Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 47 Repeatedly
"Don't worry, Brother Ma, I'll definitely take care of this!" Chen Siyuan stood up and said with a smile, "Miss Qianxue is still waiting for a reply, Brother Ma, just wait for the confirmation!"

With that, Chen Siyuan turned and walked away. Ma Panlong, still uneasy, hesitantly took a couple of steps after him, reaching out his hand as if to speak, but ultimately saying nothing. This earned him a good deal of ridicule from Qian Feihu and Xu Dabiao.

Ma Panlong was so angry that the three brothers started fighting.

When Chen Siyuan returned to the farmhouse, he saw Qianxue picking cabbage stalks to feed the chickens. Standing still, Chen Siyuan said, "My brother said he only admires a girl's character, not whether she has a scar or not."

Qianxue was indeed startled, and stammered, "It's just that my bond—"

"How difficult is that? I have a small fortune, and I can find a police officer and pay him a few dozen taels, and everything will be settled."

Qianxue was speechless when she heard this. The old woman said happily, "It's rare to meet a lover. Why are you still hesitating?"

Qianxue became shy and turned her head away, saying, "This matter... will be decided by Mother Feng."

The old woman laughed and said, "Will I really be the one to make the decision? Then marry me!"

Qianxue moaned at the words and retreated into her room. The woman came to Chen Siyuan again and said, "Marriage is not so simple. Chen Siyuan immediately arranged for a matchmaker to come to the house on the following day. The matchmaker will take care of the rest."

Chen Siyuan thought that since Qianxue came from the Rongguo Mansion and was Baoyu's maid, she might know some of the Jia family's secrets. He was willing to find out, but now was not the right time. He would wait until Qianxue married into the family and then ask Ma Panlong for more information.

Returning to the three brothers' place, Chen Siyuan offered his congratulations, causing Ma Panlong to blush. Qian Feihu and Xu Dabiao then engaged in some playful banter. With the matter now settled, everyone was overjoyed. A feast was inevitably prepared, and the drinking commenced.

Ma Panlong was in high spirits when he was happy. He drank all the wine and accepted all the offers. But after three rounds, he was drunk and his speech became slurred.

Chen Siyuan offered sincere congratulations, but occasionally showed a look of worry during the meal.

Qian Feihu and Xu Dabiao, the two hot-headed guys, naturally didn't notice it, but Ma Panlong was a careful person, and although he drank a little too much, he still noticed it.

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was absent-minded, Ma Panlong asked, "Brother, are you worried about something?"

Chen Siyuan pretended to be stunned, then laughed and said, "Brother Ma, you're joking. What worries me? Come on, let's drink!"

Ma Panlong didn't respond, but put down his wine bowl and said, "Brother Chen, don't you think we are your own people?"

Qian Feihu and Xu Dabiao also joined in the commotion.

Chen Siyuan put down his wine bowl and said, "Never mind, I do have some worries."

Xu Dabiao patted his chest and said, "Brother Chen treats us like this. If something happens to you, it will be our brothers' business!"

Qian Feihu also said: "Could it be that some foolish person has offended us? Speaking of which, our brothers are very good at using clubs to attack in the army."

Chen Siyuan said, "It's a long story. I came to Beijing from Yangzhou to stay with my relatives, but unexpectedly, an enemy found me and found evidence against me. Now he's using this evidence to threaten me, forcing me to do something unscrupulous and evil."

Ma Panlong was immediately displeased and said, "There's such a thing? Brother Chen, why don't you say anything more? This kind of scoundrel, if you give him a good lesson, he'll know how powerful he is."

"That's right! Brother Chen, tell us about this guy, and we'll find that thief tomorrow!"

Chen Siyuan waved his hand and said, "No, no. That handle is extremely important to me... My brothers also know that I intend to end it. If this person reveals it, I am afraid that my family background and literary talent will be ruined."

"Ah?" Xu Dabiao frowned and asked, "Then according to what you mean, brother..."

Chen Siyuan said, "I suspect this man must have accomplices outside. I would like to ask you brothers to help me find them. Once we find his accomplices, we can capture him in one fell swoop."

