Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 46: Matchmaking (Please Read and Collect)

Early in the morning.

Chen Siyuan slowly woke up and turned to see that the warm room was already tidy. There was a rustling sound coming from outside. Chen Siyuan took a moment to relax before finally getting up.

Hearing the noise outside, Hongyu quickly stepped inside. Seeing Chen Siyuan already sitting up, she came over to help him dress, saying with a smile, "Master, are you up? Today, the kitchen has prepared red date, lotus seed, and green glutinous rice porridge, as well as your favorite tofu skin buns. It's said that Second Master Bao was clamoring for some last night, and Second Madam ordered it on the spot, and even specifically said this morning to save a portion for you."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Second sister-in-law is thoughtful."

As he spoke, he was already dressed. Chen Siyuan watched Hongyu put on his shoes and couldn't help asking, "How's Xiangling?"

Hongyu covered her mouth and smiled, "It's rare that Master still cares about a girl's affairs. Perhaps Xiangling caught a cold a couple of days ago, and now she has a stomachache."

Chen Siyuan said, "This girl's illness cannot be neglected. If she doesn't get better tomorrow, go straight to the front and ask the imperial physician to come and see her, so as to avoid a chronic illness in the future."

"It saves you money."

Hongyu obeyed obediently, but suddenly noticed that there was a hole in the front of Chen Siyuan's shoes. She immediately pursed her lips and paid attention to him.

After breakfast that day, Chen Siyuan went out and told Jia Yun to rest for a day. He then led the horse ahead and headed straight for the outer city.

When they reached the place where the three good brothers were staying near Anhua Temple, they saw a woman carrying a bundle coming out from a distance. The woman had a pretty figure, but her face was covered by a curtain and a bamboo hat. She walked out of the small courtyard and walked a short distance before entering another farmhouse.

Chen Siyuan urged his horse forward and saw Ma Panlong chasing out from the house. He looked up but couldn't find the girl. Suddenly, he caught sight of Chen Siyuan and his face froze for a moment. Then he said happily, "Master Chen is here?"

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, dismounted, and stepped forward to ask, "How is it that Brother Ma has become so unfaithful after just one day of not seeing you?"

Ma Panlong hesitated, but finally clasped his fists and said, "It's our fault, Brother Chen!"

"That's it!"

Ma Panlong hurried forward to help tie the horse, and said, "Brother Chen sent a lot of things yesterday, this -"

"Eh? Since we're friends, it's only natural that we share our wealth. No need to say more, Brother Ma."

"Okay, it's cold outside, let's go inside and talk."

When the two entered, Chen Siyuan caught a glimpse of Qian Feihu and Xu Dabiao whispering to each other. Seeing Chen Siyuan, they quickly greeted him warmly, then glanced teasingly at Ma Panlong.

Chen Siyuan II was a man who knew the trick after a little thought. He did not expose it at the moment, but sat down to chat with his three good brothers.

After talking for a while, Chen Siyuan changed the subject and said, "Just now I saw a woman coming out of the room. I wonder—"

Ma Panlong coughed and said, "That's Miss Xue. She lives nearby and usually does laundry. I felt sorry for her, so I gave my clothes to her to take care of."

"Oh."

Chen Siyuan just responded, Qian Feihu sneered and said: "Second brother is so unhappy, I see that second brother is clearly interested in that girl, but he is too prejudiced to say a word."

Xu Dabiao also said: "That's right! Since my second brother likes her, he can find a matchmaker and come to propose marriage."

Ma Panlong immediately became angry and shouted, "Don't say such nonsense! You're not going to tarnish the girl's innocence!"

Ma Panlong looked about thirty years old. As the saying goes, "Three years in the army makes a sow look as pretty as Diao Chan," it's not unusual for him to develop feelings for a girl he likes. Chen Siyuan thought to himself that Ma Panlong was truly truly in love, so he might as well give him a try. So, he said, "Brother Ma, why are you hesitating? I'm just asking someone. If it works out, everyone's happy. If not... I'll find you a marriage partner someday."

