Against the Current - Chapter 159

Chapter 159 - Disappointment 

As the song came to an end, everyone present joined in with loud cheers and applause. Liu Xiaochuan praised, "That was a real treat to the ears! Do you know any other showstoppers? Sing some more for us to enjoy."

Lin Jinlou chuckled, "Since everyone loves it so much, pick another piece and sing it."

From behind the screen, Luan'er began to sing: "I see only the palace maids gathering in clusters, holding feather fans to shield their fresh makeup. Yet I mistakenly thought it was the start of our pledge of love, entering the orchid chamber by night. Why must I sit here all alone and desolate behind this painted gauze curtain!"

Xie Yu's lips curved into a smile. Giving Lin Jinlou a knowing wink, he murmured, "Look at that—she's singing from 'The Palace of Eternal Life'. I imagine you haven't left your fair ladies to spend many nights alone in empty chambers, have you?"

Lin Jinlou smiled without answering.

Bobbing his head from side to side, Liu Xiaochuan chided, "Then big brother is in the wrong here. With such a breathtaking beauty—even without catching a glimpse of her true face, just hearing her voice makes one's bones tingle with warmth—how could big brother ever leave her to keep a lonely boudoir and let an orchid bed grow cold?"

Lin Jinlou burst out with a sharp laugh and said, "Well, look at you growing up! You've actually learned how to toss out literary phrases like 'cold orchid bed', which just goes to show you've been cracking open books lately. If your old man hears of this, he'll surely go kowtow to the ancestors in gratitude."

Amidst the banter, Luan'er finished another song. Afterward, Xie Yu and Liu Xiaochuan each took turns requesting a piece from Luan'er, showering her with endless praise. Once the singing finally concluded, Lin Jinlou said, "You may head back now. You sang splendidly today, and I'll reward you handsomely later."

Behind the screen, Luan'er let out a long breath. Overjoyed to the point of ecstasy upon hearing these words, she replied, "This servant thanks the eldest master." As she hurried to get up, her pipa accidentally slipped from her grasp and clattered to the floor. Lunging forward to retrieve it, she momentarily exposed half her face, a stretch of flawless wrists, and jade-like fingers from behind the edge of the screen. The men couldn't help stretching their necks forward to catch a peek, making Luan'er's heart hammer against her ribs with terror as she scrambled back out of sight. Chu Dapeng remarked, "Big brother truly is blessed, hiding such a lovely creature who can both play and sing."

Squinting sideways at Chu Dapeng, Lin Jinlou said, "The moment I hear you talk like that, I know you're up to no good. What sort of scheme is hatching in that mind of yours?"

Chu Dapeng laughed, "As expected, big brother knows me best. Since I've already spoken up, I might as well lay it out... I'm simply lacking someone who can play and sing by my side. I've tried purchasing young stage performers and raising a couple of maidservants in the past, but either they grew older and their voices gradually lost their luster, or as they grew up, their looks turned out less appealing than when they were children. I've also entrusted people to look around, but the ones you buy come with all sorts of hidden problems, and finding someone who is both striking and skilled at singing is even rarer. My family doesn't allow Yangzhou 'slim horses' to be brought through our doors, and though I've inspected dozens of prospects, I've never found one to my liking. If big brother is willing to part with her, this little brother is willing to trade her for that Western border saber."

Liu Xiaochuan chimed in teasingly, "Oh, you've grown a leopard's heart and a lion's gall! You actually dare cast your covetous eyes on our big brother's treasure."

Xie Yu also chuckled, "No wonder they call him a romantic talent—he's really putting skin in the game. He refused to part with that Western saber no matter who asked previously, but today he's actually willing to trade it."

Rubbing his chin, Lin Jinlou fell into a thoughtful silence.

Behind the screen, Luan'er was already trembling violently with fright. Dropping to her knees with a heavy thud, she wept bitterly, "I beg the eldest master not to give me away! I would rather dash my brains out against a pillar than be driven out of the estate!" With that, she broke down into loud, sobbing wails behind the screen.

Lin Jinlou hadn't actually had any intention of giving away a maid he had taken into his chambers, but hearing Luan'er wailing like this made him lose face in front of his friends. Frowning in annoyance, he snapped, "Stop crying! I never said anything about giving anyone away."

