Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 435 Double Celebration of Birthday

On the second day, the second young lady got up early and only Hongyu served her. The other three, Xiuju, Miao'er, and Tiao'er, did not appear until breakfast time. Each of them had a peach blossom-like expression and a seductive look in their eyes. The second young lady knew that these three must have spent the night with Chen Siyuan again the night before.

Perhaps because of her pregnancy, the second young lady couldn't help but worry, thinking to herself: even a person made of iron couldn't withstand such constant felling, let alone Chen Siyuan who would break off several branches every now and then.

However, Yingchun couldn't easily explain this matter to Chen Siyuan. After thinking it over, she sought out Hongyu to inquire after breakfast.

After hearing this, Hongyu smiled but didn't know how to respond. After thinking for a while, she whispered some examples of "flipping butterflies" and "flying ducks," which made the second young lady stare in astonishment.

No wonder Xiu Ju and the others looked so frail this morning; they must have been exhausted last night.
Hearing that Chen Siyuan, though unrestrained, was still disciplined, he felt reassured and naturally didn't need to offer any words of advice.

The second young lady was extremely busy that day. Firstly, tomorrow was Grandmother Jia's birthday, and she needed to prepare the birthday gifts in preparation for the celebration at the Rongguo Mansion the next day.
Secondly, the matchmaker delivered a message yesterday that the Marquis of Baoning's mansion had relented and would sell the three estates, totaling two thousand acres, to Yingchun for eight thousand taels of silver. Such a large transaction should be inspected in person first.

Because it was Yingchun, she assigned Wu Jun to the task. After arriving at the front hall, she gave him detailed instructions and ordered Wu Jun to take two servants and the accountant to run a errand outside the pass.
Thirdly, Baochai will soon be married into the family, and the Mid-Autumn Festival will follow shortly. Newly made winter clothes need to be distributed, and the Mid-Autumn Festival rewards need to be decided.

With a variety of miscellaneous tasks, the second young lady spent half a day busy before finally finishing.

In the afternoon, Daiyu came again. Yingchun told her about the estate in Liaodong. Daiyu frowned slightly, worried, saying that it was not good to completely trust the Marquis of Baoning's mansion. Liaodong was far from the capital, and a round trip could take up to two months. If those farmers were not obedient, wouldn't all that money be wasted?

Yingchun thought about it and agreed. After some consideration, she decided to buy fewer farmlands and instead, like Daiyu, purchase more houses in the newly expanded northern part of the city to rent to officials in the capital.

Although the two women were not from the same family, they were married to the same man. When they talked about serious matters, they inevitably had to mention Chen Siyuan.

However, the Chen Siyuan described by Daiyu and Yingchun seemed somewhat different. In Yingchun's eyes, Brother Yuan was considerate, gentle, mature, and steady. He always thought of things before Yingchun. Yingchun felt that there was no man in the world as considerate as Chen Siyuan.

Daiyu was suspicious and scolded Chen Siyuan, saying that he sometimes played tricks on people and was so easily startled that he was just like a naughty child!
The second young lady laughed so hard she almost fell over, thinking that her husband was only fooling around with Daiyu because she was so young.

Little did she know that Daiyu had other thoughts in her mind: in Chen Siyuan's heart, she was probably better than her second sister.

This was because some time ago, Chen Siyuan's childlike antics had caused Daiyu to complain inwardly. Chen Siyuan then said, "Who in the world doesn't have two sides? One side is silent, mature, and steady, while the other is chattering and extremely mischievous. Maturity is for those who don't know you well, while mischief is reserved for those who care. You should know: a man is a boy until he dies."

At first, Daiyu thought Chen Siyuan was just making excuses, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that she herself was doing the same thing.
Chen Siyuan would often roll her up like a spring roll and tickle her feet, while she would often tease him with strands of her hair until he sneezed. Perhaps it was only natural for two people who cared about each other to be together, full of childlike fun?
Understanding this, Daiyu's heart softened, and she felt an even greater longing for Chen Siyuan. She didn't point it out; as the saying goes, one gets what one desires. The Second Miss had lived in constant fear and uncertainty for over a decade, seeking nothing more than a peaceful life. Since she was content, why should she interfere?

