Against the Current - Chapter 15
Chapter 15 - Song Ke
Seeing Madam Qin walk out, Xianglan hurriedly retreated to the side. After waiting for a long time without seeing Cao Lihuan emerge, she poked her head forward to peer inside the doorway. She saw Cao Lihuan standing blankly in the hall with a rigid, staring gaze, looking entirely out of her mind. Xianglan thought to herself: They always say Madam Qin is a formidable woman, and it's certainly true. She must have given the cousin a thorough dressing-down, otherwise she wouldn't look like this. She wanted to go in, but feared incurring Cao Lihuan's wrath while her temper was still running high; yet staying outside and lingering like this wasn't a proper solution either. Pondering back and forth, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and step into the room, speaking softly, "Miss, don't just stand there. Please sit down and rest for a moment."
After these words were repeated several times, Cao Lihuan's eyeballs twitched as she snapped back to her senses. Seeing Xianglan standing submissively and obsequiously at her side, a wave of pent-up fury instantly erupted. Reaching out, she delivered two fierce slaps and cursed, "Useless wretch! Where were you when your mistress was being bullied just now? Now you know how to pop out and call for my soul! I'll teach you to call! I'll teach you to call! Ignorant and brazen thing, a mere servant daring to climb over your mistress's head—I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you to death!" As she cursed, she rained down vicious blows, using Xianglan to vent her pent-up frustration and temper.
Xianglan was completely dazed by the beating. By the time she snapped to her senses, she had already taken a solid couple of slaps across the face. Waves of grievance and resentment surged within her; she originally wanted to murmur a few words like, "Please take care of your health, Miss, and don't let yourself get worked up." But as the humiliation welled up, such endurance-laden words failed to pass her lips, leaving her only able to kneel on the ground, biting her lips in silence as tears streamed down.
After dealing Xianglan several vicious blows, Cao Lihuan felt the pent-up malice in her heart dissipate quite a bit. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a maid peeking and prying toward them, so she stopped her strikes. Seeing Xianglan's cheeks red and swollen—which she feared would be impossible to hide from others—she delivered a vicious kick and snapped, "Useless trash, why aren't you scrambling back immediately!" With that, she straightened her clothes and strode out. As her thoughts spun, she reasoned to herself: I must absolutely not get driven out of the Lin family; otherwise, all my efforts over these past days will be like drawing water with a bamboo basket—completely in vain. Right now, my only option is to rush over and beg that stubborn old ghost of the First Branch, pleading with her to let me stay, and then ask Zhao Yuechan to put in a few good words for me. Tch, I'll inevitably have to spend more silver on bribes—how could that woman Zhao Yuechan ever exert effort for you for free? Standing outside the gates of Shoushi Hall, the more she thought about it, the more hatred welled up inside her; she randomly grabbed a handful of leaves and tore them to shreds to vent her spleen.
Wiping her tears with her sleeves, Xianglan stood up unsteadily. Her face burned with pain, her entire body ached, and her heart felt even heavier than if she were carrying a scale weight in her chest. She pulled out her handkerchief, forcefully wiped her face, re-gathered her hair, and whispered to herself: Chen Xianglan, the joys in this world are always fewer than the sorrows. Today, just pretend you were bitten by a dog. You must endure the humiliation—endure until the very end, and sooner or later your day to shine will come. Drawing a deep breath, she dabbed the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief. Not daring to linger in the room any longer, she tugged at her clothes, lowered her head, and hurried away.
The beaded curtain of the parlor parted, and two young men stepped out from the side chamber. One was around fifteen or sixteen years old, of medium height, dressed in fine plain silk garments, with a face like powdered jade and eyes like ink dots—resembling a golden-boy attendant; he was Lin Jinling, the legitimate second-branch son of the Lin family. The other was slightly older than Lin Jinling, taller by a head, with a fair complexion, long eyebrows, clear eyes, a high-bridged nose, and an air of elegance and poise—truly a handsome young man. He wore a semi-worn blue silk tunic; the woven-gold belt around his waist was also old, inlaid with agate beads, one of which had fallen out and been replaced by an ordinary reddish-brown stone, though the entire outfit was laundered to an immaculate, neat finish.
