A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 26 Investigating the Truth, Xi Feng Becomes Suspicious

Just as Wang Xifeng finalized the matter, someone outside announced, "Madam Zhen has arrived."

Ping'er quickly suppressed her grievances, forced a smile, and followed Wang Xifeng out to greet them.

"Oh! What brings you here today, sister-in-law?"

"How dare you say that to me? It's been so long since you've been to our area!"

"Oh dear! Isn't it all because of that thief?"

"You sure know how to make excuses! I heard that a Brother Qing has come to the manor. Even a thief almost fell into his hands. We've also sent more people outside the manor. With him here to keep things under control, you should feel more at ease."

"My sister-in-law is quite well-informed."

"If we don't know that things are going so well outside, wouldn't we be deaf and blind?"

If he were just playing peacemaker, that would be fine, but Jia Zhen was worried that Wang Qing would be unyielding and planned to give him a hard time.

Lady You dared not question Jia Zhen's decision. She pondered whether to ask Wang Xifeng about Wang Qing's background in order to avoid displeasing Grandmother Jia.

The two chatted and laughed as they entered the house. Madam You accepted the tea brought by a servant, took a small sip, and then casually remarked, "By the way, I know a little about the old lady's old sisters, but how come I've never heard of such a grand-aunt?"

Yu's question immediately triggered Wang Xifeng's warning radar.

She had already regarded Wang Qing... no, Huiwen as her own.

He thought to himself, “This Sister-in-law Zhen often goes to the old lady to curry favor. Could it be that she heard that Wang Qing gave her a Huiwen amulet?”

She secretly harbored suspicion and probed, "Oh! It seems you wouldn't come here without a reason; you've come specifically for our Brother Qing!"

In order to test You Shi's true intentions, she deliberately adopted a pretentious tone and glanced at You Shi in a rather ambiguous manner.

Coming from a humble background, how could the You family dare to accept such a joke?

He quickly explained, "It's because your brother Zhen heard that Brother Qing came to our house. After all, he is the old lady's aunt's grandson. It would have been fine if we hadn't known before, but now that we know and we've received his favor, we can't just pretend we don't know. So, we're planning to invite him over for a drink and introduce him to some of our friends."

She was afraid of causing unnecessary misunderstandings, so apart from Jia Zhen's secret plans that she couldn't reveal, she basically told him everything.

But Wang Xifeng became increasingly certain that her true intentions were not what they seemed.

Madam You was always cautious and prudent. Even though she knew that Wang Qing held a treasure in his hands, she dared not have any designs on it.

On the contrary, Jia Zhen never gets up early for nothing, and he'll pretend to be innocent even after getting a good deal. Why would he be so kind?

He secretly grumbled to himself, but said aloud, "Look at what you're saying, sister-in-law. He's a poor relative with no parents, no one to rely on, and not even remotely related to us. What's so special about him being taken in by the old lady and doing some chores for the household?"

Orphaned?

Madam You immediately realized she had grasped the key point and quickly asked, "Isn't he the old lady's great-aunt's grandson? How come they're completely unrelated?"

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, you don't know, it's just a nice-sounding term, I'm not a proper grand-aunt at all..."

She embellished what she had heard from Jia Lian, and added, "The old lady only gave him a place to stay in the courtyard next to Pear Fragrance Courtyard because she felt sorry for him, without even arranging a capable maid for him. I don't think it's necessary to trouble you to make another trip, sister-in-law. Just have Ping'er go and say a word."

Upon hearing this, Lady You felt much more at ease and was quite tempted by Wang Xifeng's suggestion.

But then he thought about it again. He was already struggling, having no one to rely on and living under someone else's roof. And Jia Zhen still had to give him a hard time.

Lady You felt a pang of sympathy and thought that by personally visiting him, she could at least make amends for Jia Zhen. So she smiled and politely declined, saying, "After all, this is the first time I've invited him to my residence, and your brother Zhen specifically instructed me that it would be impolite not to show my face."

Wang Xifeng didn't press the matter. She glanced at You Shi and smiled sweetly, saying, "Look at what you're saying, sister-in-law. Brother Zhen's invitation is such a great honor! If you were to condescend to visit him personally, wouldn't he be overwhelmed with gratitude and treat you like a goddess day and night?"

