Against the Current - Chapter 170

Chapter 170 - The Screen

Seeing Lin Jinlou's brow slightly furrowed, Huamei knew he was in a foul mood. Everyone knew Lin Jinlou had the temper of a judge from hell who would turn on people without a second thought. Usually, if anyone saw his face sink, they made sure to stay as far away as possible. Huamei felt a twinge of regret for hastily dragging this tyrant in; she had no idea where he had picked up his irritation. If she slipped up in her service, his lingering anger would inevitably be vented on her. Yet at this moment, she could only force herself to put on a bright front, wring out a hot towel, and wipe Lin Jinlou's face.

Lin Jinlou felt somewhat displeased. He knew a thing or two about the petty games between women, but he couldn't be bothered to care. They all lived by watching his expression anyway; could they really turn the world upside down? Today, however, Luan'er had genuinely irritated him. He liked Luan'er's coquettish charm, and that voice of hers was truly hard to find elsewhere. With those two advantages, a bit of arrogance didn't matter—it was normal for a beauty to have a bad temper. When he was in a good mood, he would coax her a little, treating it as entertainment; when he was in a bad mood, he would cast her aside without it hindering anything. But lately, Luan'er was not only being overbearing and arrogant, she was increasingly losing all sense of decorum. Disheveled and fighting with a little maid on the bed, she looked particularly repulsive to him. He had left Luan'er out in the cold a few times, but far from learning her lesson, she had only grown worse.

Huamei light-footedly unfastened Lin Jinlou's belt, parted his outer robe, and smiled, saying, "The master should sit up a bit. Let me help you change your clothes so you can retire for the night."

Lin Jinlou opened his eyes to see Huamei sitting beside him, draped in a water-red gold-threaded plum blossom-embroidered jacket, with a soft white satin inner garment underneath that faintly revealed a hint of a bright red bellyband. Her hair was unpinned and cascaded over her shoulders, making her complexion appear even fairer, her lips even more vividly red, and her liquid eyes swimming with affection as she gazed lingeringly at him. That tiny mole near her eye added a touch of absolute allure. Leaning forward with her slender fingers resting against his chest, she smiled slightly and said, "Do get up, Master, and take off your clothes."

Lin Jinlou sat up. While letting Huamei wait on him to undress, he asked, "What were you all shouting about in the room just now?"

Huamei was startled, realizing that Lin Jinlou had likely overheard her altercation with Luan'er. She replied, "It was nothing much. Luan'er sister fell ill, and Cunxin came to my place to ask for a couple of pills of cough medicine. Not feeling easy about it, I brought four pears and a tangerine on a platter to check on her. As it turned out, she wasn't just coughing; she had caught a cold. Thinking that one shouldn't casually take the wrong medicine—and besides, her illness was contagious—I offered a word of advice. Who would have thought that would fire up her temper? We ended up exchanging a few sharp words for nothing. Now that I think back on it, I feel rather regretful. She wasn't feeling well to begin with, so why should I go out of my way to provoke her?"

Lin Jinlou had originally felt some displeasure because of Huamei's sour tone earlier, but hearing her admit her fault now, he softened slightly. He thought to himself that Huamei's greatest asset was knowing how to read the room. Although she could be a bit too clever for her own good, she understood boundaries, knew what should and shouldn't be said, and also knew how to please people. If only Xianglan had even half of her sense.

Seeing Lin Jinlou's expression clear up a bit, Huamei hurriedly instructed a matron to carry in a kang table laden with a food box containing wine and dishes. She said to Lin Jinlou, "Even though eating late at night isn't in line with preserving health, the master has been working so hard and rarely comes to my place. Surely having a bit of wine and food before sleeping won't do any harm?"

Lin Jinlou smiled and said, "Hearing you say that, there's quite a bit of a sour tang to it."

Huamei cast a playful, reproachful glance at his direction and said, "Ever since the master got that fairy in his rooms, he's completely forgotten about us sisters. You can't even blame Luan'er sister for having her liver fire flare up and eagerly cursing people out."

As Xique was warming wine on a small stove on the floor, she heard this and thought to herself, Mistress Yi is truly brilliant. Clearly, she was unhappy herself, but she managed to shift the blame onto Luan'er without batting an eye.

