Against the Current - Chapter 23

Chapter 23 - Delivering a Letter

Over the past few days, Cao Lihuan and Hui'er had been whispering and plotting about something, locking themselves away in their room for entire days at a time. Cao Lihuan frequently went out to stroll in the garden, usually staying out the whole day before returning. With Nairui slipping away to play all day long and no one standing over her to scold her, Xiulan felt a great deal more relaxed.

At noon that day, Xiulan went to the pantry to share lunch with Old Woman Liu. After the meal, seeing that there was nobody else around, Old Woman Liu quietly asked Xiulan, "Have you heard the rumors going around the mansion lately?"

"What rumors?" Xiulan swallowed a mouthful of tea, thought for a moment, and said, "Recently, I've only heard that the Second Mistress wants to arrange a match for Third Master Ting. Because she is still in the mourning period for Old Madame Zeng, she has only been secretly looking over a few families... Then there's also the Eldest Master's concubine, Aunt Lan, who has been diagnosed with two months of pregnancy..."

Xiulan counted off a few items on her fingers, but Old Woman Liu shook her head at every single one. Leaning in with a feigned air of mystery, she whispered, "I heard that Third Master Ting and Miss Huan have taken a shine to each other!"

"Ah? This—this can't be possible!" Xiulan cried out in astonishment. "How could Third Master Ting ever fancy Miss Huan? Miss Huan is no great beauty, her family background doesn't even bear mentioning, and to top it all off, she's three years older than the Third Master!"

Old Woman Liu slapped her thigh. "Tell me about it! Just a moment ago, an old sister of mine asked me about this, and it broke me out in a cold sweat. But people are already whispering about it all over the mansion. Some say they've seen these two walking together in the garden, reciting poetry back and forth; others claim they saw Miss Huan giving a scented pouch to the Third Master, and that both of them blushed with tender affection; still others swear they saw the Third Master shedding tears over falling blossoms because he thought of the fact that Miss Huan is soon to be married... In short, the rumors get more and more absurd, and it's a wonder someone hasn't claimed they saw the Third Master locking lips with the cousin."

The more Xiulan listened, the more alarmed she became, though she couldn't help letting out a sudden chuckle at the very last line, saying, "Why on earth is Mother worrying herself over this? In any case, these are matters concerning their masters, and they have nothing to do with the likes of us."

Old Woman Liu said, "How can you say it has nothing to do with us? What if the rumors turn out to be true, or Miss Huan uses this opportunity to cling to the Third Master and actually becomes a mistress of the Lin family? What will we do then?"

Xiulan twirled her skirt ribbons and said offhandedly, "What Mother is describing is precisely the cousin's fond wish. She's certainly bold enough—she isn't even afraid of losing her rice while trying to steal a chicken."

Old Woman Liu let out a long sigh and shook her head. "How can such a matter ever be cleared up? What if she really manages to latch onto the Third Master? Given her status, securing the position of a favored concubine in the Lin family isn't entirely impossible."

Xiulan remarked, "Do you take the mistresses for pushovers? Once she crosses that threshold, she'll be even easier to handle. They can simply claim her health is poor and send her off to an estate to 'recover.' After a few decades of that, no matter how fierce or vicious she might be, what kind of trouble could she possibly stir up?"

Old Woman Liu blinked, looked at Xiulan, and gave a small, knowing smile. "Oh my dear child, I used to think you were just a sickly little kitten, yet you're capable of speaking such words. You really give an old woman like me a fright."

Xiulan smiled without answering. She had witnessed methods ten times more ruthless than this. Yet, upon closer inspection, although Cao Lihuan's schemes weren't particularly brilliant, they were remarkably effective. She was certainly willing to throw all caution to the wind; just to covet the Lin family's wealth, she was actually gambling away her own reputation.

Just as the two were talking, they heard Hui'er shouting from outside, "Xiulan! Xiulan!"

Old Woman Liu cursed under her breath, "She won't even give anyone a moment's peace right after finishing lunch!"

Xiulan sighed, set down her cup, and stood up to walk outside. Hui'er cast a sideways glance at her and said, "Miss Huan has something she wants you to do inside."

Xiulan walked into the room, where Cao Lihuan handed her an envelope and said with an amiable expression, "Take this and deliver it to Third Master Ting at Wuyun Courtyard."

Xiulan's heart gave a sudden lurch, followed by a silent, cold sneer. She thought to herself that Cao Lihuan was plotting quite a clever game. To hand such a private, illicit exchange of tokens over to her meant that when someone inevitably launched a thorough investigation into the rumors later, the trail would undoubtedly lead straight to her, leaving her unable to wash herself clean even if she jumped into the Yellow River. Reluctant to take it with her hands, she hesitated and asked, "Miss, what is this..."

Cao Lihuan grew deeply impatient and wanted to snap at her, but she managed to suppress her temper and maintained a smile as she said, "This contains poetry manuscripts. The Third Master knows about this; just take it and hand it over to him. Make sure you give it to him personally, and hurry back." With that, she went against her usual character and grabbed a handful of coins to give to Xiulan.

As Xiulan walked out of the room, she harbored a quiet resentment, thinking to herself, "I already detested Cao Lihuan to the core, and now she's trying to frame me in this mess. It just so happens I can't stand her petty, despicable behavior. Since this has landed in my hands, I certainly won't let her get her way!"

Pondering this slowly, she stepped out of the garden. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nairui following far behind her, which made her sneer inwardly. Stepping out of the garden and rounding a doorway brought her directly to Wuyun Courtyard, where Lin Jinting resided. Xiulan walked inside and spotted a young maid watering flowers in the courtyard. She stepped forward to greet her, saying, "I am Xiulan from Luoxue Lodge. Miss Huan sent me here to deliver something. Is the Third Master in?"

