Against the Current - Chapter 200

Chapter 200 - The Side Room (Part 1)

As soon as the words left their mouths, both of them were taken aback. Seeing the trace of astonishment on Lin Jinlou’s face, Bailan felt a flicker of annoyance. It would be a lie to say she didn't care about Zidai plotting against her reputation, yet she hadn't intended to complain to Lin Jinlou either. For some reason, however, the words had simply slipped out, carrying a subtle undertone of lodging a complaint, as if she were harboring jealousy and bitterness. That hadn't been her original intention at all. Feeling somewhat dejected, she turned away, pretending to reach for her cloak, only to hear Lin Jinlou say behind her, "Come here."

Bailan pretended not to hear.

"Playing dumb, are we? I'm talking to you, get over here."

With her head lowered, Bailan slowly turned around and shuffled over, her eyes fixed on the tips of her shoes.

Lin Jinlou had already sat up and waved at Chunling, who took the hint and immediately withdrew.

Bailan crept to the edge of the bed. Lin Jinlou took her small hand, made her sit on the edge of the mattress, and asked, "What's this all about? What's all this about 'learning from her' and 'learning from you'? Tell your master."

Keeping her head down, Bailan twisted the palace ribbon on her skirt with her other hand. Hearing Lin Jinlou urge her once more, she finally said, "It's nothing. First Madame holds Zidai in high regard. Since she's Mother Han's niece and grew up in the manor since she was little, naturally she excels at everything. Of course I should learn from her."

Fiddling with Bailan's fingers, Lin Jinlou lazily drawled, "High regard? In what way?"

Bailan kept her head down in silence. After a long while, she spoke slowly, "First Madame cares deeply for the Eldest Young Master, feeling that your quarters are too dreary."

Lin Jinlou’s hand paused. He arched his brow and looked Bailan up and down. Lifting her eyelids, Bailan caught sight of his thoughtful expression and quickly lowered her gaze again. Lin Jinlou was capricious; she could never quite tell whether this master of hers was pleased or displeased at the moment.

Suddenly, she heard Lin Jinlou say, "Alright, you may go."

Bailan hurriedly stood up, picked up her cloak, and left.

After taking a sip of tea, Lin Jinlou called out, "Is anyone there?" Lianxin hurried inside. Lin Jinlou said, "Not you. Call the round-faced maid who waits on Bailan." Lianxin acknowledged the order and dashed out to summon her.

Xiaojuan was in the middle of tidying up a chest when she heard that Lin Jinlou had called for her. Her face turned pale with fright instantly, yet she dared not refuse. Dragging her feet step by step into the room, she didn't even dare to raise her head. With a trembling voice, she called out, "Eldest Young Master."

Tapping his fingers on the Kang table, Lin Jinlou said, "I recall you are the most loyal one by Bailan's side. Tell me, these days while I've been away, what has the situation been like in the manor? Has Bailan been wronged?"

Xiaojuan felt as though she didn't even dare to draw a full breath in front of Lin Jinlou. Her knees went weak, and she dropped to the floor, stammering, "My lady, she... she..." She was afraid of both Madame and the Eldest Young Master, and hesitated over whether to reveal the whole truth. But seeing Lin Jinlou's piercing gaze and sitting motionless with an overwhelming aura of authority, fear gripped her heart. Daring not conceal anything, she spilled everything: how Zidai came to Zhisun Lodge and meddled in its affairs, how she squeezed Bailan out, and how she plotted against Bailan's reputation. At the end, she prostrated herself on the floor and kowtowed, saying, "...My lady said Zidai represents Madame's face, so she endured everything and refused to speak of it. If the Eldest Young Master doesn't believe me, you only need to ask Chunling and Lianxin. If I've uttered a single falsehood, may a rotten ulcer grow in my throat."

Lin Jinlou fell silent for a long moment. Breaking out in a cold sweat of terror, Xiaojuan then heard him say, "I know now. You may go."

Granted a pardon, Xiaojuan scrambled up in one motion and scurried off like a gust of wind.

