Against the Current - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Sending Gifts

At that moment, Zhao Yue Chan was also standing by the window, gazing in the direction of the main gates as her fingernails dug deep into the window lattice. Behind her, Yingshuang said, "Eldest Grandmother, I have brought Zhicao here."

Zhao Yue Chan turned around, walked over to sit down beside a chair, drew a piece of silver from her sleeve, and handed it to Zhicao, saying, "Even though you didn't handle today's matter well, I am still rewarding you with two taels of silver. Remember to keep your mouth shut tight."

Zhicao had already received her slaps, leaving her cheeks swollen high. She accepted the silver and whispered, "Yes, this servant wouldn't dare breathe a word even if beaten to death."

Zhao Yue Chan waved her hand, signaling Yingshuang to take her away. Today's incident had been a trap she personally laid out: she had manipulated Zhicao into pushing Chunyan from behind so that Chunyan would crash into Yingge and cause her to lose the child in her belly. Then, Zhao Yue Chan would act as an eyewitness to testify that Chunyan had pushed Yingge, killing two birds with one stone to eliminate both of her most troublesome thorns. Who could have anticipated that Yingge's maid Le'er would grab hold of Yingge just in time, causing the plot to fail and instead drawing a stern warning from Lin Jinlou? Collapsing limply into her chair, she felt too exhausted to move an inch.

Yingshuang stepped in on tiptoe, carrying a bowl of hot soup, and spoke softly, "Grandmother has been weary all morning. Please drink a sip of soup to restore your spirit."

Gazing blankly out the window, Zhao Yue Chan muttered after a long silence, "Tell me, why does he hate me so much? If he were only willing to change his mind and turn back to me, I would gladly give up ten years of my life."

Yingshuang did not dare to utter a sound. After another moment, she whispered tentatively, "Grandmother, Cousin Lihuan has sent someone over to deliver a gift. Shall we see her or not?"

Bracing herself up, Zhao Yue Chan said, "Let her in."

Xianglan walked in with lowered head, holding a wooden box up with both hands. "Grandmother, our young lady asked me to bring this to you."

Zhao Yue Chan instructed Yingshuang to take the box and said, "Yingshuang, tell someone to grab a handful of pastries and dried fruit for her." With that, she dismissed Xianglan.

Yingshuang opened the wooden box, took out a brand-new dark green peach-blossom-embroidered round-collared vest with intertwined branches, and praised, "What a vibrant piece of clothing." Upon lifting it out, however, she noticed a small hidden compartment beneath the garment. Opening it up, she discovered a complete set of red-ruby-inlaid pure gold hairpins. There were eight hairpins in total, shaped variously into auspicious treasures such as treasure vases, fortune knots, and twin fish—forming a classic pattern of the Eight Auspicious Treasures. Each hairpin was embedded with rice-grain-sized red rubies, making them both exquisitely detailed and immensely precious. Accustomed as Yingshuang was to laying eyes on fine treasures, she could not help exclaiming, "This set of trinkets is simply magnificent." She presented them before Zhao Yue Chan's eyes.

Zhao Yue Chan picked up two of the hairpins to inspect them against the sunlight, then sneered, "For Cao Lihuan to shell out such a lavish fortune for a set like this, it truly is a trial for someone as stingy as her."

Yingshuang folded the clothes neatly and asked, "What is she hoping to ask Grandmother for?"

Zhao Yue Chan held up two fingers. "No more than two things. First, she wants her older brother to secure the purchasing contract for our household. That is a lucrative position brimming with grease, and she has already dropped plenty of subtle hints about it several times."

Yingshuang let out a cold hum. "Is her head filled with wind? Every pair of eyes in this entire household is coveting that position—how could it possibly be handed over to her brother?"

Zhao Yue Chan continued, "Even if it were just minor procurement duties, the kickbacks inside would be enough to sustain them for an entire year. But considering the miserly tokens of appreciation Cao Lihuan usually offers—which feel as agonizing to her as cutting flesh from her own heart—I really have no use for her offerings and simply chose to play dumb. As for this second matter..." The corners of Zhao Yue Chan's lips slowly curved upward into a smile, "By sending these hairpins, she is hoping I will help her find a match among families of noble lineage and high social standing."

"Ah? Isn't Cousin Lihuan supposed to get married as soon as her period of mourning ends? Why is she still..."

