Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 377 Spring Festival Matters
She wore a pale yellow jacket with a pink and green floral pattern, over which was a white cross-collared coat, and a beige long skirt with scattered flowers. Her black hair was casually tied into a bun and adorned with a silver hairpin. Her oval face was slightly furrowed, and while politely declining, she also stole glances at Chen Siyuan, appearing very cautious.

Chen Siyuan found it extremely amusing and said, "Even if Hongyu is gone, I still have Xiangling and Wu'er by my side. Besides, there's Qingwen in the new house. If we really don't have enough manpower, I can transfer Qingwen over."

Second Sister Yingchun hesitated, knowing that Hongyu was the most prudent in her actions, and that this was all Chen Siyuan's good intention.

Before he could say anything more, Chen Siyuan continued, "Besides, after Second Sister leaves Siqi, I'm afraid she won't have anyone to take care of her. Hongyu has been with me for three years, and my parents are in charge of the household affairs. With her taking care of her, I can feel more at ease."

There's something Chen Siyuan didn't mention: Hongyu's indenture has always been with the Rongguo Mansion, and he also has Wu'er by his side. It's possible that Yunxiang, that little maid, will also leave the Rongguo Mansion with him someday. Asking for the indentures of three people right off the bat is somewhat unseemly.

Since Hongyu is determined to get closer to Yingchun, and Yingchun happens to be short-handed, sending Hongyu over would be a win-win situation. In this way, Hongyu can naturally marry into Yingchun's family next year.

Unable to refuse, Yingchun could only stammer and accept Chen Siyuan's kindness. Feeling flustered, Yingchun took a sip of fragrant tea before saying, "Yesterday afternoon, Madam returned home and said that all the young actresses in Pear Fragrance Courtyard could not stay. I just sent someone to inform them, but most of them refused to go back. After discussing it with Sister-in-law Zhen, we decided to send one to each of them."

The Twelve Officials? Chen Siyuan vaguely remembered that there were six or seven left, and one of them seemed to have died?
However, Chen Siyuan is no longer the same as before. He has beautiful women like Xiangling and Qingwen around him, as well as capable women like Hongyu. Naturally, he has lost interest in those minor actresses who can only sing.

Therefore, he said, "Second sister, why don't you ask the other sisters? My humble cottage is small, and Qingwen might come again in a few days, so I won't keep anyone longer."

Yingchun secretly considered it for a moment, then nodded in agreement with a pursed mouth.

Chen Siyuan was puzzled, wondering how Yingchun had managed to send Siqi away from the mansion.

When asked about this, Yingchun smiled and said, "Mother knows the reason and will not stop me. Madam is busy with the funeral arrangements and has entrusted everything to me and Sister-in-law Zhen. Besides, Siqi is my maid, so I am the one who decides what to do when she leaves the mansion."

He paused, then added, "Tomorrow I will inform Siqi of a serious illness and let her go home first."

Siqi is almost twenty now, and it's almost time for her to leave the manor. Normally, a head maidservant like Siqi would either marry into the manor as part of her dowry or be married off to a servant when she reaches a certain age. Sending her away from the manor on the grounds of a serious illness completely eliminates both of these possibilities.

Upon hearing this, Chen Siyuan looked up and saw Yingchun's eyes flicker slightly. He knew perfectly well about his affair with Siqi. Even if Yingchun hadn't seen it, she probably already knew pretty much everything.

What's that saying again? As long as you're not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed?
Chen Siyuan may lack some skills in other areas, but when it comes to shamelessness, perhaps only the eldest master Jia She in the entire household can rival him.

So, without batting an eye, he smiled and said, "Alright, I'll find her a place to go in a while."

With Siqi's temperament, it's not advisable to settle her in the new house, otherwise a fight would surely break out. However, it's good that Siqi keeps an eye on Miaoyu, whom she hasn't visited in quite some time, to prevent that hypocritical fake nun from having any other thoughts.

Yingchun nodded in agreement, but she wasn't jealous of the maidservant at all. Ultimately, this marriage was something she had forced upon herself. In terms of family support, Yingchun couldn't compare to Daiyu; in terms of personal affection, Yingchun couldn't compare to Baochai. Her marriage to Chen Siyuan was purely a stroke of luck!

The second daughter never asked for much, only hoping that she and her brother Yuan would treat each other with respect in the future... and it would be even better if there were some affection between them.