This person was named Song Ke, styled Yifei, and was the maternal nephew of Second Branch Madam Wang. Madam Wang's second elder sister had originally married Song Fang, the son of a family friend of the Wangs. Song Fang had passed the provincial examinations as a Juren, and through family maneuvering and planning, secured a minor official post in the Court of Judicial Review, slowly working his way up to the fifth rank. Their household had been peaceful and harmonious until three years ago, when Song Fang contracted a sudden, fatal illness and passed away, leaving behind only a son and a daughter. Song Ke's mother, Madam Song, was of a weak and gentle disposition, suffering endless scheming and humiliation within the Song family. Consequently, Song Ke took his mother and younger sister, Song Tanchai, and separated the household to live independently.
Madam Wang shared a deep sisterly bond with Madam Song and, taking pity on their fallen fortunes, had written a letter to the capital asking Madam Qin to look after them. Finding Song Ke to be intelligent, motivated, well-mannered, and kind-hearted, Madam Qin had also grown quite fond of him, allowing Song Ke to study alongside the two brothers Lin Jinxuan and Lin Jinling. Upon returning to Jinling this time, Madam Song was also stirred by homesickness and had accompanied them back along with her children.
Frowning, Lin Jinling muttered, "Why does that cousin act just like a marketplace shrew? How can someone like that still be kept in the family? Fortunately, First Aunt is going to kick her out. In my opinion, chasing someone like that out early is the only way to have peace of mind." After grumbling for a while, seeing that Song Ke remained silent, he gave him a nudge. "What are you thinking about?"
Song Ke walked with his hands behind his back and said, "I'm afraid she won't be so easily driven away. You won't be able to get past your family's Old Master on that front. You know as well as I do that the Old Master cares most about reputation and face, and would never allow outsiders to point a finger or say a single word against him. How could he possibly cast out an orphan girl with neither father nor mother without letting people point and talk behind his back? Neither the Old Master nor the Old Matriarch can stand her, but they keep up appearances purely for face—at worst, they'll just spend a bit of silver to dismiss her."
"She's such a petty villain; keeping her around will only ensure the household has no peace. What if she ends up corrupting a few of our sisters, tarnishing the Lin family's reputation and ruining their chances of marriage? That would be disastrous," Lin Jinling said with a sigh. "That little maid who got beaten up earlier is truly pitiful, though. She suffered an unprovoked disaster, and when she was beaten, she didn't even know how to beg for mercy—I'm afraid she might have been beaten silly." He still remembered how that young girl had knelt on the ground while Cao Lihuan rained slaps and blows upon her, her slender body trembling like an autumn leaf in the biting wind, tears streaming down her face, looking exceptionally delicate and tender, stirring a deep sense of pity in anyone who saw her. After Cao Lihuan left, she had tidied herself up before lowering her head and slipping away, whispering to herself to ensure no one noticed she had been beaten by a master—which only made her seem all the more pitiable.
Song Ke smiled, addressing Lin Jinling by his courtesy name: "Xiuhong, you're still as soft-hearted as ever. No wonder your eldest brother teases you, saying that once your great-grandmother's period of mourning is fully over, he'll personally send you two conversational and singing beauties who are guaranteed to be far more understanding and attentive than Suju in your quarters."
A flush spread across Lin Jinling's face as he glared and retorted, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting! Don't go learning bad habits from Eldest Brother's dissipated ways—the beauties he sends are more than I can handle... And, and furthermore, Suju was given to me by my mother... She has served me since we were children."