Moreover, even ten fingers have different lengths, and since they are all wives, it's normal for Chen Siyuan to have some favoritism. After saying goodbye to the second young lady, Daiyu suddenly remembered that her handkerchief-giving friend Baochai would be arriving soon, and she felt uneasy, fearing that once Baochai arrived, her favoritism would shift to Baochai.

That afternoon, another guard from the Prince of Yanping's residence came to invite him. Chen Siyuan could no longer refuse, so he quickly changed his clothes and went with the guard.

No sooner had he left than Xue Ke arrived at the door. Since no one was home, the second young lady had to answer him.

Xue Ke had two things on his mind: first, to send over the remaining share of the profits; and second, to discuss with Chen Siyuan about bringing Baoqin's dowry into the mansion a few days earlier than planned.

Xue Ke was a cautious man. Seeing that it was Daiyu who answered him and that Chen Si had gone to the Prince of Yanping's mansion, he only mentioned the first matter, saying that the share of profits would be sent in a few days. After drinking a cup of tea, he got up to take his leave.

Seeing that Xue Ke's words were vague, the second young lady knew that he was hiding something. However, Yingchun didn't care much. In this world, it has always been the case that men are in charge of external affairs and women are in charge of internal affairs. She didn't want to meddle in matters outside the home.

After sending the steward Li Cai and Xue Ke away, the second young lady felt tired and went back to her room for a good rest. However, when she got up, it was already dark outside.

Yingchun was still a little groggy from sleep and couldn't tell whether it was morning or evening. She stood there blankly for a while before calling for someone. Xiuju moved closer with her lotus-like steps, and Yingchun asked, "What time is it?"

"Reporting to Madam, it's a quarter past 5 PM. Shall we order dinner?"

Yingchun said, "I'm not very hungry, let's wait a while... Oh, has Master returned yet?"

Xiuju smiled and said, "I just got back half an hour ago. I came in to check on Madam, but she was still asleep, so I went to the west courtyard. Oh, and I also said I would come to see Madam after dinner."

"Hmm." Yingchun responded, took Xiuju's hand and got up, moved to the banquet hall and found a daybed to sit down.

After Miao'er lit the lamp, she finally came to her senses and said, "I don't know why, but I've been sleeping a lot lately."

Miao'er then said, "Madam is now pregnant with two children, so she needs to be able to eat and sleep well, right?"

Then another servant brought a damp cloth to help Yingchun wipe her face, saying, "Madam, you should eat earlier, it's not good to let the little master go hungry."

Yingchun laughed and said, "How old is he? How can you tell if he's a boy or a girl?"

Tiao'er argued confidently, "Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl. Madam has been craving sour food lately, so she must be carrying a little boy!"

Yingchun giggled for a while, placing her hand on her lower abdomen, hoping that this baby would be a boy. Then, because Tiao'er mentioned sour food, Yingchun's mouth watered, and she couldn't help but say, "Do we have any grapes at home? Pick a few more pickled plums and sour dates. Maybe I've slept too much, because my stomach feels a bit full right now."

Hongyu agreed and hurriedly went to find a few things.

After eating some food in the spring, her appetite was indeed greatly stimulated. When the meal was served, she ate even more than usual.

After dinner, Yingchun didn't drink tea, but only ate some red dates to warm her stomach.

A short while later, Xiuju outside sent word that Chen Siyuan had indeed arrived.

Yingchun rose with a smile to greet him, but Chen Siyuan, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to help her up, scolding her playfully, "Just sit down, we don't need to stand on ceremony, why did you have to get up to greet me?"

Yingchun laughed and said, "It's only been a few months, why do we need to be so careful?"

As they spoke, the couple sat down hand in hand. The second daughter called Hongyu to brew Chen Siyuan a cup of "daughter's tea" and asked, "What did the prince say this afternoon?"

Chen Siyuan said, both amused and exasperated, "Don't even mention it, they really gave me a thorough dressing down."

