Against the Current - Chapter 179

Chapter 179 - Companionship (Part 3)

Nuanyue had been keeping watch outside. The moment she heard laughter drifting from the room, her heart began to itch with curiosity, and she stealthily peeked her head inside, though she couldn't make out a thing. Hearing Lin Jinlou call for tea, she hurriedly fetched the teapot and went in. She arrived just in time to hear Lin Jinlou say to Chunling, "Register this screen under your mistress's inventory; I'm bestowing it upon her."

Nuanyue's hand jerked, and the tea nearly spilled over. Scrambling to steady herself, she cast a few glances at the screen, feeling thoroughly dizzy; her steps felt completely weightless as she backed out of the room. Even though Lin Jinlou was normally generous with women, he had never been this lavish. Back when he had bestowed a shop upon Qinglan, it was only because she was carrying his child. That screen was obviously extraordinary at a single glance—dazzling with gold and rendered with lifelike detail. While it might not have matched that ivory peony bonsai adorned with gems and precious stones sitting in the room, it was certainly more valuable than that crystal longevity star glowing with jade radiance. Yet Lin Jinlou had casually handed it over as a reward to Xianglan just like that. Overcome with a mixture of envy and jealousy, Nuanyue felt as though her heart were being gnawed by thousands of insects. She sat down, stood back up, paced around in circles for a while before finally steadying her state of mind, and let out a long, heavy sigh as she stared blankly at the hot water bubbling over the stove. Given her standing—having been taken in by Lin Jinlou yet failing to catch his favor as a true mistress—she had no idea what her future held. If fortune smiled upon her and she managed to earn the title of "Mistress," she would gladly become a devout Buddhist and take vows of vegetarianism for the rest of her days. But if she remained ignored and out of favor, once her youth faded, she would inevitably be bundled off and married off to some low-ranking servant boy, essentially trampling and wasting her own life. On one side dangled the brilliant, brocade-clad allure of favor, and on the other loomed the desolate, freezing gloom of a neglected hearth, pulling at Nuanyue's emotions until she burst into tears and wept bitterly for a spell.

Meanwhile, Lin Jinlou was in high spirits. After finishing his meal, he moved over to the desk to attend to official business. Before long, when he raised his head to look around, he spotted Xianglan sitting on the imperial couch behind the multi-tiered display cabinet, quietly doing her needlework. Seeing that she had changed into fresh clothes and looped her hair up in a loose, casual knot that exposed a span of snow-white neck, a wave of carnal desire stirred within him. He tossed his brush aside, strode straight over, settled down beside Xianglan, and asked, "What are you up to?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss against her neck. A delicate, lingering fragrance immediately filled his nose, leaving his bones feeling somewhat weak and boneless as he reached out to unfasten her garments. The moment the buttons were undone, Xianglan pushed his hand away, hurriedly buttoning them back up as she protested, "I haven't washed and changed yet..."

Lin Jinlou had already pressed his weight forward, capturing Xianglan's lips in a deep, devouring kiss while his hands roamed and massaged her up and down. Lowering his voice, he murmured teasingly against her ear, "Let me check—after a few days without touching them, have your breasts gotten any smaller?" With that, he unfastened her undergarment, hiked up her pomegranate skirt, pulled down her white damask cotton trousers, and after toying with her for a short while, drove straight inside. Xianglan bit down hard on her pearly teeth, her starry eyes half-closed. Lin Jinlou's manhood was thick and large, and his thrusting was fierce and urgent; every time, it felt as though he were trying to hollow her out entirely, stretching her to an uncomfortable degree. Yet whenever they coupled, he loved to whisper crude, obscene endearments directly into her ear, filling her with a crushing sense of shame. Even though her body gradually began to find pleasure in it, her heart always felt as though it were being roasted over an open flame.

Naturally oblivious to the complex turmoil inside Xianglan's heart, Lin Jinlou merely felt that this girl was as fragrant and soft as a sweet pastry, or perhaps a ripe peach, leaving him utterly intoxicated. Furthermore, having gone without for several days, his appetite was difficult to restrain, and he tossed and turned through wave after wave of passion before the storm finally cleared. Knowing that Xianglan was prone to shyness, he wrapped her in a blanket, carried her to the bed, lowered the gauze bed-curtains, and repeated the indulgence once more before finally calling for warm water to wash up. Afterward, he pulled Xianglan into his embrace and drifted off to sleep—a matter best left aside for the moment.

