Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 91 Young Lady

Looking for people around Chen Siyuan?
Sister Liu pondered for a moment, and a clue finally came to her. Yunxiang, that little girl, was fine; she probably wouldn't have much to say in front of that man. And Xiangling was from the Xue family. After all, only Hongyu was still able to move around.

Hongyu's parents are deaf and dumb in the mansion, so because they live close to each other, Sister Liu often meets Lin Zhixiao's family.

Sister Liu loved this daughter the most and tried to persuade her again, but the daughter was determined and couldn't be persuaded. So she had no choice but to think about going to Lin Zhixiao's house to talk to him.

That day, Hongyu had just returned the lunch box when she was caught red-handed by her mother Lin Zhixiao's family.

The mother and daughter hid under the eaves of the East Courtyard and whispered to each other. After hearing what her mother asked, Hongyu frowned immediately and felt extremely unhappy.

Lin Zhixiao's wife said, "Mrs. Liu is also an elder in the family, and it's rare for her to speak. You've seen Wu'er before, and she's a very spoiled child. Why don't you talk to Grandpa Yuan about her daughter?"

Mention it? Why?
Although Hongyu was kindhearted, she had her own concerns. When Xiangling was around, even when Hongyu was on night watch, Master Yuan only let her rest in the warm room. Now that Xiangling had finally left, she was worried that Master Yuan would be left without care, so she gave her instructions and implicit praise. Only then did she sleep in the warm room with Master Yuan. Now, was she going to have to squeeze someone in?
Why?
Of course she had seen Wu'er before. She was indeed beautiful, but she was a sickly beauty, unable to carry anything. When a maid like this came into the room, was she taking care of the master, or was he taking care of her?
We have finally made some progress, how can Hongyu allow another maid to share the profits?

Therefore, he said vaguely, "My master is very nostalgic. When Xiangling was here, she was the only one left in the room. I'm afraid that even if Wu'er came, she would still be working in the outer room."

Lin Zhixiao's wife disapproved, saying, "What man doesn't cheat? Forget about Second Master Lian, just look at that Cong brother. Didn't he make a fuss in the spring and finally take away two beautiful maids? Just wait and see, in less than two years they'll be his concubines."

After a pause, she continued, "As your mother, I know what you're thinking. But don't forget that you still have Xiangling ahead of you. Can you compare to her in terms of beauty? If Wu'er were to go, he would definitely appreciate your kindness. Then you two can work together to deal with Xiangling in the future."

Xiangling treated Hongyu very well, and Hongyu couldn't stand it anymore. She turned around and left: "What are you talking about, mother? Master is still waiting, I'm going home first!"

Lin Zhixiao's family chased after him for two steps and said, "Don't forget to tell me about this!"

Hongyu was vague and didn't say whether she agreed or not.

When she returned to the courtyard, she never mentioned anything about Liu Wu'er. At this time, the little maid Yunxiang took advantage of Hongyu's absence to sneak into the main room and chatted with Chen Siyuan.

"...It's true, Miss Bao is indeed injured. I think it must have been from falling off the swing. Tsk, tsk, and she even said she had a cold and couldn't see anyone, as if everyone knew it."

Chen Siyuan was secretly delighted in his study. After a moment's thought, he picked up his pen and quickly wrote a note. He threw it to Yunxiang and said, "Go give it to Ying'er. Follow this prescription and she'll be well in a few days."

Yunxiang got the note and said happily, "Then I'll go find Sister Ying'er right away!"

Yunxiang turned around and saw Hongyu standing there with a bad look on her face. She called out "Sister Hongyu" softly and then ran away.

Hongyu gritted her teeth and shook her head. She walked into the study and said, "Master, you are too indulgent towards Yunxiang."

"How old is she? This isn't the underworld. Be more casual and she'll be more relaxed."

Hongyu sighed and smiled, "You are always right. If she is still like this in two years, don't blame me for teaching her a lesson."

"Ha, then let's talk about it in two years."

Chen Siyuan stood up and stretched himself, saying, "My aunt is going to Miaofeng Mountain to burn incense in a few days. I'm going to have a discussion with her and will be back by dinner time."

Hongyu hurriedly took out the cloak, helped Chen Siyuan put it on, and then sent him out.

Over there, the little maidservant Yunxiang rushed to Lixiang Courtyard at lightning speed. The gate of the courtyard was open. Yunxiang stopped in front of the door and called out, "Sister Ying'er, Sister Ying'er!"

The door curtain to the main room was lifted, and Ying'er emerged. Seeing it was Yunxiang, she frowned. As the saying goes, if you hate someone, you hate him too much. If it weren't for that Master Yuan's instigation, why would my daughter go swinging on the swing for no reason? Now, she's had a bad fall. I'm afraid she'll be unable to get out of bed for several days. She had to lie to everyone about catching a cold to avoid Master Bao from coming to investigate.

