Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 423 Risking One's Life to Accompany You
Before we knew it, the rooster crowed at dawn and the sun rose.

The second daughter, Yingchun, was still a virgin, and during their intimate moments, Chen Siyuan was mostly gentle and tender, lacking his usual unrestrained nature, so it wasn't quite as enjoyable as he usually was. Because it was early morning, Chen Siyuan woke up very early.

The second young lady, her hair disheveled, leaned slightly forward in a deep sleep. Her oval face was etched with weariness, and traces of tears seemed to linger beneath her round eyes. She was covered by a bright red wedding quilt, her snow-white arms protruding from it, her slender, delicate hands resting on Chen Siyuan's chest.

Chen Siyuan stirred slightly, and Yingchun groaned and woke up abruptly. She opened her sleepy eyes, briefly met Chen Siyuan's gaze, and then lowered her head shyly.

After a moment, he hurriedly sat up and asked anxiously, "What time is it?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and asked, "What does Second Sister intend to do?"

"I—" Yingchun was speechless, only then remembering that the Chen family had no elders or sisters-in-law, so there was no need to get up so early.

Chen Siyuan smiled and reached out his hand. The second girl pouted and glanced at him sideways before slowly and obediently lying back in his arms. He then realized that Yingrou in front of him had been captured.

Even after the physical intimacy, the second young lady was still somewhat unaccustomed to it. She gave a soft hum, glanced quickly at Chen Siyuan, and then snuggled into his arms like a cat.

After a while, Yingchun asked in a hoarse voice, "Why are you up so early?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I usually get up around this time to practice my stance training a couple of times to loosen up my muscles and bones. You're still young, so there's no need for you to rush to get up."

The second girl responded in a voice barely audible, and unconsciously hugged Chen Siyuan tightly, as if only in this way could she remind him that this was not a dream.

The two lingered briefly on the bed before Chen Siyuan got up. Yingchun struggled to sit up and helped him change his clothes before covering her head with the blanket and lying back down.

Recalling the embarrassing scene from last night, the second young lady's pretty face turned bright red, and she whimpered and moaned shyly.

Just then, a noise came from outside, and the maid Xiuju asked, "Is...madam awake?"

Although Yingchun was tired, she couldn't fall asleep for a while, so she replied, "Come in."

A voice answered from outside, and soon Xiuju and Hongyu brought in water. The three of them, mistress and servants, looked at each other, the second young lady too shy to show her face. Hongyu tidied the bed, then found the bridal handkerchief under the pillow. Seeing the red plum blossoms on it, she playfully placed it in a brocade box and hid it under the chest.

Xiuju helped Yingchun with her washing and dressing. Seeing that Yingchun walked slowly but did not show any signs of pain, Xiuju couldn't help but marvel.

Every year, countless maids in the Rongguo Mansion are married off to young men. Some of these husbands are so impetuous that the new brides probably can't even get out of bed for a day. Xiuju remembers that last night, she was moaning and groaning in her room for almost half an hour. Why is her young mistress so relaxed?
Feeling utterly puzzled, Xiuju couldn't help but ask while combing Yingchun's hair, "Grandma... how were you last night?"

"Hmm?" Yingchun paused for a moment, then quickly replied with an "Hmm."

He thought to himself: Brother Yuan is indeed very good; his tenderness goes without saying.
That's strange! The wet nurse had previously told Yingchun to grit her teeth and bear with it?

A jumble of thoughts flashed through her mind, and it was not something she could easily share with Xiuju. So the second young lady quickly sought out Hongyu and asked how the breakfast was prepared and what the arrangements were afterward.

Hongyu recounted the breakfast as if it were a familiar story, saying, "This place is different from the Rongguo Mansion. The master only sets three meals a day, unlike the Rongguo Mansion where there are three meals and two snacks."

Yingchun smiled and nodded, saying, "That's how it should be. Otherwise, it would be really troublesome if we were either eating or on our way to eat every day."

Hongyu smiled and echoed her words, then said, "Afterwards, everyone in the household will pay their respects to Grandma. The silver box is all prepared, and two hundred taels of silver coins, each worth four qian, have been prepared. I guarantee that's enough."

Yingchun pondered and said, "Qingwen, Xiangling, and Wu'er are not ordinary maids; they should be rewarded in the same way as the concubines."

Xiuju smiled and said, "Grandma only rewarded Wu'er. Qingwen is going to Miss Lin's place tomorrow, and Xiangling is going to Miss Bao's place too."

Yingchun laughed and said, "That's not appropriate. Since we're all together now, let's reward them all at once. Why distinguish between those near and far, inside and outside? It'll only make people worry."

Hongyu smiled and agreed, then added, "Besides, there's only one person in charge in the mansion, so the job of managing the household still needs to be assigned by Madam."

