Against the Current - Chapter 121
Chapter 121 - Visiting as Guests (Part 1)
To speak of Xianglan, after leaving the Song residence, she returned home like a wandering soul. She closed the door of her side room and sat in solitary silence for a long time, staring only at the jade bracelet Song Ke had given her on her wrist. She sat thus until the evening mist gathered thickly across the sky, whereupon she finally rose, forcefully pulled the bracelet off, and rummaged through her chests and cabinets to gather everything Song Ke had given her into a box. She snapped a heavy lock onto it, shoved it under the bed, and opened the door to help Madam Xue prepare dinner as if nothing at all had happened.
Seven or eight days later, Chen Wanquan returned home from his shop, bringing news that Song Ke had betrothed Zheng Jingxian. The Chen couple stole glances at Xianglan, only to find her still smiling as she used her chopsticks to pick out food for them both, acting as though she had heard nothing. A few days after that, Song Ke sold off all his properties on hand and took his entire family to the capital. On the day of their departure, every prominent official and gentry member in Jinling turned out to see them off at the Ten-Mile Pavilion. Chen Wanquan naturally went to bid him farewell as well, and upon returning, he boasted at great length about how grand and imposing the scene had been. He then drew out a letter for Xianglan, saying that Song Ke’s pageboy had secretly slipped it to him and asked him to pass it along.
Xianglan went back to her room, unsealed the letter, and saw only two words written across the paper: "Cherish yourself." A sharp, unbearable pain stabbed at her heart, and the sorrow she had suppressed for days could no longer be contained, instantly breaking forth in a torrential downpour of tears. Song Ke was her karmic entanglement from a past life, as well as a ray of light within her heart. Whenever she thought of him, Xianglan felt that even with all the hardships of this present life, being able to meet him again meant the heavens had not treated her too unkindly. Yet now Song Ke was truly gone; in the days to come, he would marry someone else and have children, making him a stranger from that moment onward. They could only wish each other well from afar within their hearts, separated by the ends of the earth.
In her room, Xianglan wept with a grief so heart-wrenching that it seemed to tear her apart, while the Chen couple stood outside the doorway, cupping their ears to listen inside. Chen Wanquan rubbed his hands together in anxiety and blurted out, "Our girl was naturally frail to begin with; what if she ruins her health crying like this? Hurry inside and comfort her."
With a troubled expression, Madam Xue said, "Little Lan once told me privately that Young Master Song genuinely wanted to marry her as his principal wife through the proper rites of the three matchmakers and six betrothal gifts. I was half-doubtful, thinking it unlikely, and indeed this matter has fallen through. Just a few days ago, she seemed fine, but today, upon seeing that letter, why is she crying so bitterly?"
Staring with wide eyes, Chen Wanquan scolded, "What do you know! She was indulging in wishful thinking over there, and instead of trying to talk some sense into her, you went right along with her dream! What kind of person is Young Master Song? A palace graduate of both imperial examinations, an official gentleman of the Hanley Academy—would he ever deign to look at Xianglan? Didn't you see that he got engaged to the Duke of Xian Guo's daughter? If the girl cries herself sick like this and comes to any harm, I won't let you off the hook!"
Furrowing her brows, Madam Xue retorted, "Why are you taking it out on me? Little Lan has the kind of stubborn temperament where ten cows couldn't pull her back; do you think I could talk her out of it?"
Chen Wanquan let out a long sigh and squatted down. He pulled his dried tobacco pipe out from his waistband, took a few puffs, and muttered glumly, "We're just ordinary commoners who can't reach high enough to match a wealthy and powerful family. We might as well just live our own honest, down-to-earth lives."
Madam Xue remarked, "That is my thought as well. Little Lan is of age now; if we find her a good match, then once this happy event arrives, the whole business with Young Master Song will naturally be put behind us."
Chen Wanquan said, "Previously, I thought taking Young Master Lin as a concubine would be exceptionally good, but Little Lan wasn't willing. Besides, the Lin family has quite a few formidable mistresses, and I'm afraid Little Lan would suffer if she went in there. Furthermore, Young Master Lin has been away in the capital and hasn't returned, and heaven knows how long we'd have to wait. Rather than that, it would be better to marry her off right here in the neighborhood. You and I have only this one daughter, so later on, if we have any aches and pains, there will at least be someone by the bedside to tend to us." With that, he stood up, tapped his tobacco pouch against his shoe, and said, "I actually have a candidate in mind... What do you think of young Scholar Xia?"
