Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 222 Lost?

Xu Laoshi was the carpenter family that Chen Siyuan had bought before. All the tools in the workshop were made by Xu Laoshi on demand.

Jia Yun said anxiously, "It's all my fault. My uncle and I had something to discuss yesterday, and we were only delayed for two hours. Who knew Xu Laoshi would take the opportunity to run away with his family?"

After saying this, he looked up and saw that Chen Siyuan looked thoughtful, but not angry. After a moment, Jia Yun couldn't hold it in any longer and asked, "Uncle Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan came back to his senses and asked, "Did Brother Yun track them down?"

"Yes. My nephew asked our neighbor Ni Er for help last night, and now I've heard that this morning, a scoundrel saw Liao, the steward of Prince Zhongshun's mansion, secretly taking that family out of the city."

Prince Zhongshun's Palace? How did I end up with this scoundrel?
The spread of this technology was inevitable, and Chen Siyuan had anticipated it. If it were just a small business like Baicaotang, it would be fine, but now it was a large business worth hundreds of thousands of silver coins. It was only a matter of time before someone with ulterior motives took notice.

Furthermore, Chen Siyuan hadn't originally intended to earn the small profit from the workshop; he wanted to earn money from the source. To some extent, the spread of this technology was actually a good thing... However, with Xu Laoshi's family having escaped, Chen Siyuan had no intention of selling his son for another profit.

Chen Siyuan thought about this and said gently, "You don't have to be too anxious... You are also educated and can read. Now go and copy the various prescriptions and take care of those servants."

Jia Yun had no doubts and hurriedly took the order and left.

Chen Siyuan said goodbye to Jia Yun and returned to his own courtyard. When he entered the courtyard, he ran into the little maid Yunxiang who was reluctantly drying the quilt with Wu'er.

Yunxiang pouted and looked over, only to see Chen Siyuan waving at her. Yunxiang perked up instantly, leaving Liu Wu'er behind and running over: "Master, do you have anything you need me to do?"

Chen Siyuan whispered for a while, and Yunxiang was very puzzled after hearing it. She couldn't help but ask suspiciously: "This..."

Seeing this, Chen Siyuan said, "Take care of this matter and I'll give you an extra two taels of silver next month."

The little maid Yunxiang immediately smiled and patted her chest, saying, "Master, don't worry, I'll take care of this! If I don't do it well, you can just beat me with a stick!"

He was having fun at that moment and disappeared in a flash.

Hongyu happened to come out to observe the situation. Seeing the master and servant, she frowned and said, "What errand has the master given Yunxiang? This girl has become wild and carefree. She spends half a day wandering around outside. Everyone knows her."

Chen Siyuan walked inside and said, "Everyone is doing their best. I just happened to have a problem with my business, so I asked Yunxiang to spread the word for me."

Hongyu blinked and frowned, "Something went wrong? What happened?"

Shan Hongyu herself had seen the 70,000 taels of banknotes, and she heard that the master had also paid for the silver notes himself. Doesn't that mean it's a huge deal worth hundreds of thousands of silver taels? If something goes wrong, I'm afraid I won't be able to pay it back in my next life!

Chen Siyuan briefly recounted the story of Xu Laoshi being bribed and escaping, leaving Hongyu feeling bewildered and panicked. "What should I do? Master, we can only keep this a secret for now and send someone to look for him privately. There's no point in spreading the news."

Chen Siyuan pulled her hand and held it in his arms, smiling and saying, "It's okay. I originally wanted to make more money, but now it seems that I was a little too greedy. Since the recipe can't be kept secret, why not spread it around."

Seeing that he was calm and composed, and didn't care at all, Hongyu felt relieved, as it was obvious that he had other plans in mind.

Just then, the Lixiangyuan next door began to sing again. Hongyu frowned and said, "They sing day after day, night after night, and it's always the same 'Beautiful weather, beautiful scenery, but what a pity!' They never know how to change it up."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "We'll move out after a while, so let them sing."

