Against the Current - Chapter 152

Chapter 152 - Shutong

"...Third Young Miss claimed she was feeling unwell and couldn't come, but just a moment ago I saw her setting up a table of pastries and fruit in the Autumn-Clipping Pavilion, eating and drinking, admiring the flowers and feeding the fish, looking as pleased as could be. She's hardly sick; she simply didn't want to come." Shutong spoke as she rolled up her sleeves to grind ink for Lin Dongxiu.

Lin Dongxiu was holding a writing brush, copying out an inventory list. Hearing this, she arched a brow and let out a cold laugh. "That's just how the third sister is. She's foolish, completely lacking in discernment and pleasant manners. All day long she does nothing but stuff her face and sleep. She's useless at household management and needlework, and reading or writing is entirely beyond her. Look all over her, and you couldn't find a single redeeming trait."

Shutong chimed in, "Indeed. Just yesterday, Sister Rose from the Madam's side was talking to me about you, Miss. She said that although you appear gentle and quiet on the outside, deep down you are fiercely ambitious and possess the true decorum of a fine young lady. Such tremendous drive! Everything the Madam entrusts to you is handled with absolute thoroughness, leaving ordinary girls far behind. Even Second Young Miss, who was born to the Madam and personally tutored by her, is only marginally better than others. Yet you, Miss, without anyone to teach you, are not a whit inferior to Second Young Miss. From an objective standpoint, we even think you edge slightly higher! Not to mention the eldest young miss, who is already married, or the lazy third young miss. Among all the young ladies right now, you are truly the cream of the crop." Shutong was originally a second-class maid serving Lin Dongxiu. Because Hanzhi had always lorded over her and suppressed her every move, she had constantly felt that her ambitions were stifled. As luck would have it, a few days prior, Hanzhi had been beaten by Lin Jinlou's orders to the point where she could not get out of bed. With no close personal maid to wait upon her, Lin Dongxiu naturally turned to Shutong. Shutong was well aware that Lin Dongxiu loved flattery and luxury. Over the past few days, she had catered to her every whim with utmost compliance and reverence, thoroughly winning Lin Dongxiu's favor.

Hearing this, Lin Dongxiu's face blossomed with smiles. She set her brush down on the rest, lifted her teacup, and chuckled, "You, too! How could you sit there gossiping about me with people from the Madam's quarters, and even comparing me to the Second Young Miss? If word of this reaches the Madam's ears someday, goodness knows what she'll make of it!"

Shutong smiled broadly. "What could she make of it? Second Young Miss is about to be married off, and the Madam doesn't have a single capable young girl by her side. When the time comes, won't she have to rely heavily on you, Miss? Besides, we are all family, and you still have to address the Madam as 'Mother.' Once you achieve greatness and prosperity in the future, it will naturally bring boundless benefits to your maiden family."

These words struck straight at the core of Lin Dongxiu's desires, filling her with a smug sense of triumph. She smiled and said, "You really are clever and know what's good for you. You understand such reasoning well." Lifting her eyes, she looked at Shutong—who was dressed in a dark green satin jacket and a water-red quilted silk skirt, sporting a round-square face, large eyes, a wide mouth, and a slightly yellowish complexion enhanced by powder and rouge. While no great beauty, she looked proper and sharp. Lin Dongxiu continued, "I used to think you were a dull blockhead, but it turns out you actually have insight hiding in that belly of yours."

Shutong beamed. "You flatter me, Miss. I was indeed a dull blockhead; it's all thanks to your guidance. These past few days, you've been going out early and returning late, studying and practicing diligently, and even clicking away at the abacus beads when you return to your room. It breaks our hearts just to watch. I kept thinking: if someone as brilliant as you, Miss, is willing to put in such grueling effort, how much more should dullards like us?"

Lin Dongxiu took a sip of tea with a smile, then suddenly sighed. "What good is putting in effort? It all comes down to a poor fate, not being born from the Madam's womb. Someone like me, unloved and uncared for, has to fight tooth and nail for everything on her own. Look at Third Sister; she doesn't have to lift a finger, and naturally, her mother handles everything for her. I hear her father is currently planning to find her an exceptionally prestigious and prominent match. Meanwhile, my father intends to marry me off to some impoverished scholar, saying it doesn't matter even if the family's fortunes are meager."