Seeing that Lin Jinling was somewhat embarrassed, Song Ke stopped teasing him and simply patted his shoulder, and the two walked out together. As they reached the hall, Song Ke suddenly noticed a tiny white silk flower lying on the ground. Remembering that it had fallen from the head of the beaten little maid earlier, the corners of his mouth curled upward in a mocking smile. Xiuhong called that girl pitiful? Yet to him, she seemed remarkably shrewd. Just now, through the window cracks of the east subsidiary room, he had seen Cao Lihuan and Liubei bickering; the other maids and matrons were busy hugging and blocking, while she alone, though shouting "Stop fighting," stood far away, clearly intending not to get involved. When Xuezan scolded her, she ran up and deliberately took a kick, putting on an exaggerated performance of tumbling to the ground before playing dead and refusing to get up again—yet the moment the Madam stepped out, she scrambled up faster than anyone else.
Once she suffered that beating inside the small parlor, despite her tear-streaked and pitiful appearance, the moment Cao Lihuan left, she didn't run off weeping; instead, she methodically straightened her clothes and hair and stopped crying entirely! To be able to swallow such humiliation with a snap and then mutter those words to herself—"Chen Xianglan, today just consider yourself bitten by a dog. Joys are few and sorrows are many in this world; you must endure the humiliation, and until the very end, sooner or later your day to shine will come"—though her voice was soft, Song Ke's hearing was far sharper than ordinary people's, and he had heard every single word clearly, instantly startling him. To suffer injustice and suppression, yet rather than wailing to the heavens or wallowing in self-pity, to display such self-reliant determination and the grit to endure all things—such insight and fortitude were hardly qualities that a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old maidservant should possess; even grown men rarely matched it. Gazing from afar at the girl's resolute expression, he felt a fleeting illusion as if he were looking at someone else. That person had been only two or three years older than this girl, possessing the same gentle and delicate appearance; she had originally been the daughter of a prominent family before being crushed into the dust overnight, yet her brow had always carried that exact same stubbornness and resilience. Having suffered monstrous grievances and hardships, she had endured all humiliation, wholeheartedly and single-mindedly protecting him... Sometimes, when he recalled that distant past life, it felt like nothing more than a bizarre, grotesque dream.
As Song Ke reached the doorway of the hall, he suddenly turned back, walked over, picked up the tiny white silk flower from the floor, and held it to his nose to inhale—it still faintly retained the lingering fragrance of hair tonic. Hearing Lin Jinling call out to him, he quickly tucked the silk flower into his sleeve and strode out.
Meanwhile, Xianglan had come outside and saw Cao Lihuan pleading outside the main rooms to see Madam Qin, only to be blocked by the guards at the door. After several charges were rebuffed, Xianglan thought to herself: The incident inside just now must have blown up completely, otherwise why would Cao Lihuan be rushing out like a madwoman to find the First Madam? She had no desire to follow Cao Lihuan, but since every maid and matron in the courtyard had seen her emerge from the small parlor, she had no choice but to lower her head and walk over.
Cao Lihuan was indeed rather formidable, and being tall and sturdy, she seized an opportunity to plow past the two matrons blocking her path, threw back the curtain, and strode right inside. Xianglan happened to be right behind Cao Lihuan, and was swept straight into the room in the wake of the two intercepting matrons. By this time the meal had concluded; Old Matriarch Lin was reclining on a Luohan bed, Madam Qin sat forward on a round embroidered stool chatting with her, and Second Branch Madam Wang sat on the other side, personally shelling hazelnuts for Old Matriarch Lin to eat.
Old Matriarch Lin gave a start and looked toward Madam Qin. Madam Qin frowned, her expression cool and detached: "Why have you come in? Weren't you told to go back? Your elders are all here, yet you barge right inside without any announcement—you are growing increasingly devoid of manners. Are the people guarding the door dead? Why haven't you dragged her out immediately?"
The two matrons immediately stepped forward to seize her. Xianglan, caught in the room not knowing whether to advance or retreat, shrank her neck and stood by the doorway, thinking that if Cao Lihuan was dragged out, she could slip right out along with her; but if Cao Lihuan stayed in the room, she would just stand right there and play dead.
Struggling and twisting in both directions, Cao Lihuan cried, "Let go! Let go!" She dropped heavily to her knees and wailed, "Old Matriarch, save me!"