maids and servants, right? With no one around him who can be of use, it wouldn't be easy for Jia Rong to do something underhanded."

You Sanjie said, "You probably don't know my eldest sister's temperament. She's a second wife, so she does whatever Jia Zhen says. She can only manage her own courtyard now. Although she has the title of head of the household, there are many servants outside who directly obey Jia Zhen's orders, and there are several disobedient old women in the inner courtyard. Life is not easy for her."

He paused, then lowered his voice and said, "Brother, I'm afraid you don't know where my dear eldest sister got her money, do you?"

Chen Siyuan listened intently, and You Sanjie sneered, "Second Sister often goes to Ningguo Mansion, so Eldest Sister secretly had Second Sister forge some ornaments and calligraphy and paintings, replacing pure gold with gilded ones, and smuggling out countless items, which is how she saved up two thousand taels of silver."

Chen Siyuan asked in astonishment, "Second Sister must have benefited quite a bit, right?"

Sister You scoffed and said disdainfully, "Otherwise, where would she get the money to persuade Qingwen to open an embroidery shop together?"

Chen Siyuan was both amused and exasperated. He said, "Luckily, it's only been a short time and the items exchanged are few, otherwise this matter would have come to light sooner or later." After a moment's thought, he said, "I think it's best to keep Second Sister under house arrest for now. My younger sister can just have a little extra work and visit the Ningguo Mansion every month."

Sister You was very upset, so Chen Siyuan pulled her into his arms and comforted her for a while, which made her feel better.

Upon hearing that Chen Siyuan wanted to become Liao Shiwei's apprentice, You Sanjie's brows immediately relaxed, and she said excitedly, "The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue? That's a high-ranking official of the third rank! If Brother becomes his apprentice, he will surely be able to help you in the future. Have you prepared the apprenticeship ceremony? What kind of tuition fee have you prepared?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Everything is ready. I will come to formally become your disciple when you take a break, my esteemed teacher."

Sister You readily agreed, and then said that the weather was getting warmer and the family had already prepared new clothes for Chen Siyuan, so she urged Chen Siyuan to put them on and take a look.

Chen Siyuan was both amused and exasperated, and said, "My mentor comes from a respectable family, so I can't afford to be adorned with jewels. It would be better to find something that's neither too new nor too old."

Only then did Sister You stop, nestled in Chen Siyuan's arms for a while, and suddenly said, "Brother, are you planning to have Minister Liao come to propose marriage? If the wedding date is set for next year, we should start preparing the house now."

Chen Siyuan quickly gripped her soft hand and turned to look at You Sanjie. A fleeting bitterness crossed You Sanjie's face, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "Second Miss, Miss Bao, and Miss Lin belong to three different families, so we need to prepare three residences for them. One is the daughter of the Duke's mansion, another is the orphan of the Salt Commissioner, and the third is Miss Bao, who is deeply in love with my brother. These three girls have grown up in luxury since childhood, so it wouldn't be right to mistreat them after they marry into the family."

This house needs to be at least three courtyards and three lanes. I originally planned to buy one first, and then slowly buy the neighboring houses. But my brother knows that land in the capital is incredibly valuable, especially in the inner city. I'm afraid that if you just let the word slip, it will be sold off the next day.”

That's true. Chen Siyuan was also at a loss, and said, "Then let's keep an eye out in the future. Maybe we'll find a suitable residence."

After hesitating for a moment, Sister You said, "There is a suitable place, near Shichahai, in Shihu Hutong behind the Guanyin Temple. It's a three-section, four-courtyard house with a sizable garden in the back... but the price is a bit high."

“Shihu Hutong…” Chen Si had been in the capital for several years and had traveled around, so after a moment’s thought, he said, “Are you talking about the residence of the Assistant General of the State?”

Sister You smiled and nodded repeatedly, saying, "It is indeed the residence of the Assistant General of the State."

This General of the State was a distant relative of Emperor Taizong Li Guo. Because of his meritorious service to Li Guo, he was granted the title of Prince of Antai after Li Guo unified the Central Plains. His title was subsequently demoted several times, and he is now the General of the State.

Living in the capital is extremely difficult. When the Emperor Emeritus was in power, the Prince's Mansion could still make a living by receiving imperial favors. However, after the current Emperor ascended the throne, the Prince's Mansion inherited the title three times. Furthermore, it was impeached by the Censor for encroaching on farmland, and the current Emperor directly confiscated tens of thousands of acres of fertile land belonging to the Assistant General of the State.

After a while, the General of the State's mansion was already starving.

Furthermore, this mansion was not built by imperial decree, but rather was built bit by bit by Prince Antai himself, which is why his unfilial descendants had the idea of ​​selling the mansion.

As mentioned earlier, a typical house in the inner city of the capital usually costs between forty and fifty taels of silver. However, since the Fuguo General's Mansion was formerly the residence of a prince, it occupies a vast area, so the price cannot be calculated based on the number of houses.

Chen Siyuan then asked, "How much will it cost?"

Sister You replied, "If it's less than 37,000 taels, then there's no point in discussing it."

Chen Siyuan assessed the situation himself and concluded that the price wasn't too high, and was fairly reasonable. However, he only had a maximum of 30,000 taels of silver on hand. Even if he managed to borrow some money to buy it, he probably wouldn't have enough to cover the repairs, which put him in a difficult position.

Suddenly remembering the matter of urging Prince Yanping to build a railway, Chen Siyuan gritted his teeth and said, "Sister, let's talk about it first. The Assistant General's Mansion is sticking to this price, and I'm afraid it won't be sold for three to five months. I'll think of a way later. If we can raise the money, we'll grit our teeth and buy it."

Sister You San agreed calmly. Chen Siyuan felt somewhat sorry for Sister You San... She was, after all, a young lady from an official family, and he had so inexplicably tricked her into running away with him as a concubine. Even if Chen Siyuan had no conscience, he would probably feel that he owed Sister You a lot.

He then hugged Sister You tightly and whispered, "Sister, have you really thought it through... won't you come with me tomorrow?"

You Sanjie gave her a reproachful look and said, "I don't have much contact with Second Miss, but I have met Miss Bao a few times... Although she is polite and easy-going, I'm afraid she looks down on me. If that's the case, why should I go over there and get in her way?"

After glancing around, Sister You smiled and said, "Rather than being tormented by the new wife, it's better to stay here and enjoy a carefree life."

(End of this chapter)