The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 419 Two Sisters

Early winter in October.

The number of disaster victims outside the capital is increasing.

On one hand, disaster victims were trying every means to make their way to the capital to survive; on the other hand, various places were strictly guarding against disaster victims heading to the capital. As the weather grew colder, it became increasingly difficult for the disaster victims sleeping in the open.

If they cannot find a place to stay, they will undoubtedly freeze to death in winter.

They might not even make it to winter before they starve to death.

Life is already so miserable, but as long as you're alive, you still have to face despairing troubles.

The wheels rolled on the road, and the axle made a slight creaking sound, telling the driver that the carriage needed maintenance. The driver drove the carriage wearily, with more than a dozen bodyguards protecting him. They had traveled by boat from Jiangnan to Tianjin, and then hired a carriage from Tianjin to the capital. The journey had taken them a month or two and was not easy.

"Ugh."

Xue Baoqin sighed softly; there were simply too many disaster victims to provide relief to.

Her father forbade her from meddling in other people's business, as it could easily get her into trouble.

"Big brother will definitely find a way."

Xue Baoqin saw her father's figure outside the carriage. Xue Yan looked around and didn't dare to be careless the whole way. She knew that her father had a hard life. Xue Baoqin muttered something and then stopped complaining.

"Who can compare to him?"

Xue Yan didn't care and said frankly, "I'm just a businessman. Let alone that I don't have the ability to provide disaster relief, even if I did, I wouldn't dare. Besides, this isn't just about disaster relief. Where am I supposed to buy so much grain?"

I haven't left the house in a long time; I've been staying in Jiangnan.

This time, when he went to Beijing, his father decided to go to Datong in person. Seeing the power of the Xue family's eldest branch's ticket office, he realized that his cousin was indeed more capable. This made his father realize the situation and decide to bow down to his older brother.

Xue Baoqin silently rubbed the hem of her skirt. The fifteen-year-old girl had a hint of sadness in her eyes, which made her even more charming and cute.

"The disaster victims are so pitiful, who can help them?" Xue Baoqin had seen poor people before, but the situation in recent years was too tragic and completely different.

Worried about her daughter's naivety, Xue Yan warned, "You must not go near them."

Xue Baoqin frowned.

Knowing his daughter's character, Xue Yan quickly explained, "Many people will do anything to survive. There are bandits everywhere now. Which wealthy family isn't living in fear? The Chang family in Qingzhou City was robbed, and even their daughter was kidnapped and disappeared without a trace. That's a prefecture city!"

"Is even the capital city not safe anymore?"

Thinking of the abducted young lady, Xue Baoqin couldn't help but feel frightened and asked nervously.

Although he didn't want to frighten his daughter, given the state of the world, it was better to let her see reality clearly. Xue Yan hardened his heart and showed a worried look in his eyes, "So what if we're under the emperor's nose? If we're willing to risk our lives, what wouldn't we dare to do?"

"Then why leave your daughter in the capital?" Xue Baoqin suddenly asked. "Father is going to Datong. There will surely be no trouble with my elder brother. Father, please take me to Datong."

Xue Yan was speechless, unable to tell whether his daughter had done it on purpose.

“You’re not the same as when you were a child anymore,” Xue Yan said instinctively.

Xue Baoqin had nothing to say.

She eventually learned some things: her cousin was four years older than her, and her aunt was very anxious about her cousin's marriage.

Xue family.

Xue Pan's courtyard was next to Aunt Xue's.

"Are you listening to your wife's nonsense again, trying to bully your sister?" Aunt Xue scolded her son with a cold face.

Xue Pan, unafraid of his mother, walked in and sat down on his own.

Aunt Xue was helpless and began to have a headache.

"I'm not trying to bully my sister," Xue Pan said seriously. "I consider myself a good brother to my sister, and I will never be stingy with her dowry, even when she gets married in the future."

Hearing her son's words, Aunt Xue's expression softened.

