Against the Current - Chapter 22
Chapter 22 - Plotting
The season had already entered April, and everywhere the spring scenery was bright and charming.
Xiulan had been feeling somewhat restless since morning. Clutching the scented pouch in her hand, she mentally cursed Song Ke up and down. Peeking and peering into the room, she saw that Cao Lihuan was talking in low tones with Hui'er, so she used fetching water as an excuse to slip out of Luoxue Lodge and head up the hillside to search for Song Ke. Before she even reached the spot, she caught sight of a tall, upright, and graceful young man standing beneath the peach tree—who else could it be but Song Ke?
Xiulan immediately lifted her skirt and ran forward, shoved the pouch into Song Ke's hands, and said, "Here, take it back." With that, she turned around and started to leave. Song Ke hastily reached out and grabbed her arm. "Hey, hey, what's the rush?"
Xiulan turned her head in anger, forcefully shaking her arm, but failed to break free from Song Ke's grip. She fumed, "How can I not be in a rush? I sneaked out by lying, and if the cousin misses me later, I'll be in deep trouble!"
Song Ke froze, releasing his hold on her arm. A look of apology crossed his face as he awkwardly said, "My apologies, I didn't think it through..."
Seeing his expression, Xiulan's anger subsided slightly. She stood her ground and said, "The pouch has already been mended. Since Young Master Song has no further business, I'll take my leave."
Song Ke looked closely and saw that the torn place on the pouch had been carefully mended, using thread of the exact same color to complete the pattern. It was so smooth and fine that one couldn't even tell it had originally been torn. He exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "You mended it so well!" Looking at Xiulan with a sincere smile, he continued, "You must have put a lot of effort into mending this pouch, so naturally I should properly thank you."
Xiulan originally wanted to turn on her heel and leave, but upon hearing this, she thought to herself, "If you want to thank me, just give me some silver." She pressed her lips together and looked at Song Ke without a word.
Song Ke smiled and said, "Giving you silver would probably be too vulgar. Take this instead." With that, he pulled a small pouch made of kesi silk from his tunic and handed it to Xiulan.
Xiulan initially intended to feign reluctance and push it away, but a second thought brought back the frustration of the past two days spent worrying over the mending. Back when Song Ke asked her to mend the pouch, she had blindly agreed without thinking. It wasn't until she was halfway through that she realized: if she had just refused and claimed she couldn't mend it well, what could Song Ke have possibly done? Yet, looking at the half-mended pouch, she had gritted her teeth and finished it anyway, burning midnight oil and worrying about being seen. Such strenuous effort meant that accepting a token of appreciation from Song Ke wasn't too much to ask. Thinking this, she took the small pouch and said, "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. Thank you for your generosity, Young Master Song." She gave a slight curtsey and turned to leave once more.
Song Ke took two steps forward to block her path. "Don't you even want to see what's inside?"
Xiulan grew somewhat annoyed, but when she looked up and saw Song Ke's smiling face—such an immortal-like, handsome countenance looking even more striking when he smiled—she couldn't help freezing for a moment. She thought to herself, "This Young Master Song really is blessed with good looks and charm. No wonder the young ladies of the Lin family are all lovesick over him." Caught in that momentary daze, her anger vanished without a trace.
Song Ke continued to urge her from the side, "Open it up and take a look. See if you like it."
With no other choice, Xiulan complied and opened the small pouch, tipping out its contents to find a small frog carved from pale green jade. It was translucent and moist—an exceptionally fine piece of material. Though the carving craftsmanship was ordinary, it had a rustic, clumsy charm that was truly endearing. Xiulan let out an "ah" of delight, examining it from left to right with fondness as she murmured, "Jade trinkets are common enough, but something quite this amusing is rare."
Seeing that Xiulan liked it, the corners of Song Ke's mouth curved upward. "I carved this little thing out of boredom when I had some free time. As long as you like it, that's what matters."
Hearing these ambiguous words, Xiulan suddenly realized how close she and Song Ke were standing. She hurriedly took two steps back, composed herself, and said, "This servant thanks Young Master Song for the reward. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
Song Ke furrowed his brows tightly. Just moments ago, their back-and-forth banter had established a degree of familiarity and intimacy, but now she was reverting to calling herself "this servant" and addressing him as "Young Master Song," clearly trying to distance herself once more. Panicking inwardly, he stepped forward again to block Xiulan's path, saying, "Wait, your handkerchief is still with me."