Thinking of this, Yingchun stole a glance at Chen Siyuan. Because he was staying at home to study, Chen Siyuan was simply wearing a sky-blue Taoist robe and a net on his head. However, he was handsome and elegant, especially his eyes, which were as black as lacquer. Just one glance made Yingchun's heart flutter.

All matters had been discussed, and Yingchun had originally intended to have a private conversation with Chen Siyuan, but when the time came, she backed down and felt extremely embarrassed.

The hall fell silent for a moment. Yingchun, concealing herself, picked up her teacup and sipped the little fragrant tea in it. After putting down the teacup, Yingchun's heart pounded even faster. Afraid of embarrassing herself in front of Chen Siyuan, she stood up and said, "In that case, I'll take my leave now."

Chen Siyuan also put down his teacup and stood up, as if to see Yingchun off. Yingchun blushed and walked away with her head down, but she was stopped by Chen Siyuan with a raised sleeve after only two steps.

Yingchun Xiaochi was startled and stopped to look over in surprise. She saw Chen Siyuan smiling at her and saying, "Second sister, are you very busy?"

Yingchun nodded at first, then shook her head. There were indeed many household affairs to attend to, whether it was Siqi leaving the manor or the young actors being placed in various places, Yingchun had to handle them all... but when you think about it carefully, it wasn't that urgent.

Before she could say anything, Chen Siyuan had already strode over. Yingchun instinctively took two steps back, only stopping when she touched the table behind her.

She panicked, her mind went blank for a moment, and she blushed, too ashamed to look at Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan had already moved closer, reached out and took Yingchun's hand, and felt that her palm was covered in cold sweat as soon as he touched it.

Yingchun was of average height, while Chen Siyuan was more than half a head taller than her. He leaned down slightly and whispered in Yingchun's ear, "Second sister was quite bold on Qinfang Bridge a few days ago."

"I, I..." Yingchun was too embarrassed to speak.

Chen Siyuan found it increasingly amusing. He lightly touched Yingchun's waist with his other hand, causing Yingchun to tremble. Chen Siyuan dared not tease Yingchun any further and said gently, "I won't eat Second Sister. The engagement has been made, and Second Sister is to marry me tomorrow. What should we do if things continue like this?"

Yingchun's heart pounded faster and faster. When she was too shy to be shy, she suddenly became reckless and boldly looked up at Chen Siyuan, saying, "I... I teased you... because I didn't want to be just a couple who were only together in name."

Chen Siyuan laughed and asked, "What do you mean by a couple in name only?"

Yingchun shed her shyness and let Chen Siyuan wrap his arms around her waist. She held Chen Siyuan's hand in return and stared into his clear eyes, saying, "There is no shortage of couples in this world who are only in name, like my father and mother, my wife and my husband, and Brother Zhen and Sister-in-law Zhen."

Seeing how serious she was, Chen Siyuan smiled, leaned down and kissed her forehead, saying, "Second sister, don't worry, I'm marrying you, not some kind of Bodhisattva to worship."

Yingchun felt a slight soothing sensation, yet also a deep bitterness. She couldn't help but throw herself into Chen Siyuan's arms, her eyes reddening, and murmured softly, "I know I can't compare to Baochai or Lin Daiyu, not even Xing Daiyu. Besides... I came later, and it's already a miracle I managed to secure a good marriage. I know I shouldn't force it. But I... but I just can't accept it—"

Yingchun felt wronged, but because of her age, she never confided in anyone.

Born out of wedlock, with her birth mother deceased, Jia She ruined her health and then claimed that she would not have any more children because of Yingchun's birth mother. Unable to survive in the east wing, she had to ask Lady Wang for cover. Clearly, she was a woman of great talent and wisdom, but she pretended to be mediocre in order to survive.

The maid was domineering, and the wet nurse was difficult; the whole household called him "Second Blockhead."

Her food, clothing, and daily necessities were often cut back, while Baoyu lived a life of luxury. She was cautious and dared not make a single mistake, while Baoyu was always causing trouble. Ironically, when Baoyu got into trouble, she would eagerly plead for him, all she wanted was to show her face in front of the old lady and let her remember that she was at least her granddaughter.

If you think about it carefully, Yingchun has never had a day without feeling wronged since she was born.