Lin Jinlou smiled without answering.

Seeing that he neither denied it nor used sweet words to coax her as he usually did, Huamei felt a sour ache in her heart, though not a trace of it showed on her face. She merely picked out a fine pastry and placed it on the small dish before him, then moved a plate of roasted goose close to herself. After washing her hands clean, she tore off a leg-meat and fed it to Lin Jinlou.

After Lin Jinlou had finished half a cup of wine, he asked, "You dragged me in here earlier saying you had some rare treasure to show me. What is it?"

Huamei smiled enchantingly and said, "The good treasure is right before the master's eyes; it's just that the master has seen too many fine things and doesn't think much of this one." With that, she gestured for Xique to withdraw and swept a sidelong glance across the room.

Lin Jinlou turned his head to look and saw a peacock screen standing on the floor. It was small and exquisite, consisting of six panels inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gems, jade, beeswax, amber, pearls, giant clam shell, crystal, agate, and other precious materials, glittering brilliantly and looking exceedingly costly.

Lin Jinlou reached out to touch it and said, "This is indeed a rare item. Where did you get it?"

Huamei smiled. "This thing originally belonged to a person of immense prominence, but when the political winds shifted overnight, it drifted out into the world. After changing hands two or three times, it finally fell into my brother's hands. He didn't dare keep such a treasure to play with on his own, so he let me bring it into the manor."

Lin Jinlou was exceptionally shrewd. He half-closed his eyes and said with a half-smile, "Huamei, you're a cunning little monkey, trying to pull a fast one on me, hmm? A piece like this is extraordinary at first glance. How on earth did it end up in your brother's hands? Let me hope he didn't stir up any trouble to get it."

Huamei hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no, absolutely not. This item originally belonged to a wealthy merchant. Later on, after he died, his descendants turned out to be good-for-nothings. While drinking and gambling with my brother, they lost this treasure to him. My brother gave the screen to me, and as for me—the only person in my heart is the master, so I am presenting it to you, My Lord."

Listening closely, Lin Jinlou instantly understood that this gadget must have been won through a rigged scheme orchestrated by Dubin. However, since it was won at gambling, it could still be considered a legitimate transaction, and bringing it into the Lin household through his sister showed that the rascal had some strategic planning. He walked around the screen, inspecting it up and down, and chuckled, "You brother and sister really are a pair of little goblins." He had already intended to promote Dubin to a seventh-rank vice case-handler. Seeing Huamei's eager, earnest gaze, he almost mentioned it, but then stopped himself, deciding to just drink his wine and leave it unsaid for now.

Huamei knew that Lin Jinlou had essentially accepted the gift, which made her heave a sigh of relief. Yet, seeing that Lin Jinlou showed no further reaction, she couldn't help feeling a trace of disappointment, remembering what Dubin had told her before she came: Lin Jinlou isn't someone who lacks silver; if others try to give him gifts, he might not even accept them. But if he does accept this, even if he says nothing aloud, it means he intends to promote me. If Dubin secured a promising future, she would also have a backing and reliance. With her mind settled, Huamei grew even more docile, seductive, and attentive in her service.

Three rounds of wine had passed, and the dishes had been sampled across the board. Seeing that smiles were gradually returning to Lin Jinlou's face, Huamei grew bolder and leaned into his embrace. It had been some days since Lin Jinlou had been intimate with Huamei, and seeing her seductive posturing stirred a flame within him. He sat up, pinched Huamei's chin, and said, "Tell me, how do you want to serve Your Lord?"

Huamei let out a giggling laugh, covered her mouth with her sleeve, and said, "The master knows and yet he still asks."

Lin Jinlou pulled Huamei close and kissed her cheek, but a heavy scent of face powder filled his nostrils. Previously, he wouldn't have given it a second thought—what woman didn't use cosmetics on her face? But Xianglan detested applying powders and paints; her face was naturally smooth, tender, and soft, making it a delight he could never put down. In contrast, Huamei's face, caked with layer upon layer of powder, felt coarse and heavy. He stared at Huamei's face for a moment: she wore extremely heavy makeup—it looked striking and pretty from a distance, but up close, it felt like a painted mask. Instantly, his interest waned significantly.