Qian Feihu and Xu Dabiao also started to make a fuss, causing Ma Panlong's face to turn red as liver. He stammered for a long time before spitting out something.

Chen Siyuan did not delay and asked Ma Panlong to wait for news. He left the house and went straight to the back to find the farmhouse.

From a distance, he saw an old woman feeding chickens in front of the door. Chen Siyuan stepped forward and greeted her, saying, "Excuse me, Grandma. I have something to ask you."

The old woman was startled. Seeing Chen Siyuan's unusual attire, she immediately bowed and said, "Excuse me, young man, but you want to know the way? Just ask. I will tell you everything I know."

Chen Siyuan shook his head and said, "Grandma, is there a Snow Girl in this family?"

The old woman's face suddenly became startled, and she asked suspiciously, "Young Master, why are you listening to this?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, you don't know, but I have a brother who has a crush on Miss Xue, but he's too shy to say it out loud, so I'm here to help him."

Following Chen Siyuan's finger, the old woman looked at the house in front, feeling slightly relieved. She sighed and said, "This...I can't make the decision. To be honest, the girl is just living with me. Why don't you go find her and ask her about this matter directly?"

"Oh?" Chen Siyuan was puzzled and asked about the origin of the Snow Girl.

The old woman simply said, "She's quite pitiful. That day, I saw her weeping outside Anhua Temple, disheveled and with her face shaved, in the middle of winter. I couldn't bear it, so I took her back. She said she was originally a servant in a wealthy family, but was kicked out because she displeased her master."

After a pause, he cursed again: "That rich family is not a good thing either. They just kicked her out and didn't give her a birth certificate. If she hadn't risked her life to cut off her own face, I'm afraid she would have been dragged into a brothel -"

"Mother Feng!" The door suddenly opened, and the woman wearing a bamboo hat and a curtain emerged. She stopped before Chen Siyuan and bowed. Suddenly, she lifted the curtain, revealing a newly formed scar on her pretty face. The woman said in a deep voice, "Then it's time for you to return, young master."

Chen Siyuan remained impassive. He bowed to the woman and said, "Young lady, you're not willing to give up your ambition even when you're down and out. I admire that. But this matter isn't something I can decide... I just want to ask, if my brother doesn't care, what do you think?"

The girl suddenly smiled and said, "Who wouldn't frown at my face? If he really doesn't mind, I'll marry him. But my indenture is still in the Rongguo Mansion."

Rongguo Mansion?
Chen Siyuan asked, "May I ask what you call me in the mansion?"

"Qian Xue."

Qianxue? Chen Siyuan thought about it for a while, vaguely remembering that Baoyu took his anger out on Qianxue because Nanny Li had secretly drunk the maple dew tea. Qianxue hadn't appeared since then. Could it be that she had been kicked out?
After Chen Siyuan pondered, he said, "Okay, then I'll go ask Brother Ma first. No matter what, I'll come back to talk to the young lady later."

Qianxue nodded and said nothing more.

Chen Siyuan strode back to the front and went inside to talk to Ma Panlong and the others. Ma Panlong was slightly surprised, and Qian Feihu said, "What a pity! Such a woman has lost face."

Xu Dabiao said nonchalantly, "There are plenty of good women. When we become rich in the future, we'll be able to find any pretty girl we want."

Ma Panlong thought for a moment and said, "Brother Chen, we brothers are all living on the edge of a knife, always in danger of losing our future. This Miss Qianxue has a good character. I don't care about the scar, but the contract——"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "How difficult is that? Even if I lose my indenture, Brother Ma can find a yamen runner and pay him a few dozen taels of silver. Besides, even if I'm in Rongguo Mansion now, I'm just a maidservant who has left the mansion. I'll definitely be able to get it back in a while."

Hearing him say this, Ma Panlong immediately made up his mind and said, "In that case, I'll leave this matter to Brother Chen!"

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(End of this chapter)