"How did you come?"

Ying'er came over with a sullen look on her face, but Yunxiang smiled and said, "Sister Ying'er, how is your daughter?"

"What's your business?"

Yunxiang said angrily, "You really don't know how to appreciate kindness! My master heard that Miss Bao was ill, so he specially wrote a prescription for her. Since you say so, I'm leaving now."

"Wait a minute, what's the recipe?"

"Here~" Yunxiang pursed her lips and handed the note over. Ying'er took it, glanced at it, and said with a gentle expression, "Thank your master on behalf of my daughter."

After a pause, seeing Yunxiang standing there motionless, even standing on tiptoe to peer inside, Ying'er immediately became annoyed again: "Look, look, what's there to look at? The prescription has been delivered, go back quickly!"

After shoving Yunxiang out in a few seconds, Ying'er casually closed the gate to Lixiang Courtyard. Yunxiang was so furious that she was practically mad. She stood in front of the gate, hopping and gritting her teeth, saying, "You're so ungrateful! I'll see if I ever talk to you again!"

After saying that, he turned around and left in a huff.

But Ying'er ignored Yunxiang's noise, took the note and went straight into the main room. When she reached the kang in the end room, she saw Sister Bao lying on her side, her hand on her cheek and her brows furrowed.

Ying'er stepped forward and said, "Young lady, Master Yuan sent Yunxiang with a prescription. Would you like to take a look?"

"Yeah." Sister Bao opened her eyes, with a hint of anger in her eyes.

There are some things you can't think too much about. If you think too much, you will inevitably get angrier and angrier. After the anger subsides, you will be in a dilemma!
She had been goaded into swinging for no reason, only to fall and become disabled, and yet she couldn't blame anyone. But Sister Bao hated Chen Siyuan with a vengeance, hoping to tease him the next time she saw him.

Perhaps it's a common saying that dreams come true at night. Last night, Sister Bao dreamed that she lifted a copper hammer weighing over 100 kilograms and smashed Chen Siyuan into a meat pie...

In a moment, her almond-shaped eyes regained clarity. Baochai took the prescription and glanced at it. It listed ingredients such as Panax notoginseng, Aconitum kusnezoffii, borneol, and ginseng, with their respective dosages. Below that, the instructions were: boil it into a paste and apply to the affected area.

Sister Bao told others that she could only read and had not read much, but in fact she had read a lot in private. Even this medical book was read by Sister Bao because she had a pharmacy at home.

She had a basic understanding of pharmacology, and after a brief reflection, she felt that this recipe was appropriate. She also thought about the plasters on her body, which had been changed twice with no improvement, so she told Ying'er, "Take the prescription and ask the old shopkeeper to prescribe the medicine. Come back and boil it before using."

Ying'er was surprised and said, "Miss, that Mr. Yuan is so mean, maybe he is trying to trick you this time too."

Sister Bao immediately glanced over and said, "Don't say such nonsense in the future. Brother Yuan was just saying some truths that day. I built the swing on my own and I fell because I was distracted. What does it have to do with him?" "But..."

"Hmm?" Ying'er glared at him with her apricot eyes and immediately agreed.

Ying'er received the instructions and went to get the medicine according to the prescription, but Bao-jie was still upset. What she had just said was indeed reasonable, but in her heart... she was still angry!

Without mentioning what happened to Sister Bao, let's talk about Chen Siyuan arriving at the east wing courtyard. He was immediately led by Miao'er through the three-tiered ceremonial gate. When they reached the inner ceremonial gate, Miao'er suddenly stopped awkwardly and said, "Master Yuan."

"Ok?"

Miao'er raised her finger and pointed at her lips and said, "I changed my rouge today. Master Yuan, do you think I look okay?"

Chen Siyuan took a look and thought that it might not be appropriate. The rouge was too dark in color and was suitable for Lady Wang's age. I'm afraid it wouldn't even be suitable for Lady Xing.

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Did you buy the rouge yourself?"

Miao'er nodded and smiled, "I asked the housekeeper's wife to help me. This rouge costs five cents of silver."

Chen Siyuan didn't want to compliment her against his will, so after a moment's thought, he said, "The color is a bit too strong. Next time, I'll choose something that suits you."

Miao'er became depressed immediately after hearing this, and just replied with a dejected "Oh".

After passing through the inner ceremonial gate, a servant came out and said, "Madam is feeling sleepy right now and is taking a nap. If Master Yuan wants to wait, why not go to the side room and sit there first?"

The son grew up and avoided his mother. Since Madam Xing was asleep, Chen Siyuan naturally couldn't enter the main room. The side rooms and the back room were occupied by Jia She's concubines, making it even more difficult for Chen Siyuan to enter. After counting, weren't there only two side rooms on the west side for the maids?
When Miao'er and Tiao'er heard this, they both hoped to see it through, but Chen Siyuan was preoccupied with something and didn't see it. So they said, "Forget it, I'll come find my aunt later."