Luan'er had already been harboring a deep sense of grievance these past few days, and coupled with her bitterness over Lin Jinlou's fickleness, a tidal wave of sorrow crashed over her. Lin Jinlou's terse reprimand not only failed to soothe her but instead stoked her heartbreak, causing her to weep even harder.

Realizing things were taking a turn for the worse, Jixiang scuttled quickly behind the screen, grabbed Luan'er by the arms to hoist her up, and hissed in a low voice, "Miss Luan'er, please stop crying. Let's go back, come on."

Luan'er only cried all the more shrilly.

Fuming with the urge to slap her twice, Jixiang had no choice but to bite his tongue, swallow his exasperation, and plead in a hushed whisper, "My little grandmother, can't you see the look on the eldest master's face? Carrying on with tears like this—are you deliberately trying to make him lose his temper? If you aren't careful, he might just ship you out of the estate on the spot!"

Hearing that, Luan'er finally muffled her weeping. Seizing the opportunity, Jixiang coaxed her with a few more hurried words and practically dragged her out of the room.

Inside the parlor, a heavy silence fell over the room as the guests felt the mood sour. Chu Dapeng offered an awkward, sheepish laugh and said, "It seems this is a case of deep affection between beauty and master; this little brother won't rob a man of what he loves."

Lin Jinlou smiled, "A maid who can play and sing isn't that hard to come by. I'll keep an eye out for a good one and have her properly trained for you later."

Hurriedly steering the conversation elsewhere, Xie Yu smoothly brushed the awkward episode aside for the time being.

Meanwhile, back in her quarters, Luan'er was still shaken to her core, terrified that Lin Jinlou truly intended to gift her away. Naturally, she broke down in tears all over again upon returning, leaving Cunxin with no choice but to send for Shuzhan once more. When Shuzhan heard the full sequence of events, she anxiously scolded, "How could you ever let yourself go into a setting like that? Even if there was a screen separating you, it still wasn't proper at all. You should have slipped a generous tip to Lianxin and Jixiang right then and there, telling them to report to the eldest master that you weren't in your quarters or that you had gone home for the day with me. Why on earth did you bring this trouble upon yourself?"

Choking back her sobs, Luan'er wept, "I... I did it because... because I wanted the eldest master to hear me sing and remember my good qualities... The moment the eldest master came back, he went straight to stay with that little vixen... How am I supposed to ever conceive a child under conditions like this? Without a child, what standing will I ever have?" With that, she collapsed face-down across her bed and sobbed miserably.

Shuzhan marched over and gave Luan'er's head a vicious jab with her finger. "You're killing the goose that lays the golden eggs! Running out there to sing tunes—you were acting just like a cheap courtesan providing amusement for men! Haven't you completely ruined your own reputation now? Just use your head: even if you went out and sang, it doesn't mean the eldest master would necessarily come to you. There's a long road ahead; why must you stubbornly fight over a single moment of pride? You are going to drive me absolutely mad!"

Weeping even more hysterically, Luan'er cried, "Then what do you want me to do? My heart is already broken! Nothing I do is right, and now the eldest master wants to give me away anyway—you might as well just let me die!"

Hearing Luan'er talk like that, Shuzhan grew too restless to stay seated. She turned on her heel and marched out to the front veranda, calling Shuangxi over to question him. Since Shuangxi had always been on good terms with Shuzhan, he chuckled, "It was really no big deal. When those young masters heard the eldest master had taken a new person into his household, they insisted on taking a look. The eldest master told them the newcomer was just an ordinary woman with nothing worth seeing, but that he had a concubine in his own quarters who was exceptionally talented at playing and singing, and had Miss Luan'er come out to perform a couple of songs. Later on, Young Master Chu wanted to take Luan'er off his hands, which frightened her so badly she burst into tears. The eldest master didn't agree to it, though; he ended up planning to gift young Yan Guan, one of the newly purchased young actors, to Young Master Chu instead. After all, their families share a deep, generation-spanning friendship."

Shuzhan let out a heavy sigh, thinking inwardly, Luan'er really has no sense. She ought to know that she belongs to the eldest master's chambers, and given his temperament, how could he ever give her away? But she had no business crying in front of guests; it only made her look petty and small-minded. Then she thought, The eldest master certainly treats Xianglan differently. To push Luan'er out as a shield in a setting like this... I suppose it's because Xianglan has been giving him the cold shoulder. Men are all the same—they've got a streak of cheapness in them; the harder something is to get, the more they can't let go. Pondering slowly, she returned to the room to offer Luan'er a few words of consolation and instruction.

