Against the Current - Chapter 129

Chapter 129 - Encountering an Old Acquaintance

Silence hung in the air. Immediately afterward, it erupted like a chaotic military camp as the crowd began whispering among themselves. Xianglan stood motionless, her eyes fixed steadily on Xia Yun. Like two deep pools of water, her gaze held an air of unassailable dignity. Their eyes met for a moment, but guilt ultimately got the better of Xia Yun, and he averted his gaze slightly.

In a clear, measured voice, Xianglan spoke, "Scholar Xia, there are deities three feet above our heads, so words must be spoken with a clear conscience. You are a grown man who has spent all these years reading the sages' books. Could it be that you, too, intend to mimic those filthy and despicable scoundrels and basely splash dirty water on an innocent maiden?" With that, she took a step forward. "Since you have uttered those words today, I am prepared to fight this to the bitter end, even if it costs me my life. Do you dare come with me right now to the Lin residence and confront the Eldest Master of the Lin family face-to-face to get to the bottom of this? If I am found not to be pure, I will immediately dash my head against a wall and die! But if you are bearing false witness, you will pay with your life as well!"

Xia Yun was taken aback. Xianglan had already stepped down from the steps, her gaze sharp as an unsheathed treasured sword as she demanded, "Do you dare? Do you dare?"

Xia Yun had never expected a girl as delicate as a spring flower and tender as a willow branch to press him in such a manner. Looking thoroughly wretched, he retreated a few steps. Yindie, however, scrambled up from the ground in a single motion, blocked Xia Yun's path, and shoved Xianglan hard. She laughed coldly, "Oh, what mighty words! You even want to go look for the Eldest Master of the Lin family, bah! Do you think I don't know what kind of vixen you are? Back in the estate, you were already making eyes and flirting with the masters, you thousand-times-damned whore! Fanning the flames on one side and pouring water on the other, acting all loose and wanton, day in and day out trying to climb into the eldest master's bed. Why else do you think the First Mistress chased you out? And now you're carrying a chastity arch, pretending to be a virtuous woman and putting on a show! Who doesn't know what kind of shameless slut you are?"

Even as she cursed, Yindie reached out to grab and pull at Xianglan. She despised Xianglan to her core, feeling that all her present misery was Xianglan's fault. Seeing how well-off Xianglan looked only made the sting in her heart worse, and yearning to scratch open that jade-like face right in front of her, she thrust out her hands to claw at her. Xianglan grabbed her by the wrist. Just as the chaos reached its peak, someone in the crowd roared in fury, "You shameless, vile, ill-bred hussy! How dare you come and bully my daughter? You beggar-spawn, foul-mouthed gossip-monger, I'll screw your ancestors!"

Before the words had even faded, Chen Wanquan rushed out from the crowd like a gust of wind. Charging right up to Yindie, he raised his hand and struck without warning. Two fierce blows landed square across her face, instantly swelling it up as Yindie clutched her head and let out a shrill scream.

Chen Wanquan grabbed a handful of Yindie's hair as he beat her, cursing venomously, "My daughter is pure and precious, a person of wealth and status whom countless families would beg to marry, deserving to be revered like Guanyin herself! You are the shameless tramp who tried to crawl into the masters' beds and got driven out by them. Because of you, your entire family was sold off. Instead of tucking your tail between your legs and hiding in some dark corner, you actually dare to come and run wild right outside my doorstep! If we don't put you in your place today, you'll never know how high the sky is and how thick the earth is!"

As it turned out, Chen Wanquan had gone out to drink with some acquaintances at noon. Returning home in a drunken haze, he had found a crowd gathered outside his door. Squeezing his way through, he realized trouble was happening at his own home right as Yindie was clawing at Xianglan and hurling vicious insults. Though Chen Wanquan was usually spineless and cowardly, he deeply cherished his daughter. Emboldened by the alcohol, his courage surged, and he had charged straight forward. Having risen from the streets, he knew every dirty and foul curse in the book, and a few vicious slaps left Yindie spinning, completely disoriented as to the four cardinal directions.

