Against the Current - Chapter 138

Chapter 138 - Luan'er

As flowers bloom, each branch tells its own tale.

To return to Shuran, after she withdrew from the room and had just walked behind the house, someone suddenly called out, "Elder Sister!" Startled, Shuran turned back to see Luan'er standing behind a clump of banana plants, clutching a handkerchief with a sullen, thoroughly unhappy expression on her face.

Shuran stepped forward and asked, "It's time for lunch, why are you standing out here?"

Luan'er thrust her chin toward the house and said, "Has that little vixen moved in?"

Shuran's expression immediately darkened as she retorted, "Nonsense! What little vixen?"

Luan'er sneered, "If she isn't a little vixen, what is she? The moment she arrives, she sneaks right into the main quarters—a place only future senior mistresses are meant to inhabit. Is she even worthy?"

Shuran said, "That was arranged by the master. He wants her to serve closely and reside in the side chamber." With that, she rubbed her temples, stepped forward, and took Luan'er by the hand. "Good younger sister, put a gate on your mouth. You angered the master last time, and to this day he still won't pay you any mind, and I haven't dared to intercede much on your behalf. As for the master's temperament, when he's in a good mood everything about you is wonderful, and if you throw a little temper tantrum, he has the patience to coax you. But when he truly flies into a rage, not even the Jade Emperor himself could pacify him. Why must you deliberately seek out misery for yourself? Quickly put away that arrogant demeanor of yours."

Luan'er looked somewhat uncomfortable. Everything Shuran said was something she well knew, but back then, whenever she threw small temper tantrums, Lin Jinlou would respond with soft, honeyed words to coax her, making her feel that Lin Jinlou cared for her and cherished her. Once she had tasted that sweetness, it was impossible to let go. Yet Lin Jinlou was intensely fickle; once the initial novelty wore off, he no longer paid her special attention. How could she possibly endure that? She couldn't help resorting to petty tantrums once more to lure Lin Jinlou into coaxing her, only to find that she had ruined things through sheer cleverness. Luan'er was thin-skinned and stubbornly refused to admit her fault, leaving them locked in this stalemate.

Shuran sighed, patted the back of Luan'er's hand, and said, "You, oh you, you are simply still too young. Listen to your sister's advice: go take a bowl of soup to the master later and offer an apology. It won't cost you anything. As for Xianglan, try not to provoke her. Thrush is a proper concubine, and even she hasn't made a peep—why on earth are you sticking your neck out?"

Luan'er's eyes reddened as she said, "I just can't stomach it! The master elevated me less than three months ago, and already there's a newcomer..."

Shuran sneered, "What did I say in the beginning? I told you to choose your own path and not regret it later, but you refused to listen, sticking your neck out and claiming you had already thought it all through. Who is there to blame now?"

Luan'er turned pale and remained silent.

Shuran sighed, knowing that her cousin possessed a stubborn bone in her body and would rather die than admit a mistake.

As it turned out, after Luan'er was born, her parents had someone cast her horoscope. The fortune-teller declared on the spot that this girl was no ordinary mortal being, but a luan bird reincarnated. Even if she failed to become an imperial consort, she would undoubtedly be a noble lady, enjoying boundless glory, wealth, and prosperity. Whether that fortune-teller had been spouting complete nonsense remains unknown, but Luan'er's parents believed it down to their very bones, pampering their daughter like a precious gem since childhood. Their next-door neighbor happened to be a theatrical troupe, and the masters within it taught Luan'er a few tricks. In time, Luan'er had no trouble playing the pipa and singing tunes; moreover, she learned a smattering of characters, could recite some Tang poetry and Song lyrics, and her deportment, posture, and movements all took on a distinctive air. As she grew older, she gradually blossomed into a beauty with fine eyebrows, delicate eyes, a bridge of the nose like a jade bead, red lips, wondrous skin, slender bones, and a supple waist. Everyone showered her with praise: "Look at that family's daughter! Her speech and manners are of extraordinary distinction, and I hear she's well-versed in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. That's no seed born of a slave—she has completely the air of a young lady of noble birth."

