Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 82: Ruining Your Good Deeds (Subscription Request)

Chen Siyuan put his hands together and whispered something. Mrs. Xing's face suddenly changed and she asked suspiciously, "What are you going to do?"

Chen Siyuan smiled bitterly and said, "What? To save my life. Don't worry, this matter will not implicate the West Mansion, let alone you." He paused, then looked at Madam Xing with genuine affection and said, "Madam, don't you know what I am like?"

Mrs. Xing looked at Chen Siyuan's expression and thought that not only had he not cheated her, but he had actually contributed quite a bit to her dowry, which was enough to make up for Third Sister Xing's dowry. Although he was a petty thief, he was much better than others in treating her.

Unable to bear it, Madam Xing whispered, "We're going to have a funeral today, with hundreds of people watching. What if..."

Chen Siyuan said, "I'm not stupid. How could I dare to take action tonight? Just tell Baozhu to give the item to me, and don't worry about the rest."

Mrs. Xing hesitated to speak, but finally nodded and said nothing more. Wang Shanbao's voice came from outside, and Chen Siyuan hurried back to his seat. A moment later, the steward came to look for him, saying that the old lady was worried about Baoyu and wanted to send someone to check on him at the Mantou Temple.

Chen Siyuan stood up and said goodbye. After leaving Tiekan Temple, he rode his horse straight to Mantou Temple.

As they walked along, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but wonder, and asked the steward, "Why is such a good nunnery called Mantou Nunnery?"

The steward chuckled and said, "Master Yuan, you may not know that this nunnery was originally called Shuiyue Temple. It was nicknamed Mantou Nunnery because of the delicious steamed buns they make."

"Steamed buns? How do you do that?"

The manager laughed sarcastically and said, "Meat buns are better than vegetarian ones, aren't they?"

Chen Siyuan blinked, understanding! It's said that Mount Tai boasts countless temples and monasteries. A talented scholar, after visiting the mountain, inscribed the words "Chong Er" (虫二) on the mountain gate upon his return. Curious readers puzzled, but a scholar later interpreted the phrase as "Chong Er represents the boundless wind and moon," and finally, understanding dawned on them.

A glimpse of this reveals the whole picture. If Mount Tai suffered like this, how could other places be spared? A hundred years had passed since the end of the Ming Dynasty. The rapid population growth, coupled with the widespread cultivation of improved American varieties like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn, had led directly to a population explosion in Dashun. With so many men, there were naturally more women, and some families, unable to survive, sent their daughters to nunneries.

Some nunneries are bustling with activity, while others are deserted. Originally, with only a few nuns, one could barely make ends meet, but now there are dozens. How can they survive?
To make a living, some nuns in the nunneries secretly engaged in the sex trade. With this beginning, the subsequent ideas were unleashed. There were nuns who kept their hair uncut and nuns from foreign countries such as Brunei and Siam.

I heard that there is a nunnery that specializes in this business. They will take teenage nuns with you to live with you. If you give birth to a child, you will give the nunnery a huge sum of money. If you cannot give birth to a child, the nunnery will replace you with another young nun after half a year.

Thinking of the manager's lewd smile, Chen Siyuan thought to himself that the meat buns in this bun temple might also be "Chong Er".

While he was thinking, he arrived at Mantou Temple and exchanged a few words with the nun guarding the gate. Then Chen Siyuan was led to the back by the nun.

When they arrived at the quiet room, the nun announced her number and the door of the inner room was opened. Chen Siyuan saw Wang Xifeng talking to an old nun.

Yes, this time, wasn’t it the old nun who used provocation to induce Feng Jieer to take charge of all the lawsuits from then on?
Since he had a new understanding of Mrs. Xing, Chen Siyuan no longer dared to judge people based on the records in the book. Moreover, when he arrived at the Rongguo Mansion, Sister Feng was rarely kind to him.

Thinking that he might not have much time left, Chen Siyuan began to think about doing good deeds and accumulating virtue - after death, he could be reincarnated here, and maybe even in the underworld, so who would dare to be careless?
Seeing Chen Siyuan coming, Wang Xifeng stood up to greet him and asked with a smile, "Brother Yuan, why are you here?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "To answer my second sister-in-law, the old lady and the madam are worried about Brother Bao, so I asked to come and take a look."

Sister Feng laughed and said, "I wonder where those two little brothers are playing at the moment."

At this point, Chen Siyuan should have gone to the back, but he pulled up a stool and sat down, complaining with a smile: "I've been running around all day and I'm really thirsty now. I have the nerve to ask my second sister-in-law for a cup of tea."

Sister Feng smiled and covered her mouth, saying, "Not to mention tea, even if Brother Yuan wanted some fine wine, I would have thought of finding it for him." After a pause, she told Ping'er to make tea. Sister Feng then said, "Thank goodness Brother Yuan is here to help, otherwise I don't know how busy I would be."

