Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 7 Aunt Xue's Visit

Aunt Xue sighed in relief. Come to think of it, her maids, Tongxi and Tonggui, had been raised by her side since childhood and were now accustomed to her orders; the same was true of Ying'er, Baochai's servant. Furthermore, because they feared Xue Pan's mischief might injure his health, most of the maids who served him were of ordinary appearance. After all, Xiangling was the only one who was suitable.

Xiangling, though of good character and appearance, vaguely resembling the qualities of Grand Madam Qin of the Eastern Palace, often had a dull gaze and was often lost in thought. Furthermore, it was because of her that Xue Pan had recently been involved in a murder case, a true beauty who brought disaster upon herself... Sending her away now seemed appropriate.

But Xue Pan regarded Xiangling as his forbidden delicacy, and he would probably make a fuss if he found out one day.

Seeing Aunt Xue's hesitation, Baochai said, "Mother, if you don't make a decision now, there will be chaos. If you don't make amends now, I'm afraid you will find it difficult to stop the gossip."

Yes, no matter how good Xiangling is, how can she be more important than the future of her own child?
Aunt Xue nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it!"

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But after filing a complaint, Chen Siyuan returned to his own courtyard. He found Yunxiang in the side room, eating like a squirrel. Seeing Chen Siyuan looking over, Yunxiang finished her meal in a few mouthfuls, stood up, and went out to greet him.

Chen Siyuan hadn't eaten a single grain of rice since noon, so naturally his stomach was rumbling. He walked with his hands behind his back, pretending to frown and asking, "Is Yan'er back?"

"No." Yunxiang replied in a low voice.

Chen Siyuan was delighted. He hadn't returned yet, so he figured the matter was a done deal. No matter how shameless the Xue family was, they couldn't send him back. This way, he had one less major obstacle.

As he entered the main room, he saw food boxes placed on the eight-immortal table. Yunxiang Quail, who was following behind him, also walked with her head down. She looked up briefly and whispered, "I, I saw the broken food boxes outside being picked up by the housekeepers. Thinking that the master hadn't eaten yet, I went to ask Sister Liu to bring back another set of food boxes."

After saying this, the maidservant Yunxiang glanced at Chen Siyuan with a mixture of sympathy and disdain. More than half an hour had passed since the incident, and the fact that Liu Yan'er had been abducted by Xue Pan had long been known to everyone in the mansion. Yunxiang had naturally also heard about it from the maids and the old women.

Seeing Chen Siyuan sitting down dejectedly, Yunxiang hurriedly spread out the food box and placed the food in front of him one by one, and then poured him tea very obediently.

As the saying goes, "Don't punish the diligent, don't punish the lazy, punish the blind!" No matter how the young man in front of her wasn't a proper master, he was still a master. She was just a little maid, so she could criticize and despise him in private, but she didn't dare to show it in public.

Chen Siyuan was also hungry. He took the wet towel Yunxiang handed over, wiped his hands, and picked up his chopsticks to eat. Seeing Yunxiang silently serving him, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but ask, "Where were you working before?"

Yunxiang observed her mouth with her nose, and her heart with her mouth, and replied carefully, "My Lord, I used to work in Master Bao's outer room."

The maidservant beside Baoyu?

Chen Siyuan asked, "Since you work for Baoyu, why would you be willing to come to me?"

Yunxiang twitched her lips and said, "Master Bao has eighteen maids, big and small, around him, but there are only eight senior maids. How could they remember who I am?"

That being said, who doesn't know that Master Bao's place is truly a good place to be? Yunxiang only hopes that Chen Siyuan will leave as soon as possible so that she can return to Baoyu's place.

"Oh," Chen Siyuan said after eating a piece of pork elbow, "Are you a family-born child or did you come from outside?"

"My Lord, I am a family-born child."

"How many people are there in your family?"

"Six people, and I have three older sisters." Chen Siyuan paused with his chopsticks, wondering, "So, you're the fourth?"

The fourth line, isn't it the Si'er next to Baoyu? I vaguely remember that Xiren seemed to have changed its name, and then Baoyu, who was angry, simply burned the piano and boiled the crane, and changed it to Si'er.

Yunxiang blinked and said, "Yes."

Chen Siyuan said nothing more, waving at the maid. When Yunxiang cautiously approached, he pulled a piece of silver from his waist pouch and casually handed it to Yunxiang. Facing Yunxiang's puzzled gaze, Chen Siyuan said, "I'm new here, so I might not understand many of the rules. I'll have to trouble you with household matters, big and small, from now on. This silver is a reward for you. Save it for buying rouge and powder."

Yunxiang glanced down at the silver coins, estimating that they were worth at least one or two taels. Her face lit up with joy as she bowed and said, "Thank you for the reward, sir!"

She couldn't help but think to herself, although Master Bao was generous, the rewards were given to maids in the inner chambers like Xiren and Qingwen. How could a maid like her, who served in the outer chambers, ever receive such benefits? Although the new master in front of her looked a bit cowardly, he seemed to have a good temper. It would be nice to follow his diligence and get some rewards.

Yunxiang thought so and served him more attentively. After Chen Siyuan finished his meal, she washed his hands and served him tea to rinse his mouth.

As I was busy working, it was getting dark outside. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door: "Is Mr. Chen here?"

Yunxiang ran to open the door quickly, and saw Tongxi, Tonggui and Aunt Xue standing in front of the door. Next to Aunt Xue was Xiangling, who was carrying a bundle and looked confused.

Yunxiang blinked, hurriedly called for help, then turned around and shouted, "Master, the concubine is here to visit."

When Chen Siyuan heard the noise, he couldn't help but think to himself that Aunt Xue had come to seek revenge, but he didn't know whether she wanted to use her power to pressure others or to give some benefits to keep them quiet.

He walked out, his face feigning sorrow, and when he came closer he bowed and said, "Madam, please come in and talk."

Aunt Xue smiled brightly and said, "Brother, why bother with externalizing? We are all related after all. If you don't mind, you can just call me aunt."

Chen Siyuan opened his mouth but said nothing. He nodded and stepped aside to invite Aunt Xue and her companions in. He caught a glimpse of the pretty maid carrying a small bundle, her face blank. Seeing her delicate figure, like a delicate jade sculpture, his heart suddenly moved. He wondered, could this girl be Xiangling?

Once inside, everyone took their seats, divided into host and guest. Tongxi and Tonggui stood behind Aunt Xue, while the charming maidservant was pulled to her side. After Yunxiang served the fragrant tea and stood behind Chen Siyuan, Aunt Xue said with embarrassment, "My Pan'er is not a wicked person who bullies men and women. He just drank a few more cups and lost his temper. He didn't mean to bully Yuan'er."

Seeing Chen Siyuan's unmoved frown, Aunt Xue continued, "I've just asked about this. Yan'er has been with you since she was little, so their bond is naturally extraordinary... But now that things have come to this, we must look forward. Since Pan'er has taken Yan'er away, he should be punished by having Xiangling, who was with him, given to you."

As relatives, we should keep in touch in the future. There's no need to become estranged because of such a small matter. I also know that my brother is very angry at the moment, but don't worry, my brother, when Pan'er sobers up tomorrow, I will bring him to you in person to apologize."

As he spoke, he pulled Xiangling in front of him and ordered, "Xiangling, why don't you kowtow to your new master?"

Xiangling knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your servant Xiangling greets you, Master."

It was Xiangling indeed! Chen Siyuan was secretly delighted. He was overjoyed to have exchanged a burden and hindrance for the beautiful Xiangling.

Chen Siyuan's brows relaxed slightly, and he said sadly: "Auntie... I..."

(End of this chapter)