Against the Current - Chapter 171

Chapter 171 - Night Visit (Part 1)

Lin Jinlou pushed Meimei aside, furrowing his brow as he asked, "Why have you painted your face with so much face powder?"

Meimei was startled, then forced a smile and said, "I've always been fond of using powder; I'm used to it by now, and I feel uneasy without it." As she spoke, she pressed close to him again, her soft bosom half-exposed, her eyes alluring, one hand unfastening her skirt to reveal a slender, jade-white leg, while the other hand reached inside his robes to stroke back and forth.

Lin Jinlou enjoyed the gesture, one hand rubbing Meimei's waist, but when he looked up and caught sight of the heavy, gaudy powder on her face, the sight completely killed his mood. Impatiently, he waved a hand, "Go on, go wash that off. As the saying goes, 'Lotus flowers emerge from clear water, naturally without artificial adornment.' Having all this painted on your face just looks messy."

Instead, Meimei remained sitting on Lin Jinlou's lap, unmoving.

"Tsk, I told you to go wash it, why are you still sitting there? Hurry up, hurry up, come back to serve me after you've washed."

Meimei had no choice but to stand up sluggishly. Shuffling in her embroidered shoes, she dragged her feet step by step toward the washbasin stand. Though her attire was somewhat thin, the palms of her hands were completely covered in cold sweat. She was utterly unwilling to remove her makeup in front of Lin Jinlou. Ever since she first dressed her hair in a young woman's bun, she had learned the arts of meticulous grooming: tracing her brows with an ebony brush, dusting her face with jasmine powder, and tinting her lips with rouge. In front of the mirror, she would often spend a full hour painting her face. Meimei always felt that her powdered and rouged appearance was far more striking and attractive than her bare face, and those layers of fine white powder completely covered every flaw on her face. Gradually, she grew too terrified to let anyone see her without makeup. When she was with Lin Jinlou, she made her makeup increasingly heavy and never dared to wash her face. Fortunately, he usually came mostly at night, when the candlelight was dim and nothing could be discerned. She had no idea why he was suddenly questioning it today.

Meimei reached her hand out toward the basin, but hesitated, not daring to splash the water onto her face. Lin Jinlou was a romantic playboy who cultivated a taste for powdered complexions and fine beauties. If he were to see what she looked like without makeup, she might very well lose his favor because of it.

She turned around and forced a smile, "The water in this basin has gone cold; I'll have the maids change it for another basin. Why don't we have some wine and dishes first, and I can wash and tidy up after it gets late and we retire?"

Lin Jinlou paused with his wine cup in hand, raised his eyes, and asked, "What is it? Too afraid to wash? Could it be that once you wash off the powder, there's something unpresentable hiding on your face?"

Meimei's face turned pale, and she forced a smile, "Of course not. Look at what the master is saying, what could possibly be unpresentable on my face?"

"Then why won't you wash it clean? Staring at a painted face like yours gives me a headache."

"Master, you even praised the color of the rouge on my face before... Alright, alright, I'll go wash right now..." Seeing Lin Jinlou raise an eyebrow, panic seized Meimei's heart, and she dared not argue any further. She had no choice but to go wash her face. Just as she was having Xique tuck a large towel around her collar, she heard a knock at the door. Shuran stood in the threshold, biting the bullet and plucking up his courage as he said, "First Master, just a moment ago, the Grandfather sent someone over to say he wants the First Master to join him for a meal at noon tomorrow."

Lin Jinlou was taken aback. He rubbed his nose, thinking to himself that his grandfather rarely stepped out of his courtyard and even found his children and grandchildren's morning greetings a bother. If he hadn't caught wind of something, he wouldn't summon him over, yet lately he hadn't done anything out of line... The only person in the family he truly dreaded was Lin Zhaoxiang. That old man seemed capable of seeing straight into his heart with a single glance. Although the old man was aged now, he remained a fierce tiger; while he spent much of his time dozing, he maintained an iron grip on the entire Lin household, and every decision he made was meticulously calculated, inspiring a deep, ingrained reverence in Lin Jinlou.

Just as he was deep in thought, he heard Shuran speak again, "Reporting to the First Master, Luan'er has taken ill. Her whole body is burning up, and she has started talking nonsense. I fear she won't last until tomorrow morning; a doctor ought to be brought in right this moment."

Silence descended upon the room for a long moment. Shuran stood with his fists clenched tight and his head bowed, waiting. At last, he heard Lin Jinlou say, "Go invite one then. Use the household plaque to summon a physician from the Ji'an Hall, and have the old matron guide him in through the side gate."

