Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 100 Jia Lian Returns
Chen Siyuan knew at a glance that Third Sister You was overthinking things. He couldn't help but be moved. Where had he ever met such a pretty girl in his past life, who was not interested in fame or fortune, who would follow someone at a single word, and whose heart and eyes were filled with only him?

Eh? Don't mention it, Chen Siyuan actually encountered this in his previous life... It's just a bit expensive. Every time he went to the mall, he couldn't get it without spending three to five thousand...

Chen Siyuan coughed twice and said, "Don't stand anymore... Hongyu, quickly bring a stool."

Hongyu just agreed, and Third Sister You said, "No need."

As he said this, he turned his leg and sat down on the head of the kang, then pulled out his own handkerchief and started to wipe Chen Siyuan himself.

Liu Wu'er could no longer bear to watch and quietly turned her head away. Hongyu was extremely puzzled. Seeing how intimate You Sanjie was with her, she wondered if this girl would be the mistress of the family in the future.
Third Sister You then said angrily, "Brother Chen, what a ridiculous etiquette! If he had ridden in the carriage with me, we wouldn't have had the trouble we had yesterday."

"I got a tooth stuck while drinking cold water and burned the back of my head while eating a candy cake. It was my bad luck yesterday. Let's not talk about it anymore."

Third Sister You blinked when she heard this and asked in surprise, "Can eating a sugar cake really burn the back of your head?"

Chen Siyuan stood up slightly and gestured, "Look, this is a sugar cake. When you eat it, tear it and the syrup will flow down your arm to your elbow. Then you lower your head and open your mouth to lick it. Pah, it hits the back of your head."

"Giggle-"

Not to mention Third Sister You, even Hongyu and Liu Wu'er covered their mouths and laughed.

Third Sister You smiled and gently patted Chen Siyuan, saying angrily, "You're so sick and you're still telling jokes!"

He thought to himself that Brother Chen had a pitiful life, but his past sufferings had never broken his will, and now that he was in trouble, he was optimistic and playful.

Having a man like this by your side for life is much better than having a boring scholar who follows the rules.

Chen Siyuan laughed a few times and told Hongyu to serve tea. After Hongyu and Liu Wuer left, he whispered, "Third sister, are you crazy? Why do you come to see me like this?"

Third Sister You proudly spread her arms, shook her wide sleeves, and said, "Two rabbits are running side by side on the ground. How can you tell which is the male and which is the female?"

"Tsk, unless you're blind, who can't tell that the third sister is a girl?"

Third Sister You said nonchalantly, "If I see through it but don't say it out loud, no one around will know it's me."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, this girl said "You Sanlang", who wouldn't guess it's You Sanjie? And if this happens, her own reputation will be damaged, but I'm afraid his reputation will also be damaged.

Forget it, Third Sister You is sincere in her feelings, why should he care so much?
Chen Siyuan immediately said, "I came back disappointed yesterday. I'll go to Shichahai with you again when I recover from my illness in a while."

Third Sister You said, "Don't ride a horse next time... In the dead of winter, who can see what's going on in the carriage?"

At this moment, Hongyu returned with a teacup, and Liu Wu'er brought two plates of snacks. Third Sister You saw the oranges and peeled them with her delicate hands, carefully picking out the white veins, before feeding them petal by petal to Chen Siyuan.

Perhaps with the intention of teasing him, Third Sister You was about to hand the orange to his mouth, but suddenly paused, and when Chen Siyuan opened his mouth, she suddenly stuffed the orange in his mouth.

Chen Siyuan didn't notice it for a moment and bit the slender jade finger when he closed his mouth.

Third Sister You blinked, and suddenly her face flushed red. Panicked, she glanced behind her and saw Hongyu and Liu Wu'er busy in the hall. She covered her mouth with her hands and sneered, "Brother Chen is not very good at eating an orange. He almost bit off half of my finger just now."

Chen Siyuan bit into an orange and said nothing, only looking at Third Sister You. In a moment, the smile on Third Sister You's face faded, and her body softened and fell on him.

