The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 204 Xue Baochai is worried

As the saying goes, travel is about going from a place you're tired of to a place someone else is tired of. So even though the Wang family's garden wasn't as big as the Jia family's, let alone the Jia family's Grand View Garden, the women of the Jia family still enjoyed it immensely.

Not to mention Aunt Xue and Wang Xifeng, who have many memories of this place and now have a special feeling about it.

"In my opinion, it would be better not to go back. We can rest in that pavilion, have some snacks, and enjoy the scenery. Wouldn't that be even better?" Wang Xifeng, being an impatient person, made the suggestion instinctively.

"Feng's suggestion is good."

Amidst laughter and chatter, the crowd made their way towards the pavilion.

The pavilion was not far from the pond, with willow trees on the bank and the water rippling, creating a pleasant scene. Xue Baochai, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun sat together on the railing of the pavilion, while Aunt Xue and Madam Wang sat around the round table, and the maids from each household whispered among themselves, making quite a lively scene.

Wang Xifeng felt more at ease at her husband's home. Sitting on a stone bench, she noticed a maidservant watching her from a distance. Feeling curious, she quietly walked over without making a sound.

When the maid saw Wang Xifeng coming, she said, "Master sent me."

Upon hearing that it was the old man, Wang Xifeng was startled. Why would he come looking for her for no reason? Had something happened? She quickly asked, "Has something happened?"

The maid didn't react immediately and said as usual, "Master said that Master and Master Xin had a falling out, and Master Zheng accompanied Master Xin back first. He told me to just tell Miss that I should keep it to myself and not to alarm anyone else."

"Why is this happening all of a sudden?" Wang Xifeng asked in surprise, her heart filled with anxiety.

The maid shook her head and said, "I don't know anything else, the master told me."

Helpless, Wang Xifeng could only remain calm. After returning home, she pretended to be composed, but she could no longer feel happy and was constantly worried.

In the afternoon, the Jia family members returned home.

Outside, they rode in carriages and sedan chairs. First, they saw Aunt Xue into the sedan chair, and then Wang Xifeng. Wang Xifeng paid attention and, sure enough, she only saw Xue Pan and Baoyu, but not the master and Xinye.

The maids had also enjoyed a day of fun, their smiles still lingering on their faces, completely unaware of what was happening.

Before Xue Baochai boarded the carriage, she glanced around and noticed that two people were missing. Had they gone back first? That shouldn't be the case; perhaps something had happened?

As everyone returned, without mentioning to others, Xue Baochai did not go back to the Grand View Garden with Yingchun and the others. Instead, she went with her mother. They entered the mansion through a private alley, and through a small door in the alley, next to Xue's aunt's residence.

Aunt Xue had been playing and socializing all day and hadn't taken a nap, so she was exhausted. Xue Baochai came over because she felt sorry for her mother. Xiangling was also very tired. Before everyone had even sat down, Xue Pan barged in.

"It's all over, it's all over," Xue Pan exclaimed.

"My son, don't shout like that, it's making my heart pound." Aunt Xue, who had been exhausted just moments before, was terrified by her son's noise.

Xue Pan not only didn't restrain himself, but clicked his tongue and said, "It's really over. You guys don't know, I didn't even dare to breathe back then. I almost suffocated. It was terrifying."

Aunt Xue was even more surprised and frightened. Xue Baochai couldn't help but say, "Brother, why do you have to frighten Mother? If there's something you can say, then say it. If you can't say it, then don't say it. Don't you feel sorry for Mother if you frighten her?"

Xue Pan thought his sister's words made sense, so he stopped making a big fuss and said directly, "Uncle and Wang Xin had a fight and almost came to blows."

"Nonsense!" Aunt Xue scolded. "What kind of person is your uncle? Even if he has a disagreement, how could he possibly fight with someone? Do you think he's like a ungrateful wretch like you?"

Instead of being angry after being scolded by his mother, Xue Pan laughed and said, "Anyway, the two of them had a big fight. Didn't you notice, Mother? When we came back, neither Uncle nor Wang Xin were there. Wang Xin had a fight with Uncle, so he left first. Uncle didn't want Wang Xin to leave alone, so he accompanied him. I don't know if they came back or went somewhere else."

This must be true. Aunt Xue subconsciously looked at Xue Baochai. Xue Baochai also realized that she hadn't seen him just now. However, when she realized that her mother was looking at her, Xue Baochai thought of something else.

It wasn't that Xue Baochai wasn't shrewd; it was about her own life and marriage, and Xue Baochai was, after all, a young girl. She subconsciously overlooked it, and it was only Xue Yima's reaction that brought her to her senses.

Although she had thought of it, Xue Baochai's expression changed slightly, but she did not react further.

Although neither his mother nor his sister spoke, Xue Pan knew things were not peaceful. He sighed, "What are we going to do? Wang Xin still owes our Xue family several thousand taels of silver."

"They owe so much?" Aunt Xue was surprised to learn this for the first time.

Aunt Xue only knew the general outline of the business outside; the specifics were handled by the general manager, and Xue Pan was supposed to be in charge on a daily basis. However, Xue Pan had always been playful and had no interest in doing anything.