Madam Xue raised an eyebrow and asked, "Xia Yun?"
Chen Wanquan replied, "That's the one. Young Scholar Xia is a provincial graduate now. Although he didn't place in the metropolitan examination for a jinshi degree, he has caught the eye of the Chief Registrar and is now working as a minor official in the yamen—he holds official status after all. I find his learning high, his appearance and character good, and he seems dependable. He has been coming straight to our house these past few days, which clearly shows he has romantic intentions toward Xianglan, and he even sent someone to sound out my thoughts. If we don't quickly betroth her to someone like this, we'll regret it bitterly if someone else beats us to it."
Madam Xue observed, "Young Scholar Xia is indeed a fine young man, but there is one drawback that doesn't sit quite right: his family is rather poor. He also has two older brothers, an older sister, two younger sisters, and three younger brothers, none of whom have any money to speak of. His mother and sisters-in-law are also difficult to get along with; I'm afraid Little Lan would only suffer hardship if she married into that household."
Waving his hand, Chen Wanquan said, "What does a lack of money matter? He is already an official; are we afraid he won't be living well and eating richly in the future? Which young girl hasn't had to serve parents-in-law and get along with sisters-in-law to make it through? If others can do it, why can't Little Lan?"
Still worried, Madam Xue said, "We still don't know whether Little Lan would be willing..."
With his eyes rounded in anger, Chen Wanquan raised his voice and shouted, "What do you care whether she's willing or not! She may be willing when it comes to Young Master Song, but is he willing to have her? We can't just let her follow her own stubborn impulses anymore. She is already sixteen; are we supposed to keep her at home until she turns into a lingering grievance? It has always been the commands of one's parents and the words of the matchmaker—if a match looks good, the engagement is made. Am I going to harm her?" With an impatient flick of his sleeve, he strode into the house.
Meanwhile, Xianglan, having wept until she was exhausted, had collapsed across her bed and fallen into a deep sleep. When she emerged from her room the following day, however, she looked bright and refreshed. Had it not been for her red and swollen eyelids, one could never have guessed how miserably she had cried the day before. Yet she spent all day shut inside her room painting, no longer tending to her flowers and plants, and rarely speaking or smiling. Seeing this, Madam Xue could not help but worry.
On this particular day, Xianglan propped open the window, placed a pot of Huilan orchids on the windowsill, and picked up a watering can. Madam Xue walked up to the window and said, "Later on, young Scholar Xia's mother, second sister-in-law, and younger sister are coming to our house as guests. You should come over later as well—you mustn't lack proper manners." Xianglan gave a casual assent.
Before long, Xia Yun's mother, Madam Jin, along with Xia's second sister-in-law and third sister, had all arrived. Madam Xue personally opened the gate to welcome them in. Taking Madam Jin by the hand, she smiled and said, "It has been quite a while since we last met. Elder Sister looks much more spirited, and your complexion is even better than before. Truly, happy events bring a cheerful spirit."
Madam Jin was originally a native of Yuzhou who had fled with her family from a famine to Jinling and later married into the Xia family. Although she was eight years older than Madam Xue, she looked older than Madam Xue by more than twenty years. Madam Xue had once served as a maid in a great aristocratic household; although she was only a third-rank maid, she had still seen a bit of the world, and the Chen family was wealthier than the Xia family. Madam Jin often felt a sense of inferiority before her, but now that Xia Yun had passed the provincial examination and taken up a post as a yamen clerk, Madam Jin suddenly felt vindicated, her spine straightening as she smiled with restrained pride. "My heart is indeed at ease, especially since our little third one has brought us honor. Why, early this morning he went off to the yamen again, saying he had to check in for roll call..."
Looking around, she saw that the quarters consisted of a main hall with two flanking rooms, which were considerably larger than the houses built by ordinary families. Newly whitewashed and renovated, they appeared exceptionally neat and refined, with uniform carved-lattice partition doors pasted with five-colored window gauze, possessing a genuine air of prestige and elegance. In the exact center of the courtyard lay neat slabs of bluestone, alongside small winding paths paved with pebbles. The surrounding area was filled with flowers and plants vying in beauty, complemented by a patch of rockery where banana plants grew. Beside them stood a large ceramic jar with a few goldfish swimming within. Beneath a grape trellis were set a stone table and stone stools, from which hung a rosewood cage where a yellow oriole hopped about, chirping merrily.
