Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 50: Madam Xing's Second Chapter

After reciting, Chen Siyuan looked up at Third Sister You. He saw that this girl seemed to be standing there in a fixed position, the handkerchief in her left hand twisted into a dough, her lips slightly open, and her right hand's slender jade fingers between her lips. Her round eyes were moist and misty, staring straight at him.

Chen Siyuan was secretly happy, his brows slightly furrowed, and he looked back with his eyes, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

As a second-generation man, he had a moral compass, but he wasn't exactly a good person. Kind women like Xiangling and Hongyu would be fine, but Chen Siyuan wouldn't dare mess with them unless he found a proper solution. But this Third Sister Yu was different!

If he were not there, the sisters of the You family would have hung out with Jia Zhen and Jia Rong, father and son, in the future, which would have been a "scolding of a group of deer"!
Having lost her virginity, she turned her attention to Liu Xianglian and decided to marry him. When Liu Xianglian heard of her reputation and came to ask for the sword back, Third Sister You simply committed suicide by slashing the sword across her face.

Looking back on You Sanjie's life, it can be described as "enjoying herself with joy when drunk, and pouring tears after waking up" - probably equivalent to a nightclub girl who is tired of playing and wants to find an honest man to marry?
Compared to You Erjie, You Sanjie's strengths were limited. Chen Siyuan wasn't a good person, so he naturally had no qualms about deceiving her.

As the saying goes, 'a brothel owner loves money, a girl loves beauty'. Third Sister You was only fourteen or fifteen years old at the moment, and she must be clearly aroused by the scene.

Chen Siyuan coughed lightly and was about to try harder when he suddenly heard the jingling of jewelry from behind. Then Old Lady You said, "Why are you here, Third Sister? Your eldest sister has woken up and is sending people everywhere to look for you!"

As they spoke, the curtains were raised, and Old Lady You entered the hall from behind. Third Sister You, who had been under a spell, finally came to her senses and, with a frown on her face, said to Old Lady You, "When can't I see you, Eldest Sister? Mother, you don't know, but Brother Chen just wrote a brilliant poem. Who knows, it might spread throughout the capital someday—"

Old Man You was smiling, but when Third Sister You approached and tugged at his arm, he glanced at Chen Siyuan warily and said, "What kind of poetry or lyrics are these? I don't understand them. If you really want them, why don't you ask your brother-in-law for a copy of any poetry book? Hurry up, hurry up—"

Third Sister You was being pulled back, and she complained, "How can this be the same? Mom, stop pulling! My arm is about to fall off." As she spoke, she turned around and glanced at Chen Siyuan affectionately, saying, "Brother Chen, remember to come to my house someday. I was just looking for advice on how to write poetry."

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded, then sat down nonchalantly after the two men left. In his previous life, he'd been a marketer, adept at finding memorable points among a sea of ​​homogenized products and making consumers willingly pay for them. In this life, he'd also learned the art of deception, and the two combined, creating a perfect union.

It is not possible to deceive people every time. What happened today is just a matter of trying hard. Who knows, there will be a reward in the future?

At that moment, Chen Siyuan calmed his thoughts and sat upright in the south hall, looking around every one or two hours. When night fell, he returned to Rongguo Mansion with Wang Xifeng.

This time, he went to the east wing first, entered through the black-oil gate, exchanged a few words with Yu Si, and then waited in front of the ceremonial gate. A moment later, a maid from inside delivered a message, and a servant led Chen Siyuan to the outer study. After waiting for a moment longer, Madam Xing hurried in.

Seeing Chen Siyuan's composure, Madam Xing's anxiety faded a bit. She sent two maids to wait at the door and quickly approached him, asking, "Brother, how is everything going?"

Chen Siyuan took out a handwritten receipt from his sleeve pocket and handed it to Madam Xing, saying in a deep voice, "Thank you for fulfilling your mission. Please take a look, Auntie."

"Oh, oh," Mrs. Xing replied cheerfully. She spread out the receipt, glanced at it, and frowned. "Brother, there's no official seal on it."

Chen Siyuan blinked in puzzlement and said, "Aunt, how can such a thing be made public? Futai Yan is a second-class Jinshi. It's fine if he's secretly raising funds for the port opening, but if he makes it public, won't he be laughed at by scholars all over the world in the future?"

Mrs. Xing said, "Brother, don't blame your aunt for being suspicious. It's really not official seal, and I always feel it's not appropriate."

Chen Siyuan comforted her, "What's the difficulty? If you are worried, just give this receipt to your nephew and get all the money back tomorrow." "Ah? This..." Mrs. Xing bit her lower lip and hesitated.

Chen Siyuan took the teacup slowly. After a moment, greed took over. Madam Xing gritted her teeth and said, "Well, I'll trust you this time."

Chen Siyuan waved his hands hurriedly, "Aunt, we've already agreed that this matter has nothing to do with my nephew." Pointing at the receipt, he said, "Aunt, you begged me to do this, and I pestered Master Sun for quite a while before I got it done. If you really suffer a loss in the future, please don't blame me."

The more he spoke like this, the more relieved Mrs. Xing became. She smiled and said, "I was just saying it, but you're still taking it to heart... So be it. Whether I make a profit or a loss tomorrow, I won't blame you."

Chen Siyuan nodded slightly, but still looked dissatisfied.

Madam Xing quickly beckoned to the maid: "Come, bring the things over."

Two maids at the door responded with a chuckle, then brought in two small bundles. Madam Xing took one and unfolded it, revealing a hooded cloak of azure grey sable satin.

Mrs. Xing smiled and said, "My brother, since you came from Yangzhou, I'm afraid you haven't prepared any winter clothes. I happened to have some material saved, so I asked the needlework people in the mansion to make this sable fur cloak. My brother, please try it on and see if it fits you."

Chen Siyuan was quite surprised and couldn't help but complain in his heart, Madam Xing finally knew what to do next?
As she spoke, Mrs. Xing stood up and shook off the sable fur cloak. Chen Siyuan put down his teacup, stood up, turned his back, and let Mrs. Xing put it on him. Then he turned around again and watched Mrs. Xing tie it on him.

At this time, Chen Siyuan was only an inch taller than Madam Xing, and the two were only half a foot apart. The faint fragrance filled her mouth and nose.

Chen Siyuan sniffed subconsciously. It was certainly not the scent of a girl, but the scent of osmanthus coming from the clothes.

He had lived two lives, and though his past was a blur, he admired Xiangling's youthful innocence, but he couldn't stand her charm. Mrs. Xing, though barely thirty, had lived a life of luxury and looked like she was in her prime. She possessed a unique charm that drew Chen Siyuan's attention.

He tried hard not to swallow his saliva, but his eyes were burning.

Madam Xing tied the sash carefully, looked up at Chen Siyuan, stepped back and said with a smile, "Brother, stretch it out a bit and see if it looks decent enough."

Chen Siyuan collected his thoughts, moved his arms, and said with a smile, "Thank you, auntie. This cloak fits me perfectly."

Mrs. Xing said, "As long as it fits. Yes, this package is for you to take tomorrow. Your uncle has been spoiled since he was a child and never behaves properly. Don't follow him in his mischief."

Chen Siyuan agreed, and the two exchanged a few words before Mrs. Xing sent him back.

Without mentioning Chen Siyuan, let's talk about Mrs. Xing entering the ceremonial gate. A cold wind blew in her face, and she suddenly remembered Chen Siyuan's strange look just now. For some reason, she suddenly felt strange. Then she thought, maybe it was because her cousin died early, and no elders had ever treated Brother Yuan like this, so he lost his temper like this?
(End of this chapter)