Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 58 Zhao Er Returns
"Auntie, are you here for the opening of the port?"

Aunt Zhao's face froze when she heard this, but then she covered her mouth and smiled, "Oh my! They say Brother Yuan is a generous person, and today I see that he is indeed so." After a pause, Aunt Zhao said, "I was thinking, after all, we are relatives, and Brother Yuan and the third girl get along quite well... It's good to keep good things within the family. When there is such a good thing, it should be given to our own relatives."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, thinking to himself that Aunt Zhao was truly a master at taking advantage of others. He had only met Tanchun once, and while he greatly admired her personality, they couldn't be considered close friends. As for kinship, he was the eldest wife's nephew, so what relationship was there to the second concubine?

Chen Siyuan might not have the heart to cheat others, but to cheat Aunt Zhao... Chen Siyuan had no hesitation at all.

Yin laughed heartily and said, "Auntie, what you said makes sense. It's the first time you've spoken to me, so I can't refuse you. So, Auntie, bring the money tomorrow morning, and I'll go look for Master Sun at noon tomorrow."

Aunt Zhao was delighted at first, but then she remembered that her master, Jia Zheng, hadn't yet sent the four hundred taels, and she hadn't pawned her belongings. Even if she was anxious, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to scrape together a thousand taels by tomorrow morning. So she said in panic, "Well... I haven't gathered the money yet. Can you give me a few days?"

Chen Siyuan frowned slightly and said earnestly, "It's not impossible, but... Auntie, you know this is a huge benefit, and there are so many people watching outside. If it's delayed for three or five days, it's fine, but if it takes longer, I'm afraid... In short, Auntie, it's better to do it as soon as possible."

Aunt Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest, saying, "Don't worry, my dear. I'll definitely gather the money in the next few days. We agreed that you can't give this to anyone else."

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Aunt Zhao only found Chen Siyuan particularly pleasing to the eye. He responded appropriately and never looked down on him just because she was an aunt. He asked for a favor on their first meeting, and he agreed without hesitation. There was simply no one better than Brother Yuan in the whole mansion!
Because Aunt Zhao praised him from the bottom of her heart and exchanged some pleasantries, he left feeling very satisfied.

After escorting Aunt Zhao out, Hongyu happened to return, and they returned to the main room with Chen Siyuan. As soon as Chen Siyuan sat down, Hongyu came over, her face looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Chen Siyuan took a look and said, "Do you have anything to say?"

Hongyu then said, "Look at Auntie's expression, has Master agreed?"

"Yes."

Hongyu frowned and said, "Even Aunt Zhao has agreed. Master, aren't you afraid that others will knock on your door in the future?"

Chen Siyuan shook his head and said, "Where are the others?"

If you count them carefully, Lady Xing, Jia She, Sister Feng, and Aunt Zhao—all those who should have gotten involved have done so. Lady Wang, who had always been at odds with Lady Xing, had never met Li Wan, and Lady Jia, not only was she old and cunning, she also disliked Lady Xing. Even if the younger generation wanted to, they didn't have the money.

The Ningguo Mansion is busy with funeral arrangements, and since they are separated by a separate residence, I'm afraid they won't easily come to ask for help. Isn't it just that there is no one else around?

Hongyu pursed her lips and said nothing else.

One night without words, it was the next day in a blink of an eye.

That day, Chen Siyuan left home after breakfast and went straight to the Zhejiang Guild Hall to look for Sun Guangcheng.

Perhaps it was still early, for although there were wealthy businessmen waiting in the hall, they had not gone back to look for Sun Guangcheng. Chen Siyuan followed the waiter to the back courtyard and found Sun Guangcheng leisurely enjoying breakfast.

The waiter took the reward and left, leaving only two people inside.

Sun Guangcheng narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Has Junior Brother Chen eaten yet? Why don't we share some?"

Chen Siyuan waved his hand to refuse, then pulled a stack of banknotes from his sleeve pocket and said, "Here's one thousand taels. Please write a receipt, uncle. If nothing goes wrong, there will be another five or six thousand silver coins later... Uncle, shouldn't we divide the profits?" Sun Guangcheng said, "No hurry, no hurry. The bait has only been spread out for a short time. There's no rush to close the net. Besides," Sun Guangcheng nodded to the stack of banknotes and said with a smile, "The Jia family's money is hot to the touch. It's possible that we will have to return it."

'The gentry's money will be returned in full, and the people's money will be divided into 30% and 70%'?
I see, this is a pig-killing scam! They rely on the nobles to initiate the trend, and then wait for the wealthy businessmen to come and then they kill the pigs!
And if Sun Guangcheng can be made to willingly return the Jia family's money, how much money will he get in the end?

Suddenly I remembered that Sun Guangcheng is a liar. How true can a liar’s words be?

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and said, "As the saying goes, 'An emperor has no hungry soldiers.' I can wait a little longer, but I'm afraid Sister Yan'er is a little impatient."

Sun Guangcheng glanced at him sideways and said calmly, "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. Just let her wait. She will definitely get her share of the benefits after the matter is completed."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll definitely pass on the message." Chen Siyuan pulled a chair and sat down, seemingly relaxed, "Uncle Master, why haven't I seen Brother Hu these past two days?"

Sun Guangcheng said, "Everything is going well. Why does Hu Mang keep looking for you when he has nothing better to do? Are you afraid that others won't notice the trick?"

Chen Siyuan smacked his lips and said, "I was afraid that Uncle Sun and Brother Hu had other plans and would abandon me and Sister Yan'er for no reason."

Sun Guangcheng sighed and spoke earnestly, "We're all in this together, so trust is paramount. Without it, everyone will have their own agenda, and in the end, I'm afraid nothing great will come of it. Go back and talk it over with Liu Yan'er. The overall situation is paramount."

Chen Siyuan reluctantly agreed and tried to probe a few more times, but the old man Sun Guangcheng was so tight-lipped that no matter how Chen Siyuan probed, he could not get to the bottom of the matter.

After finishing his cup of tea, Chen Siyuan simply got up and left.

He returned to the Rongguo Mansion, returned his horse, and went straight through the black oil gate. The doorman Yu Si came to greet him warmly, and Chen Siyuan asked casually, "Has the master returned?"

Yu Si replied, "I'm back, and I'm meeting Zhao'er right now."

Chen Siyuan stopped and asked curiously, "Who is Zhao'er?"

Yu Si whispered, "It was the servant that Second Master Lian brought to Yangzhou. He just returned from Yangzhou with a letter. He just met the old lady and the master, and now he's hurried to see the eldest master."

Chen Siyuan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He's a complete scoundrel, he can't stand scrutiny! If Zhao'er brings back Jia Lian's letter and even briefly mentions Daiyu's marriage, wouldn't he be exposed?

Then he thought again, the time didn't seem right. The letter from the master to Yangzhou had only been sent a few days ago, so it must still be on the way. Since it was Jia Lian's letter, he certainly wouldn't mention him. He was afraid that it might mention Lin Ruhai's last wish.

Chen Siyuan was about to leave when he saw Jia She's servant bringing out a young servant. The servant's eyes lit up at the sight of Chen Siyuan and he exclaimed, "Master Yuan, you've arrived just in time! The master was just sending me to check back to see if you've returned."

Chen Siyuan carefully observed the servant's expression and saw that he was normal, which made him feel relieved. He thought to himself that if the truth was revealed, the people who came looking for him would not be just servants, but a group of servants armed with guns and sticks.

He smiled and said, "I just got back. Why don't I come to see my uncle right away?"

The servant said, "Master Yuan, please wait a moment. I will go and report this to you."

(End of this chapter)