Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 373: Yu Shi's Funeral
At noon that day, Xing Zhong returned in a rage and cursed as soon as he entered the door: "What bad luck! Guess who's here?"

Before his wife could ask, Xing Zhong said with a sour face, "Xing Dequan is here!"

His wife said, "Even if his family is in the capital, it's normal for him to come." After a pause, she smiled and said, "Let's not talk about that. The head of the family, Mr. Li, has made a move."

Xing Zhong was startled when he heard this, and he sobered up a little. He hurriedly asked, "What did you say?"

His wife then told him the news she had heard from the steward of the Baoning Marquis's Mansion. Xing Zhong only wanted his daughter Xing Xiuyan to marry into a good family, and it didn't matter whether it was the Baoning Marquis's Mansion or the Jingling Marquis's Mansion. Besides, although the name was a little inferior, the title of Lord Li was higher than that of the Zheng family.

And the future is limitless, maybe he can be made a duke one day. His wife said, and then she was a little nervous and said: "Master, do you think...will Lord Li blame us?"

Xing Zhong thought about it and immediately gained confidence. He smiled and whispered, "Let's not look at the monk's face, let's look at the Buddha's face. Even if it's for Xiu Yan, can Master Li still embarrass us?"

His wife thought about it and said, "That's good. Now Xiuyan has a place to stay...but I don't know when Mr. Li will come to pick her up."

Xing Zhong said nonchalantly, "Master Li has already made his move. I predict that he will come to take Xiuyan in within a few months."

His wife smiled and said, "That's good. This can be considered a bad thing turning into a good thing."

Xing Zhong said with a sour face: "What do you know? It's not that I'm a genius, but I'm afraid that Mr. Li will not be able to stop until who knows when."

His wife was speechless. She was complaining in her heart. This was clearly a wrong move. How could it be a brilliant plan? If that Mr. Li disliked her and the head of the family, maybe this matter would be over.

At that moment, the parents-in-law whispered to each other in private, and occasionally they would laugh triumphantly.

In the side room, Xing Xiuyan was absent-mindedly knitting her brocade while hearing her parents' faint arguments. Zhuan'er beside her was very excited and was looking through the clothes that had just been packed into the box. He was comparing them one by one, trying to figure out which one would be best for Xing Xiuyan to wear when she got married.

After comparing them over and over again, Zhuan'er became increasingly dissatisfied, so she said with a smile, "Sister, please make me a new set of clothes tomorrow... After all, I am also a maid who comes with the dowry, and I can't wear something too shabby."

Xing Xiuyan didn't reply, thinking about other things. Since she came of age, Xing Xiuyan had saved her own money to buy fabrics, cut them herself, and embroidered the wedding dress stitch by stitch. Now that the wedding dress has been embroidered, her mind has also been settled... She will be Li Weijian's concubine in the future, so how can she wear the wedding dress with a phoenix crown and a red robe? I'm afraid she will have to find a pink one to embroider again, so that it will be decent.

Suddenly, he started thinking about money. Xing Xiuyan had borrowed three thousand taels of silver from Li Weijian before, and she had to return the banknote - although Xing Zhong probably couldn't repay the debt, he had to repay the three thousand taels first, otherwise wouldn't it be like selling himself to the Earl's house?

Thinking of this, Xing Xiuyan stood up and walked towards the main room. Zhuan'er had no answer, and pouted her lips with an unhappy look on her face. Suddenly, she felt uneasy. Would her sister dislike her and not take her with her after she got married? Then where would she go to live a peaceful and prosperous life in the future?

I immediately made up my mind that I must please my elder sister, so that she wouldn't say anything.

On the other side, Xing Xiuyan walked into the main room with a calm face, and greeted Xing Zhong and his wife.

Xing Zhong's wife praised: "Look at how successful Xiu Yan is. No wonder that Mr. Li likes her." After a pause, she sighed: "It's a pity that our family background is ordinary. Otherwise, let alone being a concubine, with your character, you can be the main wife of any family."

A plate of peanuts had been placed on the table. Xing Zhong picked up some with two fingers and put them into his mouth, chewing them. He smiled squintingly and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Xing Xiuyan stammered, "Dad, where is the banknote? Please give it to your daughter so that I can pay back Uncle Li."

The banknote was now in Xing Zhong's arms, but how could he be willing to give up the fat meat in his hands? So he asked, "What banknote?"

"That's what I gave to Daddy that day."