Chen Siyuan understood Yingchun's plight, but he couldn't offer any advice. Knowing that it would be pointless to try to persuade her now, he reached out and hugged Yingchun tightly, letting his second sister sob in his arms.

When you have a lot of grievances in your heart, a good cry can always release some of them. If you keep them bottled up inside, you're afraid that over time you'll develop mental illness.

After a long while, Yingchun's sobs gradually subsided. Chen Siyuan, feeling tired from standing for so long, simply sat down and pulled his second sister into his lap. Yingchun gasped softly, her face streaked with tears. When she met Chen Siyuan's gaze, she immediately blushed with embarrassment.

Chen Siyuan didn't say anything else, he just softly called her "Second Sister". Yingchun lowered her eyes and let Chen Siyuan make advances.

In late spring, the grass grows and the orioles fly.

The head maid, Xiuju, stood guard outside the door, vaguely answering the passing old woman. She couldn't help but wonder what her young mistress and Master Yuan were talking about, as there was no sound from inside and her young mistress hadn't come out.

After waiting a while, Xiuju could no longer contain her curiosity, so she turned around and slightly pushed open the door of Yuyin Hall a crack, peeking inside.

This glance was quite alarming. She saw her young lady nestled in Master Yuan's arms, his hand caressing her back, their faces pressed together. The girl nestled against Master Yuan's shoulder, murmuring sweet nothings, but because they were so far apart, she couldn't hear a word. In an instant, she saw their lips meet, and Xiu Ju's face flushed crimson, a wave of tingling pleasure spreading through her body.

Knowing she shouldn't look any further, Xiu Ju still stared for a long time. When she heard some faint noises outside, she hurriedly turned around.

Another maidservant passed by. Since Yingchun was now in charge of the household, and Yingchun was her personal maidservant, the servants in the garden naturally fawned over her.

Xiuju finally managed to answer two of the maids' questions correctly, and couldn't resist peeking again. But as soon as she turned around, she saw the door open and her young mistress walking out with a blush on her face.

“Miss… Miss…” Xiu Ju blinked and was surprised to see that her young lady’s handkerchief seemed to have come loose.

Yingchun forced herself to remain calm, nodded to Xiuju, and said, "It's settled, let's go back first."

Xiuju responded and hurriedly followed Yingchun back. But as they approached the Peony Pavilion, Yingchun suddenly stopped and turned back, biting her lower lip and glancing back with shimmering eyes. Xiuju also turned back and saw Chen Siyuan standing in front of the Elm Shade Hall, watching the two leave.

Yingchun quickly nodded to Chen Siyuan, then turned and walked away with her head down. Even after circling around Daoxiang Village, the blush on Yingchun's face hadn't faded, her mind filled with the intimate and romantic moments she had just shared with Chen Siyuan.

Xiuju pondered wildly, but unlike Siqi, she lacked decisiveness and dared not make decisions for Yingchun. She wanted to offer some advice, but feared her young lady might cause a death... However, upon further reflection, she thought that Master Yuan was also a womanizer. Leaving aside his affairs outside, he had beautiful women like Xiangling, Hongyu, and Liu Wu'er in the house, yet she had never heard of any deaths among them.

On the contrary, it was Master Bao who would have his maids secretly ask the main kitchen to prepare a bowl of contraceptive soup for him every now and then. As the saying goes, one can deceive superiors but not subordinates; the whole household knew about this, except for Madam and the Old Madam, who were completely unaware.

Thinking about it this way, Master Yuan is a man of principle, so there's no need for Xiuju to worry unnecessarily. Then she thought about how she would be marrying the young lady next year, and what would happen if she started menstruating or became pregnant… Master Yuan is so handsome and dashing, haha, once Siqi leaves, who else but me will be her maid?

When Xiuju thought of the embarrassing parts, her face became even redder than Yingchun's. So much so that the two of them remained silent all the way, and even after arriving at Zhuijin Tower, they didn't speak for a long time.

After a while, footsteps were heard, and then Siqi, with red eyes, came upstairs.

Yingchun's complexion returned to normal at this moment, and Xiuju, knowing the reason, quickly found an excuse to leave.

Yingchun beckoned Siqi over, and Siqi said in a hoarse voice, "Miss, I... I've already told my mother and grandmother."