“This…” Yingchun hesitated.

Hongyu quickly added, "Madam doesn't know, even the person in charge was hired from outside. He's only after money and isn't very loyal. Master thought Madam would bring a few capable maids with her, so he only used Qingwen and Xiangling to manage things and didn't assign any internal or external stewards."

"I see, I understand now." Yingchun breathed a sigh of relief, feeling even more at ease.

“Yes,” Hongyu exclaimed, and hurried to the outer room. She returned shortly with a pair of keys in her hand. She placed them on the dressing table and said, “Just now, when Master went out for his morning exercise, he left the pair of keys and instructed me to give them to you, Madam, to keep.”

A warm feeling welled up in Yingchun's heart, but she retorted with a hint of reproach, "Why is he in such a hurry?"

Hongyu covered her mouth and laughed, "Master is impatient with household affairs, and the Chen family has no other relatives. I'm afraid Master would love to hand over the management of the household to Madam as soon as possible."

Xiuju suddenly covered her mouth and laughed, "The young lady is called 'Grandma,' but the master has been promoted to 'Master.' If we consider it from the master's perspective, the young lady should be called 'Madam.'"

Hongyu laughed and said, "Who made Master become the third-ranked scholar at such a young age? In addition, there are no other elders in the family, so we have to call him Master. I think it would be better to call him Master and Madam at home, and then call him Uncle and Grandma when we return to our bride's home."

The three of them, master and servant, chatted and laughed. Before long, Yingchun finished dressing up. Seeing that it was still early, she lay on the bed for a while.

After a while, Chen Siyuan returned, panting. Hongyu and Xiuju rushed over to serve him. Chen Siyuan simply took off his shirt, leaving his upper body bare, and let the two maids wash him.

Hongyu was used to it, but after not tasting meat for over a month, she found herself craving it. Xiuju, on the other hand, was seeing it for the first time, which made the pretty maid blush with embarrassment. For a long time, she could only wipe her face on Chen Siyuan's arm.

Chen Siyuan was rubbing so hard that he couldn't help but laugh and said, "If you don't rub somewhere else, your skin might break!"

In her panic, Xiuju blushed even more, stammering and becoming increasingly flustered.

Men are attracted to beautiful women, but aren't women just as attracted to them?
Yingchun initially stole glances at him, but then suddenly remembered that she was already a married woman, and she became less reserved, scrutinizing him closely. Seeing that Xiuju was useless, Yingchun simply got up and moved over with her lotus-like steps, saying, "Let me do it," and took the handkerchief to carefully wipe Chen Siyuan's face.

After a short while, Chen Siyuan changed into a set of fine linen clothes, and Miao'er and Tiao'er brought in the food.

The two sat diagonally opposite each other, eating their meal while exchanging glances and tender expressions, their affection overflowing.

After a short rest after the meal, the couple went to the main room in the second courtyard and sat down on the left and right sides. Then, the maids, servants, and other servants of the household came in one after another to greet the new mistress.

As the snowflakes of silver were scattered, everyone's face lit up with smiles. The second young lady appeared amiable, and the servants, who gossiped in private, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, assuming that their mistress wasn't harsh and that they could finally enjoy some more relaxed days ahead.

After distributing the rewards, the second young lady pondered for a moment and appointed Li Cai, a servant, as the head steward of the outer courtyard, and Wu Jun's wife as the steward of the inner courtyard. Fearing that Chen Siyuan might have some suspicions, Yingchun explained in a low voice, "Li Cai, Wu Jun, and the others are all from the late madam's estate. They are honest and upright people. I considered them for a long time before choosing them as servants."

Chen Siyuan said nonchalantly, "Madam can decide this matter herself."

Yingchun was relieved to see that he had no objections. The remaining staff, including the purchasing office, the affairs office, the warehouse, and the accounting office, were assigned to their respective roles.

With the task settled, the servants bowed and took their leave, each going about their business without further mention.

Chen Siyuan and Yingchun returned hand in hand to the main house of the three-courtyard house.

According to custom, after a bride enters the family, she must serve tea to her parents-in-law the next morning, and in the afternoon she must meet with her husband's relatives and then worship at the ancestral hall.

Chen Siyuan was all alone, and even his identity was a lie, so he naturally forgot about the matter of worshipping at the ancestral hall. He didn't care, but Yingchun cared a lot.

As soon as they returned to the main room, the second young lady asked, "When will my husband take me to offer sacrifices to the ancestors of the Chen family?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "No rush, let's talk about it this afternoon. Oh, I have something else to give to Second Sister." As he spoke, Chen Siyuan got up and went to the door. He whispered a few words to Miao'er, who responded and quickly left. A moment later, she returned with Qingwen, who was carrying a sandalwood box.

