Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 370 Smoke Emerges from the Mountain
But Xing Xiuyun returned to the Grand View Garden with a frown, and soon her mother came to find her.

The two entered the Zhuijin Building and dismissed the servants. His mother then said awkwardly, "Your father was also drunk and confused at the time, so he did such a useless thing. But after thinking about it carefully, it is better than just enduring like this."

Seeing Xing Xiuyan looking up, her mother said, "As the old saying goes, ten birds in the bush are not as good as one bird in the hand. Look at the beauties in the mansion of the Marquis. Even if you marry into the mansion, I'm afraid you won't be favored. The young master of the Baoning Marquis's mansion has only two concubines. I heard clearly that they were both born as maids. If you marry into the mansion, you will be a good concubine. If you... maybe you can even become his second wife."

Xing Xiuyan said decisively: "Mom, please stop talking. I don't care if he is from the family of Baoning Marquis or Baoping Marquis. I have never had any relationship with him! If he suits my taste, I will accept him as my concubine. If he doesn't suit my taste, I won't go even if they invite me in a sedan chair!"

"This..." Xing Zhong's wife said with a bitter face, "That's three thousand taels of silver. It will grow into four thousand in a few months!"

Xing Xiuyan said, "I have borrowed the money and went to look for Zhou Sanniang this afternoon, but she just stood by and watched. I will go to Baoning Marquis's mansion in person tomorrow when I have time to return the money and get the contract back."

Xing Zhong's wife blinked and asked in surprise, "Where did you get so much money?"

Xing Xiuyan remained silent. She was still an unmarried girl, and although she had to show up in public because of her poor family background, she couldn't talk about her relationship with a man outside her family.

Although Xing Zhong's wife was greedy and snobbish, she was not stupid. After a little thought, she asked, "Is it the wife of the Bo family? Or Master Li himself?" Without waiting for Xing Xiuyan to say anything, Xing Zhong's wife clapped her hands and praised, "Yes, it must be Master Li! I said, there is no cat in this world that doesn't steal fish!"

Leaning closer, Xing Zhong's wife smiled and whispered, "I guess he was worried about Miss Lin marrying into the family before. Didn't you see that Master Li hasn't taken anyone into his family in the past two years? Hey, since he's willing to give you money, then this thing is done."

Xing Xiuyan said hurriedly: "It's borrowed, not given."

Xing Zhong's wife said with a smile: "What's the point of borrowing? When you get married, will Master Li still be able to argue with you?" After a pause, she continued: "It's a pity that Master Li stayed in the temple for too short a time, otherwise you might have been married a long time ago, and you would be more respectable than Madam Fu and Madam Xue!"

Xing Xiuyan couldn't hold back her anger, and she stood up with a red face and said, "Mom, don't you have errands to do? Go do them first."

Xing Zhong's wife was worried and said, "Then I will take a leave tomorrow and go to Baoning Marquis's Mansion with you."

Seeing Xing Xiuyan nod, Xing Zhong’s wife smiled and left.

Stopping by the window, watching her mother walk farther and farther away, gradually disappearing in the corridor, Xing Xiuyan couldn't help but sigh, hoping that everything would go well tomorrow. Thinking of what happened with Li Weijian today, she thought to herself that Mr. Li must have his own thoughts in mind.

While she was thinking, Liang Er suddenly came upstairs and said, "Miss, the third and fourth girls are here to see you."

Xing Xiuyan hurried downstairs to greet them, but unexpectedly, she saw Tanchun and Xichun looking shocked. Xichun asked quickly, "Sister Xing, are you going to be a concubine for the young master of the Marquis of Baoning's mansion?"

Xing Xiuyan was stunned, and then she caught a glimpse of Zhuan'er, who was looking downcast, and immediately said angrily, "What are you talking about outside?"

Zhuan'er pouted and said stubbornly, "I just said it out loud in a moment of haste, and it happened to be heard by the secretary sister next to the third lady."

Tanchun pulled Xing Xiuyan and said worriedly, "Don't blame Zhuan'er. How could Sister Xing hide such a serious matter and deal with it by herself? Why did she have to go to the Baoning Marquis' Mansion for no reason?"

Xing Xiuyan pretended to be relaxed and smiled, "It's nothing serious. It's just that my father was confused. I'll go to the Baoning Marquis' Mansion tomorrow to explain it clearly."

Tanchun and Xichun asked a few more questions. Seeing that Xing Xiuyan didn't want to talk about it, Tanchun said, "If Sister Xing has something that she can't handle, you can all figure it out. After all, the Jia family still has some face. I'll ask the old lady and I can save Sister Xing."