Chen Siyuan said, "Second sister-in-law, what are you talking about? I've been talking to a few maids privately. Second sister-in-law is very weak, and there are so many things to do in the East and West Mansions. It's thanks to Second sister-in-law's great spirit that she managed everything so well. If she had been a little less, she would have been exhausted!"

This hit the nail on the head for Sister Feng, who couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh my, Brother Yuan knows how to make jokes. It's just chores in the inner chambers. I just started early, worked late, and put in a lot of effort. I'm afraid someone else could handle it just as well."

Ping'er handed over some tea. Chen Siyuan took it, turned around and said with a smile, "Second sister-in-law, spread this around and see who dares to believe it!"

Feng Jieer felt proud again, and her face couldn't help but become more kind.

At this time, Chen Siyuan took a sip of tea, glanced at the old nun, and said, "Second sister-in-law is also tired. If this monk has nothing else to do, he should go."

"This..." Old Nun Jingxu said with a wry smile, "Sir, I do have something to say to Second Madam."

Chen Siyuan was puzzled and asked, "You just borrowed two rooms, and now you want to ask my second sister-in-law for money?"

At this time, Feng Jieer said: "She is not asking for money, she wants to ask me for something else." Then she told the story of Zhang Jin Ge.

When Chen Siyuan heard the name Li Yanei, he immediately frowned in displeasure.

Sister Feng was very good at observing people's expressions. Seeing this, she hurriedly said, "Brother Yuan suddenly frowned, but..."

Chen Siyuan said, "To be honest, Second Sister-in-law, I did have a fight with Li Yanei a few days ago."

"what?"

Chen Siyuan lied, "Second sister-in-law, you don't know, but I've made friends with a few brothers lately. They wanted to open a security company, so they hired agents to get in touch with the government. Unexpectedly, they were ripped off by this Lord Li and several hundred taels of silver."

Chen Siyuan exaggerated the story of Ma Panlong being tricked. Finally, he said, "That Li guy is just a brother-in-law. He's bullying the market and committing crimes. Even if he has someone to protect him, he won't be able to escape the law one day."

Chen Siyuan didn't know that he came at the right time. At that time, the old nun Jingxu had not used any provocation yet.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sister Feng glanced at Jingxu and said, "I just feel that good things will never come to me. If I believe you today and do this for that useless Li Yanei, won't it be my fault if things go wrong later?"

Jingxu panicked and said hurriedly, "Second Madam, it's not possible, it's not possible!"

Wang Xifeng was a shrewd person. The more flustered she became, the more suspicious Sister Feng became. She waved her hand away like she was shooing away a fly: "Stop talking. I'll just pretend I didn't hear anything about this. Please go away."

Jingxu was stunned, and glanced at Chen Siyuan, but he didn't dare to show his resentment. He could only sigh, chant Buddhist mantras, and leave.

As the old nun left, Chen Siyuan withdrew his gaze and said, "It seems like this old nun wants to use my second sister-in-law as a pawn." Feng Jieer sneered, "Don't I know what she's up to? She wants to blind her mind. No matter how she confuses right and wrong, I can really let this old nun trick her into making a raft for others."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "That's exactly the point!"

After a pause, Chen Siyuan drank the warm tea in one gulp, stood up and said, "The old lady is still worried about me, I have to go see Baoyu."

Perhaps because her earlier praise had touched Fengjie'er's heart, she no longer cared about her fatigue and stood up and said, "How do you know where Baoyu has gone? Let's go and see together. It's getting late, so it's time to wash up and rest."

The two of them went out, their maid holding a lantern, and accompanied by other maids and old women, and went to a quiet room nearby. But Ping'er went up and knocked at the door, but although the light was on, no one answered.

Feng Jieer was afraid that something might happen to Baoyu, so she quickly asked Ping'er to open the door. When everyone went in to look, they saw that the bedding on the kang was in disarray, but Baoyu and Qin Zhong were nowhere to be seen.

Feng Jieer suddenly became anxious: "Go find him quickly, we can't let Baoyu get lost!"

Chen Siyuan suddenly had an idea, thinking that it seemed like... Qin Zhongxun was hanging out with that Zhineng girl, and Baoyu followed behind and caught him red-handed?

I ruined the old nun's good deeds before, so why not ruin those people's good deeds now? Even if Sister Bao and Sister Lin have the slightest grudge against Baoyu because of this matter in the future, I will have done a great deed.

At that moment, Chen Siyuan also said, "Second sister-in-law, maybe Brother Bao went to play in the back. Let's go look for him too."

"go!"

The maids and old women scattered. Chen Siyuan held the lantern himself. Wang Xifeng was accompanied by only a little maid named Feng'er. The three of them went straight to the back to look for her.