Shutong chuckled dismissively. "In my view, there's nothing enviable about that. No matter how prestigious the family background is, the household is weighed down by a mountain of relatives, with a mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and younger sisters-in-law all under one roof—there's never a moment of peace. With your appearance and demeanor, Miss, if you marry a scholarly gentleman, they'll worship you like a living bodhisattva. It would be far more comfortable and heart-easing than those flashy households."

This remark once again brought immense comfort to Lin Dongxiu. Suppressing her delight, she made a few casual remarks and let the matter drop.

Before long, people from the various residential courtyards came to collect their lengths of fabric. Lin Dongxiu instructed Shutong to read out the allotments while she used her brush to check them off against the ledger. From the Zhixin Lodge, however, it was Shuran who arrived, accompanied by two young maids. Lin Dongxiu hastily stood up, took Shuran's hand, and smiled, "Oh, such a minor errand! How could you trouble yourself to come personally, Sister?" She called out repeatedly, "Quickly, fetch the portion belonging to my eldest brother's quarters."

Shuran smiled. "I had some idle time, so I thought I'd take a walk over and pay a visit to the Fourth Young Miss. Yesterday, the eldest master asked someone to bring back two boxes of fine pastries from the Sufang Studio. I set aside one piece of each kind for the Miss and brought them over in a little dish. Do try them, Fourth Young Miss. They may not surpass the skill of our household chefs, but they make a nice novelty." As she spoke, she lifted a small food box.

As it turned out, these fine pastries were sent back by Lin Jinlou via a pageboy specifically for Xianglan. But how could Xianglan possibly have any appetite? After pondering it, she had selected a few of the most exquisite pieces, placed them in a painted box, and invited Shuran over to share them personally. Over the past few days, Xianglan had frequently sent small tokens of appreciation to Shuran—sometimes a hairpin, sometimes an embroidered half-arm vest, or perhaps two bowls of delicate side dishes. While varied and always of good quality, each gift was kept modest enough not to feel overly burdensome or ostentatious. Whenever Shuran occasionally reciprocated with a small item or two, Xianglan accepted it, only to send something even more valuable the next time. When she invited Shuran over for a chat, they spoke exclusively of embroidery skills, pretty garments, which maid was matched with which servant, or which young lady had married into a high-ranking family, entirely avoiding any other topics. In her heart, Shuran secretly marveled at Xianglan's cleverness. Although each gift was small, the steady stream of them every few days meant that, according to the old saying, "those who take gifts are soft-handed," and over time, she was accumulating a massive debt of gratitude toward Xianglan. Yet she could do nothing; she saw clearly that Xianglan was Lin Jinlou's favorite, and she was far too cautious not to try and stay on her good side. Xianglan, on the other hand, seemed entirely devoid of selfish demands, acting genuinely like a kindred sister as she pulled Shuran's hand and urged her to visit often, capping it off with parting gifts. Thus, after a few days, Shuran could no longer sit still and proactively visited Xianglan's room, intentionally steering the conversation toward Lin Jinlou. Xianglan merely smiled with pursed lips, listening to her recount anecdotes about Lin Jinlou while subtly offering Shuran a couple of gentle praises and only occasionally asking follow-up questions. Shuran had initially kept her guard up, but Xianglan was so breathtakingly lovely and amiable that Shuran gradually let down her defenses, unwittingly blurting out things she ought to have kept to herself. By the time she realized it, it was already too late, yet Xianglan acted as if she had simply heard it and let it slip from her mind, holding no grudges or ulterior motives.

Shuran still couldn't quite figure out what kind of person Xianglan truly was. If she called her clever, she frequently provoked Lin Jinlou into towering rages; if she called her foolish, she was clearly sensible and understood the bigger picture. Still, Shuran could tell that Xianglan was a generous and forgiving soul, and she had intentionally tried to encourage Luan'er to grow closer to her. Luan'er, however, had stiffened her neck and snapped, "What? You expect me to put on airs of false intimacy with that concubine-born minx? I'd sooner slit my throat!" When Shuran tried to advise her further, Luan'er flew into a temper, leaving Shuran with no choice but to shake her head and walk away.

Having received a box of pastries from Xianglan and sampled a couple herself, Shuran happened to hear that maids were being sent to the storeroom to collect provisions. Figuring she hadn't seen Lin Dongxiu in quite a while—and being a social butterfly who cultivated good relations everywhere—she grabbed the remaining pastries and headed straight over.