Realizing things had gone too far, Xia Yun hurried forward and grabbed Chen Wanquan's arm, saying, "Let's talk this out. There's no need to resort to physical violence."

Too terrified of Xia Yun to strike him, Chen Wanquan roared, "Talking nonsense! Why didn't you stop her when she was scratching and clawing at my daughter? Scholar Xia, have you crammed all those teachings of the sages straight into a dog's belly?"

Madam Xue also lunged forward, grabbing Xia Yun by his lapels. "Scholar Xia, when you were down on your luck, our family helped you out more than once. Later, when you achieved success, we never came knocking to sponge off your glory. You've completely forgotten the kindness we showed you, turning into an ungrateful wolf, and now you come out with this rotting, sore-breeding filth to let a whore smear my daughter and ruin her entire life! What kind of malicious heart do you have?"

Xia Yun's face was flushed beet-red. In truth, he had instantly regretted saying those words the moment they left his mouth. Yet even amid his guilt, he thought, If Xianglan hadn't publicly humiliated me, why would I ever have said such things?

Weeping hysterically, Yindie threw herself into Chen Wanquan's embrace, wailing, "Just beat me to death! Beat me to death! I won't live anymore!" She tried to claw at Chen Wanquan's hands while kicking and thrashing wildly with her legs.

Refusing to let her father come to any harm, Xianglan grabbed both of Yindie's hands, signaled Huashan with a glance to grab Yindie's legs, and urged, "Father, stop hitting her. Stop hitting her."

Seeing Xia Yun standing there at a complete loss, Yindie cried out even louder, "My master! You watch me get beaten and cursed, yet you don't even pull them off! My life is so wretched!"

Gritting his teeth, Xia Yun grabbed Chen Wanquan's arm. "Uncle Chen, let's talk reasonably. Please let go first..."

A sharp pain shot through Chen Wanquan's arm. Letting go of Yindie, he shoved Xia Yun hard and snapped, "Get lost!"

Losing his footing and slipping, Xia Yun crashed to the ground, the back of his head striking a heavy brick on the floor. He instantly lost consciousness. Yindie let out a shrill scream, crying, "Master! Master!" Seeing that Xia Yun was completely unresponsive, she shrieked at the top of her lungs, "Help! Murder! They've killed someone!"

Chen Wanquan was stunned into idiocy. Madam Xue and Xianglan hurried forward to check on him; seeing that Xia Yun wasn't bleeding but had a large lump swelling at the back of his head, Xianglan hastily told Chen Wanquan, "Go fetch a doctor right away!"

Only then did Chen Wanquan snap back to his senses. Feeling his legs turn like rubber and stumbling over his own feet, he ran off in a panic to find a physician.

The onlookers crowded around. One suggested pinching the philtrum, another suggested rubbing the chest, but because Xia Yun was a provincial graduate, no one dared to actually touch him. After a short while, Xia Yun let out a groan and regained consciousness. Xianglan finally let out a breath of relief, thinking to herself, This is bad. None of the Xia family members are reasonable types; I'm afraid we're going to have to spend silver just to buy our peace. She instructed Huashan to go back inside and fetch some water for Xia Yun to drink.

Before long, the doctor arrived. He applied medicine to the injury on Xia Yun's head, wrote out a prescription, and handed over a few medicinal pills with instructions. "The injury itself is not too serious, but complete rest is advised. He must not move about casually. For the first few days, he will likely experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and weakness; plenty of rest is all he needs. Dissolve these pills in warm rice wine and apply the mixture to the affected area, and the swelling will gradually subside."

Chen Wanquan agreed repeatedly. Borrowing a wooden door panel from a familiar neighbor, he laid a bedding quilt over it, hoisted Xia Yun onto the makeshift stretcher, and carried him home.

Before the doctor even arrived, Yindie had quietly slipped away. Coming to cause trouble at the Chen household today had been entirely her own private scheme: first, to sabotage the romantic prospects between Xia Yun and Xianglan and cut off Xia Yun's lingering hopes; second, to blacken Xianglan's reputation and vent the bitter hatred in her own heart. She had never imagined things would escalate to this point. Vaguely terrified that if Xia Yun suffered any lasting damage, the dozen-odd members of the Xia family would tear her limb from limb, she grew increasingly panicked as she walked. She decided to sneak back first, turn victim into the aggressor, and weep to throw all the blame onto the Chen family.