Chen Siyuan took advantage of the situation and grabbed Roudi, playing with her for a while before whispering, "You should leave soon. I'm busy here, and there might be more people coming. If someone really saw you, I don't know what they would say to you in private."

Third Sister You grumbled stubbornly, "I'm not afraid of what others say, could it be that Brother Chen is afraid?"

"Words are like knives. Even though we don't mind what others say, why do we have to provoke them if we can avoid it? Wouldn't that just add to our own troubles?"

Third Sister You thought about it and felt it made sense. She said, "I also sneaked out. I'll be back soon. If I delay any longer, I'm afraid my mother will go crazy again." After a pause, she picked up another orange and asked, "Brother Chen, do you want some more?"

Seeing Chen Siyuan nod, he immediately peeled another orange and fed it to him. As expected, Third Sister You didn't dare to linger any longer. She sat for about two cups of tea before getting up and leaving.

Hongyu walked him out the back door, and when she returned to the room, she looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Since she had never been taken in as a concubine, it was not her place to ask about her master's marriage. Although Hongyu was full of suspicion, she never asked.

After a while, there was a commotion outside, and Hongyu came in and said happily, "Master, Second Madam and Miss Ping'er are here to see you."

Chen Siyuan did not dare to be negligent. This time he put on his clothes and sat up in the warm room.

In a moment the curtains were drawn aside, and Wang Xifeng and Ping'er came in. Ping'er was holding a basket covered with a cotton mattress.

Seeing Chen Siyuan about to stand up and land, Wang Xifeng frowned and said, "Brother Yuan, what are you doing? We are cousins ​​after all, and we've been helped a lot by Brother Yuan these days. Why would you be so unkind?"

Ping'er put down the basket and lifted the small mattress, revealing bananas, apples and other things inside.

Apples are fine, as they are grown in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Qi, Lu, and even Zhili. If they are properly stored, it is common for them to survive until the next spring. But bananas are not so easy!

At that time, local governors and governors-general often brought tribute to the capital, and to avoid travel expenses, they would prepare a large amount. When they arrived in the capital, they would have a surplus of 10% or 20%. This surplus was called "tribute surplus", and it could be used for gifts, sales, or other purposes.

At that time, even by sea, shipping southern fruit to the capital took over a month. During transportation, the fruit was stored in wooden barrels, and it was rare to have five out of ten bananas left by the time they reached the capital. While bananas were not uncommon in the past, they were now a true rarity!

Seeing Chen Siyuan's surprise, Ping'er smiled and said, "A tribute has been sent here in the past few days. Master got some bananas yesterday. Second Mistress thought Master Yuan had caught a cold and might want something refreshing, so she brought these bananas."

Chen Siyuan bowed and thanked: "Thank you, second sister-in-law."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said angrily, "What are you thanking me for? Actually, I should thank you!"

Chen Siyuan was puzzled and asked, "My second sister-in-law already thanked me before, why are you thanking me again?"

Wang Xifeng glanced back and saw Ping'er standing steadily in the distance, while Hongyu and Liu Wu'er hurriedly left the west room.

Wang Xifeng turned her head and lowered her voice, saying, "Last time, it was thanks to Brother Yuan that bald donkey Jingxu's intercession. I heard something today. If it weren't for Brother Yuan, I'm afraid I would have been involved in a crime!"

At that moment, Feng Jieer spoke briefly in a low voice, which made Chen Siyuan frown.

Feng Jieer was still referring to the case of Zhang Jin'e. According to the original text, Zhang Jin'e's family was merely wealthy, and the man he married was the son of the Chang'an garrison commander. The garrison commander was a fifth-rank military officer, and his son marrying Zhang Jin'e was a prime example of marrying down from a lower rank.

Later, Li Yanei, the brother-in-law of the Chang'an prefect, fell in love with Zhang Jin'ge, so he went to Jingxu to intercede, trying to get Feng Jieer to force the Chang'an garrison to cancel the engagement.

