Dream of the Red Chamber: Madam, please have some self-respect!

Whether it was the arrival of magpies or something else, Grandmother Jia was in a particularly good mood today. With nothing else to do, she ordered a card table to be set up in her warm pavilion and invited Lady Wang, Lady Xing, and Wang Xifeng over to play cards for fun.

Meanwhile, the head maid, Yuanyang, was already familiar with helping to watch the cards and keep accounts.

Before you see him, you hear his voice.

From afar, one could hear Sister Feng's hearty laughter coming from outside the window: "Oh my! I've come at just the right time today, especially to deliver money to the old lady! Last night I dreamt of those copper coins, jingling and tinkling, lined up, hopping and skipping as they slipped into the old lady's pocket!"

Before she finished speaking, the curtain was lifted and Sister Feng walked in, dressed in a brightly colored outfit. She first bowed respectfully to Grandmother Jia, and then turned to greet Madam Wang and Madam Xing.

Grandmother Jia was so amused by her witty and lively remarks that her face broke into a wide smile.

She pointed at her and said to Aunt Xue, "Aunt, listen to that! She can make the dead sound alive! She's clearly just itching to win our money, but she talks like she's some kind of lucky charm giving away silver coins!"

Feng Jie naturally sat down next to Grandmother Jia and personally arranged the cards in front of her. Her captivating phoenix eyes instantly crinkled into crescent moons with laughter: "Grandmother, you've really wronged me! In front of you, my skills are nothing more than Sun Wukong doing somersaults—no matter how many times I do it, I can't escape the Buddha's palm! I only beg you, for the sake of your filial piety, to show mercy and at least leave me a few coins to buy a flower to wear, so I don't lose everything and leave with nothing!"

As she spoke, she leaned closer to Grandmother Jia, feigning mystery, and said, "To be honest, Grandmother, I just came from the courtyard and clearly heard the magpies chattering on the branches! There's no more sure sign than this; it means your luck is so good today, Grandmother, you can't stop it! Just watch, all that golden money is lining up ahead, beckoning to you!"

His words made everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Madam Xing also chimed in with a smile, "With Feng'er around, it's always so lively and cheerful; even the air feels more vibrant."

The game then began.

Wang Xifeng was deliberately trying to make things interesting; her mind was not on winning money at all.

She deliberately broke up the cards she could have won, her eyes fixed on the subtle hints from Yuanyang beside Grandmother Jia, carefully choosing the crucial cards that Grandmother Jia desperately needed to "play."

After a few rounds, the loose silver in front of Grandmother Jia had piled up into a small mountain, and she couldn't stop smiling.

"I won!" Grandmother Jia happily put down the cards in her hand.

Wang Xifeng immediately clapped her hands and exclaimed in a bright, clear voice that could be heard throughout the room: "Oh my! My dear Ancestor! Look! What did I tell you? Your luck and fortune are simply unstoppable—it's like the God of Wealth has brought gold ingots into the house!"

While feigning annoyance, she pushed over the hand she had clearly dealt, and winked at Yuanyang, who was keeping the accounts: "Yuanyang, my dear sister, please make sure you write this down carefully. I am doing this willingly to honor our ancestors. Don't blame me later and say that I messed up the account book to try and renege on the debt."

Yuanyang smiled and agreed, "Second Madam, you can rest assured. I remember everything clearly, no one can deny it."

Grandmother Jia was delighted with her win and pointed at Sister Feng, saying to Lady Wang and Aunt Xue, "Look at her, she's still so happy even after losing money. She's clearly good at making people happy."

Wang Xifeng's tone was slightly coquettish as she replied, "Making you, Grandmother, smile is more gratifying than winning a mountain of gold and silver! Besides, this wealth isn't going to outsiders, is it? The money goes in from the left pocket and out from the right, it all circulates within our own pot. I'm happy about it!"

It was during this harmonious and joyful time, when Grandmother Jia was at her most comfortable, that a maidservant came in to report that Second Master Yun was waiting outside.

Grandmother Jia then ordered him to come in.

Jia Yun first bowed respectfully and said with a smile, "Greetings to Grandmother. I have had some free time recently and have come up with a new gadget. I feel that it requires more thought and is more interesting than those card games. Therefore, I have specially brought it here today to show my respect to Grandmother and ask you to appreciate it."

Grandmother Jia was in high spirits when she saw that the box containing the plaques was exquisitely made, so she ordered him to open it and take a look.

Inside were neatly arranged dominoes; their smooth, delicate texture and luster clearly indicated they were no ordinary items.

Taking the opportunity, Jia Yun also explained and demonstrated the rules of mahjong in detail, from drawing and playing tiles to eating, ponging, konging, and winning, as if he were owing money.

Grandmother Jia was an extremely intelligent woman. She understood the gist of it immediately and pulled together Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng, and Aunt Xue to put Jia Yun's method into practice.

Just then, four young ladies, Tan Chun, Dai Yu, Bao Chai, and Ying Chun, came to pay their respects. Seeing the lively scene inside, they all stopped to watch.

Daiyu naturally stood behind Grandmother Jia, occasionally whispering a few words of advice.