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

The little maidservant Yunxiang was indeed a quick-witted informant. In just half a day, the news that Chen Siyuan's prescription had been stolen spread to everyone.

There are those who gloat over other people's misfortune, those who sigh and lament, and even more who are worried.

Aunt Zhao’s courtyard.

That day, Jia Huan returned home early in the afternoon, said hello to Aunt Zhao, and went out to play in the garden. He happened to see Ying'er and Xiangling playing a game of guessing numbers, and Jia Huan, feeling jealous, rushed to join in the fun. However, Jia Huan was a man of high expectations but poor skills. While watching from the sidelines, he could talk very well, but when it was his turn, he always guessed wrong.

In just a moment, Jia Huan lost a whole string of money.

Last New Year, when Jia Huan lost at a gambling game, he denied the loss and acted like a fool. This caused Bao-jie to turn around and scold Ying-er. So Ying-er hurriedly returned the string of coins, saying with a sneer, "Master Huan, take it back quickly, or else people will say that a servant like me has robbed the master of his money."

Xiangling and several maids covered their mouths and laughed. Jia Huan's face flushed immediately. He stammered but could not explain anything. He grabbed a bunch of money and turned away. But he didn't go far and ran into Jia Lan leading a little maid into the garden. The little maid was carrying a book box on her back.

Jia Huan was very surprised and went forward to ask, "Where are you going, Brother Lan? School hasn't ended yet. I didn't expect you to skip classes too."

Jia Lan bowed and said, "Uncle Huan... I have my mother's permission. From now on, I will go to study with Uncle Yuan every three days in the afternoon."

The little maidservant, knowing that Jia Huan was a poor man, urged him, "Brother, hurry up and leave. We can't keep Master Yuan waiting any longer."

Jia Lan said goodbye to Jia Huan and went to Chen Siyuan's courtyard in the back with the little maid.

Jia Huan stood there, his eyes rolling around for a long moment, then stamped his feet and went to look for Aunt Zhao. He went inside and said aggrievedly, "Even a little maid looks down on me... That Lan'er is even younger than me, and now he's going to study with a man named Chen. Mother told me about it several times before the New Year, but why hasn't she done anything?"

Aunt Zhao immediately became worried. She had asked Tanchun several times for this matter, and it was delayed because it happened to coincide with the New Year and the visit of relatives. She didn't expect that Jia Lan had gone to Chen Siyuan first.

Aunt Zhao felt that Tanchun was not attentive enough, and immediately frowned in anger, muttering something like, "She is not close to me." She turned around and found Xiao Que'er and ordered, "Go and find Tanchun, and tell her that I need her for something."

Xiao Que'er agreed, and soon found Tanchun, who had just finished school.

Tanchun went inside and greeted Aunt Zhao, then asked, "Aunt, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Aunt Zhao frowned upon hearing this. She was the one who had crawled out of her own gut, yet now she was being called Aunt, while calling someone who had nothing to do with her "Mother." Aunt Zhao was a petty person to begin with, and naturally she became even more angry.

So he said angrily, "Let me ask you, is Huan'er your real brother?"

Tanchun was surprised and asked, "What is the origin of this, Aunt?"

"Where do I even begin? Brother Lan has just gone to study with Brother Yuan. I told you years ago, but now he can't go. Do you really treat Huan'er as your own brother?"

Tanchun cried out in indignation, "I don't like what you're saying, Auntie. What's Lan'er like? What's Huan'er like? If you don't know, Auntie, just go to a private school and learn a little. Lan'er is already reading the Four Books, but Huan'er hasn't even memorized the Thousand Character Classic, and his handwriting is as shoddy as an earthworm. How can I have the nerve to ask Brother Yuan to help Huan'er learn?"

When Aunt Zhao lost her temper, how could she be reasonable? The mother and daughter exchanged a few words, and Aunt Zhao launched into a torrent of accusations, calling her "ungrateful" and "ungrateful," until Tanchun left in anger, wiping away tears.