Xing Zhong and his wife looked at each other, and Xing Zhong's wife said, "My son, are you stupid? In other places, marrying a wife requires a betrothal gift, and marrying a concubine requires a betrothal fee. Your father and I have raised you to this age, so what's wrong with collecting some betrothal fees? Besides, who doesn't know that Master Li is the God of Wealth? His family is rich in gold and silver, how can you be short of a mere three thousand taels of silver?"

Xing Xiuyan had expected the two to react like this, so she said calmly, "My daughter is not worth six thousand taels of silver. If father and mother are unwilling to give it, then I will go to the Bo's Mansion tomorrow and make it clear to Master Li in person. I will not go to the Bo's Mansion to be a concubine even if I die."

"䱱——"

Xing Zhong slammed the table: "What an unfilial girl!"

Xing Xiuyan said calmly, "Since Daddy says he is not unfilial, I will become a nun someday and recite sutras and pray every day, asking the Buddha to bless Daddy and Mom to live a hundred years."

What's the point of living a hundred years? You're still destined to be poor! Xing Zhong never thought about dying of old age, he just wanted to eat, drink and have fun, and he would rather die in a jar of wine.

Xing Zhong's wife tried to persuade her again, but no matter how much she said, Xing Xiuyan refused to speak. The couple knew that their daughter had always been very opinionated. Once she made up her mind, no one could change it.

She thought to herself that if her daughter really refused in person, then Uncle Li was not a generous person, so wouldn't he have to return the six thousand taels of silver?

Xing Zhong was so angry that he cursed Xing Xiuyan loudly, and finally he said, "Forget it, forget it." He took out the banknote from his pocket, looked at it reluctantly for the last few times, turned his head and said, "Take it away, take it away, I shouldn't have given birth to a daughter like you!"

Xing Xiuyan received the banknotes, counted them and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then said: "A gentleman loves money but earns it in a proper way. Although I am not a gentleman, I am not a mean person. I also know that father and mother are afraid of poverty, so in this case, how about I give them two hundred taels of silver every year in the future?"

She calculated carefully that the food box shop could earn her 170 to 180 silver dollars in profit from a 10% share. If she could get into the Earl's mansion, she heard that her concubine would receive a monthly allowance of 5 taels of silver. If she was frugal, she could indeed scrape together 200 taels of living allowance every year to support her parents.

After all, he gave birth to me and raised me, so I should do this even if it’s just for my conscience.

Xing Zhong and his wife looked at each other, especially Xing Zhong who thought to himself, two hundred taels a year, wouldn't it be three thousand taels in ten years? He immediately glared and asked, "Really?"

His wife also wondered, "How can the food box shop make so much money?"

Xing Xiuyan said, "If I save a little, I can get together about 200 taels." After a pause, she calculated and said, "Starting from the year after next, I will give the money to the two elders on New Year's Day."

Xing Zhong and his wife were immediately relieved. Xing Zhong was used to being the master at home, so although his expression softened, he did not say anything soft. His wife pulled Xing Xiuyan over with a smile on her face, patted her hands and said, "I knew you were a filial son... Don't blame your father for scolding you just now. Your father and I only have you as a daughter. Once you get married, you belong to someone else's family. How can you control us? We don't have a son to take care of us when we grow old, so don't we have to save more money?"

This is true, but what the couple did was too heart-wrenching. Xing Xiuyan kept silent, just lowered her head and thought about the future... It was not easy to send him a food box to the government office recently, so she had to send Zhuan'er, the little girl, to deliver it, but she was afraid that the little girl would not be able to tell the difference between the two and would make a fuss again.

While he was thinking, there was a knock on the door. Zhuan'er ran out of the side room to greet him, and then shouted in the yard: "Someone is coming from the Bo's Mansion!"

Xing Xiuyan's heart moved. Xing Zhong and his wife looked at each other and stood up in a panic. Xing Zhong said, "It may be Master Li who came in person. We can't neglect him."

The couple went out to greet them, but Xing Xiuyan was still unmarried and could not meet them, so she hid in the small room.

After a moment, Xing Zhong and his wife looked strange and led Wu Haiping inside.

The two invited him to sit down. Wu Haiping said, "There's no place for me to sit in front of Uncle Xing and Grandma," but when they invited him again, Wu Haiping sat down casually.

Zhuan'er served tea and after some pleasantries, Wu Haiping said, "My master has been very busy lately and really can't spare the time to come. I hope you two will forgive me."