After the words fell, both maids looked disappointed, but they had no choice but to send Chen Siyuan out again.

When Chen Siyuan returned to his own courtyard, he saw the little maid Yunxiang struggling to carry a bamboo ladder.

Chen Siyuan was puzzled and asked, "Why are you moving the ladder?"

Yunxiang turned around and said angrily, "I don't know which prankster threw a stone over the wall into the yard, and it just happened to hit me on the head." As she spoke, she pointed to her forehead and said, "Look, it's all red!"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Maybe it was some naughty boy."

"No!" Yunxiang shook her head and said, "I calculated it. Three stones were thrown in just a short while ago. I'm going to go up to the roof right now and catch the funny guy who threw the stones!"

Keep throwing it into the yard? That's a bit too much!

Chen Siyuan said seriously, "How about I take over?"

"Huh?" Yunxiang hurriedly shook her head. "Don't make a fuss, sir. I'll just take a tumble and recover. If I take a tumble, the mistress might use me as a scapegoat. No, no, I'll do it!"

"Then I'll help you hold on a little."

Chen Siyuan leaned the ladder against the eaves, and Yunxiang, relying on her youth and lightness, quickly climbed onto the roof. A moment later, a stone was thrown high into the air and fell into the courtyard.

Fortunately, Chen Siyuan was holding the ladder. If he had just come in, he would have been frightened.

"Still throwing? Let's see where you can run!" Yunxiang used her hands and feet to climb onto the roof, stood up and looked down, then put her hands on her waist and said, "Hey! Was it the stone you threw?"

Then a familiar voice saluted, "Ah, someone finally showed up. Miss, please come. I've long admired Brother Chen's name and we've been close friends. But I can't go into the mansion to look for him without permission, so I had no choice but to throw stones over the wall."

Yunxiang was so angry that her nose was crooked. "Why don't you just look for someone? Throwing stones is nothing. You want to find my uncle? Who are you?"

"My humble name is not worth mentioning. My friends all call me You Sanlang."

What You Sanlang? This is clearly You Sanjie.

Seeing Yunxiang was about to argue, Chen Siyuan said, "Come down, Yunxiang. You must have misunderstood me. That person and I... are quite compatible."

"Huh?" Yunxiang was immediately disheartened. She thought to herself, "Didn't I get hit on the head with a stone for nothing?"

Climbing down reluctantly with a pout, Chen Siyuan tossed over a dime and said with a smile, "You've been wronged today. Use this to buy some candy. It's my way of making up for it."

Yunxiang was so happy that her nose started to bubble. She smiled and said, "Thank you for the reward, sir." This dime was worth at least two qian of silver. How many candies could I buy with it? This stone was worth it! If I could get hit every day... wouldn't it be wonderful?
Chen Siyuan dismissed Yunxiang and called out to the outer wall, "Sanlang, wait a moment. I'll be right out."

Without entering the house, he turned around and walked out of the small courtyard, then circled out of the Rongguo Mansion. When he came out from the back door, he saw a slightly short scholar standing not far away.

She was wearing a loose moon-white gown, a scarf on her head, and was playing with a folding fan in her hand in winter. The eyebrows and eyes on her face could not hide the fact that she was a woman.

When she saw Chen Siyuan, Third Sister You even gave him a fake nod: "Oh, Brother Chen is finally out. I've been waiting anxiously for you."

Chen Siyuan was at a loss for words and walked forward, "What are you doing?"

Third Sister You smiled, spread her arms, twisted her body a few times, and said, "How is it? My mother, my second sister, and I went to the Ningguo Mansion next door. They were having a noisy feast, and I was really bored. So I simply borrowed Rong'er's clothes and came out. Do I look like a scholar?"

Chen Siyuan agreed, "Brother Zhu, what are you talking about? What do you mean by resemble? It's clearly like that."

Although Third Sister You was only being pretentious because of Chen Siyuan, she did know Zhu Yingtai, and her pretty face immediately flushed. She said shyly, "Has Brother Chen had lunch yet? Yes, how about we have some together? It's my treat."

Seeing her like this, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but think to himself: You really can't judge people based solely on what's written in books. Perhaps what Third Sister You did later was indeed despicable, but at this point, she hadn't been coaxed into submission by Jia Zhen and his son, and she had a fiery temper. How was she any different from the Zhu Yingtai in that famous poem?
After figuring this out, Chen Siyuan put aside his playful thoughts and said seriously, "It just so happens that I've never tried it either. There's a mutton shop up ahead that has some pretty good food. Sanlang, why don't you try some with me?"

"Well, okay, I'll listen to Brother Chen."

The two of them immediately walked side by side. Third Sister You walked happily, stealing glances at Chen Siyuan, thinking to herself, if she were to walk arm in arm with Brother Chen at this moment... would it be too abrupt?
(End of this chapter)