Turning around and seeing that Jia Huan also seemed speechless, Aunt Zhao said, "It's just a matter of saying something. Brother Yuan treats me with respect in everything. How can he not respond if I say something?"

Just then, the maid Xiao Jixiang came in from outside and whispered to Aunt Zhao, "Aunt, I heard that Brother Yuan is not feeling well."

Aunt Zhao blinked and asked, "What do you mean?"

Little Jixiang said, "Madame Lai just said that Master Yuan invested hundreds of thousands of silver coins in the latex business. He was planning to make a fortune with his unique secret recipe, but who knew that the craftsman and his family ran away last night. Who knows, the recipe will be scattered everywhere in the blink of an eye. Now Master Yuan is worried——"

Aunt Zhao was startled and said, "Oh my! Hundreds of thousands of silver coins! How dare this brother Yuan?"

The saying "hate those who have and laugh at those who don't" applies to people like Aunt Zhao. She had tried to get a stake in the company several times before, but the money was not there. She could only watch Chen Siyuan and his masters get rich. Aunt Zhao was so jealous that her eyes were red.

Now seeing Chen Siyuan in trouble, Aunt Zhao clicked her tongue and listened carefully for a long time. Then she sighed on her face, but felt extremely happy in her heart.

Then he thought that it might not be a good idea to get involved with Chen Siyuan at this moment... What if he wants to borrow money from him?

After sending little Jixiang away, Aunt Zhao said to Jia Huan, "You too, should have finished writing those thousand words. I don't even know how to start looking for Brother Yuan now."

Jia Huan looked embarrassed, nodded a few times, turned around and went out to have fun.

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

But Tanchun returned to the back building with red eyes, because all the sisters gathered together to play chess that day, but Tanchun was the only one who was found by Aunt Zhao, so little Xichun stayed downstairs waiting for her third sister.

In the blink of an eye, Tanchun came back with red eyes. Xichun was immediately surprised and asked, "What's wrong with Third Sister?"

Tanchun shook her head without saying anything. The attendant beside her said, "I don't know where the aunt got the wrath from. She came after our young lady and gave her a savage scolding."

Xichun asked, "There must be a reason, right?"

The secretary said, "My aunt wants Huan'er to study with Master Yuan as well."

Xichun frowned and said, "Huan Lao San? He can't even recite all the surnames. Wouldn't it just cause more trouble if he went?"

Tanchun rubbed her eyes and said, "Fourth sister, tell the other sisters that I'm not feeling well and I'm going back to rest."

Xichun agreed, sighing in her heart, and watched Tanchun return to her own room. Turning around, Xichun went to her second sister Yingchun's room. Yingchun was playing chess with Baochai, Daiyu and Xiangyun were arguing with each other, and Xing Xiuyan was the only one who smiled silently.

Seeing Xichun, Xiangyun quickly left Daiyu and asked, "Where is Third Sister?"

Xichun said, "I'm not feeling well. I'm going back to my room now."

Xiangyun was puzzled and said, "It seemed fine just now, how come it's not working now? It's urgent, why don't we go and take a look?"

Xichun blinked, unsure how to respond, so Xing Xiuyan said, "I think it's a girl's business, so there's no need to go and see."

Xing Xiuyan mistakenly thought Tanchun had her period. Tanchun was eleven, which was the time of her first menstruation. Xiangyun was younger and didn't quite understand, but Daiyu knew. She immediately pulled Xiangyun aside and said, "Don't ask, little girl. You'll have your period sooner or later."

Xiangyun was even more puzzled, and was about to start a quarrel with Daiyu when the maid Cuilu came over and whispered something in her ear. Then Xiangyun suddenly understood, and she pursed her lips and remained silent.

Just at this moment, Ying'er and Ruhua came up the stairs together.

The head maid, Siqi, was puzzled and asked, "Our young lady's room is not big. Why did you come up here when you weren't playing shuttlecock downstairs?"

Ying'er hesitated to speak, and after a moment's interaction with the others, she hurried over to Baochai's ear and whispered something. Baochai's face suddenly changed, and though she managed to remain calm, she was still a little flustered.