When I arrived outside a room, I heard men and women whispering inside, followed by a woman's scream.

Feng Jieer and Chen Siyuan stopped and looked at each other. Chen Siyuan thought, "Second sister-in-law, this Mantou Temple doesn't have a good reputation outside... It's comparable to the temple on Mount Tai."

Feng Jieer was immediately shocked. Baoyu was the old lady's lifeblood. He was only a little boy. If the little nun tricked him into knowing his secrets, wouldn't the old lady be very angry with Feng Jieer afterwards?

Feng Jieer immediately cursed with a stern face and gritted her teeth, "You crazy slut! Brother Yuan, just keep kicking the door. I want to see who has the guts to do this!"

Chen Siyuan responded with secret joy, stepped forward and kicked the door open, then strode in with a lantern in hand.

After a slight hesitation, Sister Feng followed in. Once inside, she was stunned by the flickering light of the lamp.

On the bed, Zhineng'er only covered his chest with his monk's robe, while Qin Zhong was completely naked, holding a sweat towel in his hand.

Looking at Baoyu again... Baoyu was fine, but the handkerchief around his waist somehow ended up in Qin Zhong's hands.

Chen Siyuan pretended to be dumbfounded and shouted, "This...this...this..."

Feng Jieer couldn't bear to watch, so she turned away and hurried out. Feng Er, who was behind her, only caught a glimpse and immediately cried out in surprise.

As luck would have it, two women were just coming from somewhere else and came to the back. They heard Chen Siyuan inside stamping his feet and cursing angrily, "You are violating morals and destroying civility!"

After saying that, he slammed the door and walked out with a sullen face. A moment later, Zhineng came out again, wrapped in clothes and crying.

Sister Feng'er's chest heaved with rage. All this time, she'd thought Baoyu and Qin Zhong were little, keeping them in her carriage. Now, looking back, how could they still be little? Looking at their appearance, they must have known what was going on!

And... these two shameless people are with that Zhineng!

Thinking about how the two little ones might blaspheme her in their hearts later, Feng Jieer suddenly felt sick!
At this moment, Ping'er led a few maids and came over following the sound. When they got close, they asked hurriedly, "Madam, has Master Bao been found?"

Feng Jieer had a cold face and didn't say a word, and Chen Siyuan gritted his teeth and said nothing. Ping'er was immediately at a loss.

After a moment, Sister Feng frowned and ordered, "Send two people to help Zhong Ge'er and Bao Yu dress... Send them back to the quiet room, and leave more people to watch over them carefully."

At this moment, the door behind him opened. Baoyu, wearing a handkerchief, looked at the cold-faced Feng Jieer and Chen Siyuan, and suddenly said with an epiphany: "I'm afraid Sister Feng has misunderstood. I..."

How could Sister Feng believe it? She only believed what she saw with her own eyes. She interrupted him, saying, "Brother Bao, you must let us know where you're going next time, so we don't have to worry about you. I have a terrible headache right now, so I won't stay any longer."

After saying that, he gave Chen Siyuan a look, and the two of them walked side by side.

A moment later, before the two maids could enter, Qin Zhong had already come out, dressed in his clothes. Baoyu stamped his feet and said, "You've got me killed this time!"

Qin Zhong also had an ugly expression on his face, and he retorted, "If you hadn't come, why would they come?"

"You——" This sentence made Baoyu speechless. He just said: "We will settle the score later!"

Let's not talk about how the sworn brothers got along, but let's talk about Chen Siyuan and Feng Jieer turning through the moon-shaped gate. Feng Jieer slowed down her pace, sighed, and said, "I thought they were just children, but it turns out I was wrong." After a pause, she ordered Ping'er, "Tell the maids and old women not to spread what happened today. Otherwise, whoever spreads it will be beaten with a stick!"

Ping'er responded.

Chen Siyuan whispered, "Second sister-in-law, we should cover up the old lady's side, but what about the mistress's side...how do we say it?"

Yes, Baoyu has done such a wicked thing. It's fine if we don't tell Lady Jia, but we can't hide it from Lady Wang, can we? Apart from other things, Qin Zhong has abducted Baoyu and corrupted him. He can't come to our house anymore. And since Baoyu has already known about the affair, his sisters must be more cautious from now on.

Although Wang Xifeng had not read much, she knew that boys and girls should not sit at the same table after the age of seven. Now that I think about it, the ancients were right!
Thinking of this, Wang Xifeng said, "Let's keep it a secret from the others for now. I'll send someone to tell Madam about it."

"Okay," Chen Siyuan responded, then added, "That Qin Zhong isn't quite right. The two of them were together at night... I think it's better to send them both back to the madam."

Wang Xifeng thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Brother Yuan, you've been very thoughtful. Let's do it!"

(End of this chapter)