Wang Xifeng was never one to suffer a loss. When Jia Zhen coveted something she had her eye on, she couldn't help but feel unhappy and spoke with sarcasm.

They deliberately condescend and act pretentious day and night.

Madam You assumed she was mocking her for being too lowly, that she had to personally visit for such a trivial matter.

She came from a humble background and couldn't compare to Wang Xifeng, who always acted arrogantly.

He could only give an awkward smile and forcefully try to save face, saying, "We're all family, there's no such thing as high or low status."

Wang Xifeng couldn't refute this, but she subtly remarked sarcastically, "Sister-in-law is so thoughtful!"

The two changed the subject and chatted for a few more minutes before Madam You got up to take her leave.

As soon as she left, Wang Xifeng's face darkened, and she said coldly, "What wishful thinking!"

Her sudden remark startled Ping'er.

"Didn't you notice?"

Wang Xifeng glanced at her and explained, "Brother Zhen never does anything without a reason. Why would he be so kind as to invite Brother Qing to drink? I think he's after the Huiwen in his possession and sent his sister-in-law to find out the truth!"

"Ah!" Ping'er exclaimed in surprise, "Then what if Grandma... If Uncle Zhen gets there first, wouldn't all your efforts be for nothing?"

She was still preoccupied with how to get back the silver confiscated from the gambling den, and subconsciously wanted to ask why they didn't reciprocate by shielding Wang Qing from Jia Zhen's troubles.

But halfway through his sentence, he realized that the person in front of him was also determined to win, so he changed his mind at the last minute.

Wang Xifeng sneered, "Hmph! Dream on!"

He then instructed, "Tomorrow, when Ni Er is released, go to his house to express your gratitude. Tell Brother Qing about what your sister-in-law asked about him today, and also remind him that Brother Zhen is not a good person. Tell him to be careful and not fall into his trap."

"Hmm?" Ping'er frowned and probed, "Grandma, do you want Master Zhen to step in and reap the benefits?"

"I was just wondering how to bring it up, and Brother Zhen has delivered himself right to my doorstep!"

Wang Xifeng said with no small amount of pride, "Brother Zhen is greedy and insatiable. If he knew that he was not the old lady's maternal grandson, wouldn't he use some tricks to drive down the price as much as possible? He is already very close to you, and you once reminded him to be wary of Brother Zhen. Wouldn't he ask you for advice?"

You can try to persuade him again, saying that "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime," and that he should pass the trouble to me. If Brother Zhen causes him trouble, I will take it on for him. However, I will not try to lower his price like Brother Zhen did.

Not only will he be free of trouble and gain more money, but I'll also get Huiwen, and you'll earn plenty of goodwill. When we mention Ni Er's money again, he won't be able to refuse. Wouldn't that be a win-win-win situation?

This is hardly a win-win-win situation; it's clearly Wang Xifeng winning three times over.

They not only obtained Huiwen, but also pocketed the silver confiscated from Ni Er, and could even help him out of a predicament and lower the price.

After all the calculations, it seems that Wang Xifeng got Huiwen for nothing, and even had a surplus.

Ping'er couldn't help but worry for Wang Qing. Now that his grandmother had her eye on him, he was afraid he would be sold off and still have to be grateful and help count the money.

On the surface, however, she dared not reveal the slightest hint of her wisdom, and hurriedly flattered, "Grandma is indeed brilliant!"

Wang Xifeng seemed to see through her thoughts and said with a smile, "Don't worry, he'll only suffer for now. He'll reap the rewards later."

"As long as he gives me Huiwen, I will be grateful for his kindness. When the time is right, I'll secretly tell the old lady about how Brother Zhen schemed against him. Who knows, the old lady will lose face, and he might even benefit from the misfortune. Isn't that a hundred times better than keeping that lifeless Huiwen?"

Ping'er thought about it and agreed. Between two evils, choose the lesser. Compared to Jia Zhen's unscrupulous methods, her own grandmother was quite kind.

Anyway, her grandmother had long had her eye on Huiwen, and whether Jia Zhen was there or not wouldn't change the outcome.

Since resistance is futile, it's better to... let nature take its course.

……