Raised amidst the applause of everyone around her and constantly hearing her parents harp on about how extraordinary her horoscope was and how boundless wealth awaited her in the future, Luan'er increasingly fancied herself refined, elegant, and detached from the vulgar world. She convinced herself that she was destined to be above other mortals, and gradually grew arrogant, looking down upon ordinary people without a second glance. Later, after reading various romantic tales of gifted scholars and beautiful ladies, she became firmly convinced that she was a phoenix unfortunately fallen among ordinary mortals and slaves, merely waiting for a young gentleman as handsome as Pan An and as wealthy as Fan Li to recognize her extraordinary worth with discerning eyes, rescue her from her time of peril, and thereafter fly wing-to-wing to live a life envied even by immortals.

The moment Luan'er laid eyes on Lin Jinlou, her heart had instantly fluttered, convinced that he was the true hero with discerning eyes. She had resolved in her heart to stage a grand romance of devoted lovers with Lin Jinlou, never imagining that Lin Jinlou did not appreciate it in the least. He merely regarded Luan'er as a singing maid kept around for amusement, and the moment he turned his face away, he set his mind on bringing Xianglan into the estate.

Shuran paused for a moment and said, "Hurry back now. Tomorrow I will take you to see the master. You say a few soft words, and I'll step in to smooth things over and let this matter rest. From now on, speak less and on no account provoke Xianglan during this period. Take a page out of Thrush's book."

Luan'er gave a cold "humph" and said, "Learn from her? Acting like a turtle hiding in its shell all day long—I fail to see what is so brilliant about her." Her voice, however, was much softer than before. Realizing that Luan'er had finally backed down, Shuran sighed inwardly once more, offered a few more gentle words of persuasion, and the two parted ways.

That evening, long after the hour for lighting lamps, Lin Jinlou still had not returned. Xianglan felt entirely restless; she could not even bring herself to finish her dinner, laying down her chopsticks after taking only a couple of hasty bites.

Chunling brightened the candle and sat down in a circle with Xiaojuan to chat with Xianglan and dispel her gloom. Noticing that Xianglan was completely absent-minded, she promptly instructed a little maid to bring in water for washing and makeup removal. Once that was done, they blew out the lamps and quietly withdrew on tiptoe.

Lying on the bed in the eastern subsidiary chamber, Xianglan felt as though her heart had been seared in boiling oil—hot, frantic, and distressed. She stared blankly up at the canopy top of the bed, lost in a daze. She had no idea how much time had passed when, just as she was drifting off into a hazy slumber, a sudden commotion broke out in the courtyard. Someone shoved the door open with a resounding bang, and Shuangxi's voice rang out: "Hurry, bring the master a sobering broth and a hot face towel!"

This cry startled Xianglan into sitting straight up in bed, her palms slick with sweat. She quietly lifted a crack in the bed curtains to peer outside. The outer room was already brightly lit; maids and matrons were bustling about. In an instant, the sound of fetching water, urging Lin Jinlou to drink his sobering broth, and Lin Jinlou's commanding barks blended into a chaotic racket.

Xianglan originally wanted to stay put, but she feared that if she remained cowering in bed playing dead, she might provoke that fiend into creating further troubles that would make her days even harder to endure. Gritting her teeth, she thought to herself, "Whether you face the blade standing up or lying down, it all amounts to the same thing. This is simply the way things are—you can escape the first day of the month, but you can't hide from the fifteenth!" She got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, found a pale silk cloak embroidered with a hundred butterflies weaving through flowers to throw over her shoulders, and quietly stepped outside.

Leaning against the multitreasure display cabinet to look out, she saw Lin Jinlou slumped sideways in the grand master's chair in the upper seat of the hall, surrounded by a tight cluster of maids. Shuangxi had already departed. Among them stood a young woman dressed in a pomegranate-red damask skirt embroidered with gold thread, standing right by Lin Jinlou's side and setting herself apart from the rest. Taking a closer look, Xianglan saw that the girl possessed fine eyebrows and delicate eyes; her features individually were not particularly striking, but gathered together on her face they possessed a distinct charm. Coupled with a slender figure, she could well be considered a beauty among the maids of the Lin household.

Xianglan thought to herself, "This must be Luan'er."