Shuran acknowledged the order and left.

Lin Jinlou tossed his chopsticks onto the kang table with a huff and muttered, "There's not a single thing inside or outside this household that lets a person have peace of mind." Seeing that Meimei was still dawdling and hadn't washed her face yet, his heart was already irritated, and looking at Meimei made him all the more displeased. He stood up, pushed open the door, and walked back to the main quarters.

Lianxin had already received word from Xique that Lin Jinlou was resting in Meimei's room for the night, and she hadn't expected him to return. Seeing that there was still half a kettle of warm water left, she hurriedly rushed to the back to heat some more. Nuanyue stepped forward to snatch the chore of changing Lin Jinlou's outer garments, while Rushuang went to make the bed, and Tinglan led a few junior maids to prepare the washing utilities.

One moment Lin Jinlou was complaining that the water was too hot, the next he was grumbling that the tea wasn't boiling, and then he was scolding Nuanyue for being clumsy when she couldn't even untie a belt clasp. The maids in the room held their breath like cicadas in winter, not daring to let out a single big breath. In the end, Lin Jinlou waved his arm and snapped, "Get out, get out, get out! All of you, step down!"

The maids felt as if they had received a grand amnesty, and hastily scattered in all directions.

Lin Jinlou lay down on the bed. The thought of Lin Zhaoxiang wanting to see him made his mind feel like a tangled mess of hemp. He wanted to hide away in his official office to avoid the meeting, but the moment he considered what might happen if his grandfather flew into a rage and something went wrong, cutting his own throat wouldn't be enough to atone for it, so he dismissed the idea. He tossed and turned several times, growing increasingly vexed. Cursing under his breath, he simply sat up. Too lazy to call for the maids, he threw on his clothes in a few swift motions and strode out the door. The matron on night duty by the decorative lattice framework hurried over and asked, "Where is the First Master heading?"

Lin Jinlou fabricated an excuse, saying, "There are urgent matters at the military camp, I must go out." With that, he took large strides away. Once he passed through the ceremonial moon gate, the gatekeeper boy saw that Lin Jinlou had come out, and hurried around to the back to shake Jixiang and Shuangxi awake, shouting, "Two masters, get up quickly! The First Master is going out!"

The two men scrambled into their clothes and hurried out, only to find Lin Jinlou standing right at the second courtyard gate.

Jixiang rubbed his face and stepped forward to ask, "It's so late, where is the First Master going?"

Lin Jinlou replied, "It's suffocatingly dull in this residence, I can't stay put. I'm going out for a stroll."

Jixiang and Shuangxi exchanged a glance. Shuangxi said, "It's so late, there's a curfew outside and the streets are pitch black; even with a lantern it's hard to walk. The only place we can go is the Yihong Pavilion. It's been a while since the First Master went there, and the brothel keeper even sent a five-color mandarin duck embroidered handkerchief personally crafted by Ruixian to be delivered to the First Master, saying that Miss Ruixian misses the First Master every day and has cried her eyes swollen."

Lin Jinlou let out a sneer of derision, "Can a prostitute's words ever be taken seriously? Keep the handkerchief, don't give it to me—give it to Little Third instead. Isn't he always pining after Ruixian?"

The moment Shuangxi heard those words, he knew Lin Jinlou had no desire to visit the Yihong Pavilion, so he offered another suggestion: "Then how about the Cuicui Pavilion? I heard a young lady who can play instruments and sing has arrived there, and she knows the complete suite of The Fate of the Azure Clouds. She's gorgeous beyond compare; everyone says there's no one else half as exquisite."

There was still no look of pleasure on Lin Jinlou's face.

Jixiang felt things were getting increasingly unpromising. He quietly kicked Shuangxi, then looked at Lin Jinlou's expression, piled on a smile, and said, "Those places are far away, and it's so late. The road is dark too, and hard to navigate even with a lantern. It would be better to pick somewhere close by. In my opinion, why not go to the Chen family residence and look for Miss Xianglan?"

Shuangxi stuck his neck out and protested, "The Chen family? Isn't that even further than the Cuicui Pavilion?"

Jixiang hurriedly gave Shuangxi another kick, keeping his ingratiating smile as he said, "This humble servant thinks the Chen family is just right. First, Miss Xianglan has been staying at home for a couple of days now, and no matter what, she must be missing the First Master. If the First Master goes over tonight, it will正好 (just) fulfill her yearning, and she'll see how much care and affection the First Master has for her—she'll be moved and overjoyed beyond words! Second, if we go this time, we can conveniently escort her back tomorrow during the day. Third, if we take the back alleys, the Chen family route is familiar and close; it's simply the most suitable choice."