"Ah?" The second young lady Guan Jize was anxious and hurriedly asked for the reason.

Chen Siyuan recounted the story in detail, explaining that he had sent Luo Siliang to the Prince's mansion last time and offered a solution for the capital's residents to obtain drinking water, thinking he had killed two birds with one stone. Little did he know that Luo Siliang had indeed dug a sweet water well at the Prince's mansion within two days. However, when Prince Yanping consulted with officials in the inner palace, some said that the winters in the capital were freezing cold, and latex pipes might not be suitable.

King Yanping refused to believe it and ordered some latex tubes to try it out. Whether it was due to the craftsmanship or something else, the water that flowed out of the latex tubes always had a strange smell.

So the latex tubes were no longer useful, but Chen Siyuan's idea was correct. The entire inner court pooled their wisdom and efforts for this source of revenue, and within a few days, they came up with two solutions.

Firstly, lead pipes are used because they are cheap and do not easily corrode; secondly, iron pipes are used, with a thin layer of Japanese silver plated on them, which also prevents them from rusting.

Comparing costs, lead pipes are obviously superior. King Yanping couldn't make up his mind for a while, so he hurriedly invited Chen Siyuan to discuss it today.

Upon hearing the word "lead pipe," Chen Siyuan shuddered! He immediately launched into a tirade about the poisons of lead and mercury, which startled the Prince of Yanping, who then leaned towards the Japanese silver-plated iron.

Despite being scolded by Prince Yanping with a foul face, Chen Siyuan felt a sense of elevation when he left the palace! Just for blocking the inner palace from using lead pipes for water supply, he, Master Chen, deserved to have a shrine built in his honor!
Although the second young lady didn't quite understand, she was happy for her because of his smug look.

As night fell, Chen Siyuan, seeking to calm his mind, stayed in Yingchun's room. The young couple intended to talk for a while before going to bed together, but being young and restless, they inevitably ignited their passions. Thus, Chen Siyuan engaged in two heated arguments, one at Feishui and the other at Chibi, which the young lady could not withstand, and could only respond with stammering words.

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

The next day, both the Chinese and Western courtyards became lively early in the morning.

The two wives were going to the Rongguo Mansion to celebrate a birthday, so it couldn't be taken lightly. Yingchun and Daiyu had both carefully dressed up, but when they were together, Yingchun saw that Daiyu was still dressed in her usual attire. Feeling pleased, Yingchun couldn't help but say, "Sister, you've received an imperial decree, so you should dress according to your rank. How can you dress so casually just to please me?"

Daiyu laughed and said, "Second Sister is going back to her own home, while I'm going to see my maternal grandmother. Why make such a fuss? Besides, those who know about the imperial title will know. I don't want to dress up and give those irrelevant people something to see." Yingchun couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she had to agree with Daiyu.

The maids were busy loading the gifts into the carriages and urging the two ladies to depart. Yingchun and Daiyu were escorted out of the ceremonial gate by their maids. It was only then that Chen Siyuan, the master of water handling, finally arrived late.

He was clear-headed, so before boarding the carriage, he carefully instructed Daiyu that she would ride in the same carriage as Yingchun on the way there and with Daiyu on the way back.

The abacus beads jingled as Chen Siyuan worked, but the thought of Baochai marrying into the family soon gave him a terrible headache. There's a saying: One monk carries water to drink, two monks share the burden, three monks have no water to drink.

Now that it's just Yingchun and Daiyu's households, he's more attentive and can handle them fairly. But once Baochai arrives, who knows how much more effort he'll have to put into maintaining impartiality.

Leaving aside Chen Siyuan's troubles caused by his many romantic encounters, the group of people, along with their carriages, headed towards the Rongguo Mansion. Faxiangfang was also located in the inner city, not far from Ningrong Street, so even with the slowest travel, they arrived in less than a quarter of an hour.

Yu had been keeping watch at the four gates for some time. Upon seeing the arrival of a procession of carriages, he hurriedly ordered the side gates to be opened. As the procession entered the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Lian greeted them with a smile.