Yingchun sighed and said, "What an unexpected disaster. Don't worry, I just spoke with Brother Yuan. He said he would let you go home to pay your respects for a few days and then find a place for you to stay."

Siqi nodded silently, inwardly hating Sun Shaozu! She had gone to great lengths to arrange Yingchun's marriage to Chen Siyuan, and she was about to become a maidservant next year to accompany him in the marriage. But now, Sun Shaozu had interfered and insisted on taking her as a concubine!

Although Siqi is very calculating, she has one redeeming quality: once she sets her mind on someone, she will remain devoted to them until death. In the original book, she would say "a woman deserves a man" even for her cousin Pan You'an, who had deceived her into having sex with her. Now that she has already given herself to Chen Siyuan, she naturally has no other thoughts.

After all, they had been mistress and servant. Although Yingchun did not intend to keep Siqi any longer, she could not bear to see her without a place to live. So she couldn't help but say, "If you report a serious illness, I'm afraid it will damage your reputation. Why don't you reconsider?"

Siqi stubbornly shook her head and said, "I've made up my mind. Please tell me you have a serious illness. Anyway, anyway... I don't want to be matched with a servant randomly."

The arrangements for leaving the manor had already been made, and Siqi had packed her belongings early. Yingchun, seeing this, said nothing more, gave Siqi fifty taels of silver as a personal allowance, and then called over the head maid, who quickly settled the matter. A little over half an hour later, Xiuju, leading a maidservant, quietly escorted Siqi out through the back door. Siqi, feeling dejected, returned to the Qin family to settle down. Around noon that day, Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and others returned from the memorial service. Yingchun, after asking the young actresses, went to find Lady Wang to report.

Eight remained in total, and Lady Wang led Yingchun to Rongqing Hall first. Grandmother Jia pondered for a moment and left the civil official to serve herself. The remaining officials were assigned as follows: Fangguan (the first official in the first month of the lunar calendar) to Baoyu; Ruiguan to Baochai; Ouguan to Daiyu; Kuiguan to Xiangyun; Douguan to Baoqin; and Aiguan to Tanchun.

The old lady, Qieguan, was originally intended to be given to Xichun, but the Ouxiang Pavilion was too cramped, and it was not appropriate to keep any more maids, so she was given to You Shi.

Those who were to leave the manor were given a reward according to custom, and their parents took them back the next day.

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

Ten days or so passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already late March.

Chen Siyuan studied diligently day and night, and whenever he had a spare moment, he would secretly go to the Green Bamboo Nunnery to visit Aunt Xue. The sisters in the garden all knew that there was only one year left until the imperial examination, so apart from Baochai, Daiyu, Baoqin, and Xing Xiuyan who came to visit once, even Xichun refrained from disturbing them.

Since Siqi left the manor, no new staff had been added to Yingchun's household. Although Xiuju tried her best, she was not a meticulous person to begin with, and in the midst of the chaos, she naturally made many mistakes.

Grandmother Jia wanted to send one of her maids over, but Yingchun politely declined with a smile. With the Dowager Empress's twenty-one-day mourning period in the side palace nearing its end, Lin Zhixiao's wife had just come to plead with Lady Wang to transfer her daughter Hongyu to the Second Miss's quarters.

This matter was handled in a secretive manner, but anyone who wasn't a fool could see that Chen Siyuan and Yingchun were definitely involved.
Lady Wang was exhausted from attending the daily sacrifices, so she naturally wouldn't bother with such a trivial matter. She granted Lin Zhixiao's request.

After Hongyu, her eyes red-rimmed, bid farewell to Chen Siyuan and headed to Zhuijinlou with her bundle, Madam Xing finally realized what was happening. Whether it was because Yingchun hadn't told her or because she wanted to stand up for Miao'er and Tiao'er, Madam Xing still had to make a show of it.

So, no sooner had Hongyu arrived at Zhuijin Tower than Madam Xing stormed in, looking for her with a fierce expression. She confronted Yingchun with a barrage of sarcastic remarks, but Yingchun remained meek and submissive, agreeing to everything she said, leaving Madam Xing feeling like she'd punched cotton.

Regardless of the circumstances, she had at least demonstrated her authority as the legal mother. After reprimanding Yingchun, Madam Xing turned around and comforted her two personal maids, saying, "There are four maids who will accompany you as dowry, but the second young lady only has two. What's the rush? When the second young lady gets married, you'll be rewarded!"