Xing Xiuyan said gratefully: "Thank you, Third Sister. I saved that."

As soon as the two sisters left, Mrs. Xing came over in anger.

As soon as he sat down, he said, "I scolded your father. He drank some horse urine and forgot his last name! He was just a drunkard before, but now he has even started gambling. How can this be tolerated? I don't think we can keep him in this mansion. I will send your father and mother to look after the farm in a few days to avoid any trouble!"

Mrs. Xing learned from her mistakes and knew that offending Li Weijian would definitely lead to bad consequences... If you don't believe me, look at Mrs. Wang, who has been in prison for two years. Now she can only walk around the house, but even going to the toilet requires a maid to accompany her. How can a human being live like this?

She thought to herself that Jian Geer had not taken revenge, perhaps because of Xing Xiuyan. If her niece were to marry into that damned Baoning Marquis's Mansion, how could Jian Geer save face for her? She might be so ashamed that she would follow in her sister-in-law's footsteps!

Mrs. Xing was furious when she heard what Xing Zhong's wife said. She called Xing Zhong over and scolded him in person. She was also worried that her niece Xing Xiuyan would be upset, so she hurried over.

At this moment, Madam Xing pulled Xing Xiuyan's hand and said, "The young master of the Baoning Marquis's mansion has contracted a disease. Who would want a girl from a good family to be his concubine? Isn't that asking for trouble?"

Xing Xiuyun knew that Jia Lian had contracted an internal disease. When she heard Mrs. Xing explain the whole story in detail, she suddenly realized that the culprit was actually the young master of the Baoning Marquis's Mansion!

Xing Xiuyan frowned immediately and felt sick.

Mrs. Xing said, "Your father has just agreed. You don't need to show up tomorrow. Just let them go and ask for the deed. No matter what, they must get the deed back. If the money is not enough, I still have some money."

Xing Xiuyan was immediately flattered and quickly shook her head and said, "It's enough, it's enough. I have three thousand taels here."

Mrs. Xing smiled and said, "Your mother said... it was sent by Jian'er? Tsk tsk, Jian'er seems to be generous, but in fact, his generosity must be shared. Since he gave you the money, I'm afraid he has you in his heart. Maybe, good things will happen in a few months."

Xing Xiuyan was so embarrassed by Madam Xing's sudden doting and teasing that her neck turned red, and she just kept silent. Madam Xing talked to herself for a long time, and then left with a smile.

When Madam Xing heard that Li Weijian had returned to the mansion, she quickly sent a servant to report his achievements. She took on all the responsibilities, saying that Li Weijian didn't need to worry about the matter, and that she, Madam Xing, could handle it herself.

Li Weijian sent away the servant who delivered the message, feeling very confused, wondering why Mrs. Xing had changed her mind and rushed to curry favor with him. He didn't know that Mrs. Xing had always wanted to curry favor with him, but she just didn't have the chance. Now that she finally had the chance, she naturally had to show her full attitude.

When they returned to the main room in the east courtyard, seeing Daiyu looking at him in surprise, Li Weijian told her the whole story.

Daiyu immediately said angrily: "How can there be such parents in the world? They are really unreliable!"

Without Li Weijian saying anything, Baoqin said, "This one still has some conscience. The conscienceless one is only concerned with selling his children and daughters, and only cares about his own good life."

Qingwen, Xiangling and others followed suit and complained, sighing. When Baoqin talked about selling children, Qingwen felt the same way. If it weren't for the time when she followed Li Weijian to Suzhou to see her mother, and saw that her mother still missed her, Qingwen would probably never get over this knot in her life.

Li Weijian was careful and turned around to find Qingwen and talked to her for a long time.

Qingwen was naturally relieved, but she smiled and said, "I don't care, but the Fourth Master is still worried about me. Although my sister has not been found, mother doesn't have to suffer anymore. Who knows, she may be brought to the capital in a few years. Why would I worry about it?"

This is about last year when Li Weijian accompanied the emperor on his southern tour, and Qingwen followed him. When they arrived in Suzhou, they were escorted by Ding Rusong to see her mother. Qingwen had saved several hundred taels of silver privately, and seeing her mother had to wash clothes for others every day, she couldn't bear it, so she found a suitable money house and sent two silver dollars to her mother every month on the date.

The prices in Jiangnan were comparable to those in the capital, but two silver dollars were enough to make ends meet. Last month, his mother sent a letter to him through the post office, saying that he was now enjoying a good life and had received financial support, no longer having to work hard every day, and that the neighbors praised him for looking a few years younger.

