Against the Current - Chapter 167

Chapter 167 - Home (Part 2)

The door was pushed open with a squeak, and Mrs. Xue walked in. Seeing Xianglan sitting on the bed wiping her tears, she stepped forward, sat down beside her, and said, "You know what kind of temperament your father has. Why bother getting angry with him?"

Xianglan wiped the corner of her eyes and replied, "It's rare for me to come home for a visit, and I originally wanted us to have a cheerful family chat without thinking about any vexing matters. But just now, I simply couldn't hold back my temper."

Mrs. Xue sighed again. After a long moment, she asked Xianglan, "How does the Lin family's eldest young master treat you... is he good to you?"

Xianglan was also dazed for a long while before saying, "What do you mean by good or not? Dressed in gold and silver, eating the finest food—is that considered good? If you just close your eyes and live like that, you can muddle through, but I am unwilling to accept it myself. The year before last, when I entered the manor as a maid, I had to swallow my anger, constantly facing beatings and scoldings. What dirty or heavy work didn't I do? I was also nearly humiliated and suffered a brutal beating, barely escaping with my life. Last year at the Song household, I met a noble benefactor, and our whole family was struck off the household slave registry, enjoying a couple of days of good life. I originally thought I had found a trustworthy man to rely on for the rest of my life and could live in peace from then on. Who would have thought that in the end, it would all amount to nothing, like scooping water with a bamboo basket? This year, after twisting and turning, I've somehow ended up back at the Lin household. Although I am not a servant, there is little difference between me and one; I am merely an object that keeps its tail tucked between its legs just to please a man. When he is happy, he rewards you with food, clothes, and trinkets; when he is displeased, he gives you a slap and hurls abuses. I cannot complain, otherwise I am 'blessed without knowing my blessings.' Right now, while I still catch his eye and enjoy a semblance of prestige, Chunyan—who was driven out earlier—Yingge—who lacks favor in the manor—Luan'er—who has lost favor—and Huamei—who is desperately trying to suck up and curry favor—heaven knows how jealous they must be of me..." As Xianglan spoke, tears rolled continuously down from her eyes.

Mrs. Xue could not help shedding tears as well, taking Xianglan's hand and saying, "My child, say no more..."

Xianglan gazed fixedly at Mrs. Xue and said, "I have also thought about it: a woman's life is just like this anyway, especially since the Lin family has vast wealth and immense power. Perhaps I should just go with the flow, please him, and while I am still in his fresh favor, bear a child or a half. Even if I lose favor later, I could still find some peace. But I am unwilling, Mother. I truly am not willing! I gritted my teeth and endured through so much hardship not to live a life like this!"

Mrs. Xue pulled Xianglan into her arms and said, "No matter how unwilling you are, what can you do? Just blame your parents for being useless!"

Xianglan leaned against Mrs. Xue's bosom and wept softly. Before long, she wiped her eyes, sat up, and said, "I refuse to believe it. I survived even harder days before, so surely I can find a way to leave the Lin household now."

Mrs. Xue was startled and asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Without answering immediately, Xianglan reached into the luggage she had brought and pulled out a brocade pouch made of gold-threaded satin. Opening it, she shook its contents onto the bed, spilling out more than a dozen pieces of gold and silver jewelry, including rings, hairpins, and bracelets, all of relatively ordinary styles. Xianglan said, "Although there is silver in my room, Chunling manages it and everything is strictly budgeted. Only these few pieces of jewelry have more commonplace designs, and I quietly kept them back without having them registered in the inventory. Mother, you can secretly take them and find someone to melt them down into ingots, and hide them where Father won't find out."

Mrs. Xue gasped in shock, saying, "This... this... will this work? What if the Lin family finds out later?!"

Xianglan replied, "These things were given to me in the first place, so there's nothing improper about my taking them out. It's just that letting Lin Jinlou know I'm secretly saving up money wouldn't be good. Regardless of what the future holds, having a bit more silver on hand can never be a mistake." She then took out the paintings she had created over this period from her chest and handed them to Mrs. Xue, telling her to have Chen Wanquan sell them. She continued, "Of the silver earned from selling them, Mother should keep half out and say that I requested it, explaining that one always needs to grease palms in the Lin residence, and lacking funds might invite ridicule. As for that silver, Mother, please save it on my behalf. Once enough is accumulated, melt it down into ingots and hide it somewhere safe. I have my own plans."