Lin Jinlou’s face darkened instantly. He knew Bailan's temperament inside and out: soft-hearted, stubborn, possessing a foolish sort of pride, and carrying a stubborn streak of simple-mindedness. She was too clumsy to scheme against others, and when others plotted against her and made her suffer, she wouldn't even let out a peep, as if opening her mouth to complain to him would cost her her life. At times he even wondered how her servant-class parents had managed to produce a daughter full of such pedantic scholar's airs, stubbornly stubborn like the civil officials in the imperial court who would rather risk their necks on moral remonstrances—hopelessly rigid. If she hadn't been deeply wronged today, he likely wouldn't have even heard that single sentence of "complaint." Yet because she was like this, she appeared all the more pitiable, stirring an even deeper tenderness in his heart.

"Silly girl," Lin Jinlou stood up and muttered to himself, "Is there anything you couldn't tell your master? Could it be that I wouldn't back you up?" He let out a deep breath. He understood Madame's intentions; if Zidai had been honest and well-behaved, it wouldn't have mattered much if he took her in. After all, his mother's reputation was tied up in it, and supporting another mouth in Zhisun Lodge wasn't difficult anyway. But the things Zidai had done left a foul taste in his mouth. Oh, Bailan knew you were Madame's face and accommodated you in everything; did you not know that Bailan was the Eldest Young Master's face? To trample her to death and ruin her reputation—was his own face supposed to look glorious because of it?

Lin Jinlou rubbed the bridge of his nose. Right now, his father was in Shanxi, his grandfather was advanced in years, and his second uncle was a hollow-headed lightweight; all the major and minor affairs of the household relied on him. After finishing his external duties and managing the household matters, he still had people stirring up chaos for him upon his return. Annoyed, Lin Jinlou lifted the door curtain and strode out.

Meanwhile, Bailan was in a side room of Qin's quarters copying the Four Books, writing out passages in delicate, slender standard script on fine, white paper. Green Indigo neatly trimmed them with a small knife and pasted them onto small floral wooden tallies with adhesive paste.

"Hiss—" Bailan's hand paused. She sucked in a breath through her teeth, her shoulders slumping.

Hearing the commotion, Green Indigo poked her head over to look and said, "My, how did you mess up again? That's the third time you've written it wrong today." Snatching the paper from in front of Bailan, she checked to ensure no one was around, leaned in, and teased in a low voice, "Why are you always so absent-minded? Are you thinking about a man? Didn't he come back already?"

"Peh! You're the one thinking about a man!" Bailan's face flushed slightly as she spat out a retort.

Knowing that Bailan had a thin skin, Green Indigo smiled and said, "Alright, alright, you've been writing for half the day anyway. Take a break, I'll fetch a cup of good tea for you." With that, she stepped down from the Kang.

Bailan laid down her brush. She indeed had her mind elsewhere, continuously dwelling on her conversation with Lin Jinlou just moments ago. She truly had no desire to complain to Lin Jinlou; she had long since planned her departure from the manor, and right now, fewer troubles were better than more. Furthermore, if Lin Jinlou took Zidai in, it would only benefit her. Yet somehow, she had still harbored some expectation of Lin Jinlou, hoping he might uphold justice for her. When Lin Jinlou had asked her those two questions and then dropped the subject, sending her off to Qin's quarters instead, she had felt a wave of relief, yet deep down, a sense of disappointment lingered.

While she was lost in thought, Green Indigo returned with a pot of flower and fruit tea, accompanied by a small plate of exquisite pastries. Placing them on the table, she smiled and said, "This tea was newly brewed this morning. When Madame tasted a sip, she said it was too sweet and asked for Old Lord's Eyebrows tea to be brewed instead. The pastries were cleared from before the Buddha's altar last night. Let's have a couple of pieces and share a bit of the Buddha's immortal fortune."

Bailan smiled in assent, picked up the white porcelain tea bowl resting on the Kang table, and poured a cup each for herself and Green Indigo. Ever since she had come to serve in Madame's quarters, the maids and matrons had treated her quite well—likely due to the influence of Lin Jinlou's silver. Because Red Jian was Qin's foremost trusted attendant, she didn't walk overly close to Bailan, but she still treated her with courtesy and offered whatever conveniences she could. Green Indigo, on the other hand, was extremely affectionate toward her and didn't shy away from others.