Over the past two years, Xue Pan has grown older and become more sensible, starting to pay attention to his family's business. Xue Pan gave a general explanation of the business at the Hexi market and sighed, "Back then, I was going to help him because he was going to become my brother-in-law. Helping him was helping me too. But now he has fallen out with my uncle, and I'm afraid his marriage to my sister will also change. Luckily, I didn't say anything back then."

Xiangling was hearing this for the first time. So, her mistress was going to marry Master Xin. No wonder her mistress acted that way on the way there.

Xue Baochai was in a state of turmoil. Although she didn't care who she married, she thought she was going to marry him and had been thinking about it for many days. Suddenly, she was told that the marriage had changed. Even though Xue Baochai was usually calm, she couldn't help but feel wronged. She lowered her head and rubbed her silk handkerchief.

Aunt Xue still felt sorry for her daughter. Knowing that her daughter was feeling down, she couldn't help but hug her, tears welling up in her eyes.

"If I don't care about my own daughter, who will?" Aunt Xue scolded angrily. "If you had any ambition, your sister wouldn't be treated like this."

Xue Pan was annoyed by the scolding. It was clearly his uncle's fault, so why was he being blamed? If it were before, Xue Pan would have already retorted. What was there to say?

As she grew older and became more sensible, she saw her younger sister nestled obediently in her mother's arms, clearly feeling wronged. In truth, it was indeed her own incompetence that made her feel this way.

If I were capable enough to find a good husband for my sister, would I need to keep changing the marriage arrangements because of my uncle's dissatisfaction?

To put it bluntly, no matter how big the Xue family's business is, he himself is not up to the task now. Although he has a nominal position in the Ministry of Revenue, he cannot support the family business and still has to rely on the names of his uncle and maternal uncle. If it were just him, the Xue family's business would have been swallowed up by local bullies long ago.

"Sigh, Wang Xin is quite capable, mainly because he's young, only three or four years older than me, and a good person. He's indeed a good match for my sister. However, he has a bad temper. Don't be fooled by his gentle demeanor; he's just as domineering as my uncle, and neither of them will give in."

Xue Pan was somewhat bewildered. He sniffed, feeling annoyed. "We're all surnamed Wang, and we're on the same side, so why can't we unite? For our own interests, we're unwilling to give in and would rather turn against each other. It's really incomprehensible."

Aunt Xue didn't really have any ideas, and faced with such a big event outside, she was even more at a loss. She could only rely on her son, asking, "What should we do?"

Xue Pan thought for a moment and came up with an idea. "We should still listen to our uncle. Wang Xin seems to be an ungrateful wretch. The warehouses in Hexi Camp were originally intended to subsidize Wang Xin with some money. We never planned to make money from them. Anyway, it's not much. As for the market, I think we should be clear about the accounts. One is one, and two is two."

Aunt Xue asked worriedly, "Won't we offend him?"

“My uncle treated him so well, but he still turned his back on me. So public matters should be public and private matters should be private. The Xue family and their counterparts in Yangzhou have spent countless efforts to maintain the Hexi market. Since it’s a business matter, it’s best to be clear about everything.”

Several thousand taels of silver is no small sum. If I don't go to Wang Xin to urge him, and if he has any integrity, he should return these several thousand taels of silver to me. As for next year's share, we'll settle it as it is, and neither of us will owe the other anything.

Xue Pan believed that he had done everything he could to be benevolent and righteous.

Aunt Xue also felt that her son had done a good job, and she felt gratified. Her sadness lessened considerably. After all, she relied on her son, and he was becoming more and more capable of taking charge of the household. How could Aunt Xue not be happy?

Although Xue Baochai felt wronged and lost, she could clearly hear her mother and brother's conversation.

After hearing her brother's idea, Xue Baochai thought it was wrong.

Because of Daiyu, Xue Baochai knew a lot of things. If we put aside her relationship with her uncle, in reality, the person who truly helped her was Daiyu's father, followed by her uncle-in-law. Her uncle, on the other hand, only said a few words.

Even without her maternal uncle, Daiyu's aunt would have helped her just as much with her father's assistance. With her aunt's connections, the Xue family wouldn't have refused, because what he asked for first wasn't difficult and would also be beneficial to the Xue family.

He earns several thousand taels of silver a year from the Xue family's business in the Hexi market. The Xue family also benefits from this additional lucrative business opportunity.

Thinking of this, Xue Baochai said softly, "Since it's a matter of public versus private, we should seize the business at the Hexi market. Both sides should get what they need. We must not do what you said, brother."

Xue Pan's approach to public and private matters is the complete opposite of Xue Baochai's approach.

Xue Pan didn't think his sister was smart. On the contrary, he felt that his sister always contradicted him, and that she had been like this since she was a child. He was unhappy about it. "Sister, I think your marriage with him is probably off. Don't think about him anymore, so that when the new son-in-law finds out, it will cause more trouble."

"Mother," Xue Baochai said, unable to do anything about her brother, she could only turn to her mother for help, "Listen to what my brother has to say."

Aunt Xue glared at Xue Pan, but did not refute his words. She simply said, "How could you say such things about your sister? If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll teach you a lesson."

Xue Pan wasn't afraid of Aunt Xue. He had just vented his anger and felt great, with a smug look on his face.

Xue Baochai had no choice but to give up. Although she felt wronged, she was even more worried that her brother would act recklessly and ruin a perfectly good matter.

(End of this chapter)