Xing Zhong apologized with a smile, "Manager Wu, you are joking. Master Li is in a high position and has great power, so it is normal for him to be busy. I heard that Sindhu... won a victory?"

Wu Haiping then said, "Isn't it? If the saint asked about it that day, it was my master who guaranteed that if the remnants of the bandits could win, there was no reason why our Dashun army couldn't win. Hey! General Yue Zhongqi only led a town of the Beijing camp, and in the past two years he fought no less than a hundred battles, big and small, and never lost a single one!" After a pause, Wu Haiping lowered his voice and leaned to the side and said, "I heard that the fleet that returned didn't use ballast stones, but gold!"

Xing Zhong smiled and said, "I heard that the place where Tang Sanzang went to seek Buddhist scriptures is also an ancient country with thousands of years of history. How can it not be rich?" Xing Zhong heard today that the bond price has risen sharply. The annual interest rate was originally fixed at 10%, but when it was sold to the public, there was always a discount for marketing purposes. Now that the market is optimistic, the bonds can only be sold at the marked price, and there is still no price. Because many gentry have heard that the land in Sindhu is very rich and the people are very obedient.

In addition, since there was no ban on pancakes, many gentry and wealthy families flocked to it and hired young men to go to Sindhu to make a fortune.

After the small talk, Wu Haiping got down to business and said, "My master can't come in person... It's not easy to come in person for this matter. I'm stepping in and speaking on behalf of my master."

Xing Zhonglian said "I dare not".

Wu Haiping said, "My master has sent someone to ask the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to choose an auspicious day for Miss Xing, and to bring her to the mansion in a dignified manner. Mr. Xing, don't worry, the betrothal gift will be generous, and my master has also found a job for you that you like. At least this much per year!"

As he spoke, Wu Haiping raised two fingers. Xing Zhong's eyes lit up immediately: "Twenty taels?"

Wu Haiping made a "tsk" sound and curled his lips and said, "Twenty taels is also called Ke Xin? It should be two hundred taels!"

With a cry of "Oh my!", Mr. and Mrs. Xing Zhong were overjoyed.

After the two of them were happy and asked about the specific job, Wu Haiping said, "My master and two Mongolian princes jointly opened a woolen mill in Shunyi. Uncle Xing also knows that my master has a lot of business, and the family accounts are all managed by my wife and concubine. Shunyi is a bit far away, and my wife and concubine may not be able to take care of it, but it is not good to just ignore it. After all, we can earn 18,000 taels of silver every year, so we must find someone who can take care of it properly.

It's a good thing that I happened to encounter this matter. Mr. Xing, please help me."

"This..." Xing Zhong hesitated. Two hundred taels of silver was good, but the place was too far away. It was a poor and remote place, and there was probably no good place to play.

He was still hesitating, and his wife could not help but poke him and said, "Master, what are you hesitating about? That's two hundred taels, not twenty taels."

Xing Zhong glanced at Wu Haiping, but he smiled and lowered his head to sip his tea. For a long while, Xing Zhong thought that if he worked for a few years, he would have everything. In the future, he would have two hundred taels of silver from the girl every year, and he would live a happy life.

He gritted his teeth and agreed: "Well, then I would like to thank you for your kindness, sir."

Wu Haiping put down his teacup and laughed, "Haha, Master Xing, you are so happy." As he spoke, he waved to the accompanying servant and said, "Go and bring everyone in."

After a while, two twelve or thirteen-year-old maids and two forty-something women came in. Wu Haiping said, "Although the aunt hasn't married yet, the uncle is worried about her. We can't let the aunt suffer too much."

Xing Zhong was happy, but his wife was worried: "There are so many people coming, I'm afraid there is no place for them to stay at home."

Wu Haiping said, "There is a small courtyard with three entrances in front. Master Bo has let me rent it. Master Xing can move in when he has time."

The couple was overjoyed and thanked them profusely. Wu Haiping looked down on the couple and when he saw that the matter was settled, he stood up and said goodbye.

Xing Zhong and his wife excitedly went to the alley ahead to look at the house. Four maids and old women went to look for Xing Xiuyan who had just come out to pay their respects.

A clever little maid smiled and said, "Hello, Auntie. I am He'er, this is Shun'er, and these two are Madam Qiao and Madam Sun. We were all sent by the uncle to take care of the young lady."

At this time, Zhuan'er, who had been eavesdropping, ran in and frowned at the two little maids with bright white teeth. These two were born well-behaved and smart. Not to mention the girls, I'm afraid I would find them pleasing to look at. If the girl really doesn't take me with her tomorrow, I can't go back to the temple to be a nun, right?