Now, as fate would have it, tonight was Nuanyue's turn to be on duty. She picked up the basin of used water and stepped outside to empty it, when she caught the vague shadow of someone lingering beneath the grape trellis, giving her quite a start as she blurted out, "Who's there?"

The figure turned around, holding a lantern. Staring closely through the dim light, Nuanyue realized it was-Huamei, and she patted her chest in relief, saying, "Oh, it's just you, Mistress. You gave me quite a fright! What on earth are you doing standing out here in the dead of night?"

Huamei replied, "When I was taking off my makeup just now, I realized I'd dropped a gold ring. I searched all over the room and couldn't find hide nor hair of it. If I'd lost anything else, it wouldn't matter—it wouldn't be worth the heartache. But that ring has a valuable pearl inlaid in it, a piece the master had someone bring back across the sea. I simply can't bear to lose that pearl, so I came out with a lantern to look for it."

Hearing this, Nuanyue originally had no intention of getting involved, but remembering that her future prospects depended on Huamei's scheming and that this was the prime moment to cozy up and curry favor, she emptied the washwater beneath the grape trellis, set the basin upon a stone stool, and crouched down to help Huamei hunt for the ring by the light of the lantern.

Huamei glanced down at Nuanyue, noticing her eyes were slightly red-rimmed and her powdered face had a flushed, slick sheen. She couldn't help asking, "Did you just crying a spell?"

With a belly full of grievances and nowhere to vent them, Nuanyue poured her heart out to Huamei. "I'm just miserable inside, Mistress. You have no idea—just a moment ago, the master was in such high spirits that he bestowed that peacock screen upon that little slut Xianglan, the one inlaid with pearls and embedded with gems..."

Before the words had even died away, Huamei's face flushed with a furious, violent color as she demanded, "What did you say? What peacock screen?"

With a sour tone, Nuanyue muttered, "The very same one that was newly placed in the master's chambers a few days ago. Tsk, tsk—back when Mistress Lan held such sway in the First Madam's good graces, she only received respectable rewards after she was already carrying an heir. That girl truly has a lucky star." Noticing that Huamei's expression wore a dazed, blank look unlike anything she had ever seen before, Nuanyue tentatively tried to stoke the flames of discord. "Of course, that screen belongs to the master; he can bestow it upon whoever he pleases... I'm just indignant. Someone like me isn't even fit to catch the master's eye, which is understandable. But for someone as beautiful, clever, and winning as you, Mistress, to be cast aside behind his neck—it must be that little harlot working her tricks behind the scenes. If you don't put her in her place, Mistress, wouldn't that just prove you lack the means?"

Huamei snapped out of her brief trance, fixed Nuanyue with a cold glare, and sneered, "Don't try to goad me with such foolish talk. When I was playing these kinds of games, little lady, you didn't even know where you were!"

With a flattering smile, Nuanyue coaxed, "What are you saying, Mistress? I'm speaking purely out of sincere feeling."

Huamei cursed Nuanyue a few times in her head, thinking to herself, You want to manipulate me and use me as your vanguard so you can sit back and reap the profits as the fisherman? Little cheap slut, not only will I fix that harlot, but I'll deal with you right along with her. Stacking her face with a warm smile, however, she replied, "Ah, so that's how it is. I've always known you were a clever and perceptive girl who knows where her loyalties lie. Just stick with me, and whatever you're planning in your heart is guaranteed to succeed." Seeing that there was no one else around, she leaned in and whispered a few instructions to Nuanyue in hushed tones.

Nuanyue had thought it would be a terribly difficult task, but hearing how simple Huamei made it sound, she felt a surge of temptation, nodded repeatedly, gave her assent, and scurried off.

When Huamei returned to her room, Xique and an elderly bondservant were still scouring the floor on their hands and knees looking for the ring. Seeing Huamei step inside, Xique asked, "Mistress, did you find the ring?"

Huamei shook her head, waved a hand to dismiss them both, and seated herself on the edge of the bed, letting out a deep, heavy sigh. That screen was precious; it had been the bargaining chip traded for her brother's future prospects, her future backing, and Lin Jinlou's special regard. She had wanted to prove to Lin Jinlou that there were capable men in her maternal family who could not be underestimated, and that she herself was by no means comparable to those common maids or ordinary respectable women. Yet on the very night she sent the screen over, Lin Jinlou had gone off to the Chen family household, and afterward had handed the item over to that little harlot Xianglan—a gesture that felt precisely like a heavy, stinging slap landed straight across her face.