Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 361 Inheriting the Legacy and Continuing the Legacy (Part 2)
Aunt Zhao was hoping that Tan Chun could get close to Chen Siyuan, so that she could gain status through her daughter and be looked up to by the Jia family, so that she and her son would not be tortured to death. How could she possibly offend Chen Siyuan?

Furthermore, most of Daiyu's dowry was embezzled or misappropriated. No matter how good her background was, she was still just an orphan. Marrying Huan'er would be useless to her.

Tan Chun, unaware of Aunt Zhao's thoughts, urged anxiously, "What exactly is Aunt Zhao thinking?"

Aunt Zhao composed herself, slammed her hand on the kang table, and shouted, "You heartless wretch, you've really gone too far! Little Jixiang, go and find Huan'er!"

The young maidservant readily agreed and hurriedly ran out to find Huan Laosan.

Tan Chun breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw that she had persuaded Aunt Zhao. She then said, "How could Huan-ge'er... how could he have such filthy thoughts?"

Aunt Zhao was taken aback, and said awkwardly, "Last year, the old lady bestowed two maids upon me. They were of ordinary appearance and character, so I didn't think much of it. Who knew that during the New Year, when I wasn't paying attention, those two lowly maids secretly climbed into my bed..." She paused, then added, "But don't worry, I asked Physician Bao to buy two doses of contraceptive soup. I guarantee nothing will happen."

Tan Chun was stunned and speechless, thinking to herself, how old is Jia Huan? So young and already so involved in bed, and his own mother doesn't even try to discipline him, but instead covers for him... Isn't she afraid of damaging his health?
No wonder Jia Huan had such delusional thoughts; it turns out he already knew about human affairs.

Tan Chun grew increasingly angry and said, "What kind of logic is this, Aunt? How old is Huan-ge'er? How can we let him indulge in such debauchery?"

Aunt Zhao, however, disagreed, saying, "What's wrong with that? Baoyu was even younger than Huan'er, yet he already knew about human affairs."

One sentence left Tan Chun speechless. Indeed, with Bao Erge's "precious gem" as a precedent, Jia Huan's outrageous deeds seemed insignificant.

Tan Chun knew that her birth mother, Aunt Zhao, was illiterate, short-sighted, and utterly unfit for respectability. Thinking of her own brother, Jia Huan, who was treacherous, malicious, and dissolute, she felt a deep sense of despair. Knowing that these two were utterly hopeless, she had never expected their help before, and now she was even more afraid that if they would restrain themselves slightly, they would cause her less trouble.

He took a deep breath and advised, "No matter what, you have to discipline him a little. You can't let Huan-ge run wild."

Aunt Zhao gave a vague answer, saying, "I know, I know, I understand." She paused, then added, "Does Yuan-ge know about this?"

Tan Chun said, "How could I wait for Brother Yuan to question me? Sister Lin was furious just now, and I came after Huan-ge as soon as he left."

Aunt Zhao said, "We shouldn't let Yuan-ge'er think too much. You should talk to Lin-ya later. Huan-ge'er really didn't do this much. I will teach him a good lesson."

Just then, Little Magpie announced, "Auntie, Miss, Third Master is back!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Jixiang led the bruised and battered Jia Huan inside, looking dejected. Aunt Zhao glanced at him and immediately exploded, shouting, "Who was this heartless bastard who did this? Huan'er, tell me!"

Jia Huan awkwardly flicked his sleeve and said, "A magpie nest has been built in the ginkgo tree in the garden. I climbed the tree to raid the nest, but Jia Cong was shooting at it with a slingshot from a distance. By sheer coincidence, a stone hit me right in the eye socket... Don't worry, Mother, Cong the Third didn't fare well either. I pushed him into the water."

At this moment, Aunt Zhao was so preoccupied with feeling sorry for Jia Huan that she completely forgot about the mistake he had made. She kept calling him "my darling" and "my precious child," and hurriedly sent her maid to find medicine to apply to his wounds.

Tan Chun couldn't stand it any longer and called out "Auntie" before coldly addressing Jia Huan: "Let me ask you, what was the meaning of your shifty eyes while you were giving Sister Bao a congratulatory gift today?"

Jia Huan immediately shrank back and retorted, "Where did I stare? I just glanced at it casually a few times."

Tan Chun sneered, "Do you think I don't know what kind of precious gems you're hiding in your belly? I advise you to give up that filthy thought as soon as possible! Sister Lin was furious, and I had to coax her for a long time before I came to find you. If there's a next time, it won't be me coming, but Brother Yuan!"

Jia Huan retorted, "So what if he comes? I only glanced at him a few times, and I didn't do anything."

