Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 44 Blending
It’s hard to persuade the damn ghost!
Mrs. Xing said so, what else could Chen Siyuan say?
At that moment, I could only say: "My aunt treats me very well."

Mrs. Xing said, "With such a good opportunity to make a fortune, my brother doesn't even think about his aunt. Could it be that he's also thinking about outsiders?"

"That's... never mind. I'll go talk to Master Sun later."

Mrs. Xing's expression softened upon hearing this. She came over, sat down, and said with a smile, "That's right. Your aunt's love for you is not in vain."

Chen Siyuan secretly complained in his heart: You think I am your nephew in your whole life?

The plan was set, and Mrs. Xing was in no hurry to leave. She pulled Chen Siyuan aside and complained to him for a long time. She talked about her brothers and sisters-in-law, her troublesome stepson, and especially her daughter-in-law Feng Jieer, who was extremely disrespectful to her.

Chen Siyuan then said, "Having something by yourself is worse than having it in the country or in your family. Auntie, have you ever thought about... having a child of your own?"

Mrs. Xing was stunned for a moment, then said vaguely, "Of course I haven't thought about it. But your uncle swore that he didn't want children after Yingchun's mother passed away."

Don't want children anymore? Condoms weren't available these days. Maids and concubines were fine; they could just be served contraceptive soup. But Madam Xing couldn't possibly drink the contraceptive soup, could she?

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was about to ask again, Madam Xing quickly changed the subject and said, "Yes, if you have time these days, come to my place and get some cotton-padded clothes to send to your third aunt and uncle. You've been in the capital for more than ten days, so you should go and see them."

Chen Siyuan agreed: "Aunt is right. Even if you don't say it, your nephew is planning to visit you in the next few days."

Madam Xing nodded, glanced at the sky, and said, "It's almost time for the master to go home. My brother, take a rest. I'll go home first. I'll exchange the banknotes and send them back tomorrow."

"I'm sending my aunt off."

Chen Siyuan stood up and escorted Madam Xing out the door. Then he returned to his room. Xiangling had finished tidying up and was about to come over to say something when Hongyu called out from outside, "Master, Sister Yan'er has brought you some shoes."

Liu Yaner is here?
Chen Siyuan thought Liu Yan'er must have something to say. He looked at Xiangling and said, "It would be awkward for the two of you to meet. Why don't you go play with Hongyu for a while?"

"Yeah." Xiangling didn't like Liu Yan'er's enthusiasm in the first place, so she nodded in agreement after hearing this.

Chen Siyuan sat upright in the hall. Xiangling opened the door to welcome Liu Yaner in, then closed the door and left.

Liu Yan'er demonstrated the deep affection between master and servant, and carefully observed the movements outside.

Chen Siyuan sneered and said, "Sister, stop acting. They have all gone to the side rooms."

Liu Yan'er breathed a sigh of relief, then her face darkened as she said, "You've been enjoying yourself these past few days... I see Xiangling is happy, you've really gotten away with it."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Sister is not bad either. Wasn't that fool Xue also fooled by Sister?"

Liu Yan'er snorted, stepped forward, picked up the teapot, and poured herself some tea. After drinking a cup, she asked, "Did you meet Old Sun today?"

Chen Siyuan whispered, "Yes, I saw it. I even put out the bait just now."

Liu Yan'er looked hesitant and said, "I'll talk to that idiot later... But there's one thing I'm not sure if I should tell you."

Chen Siyuan smiled and remained silent. Seeing that it was useless to attack Qiao, Liu Yan'er gritted her teeth and said, "That fool got a good deal these days. They say the old Prince Yizhong's mansion wants to sell some of the nanmu wood they had in stock, and they're offering a 50% discount. Yesterday, that fool was taken to the mansion and carefully counted the wood. Now he's thinking of killing him again and eating all the wood in one go."

Chen Siyuan said, "Xue Pan has made progress."

"Bullshit!" Liu Yan'er said with a gloomy face, "I asked carefully, and the person he was dealing with was not the former palace steward, but some lousy steward Liang."

Chen Siyuan's heart moved, but he said, "There's not a single manager in the palace, so what's the big deal?"

"Oh!" Liu Yan'er looked at Chen Siyuan and said, "Brother, after all, you're too young to know the ins and outs of this. Putting aside other things, I've already told Elder Sun everything about Xue Pan. Do you think Elder Sun will abandon us and make a good living on his own?" Chen Siyuan narrowed his eyes and said, "Since you can contact Elder Sun, why don't you go and ask him yourself? I'm also wondering how you got so involved."

Liu Yan'er rolled her eyes at him and said, "I have my own way... Anyway, be careful, Old Sun is not a kind person. Be careful, he might not only take away the money but also sell us out!"

Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching from afar. Liu Yan'er's face suddenly turned sad, and she whispered, "Don't worry, brother. Master Pan... hasn't beaten me these past few days, and the mistress treats me well. Brother, you must remember to eat on time, otherwise you will lose your appetite again."

Chen Siyuan smiled and sighed, "Forget it, now that things have come to this, you should take care of yourself from now on. Don't worry about me, lest that person take his anger out on you."

"Yes."

Liu Yan'er rolled her eyes and responded, then stood up, covered her face, and pushed the door open and left.

Just at this moment, Hongyu came in with Yunxiang's ear in a threatening manner.

Chen Siyuan frowned, took a look, and then asked, "What's going on?"

Hongyu said, "Master, I'm afraid Yunxiang can't stay!"

Yunxiang cried, "Master, please forgive me this time. I won't dare to do it again next time!"

"What happened?"

Hongyu glared at Yunxiang before saying, "Just now I told you not to gossip about the affairs of the courtyard outside. But Yunxiang turned around and started gossiping everywhere. Now everyone in the mansion is saying that the master has won the favor of Governor Yan and will soon have a bright future!"

Great, this little speaker is very useful!

Chen Siyuan was suddenly at a loss for words. He pointed at Yunxiang, and seeing the embarrassment on her face, he put his hand down and said, "Forget it. She's still young—"

Before he finished speaking, Hongyu became unhappy and said, "Master, how can we let this matter go? I think Yunxiang is such a person, it would be better to kick her out."

Yunxiang burst into tears and fell to her knees, begging, "Master, I won't dare to do it again next time. I just mentioned it to my mother, but she spread it around everywhere. Wuuwuwu..."

Wow, your whole family is full of little loudspeakers!

Chen Siyuan pondered, "If you don't know etiquette, you won't observe it. How about this? I'll have Xiangling teach her a few characters, and then punish her by making her write 200 large characters."

Being punished to write 200 characters is much better than being kicked out for gossiping. Apart from anything else, which master would dare to employ her if her reputation is ruined?

Yunxiang kowtowed with joy, her nose bubbling with anxiety, and she kept saying, "I'd like to write big characters. Thank you for your forgiveness, sir!"

After saying this, he kowtowed again, stood up, turned around and ran: "I'm going to find Sister Xiangling to be punished!"

Hongyu was silent for a while, then couldn't help but say, "Master, you shouldn't be too soft-hearted."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Considering that this is her first offense, I'll just give her a light punishment. If she does it again next time, I'll do whatever you say, okay?"

Hongyu then bowed and responded, "I will obey you, Master."

Hongyu excused herself and left. A moment later, Xiangling came back inside, biting her lower lip. When she reached Chen Siyuan, she hesitated for a moment and said, "Master... today, how about letting Hongyu keep watch?"

"what?"

(End of this chapter)