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

A few days later, Wu Haiping came again, bringing a lot of food, clothing and daily necessities, and said that the date had been set, which was May 18. Xing Zhong and his wife were very happy to move into the new house, and Xing Xiuyan felt relieved, so she cut and embroidered clothes every day and waited for her marriage with peace of mind.

However, the Zheng family of Baoning Marquis discussed with the Wang family for a few days and decided to marry Wang Yunping to another son, and they were both happy. Except that the son was one year younger than Wang Yunping and acted timidly without any responsibility, there was nothing wrong with him.

Wang Xifeng couldn't refuse, and she traveled back and forth between the city and Wang's house these days, following the whole matter from beginning to end. She still persuaded Aunt Wang, saying, "Aunt, you might as well think more about your sister. Although that man is mediocre, he has a gentle personality. After your sister gets married, she will have to be the head of the family. Isn't it better than marrying someone with a strong personality?"

Aunt Wang thought about it and felt that what Wang Xifeng said made sense, so she agreed to the matter. Apart from exchanging the engagement letter, everything else was just a formality, waiting for Wang Yunping to marry on the tenth day of May.

On this day, Wang Xifeng had just dealt with the Wang family's miscellaneous affairs and was about to return to the outer city. As she was about to leave the house, she was stopped by the head maid Amber, who said that Lady Jia had lost her appetite and asked Fengjie to go back as soon as possible.

Wang Xifeng was startled and returned to Rongguo Mansion without taking anything with her. When she met Jia's mother in Rongqing Hall, she found out that it was because the old lady was missing someone to entertain her and she was sick, so she missed Fengjie very much.

After Jia's mother and Feng Jie'er had a plea, Feng Jie'er gave in and moved back to Rongguo Mansion the next day. She still lived in Yihong Courtyard and seemed to be the same as before when she met Jia Lian, but she would avoid him whenever he approached her.

There was no cure for that internal disease. Not to mention Sister Feng, even the little girl Qiu Tong didn't want to have anything to do with Jia Lian.

Jia Lian also knew his own business. Seeing Sister Feng like this, he gave up and simply hid in the front study room. He went home to ask for doctors and medicine every day, and beat the servants when he got angry, but he didn't mention it.

But Sister Feng had just sent Jia Lian away, and she sighed and said to Ping Er, "I don't know why, but I feel sick of him now."

Seeing that no one was around, Ping'er smiled and said, "Madam, you are thinking about others, so you are not on the side of the Second Master, right?"

Sister Feng squinted her triangular eyes and said, "You little bitch, you're teasing me. Do you think I didn't see what you did in bed?"

Ping'er blushed with shame. She recalled that when Fourth Master Jian came to visit two days ago, Sister Feng couldn't handle it at night, so she had to call her to help. But Sister Feng, who seemed to be dead at that time, recovered and was still criticizing her... It was really embarrassing.

The master and servant were chatting when suddenly the little maidservant beside Youshi came over and said with a sad face, "Second Madam, our grandmother's mother has passed away. Madam went to find the old lady and sent me to ask how to calculate the funeral money."

Wang Xifeng was stunned and asked in surprise, "Didn't Old Lady You just return to the capital? How could she have died in just a few days?"

The little maidservant said, "The messenger said that Old An was too sad, and she was not used to the local climate after traveling so many times. Third sister invited many famous doctors to see her, but she didn't get better. She didn't make it through last night and died."

Wang Xifeng felt guilty and said, "There are precedents in the mansion. Just go and find the third young lady."

The little maid agreed and hurried to look for Tanchun.

Third Sister You had no shortage of money. Whether it was selling canned food or associating with famous people in Jiangnan, she had saved several thousand taels in the past two years. It was You who had no money.

When her mother passed away, even though she was her stepmother, Youshi still had to express her gratitude and did not want to go to the funeral empty-handed.

After a while, the maid found Tanchun, who withdrew the money from the account and then took it to Rongqing Hall. Youshi's eyes were red at this time, and she was listening to Jia's mother's comfort.

After receiving the money, he quickly stood up and said, "My third sister is too young, I'm afraid she won't be able to handle things properly, old lady, I'll go over and take a look."

Grandmother Jia agreed. When Tanchun passed by him, she could clearly smell the pungent smell of ginger juice.

Tanchun watched Youshi hurried away and thought to herself: It is indeed different if you are not a biological child.

(End of this chapter)