Chen Siyuan took the box, turned back into the hall, and handed it to Yingchun, saying, "A woman marries a man for food and clothing. Now that Second Sister has married me, it wouldn't be right for her to spend her own money to help with household expenses."

The second daughter was delighted. She opened the box and found it full, mostly silver notes, along with several house deeds.

A rough count revealed 12,000 taels of silver notes, seven houses outside the capital, and three shops, with an annual income of only a few hundred taels—better than nothing. As for the contracts for the various businesses, Yingchun knew that Chen Siyuan had two wives, Baochai and Daiyu, who were also his heirs, so it was inappropriate for him to entrust all the businesses to her.

What truly surprised her was that there wasn't a single acre of farmland inside!
Yingchun said, "Did you give me all the money? Now that my husband has entered officialdom, he needs to keep some money for himself. Besides, Baochai and Lin Daiyu will be marrying into the family soon, and my husband can't show favoritism to one another."

Chen Siyuan laughed it off, saying, "Second sister, don't worry about it. We've already saved some for them."

Yingchun added, "I see many houses and shops, but I don't know why I don't see any farmland?"

Chen Siyuan said, "The land around the capital has long been occupied by our predecessors. Firstly, it is difficult to find suitable land, and if we want to buy it, we have to leave the capital and go to Zhili and Shandong to buy it. Secondly, the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow. This dynasty is most afraid of land annexation. If I buy land on a large scale, I am afraid that I will be attacked in the future."

The second daughter then said, "In that case, there's no need to rush for land. Liaodong is bitterly cold, and even after a hundred years of the imperial court driving people to cultivate the land, there is still a lot of wasteland. I'll look around later, and if there's a suitable estate in Liaodong, we'll buy one." She paused, then explained, "This isn't for any other reason than that. The estate doesn't need to be very big; it just needs to be enough to provide for our family's rice and grain each year, and we can send some mountain delicacies and wild game with it."

Chen Siyuan smiled and agreed. Seeing her serious expression, he couldn't help but reach out and grab her soft hand.

Yingchun's pretty face flushed. She felt a pang of inferiority, always believing that marrying Chen Siyuan was a stroke of good fortune. After a moment's hesitation, she continued, "Also, when will Sister Xing be officially accepted into the family? Shouldn't we choose a date? Hongyu was with you the first, shouldn't she be promoted to a concubine? And Qingwen and Xiangling are both here, shouldn't we arrange their order of appointments..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Siyuan interrupted, "Second sister, you've only just married into the family. Let's talk about this later."

The second young lady glanced at him with her bright eyes, then swallowed back her words, pursing her lips. She knew Chen Siyuan had saved her face; since he had said to postpone it, then these matters could be discussed later.

Yingchun had gotten up early and had breakfast, and after a long day of work, she was inevitably feeling sleepy. Chen Siyuan saw her yawning repeatedly and urged her to take a nap.

The second young lady felt a little embarrassed, but she couldn't resist Chen Siyuan's urging, so she finally took off her hairpins and rested for a while.

After a nap of more than an hour, the second young lady was finally well-rested. She had lunch with Chen Siyuan at noon, chatted for a while, and then headed to the ancestral hall in the back garden.

This was the second young lady's first time visiting the back garden. She noticed that it was much smaller than the Grand View Garden and its layout was not particularly regular, yet it was exquisitely maintained. There were verdant pines and bamboos, pavilions and towers, small bridges and flowing water, and a clear lake where water birds could frolic.

After circling around to the back, the couple, dressed neatly and solemnly, entered to offer their prayers. The second daughter, Yingchun, silently prayed that she would one day be a good wife and mother, ensuring the Chen family's prosperity and flourishing. Only after sincerely offering incense did the burdens in her heart finally dissipate.

In Yingchun's view, only by worshipping in the ancestral hall and being included in the family genealogy can one be considered a woman of the Chen family.

Since they had just left the ancestral hall, the second young lady had a slight smile on her face.

Knowing what she was thinking, Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Second sister has never been sightseeing before, why don't we take this opportunity to do so?"

Yingchun smiled and agreed, and Chen Siyuan then took her hand and led her around.

After a short while, the two sat down at the Moonlit Pavilion. Miao'er and Tiao'er served tea, snacks, and fruit, then tactfully slipped away.

Newlyweds, enjoying the bliss of their honeymoon. After a brief exchange, seeing that no one was around, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but act improperly again.

With a delicate mouth and a fair face, he quickly slipped his hand inside her clothes and began to caress her until she felt weak all over.

The second young lady was deeply ashamed, fearing that the maid would see her. She struggled slightly and blurted out in a panic, "It's still daytime... Besides, didn't my husband just enjoy himself last night? Such things should be done in moderation, we can't indulge in them and harm our health."