Chen Siyuan helped Yingchun out of the carriage, exchanged a few words with Jia Lian with smiles, and then led Yingchun and Daiyu through the ceremonial gate. Because Fengjie was still in her postpartum period, only her sister-in-law Li Wan, Tanchun, Xichun, and Xiangyun came to greet them.

When old lovers meet again, even with everyone watching, they remain locked in a silent standoff for a moment. Often, lovers don't need to say a word; a single glance is enough for them to understand each other's hearts.

Seeing the affection and concern in Chen Siyuan's clear eyes, Li Wan felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Afraid of being noticed, she quickly smiled and stepped forward to take Yingchun and Daiyu's hands, saying, "Second Sister, Lin Sister, you've finally arrived! You don't know, the Old Madam has been urging us to come this morning, asking about Second Sister one minute and Lin Sister the next. Oh dear, if you hadn't come soon, she might have sent someone to fetch you."

At this moment, the three younger ones also gathered around, each chiming in with their own words, chattering on and on.

Strangely enough, Xiangyun, who had always been the one to compete with Daiyu, suddenly became even more reluctant to let Daiyu go after her marriage. Now, she held Daiyu's hand and looked her up and down, her eyes brimming with tears, almost bursting into tears, saying that she had lost all interest in Lin Daiyu these past few days since her marriage.

Tan Chun and Xi Chun kept asking Ying Chun questions, and seeing the smile in their second sister's eyes, the two younger sisters knew that their second sister must be very satisfied with this marriage.

Xichun was still young and only cared about being happy for her second sister, so she kept calling Chen Siyuan "Brother Yuan" and "Second Sister's Husband" in turn; Tanchun kept her feelings to herself and couldn't help but envy Yingchun more and more at this moment.

Indeed, let alone the second sister, who in the capital doesn't envy the second daughter of the Jia family who married the third-ranked scholar? She is young, beautiful, and has a promising future. What's more, she is not a boastful person, but has made great achievements in commerce. Some people even call her a reincarnation of Tao Zhu.

Such a man is simply the ideal husband for countless young women in the world!

Seeing that the conversation wasn't over yet, Li Wan smiled and said, "Knowing how close you sisters are, let's talk about reminiscing later. The old lady is still waiting."

After she said this, everyone paused for a moment and then headed towards Grandmother Jia's courtyard together.

Passing through the hallway and the hanging flower gate, and walking along the covered corridor, they soon arrived at the main room of Grandmother Jia's courtyard. Quite by chance, Madam Xing had just come around from the back hallway and saw a crowd surrounding the jewel-adorned Yingchun as she walked gracefully towards them, which made Madam Xing feel quite dazed.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the adopted daughter was beautiful and dressed in luxurious attire, exuding an air of wealth and nobility.

Truly, it is: a green gauze like mist protects the spring makeup, and the fragrance of orchids and musk permeates even the bones.

Madam Xing was not a magnanimous person to begin with, and seeing this made her feel sour.

Because they stopped and waited a little while, when Yingchun came closer, he said in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, my child, it's you. From a distance, I thought it was some lady coming to wish the old lady a happy birthday."

Xiu Ju, who was accompanying them, was not very cunning. She smiled and said, "In the Chen family, shouldn't our young lady be addressed as 'Madam'?"

One sentence left Madam Xing speechless, and Yingchun, sensing something was wrong, quickly stepped forward to greet her.

Madam Xing grew increasingly cold. After answering a few questions, she went inside with the others.

Chen Siyuan led Yingchun and Daiyu forward to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia. Grandmother Jia smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly, her cloudy old eyes welling up with tears. She then called over Yingchun and Daiyu, taking one in each hand, looking them over from left to right, and couldn't help but sigh, "You've found a good home, and your grandmother is happy for you. Judging from your appearance, you must be living a good life."

Yingchun nodded gracefully and said, "My husband treats his granddaughter very well, so please rest assured, Grandmother."

Grandmother Jia nodded, then looked at Daiyu: "My Yu'er, you..."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Grandmother, I'm fine too, Grandmother, you don't need to worry."