"Well, you dare to talk back?" Tan Chun looked around, took a few steps to the door, grabbed the door bolt, and turned around, startling Aunt Zhao who spread her arms to stop her, saying, "Tan Chun, no matter what, he is your own brother. You can't hurt him!"

Tan Chun was truly enraged. Knowing that Aunt Zhao was protective of her own, she would at most give her a scolding, but would certainly not dare to be ruthless. However, given Jia Huan's despicable nature, if he wasn't thoroughly frightened, there was no guarantee he wouldn't harbor some wicked thoughts in the future.

He then ordered those around him, "Stop the aunt! I'm determined to give Huan-ge a good lesson today!"

As the saying goes, a maidservant is just as good as her mistress. Shi Shu and Cui Mo knew that their mistress was really angry, so they quickly stepped forward to drag Aunt Zhao away, while Tan Chun chased after her inside.

Jia Huan was rubbing his eyes when he saw Tan Chun approaching menacingly. He was so frightened that his soul almost left his body, and he trembled like a leaf, stammering, "Third Sister, you...you...ah!"

Tan Chun kicked Jia Huan to the ground, took a step forward, and swung the door bolt at Jia Huan's buttocks. Jia Huan tried to move after being hit twice, but the door bolt struck his back squarely, and he screamed in pain, too afraid to move any further.

In an instant, Aunt Zhao was shouting in the hall, Jia Huan was screaming in the room, and Tan Chun was whipping the door bolt up and down, striking it more than twenty times before finally stopping.

With a clang, the door bolt fell to the ground. Tan Chun pointed at Jia Huan's nose and said, "I hope you remember this beating today. If you do it again, I'll break your legs!"

Having said that, she turned and left. Only then did Shishu and Cuimo release Zhao Yiniang. Zhao Yiniang staggered into the room. Seeing that there was no blood on Jia Huan, she was slightly relieved, but then shouted, "Tan'er, are you trying to kill your brother?!"

Tan Chun stopped at the door, turned around and shouted into the house, "If he does it again, I'll consider myself a brother I don't have!"

The door rattled, and Tan Chun hurriedly left with two maids. Aunt Zhao held Jia Huan and cried for a long time. Then she took off her trousers and saw that his buttocks and back were covered with red and swollen welts. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him and shed tears again. She cursed Tan Chun for a while.

Jia Huan was in so much pain that snot and tears streamed down his face. Although he was resentful, he dared not reveal his covetousness again. But let's leave that aside for now.

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

Baochai's birthday banquet was just a small gathering. Xichun felt that although the year was busy and chaotic, it was not very interesting, so she urged that the poetry club be started as soon as possible. However, it was still not the end of the first month, and it was still cold outside. So everyone coaxed her and said that it would be better to start the poetry club in the middle or late second month.

After a few drinks that day, they all dispersed early. It wasn't until the next day that Chen Siyuan heard his maid Yunxiang gossip, saying that Tan Chun had unleashed her fury the day before, whipping Jia Huan with the door bolt until he couldn't get out of bed.

Chen Siyuan felt relieved, thinking to himself that Tan Chun was a sensible person, but it was a pity that she was burdened by such a mother and brothers.

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. Since Chen Siyuan already knew, how could he hide it from others? Wang Xifeng already disliked Aunt Zhao and her son, and when she heard that Huan Laosan had developed filthy thoughts about Daiyu, she was immediately furious.

Privately, he said to Ping'er, "What kind of filthy bastard dares to covet Yu'er? I think these two are living too well!"

Since Jia Zheng left, Wang Xifeng had been preoccupied with her battles with Lady Wang and had generally ignored Aunt Zhao and her son. Now that the two of them had resurfaced, Wang Xifeng, partly to vent her anger and partly to give Chen Siyuan face, immediately instructed Ping'er to teach the mother and son a lesson.

So Ping'er made some connections, and not only did Aunt Zhao and her son's daily meals immediately become leftovers, but their chores such as charcoal fire, needlework, and washing were also delayed, causing Aunt Zhao great distress.

It was only then that Aunt Zhao realized she had offended someone she shouldn't have. She wanted to make amends, but she couldn't bear to leave Jia Huan, who was recovering from his injuries, so she had no choice but to send a letter to Chen Siyuan herself, grit her teeth, and take out some money, intending to prepare a feast to express her anger to him in person.

Chen Siyuan was no pushover. There had been no prior conflict, and he had only been polite to Aunt Zhao out of respect for Tan Chun. Now that Jia Huan had such intentions and dared to sneak into the garden to spy on Daiyu, how could Chen Siyuan possibly give Aunt Zhao a friendly look?

