Against the Current - Chapter 226

Chapter 226 - Meeting Guests

Just as Lin Jinglou was about to speak, he caught sight of Liu Xiaochuan glancing up toward the embroidery pavilion. Liu Xiaochuan's eyes widened, and he jabbed Xie Yu in the ribs with his elbow, pointing straight up at the pavilion and causing everyone at the table to turn their heads in a flurry. Seeing that Xianglan was still standing right beside him, Lin Jinglou's face instantly darkened, and with a sharp bang, he slammed the window shut.

Liu Xiaochuan smacked his lips and said, "Well, would you look at that? Was that the Tyrant Lin's woman from his inner quarters?" As he spoke, he looked over toward Lin Jingting.

With a lazy air, Lin Jingting picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and nodded. "That's her."

Xie Yu smiled. "I figured as much. It's just a pity she was too far away to see clearly."

Growing animated, Liu Xiaochuan said, "Then let's go over and take a look. We can just say we're paying a visit to the little sister-in-law."

Holding his wine cup, Chu Dapeng chimed in, "Forget it. Tyrant Lin guards her with an iron grip—do you really think he'd let you see her? Don't end up making a fool of yourself and stirring up trouble instead. Didn't you see how he shut the window just now? You'd be walking straight into bad luck." He then glanced at Yuan Shaoren and asked, "Brother Yuan, wouldn't you say so?"

Yuan Shaoren smiled without answering. Lin Jingting was hosting today and had persistently invited him to come. Though he had wanted to decline, he figured that they would eventually be in-laws—he had even almost married Lin Jingting's own sister—so he had come along after all. Finding that the gathering, despite featuring courtesans playing music and singing, remained relatively refined, and with Chu Dapeng and the others making every effort to be friendly, the atmosphere had been pleasant enough. He had simply stayed on the sidelines watching and listening to the group banter.

Xie Yu chuckled softly and instructed the courtesan seated beside him, "Go pour your Elder Brother Liu a cup of wine to keep him quiet."

Twisting his body, Liu Xiaochuan muttered under his breath, "I simply refuse to believe the rest of you aren't curious." Being of an impatient temperament, he couldn't bear to wait a single moment once an idea took root. He leaped up from his seat, declaring, "No, this won't do. I have to go take a look and see what kind of peerless beauty could make Tyrant Lin treasure her like this." With that, he rolled up his sleeves and marched off.

No one could ever stop Liu Xiaochuan once he went wild, so the rest of them simply gave up trying to persuade him. Besides, having all consumed plenty of wine, these young men eagerly chuckled and followed right behind him to watch the excitement.

Meanwhile, Lin Jinglou was chatting idly with Xianglan when he heard Lingsu call out from the foot of the stairs, "Master, a few of the young masters have come over, saying they wish to see you and..." Before she could let slip the words "the little sister-in-law," she caught Lingqing glaring and gesturing fiercely at her, prompting her to swallow those three words right back down.

Before her voice had even faded, Liu Xiaochuan stretched his neck and bellowed, "I say, Brother, you're being far too unkind! The brothers here spent half the night accompanying you out to look for someone, and now that she's found, you pull up the ladder after crossing the bridge and refuse to acknowledge us anymore? The least you can do is let the little sister-in-law come down and pour us a cup of wine!"

Hearing Liu Xiaochuan publicly blurt out that Xianglan had run away in the middle of the night, Xie Yu furrowed his brow and kicked him on the spot. With an "Ouch!", Liu Xiaochuan glared at Xie Yu and demanded, "What did you kick me for?!"

Xie Yu cast him a fierce glare, shook his head, and sighed.

A moment later, footsteps sounded as Lin Jinglou descended the stairs. Seeing this group of young men clustered at the bottom, he remarked, "Well, what a lively bunch. Weren't you all right in the middle of a drinking session just a moment ago? What brings you lot over to my side?"

With a cheeky grin, Liu Xiaochuan said, "Brother, stop playing dumb. The few of us came to see the little sister-in-law."

Acting as though he hadn't heard, Lin Jinglou simply smiled at Yuan Shaoren and said, "These fellows have nothing better to do all day than stir up trouble. Why did you come along too? Just this morning I heard General Wu praising how well you've handled your duties, giving you a top-tier evaluation. The Emperor is bound to reward you once we arrive in the capital—don't forget your brothers when the benefits roll around."

