Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 52 Xing Family
This slap made Chen Siyuan grin secretly, thinking: This guy has great strength.

The man in front of me was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a flat head, a straight face and a sturdy build. Who else could it be but my cheap uncle Xing Dequan?
Chen Siyuan suppressed his inner criticism and said, "Nephew Chen Siyuan greets uncle."

Xing Dequan warmly pulled Chen Siyuan's arm and walked inside. "I heard about this from my eldest sister's nanny a long time ago. I was expecting Brother Yuan to come a few days ago, but I kept waiting for a few days. I was just about to go out to play today, but I didn't expect Brother Yuan to come. Come on, come on, my mother and uncle are so dear. It's like home here. I'll take you to see my third sister."

Chen Siyuan was dragged all the way into the corner goal by Xing Dequan.

The Xing family's courtyard was a three-story structure, with the entrance in the southeast corner. Entering the door was a screen wall, and to the east was the carriage and sedan room. If it were a civil servant, this place would usually be used as a private school, and the carriage and sedan room would be moved to the southwest corner.

After passing through the moon-shaped gate and entering the courtyard, the north side is the back house, which contains a back hall used to entertain unimportant guests. The adjacent rooms are where the male servants live.

To the south is the Chuihua Gate, often called the Second Entrance Gate or the Ceremonial Gate. Behind the Chuihua Gate is a screen door that is usually closed, so one can only walk through the corridors on the left and right.

Xing Dequan led the way along the eastern corridor, and soon they arrived near the main house. Chen Siyuan took a look and saw that there were three side rooms on the east and west sides, and an apsidal room on the north side.

According to tradition, the east wing is usually occupied by the eldest son of the family, and the adjacent side room is the kitchen; the west wing is usually occupied by the daughters, so "The West Chamber" refers to the daughters' boudoir. The side room connected to the west wing is the toilet.

Further south, there are three main rooms and two side rooms to the west. These two side rooms are usually occupied by concubines. There is one side room to the east, and the other serves as a hall, from which you can reach the third courtyard at the back.

Further back was the back room, but the Xing family's was the back building. The lower floor of this building was used to house the maids and old women, while the upper floor was used to house the daughters waiting to be married - this is commonly known as the embroidery building.

Girls would first live in the West Wing from a young age, and when they reached the age of marriage, they would move to the Embroidery Tower to wait for marriage. Only after they were married and married would they move out of the Embroidery Tower to get married.

Xing Dequan dragged Chen Siyuan all the way to the second courtyard and shouted from a distance, "Third sister, come and see who I brought with me, hahahaha——"

Just as he reached the hall, a maid stopped him. She caught sight of Chen Siyuan and frowned, "Sir, why did you bring this man from outside?"

Xing Dequan glared at her and scolded her, "What foreign man? This is my nephew Yuan Ge'er! Actually, he should call Third Sister Third Aunt!"

The old woman was startled by the fright. Xing Dequan raised his hand and pushed the old woman aside, then pulled Chen Siyuan into the backyard.

"Third sister, third sister!"

Suddenly, a window opened on the upper floor behind the building. A woman looked down with a frown on her face and shouted at Xing Dequan, "Stop yelling!"

Xing Dequan didn't care at all and shouted, "Third sister, look, Brother Yuan is here!"

The woman glanced at Chen Siyuan and said immediately, "Take Brother Yuan to have some tea first. I'll be here soon."

After saying that, the window closed. Xing Dequan blinked and grumbled to Chen Siyuan, "You were a tomboy a few years ago, but now you're pretending to be a virtuous woman. Who are you trying to please? Come on, let your uncle take you to tea."

Chen Siyuan was in a state of confusion, and followed Xing Dequan to the main room in the front. He presented the four-colored gifts first, and was then urged by Xing Dequan to take a seat.

Xing Dequan smiled and said, "My dear nephew, you're right to come to the capital. They say Yangzhou is prosperous, but how can it compare to the capital? Hehe, in a few days, your uncle will take you on a nice tour. I'm sure you won't want to leave Yangzhou!"

Chen Siyuan replied vaguely. Xing Dequan suddenly remembered something and asked in a low voice, "Yes, they say Yangzhou is good at raising skinny horses, but I wonder what the price is now?"