"She is dissatisfied with the low social standing of her betrothed family and their dwindling household fortunes. Now that she has stayed at our home for a while and had her horizons broadened, how could she possibly be willing to return and endure hardship? But with her looks and background? Hmph."

"This truly is a difficult matter to manage... Shall we return the hairpins?"

"Return them for what? A set of pure gold and red-ruby-inlaid eight-treasure hairpins like this is worth close to a hundred taels of silver. Put them away properly; I know what I'm doing in this matter."

Yingshuang nodded, retrieved her keys, and locked the box of hairpins away inside Zhao Yue Chan's jewelry chest.

Meanwhile, after Xianglan stepped out of Zhao Yue Chan's quarters, a senior maid named Bailu led her to the side veranda and scooped up a generous handful of pastries and snacks for her. Xianglan wrapped them up neatly in her handkerchief, expressing her gratitude repeatedly. As she stepped outside, she spotted Xiaojuan standing by the corridor waiting for her. Xianglan hurried over, presented the handkerchief package, and smiled, "Here, have some pastries."

Xiaojuan was straightforward, lively, and possessed a charming, naive innocence. Seeing the pastries made her eyes widen roundly. Xianglan thought she looked just like a mewing newborn kitten, and could not help smiling as she pushed the handkerchief a bit closer.

Xiaojuan picked out a piece of pine nut cake and, while nibbling on it, led Xianglan back to her own living quarters. With not a soul inside the room, Xiaojuan closed the door and asked with a beaming smile, "Which courtyard were you assigned to? Out of all the girls who came in with us, you're the only one whose whereabouts we didn't know."

Xianglan replied, "I'm currently at Luoxue Lodge, with Cousin Lihuan."

A look of instant sympathy crossed Xiaojuan's face. "So you were sent there... Ah, well, it's hardly a surprise. You are so pretty—how could the Eldest Grandmother possibly allow you to linger anywhere close to the Eldest Young Master?"

Xianglan gave Xiaojuan a playful shove and scolded with a smile, "What are you rambling about!"

With her cheeks still half-full of pastry, Xiaojuan beamed. "You're prettier than all three of those maids in the Eldest Young Master's quarters combined. Mark my words, before long, once you've fully blossomed, you'll undoubtedly look even more stunning than the Eldest Grandmother. The Eldest Grandmother is hailed as the foremost beauty of Jinling, but I'm afraid she'll have to step down and yield her crown before long."

Xianglan clamped a hand over Xiaojuan's mouth. "My dear little ancestor, what kind of reckless nonsense are you spouting? Are you trying to get me killed?"

Muffled "muffled" sounds escaped Xiaojuan as she pried Xianglan's hand away and protested, "Don't worry, I know what I'm saying. It's just the two of us here, isn't it? Today, Yingge got shoved by someone, so all those maids and matrons fled to the back courtyards, terrified that the masters would take their anger out on them."

Xianglan nodded. "No wonder there wasn't a single maid in the front courtyard. What kind of chores do you do in Zhisun Lodge?"

Sighing, Xiaojuan said, "I'm assigned to menial sweeping chores: tending the stoves, watering the flowers, and cleaning the courtyards. The paving stones in those corridors have to be scrubbed down with water three times a day, wearing me to the bone. Yet those senior sisters are still never satisfied, scolding me constantly and dumping all the grueling chores nobody else wants onto my shoulders."

Xiaojuan was still young, and meeting Xianglan felt like encountering a long-lost relative, prompting her to pour out a long string of grievances. Patting her head, Xianglan consoled her, "Same here. I do plenty of chores and still fail to win the masters' favor—there's simply no helping it. For newcomers entering the manor, this is how everyone has to grind their way through. In a couple of years, once we become established seniors here, nobody will dare bully us anymore." Just then, a loud voice rang out from outside: "Xiaojuan! Where has Xiaojuan gone off to? Wandering off to play instead of watching the stove!"

Xiaojuan stuck out her tongue. "That life-harassing woman is looking for me again. I must go, Sister Xianglan. You must come visit me often, and when I have free time, I'll come over to Luoxue Lodge to find you." With those words, she scampered off like a puff of smoke.

