Against the Current - Chapter 156

Chapter 156 - Heedful

Tapping Xianglan's lips lightly with his index finger, Lin Jinlou asked, "And you—you surely haven't just spent these past few days painting, have you?"

Reluctant to engage with him, Xianglan kept silent. Not pressing the matter further, Lin Jinlou saw her slightly lowered head, snow-white skin, and captivatingly pretty appearance, which stirred an itch in his heart. Bending down, he pressed his lips to Xianglan's mouth. Taken aback, Xianglan instinctively tried to pull away. When Lin Jinlou moved to kiss her neck instead, Xianglan protested, "Don't..." Whereupon Lin Jinlou promptly sealed her lips again, his agile tongue sliding past her teeth as his strong arms banded tightly around her waist. His breathing grew heavier, and his hand slipped inside the collar of her tunic.

Xianglan hastily reached out to catch Lin Jinlou's hand, while he murmured against her, "Little Xianglan, just be obedient this once, hmm?" Taking advantage of her distraction, he pressed her back down onto the Luohan bed.

Right at that moment, Luan'er's voice floated in from the doorway, calling out, "I know the eldest master is back—why won't you let us in!"

That single voice proved to be Xianglan's salvation. She gave Lin Jinlou a hasty shove and gasped, "Someone's outside..."

With a muffled tone, Lin Jinlou replied, "Pay them no mind."

It sounded as though Lianxin said something outside, prompting Luan'er to raise her voice again. "The eldest master was up early this morning practicing boxing and sword forms; how could he possibly be asleep right now?"

Drawing out her tone, Meifan chimed in, "He might be worn out from the morning and fallen asleep for all we know. There's someone inside waiting on him, after all."

Struggling desperately while the women outside bickered, Lin Jinlou felt his romantic ardor vanish completely. Annoyed, he sat up straight and roared, "Will you lot ever shut up!"

Silence instantly fell outside. Startled, Xianglan straightened up in a hurry, pulled her tunic closed with her hands, and bolted away like a wisp of smoke. Lin Jinlou slipped his feet into his cloth shoes, walked over to the door, and pushed it open to find Meifan, Yingge, and Luan'er standing in a neat row. Every single one of them was heavily made up and meticulously dressed. Upon seeing Lin Jinlou emerge, they chimed in together with bows and greetings, their faces wreathed in smiling blossoms. Yet the moment they looked up and caught sight of Lin Jinlou's dark, gloomy expression, they froze like cicadas in winter. Giving one another nervous pushes and pinches, they exchanged furtive glances and prudently kept their mouths shut.

Frowning, Lin Jinlou snapped, "What on earth are you all squawking and squabbling about so early in the morning?"

Meifan offered an ingratiating smile and said, "Nothing, truly nothing. It's just that the eldest master has been toiling away hard abroad, and now that you're finally home, all us sisters have been missing you terribly and came early this morning to wish you well."

Yingge chimed in, "Indeed. Thinking of the eldest master these past few days made us unable to eat or sleep properly. The moment we heard you returned last night, we hurried right over."

Luan'er added, "We came, all right, only to be barred at the door with the excuse that the eldest master was resting. People like us, I suppose, aren't even deemed worthy of entering the main quarters."

With an impatient wave of his hand, Lin Jinlou dismissed them. "Disperse, all of you. Go on, scatter." As he turned to head back inside, Shuzhan hurried over along the covered walkway holding a folded letter. "Eldest Master," he reported, "a pageboy from Young Master Liu's household just delivered an invitation. He says he and the others heard you were back and would like to host a banquet at noon to liven things up and welcome you home."

Taking the invitation, Lin Jinlou remarked, "Do those monkeys possess clairvoyance and divine hearing? They caught wind of it the exact moment I got back."

Shuzhan chuckled. "How could they not know? They're brothers who've been playing by your side since childhood, missing you dearly in their hearts. They probably got the news days ago."

With a laugh, Lin Jinlou instructed, "Tell them to come over to the residence at noon. Have the small kitchen prepare a few fine dishes, and call little San'er along as well so we can all have a lively time." With that, he re-entered the room, only to find that Xianglan was no longer there—having presumably slipped away through the back courtyard behind the parlor screen. Deciding not to hunt for her, he ordered Lianxin and Nuanyue to fetch a formal outfit for him to change into. Donning solemn attire, he retrieved a set of pre-prepared gifts from a chest and set off to pay his respects to Lin Zhaoxiang, Old Madam Lin, Lin Changzheng, Qin Shi, and the others.

Xianglan was hiding behind a bizarre ornamental rock in the courtyard, watching intently as Lin Jinlou walked out through the main gate, when she finally let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief. Just then, a voice called out from behind her, "Xianglan?"