Miao'er and Tiao'er were overjoyed and thanked Madam Xing profusely, but didn't say anything more.

Chen Siyuan had been studying for more than ten days, but one day he couldn't concentrate on his studies anymore. Feeling restless, he decided to go outside for a walk in the afternoon.

The moment Hongyu left, the thatched cottage was thrown into chaos. Clothes were missing one moment, and shoes were wrong the next. Xiangling and Wu'er managed to handle things inside the house, but they were powerless to deal with the situation outside.

Chen Siyuan wanted to bring Qingwen over, but remembering Qingwen's fiery temper, he knew that Qingwen could not replace Hongyu.

While scratching his head, Xiangling suggested, "Master, why don't you let Yunxiang handle the affairs outside?"

"rue?"

Xiangling said, "Don't underestimate Yunxiang just because she's young. She's very sweet-talking and has often accompanied Hongyu on errands. Now that Hongyu has gone to Zhuijinlou, if anyone can replace her, I'm afraid it's only Yunxiang."

After some thought, Chen Siyuan decided that neither Xiangling nor Wu'er were the type to take on responsibilities. He then resolved to entrust the household affairs to Qingwen and the external affairs to Yunxiang. Without further ado, he immediately summoned the unruly Yunxiang back to his room.

These days, the Jia family is busy with the sacrificial rites. Every night, they close the ceremonial gate and lock the garden gate, and nothing else happens. Yunxiang's skills have nowhere to be used.

Having been found and brought back, he couldn't help but feel a little dejected.

After entering and exchanging greetings with a pout, he couldn't help but say dejectedly, "Sir, nothing has really happened these past few days... Alas, I'm afraid there won't be any reward money next month."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Hongyu went to Zhuijinlou, and there is no one to take care of the affairs in the courtyard for the time being. I just asked Xiangling and Wu'er, and they both said that it is appropriate to leave the affairs outside to you to take care of."

"Huh?" Yunxiang looked up and blinked, then asked happily, "Master, will my monthly allowance increase if I become a head maid?"

Chen Siyuan nodded and smiled, "From now on, I will give you one tael of silver every month. Besides the food box, you will take care of everything else."

The young maid was overjoyed and quickly curtsied, saying, "Don't worry, sir, I'll definitely handle everything outside perfectly!" After a pause, she asked nervously, "Um... is there a reward for listening to messages?"

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and said, "As always, just listen carefully."

"Hehehe, thank you, sir! Thank you, Sister Xiangling! Thank you, Sister Wu'er!" Yunxiang was overjoyed and bowed to everyone around her. She then ran out and bought some malt candy from somewhere, giving it to everyone she met.

The fact that this little miser could send malt candy around shows how ecstatic she was.

Xiangling and Wu'er joked around for a while, then helped Chen Siyuan change his clothes. Chen Siyuan then left the Rongguo Mansion and went to the Qin family in the back street to look for them.

Siqi had been away from the mansion for about ten days. Since her parents and maternal grandmother were all busy with their duties there, she was unsupervised during the day, only receiving some nagging from her father at night. She didn't have to serve anyone, so her days were relatively comfortable. However, as time went on, she couldn't help but become a little anxious. One moment she resented Sun Shaozu for causing trouble, and the next she worried that Chen Siyuan had forgotten about her.

As she stared blankly out the window, she suddenly heard a knock at the door. Siqi lazily slipped on her shoes, stepped out of the room, and called out, "Who is it?"

"it's me."

When Chen Siyuan's voice rang out, Siqi was overjoyed. She quickly lowered the door bolt, opened the door, and saw Chen Siyuan standing tall in front of her.

Siqi's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she called out in a tearful voice, "Uncle Yuan."

Chen Siyuan smiled, raised his hand to stroke his cheek, and asked in a low voice, "Are you all alone at home?"

Siqi quickly ushered him in. Once inside, Chen Siyuan saw the messy bedding on the kang (heated brick bed). Siqi blushed and said shyly, "I've been doing nothing all day, so I've become a bit lazy."

Chen Siyuan laughed and pulled him to his side, making unwanted advances while asking, "That guy surnamed Sun didn't come again, did he?"

Siqi hummed twice, then snuggled into his arms and whispered, "No, he hasn't come looking for me since he returned the betrothal money."