So Aunt Zhao visited several times, but was turned away each time. Helpless, Aunt Zhao went to Tan Chun for help, but was met with cold ridicule. Only then did she harden her heart and decide to bring Jia Huan to the door to express her anger.

Before the mother and son could even leave, Lady Wang, having received the news, sent Yu Chuan to summon them. The mother and son were given a set of rules and a scolding, but Lady Wang then said, "You may have been wrong, but one of you is a member of the Jia family, and the other a concubine; we cannot mistreat you. I've heard that your food and provisions have been cut back these past few days?"

Aunt Zhao didn't understand what she meant, and vaguely agreed.

Madam Wang frowned and said, "Come here, go and find out what happened. If any unruly servants cause trouble, just bring them here and give them a beating!"

Zhou Rui's wife obeyed the order and soon brought in the managers of the main kitchen and storeroom, giving them twenty lashes in front of Aunt Zhao. Aunt Zhao and Jia Huan returned home in astonishment, and Zhou Rui's wife then brought over the money that had been withheld over the past few days.

In the following days, everything returned to normal, and no one treated her with disrespect anymore. Although Aunt Zhao and her son did not know why Madam Wang had changed her temperament, they were happy to enjoy the situation and never mentioned apologizing or expressing their anger again.

When Tan Chun learned of this, she knew that Madam Wang had deliberately embarrassed Feng Jie and Chen Siyuan. She hurriedly came over to persuade them, but was met with a barrage of sarcastic remarks from Aunt Zhao. Tan Chun was so angry that she stormed off and never came to Aunt Zhao's courtyard again.

These chaotic events soon reached Chen Siyuan's ears. He went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion to comfort Lin Daiyu, and privately instructed two maids that Daiyu must accompany him on all travels from now on. If anyone dared to be disrespectful, they should be punished immediately.

Aside from studying, Chen Siyuan met with Aunt Xue in secret every day in Da Gezi Alley until Aunt Xue could no longer bear the beatings and begged for mercy, and her period was three days late. Only then did he feel at ease to return to Rongguo Mansion on the 29th of the first month.

The delay in menstruation was perhaps due to the recent excessive sexual activity. Chen Siyuan was genuinely hoping that Aunt Xue would become pregnant so that he could focus on his studies and prepare for the imperial examination next year.

On this day, Chen Siyuan was on his way to Xiaoxiang Pavilion to see Daiyu when Hongyu came back to say that the second young lady, Yingchun, had come to visit.

Chen Siyuan was puzzled and quickly put down his book to greet him.

Upon entering the hall, they saw the second young lady, Yingchun, leading Siqi around the screen. Their eyes met briefly, and Yingchun blushed with embarrassment.

Chen Siyuan, observing the situation, wondered if Jia She had already let slip the news about the marriage agreement.
Sure enough, after the two met and sat down, Siqi pulled Hongyu away, leaving the two of them alone in the room to talk.

Chen Siyuan poured tea for her personally and said with a smile, "Second Sister's birthday is in a couple of days. I've been in a bit of a dilemma. I've taken the time to visit the Imperial Workshop twice these past few days and selected a gift. I don't know if it will suit Second Sister's taste."

Yingchun said softly, "That's thoughtful of you... It's good that you have this thought; what you give is not important."

Yingchun was self-aware, knowing that she could not compare to Daiyu and Baochai, and that due to their age, the two could not be close to each other in ordinary times, so they could only make plans after their marriage.

Slightly embarrassed, she finally blurted out, "Yesterday, my father asked me to go to the east wing and mentioned that matter."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Uncle said he was thinking of giving Second Sister a surprise."

Yingchun shook her head, though she tried to suppress her joy. She hesitated before asking, "Are you really going to settle on this?"

Chen Siyuan put down his teacup and laughed, "What's wrong? Could it be that Second Sister has changed her mind?"

Yingchun smiled and shook her head. She was secretly very much looking forward to it! In terms of appearance, talent, and ability, Chen Siyuan was the best choice. Rather than choosing a spoiled brat from an unknown family, Chen Siyuan was far more suitable.

Furthermore, although this Brother Yuan is the kind of person who is unwilling to suffer losses, he treats his bedmates extremely well. Not to mention Baochai and Daiyu, just look at Xiangling, who is by his side, and you can know a thing or two.

Xiangling is about the same age as Yingchun, but she still has the same innocent and adorable appearance. She devotes all her attention to poetry and songs, and it is clear that she has been raised very well by Brother Yuan.

Looking at Wu'er in her room, who had previously looked sickly, her complexion had improved and her cough had mostly subsided in the past six months. It was said that Brother Yuan had spared no expense, buying Poria cocos cream every few days, which was how Liu Wu'er recovered from her illness.