Just then, Cunxin peeked through the window and announced, "The eldest master is back." Shuzhan looked out and sure enough, she spotted Lin Jinlou walking in from outside. She immediately stood up, turned to Luan'er, and said, "I'll go right now and ask the eldest master to come over and see you. Remember what I just instructed you—what you should say, and what you shouldn't." With that, she hurried outside.

Luan'er scrambled up from the bed in a rush, hurrying to the mirror to fix her hair. Seeing her face stained with streaks of tears, mucus, and melted rouge all smeared into a muddy mess, she realized there was no time to redo her makeup. Snatching up a handkerchief, she wiped frantically at her face with trembling fingers, stealing anxious glances out the window.

She watched as Shuzhan walked up to Lin Jinlou and spoke to him. Lin Jinlou paused, exchanged a few words, and glanced over toward the rooms where she lived. Luan'er's heart leaped straight into her throat—only to see Lin Jinlou issue some instructions to Shuzhan, wave his hand dismissively, and stride away toward the main quarters. Shuzhan stood in place for a brief moment before walking slowly back. Luan'er peppered her with a flurry of questions: "What did the eldest master say? Is he coming over after changing his clothes? He's been drinking, so I'll have Cunxin go to the kitchens and ask for a hangover-relieving soup—"

Looking as deflated as a withered plant, Shuzhan answered in a hollow voice, "Don't bother, the eldest master isn't coming. He told me he won't be coming over tonight, and that you sang very well, so he'll reward you handsomely later. He remembered you said you wanted a pair of matching bracelets last time, so since he acquired a set on his recent trip, he'll send someone to deliver them to you."

Luan'er felt as though a basin of ice-cold water had been dumped straight over her head. Her eyes glazed over in disbelief as her body slumped sideways onto the bed. She had sacrificed her dignity and standing, thrown away her reputation, and worn herself out wailing and singing those tunes, yet Lin Jinlou begrudged her even a single glimpse of his face, dismissing her with a mere pair of bracelets as if she meant nothing at all to him.

Luan'er sat frozen in place, utterly dazed. Shuzhan and Cunxin stared at each other in dismay, trying to pull her up and console her, when suddenly Luan'er let out a piercing, blood-curdling shriek. Flailing her arms, she swept the pipa off the bed, sending it crashing to the floor with a loud splintering crack as it shattered into pieces.

Meanwhile, Meimei was standing by the window teasing a golden oriole inside a wicker cage. Magpie hurried over carrying a thick quilt and said, "The autumn wind is turning chilly; let's switch Second Mistress to a thicker quilt tonight." Seeing Meimei staring out the window, leaning against the window sill with a deeply meaningful smile on her face, Magpie leaned out to look as well and asked, "What is the mistress looking at that's made you so happy?"

Meimei pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her hands and chuckled, "Watching a grand theatrical performance—it's utterly fascinating." Walking back into the room, she settled onto the chaise lounge, picked up her teacup, and took a sip. "That little hussy Luan'er tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice she used as bait. Just look at how she pranced out of here earlier, all dolled up and cradling a pipa to go sing and play for the masters out front. Even if the men entertaining guests in the front courtyard are childhood friends she's used to, there is simply no principle under heaven that justifies sending a man's own concubine out to entertain others for amusement. It just shows that the eldest master never cared for her in the slightest. Tsk tsk, and to think she fancied herself some prized delicacy! She struts around throwing her weight around all the time, but she certainly got a taste of her own medicine today. As soon as the eldest master got back, Shuzhan went out to intercept him, but the eldest master turned right around and headed straight for the main quarters. Ha! She threw away her face and dignity for nothing, without even managing to catch a single glimpse of the eldest master's face. I almost feel bad for her, honestly."

Magpie laughed, "If she had even half of the mistress's cleverness, she wouldn't have ended up like this."

Tucked against the headrest with one hand supporting her temple, Meimei gave a cold, mocking laugh and murmured, "The eldest master is still in the honeymoon phase; crying, making a fuss, and begging for favor are completely useless. You have to endure without a tear, act gentle and sweet, and wait it out—see who has the stamina to outlast the rest." Every single word was enunciated with deliberate slowness, and in the seductive, charming depths of her eyes, a faint, chilling glint flickered.