Something had gone wrong with that business! The 30,000 taels from his own family was fine, but Chen Siyuan had borrowed 40,000 taels from his eldest sister-in-law, Li Wan. If he couldn't pay it back... Yeah, there was still Baicaotang!

Sister Bao felt a little relieved, thinking that Baicaotang could bring Chen Siyuan about a thousand taels of silver every month, and Li Wan's 40,000 taels of silver would be repaid in three to five years. Sister Bao was now only worried that Chen Siyuan had suffered a blow and would never recover from it.

Because he was flustered, he inevitably made a wrong move. In a moment, he made a wrong move and Yingchun actually captured a big dragon.

Sister Bao took one look at the situation and simply admitted defeat, saying with a smile, "Second sister is still the better chess player. I lose."

Yingchun just said it was "lucky". Although she could see that Baochai was distracted, she did not expose it.

Sister Bao then stood up and said, "I'm feeling a bit sleepy right now, so I won't stay any longer. Sisters, come and play in my little courtyard someday."

Everyone agreed. Sister Bao took two steps, then suddenly stopped and looked at Xing Xiuyan, saying, "Sister Xing, I found the item you asked me to find last time."

Xing Xiuyan was also a clever woman. Seeing this, she immediately knew that Baochai must have something to say to her, so she stood up and said with a smile, "Did you find her? Then I won't accompany you for long."

At that moment, Baochai, Xing Xiuyan, Ying'er, and Zhuan'er went downstairs together.

As soon as she came out of the hall, Sister Bao saw that there was no one around, so she said to Xing Xiuyan, "Something has gone wrong with Brother Yuan's business..." Then she told Ying'er what she had overheard.

Xing Xiuyan was slightly surprised, then she heard Sister Bao say, "He might become discouraged by now. Sister Xing is his cousin...why don't you help persuade him?"

Xing Xiuyan nodded and said, "It's as it should be. Sister Bao, go first. I'll go back after I've packed up."

Baochai agreed and took Ying'er to the Grand View Garden.

After she hurried into the Grand View Garden, Xing Xiuyan smiled and shook her head. Zhuan'er asked from the side, "Sister, why aren't you in a hurry to go?"

Xing Xiuyan laughed and said, "My cousin is such a thoughtful person. Even if something went wrong, how could it spread so widely overnight? I don't know much about the rubber business, but even if the recipe was stolen, the 500,000 kilograms of rubber produced annually is still in my cousin's hands. The only difference is whether he makes more or less. Why would he be so discouraged?"

Zhuan'er pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "So that's how it is... It seems Master Yuan has only lost a little money, but he certainly won't lose anything—you're definitely thinking clearly, sister." After a pause, he frowned and said, "Strange, why is Miss Bao so anxious?"

Seeing Xing Xiuyan's half-smile, Zhuan'er suddenly realized, "So..."

"Just keep it to yourself. If you dare to spread it out, I will kick you out immediately."

Zhuan'er was so frightened that he immediately covered his mouth and said in a muffled voice, "I won't tell anyone."

But in her heart she could not help but admire that Mr. Yuan was indeed an extraordinary person. The lady had just matched the second young lady with him, and now he was having an affair with Miss Bao... I wonder which girl this kind of person will marry as his principal wife in the future.

Sister Bao had already entered the Grand View Garden. Although she was anxious, she knew it would be inappropriate to approach the house rashly. She paused briefly and told Ying'er, "The old shopkeeper sent some dried scallops yesterday. Xiangling loves them. Go get a pack."

Ying'er agreed and hurried back to the northeast courtyard to get a bag of dried scallops, then followed Baochai to the back.

It was approaching noon. Jia Lan had been reading with him for an hour, but now that he had left, Chen Siyuan was writing in his study. Yunxiang called out from the courtyard, and Hongyu and Xiangling hurried out to greet her.

Chen Siyuan also put down his pen and ink, a smile on his face, and walked to the door. He saw that although Baochai was talking to Xiangling with a calm face, she was looking at him with a worried look.