"That's good... Your parents didn't say anything, did they?"

Siqi said, "Mother knows about my affair with Uncle Yuan, but she doesn't want to tell Father, lest it cause trouble... So, Father is inevitably a bit noisy."

Chen Siyuan reached inside his clothes and gently held half of Yingrou's breast, saying, "It seems to have become a bit plumper..."

"Grandpa..." Siqi pouted and protested.

Chen Siyuan then said, "Stay a few more days, and I'll find you a place to stay. By the way, do you still have enough money? Home is not like the mansion; the food, clothing, and daily necessities are probably much worse."

Siqi hurriedly replied, "The master gave me some money before, and the second young lady also gave me fifty taels when I left the manor. I don't need any money."

As they spoke, Siqi became increasingly aroused and couldn't help but cling to Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan was tempted, but remembering that he had other things to do today, he could only restrain himself and slightly push Siqi away, smiling as he said, "There's plenty of time in the future. I need to find you a place to stay today, so it's not appropriate for you to stay any longer."

That's what they said, but they still ended up having a heated argument. Chen Siyuan briefly mentioned Miaoyu's situation, indicating that he wanted Siqi to keep an eye on her. He also left Siqi a hundred taels of silver as a personal allowance. After lingering for about two cups of tea, he got up and left.

Siqi was naturally pleased. How could a mere maid like her possibly know how many women Chen Siyuan had around him? She was content as long as Chen Siyuan thought of her every now and then.

After bidding farewell to Siqi, Chen Siyuan rode his horse to the new residence. Unfortunately, on this day, You Erjie and Qingwen had finalized the wedding arrangements and went to Xuanbeifang to check out the shop, leaving only You Sanjie at home.

At that moment, Sister You was sorting out accounts, and she only came out to greet Chen Siyuan after he passed through the second gate.

After welcoming Chen Siyuan into the main room and serving him fragrant tea, Sister You complained, "With the passing of the Dowager Empress this month, I'm afraid the future of Baicaotang will be cut in half."

The Emperor issued an imperial edict that commoners were forbidden from getting married for three months, nobles from holding banquets for a year, and brothels throughout the capital were closed. With the two flagship products of Baicaotang rendered useless, a sharp decline in business was inevitable.

Chen Siyuan sighed and was about to offer some words of comfort when Sister You suddenly smiled and changed her tone, saying, "However, there are two good things."

Chen Siyuan was very surprised and hurriedly asked, "Is there more good news?"

Sister You smiled and nodded, her face bright, and sat down next to Chen Siyuan, saying, "Firstly, a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan has come to discuss acquiring two of Baicaotang's finest medicines in large quantities;"

With the emperor far away and the capital at large, imperial edicts were just empty words once they left the capital. Wealthy families in Jiangnan and salt merchants in Yangzhou paid no heed to such imperial edicts. They simply feasted and enjoyed themselves.

"On another note, the three brothers of the Assistant General's Mansion are fighting over their inheritance. I heard they almost came to blows the other day! Yesterday I went to sound them out, and the owner finally relented, saying that 35,000 taels was negotiable. I'm thinking that if we can buy some more time, we might be able to reduce the price a bit more."

The price has dropped? It's dropped by two thousand taels of silver! This is an unexpected surprise!

Chen Siyuan praised, "My sister is becoming more and more capable. I think she will be able to manage her own business in the future."

Sister You chuckled, reached out and wrapped her arms around Chen Siyuan's neck, and said thoughtfully, "I will manage this Baicaotang for another year. After you marry the Second Miss, you will have to take back the public funds."

Baicaotang has been quite successful, earning Chen Siyuan over 20,000 taels of silver in three years. Although You Sanjie has willingly become a mistress and wants Chen Siyuan to acquire some businesses for her, she is not comfortable keeping Baicaotang under her control.

Chen Siyuan immediately frowned and said, "You can leave Baicaotang to my sister from now on. Although I am short of money right now, I can take it easy."

Sister You refused, saying, "I didn't say that you shouldn't take care of me. If I give up Baicaotang, you must buy me more farms and shops, especially shops. Aunt Dou said a while ago that there was a glassmaking workshop in the suburbs of Beijing that was going to be sold. I was thinking of just taking it over and making all kinds of glass jewelry."

(End of this chapter)