Chen Siyuan was at a loss for words and said, "Uncle, it's hard to say. Based on appearance and skills, the poor ones are worth thirty taels, the average ones are worth a few hundred, and the good ones are outrageous. I heard there was a salt merchant competing for wealth, spending a fortune on a courtesan. Not content with winning over his rival, he climbed up the pagoda and scattered gold foil basket after basket."

"Yes?"

Chen Siyuan continued, "The loser also lost his temper. He immediately collected all the lanterns from the river and hired people to release them at night. He actually blocked the river."

Xing Dequan was filled with longing after hearing this and sighed, "Alas, what a pity I can't see it in person. I wonder how beautiful that courtesan must be." After saying this, he wiped his mouth with a sniff, and saw a small bundle next to Chen Siyuan, so he asked, "Brother Yuan, your bundle--"

"Oh, these are the winter clothes my aunt sent me."

Xing Dequan's expression suddenly changed. He stood up and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Let me see it!"

He had just taken two steps when he heard a woman outside shout, "Wait!"

The sound of rings and bracelets jingled, and Chen Siyuan turned around to see a woman leading a maid and a servant into the room. Xing Dequan was embarrassed, "Third sister, you came so quickly."

Third Sister Xing snorted coldly, stepped forward, snatched the bundle, and fumbled around inside before pulling out something wrapped in a handkerchief. Without even glancing at it, she casually handed it to the maid for safekeeping. She looked at Xing Dequan and scolded him, "You've been doing such a shameless thing all day! If I ever get married, I'll probably have to pawn even your house!"

Xing Dequan grumbled, "Such a large house would be so empty if I were to live alone. I might as well sell it and buy a smaller one."

"You!" Third Sister Xing said angrily, "Other people's lives are getting better and better, but you're getting worse and worse. How will you face your parents when you see them someday?"

Xing Dequan said stubbornly, "Dad lost his hereditary position, but it wasn't me who lost it, so how can you blame me?"

Third Sister Xing rolled her eyes in anger, glanced at Chen Siyuan, and then suppressed her anger and poked Xing Dequan with a finger. Then she said to Chen Siyuan, who had stood up, "Brother Yuan is here?"

"Nephew has met Third Aunt."

Third Sister Xing said, "We are family, please sit down and talk."

Third Sister Xing took a seat and ordered the maid to serve tea and snacks. She then asked about Chen Siyuan's past. She only asked about his mother's funeral, his experiences in recent years, and how his journey to Beijing had been.

Third Sister Xing was young and had only met Chen Siyuan's "mother" a few times, so naturally they weren't particularly close. When she heard about Chen Siyuan's past, she simply sighed and lamented.

As Chen Siyuan was replying, he took a quick look and saw that Third Sister Xing had delicate features. Although she was pretty, she was far inferior to Madam Xing. Looking at Xing Dequan again, he was born with a straight face and a flat head.

At that moment, I secretly sighed, it turned out that the nine sons of the dragon were all different.

Third Sister Xing asked about his future plans again, but before Chen Siyuan could answer, he suddenly heard intermittent flute sounds coming from outside.

Xing Dequan had been sitting there, trying hard not to make any jokes, but when he heard the flute, he immediately started cursing: "You slut with a broken bridle, you blow it all day long! Sooner or later, I'll put a bridle on you!"

　Tell me about Mrs. Xing’s age.

　　The following paragraph by Xing Dequan is very long. Since Third Sister Xing has not yet married, it is unlikely that Mrs. Xing is twenty years older than Third Sister Xing.

　　Knowing that Lady Xing came into the family when Yingchun's mother passed away, Jia She said that he would not have any more children in the future because of his gratitude for Yingchun's mother's death. However, Yingchun still had a half-brother, Jia Cong.

　　The book mentions that Jia Cong got himself dirty, which shows that he is not very old.

　　Yingchun is not yet of age, Baoyu is eleven, and Jia Lan is even younger. I've seen some theories suggesting Jia Cong is younger than Jia Lan, but that's not supported here. Even if he's older, Jia Cong would be eight or nine at this point. So, even if Lady Xing married at twenty, how old would she be now?

　　Ladies and gentlemen, the old version of Red Mansions is a classic, but the classic is Daiyu and Chai. These minor characters did not follow the original book.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)