Ma Panlong embraced the beauty today, his heart opened wide, and under the influence of alcohol, he boasted: "This is easy--"

Pointing at Xu Dabiao, he said, "Don't be fooled by his appearance now. He was the one who was not allowed to sleep that day. If he had done something wrong, he would have been punished with a military stick. It's hard for the sentry to say anything, but the sergeant should have done his job!" Xu Dabiao chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Brother Chen. No matter who the man is, we will find him in a few days!"

Chen Siyuan was immediately overjoyed. He raised his wine bowl and toasted everyone around him, saying with a smile, "Okay, then. I'll leave everything to you brothers. Once this is done, I'll definitely find a stable job for you three."

Qian Feihu bared his teeth and said, "You still say we are heretics, but isn't Brother Chen also an heretic now? Drink a penalty!"

After a round of drinking, all four of them were completely drunk. Chen Siyuan fell into a deep sleep and didn't wake up until the afternoon. Ma Panlong urged him to drink again, but Chen Siyuan quickly declined, saying that it was not appropriate to drink too much while living under someone else's roof. Then he hurriedly rode back.

After Chen Siyuan left, Ma Panlong and the other three gathered together. Qian Feihu smacked his lips and said, "Second brother, you are being mean. I don't think Brother Chen is lying, so why would he use us as a knife?"

Xu Dabiao also said: "That's right, raising assassins is for the purpose of fighting bravely. It's just surveillance, why would Brother Chen be so humble as to make friends with them?"

Ma Panlong frowned and said, "Maybe I'm overthinking it? Never mind. We've received a favor, and it doesn't mean we're going to get into trouble. We should just help out."

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

But Chen Siyuan returned to Rongguo Mansion and returned the horse. Suddenly, a cold wind blew and he sobered up a little.

He walked back to his own courtyard and just as he sat down, Mrs. Xing came looking for him.

Chen Siyuan did not dare to delay and hurried out to meet the general.

A glance from a distance revealed that Mrs. Xing was frowning. Chen Siyuan wondered to himself, had this cheap aunt gone back to think about something?

Mrs. Xing was ushered in, and the two of them sat down. Before the fragrant tea was served, Mrs. Xing asked, "Brother, why did you drink so much again?"

Chen Siyuan sighed, "I really can't refuse... Auntie, you know that Master Sun took great care of me during the banquet that day. I didn't expect to be noticed by someone, and when I left the house today, Mr. Xu stopped me and insisted on treating me to a drink. I couldn't refuse, so I had to go along."

Mrs. Xing's heart moved, and she asked tentatively, "Is it about the opening of the port?"

"That's right," Chen Siyuan said as he accepted the fragrant tea Hongyu brought him. "Aunt, you don't know, but now that this matter has spread, many wealthy families in Beijing have become interested. Mr. Xu makes a living selling southern goods, and he's interested in investing this amount."

He raised two fingers while speaking.

"Two thousand taels?"

Chen Siyuan curled his lips and said, "Mr. Xu has the nerve to ask for a mere two thousand taels?"

"This... could it be twenty thousand taels?"

Chen Siyuan smiled without saying anything, and Mrs. Xing immediately became troubled.

Yesterday, when the household registration plate was brought back, Master Jia She examined it and found no flaws. Mrs. Xing then mentioned the opening of the port, but Jia She frowned and said he had never heard of it.

Mrs. Xing was not one to make decisions, so Jia She's words naturally made her think twice. She hadn't slept well that night, and although she had sent someone to exchange the gold and silver items for banknotes in the morning, she couldn't make up her mind whether to invest or not.

Hearing Chen Siyuan say this, Mrs. Xing became anxious again, fearing that she would miss out on this opportunity and lose a thousand taels of silver. So she hurriedly said, "Brother Yuan, such a good thing should always be given to one's own family first."

Chen Siyuan said, "Aunt, although this business is run by the Governor's Office, what business is without risks? What if you lose money? I think it's better for you to keep this money for yourself."

Mrs. Xing was anxious. She pulled a banknote from her sleeve pocket and slammed it on the table. "I don't know what the risks are. I just want to ask you one question: do you still remember me as your aunt?"

　Please catch up on this Tuesday. Sorry, I forgot the timer.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)