"Others may not believe me, but does Mother not believe me either?" Xue Pan asked anxiously when his mother remained silent.

Aunt Xue sighed, “My son, as the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his mother. No matter how much people misunderstand you outside, how could I not know my son? You are not lying about this matter.”

“That’s right.” Xue Pan quickly replied, following his mother’s words, “It’s fine if my sister doesn’t get married, our family can afford to support her.”

"So you're against your sister getting involved in the shop's affairs?" Aunt Xue frowned again and explained, "You're used to having fun and don't want to manage the shop. I'm getting old and my energy isn't what it used to be. The shop has changed a lot. What will we do without your sister?"

"My sister has been helping my mother with things on the counter since she was little, but when have I ever paid any attention to it?"

Aunt Xue became even more puzzled, "Then why are you asking?"

When her son suddenly forbade his daughter from going out and even asked her to find a husband for her, Aunt Xue was furious. But no matter how angry she was, she wouldn't really do anything to Xue Pan. Xue Pan also knew his mother's temperament, so he wasn't afraid of making her angry.

"My sister's actions are digging up the roots of our Xue family."

Xue Pan said matter-of-factly, "This matter absolutely cannot be handled recklessly by my sister; our ancestors would not have agreed to it."

"nonsense!"

Aunt Xue scolded.

“That’s what my son hears outside, and that’s what Second Brother Lian says too.” Xue Pan directly brought up Jia Lian from the Jia family.

As expected, Aunt Xue was stunned.

Is this really the case?

"of course not."

In the boudoir.

After Xue Baoqin arrived, she quickly went to Xue Baochai's room. The two sisters shared a room that night. Thinking about what happened during the day, Xue Baoqin asked curiously.

Moonlight streamed through the window.

Reflected on the bed, Xue Baochai's face was as plump as a jade plate, her eyes as clear as autumn water, and Xue Baoqin was innocent and carefree, with a girl's melancholy. The presence of the two sisters made the exquisite objects in the room lose their luster.

Like the finishing touch, it transformed into a picture of a fairy.

Xue Baochai spoke calmly, as if she knew no sorrow, “How could our family have achieved what we have today by doing things the way we have done in the past? Even if our family’s shares decrease in the future, their value will still be ten or a hundred times that of the current Xue family.”

"But..." Xue Baoqin was a little confused, and felt that her cousin's words made sense, so she couldn't answer for a moment.

“Our Xue family’s ancestral business has become someone else’s.”

Xue Baoqin thought to herself.

“Wouldn’t it be more stable if one business became multiple? Anyone who dared to suppress us would have to think twice. Besides, if one of the owners had a problem, it wouldn’t affect the entire business,” Xue Baochai explained.

Xue Baoqin stopped speaking.

After his uncle passed away, the Xue family's business plummeted. His father worked tirelessly for several years, but the business still didn't improve. Fortunately, he later met Wang Xin.

Although she didn't know what her father was thinking, Xue Baoqin clearly remembered that her family's life took a turn for the better after her father started doing business for Wang Xin.

“But my cousin can’t accept it, and he even wants my aunt to marry you off. What should I do? I’ll talk to my father about it,” Xue Baoqin said anxiously.

Xue Baochai shook her head.

My second uncle can't handle this matter.

She stared blankly at the pink canopy above her head.

Zhang Zhisheng had privately told him about Lan Huai's idea and that he had personally gone to Daning.

She married Wang Xin for the sake of the shop's profits.

With everyone below supporting him, Wang Xin benefited, the counter benefited, and his own troubles were resolved.

But is it really okay to marry her?

Xue Baochai was not optimistic about the relationship. Wang Xin had a marriage agreement with the Jia family, and he needed the Jia family's connections even more, as even the Xue family couldn't do without him.

While business outside the Great Wall couldn't do without Wang Xin, business inside the Great Wall couldn't do without the Jia family even more.

(End of this chapter)