Grandmother Jia sighed, "You're still young; you should wait another two years before getting married. But even after you're married, you should come and visit me more often. I've always been thinking of you."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Things are different now than before. A trip here always involves a lot of trouble. If I have time in the future, I will come to visit my grandmother more often."

Grandmother Jia readily agreed. After Li Wan made a few more teasing remarks, Grandmother Jia reluctantly let go and invited Yingchun and Daiyu to sit down for tea.

Just then, another old woman came back, saying that the master had gone to the front hall. Chen Siyuan and Jia Lian quickly got up, bid farewell to Grandmother Jia, and went to the front hall to meet Jia She.

Seeing that Hongyu was carefully helping Yingchun to sit down, Madam Xing said to the maid Hongqu, "She's only just married into the family, yet she needs to be helped everywhere she goes. She's putting on a very proper lady's act."

Hongqu, being young, naturally didn't know how to respond. Yingchun's unusual behavior also caught everyone's attention. Grandmother Jia, being older, hadn't yet reacted, but Tanchun covered her mouth in surprise and said, "Second Sister, are you... perhaps pregnant?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Yingchun.

Yingchun smiled shyly and said, "I examined her pulse at the end of last month, and it seems she is pregnant."

"As expected?" Grandmother Jia was overjoyed and hurriedly ordered Amber to invite Physician Wang over.

Soon after, Physician Wang entered, took Yingchun's pulse, and then smiled and bowed, saying, "Congratulations to the old lady! The second young lady's pulse is like rolling beads; she is indeed pregnant!"

Physician Wang's words seemed to have settled the matter, and Yingchun smiled even more dignifiedly and shyly. Several children came over to offer their congratulations, and Grandmother Jia nodded repeatedly with a smile. Li Wan also came over and whispered a few words about raising children.

Madam Xing offered a few perfunctory congratulations, but her mood grew increasingly sour as she turned away. Yes, she had personally delivered the second young lady to Chen Siyuan, and had even acted as matchmaker twice... but so what?

Madam Xing was running around in the middle, trying to make it easier to communicate with the petty thief. Who would want to see Yingchun so carefree and successful?
Madam Xing took several deep breaths, and after a long while, she remembered her increasingly amusing fourth son, and her mood improved slightly. She thought to herself: So what if you've become a nominal wife? You still have to drink my foot-washing water!

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, just as Madam Wang arrived. Madam Xing suddenly became happy again. After Madam Wang entered, Madam Xing repeatedly praised Yingchun for her good fortune, and said that Chen Siyuan should not have asked for leave to get married, otherwise he might have been able to enter the cabinet earlier.

Lady Wang listened with a forced smile, but her anger only grew stronger. This was because on the day Daiyu was to be married, Lady Wang, fearing Baoyu would cause trouble, had sent him to the Xia family early in the morning. Who knew that a day later, not only would Baoyu return, but he would also have Baochan by his side.

Baochan shyly confessed that she and Baoyu consummated their relationship that very night.

Lady Wang was completely distraught! She was thinking of Daiyu, which was why she was making such a fuss... and then she stole Xia Jingui's maid. She really didn't know what her precious son was thinking.

Compared to Chen Siyuan, who was ranked third in the imperial examination and had a bright future, Baoyu, who was only two years younger, was like a naughty child who caused trouble.

As the saying goes, "Comparison is the thief of joy, and comparison is the thief of joy." No matter how outstanding the young men outside were, Madam Wang pretended not to see it behind closed doors. But Chen Siyuan was different. He had lived in the Rongguo Mansion for several years, and everyone had watched him rise from nothing to his current status.

With such a brilliant example before her, ever since Chen Siyuan was chosen as the third-ranked scholar, Madam Wang no longer had the face to mention that ridiculous idea of ​​being born with a jade in his mouth.

Having been sisters-in-law for many years, Madam Xing naturally noticed Madam Wang's unease. She was smug, as if she had won a great victory, and turned to Yingchun with even greater eagerness.

Even the most intelligent second daughter was completely baffled at this moment, unable to understand why her adoptive mother had changed from being arrogant to being obsequious.

(End of this chapter)