Recognizing that Lin Jinglou was deliberately changing the subject and refusing to let the woman appear, Yuan Shaoren felt a flicker of secret astonishment. He mused that Lin Jinglou truly treated this woman differently from all the others. Back when Lin Jinglou was campaigning away from home, a concubine named Haimie had specifically traveled to find him, yet Lin Jinglou had never avoided showing her off before others, letting Haimie serve tea and water and bossing her around casually, treating her merely like a presentable maid. But this current one was securely locked away in a gilded cage of his own making, as if letting others catch even a single glance meant he was suffering a massive loss.

With a faint smile, Yuan Shaoren replied, "I've merely had a bit of good fortune and reaped some easy advantages. I could never compare to you—not only can you fight battles, but you also excel at running profitable businesses."

Interrupting them, Liu Xiaochuan said, "I say, my two brothers, there's no point in the two of you puffing each other up like this. Skip the useless chatter and invite the little sister-in-law to come down, won't you?"

Lin Jinglou glared at Liu Xiaochuan, thinking to himself that this fellow lacked all sense of social cues and vowing to deal with him later. Yet since the conversation had reached this point, and noticing Yuan Shaoren nodding and smiling at him with what seemed to be a pointed expression, he felt a slight pang of awkwardness. He cleared his throat and instructed Lingqing, "Go ask your mistress to come down."

Xianglan had overheard the exchange downstairs and knew full well that this encounter was unavoidable. With a soft sigh, she stood up, smoothed down her garments, lifted her skirt, and descended the stairs. The group watched as a young woman of about sixteen or seventeen walked gracefully down from above. Her skin outshone the snow, her brows and eyes were painted like a picture, and she possessed an air of supreme elegance. Once at the bottom, she stood her ground and calmly curtsied with her skirt gathered, her movements as smooth as flowing clouds and rippling water.

Struck with sudden admiration, the men hurriedly returned the bow.

Xianglan turned slightly to the side, executed a deep, graceful curtsy to accept their greeting, and lowered her head modestly, her deportment exceptionally refined.

Unable to help himself, Chu Dapeng nudged Xie Yu and whispered, "Look at that—truly extraordinary. Every single movement looks like it was taught by the palace matrons. My own sisters once had palace matrons tutor them for a period, and not even one of them could carry herself like this... Tsk, what on earth is her background? Was she really just a servant in the Lin household?"

Rubbing his chin, Xie Yu replied, "Third Brother says she was indeed a servant in their household, and was later freed from her indenture."

Chu Dapeng muttered, "To think the Lin family could produce a maid with such bearing—well, she's certainly no ordinary person."

As she straightened up from her bow, Xianglan felt someone staring at her with a distinctly peculiar gaze. Letting her gaze drift, she caught out of the corner of her eye that the person staring at her was none other than the outsider who had watched her from the front courtyard that day. Noticing Xianglan looking back at him, Yuan Shaoren was momentarily startled before offering her a faint smile. Quickly retracting her gaze, Xianglan lowered her head and stepped back to stand respectfully beside Lin Jinglou.

Lin Jinglou felt thoroughly satisfied. Unlike before, when she would always hide away in her rooms and look utterly reluctant whenever forced to meet people, she had secured his face and given him plenty of prestige this time, bringing a contented smile to his lips. Seeing the expressions of praise on everyone's faces, he grew even more pleased with himself. Once Xianglan finished her courtesies, Lin Jinglou wasted no time dismissing her back upstairs, before promptly showing the rest of the guests out.

Clasping his arms across his chest, Yuan Shaoren walked out of the embroidery pavilion and gazed at the peach blossoms blanketing the hillside, drawing in a deep breath. Ever since Xianglan had appeared, he felt as though a heavy blow had been struck right against his heart, leaving him breathless. He had previously caught a glimpse of Xianglan from afar and knew she bore a striking resemblance in aura, height, and figure to his late beloved concubine Shen Jialian, looking so much alike from a distance that he had almost mistaken her. Yet seeing her close up today made the similarities all the more vivid, while still retaining a sense of absolute unfamiliarity. Yuan Shaoren felt his long-dormant heart begin to flutter and pound once more. Turning his head, he saw through the unlatched vermilion window on the second floor that Lin Jinglou had his arms wrapped around Xianglan from behind, one of his hands holding hers over the brush to write something upon the desk. Withdrawing his gaze, he closed his eyes and let out a long, heavy sigh.