She saw Luan'er holding a bowl of soup. Despite wearing an expression of intense concern, she kept her face chillingly rigid, as though Lin Jinlou were an unruly child. Reproachfully, she chided, "When socializing outside, you really ought to drink less. To come back so heavily intoxicated—what would you have done if you had fallen from your horse?"

Lin Jinlou impatiently knitted his brows.

Luan'er held out the bowl of soup and urged, "This is chicken soup. Drink a couple of sips while it's hot."

Luan'er's maid, Cunxin, hurriedly chimed in, "This soup was meticulously simmered by the young lady herself for a full two hours to draw out all the flavor, until the meat was so tender it melted in the mouth. She even kept it warming over a slow fire, terrified that it would grow cold, and added a great many medicinal herbs to nourish the body. Does the master not see the young lady's painstaking devotion?"

Luan'er scolded Cunxin, saying, "You're the only one with too much to say!" With that, she eagerly proffered the bowl of soup once more.

Luan'er figured that as long as Lin Jinlou drank the soup, the previous awkwardness between them would be wiped away. She never imagined that Lin Jinlou would let out a cold laugh and snap, "Who told you to come in here? You're growing more and more lawless! Is this a place anyone can just waltz into whenever they please? Get out of my sight!"

The corners of Luan'er's mouth froze instantly in mid-curl. Lin Jinlou glared at her and barked, "I told you to get out. Are you incapable of understanding human speech?"

Tears were already swirling in Luan'er's eyes. Cunxin, however, proved quick-witted; she hastily set the soup bowl down on a small side table and hurriedly dragged Luan'er away.

Lin Jinlou massaged the bridge of his nose. He had spent the entire evening playing verbal sparring games with a bunch of old foxes. Men old enough to be grandfathers were still scheming to stick their hands into the lucrative water transport and salt inspection duties, without even pausing to ask whether he would consent. That banquet was, in truth, a battlefield without swords or spears. Although he returned victorious and full of ambition, he also felt utterly exhausted and had zero appetite to humor the scheming little songbirds fluttering around the residence.

Lin Jinlou picked up a cup of warm tea from beside him, stood up, and stretched his arms. As he turned his head, he caught sight of a faint, slender figure standing near the multitreasure display cabinet. Her long hair hung loose, framing a snow-white, delicate little face. Lin Jinlou couldn't help pausing in surprise, suddenly feeling his mood improve by a fraction. He strode over toward her.

Startled, Xianglan instinctively took two steps back, her small hands tightly clutching the edge of her garment as she pressed herself flat against the wall, looking timid and frightened.

Lin Jinlou reached out to stroke Xianglan's cheek, then lifted her chin, looked into her eyes, and smiled. "I almost forgot, I sent people to fetch you here this morning. It's so late and you're still not asleep—were you waiting up for your master?"

Xianglan did not know how to respond. Her eyes fluttered nervously before she dropped her gaze.

The maids and matrons all tactfully retreated with knowing glances. Hearing the soft "clunk" of the door closing behind them, Xianglan felt her entire heart clench tightly. Before she could recover her wits, Lin Jinlou had already lowered his head to press a kiss to her cheek, planting a flurry of tender, delicate pecks before capturing her lips in a shallow, lingering kiss.

Xianglan caught the scents of wine, powder, and a fresh, potent masculine aura. She opened her eyes wide, trembling all over like a single leaf hanging from an autumn branch, not daring to move a muscle. Her hands were clenched so tightly into fists that her nails dug deep into her palms.

Lin Jinlou found the girl in his arms sweet, soft, and satin-smooth—a sensation far too exquisite. The moment he kissed her, he lost all self-control. He let out a low chuckle, pressed his lips to the base of her ear, and murmured, "Don't be afraid." As he spoke, his hand slid beneath her garments.

Xianglan bit down hard on her lower lip, closing her eyes to endure it. Yet feeling that keeping her eyes shut made the torment even harder to bear, she hurriedly forced them open again. Lin Jinlou noticed that Xianglan was heavily dressed and rasped in a muffled voice, "Didn't they make you two boxes of brand-new clothes? Why aren't you wearing them?"

Xianglan stared wide-eyed.

Lin Jinlou moved to kiss her lips once more, then scooped her up horizontally with a single sweep of his arms and carried her straight into the bedchamber.