"Lanjie, what are you..."

"Mother, just do as I say. This afternoon, invite a physician over, and Mother can say you've been feeling unwell."

Though Mrs. Xue wanted to ask Xianglan a few more things, she feared striking a painful chord and had to seal her lips. She could only stay and chat idly while harboring quiet anxiety in her heart.

By noon, Xianglan had originally intended to keep Jixiang, the outriders, and the two personal guards to share a meal at home. Unexpectedly, Chunling had already generously rewarded them with red envelopes and sent them on their way, along with the returning matrons and married women. She kept only Chunling and a little maid named Fanhua. Not expecting so many people to arrive, Mrs. Xue bustled about frantically to clean and tidy the rooms.

Chunling stepped forward with a beaming smile and said, "With all of us here, how could we let Madam busy herself? Just leave the chores to us. It's rare for the young mistress to come home, so Madam should spend more time talking with her." She then praised Mrs. Xue, saying, "The young mistress's beauty is like a fresh flower, and we originally thought she must have been a fairy reborn. Only upon seeing Madam today have we found her roots—our young mistress's features and expression are carved from the very same mold as Madam's!"

These words instantly coaxed a wide, beaming smile from Mrs. Xue, who chuckled, "Our Lanjie is far prettier than I ever was. You couldn't tell anything special when she was little, but the older she gets, the better-looking she becomes..."

While smiling and chiming in, Chunling exchanged a knowing look with Xianglan. Secretly praising Chunling for her quick wit, Xianglan supported Mrs. Xue into the room.

Chunling cast her gaze over the courtyard filled with flowers and trees, the brand-new white-washed walls and green tiles, and the intricately carved windows of fresh designs, letting out a long breath. She knew that Xianglan's family had originally been servants, and not particularly favored by their masters at that. Even though Lin Jinlou later sent servants and silver, she had figured it would still be hard to shake off the impoverished air of a humble household. She had never expected the Chen family to live in such a residence. While not exceptionally grand, it was exceedingly exquisite, fully stocked with antiques, curios, calligraphies, and paintings, and their daily provisions for food and clothing matched the respectability of a middle-class household. Although Chen Wanquan was short-sighted, he had served for a time as a head manager, and Mrs. Xue had also worked within the Lin family's great gates; while neither possessed an air of grand elegance, they were still presentable enough.

Chunling instantly reined in her initial condescension, thinking to herself, "I heard that once Xianglan's family was struck off the slave registry, they bought this house, which shows it wasn't just a favor from the master. It seems the Chen family genuinely has some savings. Since Xianglan is blessed with good looks and character, she could easily have been married off as the head wife to a well-to-do landowning family. If the master had a good temperament and knew how to cherish people, it would be one thing, but his reputation outside is wild and he is overbearing—no wonder Xianglan is so reluctant to enter the Lin family." After turning these thoughts over in her mind, she perked up and directed the matrons and maids to finish tidying the rooms.

As for Old Woman Liu and a pageboy named Huacai—whom Lin Jinlou had previously left behind for the Chen family—they were both thrilled to see Xianglan return with such a grand spectacle, feeling that hope had finally arrived. Old Woman Liu said to Huacai, "Don't go thinking Old Man Chen is stingy and narrow-minded with no worldly sense; he managed to marry a virtuous and kind-hearted wife, and even bore such a fortunate daughter. The Chen household is quiet and trouble-free. If you and I serve attentively here, it will be much better than staying back at the main estate." The two of them threw themselves into their duties with even greater zeal, one obeying Chunling's every command and the other running errands outside to buy supplies.

Meanwhile, a table of dishes had already been set up in the main hall, where the family of three sat gathered around. Deep down, Chen Wanquan still cherished his daughter; although he felt his earlier remarks were justified, he had no wish to displease Xianglan. Sporting a ingratiating smile, he busied himself serving her food, pouring wine, and even bringing out the clothing materials and jewelry he had bought for her over the past few days to show her off and win her delight.