The prefect of Chang'an was the governor, a civil servant of the fourth rank. His brother-in-law couldn't live in the government office, so how could he be called a yamen official?
Moreover, in the original text, Jingxu gave Fengjieer only three thousand taels. Could it be that the old nun did not benefit from it privately? So, it is possible that Li Yanei paid five thousand taels for this matter.

That would be fine, but don't forget the Zhang family still wants to cancel the engagement. The garrison commander gave the betrothal gift, and if the Zhang family wants to cancel the engagement, according to the rules, they must return double the amount. And considering the betrothal gift is only 3,000 taels, this means the Zhang family has to return 6,000 taels of silver!
After calculating all the details, the Zhang family and Li Yanei had spent more than 10,000 silver coins on this matter. Where did the brother-in-law of a prefecture governor get so much silver?

Feng Jieer said, "What Li Yanei? I thought it was just nonsense, but who knew it was really Yanei. His brother-in-law is the prefect of Chang'an, but his biological father is Li Shijie, the Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace!
Furthermore, Li Yanei did not marry Zhang Jinge in a formal way, but instead chose her and wanted to take her as a concubine.

Fortunately, I ignored it. Two days ago, the Chang'an garrison filed a complaint in the court, and Li Shijie got so upset that he beat Li Yanei half to death!

Seeing Wang Xifeng's lingering fear, Chen Siyuan suddenly realized... Li Shijie was a civil servant and had no connection with the Jia family, a noble family. If he hadn't disrupted Jingxu's plan, what would the emperor think if Sister Feng really took charge of the case and pulled it off?
Li Shijie has always had a good reputation. Li Yanei probably didn't want his father to know about it, so he would rather spend money to get in touch with the Jia family.

The problem is that Li Yanei is making a mistake, and if Feng Jieer knew the truth, she would not dare to make a mistake!

How could the emperor not be wary of the current Grand Secretary being involved with the Jia family?

Chen Siyuan had been around for years, no longer a humble figure. These days, even the rich and powerful, let alone the nobles, were involved in criminal cases. Matters like these were nothing if not trivial, but could be considered a thousand pounds!
To put it bluntly, this was a family empire at that time, and as long as it didn't affect the country, the emperor himself didn't care at all.

This time, things were different. The Jia family was involved with the Grand Secretary of the dynasty. How could the emperor not be suspicious? Who knew that if the Jia family was raided in the future, this incident would be one of the reasons!

Thinking of this, Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Brother, I saw that Jingxu was harboring evil intentions, so I said a few more words."

Sister Feng smiled and said, "Why are you talking too much? I think Brother Yuan's reminder was a good one." After a pause, she continued, "Yes, have you invited the imperial physician to come and see me today?"

Hongyu replied from outside, "Replying to Second Madam, Doctor Wang wrote a prescription yesterday, but seeing that Master is much better today, we didn't call the doctor."

Wang Xifeng frowned and said, "Brother Yuan looks frail, but we must not neglect him." Turning to Ping'er, she instructed, "Send Doctor Wang back later... Alas, Doctor Wang is on leave today. Well, let's do it tomorrow."

Then he turned to Chen Siyuan and said, "Among the imperial physicians in our family, only Imperial Physician Wang is the most capable."

Chen Siyuan jokingly said, "Yes, who among those surnamed Wang isn't powerful? Look at my second sister-in-law, she has thoroughly cleaned up both the East and West Mansions. If it were me, I'd be scratching my head and not know where to start."

Wang Xifeng covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh my! Brother Yuan, you're embarrassing me. When your second brother comes back, I'll have him have a proper talk with you."

Chen Siyuan asked, "Is Second Brother coming back soon?"

Sister Feng said, "A young servant just came back and said he would be in Tongzhou tomorrow and home the day after tomorrow."

Chen Siyuan's face remained unchanged, but he thought to himself, "Today... let's just bet on whether Jia Lian dares to tell the truth." He thought that given Jia Lian's playboy nature, he would have concealed the truth in his previous letter, and he would not dare to speak it out loud then.