Lin Dongxiu smiled. "It's so kind of you to think of me." She instructed Shutong to take the pastries, pulled Shuran down to sit on the edge of the brick-bed, and exchanged pleasantries, bantering back and forth with warm familiarity.

Lin Dongxiu asked, "How is the eldest brother? Has he returned from the military camp yet?"

Shuran replied, "Not yet. I hear the situation by the coast has grown unstable again, so the master went there to oversee things personally."

Lin Dongxiu sighed. "Eldest brother is busy from dawn till dusk; you can hardly ever catch a glimpse of him." She leaned closer to Shuran and asked in a low voice, "What about that newly taken favorite of his? Is she still living in the main quarters?"

Shuran nodded. "Indeed she is, still living right there."

Lin Dongxiu curled her lip in disdain. "A little vixen, relying entirely on a pretty face. She certainly has her methods."

Shuran remarked, "It hasn't been easy for her either; she constantly manages to anger the eldest master. Before he left—" Here she paused, realizing it was quite inappropriate to discuss such matters with an unmarried young lady, and promptly clamped her mouth shut.

Lin Dongxiu pressed urgently, "What about before he left?"

Shuran fudged vaguely, "Well, anyway, she displeased the eldest master." In her mind, she thought, Xianglan was bedridden for several days and only managed to stand up yesterday; it really is a tragedy...

Lin Dongxiu let out a cold snort.

After exchanging a few more idle remarks with Lin Dongxiu, Shuran took her leave and led her young maids back. As she entered the courtyard, she saw Xiaojuan carrying a box of items toward the rooms. Stepping forward, Shuran asked, "What are you up to?"

Xiaojuan answered, "Sister Xianglan said she wanted to paint and asked me to find some paper. When I brought it back, she said it was the wrong kind, and went on a whole lecture about raw xuan paper and ripe xuan paper—who knew paper came in raw and ripe varieties? Then there are the brushes—wolf hair, sheep hair—how on earth am I supposed to tell them apart? I just rummaged through the small storeroom and brought a whole bunch of them over."

Shuran inspected the items and said, "These are all useless scraps. I'll go find some good ones for you later." With that, she walked into the room alongside Xiaojuan.

There they found Xianglan sitting upright and proper behind the desk that Lin Jinlou had set up in the main room. She wore a peach-red jacket patterned with embroidered golden bamboo leaves and multicolored flora, paired with a moon-white silk skirt. Her hair was gathered into a neat bun in a casual indoor style, and her face was bare of cosmetics, yet she looked far more spirited than she had in previous days. A sheet of paper lay spread out before her, bearing the beginnings of a painted flower.

Shuran stepped forward with a smile. "Oh my, you certainly have such refined leisure! Do let me see what you're painting."

Xianglan smiled faintly. "I had nothing to do, just messing around for amusement."

Shuran picked up the painting, clicked her tongue in admiration, and said, "To paint this well and call it mere messing around!" She added, "If you need painting supplies like these, you should look in the trunks in the back. They are all leftover items the eldest master used previously, and they're top-quality goods. There should still be about half of them left that can be used. Just make a list of whatever is missing, and we can have the pageboys down by the corridor procure them."

Xianglan asked in surprise, "Leftovers from the eldest master?"

Shuran chuckled. "When the eldest master was a boy, the grandfather declared his temper was far too fiery, fearing his outbursts would lead to major trouble. So, he made him study the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting to cultivate his character and temperance. Several tutors were hired to teach him, and people even used to come knocking on our doors begging for his calligraphy and paintings. Later on, as the eldest master grew increasingly busy with official duties, these things were cast aside."

Xianglan thought to herself: The Lin family has also been a prestigious lineage of officials for generations. Even if their descendants aren't masters of poetry, couplets, zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, they are certainly capable of discussing them fluently. People coming to beg for calligraphy and paintings isn't all that unusual. In my past life, when my eldest brother gained even a slight proficiency in writing poetry, local sycophants and scholars would all come begging him for it—though frankly, it was merely to flatter their master and ride the coattails of power. As for that arrogant, overbearing brute Lin Jinlou, he doesn't have a single bone of refinement in his entire body.