Turning around, Xianglan saw Nurse Wu standing there holding an octagonal black-lacquered food box. Startled for a second, Xianglan's face immediately broke into a warm smile of pleasant surprise. "Nurse Wu!"

Nurse Wu hurried over to set the food box down, grabbed Xianglan's hands, and looked her up and down. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes as she pulled Xianglan into an embrace, exclaiming, "You poor child, you've lost weight compared to before. When I wasn't in the estate and returned to hear that the Zhao woman had sold you off, goodness knows how much suffering you must have endured..."

Back when Xianglan had been serving Qinglan in Zhixin Lodge, Nurse Wu had treated her exceptionally well. Resting in Nurse Wu's embrace felt as warm as being held by her own mother; all the accumulated grievances of these past many days melted into tears that streamed uncontrollably down her face. Stroking her hair soothingly, Nurse Wu murmured, "There, there, good Xianglan, don't cry anymore. I heard from the Mistress that you were back, so I hurried right over to see you..." She continued murmuring comforting words of solace.

Stepping out to look for Xianglan, Chunling caught sight of the two of them from behind a banana tree and let out a deep, heavy sigh. Being a domestic servant born within the household, she had grown up among the staff of a great noble residence, thoroughly understanding the duties of a bondmaid while possessing a sharp wit of her own. Back when Xianglan had first arrived in the eastern wing, Chunling had recognized that this girl was extraordinary. Though she remained dutiful, uncontentious, and kept to herself, a natural spiritual grace ran deep within her bones. She possessed the capacity for forbearance in all things, yet she was no mere pushover either—resembling a quiet orchid growing undisturbed in some secluded spot, yet emitting a faint, lingering fragrance that naturally drew everyone's gaze. Chunling had once felt jealous of Xianglan as well. But now that Xianglan had returned to the Lin household and Chunling was stationed by her side, that jealousy had utterly vanished, leaving only a profound sense of sighing wonder. Though Xianglan spoke little, she was gentle, kind-hearted, and undeniably a girl easy to cherish. Previously, Chunling had only wanted to serve Xianglan diligently to catch Lin Jinlou's eye and secure a swift promotion to a position of authority among the senior maids; now, however, she genuinely and wholeheartedly wanted to treat this girl well out of pure affection.

Stepping forward with a smile, Chunling greeted, "Nurse Wu is here! Please, come inside and take a seat; I'll go brew a pot of fine tea."

Dabbing at her tears with her handkerchief, Xianglan offered a shy, abashed smile and said, "Don't mind me, Nurse. Let's go inside to sit."

Once back indoors, Xianglan ushered Nurse Wu into the small floral parlor, where Xiaojuan served tea and arranged fresh fruit. Lifting her teacup to take a sip, Nurse Wu glanced over at Xianglan. In truth, she had known of Xianglan's return long before; vast though the Lin household was, news traveled fast at the slightest rustle of wind or grass. The eldest master taking in a new concubine was major headline news, all the more so because this new favorite had been cast out of the estate and subsequently brought back. When Qin Shi first learned of the matter, Nurse Wu had been standing right beside her. Qin Shi's brow had instantly furrowed as she remarked, "After taking such a winding road, they still managed to bring her back!"

With cautious hesitation, Nurse Wu had ventured, "Since she's someone the eldest master brought back, would the Mistress care to grant her an audience?"

With a cold sneer, Qin Shi had replied, "Brother Lou didn't even bring her over for me to look at; why on earth should I summon her here myself? I will not see her! Seeing her would only bring annoyance."

Nurse Wu had wisely dropped the subject after that. Yet deep down, she truly fonded this girl Xianglan, who was steadfast, loyal, and upright in character. Intelligent though she was, she lacked any malicious scheming or petty deceit. Secretly keeping watch, observing, and making inquiries, Nurse Wu discovered that not a single person who had ever worked alongside Xianglan failed to praise her. Everyone said she was warm and pleasant with everyone, greeting people with a smiling face. Even Mother Feng, the flower-delivery matron who was notorious throughout the estate for stirring up trouble, had nothing but good things to say about Xianglan.

Thus, Nurse Wu had dropped subtle words of praise for Xianglan before Qin Shi whenever the opportunity arose. Just last night, as Qin Shi was fretting to Nurse Wu over Lin Jinlou's lack of an heir, she had suddenly sighed and said, "Oh well, if Brother Lou is truly that fond of the one called Xianglan, then let her be taken in as a concubine. Have her come by later to kowtow to the Old Madam and myself."

Hearing those words, Nurse Wu felt that Xianglan had finally weathered the storm to see the dawn. She immediately prepared some delicacies and hurried over to Zhixin Lodge.