Xiulan only then remembered that Song Ke had never returned the handkerchief she had previously lent him to wipe the stains off his robe. She reached out her hand to demand it, saying, "In that case, return it to me immediately."
An innocent expression appeared on Song Ke's face as he spread open both hands and said, "I forgot to bring it." Xiulan grew irritated again, but Song Ke quickly added, "How about you come back tomorrow around the si hour, and I'll return the handkerchief to you then?"
Xiulan withdrew her hand and said indifferently, "Never mind. It's just a handkerchief; I don't want it anymore. Young Master Song can just burn it." With that, she turned to walk away again.
Song Ke extended his arm to block her once more, still smiling as he said, "How about this: consider the handkerchief a gift from you to me, and I'll trade something else for it." As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve and fished out a white silk flower.
Xiulan froze. With a hint of triumph, Song Ke presented the silk flower to her and said, "Let's use this silk flower instead. It's much prettier than the paper flower in your hair."
Xiulan took the silk flower and inspected it. On the back of the flower, there was a tiny black ink stain—the very mark she had gently made with a writing brush on the back of the flower she had lost. So the white flower she had dropped had actually been picked up by Song Ke.
Song Ke watched Xiulan. Seeing her lower her head with downcast eyes, her thick eyelashes veiling her uniquely striking gaze, making even the fragrant orchid seem lacking in comparison to her elegance, he gazed at her in a mild trance and murmured, "When you dropped your flower, I happened to run into it. I wonder if this counts as fate?"
Hearing these words sounding more and more improper, Xiulan gave a distant, polite smile. "Since Young Master Song has returned the property to its rightful owner, this servant thanks you here." She gave another light curtsey and turned to leave.
This time, Song Ke did not block her, merely calling out from behind, "I still don't know your name." Xiulan wanted to pretend she hadn't heard, but Song Ke raised his voice and said loudly, "If you don't tell me, I'll just go over to Luoxue Lodge and ask around."
Xiulan cursed him internally as hateful, glared back at him over her shoulder, and reluctantly muttered, "My name is Xiulan." With that, she lifted her skirt and sped away in a fast run.
When she neared Luoxue Lodge, Xiulan paused, straightened her clothes and hair, picked up half a pot of water from the small pantry, and walked back slowly. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Hui'er leaning against the doorway cracking small walnuts to eat. Casting a sideways glance at Xiulan, Hui'er sneered, "You disappear first thing in the morning and go wild—where on earth did you run off to?"
Xiulan whispered, "I went to boil water," and slipped inside to refill the tea.
Hui'er let out a huff as she watched Xiulan's back, spat a walnut shell onto the floor, and raised her chin to address Cao Lihuan, who was just walking out of the bedroom. "Why don't you keep her in line? All she knows is running off to play all day long."
Cao Lihuan replied, "Right now, we still need to coax her into doing more chores. I notice that little minx isn't as diligent as before. If we yell at her again and she gets annoyed, her embroidery won't be as fine, which wouldn't do."
Hui'er said disdainfully, "What is there to fear? If she dares to slack off or play tricks, we'll just have Old Madame Lou drive her out!"
"Now that the eldest mistress is back, her words don't carry quite the same weight as before," Cao Lihuan said with a shrewd look. "Xiulan is, at the end of the day, a Lin family maid. If she were ours, beating or scolding her would just take a single word. You should spend less time picking fights with that little girl. Let me ask you: how did you handle the task I gave you? Only when that's accomplished will we have our permanent way out."
Hui'er lowered her voice. "It has been handled exactly according to what the young lady instructed, without missing a single word." Then, looking somewhat fearful, she added, "Young lady, what if this matter happens to be investigated..."
"Rest assured, they won't be able to investigate it!" Cao Lihuan said with absolute finality. "Besides, what if they do find out? Are they going to swallow us alive? If worst comes to worst, we'll just roll up our bedding and leave directly. Things have already reached this point; whether we want to or not, we have to see it through. We might as well take a gamble." Seeing Hui'er's cowering expression, she patted her hand and said, "Don't you worry, if anything goes wrong, I'm here."