A large yellow dog bared its teeth and let out two barks, but after Madam Xue scolded it, it crept back into a shaded spot, squinted its eyes, and fell back asleep.
The women of the Xia family were instantly struck dumb with astonishment, and the latter half of Madam Jin's sentence choked in her throat, unable to be uttered no matter what. Xia's third sister swallowed a mouthful of saliva and cried out in shock, "Goodness gracious, it's actually this lavish! This is practically living in a fairy realm. Our house looks just like a pigsty by comparison."
Hearing these words, Madam Jin finally snapped back to her senses, inwardly annoyed that Xia's third sister had made them lose face. She turned around and glared fiercely at her. Although Xia's second sister-in-law was also filled with astonishment and jealousy inside, she knew Xia's third sister's remarks were entirely improper, so she struck her a blow on the back of the head and cursed in a low voice, "You courting-death of a girl, if that dog's mouth of yours keeps spewing wild nonsense everywhere, we won't bring you along next time!"
Rubbing the back of her head, Xia's third sister thrust out her lower lip in deep discontent.
Madam Xue took in the entire scene but pretended not to notice, merely smiling as she said, "This is just because our girl insisted that planting flowers and trees would make the place look nice. As it happened, a wealthy family was renovating their garden and was going to throw away some leftover flowers, plants, and exotic rocks, so her father hired a cart to haul them back—it didn't cost much money. The father and daughter tossed and turned them for half a day before finally getting them planted, and now it actually looks presentable." In truth, Chen Wanquan had no patience for tidying up a courtyard like this, but because Xianglan said she needed to look at flowers and plants to paint, Chen Wanquan had gone through all the trouble to put the courtyard in order.
The smile on Madam Jin's face grew somewhat unnatural. Earlier, when Xia Yun passed the provincial examination, those substantial and prominent families had sent silver as well, and a respectable gentry member had even gifted him a vacant house. Although it wasn't particularly spacious and was somewhat old, it was at least a two-courtyard residence and was kept clean. When the whole family moved in, they had felt overjoyed, believing they had already surpassed everyone else. But now, upon arriving at the Chen residence, they saw that such a small courtyard was already ten times more luxurious than her own home. When they stepped inside and looked around, they saw ebony long tables and chairs, cloisonné flower vases, various hanging calligraphies and paintings, and green-glazed brown-and-green-splashed lotus cups used for drinking tea—it was decorated entirely like the home of a wealthy gentleman.
At this, even Xia's second sister-in-law was startled. Touching the tea bowls and small tables, she exclaimed repeatedly, "Goodness me, this is simply the elegance of a great aristocratic family... Even that so-called Lin family, for all their wealth and status, can't be much more than this. How much silver must all these antiques in this room be worth... Oh my, even these pastries look so pretty it makes one reluctant to eat them..."
Xia's third sister had already shoved two pastries into her mouth and was chewing loudly as she said, "Why would anyone be reluctant to eat them? They smell even more fragrant than the ones we buy for the New Year at home."
Pleased with herself, Madam Xue smiled and said, "These are pastries from the Guisui Zhai pastry shop, bought by her father when he went to the market yesterday. Go ahead and eat your fill, there's plenty more where these came from."
Madam Jin felt even more sour at heart. Clearing her throat, she said, "Sister Xue, if I speak my mind, I'm afraid you won't like hearing it... What is the use of fixing up a courtyard to look so flashy and gaudy? It's far more practical to raise a few chickens and ducks; not only do you get a crower every day, but you can also pick up a few eggs, and when the holidays come around you can slaughter them for meat. Isn't that much more practical than those flowers and plants? And these pastries—they are the most untimely things to have. If you make them yourself, you waste oil and flour; if you buy them outside, a string of cash only gets you two tiny packets. You're not like our family—our family's provincial graduate official works in the yamen, and day in and day out, people come by to send these pastries and fruits. Even when they send them, I don't care to eat them and just let them go to waste."
Hearing these words, Madam Xue could not help but freeze, her expression darkening slightly.