"... Remembering you love this, the old shopkeeper just gave me some yesterday, so I packed a bag. If you run out, just come find me."

Xiangling said happily, "Thank you, Miss Bao."

Baochai smiled and shook her head before exchanging greetings with Chen Siyuan. She was wearing a pink double-breasted jacket with a pale purple chrysanthemum embroidery and trim, a pale yellow bodice underneath, and a pink horse-faced skirt. She looked as elegant and simple as ever.

The two of them entered and sat down as host and guest. Liu Wu'er served tea, but was quickly pulled out by Hongyu and Xiangling. Ying'er, also a sensible person, pretended to be knitting with Xiangling and went to the side room as well.

There were only two people left. Seeing Chen Siyuan's calm expression, showing no sign of weakening his resolve, Sister Bao breathed a sigh of relief. She then asked, "What happened to the latex business?"

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "Yes, a family of indenture craftsmen were kidnapped. I think they came after the recipe."

Sister Bao frowned and asked, "Do you know who was behind this?"

"King Zhongshun."

Upon hearing this, Sister Bao took a deep breath and said, "This is not easy to pursue..." Prince Zhongshun was the most unpresentable person. Because he had participated in the fight for the throne in his early years, Prince Zhongshun was sure that the current emperor would take action against him to gain a bad reputation, so he has always been rampant.

Chen Siyuan said, "Don't worry, sister. It's just that you'll earn less money."

Sister Bao said, "Money is secondary. I'm afraid you've always been stubborn, and if you confront Prince Zhongshun again..."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and shook his head, saying, "I'll fight if I can win. If I can't, I won't die in vain." He paused and added, "But Prince Zhongshun shouldn't get too excited. Since I can't keep the recipe, I'll ask for some benefits later. I might as well just give it away."

Sister Bao was puzzled and hurriedly asked. Chen Siyuan briefly told her what he was thinking, which immediately made Sister Bao frown and say with concern, "If you act like this, I'm afraid Prince Zhongshun will dislike you and might even try to trip you up someday."

Chen Siyuan sneered, "He was the one who provoked me first. You can't just let me sit there and wait for death, right?"

Baojie's subsequent words of persuasion were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back. Yes, Chen Siyuan was well-versed in politics and economics, and he was a strong-willed person. If he kept silent and got humiliated this time, it would be a shame for him.

With Prince Ping of Yan protecting him, Sister Bao thought nothing would happen to him, so she stopped trying to persuade him.

Just at this moment, a breeze blew, and there was a rustling sound on the table in the study, and a piece of paper floated down into the hall.

Sister Bao bent down to pick it up, glanced at the writing on it, and asked, "What is this——"

"I plan to write a book to advance my career," Chen Siyuan said frankly. "Otherwise, if I'm lucky enough to be selected for the imperial edict someday, wouldn't it be unfair to me to just be a poet?"

Sister Bao looked at it carefully and saw that it was written with the story of the Portuguese past. She could not help but exclaim in admiration, "So you had planned it all along."

This is the man she has set her sights on! He is calculating every step for fame and fortune, how can he be compared to that ignorant and naughty boy?

Sister Bao felt refreshed, and for a moment her eyes were full of admiration when she looked at Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan had just been writing a book with great distress. When he caught sight of Sister Bao, his heart was suddenly in turmoil. He could not help but move over, tug at her sleeve, and say, "Come to think of it, I have accumulated quite a few writings. Would you like to take a look?"

As he spoke, a large hand slipped from his sleeve and quietly tugged at her delicate hand. Sister Bao hurriedly glanced outside, and seeing that no one else was in the yard, she shook his hand again and whispered, "Okay, then I'll admire Brother Yuan's talent."

The two of them headed for the study together. Chen Siyuan suppressed his ulterior motives, knowing that holding hands would be a major hurdle. If he wanted to have sex, he'd have to wait until the two of them were engaged before testing the waters.