If she treats her maids like this, Yingchun thinks to herself that even if she can't compare to Baochai and Daiyu, at least she can treat them with respect after she marries into the family. This is much better than being treated like this by her own family.

He then said, "I'm just wondering, how did Brother Yuan make this decision so early?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Watching chess is like watching a person. Second sister is proficient in the art of black and white chess. She can tell the difference in skill just by looking at the moves. How could she not understand such a principle?"

Yingchun smiled happily and said, "In that case, Brother Yuan thinks... I'm quite capable as a steward now?"

Chen Siyuan said solemnly, "Extremely capable!"

Previously, when Tan Chun was in charge of the household, she at least had Lady Wang's backing and Li Wan's assistance. Ying Chun was even less favored than Tan Chun, and she wasn't a strong-willed person, so she had to play both sides and use others' strengths against her.

On one hand, she followed the established practices and adopted Tan Chun's management methods; on the other hand, she kept it secret and refused to reveal it openly. In addition, she used Madam Xing's personal attendants for investigation, turning the confrontation between the two parties into a three-way game, which quietly brought stability to the Rongguo Mansion.

Now, who in the Jia family would dare to underestimate Jia Yingchun? Even Grandmother Jia would sigh and say that she had misjudged her before.

Yingchun blushed again, clutching her handkerchief, and said, "How can I be as good as you say?" She paused, then said, "It's fortunate that you gave me some money to keep me safe, otherwise I don't know how I would manage my servants."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Being able to pave the way with money is a skill. You should know that whatever you spend today, you will have to earn it back with interest in the future."

Yingchun smiled without saying a word, and Chen Siyuan asked again, "Do you have enough money?"

Yingchun hurriedly replied, "That's enough. I still have eight or nine hundred silver coins left."

After saying this, she became shy again. Only after Chen Siyuan had talked on and on for a while did she say, "Yes, just now when I was talking to my father, a man named Sun Shaozu came to visit again. I saw that my father was impatient, so when we left, I asked a servant to listen in."

"Oh, what news did you get?" Chen Siyuan wondered to himself. Could it be that Sun Shaozu, that scoundrel, is still not giving up and is trying to marry Yingchun again?
Yingchun's expression turned strange for a moment before she bit her lower lip and said, "The servant said... that man surnamed Sun seems to have taken a fancy to Siqi, and last time he wanted to spend two hundred taels of silver to buy her."

"Huh? Is that even possible?"

As Chen Siyuan was taken aback, Yingchun continued, "Father didn't like him much last time and dismissed him with just a few words... I wonder what benefits he promised this time."

No matter what, Siqi was Yingchun's head maid, and was destined to become a concubine. For Sun Shaozu to think he could get his hands on her for a little money was utterly delusional. However, considering Jia She's greedy and despicable nature, it was hard to guarantee he wouldn't be tempted by the money.

Siqi had already pledged herself to Chen Siyuan, so how could Chen Siyuan be willing to give her up so easily?
He immediately said, "Siqi... is old enough. Why don't we find a reason to let her leave the manor, and then I will make arrangements for her."

Yingchun responded softly, but then stared at Chen Siyuan with a strange expression. Chen Siyuan looked embarrassed, thinking that there were no secrets that stayed hidden forever, and perhaps his second sister had overheard his meeting with Siqi?

Just as he was about to say something, Hongyu came back from outside and said, "Master, the First Madam has arrived!"

Yingchun blinked and hurriedly got up to greet him.

Because Madam Xing was close to Chen Siyuan, Madam Xing came over from behind the screen as soon as Hongyu returned. Before she even showed herself, her laughter preceded her arrival: "Brother Yuan, good news, great news! You and... oh? Second Sister is here too."

Madam Xing stopped near the left side of the screen, smiling as she looked over.

Yingchun blushed deeply and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him. Before she could even finish her greeting, Madam Xing had already taken her hand and said with a smile, "My child, from now on we'll be even closer as relatives. There are no outsiders here, so why be so formal?"

Yingchun stammered shyly, "I was going to ask Brother Yuan if his daily expenses were sufficient, but now that I have, I will take my leave. Mother, please continue talking to Brother Yuan."

Madam Xing didn't stop her, but just smiled and said, "Alright, alright, you go and do your other things first."

Watching Yingchun leave in a panic, Madam Xing turned to Chen Siyuan and said, "I suppose Erya also said that the master has relented today and said that he will let me go and mention this matter to the old lady tomorrow."

Chen Siyuan quickly asked, "So what do you plan to say?"

(End of this chapter)