Hui'er sighed and hesitated. "Young... young lady, you're already betrothed to the Ren family's young master, and you're just waiting to be married over there. Even if the Ren family's circumstances are a bit thin, the Ren young master is gentle and considerate. Living off the income of their farmland can ensure a peaceful life—why on earth must you..."
Cao Lihuan remained silent, staring blankly at the blue-and-white underglaze red cup on the table. Suddenly, she picked up the cup, handed it to Hui'er, and asked, "Let me ask you: even if my parents hadn't passed away, back in our old hometown of Yuzhou, would our family have been able to afford a cup like this?"
Hui'er paused and shook her head.
Cao Lihuan pointed around the room. "What about being able to afford a bed carved with gold leaf, a screen inlaid with mother-of-pearl and treasures, or the imperial kiln flower appreciation vase on the desk? Though I have a few decent outfits, I can count them on one hand, yet any casual outfit of Lin Dongqi's is made of the finest kesi brocade and costs at least forty taels of silver!" The more Cao Lihuan spoke, the redder her face became, her eyes shining with startling brilliance. "I used to think my original home—a three-courtyard mansion—was quite grand, but after coming to the Lin family, I realized that Yuzhou estate was practically a pigsty by comparison. That garden is like something out of fairyland; I never knew people could live such wealthy lives... Hui'er, right then and there, I told myself: if I cannot find a match better than the Lin family, I will never move out of the Lin family! Otherwise, how could that set of ruby and gold hairpins my mother left me ever be allowed to benefit that cheap wench Zhao Yuechan!"
Hui'er stopped short of saying what was on her mind. "But... but even if this succeeds, the young lady will at most become a concubine to Third Master Ting, and others will still gossip. You might never be able to hold your head high for the rest of your life! Over at the Ren family, you'd be the legitimate, proper wife. This..."
"That's a matter for the future! When the boat reaches the bridge-head, it will naturally go straight through. Haven't I weathered so many massive storms and tempests before? Hui'er, you've seen Third Master Ting too. Not only are his features and facial structure handsome, but his every gesture carries the bearing of a young master from a great household. Compared to him, Renç¾½ might as well be tossed aside like a fart." Cao Lihuan twirled the bracelet on her wrist. "Even if the Ren family were to treat me like an enshrined Buddha, can their household afford jackets made of kesi, sheared wool, and brocade all four seasons, or drink imperial wine bestowed by the palace?"
Hui'er stammered and couldn't find a word to say, her expression somewhat dazed. A somewhat hazy smile appeared on Cao Lihuan's face. "Not to mention that Ren Yu is lacking in wits; he can't succeed in his studies, nor can he manage business. After studying for over a dozen years, he's still nothing more than a schoolboy... All those grand things I say to outsiders—claiming the Ren family has a simple household, is easy to serve, is an honest clan with land and houses, and is well-off, and claiming Ren Yu is honest, reliable, and has a good temper—actually... actually, it's all just to save face for myself. Deep down, I know the reality like the back of a mirror. It's just that by saying it so many times, I managed to trick even myself into thinking I was actually fond of this match..."
Seeing Cao Lihuan's desolate expression, Hui'er couldn't help speaking up, "Young lady..."
Cao Lihuan shook her head. "No matter how ambitious and capable I am, I ultimately still have to rely on a capable man. Ren Yu is a soft-spoken coward; in the future, let alone passing the imperial exams to bring honor to his wife and shelter his children, I doubt he could even properly manage his ancestral estate."
The sound of Cao Lihuan's voice gradually faded away. The two of them remained silent for a long moment until Cao Lihuan suddenly straightened her chest and said loudly, "I, too, was originally the daughter of a prominent family. Why should Lin Dongwan, who was born to a concubine in the Lin family, be able to marry the son of an official, while I—born to a primary wife—should be forced to marry into a poor family? Even if it means becoming a concubine in the Lin family, I will exhaust every means in this lifetime to enjoy glory and wealth... Hmph! Once I become a concubine of the Lin family, who would dare to truly treat me like a concubine? Sooner or later, the position of the legitimate mistress will still be mine!"
Cao Lihuan's gaze was sharp, faintly revealing a ruthless and unrelenting intent. Thinking that if Cao Lihuan stayed in the Lin family in the future, it could only benefit herself, Hui'er diligently poured a cup of tea for her and began racking her brains to help her mistress plot and scheme.