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

After Bao-sister left, Xiang-yun volunteered to play a game of chess with the second girl, Ying-chun, but was badly beaten. When she heard that Bao-yu had returned from his selfish studies, she yelled for the game to end and then went to play with him.

Daiyu and Xichun also left. Siqi had just finished clearing the chessboard when Xiuju hurried in and told her the news she had overheard.

Yingchun only frowned slightly, but Siqi was already extremely anxious and said, "Which old woman is gossiping like this? Yuan... Master has the ability of Tao Zhu, how could he be tricked by others?"

Xiu Ju said, "What Madam Li said was very convincing and didn't sound like a lie."

Siqi's heart was in turmoil. Her heart was completely devoted to Chen Siyuan, so how could she bear to see him suffer? But she was just a maid, and even a clean body was not worth two hundred taels of silver. How could she help Chen Siyuan?

Siqi was at a loss for what to do and was distracted for a moment. Seeing this, Yingchun naturally started to wonder. She thought to herself, Siqi always wanted to make up for herself and Brother Yuan. Could it be that she already had a special liking for Brother Yuan?
We will not mention what Yingchun was thinking, but let us say that when Daiyu returned to her room, a short while later Nanny Wang came to look for her, saying, "The disaster is over," and then she told Daiyu the news she had just heard.

Daiyu didn't know the details, so she asked hurriedly, "How much money did Brother Yuan invest this time?"

Nanny Wang said with a bitter face, "It's quite a bit. I heard he took thirty thousand taels of silver from the concubine alone, and it seems he borrowed some from other places as well."

Daiyu felt strange and asked again, "Do you know when this happened?"

Nanny Wang said, "When else can we do this? Just last night's incident... Yuan-ge has entrusted his trust to the wrong person, and how old is Jia Yun? He's a jerk, and his work is unreliable."

Daiyu had a plan in mind when she heard this, and she thought that this matter would not be a big deal, and there might be other calculations behind it.

Seeing Nanny Wang and Xueyan frowning with worry, Daiyu was about to hide the matter, but then she remembered that Baochai had repeatedly advised her against it, and thought that since she knew about it, she might as well remain indifferent.

After a moment's thought, Daiyu took a single copy from the shelf and said, "Send this book over later, and tell them that if it's not enough, I have another shelf here."

Before Xueyan could react, Zijuan had already taken the book and said, "I'll deliver it right away."

He ignored Xueyan and went downstairs with the book in his hands. Xueyan was furious! In the past, it was always her job to work for Master Yuan, but now it had been snatched away by Zijuan! If she took away her job today, would she take away her position as a concubine tomorrow?

Without mentioning how angry Xueyan was, Zijuan came downstairs with the book in her hand, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief - she had finally taken this step.

Earlier, she had intended to match Baoyu with her own daughter, but by some mistake, Chen Siyuan appeared with a marriage certificate written by Mr. Lin himself.

Zijuan had tried her best to persuade Daiyu to marry, but Daiyu, for the sake of the Lin family lineage, had finally made a bet with Master Yuan. Later, Master Yuan passed the imperial examination, and the marriage certificate was confirmed. The wedding date would be set after Daiyu reached her marriageable age. Knowing she couldn't change her mind, Zijuan felt a little uncomfortable, and then she began to think about finding a future for herself.

These personal maids were usually the maids who came with the dowry. If they did not please the male master, they would be sent out to marry the boy.

How could Zijuan be willing to marry the boy? She was originally bought from her family and had lived freely for a few years before. Naturally, she didn't want her child to be enslaved or become a servant.

In comparison, rather than marrying the boy, it would be better to be a concubine without a formal status - after all, she is half a master if others know about it.

But if she wanted to be a concubine, she had to please Master Yuan. Xueyan had been bought long ago, but Master Yuan was a womanizer, with Hongyu, Xiangling, and Liu Wuer in his room, and the You sisters outside. He figured if she didn't show some interest, how could she have a chance in the future?

That's why Zijuan was willing to break up with Xueyan in order to please Master Yuan.