Xianglan sighed inwardly; after all, they were a family of flesh-and-blood father and daughter, and that trace of unpleasantness quickly dissipated. Seeing that Chen Wanquan's waist and legs had healed by seven or eight parts—and though he still needed a cane to walk, it was no longer a major hindrance—she could not help feeling a wave of relief.

After the family finished their meal, Chen Wanquan, feeling quite pleased with himself, had a few extra cups of wine and retired to his room to sleep. The maids cleared away the remaining dishes, and Xianglan called Huacai over, scooped up a handful of copper coins, and told him, "My mother has been feeling a bit out of sorts these past couple of days. Go and invite Physician Chu who practices at the Yongren Hall." Huacai acknowledged the order and hurried off.

Before long, Physician Chu indeed arrived. Old Woman Liu escorted him into the side room, and the group of maids withdrew. Xianglan and Mrs. Xue both sat on the bed behind a lowered gauze bed-curtain. Mrs. Xue extended her hand first, and Old Woman Liu placed a silk handkerchief over her wrist. After feeling her pulse for a moment, Physician Chu said, "Madam's vital energy and blood are weak, and she has no major illness. She just needs to take two courses of herbal decoctions to nourish her qi and blood."

Xianglan spoke up, "My mother has never had a son and wishes to give birth to another child. May I ask if the physician thinks that is possible?"

Physician Chu answered, "Madam has a cold constitution and suffers from chronic fatigue and deficiency. She likely experiences pain in her lower back and spine, probably leaving behind a root ailment from childbirth in her early years. Conceiving another child will not be easy; it requires careful recuperation and heavy tonics. Later on, I will write out two prescriptions; after she takes the decoctions for a while, we can make another diagnosis."

Mrs. Xue had sought medical help and remedies quite a bit recently, and doctors always gave the same reply. Though disappointed in her heart, she was gradually getting used to it. Drawing back her hand, she sighed to Xianglan, "Children are all predestined by fate. Oh well, I've given up hope. As long as you are doing well, that is better than anything else."

Xianglan squeezed Mrs. Xue's hand, instructed Old Woman Liu to pour tea for Physician Chu and keep watch outside, and then extended her own wrist covered with a silk handkerchief, asking Physician Chu to take her pulse as well.

Physician Chu felt both of her wrists, stroked his beard, and said, "This young mistress's spirit is deficient, generating internal fire. She suffers from a shortage of breath, palpitations, blood deficiency, and qi stagnation, leading to irregular menstrual cycles. Furthermore, her excessive liver fire is suppressing her spleen and stomach, causing a lack of appetite and a feeling of heaviness in her limbs. Judging from her pulse, I can tell she is an intelligent and strong-willed person, but she thinks far too much and has likely been troubled by unfulfilled desires or distressing matters lately. Coupled with a cold constitution and kidney deficiency, if she does not carefully recuperate, she will also find it very difficult to conceive children."

Hearing this, Xianglan was taken aback and quickly pursued the matter: "Difficult to conceive? Does that mean I will have trouble bearing children?"

Physician Chu replied, "Since you are young, recuperation is still quite feasible. You merely need to take medicinal pills compounded from ginseng, angelica, astragalus, atractylodes, poria, and other herbs to dredge the meridians, harmonize the blood, calm the heart, and soothe the spirit. Although Madam's constitution is depleted, fortunately, she is not the type who cannot absorb tonics. With this kind of nursing over the course of a year or half a year, things will return to normal." With that, he stepped outside, sat down at the outer table, picked up his brush, and began writing out the prescription.

Sitting inside the bed-curtain, Xianglan let out a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, "Physician Chu of Yongren Hall is renowned for treating gynecological conditions and regulating qi and blood, and he is a man of upright character and high medical ethics. If he says I will have difficulty bearing children, then it is most likely true that I will struggle to conceive. This is actually wonderful; otherwise, there wouldn't even be a place in the manor to brew contraceptive decoctions. If I really were to have a child, it would truly become impossible to ever escape. What seems like a bad thing now turns out to be a blessing."

Soon, Physician Chu finished writing a proper prescription. Xianglan had Old Woman Liu come in, handed her a thick red envelope as a reward, and escorted Physician Chu out.