At that moment, the sound of pattering footsteps came from outside the door. The curtain was lifted, and a fluffy little head poked in. Lin Jinyuan said loudly, "Where's my mother? Is my mother not in this room?"

Green Indigo hurriedly placed her index finger to her lips, shushed him, and said, "Madame is in the back chanting Buddhist scriptures. Fourth Young Master, keep your voice down."

Lin Jinyuan let out an "oh" and slowly strolled in. He bore a striking resemblance to Qin: red lips, white teeth, a pair of sparkling eyes, and a face as tender as peach blossoms in March. Naturally plump by birth, ever since his sixth birthday he had shot up like willow branches after a spring rain, growing much taller than children of his age and thinning out considerably. If one didn't look closely, he could easily be mistaken for a pretty little girl.

Kicking off his shoes, Lin Jinyuan scrambled onto the Kang, casually grabbed a pastry to stuff into his mouth, peered at the Kang table, and asked, "What are you two writing?"

Green Indigo smiled. "Study materials for you."

The moment he heard the word "study," Lin Jinyuan's enthusiasm deflated. He slumped sideways into Bailan's arms and groaned, "All day long it's study, study. So boring!"

Bailan couldn't help but smile. Lin Jinyuan hated studying; his only loves were tearing around the courtyard, playing dice, and staging cricket fights. Consequently, Qin had ordered people to copy passages from the Four Books onto paper slips to make floral tallies for Lin Jinyuan to use while playing dice. "Elder Brother Lou learned the Four Books the exact same way back then," Qin had said. "Brother Lou couldn't sit still at age five, so Grandfather had people turn the Four Books into tallies. The two of them would roll dice to compare numbers, then draw a slip. Whoever drew one had to loudly recite the passage and explain its meaning, just like playing a drinking game. They could even sing and dance along, and in less than half a year, he had actually mastered most of it. It's a pity those old tallies can't be found anymore, otherwise we wouldn't have had to make new ones."

Bailan also felt it was a brilliant method. She couldn't resist stroking Lin Jinyuan's little face as she softly said, "What's wrong with studying? Only by learning how to conduct yourself and understanding principles can you grow up to become a person of consequence."

Leaning against Bailan's embrace, Lin Jinyuan gestured with his hands and declared, "I don't want to study at all! When I grow up, I want to be a general just like my big brother."

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of a commotion arose outside, and the door curtain was lifted. It was none other than Lin Jinlou walking in. Seeing Bailan holding Lin Jinyuan in her arms, he paused for a moment. Lin Jinyuan, however, was overjoyed. He leaped up with open arms and shouted, "Big Brother! Quick, quick, toss me up and spin me around!"

Lin Jinlou laughed. "You little rascal, let Big Brother weigh you and see if you've gotten heavier." With that, he lifted Lin Jinyuan high into the air and tossed him up a few times. Lin Jinyuan burst into giggles instantly, while the wet nurse and maids standing nearby were scared out of their wits, crying out in a chorus, "Young Master, slower! Slower..."

After tossing him a few more times, Lin Jinlou caught Lin Jinlou in his arms, sat down on the edge of the Kang, and said to Bailan, "Madame is in the room chanting scriptures. Why aren't you inside serving her, and instead out here?" Without waiting for Bailan's reply, he began tickling Lin Jinyuan of his own accord. Laughing until he collapsed limply onto the Kang, Lin Jinyuan struggled desperately and cried out, "I surrender! I surrender!"

Green Indigo, possessing good tactical sense, quietly slipped down from the Kang to brew tea. Just as she lifted the curtain, she bumped face-to-face with Zidai. In her heart, Green Indigo muttered, This little bitch has sure arrived at an opportune moment. She was just serving Madame with scripture chanting a moment ago, yet the second she heard the Eldest Young Master had come over, she chased after him at lightning speed.