Xianglan left two pieces of pastry behind for Xiaojuan from her handkerchief bundle, placing them right beside her pillow at the head of the bed, and then pushed open the door to step outside. Passing by a side room on the western wing, she faintly caught the sound of weeping; it sounded like Chunyan, crying as she cursed, "Yingge, you little slut, don't you dare look so smug! You set a trap to humiliate and abuse me, but I'll make sure you live to see the day you weep tears of blood!"

A sudden chill crawled down Xianglan's spine, and she hurried off with quickened steps. Returning to report to Cao Lihuan, she was subjected to a detailed interrogation, but Xianglan shook her head through a series of "I don't know anything," merely explaining that Zhao Yue Chan had accepted the items and rewarded her with a few pastries. A dark shadow crossed Cao Lihuan's face. She had sent Xianglan to deliver the gift precisely because she considered her honest and unlikely to pry open the box and pocket anything; Huier sometimes lacked cleanliness in her hands, while Hairui possessed a deeply calculating nature, neither of whom suited her preferences. Yet this Xianglan was "honest" to a fault, completely devoid of basic situational awareness. With a gloomy expression, Cao Lihuan dismissed her.

For a time, peace prevailed.

One day, Cao Lihuan meticulously drew out a shoe pattern to craft a pair of shoes, selected matching color schemes alongside Hairui, and had Huier sketch out the floral embroidery designs on the footwear, ordering Xianglan to rush-complete the pair of shoes within a strict deadline. Burying her head in the task, Xianglan worked so intensely that she had to make do with bolting down a few hurried bites for lunch and dinner, and spent her nights sewing by candlelight, finishing the shoes in just three days. When Huier inspected them, she first criticized the embroidery pattern for lacking aesthetic appeal, then claimed the shoe upper was insufficiently taut, before finally sewing a delicate border of tiny blossoms around the shoe opening.

Returning from the morning greetings session, Cao Lihuan wore a beaming expression of delight, and Huier loudly boasted, "Today before the Old Matriarch, our young lady truly won immense prestige! When the young lady presented the shoes and said, 'A few days ago, Grandmother mentioned that her feet were somewhat swollen, so I hurried to stitch a pair of shoes over the past few days. Grandmother can try them on later to see if they fit,' guess what happened? The Old Matriarch tried them on right on the spot, and they were an absolute, perfect fit! She was overjoyed beyond measure, and on the spot rewarded the young lady with a pair of pure gold clove earrings."

Looking exceedingly pleased with herself, Cao Lihuan sipped her tea and remarked, "Indeed they were. Dongling's wretched girl turned green with envy, venting a long- pent-up breath from my chest." Lin Dongling was the legitimate daughter of the Second Branch, who had always looked down upon Cao Lihuan and suppressed her at every turn, causing Cao Lihuan to grind her teeth in resentment whenever her name was mentioned.

Hairui chimed in with flattery, "It is all because our young lady knows how to capture the Old Matriarch's heart. You spent two whole days drawing the shoe pattern, weighing and considering every detail with immense heart and effort—no wonder you earned that reward."

With a smile, Cao Lihuan said, "It wasn't just me—the floral patterns on these shoes were embroidered by Huier, the color scheme was chosen by you, and Xianglan also chipped in quite a bit of effort to help finish the footwear."

Displaying eager attentiveness, Huier chimed in, "It's all thanks to the young lady's superb guidance."

Though a smile still lingered on Xianglan's face, a cold voice echoed deep inside her heart: Splendid, simply splendid. After three days of burning the midnight oil until my eyes were bloodshot and raw, my labor is reduced to a mere offhand remark of 'chipping in quite a bit of effort.'

Sweeping her gaze sideways, Cao Lihuan noticed Xianglan standing off to the side; her delicate, graceful oval face had noticeably grown thin and drawn, carrying a distinct look of exhaustion. Knowing that the girl had worked diligently without a single complaint throughout these days, Cao Lihuan offered an extra word of praise: "I know you are a steadfast and reliable child." Immediately afterward, she balanced it out by turning back to Hairui: "And you are the same, toiling away without a word of complaint."

Presently, she rewarded Xianglan with a few coins, while presenting Huier and Hairui each with a small silver hairpin. Then, dismissing Xianglan to resume her needlework, she beckoned to Huier and Hairui with a wave of her hand and led them into the inner bedchamber.