Lin Jinlou commanded, "Then saddle the horses, we're going to the Chen family." Shuangxi and Shuangxi's companion dashed off like a wisp of smoke to pull the horses around.

The master and his two servants departed through the side gate. Jixiang, knowing the way like the back of his hand, led the group to the Chen residence. Shuangxi stepped forward to bang on the door. By this time, everyone was already asleep, and the dog in the courtyard began barking wildly at the sound. Old Woman Liu, who kept the gate, hurried to answer it, only to hear Shuangxi call out, "Manager Chen, we are from the Lin household, open the door!"

The moment Old Woman Liu heard those words, she threw the door open. Holding up a lantern to peer through, she saw Lin Jinlou standing right outside the threshold, and her wits were instantly scared half out of her body. She hastily ushered them into the courtyard. The lights in the main rooms and the eastern and western wing rooms all lit up. Chen Wanquan rushed out draped in his outer garments. Seeing Lin Jinlou standing right there in the courtyard, he was so frightened that his legs went weak. He quickly squeezed a smile onto his face, leaned on his cane to hurry forward, and spoke with a stammer, "S-s-so it's the First Master who has graced us. Quick, quick, sit inside." He then shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hurry up and boil water to steep some tea!"

Xianglan had also fallen asleep long ago. Suddenly hearing the loud pounding on the outer door, followed by the commotion in the courtyard and someone shouting loudly, "The First Master of the Lin family has arrived!", how could she possibly stay lying down? Believing something might have gone wrong, she hastily got out of bed, draped a thick cloak over her shoulders, and pushed open her door to look out.

Lin Jinlou was still standing in the courtyard. Hearing the movement and catching sight of Xianglan standing at the doorway of the wing room, he walked right over. Turning his head toward Chen Wanquan, he said, "You needn't trouble yourselves, Xianglan can serve me." With a gentle push past Xianglan, he stepped directly into the room.

Chen Wanquan felt that Lin Jinlou acting in this manner was highly improper. While he hesitated, Jixiang, who was sharp-eyed, quickly pulled Shuangxi over to exchange pleasantries with Chen Wanquan. Knowing that these two men held very prestigious positions by Lin Jinlou's side, Chen Wanquan exercised the utmost caution as he asked, "Is the First Master coming so late because he's here to escort Sister Lan back?"

Jixiang chuckled, "That's hardly likely. I'm afraid we'll be staying here tonight, so my brother and I will have to beg Manager Chen for a place to sleep."

Chen Wanquan hastily ordered his people to clean up a room and fetch bedding. Huacai went off to stable the horses, and after a frantic flurry of activity, things finally settled down.

Now, as for Lin Jinlou, upon entering the room, he was first greeted by a wave of cozy fragrance that made one feel comfortable for no apparent reason. Looking around the room, he saw an ancient hanging scroll of the "Water-Moon Guanyin" from a previous dynasty enshrined on the wall directly facing the entrance. Flanking it were a pair of couplets reading: "A solitary orchid and bright moon in a single dream, deep courtyards and locked window lattices through three watches of rain," with the three characters "Jialan Pavilion" written in regular script at the very top. Below was a long side table displaying crystal pouches stuffed with large, bowl-sized chrysanthemums. In the center of the side table sat a lotus tripod burner, the incense inside nearly burned down, leaving only a faint, gossamer wisp of smoke lingering imperceptibly.

The windows were pasted with madder-red window gauze. To the left stood an embroidered bed draped with scalloped green embroidered silk curtains, beside which sat a small, red begonia-wood stool. On the small table rested teacups, spittoons, and other items. In front of the bed were two embroidered low stools, with a pair of shark-silk embroidered handkerchiefs placed nearby. Beside the window stood a bamboo Xiangfei couch, already laid with a luxurious brocade mattress, furnished with several green-and-red-flashed bolsters, and scattered with a few volumes of books—clearly left behind by Xianglan after she finished reading them.

Lin Jinlou parted the bed curtains and sat down on the edge of the bed. Reaching out to touch the bedding, he found it was still warm, and unable to resist, he lay down, catching a whiff of faint fragrance rising from the blankets. Xianglan walked in from outside carrying a tea tray. Seeing Lin Jinlou sprawled across the bed like an untidy character, she bit her lower lip, walked up to him, and said, "First Master, please have some tea."