Regardless of the second young lady's true intentions, Chen Siyuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He thought to himself, "Am I being underestimated?"
Looking around, Chen Siyuan spotted Tingyue Tower. He sneered, "Second Sister seems to have some misunderstanding about me... Well then, the scenery from Tingyue Tower is excellent, why don't we take a good look together!"

Having said that, without another word, he pulled the second young lady straight to Tingyue Tower. The second young lady was so frightened that her face turned red with embarrassment, but she couldn't bear to refuse, so she could only bite her lower lip and follow him.

Miao'er and Tiao'er, who were accompanying them, were quick-witted and, while furious, could only wait anxiously from a distance and shoo away any servants who approached.

Once inside the building, Chen Siyuan used a few tricks, and the second girl was kneaded by him like dough.

The scene inside is truly: freehand, stretching and contracting, genuinely cherished, gentle and tender. One sways wildly, the other is simply dug to the root. One is like water that cannot be stopped, the other is like fire that cannot be extinguished.

After about half an hour, Chen Siyuan finally came out from inside.

He waved to Miao'er and Tiao'er from afar, and only after the two girls came closer did Chen Siyuan cough and say, "Madam has twisted her ankle and is having difficulty walking. You two should help Madam back to her room."

Such words might fool a fool, but Miao'er and Tiao'er would never believe them. They couldn't help but give each other a sidelong glance and a mocking look.

The two maids smiled and went upstairs to find Yingchun. They saw that her clothes were soaked with sweat, and she looked sleepy and drowsy, just like a crabapple blossom in the spring breeze. Miao'er and Tiao'er exchanged a glance, both of them feeling envious.

The second young lady had fainted and woken up several times, her soul seemingly scattered to the winds. Now, having regained her senses, she disregarded her shyness and allowed the two maids to help her back to the main room.

As night fell, seeing that Chen Siyuan's interest was rising again, the second young lady was truly frightened this time. She pleaded, "Husband, please allow me some time. I really can't take it anymore. If you're in the mood, why don't you go find Hongyu, Xiangling, and Qingwen? I... I still have to go back to my parents' home tomorrow!"

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but laugh triumphantly before embracing Yingchun and falling asleep together.

The next day was the day for the couple to return to the bride's family home. They dressed themselves up early in the morning and left at dawn, riding together in a carriage.

With four servants leading the way and four maids following behind, they made their way to the Rongguo Mansion.

Upon arriving at their destination, they found the Rongguo Mansion with its main gate wide open, where Jia Lian, Jia Cong, and others were waiting to greet them.

The couple arrived at the ceremonial gate and took a carriage. With attendants in front and behind, they went first to Rongqing Hall to pay their respects to the old lady. Afterwards, Chen Siyuan and Jia Lian went to the front to have tea, while the second young lady followed Madam Xing to the east courtyard.

Of the sisters in the mansion, Daiyu, whose wedding was approaching and who was marrying the same man, naturally couldn't show herself to meet them. The remaining three young ladies, Tanchun, Xichun, and Xiangyun, laughing and joking, rode in sedan chairs to the east courtyard and found their second sister, Yingchun, chatting endlessly.

As noon approached, Madam Xing came over and said with a smile, "The banquet is about to begin, you should all go back and get ready."

Knowing that Madam Xing must have something private to say to Yingchun, Tanchun smiled, got up, and led Xichun and Xiangyun back to the Grand View Garden.

Only the mother and daughter remained inside, so Madam Xing began to ask them questions.

Yingchun blushed and said, "Everything is fine." Madam Xing thought her adopted daughter was too shy, so she frowned and said earnestly, "My child, you seem to have completely forgotten what I said. It is only natural for husband and wife to have sex. If you are not attentive in bed, aren't you just driving your husband to a vixen?"

The second young lady was so embarrassed that she couldn't speak anymore. She thought to herself, how could she possibly have been so devoted yesterday afternoon, almost risking her life to keep him company!

She thought to herself, no wonder her husband is surrounded by beautiful women. With his physique, how could an ordinary girl resist him?

Yingchun felt uneasy about the approaching night, but she made up her mind that she would get some rest no matter what. As for Chen Siyuan, whether he went to find Hongyu, Xiuju, or Qingwen and Xiangling outside, it was up to him.

Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of her, Madam Xing knew that there was still a barrier between herself and her adopted daughter. After a moment's thought, she called Miao'er and Tiao'er to inquire.

Upon hearing that Chen Siyuan had spent both nights in Yingchun's room, Madam Xing was greatly surprised!

She thought to herself, "She always needs two days to recover. This adopted daughter of mine seems unassuming and unassuming, but I never expected her to be such a female marshal!"
(End of this chapter)