Wang Xifeng and Ping'er sat for less than a cup of tea before they hurriedly said goodbye and left due to busy household affairs.

............................................................

In the blink of an eye, it was the 21st.

It was just after noon that day, and Baoyu was alone in his room. Several maids were teasing him, but Baoyu was worried about his "good brother" Qin Zhong, so he frowned and ignored them.

At this moment, a maid came in to congratulate: "Second Master, Miss Lin is back!"

Baoyu was startled, then overjoyed. He dropped his books and ran out in his slippers. Qingwen and Xiren scolded him a few times, but they finally forced Baoyu to change his clothes before letting him run wildly into Rongqing Hall.

Passing through the hanging flower gate, they entered Rongqing Hall, where Daiyu was seen ordering Zijuan and Xueyan to sort out rare and precious books from the bookcases and place them in the green gauze cabinet. They were also counting the various gifts, some for the second sister, the third sister, the fourth sister, Baojie, and some for Baoyu.

Baoyu took a few deliberate glances and said happily, "Sister Lin!"

Daiyu turned around to look at him and threw a scroll over to him: "Just in time, this is for you."

Baoyu did not even look at what the scroll was. He was so happy that he scratched his head and ears. Suddenly he remembered the wagtail incense necklace that Prince Beijing had given him at the funeral. He quickly took it off and stuffed it into Daiyu's hand: "Sister Lin, this is the wagtail incense necklace that Prince Beijing gave me. Try it on and have a look."

Daiyu's expression suddenly changed. She threw it on the ground and frowned, saying, "What stinky man has touched it! I don't want it."

Baoyu was about to make some excuses when he heard the jingling of jewelry. In the blink of an eye, Yingchun, Tanchun, Xichun and Baochai came together. It had been years since the sisters last saw each other, so Daiyu naturally went to greet them.

Baoyu sighed and picked up the oriole incense string, looking at his sisters reunited with a silly smile.

On the other side, Jia Lian met Lady Jia, Jia Zheng, and talked with Sister Feng for a while. Suddenly, a maid came and called him, saying that the master wanted to see him.

Jia Lian quickly packed up and went to the study outside the east wing of the courtyard.

After entering the inner room, Jia Lian stood with his hands behind his back, feeling uneasy.

Jia She asked, "Did Ru Hai really not give me the marriage certificate?"

Jia Lian's heart was pounding, and he gritted his teeth and said, "No. In the previous letters, the old lady had always disapproved of the idea of ​​marrying into the family. It was not until Uncle Lin became terminally ill that she finally agreed to the idea of ​​marrying into the family. Besides, Sister Lin is still young, so it will probably take another six or seven years before she can get married. That's why she entrusted the matter to Jia Yucun."

Jia She had previously seen Chen Siyuan's marriage certificate and had no suspicions at all. After some introspection, he nodded and said, "It is not unreasonable for Daiyu to study under Jia Yucun. How will the various branches of the Lin family be arranged?"

Jia Lian said, "There was quite a commotion, but with Jia Yucun intervening, the Lin family didn't dare to make too much of a fuss. They divided up thirty percent of Uncle Lin's fortune and then dispersed."

Jia She nodded and was about to continue asking questions when a servant suddenly came in and replied, "Master, the old lady has invited you and your wife, and has also asked you and Mr. Lian to go to Rongxi Hall to discuss matters."

The marriage certificate hadn't been returned, and the matter remained unresolved, so the Jia family naturally had to deal with it behind closed doors. Furthermore, the matter of marrying in and taking over the throne was not something that could be discussed with outsiders, nor with the younger generation, so they simply went to Rong Xi Tang in the middle courtyard.

Jia She pondered, "Didn't she call the eldest lady?"

The servant just bowed without saying anything.

Jia She snorted coldly, thinking that Mrs. Xing could at least speak up for her, so he said, "How can we leave out people for such a matter? Go, send someone to get the eldest wife to go and listen." After a pause, he said, "Send someone else to tell Yuan-ge'er to stay in the courtyard and not leave."

(End of this chapter)