Preoccupied and walking in a daze, she failed to notice a sedan chair approaching from the front and slammed directly into a maid walking alongside it. With an exclamation of annoyance, the maid placed her hands on her hips and snapped, "Who's this? Are you blind when you walk?"

Yindie looked up to see a maid with a round, silver-basin face, narrow eyes, a small nose, heavy makeup, and a plump figure. Dressed in fine silk and satin, the maid puffed out her chest, making her full bosom all the more prominent. As their eyes met, Yindie blinked in recognition and called out, "Sister Hui'er?"

Hui'er was equally stunned. After staring for a long moment, she said, "You're Yindie? Your face... what happened to you?"

At that exact moment, the sedan curtain was lifted, and Cao Lihuan asked impatiently, "What's going on? Are we moving or not?"

Hui'er hurried to reply, "Mistress, we just ran into Yindie, who serves over at the Zhisun Lodge."

Back when Hui'er was still in the Lin household, she had also been fond of cozying up to higher-ups and was on familiar terms with all the maids in Zhisun Lodge. In the past, when Yindie lacked influence, she had loved to brag about herself. Knowing that Yindie was a hereditary servant whose parents held respectable duties, and who moreover had a cousin in favor with Lin Dongling, Hui'er had intentionally sought to get on her good side, offering favors from time to time. Greedy for petty gains, Yindie had welcomed the friendship, and the two shared a past connection.

Yindie curtsied and said, "Greetings, Cousin-in-law."

Hearing that she was a maid from the Lin family, Cao Lihuan ordered the sedan bearers to lower the chair, put on a smile, and said, "If it isn't Sister Yindie, what brings you here? Oh my, let me see—what happened to your face?"

Enduring her humiliation, Yindie sighed, "It's a long story." With that, she made as if to leave.

Exchanging a glance with Hui'er, Cao Lihuan grabbed Yindie by the hand and smiled, "Sister Yindie, are you still serving in Zhisun Lodge?"

That question struck right at Yindie's sore spot. Forcing a smile, she replied, "I'm not there anymore. Last time the Eldest Master hosted officials from all over Jinling, Eldest Master Lin saw that Master Xia Yun was so young yet passed the provincial examination, and took a liking to his talent. He bestowed me upon him as a concubine."

Both Lihuan and Hui'er were startled, exchanging another look. Cao Lihuan stepped out of the sedan chair, affectionately took Yindie's hand, and said, "I actually heard that the clerk Xia in the yamen had taken in a stunning little concubine. My husband even went specially to present a congratulatory gift for Master Xia's minor wedding. Who would have thought fate would bring us full circle and that you're the one blessed with such good fortune? Master Xia is young, handsome, and full of talent—truly a wonderful match you couldn't find even with a lantern. Once he becomes an official and a grand minister in the future, you'll be right there enjoying all the wealth and luxury."

Yindie was naturally a vain person, and Cao Lihuan's flattery smoothed right over her bruised ego. She smiled faintly and said, "It's not all that great... Sigh, no matter how much you share in the blessings, you're still just half a servant."

Cao Lihuan countered, "You mustn't talk like that. I can see you're destined for great things; who knows, you might even be elevated to a primary wife someday."

These words made Yindie feel even more comfortable, drawing her closer to Cao Lihuan. Seeing that Yindie's expression had softened, Cao Lihuan asked, "It's just... sister, what happened to your face?"

Yindie said with bitter resentment, "It's all because of that little tramp Xianglan! The one who used to serve the young mistress. I don't know what kind of soul-stealing soup she poured down our master's throat, but he actually wants to marry her! As if she's worthy! But that bitch flatly refuses to marry a man who already has a concubine. Fearing that my master might be foolish enough to cast me aside, I went to the Chen household to reason with her. Who would have thought her father would beat me and even smash my master's head open!"

Cao Lihuan was utterly shocked, blurting out, "Xianglan? Scholar Xia wants to marry Xianglan?"