Chapter 392: The Siblings

After getting off work, Chen Chen Guanlou declined his colleagues' invitation to drink and carouse, bought a jug of yellow wine, and strolled home at a leisurely pace.

His eldest sister, Chen Chen Xiaolan, was at his place tidying up for him.

"Eldest Sis, what brings you here today? My room doesn't need cleaning—don't trouble yourself."

"It's filthy as hell. A house without a woman in it just won't do."

"Where is it dirty?" Chen Chen Guanlou protested. "It's perfectly clean."

He was one of those rare men who loved cleanliness. Only, limited by the conditions—most of the roads outside weren't paved with flagstones, all of them muddy tracks, so going in and out dragged in a heap of dirt. The dust was also heavy. Even sweeping with a chicken-feather duster every day, dust still inevitably accumulated.

Especially when he sometimes slacked off and didn't come home for days, a visible layer of dust would settle on the tabletop.

"Dirty everywhere." Chen Chen Xiaolan said with particular disdain, "It's time you found a woman to run the household. Don't give me excuses to stall."

"Every single time we meet, you have to bring this up. Can't you change the subject?"

"You're tired of me, aren't you. I can't manage you, so let your parents in the netherworld have a go at you. Tomorrow I'll burn paper offerings and ask Mom and Dad to visit you in a dream."

"Dream visitations won't help either. They can't manage me either." Chen Chen Guanlou wore the attitude of a dead pig unafraid of scalding water.

Chen Chen Xiaolan got so angry her eyes went red. "If I say you don't like women, you sneak off to the brothels every other day, and most of the money you earn goes to those girls. If I say you do like women, every matchmaker I bring, you don't fancy a single one. Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

Chen Chen Guanlou thought for a moment. A certain blurry figure flashed through his mind. He came back to himself and said, "When I want someone, even a fishwife from the marketplace will do. When I don't want, even a lady from a great house standing before me, I won't give her a second glance."

"You—you're doing this on purpose to spite me." Chen Chen Xiaolan tossed down the rag and sat on the bamboo chair sulking.

Chen Chen Guanlou immediately felt guilty, couldn't bear it, and was a little sheepish. He coaxed his eldest sister. "Sis, just stop worrying about me. Living your own life well matters more than anything. If you're short on money, tell me. Even though Yaya is a girl, she should still be given a tutor and study properly for a few years. Only with education will she understand reason, only then will she know how to manage her life. Don't listen to Su Su Pozi's nonsense about a woman without talent being virtuous. An illiterate—what virtue could she possibly have?"

"That's not for you to worry about. I've already decided. Next month I'll send Yaya to Tutor Su's private school."

"Tutor Su takes female students?"

"He does!" Chen Chen Xiaolan said firmly.

Chen Chen Guanlou hesitated, then still offered a reminder. "Tutor Su's wife seems rather difficult to get along with. If it really won't work, just send Yaya to the clan's private school. With Tutor Du keeping an eye on her, there won't be any problem."

"You have a bias against Tutor Su's wife."

Chen Chen Guanlou secretly rolled his eyes.

Chen Chen Xiaolan went on, "Both surnamed Su—if I don't send Yaya to Tutor Su's school but instead to the Chen family school, the Su family side will have objections. I'm in a tough spot, you understand?"

"Understood. If it really won't work, just pay a bit more in tuition. I'll cover that expense."

"I have money on hand. The money you gave me, the money for the two children, I've saved it all, barely spent any. You haven't visited the Su family for half a year now. My in-laws keep mentioning it and asked me to come ask—when are you going to drop by?"

"What they're missing is my gifts." Chen Chen Guanlou bluntly exposed the truth. Every time he visited the Su family, to give his eldest sister face, he would prepare a generous gift—food, daily goods, everything.

Chen Chen Xiaolan didn't argue back. Her father-in-law was decent enough, still willing to reason. As for her mother-in-law—well, that was a story too complicated to tell.

Chen Chen Guanlou added, "I'm busy, so busy my feet barely touch the ground. Ever since I was promoted to prison clerk, I haven't had a moment's rest. For the pettiest matter, the men below all come to me for decisions—I really can't get away."

"Fine, I'll tell your in-laws you're swamped with official duties. We'll talk again after the New Year holiday."