Li Weijian knew that Qingwen was a little arrogant, so he pulled her hand and held her in his arms to comfort her for a long time. Only when night fell did he go to look for Baoqin.

At that moment, Xiaoluo and Xiaoha helped them wash up, and the two of them went to bed. Li Weijian originally wanted to sleep in plain clothes all night, but he didn't expect that Baoqin, the little girl, started to act up again at night.

Li Weijian lifted the quilt and said with a smile: "You are still young."

Baoqin said in a low voice, "I've heard it all. Qingwen was no older than I am now. Besides, they didn't really do anything..." Then she leaned over again.

Li Weijian took a deep breath and thought, "Could it be that Qingwen's album... is in your hands?"

Baoqin stopped and complained, "I begged her for quite some time and said a lot of nice things to her, and she just let me take a look at it yesterday."

Li Weijian thought to himself that Qingwen's album might have become a family heirloom. Now, except for Sister Lin, it seems that all the concubines in this family have been seen?
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The next day, a painted carriage drove into the capital. Baochai looked at the street that had widened so much that she could not help feeling that time had passed.

Ying'er, who was standing by, said, "Miss, the roads in the capital have been widened so much... Eh? What, what is that?"

The master and the servant approached the window, lifted the curtain and looked ahead. They saw a strange-looking car coming towards them amidst the billowing smoke and dust. The car looked like a western open carriage, with only one wheel at the front and a huge steam engine in the back. The car came slowly towards them amid the white mist. There was a servant in front clearing the way, shouting, "Get out of the way, get out of the way! My second master is testing the car. Don't blame us for not telling you in advance. If you hit it, we won't compensate you!"

Ying'er looked carefully and found that the driver in front looked very familiar. She was dazed for a while before she shouted, "Isn't that the second son of Lord Yan's family? How could he create such an object?"

Baochai said, "I heard a few days ago that Fourth Brother Jian built a train that runs on rails. I wonder what it is like."

Ying'er was curious, so she said, "Why don't we go and see that girl when we have time?"

"Let's talk about it later." The curtain was lowered, and after the strange-looking car drove away, the carriage continued on its journey all the way to home.

Sister Bao led Ying'er into the house, and saw Aunt Xue with a worried look on her face.

"My son, you are finally back."

Baochai said, "We have the shopkeeper Cao accompanying us, and the assistants working for us. Why should you be worried, mother?"

Baochai was talking about her trip to Liaodong. The livelihood on the grasslands was not possible without a way out, so Baochai simply found another way. She thought that Liaodong was bitterly cold and there might be no seasonal vegetables in winter, so she went to open up a trade route this time, and would rather lose money to sell a lot of canned fruits and vegetables in various shops.

Aunt Xue looked at Baochai carefully and saw that she had only lost a little weight. She then carefully listened to her life over the past two months and finally felt relieved.

Seeing that Aunt Xue was still frowning, Baochai asked, "Mother, is there something wrong with my brother again?"

Aunt Xue sighed, sent the servants away, then pulled Baochai aside and whispered, "Tongxi went to the temple to burn incense yesterday, and saw your sister-in-law going there from a distance."

Baochai listened quietly.

Aunt Xue added, "If it was just to burn incense, it would be fine, but when Tongxi came out, he saw your brother Xue Ke also entered the temple."

Baochai was surprised and said, "Mother, you suspect... that your sister-in-law is not faithful to her husband?"

Aunt Xue said, "Your sister-in-law gathers people every few days to play cards and dice. I haven't taken care of her in the past two years. I'm afraid she has become unruly. Your brother is afraid of her like a tiger, so he hangs out outside from time to time. Who knows what your sister-in-law will do in private!"

Aunt Xue truly regretted her decision. If she had known Xia Jingui was like this, she would not have coveted the dowry and married such a woman.

Baochai frowned and asked, "What do you think, mother? Catching an adulterer or a couple?"

Aunt Xue hesitated for a while and said, "I think it's better to move back. As long as I'm here, she won't be too unruly."

Baochai said, "Mother, you must think it over carefully. I'm afraid you'll be angry again if you go back."

Aunt Xue said, "It's better to suffer than to let our Xue family's property fall into the hands of others."

This naturally means that Xia Jingui cheated on Xue Pan, and then found a wild man and gave birth to a son. Then the Xue family would be really finished.

Baochai was not very happy to move back, and said, "Maybe it's just a coincidence. I'll go find Brother Tad to look around later."