Baochai also quietly stood beside Lady Wang. Tanchun, being bold, squeezed right next to Wang Xifeng to act as her advisor.

Only Yingchun saw that there was no one behind Madam Xing, so she had no choice but to timidly move over.

But being timid, she wasn't familiar with her stepmother, Madam Xing, and at this moment, she became like a Bodhisattva, keeping her eyes down and not daring to say a word.

With these clever girls "guiding" them from behind, the card game became even more lively.

In the first few rounds, I started to get rusty, and I made mistakes and missed opportunities to win. But the complexity and variety of mahjong quickly made it interesting.

Grandmother Jia played with great interest, repeatedly saying, "Interesting!"

Wang Xifeng seized every opportunity to flatter, and even Madam Wang gradually found it more interesting than playing cards. The maids serving nearby, such as Yuanyang and Ping'er, also secretly memorized the rules.

After the game of cards was over, everyone was still eager for more.

Grandmother Jia's face glowed with satisfaction, clearly pleased with herself. Seeing that his purpose had been achieved, Jia Yun bowed and took his leave: "Seeing Grandmother and all the ladies and mistresses having such a good time makes me very content."

After Jia Yun left, Madam Xing, who had been sitting there but had lost more than she had won and was feeling rather bored, watched Jia Yun's smug figure and felt a nameless anger rise in her heart.

She glanced again at Yingchun behind her, who was as wooden as a block of wood and couldn't even utter a word of tact. Finally, she couldn't hold back her pent-up anger any longer and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"This Yun-ge'er is quite clever, but unfortunately, he doesn't use his intelligence for good. He spends all day not studying the classics, but learning these strange and cunning tricks to curry favor. I'm afraid all that knowledge he's gained is wasted! I really need to have Master Zheng question him about his studies one of these days, to see if he still remembers what Confucius said or what the Book of Poetry says!"

These words immediately froze the previously harmonious atmosphere.

Daiyu, Baochai, Tanchun, and the other young ladies stopped their hushed conversation and quietly turned their gazes toward Madam Xing.

Madam Wang, who was sitting upright to the side, was holding a cup of tea. Upon hearing this, she slightly raised her eyelids and gave a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Wang Xifeng sneered inwardly, but a bright smile bloomed on her face.

"Oh dear, my dear Madam! You're really looking down on us! Mahjong isn't just a pastime; it has a lot of uses for our Jia family. The other day, Yun-ge even mentioned to me that if we manage it properly, we could set aside a few elegant and quiet private rooms in our own restaurants and teahouses specifically for playing mahjong, and call it a 'club'."

Such a business not only provided a fresh and elegant place for princes, nobles, wives of high-ranking officials, and ladies-in-waiting, but also served as an excellent place to network, exchange information, and listen to news from all sides.

"Madam, think about it. Our family may seem prosperous on the outside, but don't we need more sources of income and more eyes and ears? Isn't that much better than clinging to those few acres of land and waiting for rent from the farmers? This is called 'increasing income,' a proper way to make a living. How can you call it 'indulging in trivial pursuits and losing one's ambition'?"

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia wondered if this toy could really have such an effect. Could it be that Jia Yun was just making things up? She also thought that Sister Feng was exaggerating.

But after the clever Yuanyang and Daiyu whispered something to Grandmother Jia, the old lady finally realized what was going on and nodded slightly.

She then understood the implied meaning in Sister Feng's words—"cultivating a network of relationships" and "opening up avenues for wealth"—and said in a deep voice, "What Sister Feng said makes sense. Yun-ge'er is a good child; he has filial piety, resourcefulness, and knows when to advance and when to retreat. Eldest daughter-in-law..."

She turned her gaze to Madam Xing, her tone slightly unfriendly: "You don't need to be too harsh. Let the children walk their own paths."

Madam Xing was publicly humiliated by her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and her face turned pale and then red.

Especially under the watchful eyes of several younger girls, she felt utterly ashamed and embarrassed.

She could only lower her head sheepishly, but the grievances and resentment in her heart were like boiling water churning up a storm.

After everyone left, Madam Xing returned to her room and became increasingly angry and frustrated.

She saw Yingchun following behind her again, still with that same meek and weak appearance.

Madam Xing could no longer suppress her anger. Pointing at her, she scolded sharply, "Useless thing! Stupid as a pig! Just now in that room, other girls knew how to be charming, they were very clever, they knew how to read the cards, and they knew how to speak up for their elders to make them look good! But you! You stood behind me like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, not saying a word! Even a wooden stake has more breath than you!"

If you were even a little bit clever, with a fraction of Tan Chun's quick wit or a fraction of Bao Ya Tou's composure and thoughtfulness, why would I have to lose face in front of them like this? Even the money I lost playing cards earlier is all your fault! You jinx! Whoever you stand behind suffers! You offered no help whatsoever, and instead dragged me down with you!

Madam Xing talked on and on, growing angrier with each word. Finally, she glared fiercely at Yingchun: "I see you won't need any monthly allowance! Deduct next month's allowance! Learn your lesson and how to be a useful person!"