"Sis, is there something on your mind? Tell me, I'll sort it out for you."

Chen Chen Xiaolan found it a bit hard to bring up, hesitant to speak.

Chen Chen Guanlou gave her confidence. "As long as the sky hasn't fallen, set your mind at ease. I'll definitely sort it out for you."

"It's actually nothing major." Chen Chen Xiaolan still said it. "My mother-in-law wants to set you up with her brother's daughter. I've turned her down several times, she got angry, and I had no choice—I could only make this trip to go through the motions."

"Go back and tell her: her brother's daughter isn't some lady from a great house. Laozi wouldn't give her the time of day. Forget it, you're stuck in the middle and it's too hard on you. I'll handle this one."

"How will you handle it?" Chen Chen Xiaolan wasn't reassured.

Chen Chen Guanlou let out a sly chuckle. "Simple as can be."

"Don't you go doing anything rash."

"Relax, I won't do anything rash."

To keep Su Su Pozi from stirring up trouble every other day and making things difficult for his eldest sister, Chen Chen Guanlou planned to administer one strong dose and settle it once and for all. This matter, nobody else could handle well—Lu Lu Da Tou stepping in would be the most fitting.

A small household can't take much fright. Scare them a couple of times, and they'll give up the idea.

He didn't tell Chen Chen Xiaolan his plan—she would definitely not agree, and might even try to stop him.

Chen Chen Xiaolan didn't press further. She trusted her brother deeply. In her eyes, there was nothing in this world her brother couldn't handle. This trust came not only from the deep bond between siblings, but from the confidence built up over these years, case after case, matter after matter.

"As long as you know what you're doing!" Chen Chen Xiaolan wanted to nag about marriage again, but seeing Chen Chen Guanlou's impatient face, she could only drop the idea.

The siblings, a rare chance, sat together and shared an undisturbed dinner, chatting about everyday things. Learning that Chen Chen Guanlou's business trip last month had been at the Hou Fu's behest, she urged him, "You should build more connections with the Hou Fu. Whatever slips through the Hou Fu's fingers is more than enough for you to enjoy for a lifetime."

Chen Chen Guanlou agreed verbally, but inwardly he didn't take it seriously. If Chen Chen Xiaolan found out he had refused the head steward's proposal to maneuver him into a seventh-rank official post, she would probably turn into a tigress on the spot and scold him to death.

So he kept his mouth shut as much as possible, only chatting about daily life, avoiding official matters, and steering clear of the Hou Fu topic.

Chen Chen Xiaolan insisted on talking about it.

"In a few days, it'll be the Eldest Young Madam's birthday. Do you think I should send a gift?"

"Did she invite you? If she didn't invite you, then don't send one." Chen Chen Guanlou's attitude was very blunt.

"You just don't understand how the world works. For things like this, we have to take the initiative. How can we wait for the Hou Fu to send us an invitation? We're all one family—some things you have to figure out for yourself."

"Who's 'one family' with you? The Hou Fu is the Hou Fu, we are us. Don't forget, we're past the fifth degree of mourning with the Hou Fu. Strictly speaking, we don't even count as clan relatives."

"Shut your mouth." Chen Chen Xiaolan was displeased. "How can we not count as clan relatives? Have we split off as a branch? No! The Hou Fu hasn't split us off into a separate branch, so we are the Chen clan of Jingcheng—descendants of one ancestor. Don't ever say that again. When it's time to grab benefits, you don't draw lines with the Hou Fu. When it's time to give gifts, you want to draw lines. When did you become so mercenary?"

"That's not being mercenary, that's called having self-awareness." Chen Chen Guanlou argued slyly.

"You're just being lazy, don't want to do the social rounds. But these things have to be done. If you're too busy, I'll prepare the gift for you, and you deliver it in person."

Chen Chen Guanlou couldn't win against her, so he simply took out two hundred taels and gave them to his eldest sister, asking her to help put together a presentable gift.

"Isn't two hundred taels a bit much?"

"Not really. Everyone knows I earn well. If I send too little, there'll be gossip again." That's why he disliked doing the social rounds—most of the time, if people didn't send an invitation, he pretended he didn't know.