While thinking, he came downstairs and ran into Xichun who was running down. Behind her, Caiping and Ruhua kept saying "Miss, go slowly". It was obvious that the fourth lady had also received the news and was about to go to the back to look for Master Yuan.

At that moment, they entered the Grand View Garden together and soon arrived at Chen Siyuan's courtyard. Unexpectedly, they saw Chen Siyuan sending Baochai and Ying'er out.

Xichun was so anxious that she didn't think things through and asked in surprise, "Why is Sister Bao here?"

Baochai said confidently, "Since Fourth Sister said so, why can't I come?"

Cai Ping hurriedly reminded her, "Girl..."

Xichun blinked, then suddenly realized... Yes, the Xue family had invested money in Brother Yuan's business. Now that something had happened, and Aunt Xue had just returned to the old house for a short stay, wouldn't Sister Bao have to come and ask about it in person?
Xichun said, "Yes, Sister Bao should come."

Baochai smiled and rubbed little Xichun's head, then said goodbye to everyone.

As soon as she left, Xichun pestered Chen Siyuan, saying, "Brother Yuan, I heard you lost some money—" As she spoke, she snatched the sandalwood box from Ruhua's hand, turned around and stuffed it into Chen Siyuan's hand, looking up at her little face and saying seriously, "I haven't saved much money. This is full of jewelry I won't use. Brother Yuan, take it and spend it first."

Chen Siyuan was at a loss for words, and a bitter taste welled up in his stomach. He had always cherished Xichun, treating her like a cat or a dog, always keeping her by his side. He had never imagined the little girl would be so affectionate towards him!

Cai Ping smiled apologetically and said, "We just tried to stop her, but we couldn't, so we had no choice but to chase after her."

Chen Siyuan smiled and rubbed Xiao Xichun's head, saying, "Thank you, Fourth Sister, but this time I'm just making less money, I won't lose anything."

"really?"

Seeing Chen Siyuan nod with a smile, Xichun finally breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Siyuan said again, "It seems a little early. Why don't we go to the garden and play handball later?"

"Okay." Xichun agreed with a smile.

Only then did Chen Siyuan have time to look at Zijuan. Zijuan bowed and hurriedly handed him the book.

"This is what our daughter sent to Master Yuan. She said if it's not enough, there's a whole shelf full of books."

Chen Siyuan glanced at it and saw that Daiyu had brought him the Kaicheng Stone Scriptures. This book was published by Feng Dao, the Prime Minister of the Later Tang Dynasty, in the second year of Changxing, and was reprinted in the Song Dynasty. This book was probably a rare edition, and even if it was taken to a pawnshop, it could probably fetch at least three to five thousand silver coins.

The implication behind Lin Daiyu's words was self-evident, yet it seemed a little deliberate. Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and realized that it must have been the result of Baochai's repeated persuasion.

She was impressed by the virtuous Bao-jie, and then she said to Zijuan, "Please go and tell Sister Lin about this. I appreciate it."

Zijuan smiled and agreed: "Master Yuan, please don't be so polite in the future. I will go and reply first."

As he spoke, he bowed again and then turned and left.

Only then did Chen Siyuan realize that it was Zijuan who came today.

He had seen little of Lin Daiyu, and naturally, Zijuan had seen little of her either. He had heard Xueyan mutter that Zijuan had long hoped Lin Daiyu would stay in the Rongguo Mansion. How? By becoming Bao's second wife, of course.

This time when Zijuan came to give him books, although he responded politely, he was full of flattery... Well, he was not short of women now, and he was thinking about girls like Sister Bao and Sister Lin. How could he care about a maid?
After entering the room and taking the handball, he was about to go play with Xichun when Miao'er came in, looking worried. He talked to Chen Siyuan for a while, and seeing that he was indeed fine, he was slightly relieved.

Chen Siyuan then took Xichun out to play. They played until almost 3 p.m. when a maid suddenly announced, "The eldest master and mistress have returned from burning incense!"

Chen Siyuan did not dare to delay, said goodbye to Xichun, and hurried forward to meet her.

(End of this chapter)