Aunt Xue knew that Baochai was a thoughtful person, so she nodded and agreed.

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On that day, Xing Xiuyan did not go to the food box shop to look after it, but stayed in the Zhuijin Building to listen to the news. Xing Zhong and his wife came to collect the banknotes early in the morning, borrowed a carriage from the mansion at noon, and went to the Baoning Marquis's mansion.

At 9:00 pm, Zhuan'er, who had been listening at the second gate in front, came back in a hurry and said, "Sister, he's back. He'll be here soon."

Xing Xiuyan became increasingly anxious and just hoped that everything would go well.

After a long while, his mother finally came over. As soon as they met, Xing Xiuyan looked at his mother's face and her heart skipped a beat.

He hurriedly asked anxiously: "What did the Baoning Marquis Mansion say? Did they refuse?"

"This - at least it can be considered a bad thing turning into a good thing."

"Mom, what did you say?"

Xing Zhong's wife hesitated for a long time before finally telling him what was going on.

Xing Zhong and his wife went to the Baoning Marquis's mansion early in the morning, but were left alone in the side hall at first, and the mansion ignored them. After a long while, the wife of the Baoning Marquis's mansion finally came.

When they met, the couple carefully mentioned the matter of paying back the money and getting back the deed. The wife scolded her son immediately, saying that such things would damage the reputation of the mansion. After scolding him, she inquired about the situation of the Xing family and said that she would no longer take Xing Xiuyan as a concubine, but planned to carry Xing Xiuyan into the mansion of Baoning Marquis in a sedan chair.

Xing Zhong and his wife looked at each other, and Xing Zhong's wife was still hesitant, but Xing Zhong agreed without hesitation. On the way back, the couple argued for a while, and Xing Zhong's wife couldn't stand Xing Zhong anymore, so she had to come over and talk to Xing Xiuyan.

Hearing this result, Xing Xiuyan was completely annoyed, but she said calmly: "I told mom clearly yesterday that I don't recognize this person, and I won't go even if eight people carry me in a sedan chair."

Xing Zhong's wife persuaded him, "Silly child, no matter what, the wife of the principal wife is better than a concubine."

"So what? Will I be a widow forever? Mom, do you think I don't know that man has a serious disease?"

Xing Zhong's wife said awkwardly, "The Baoning Marquis's Mansion has invited a famous doctor to treat him. He may get better in a year or two."

Xing Xiuyan remained silent, letting her mother talk nonsense without responding. Her mother had no choice but to say, "Think about it carefully again." Then she got up and left.

After he left, Xing Xiuyan sat there for a while, then suddenly stood up and left.

Zhuan'er hurriedly chased after her and asked, "Where are you going, sister?"

Xing Xiuyan said: "I will go ask Sister Lin for help."

Zhuan'er said, "Why don't you go and ask Uncle Li for help?"

Xing Xiuyan said, "If I ask Mr. Li privately, how will Sister Lin look at me in the future?"

Zhuan'er thought about it and followed Xing Xiuyan to the Bo's Mansion. But unexpectedly, as soon as he left, Xing Zhong and Madam Xing started to quarrel.

Xing Zhong got the promise from the Baoning Marquis Mansion that when Xing Xiuyan married, the two farms would be handed over to him to manage. Before, when he was living under someone else's roof, he naturally followed whatever Madam Xing said. Now that he felt confident, how could Xing Zhong still listen to Madam Xing?
The brother and sister argued for a while, and seeing that Xing Zhong refused to budge, Mrs. Xing was so angry that she slammed the table and said, "I don't have a brother like you!"

Xing Zhong stiffened his neck and said, "Since my sister doesn't recognize me, I will just move out. We will go our separate ways from now on!"

He immediately turned away, found his wife and started making arrangements to move out.

Xing Zhong's wife did not dare to disobey, and hurried to Zhuijinlou to look for Xing Xiuyan, but she found nothing. She had no choice but to urge the little maid Liang'er who stayed behind to go to Bo's mansion to look for Xing Xiuyan and bring her back.

Xing Xiuyan had just begged Daiyu, and Daiyu said, "Don't worry, Sister Xing, Fourth Brother will take care of this matter. Even if it's not for me, it should be for Sister."

Xing Xiuyan was about to say something when Qianxue brought Liang'er in. Liang'er was flustered and not as considerate as usual. When she saw him, she shouted, "Miss, something terrible has happened. Your parents are making a fuss and want to move out right now!"

(End of this chapter)