The maid cast a sideways look at Xiulan and said, "The Third Master is inside the room talking with Eldest Young Master Song right now."

Hearing this, which was precisely what she wanted, Xiulan quickly said, "Then I shouldn't intrude. Might I ask which senior, trusted sister is by the Third Master's side? Miss Huan said what she gave me is an important item and instructed me to hand it over to someone reliable."

The maid looked Xiulan over once more, then turned and went inside the room. A moment later, the door curtain was lifted, and a young woman of about fifteen or sixteen walked out. She possessed a peach-like face and apricot-colored cheeks, with some prettiness though not of an extreme beauty, yet her demeanor carried a quiet dignity. She had a fair, melon-shaped face, curved brows, apricot-shaped eyes, and slightly high cheekbones. She wore a plain white embroidered jacket, a moon-white skirt, a coiled-silk hanging-pearl hairpin in her hair, and white jade ginkgo earrings dangling from her ears, dressed altogether in the rather respectable manner of a young lady's senior maid.

A wave of caution stirred within Xiulan. With such attire, this person's status was clearly far beyond that of a mere first-rank maid; she must be one of the Third Master's "chamber attendants." The maid spoke: "This is Sister Shuju. Tell her whatever business you have."

Xiulan smiled deferentially and said, "Greetings, Sister Shuju. I was born into a family of household servants and entered the mansion just recently. My name is Xiulan, and I currently serve in Luoxue Lodge. Miss Huan asked me to deliver this to the Third Master." With that, she handed over the envelope.

Shuju pinched the envelope, looked Xiulan up and down a few times, and said, "Understood. I will pass it to the Third Master later."

Seeing that the little maid nearby had picked up her watering pot and headed elsewhere to water flowers, Xiulan turned to Shuju and said, "The cousin sent me to deliver an item, and since it's a letter like this, I feel it's improper. Miss Huan specifically urged me to hand the letter to the Third Master personally, which makes it even more improper... But as serving maids, we have no say in the matter. Now that the Third Master is getting older, I've also heard some rumors concerning Miss Huan and the Third Master, so I hope Sister Shuju will give this some careful thought." With these words, Xiulan first made it clear that she was a hereditary servant of the Lin family and had no ties whatsoever to the Cao family, while also subtly implying that such a course of action was improper. Anyone with a bit of cleverness would catch the meaning behind her words—whether she chose to warn her master or report it to the Second Mistress, it would provide them with a defense and help clear Xiulan of any involvement in the affair.

Shuju froze for a moment, completely failing to anticipate that Xiulan would utter such a speech, and hesitated somewhat: "You... what do you mean by this?"

Xiulan's heart sank. Could it be that Shuju possessed nothing more than a pretty shell? Her words had been so direct and clear, yet Shuju still couldn't understand them? Feeling somewhat frustrated, Xiulan offered a faint smile and said, "Sister Shuju, although I serve Miss Huan, I am ultimately a maid of the Lin family, and my loyalty lies with the Lin family."

Shuju stood there in a daze, still looking completely bewildered. Just as Xiulan was about to speak further, she saw Song Ke emerge from the room with a look of pleasant surprise on his face: "Why are you here?"

Xiulan offered a curtsey and said, "Greetings to Eldest Young Master Song. This humble servant has come to deliver something."

Before Song Ke could even finish opening his mouth, he caught sight of Shuju standing nearby, so he instructed her, "Xiuhong mentioned wanting to eat some milk pudding. You can go inside." Feeling thoroughly awkward upon seeing Song Ke come out, Shuju hurriedly scurried into the room at these words. Song Ke turned back to Xiulan with a smile and said, "I haven't seen you in several days. What have you been up to lately?"

Seeing Song Ke's familiar attitude, as if the two of them had been acquainted for a long time, Xiulan felt a minor headache coming on. If he had been overtly flirtatious or overbearing, she could easily put on a cold and distant expression, but Song Ke happened to be mild-mannered, with a warm, sunny smile lingering on his face that made it genuinely difficult to dislike him. She sighed and said, "Nothing much, just doing needlework every day."

Song Ke was wearing a dark green satin straight robe embroidered with clustered floral patterns, a treasure-inlaid belt around his waist, and his hair secured by a single bat-and-flowing-clouds hairpin, which only served to make him look all the more handsome and refined. He smiled at Xiulan and said, "Your handiwork is excellent. When you have some free time later, make me a case for my scholar's four treasures."

Xiulan smiled falsely and replied, "With so many maids by Eldest Young Master Song's side, I'm sure one of them could make you one quickly and skillfully."

Song Ke smiled warmly. "None of their craftsmanship matches yours. Look at the pouch you mended—I carry it with me every day, and even my mother didn't realize it had been re-mended." As he spoke, he pointed to the pouch at his waist to show her.

Xiulan had no choice but to prevaricate, "Well then, let's wait until I have some free time." Wanting to take her leave, she turned her thoughts and said to Song Ke, "Eldest Young Master Song, today Miss Huan had me bring a letter over for the Third Master. Miss Huan claims there are poems inside the letter, and she repeatedly instructed me to hand it to the Third Master personally."

Song Ke's expression shifted slightly before breaking back into a smile. He nodded and asked nonchalantly, "And then?"

"I felt this matter was improper, but as a mere maid I couldn't make the decisions myself, so I just handed the letter to Sister Shuju. Around noon today, I also heard some rumors regarding the Third Master and Miss Huan, and the severity of this needs no elaboration." Xiulan took a deep breath. "Just now, I even told Sister Shuju that I am ultimately a maid of the Lin family and my heart lies with the Lin family, which is why I spoke out of turn..."

Song Ke still wore a faint smile as he interrupted her, "I understand. Later on, I'll have Xiuhong take the letter and go find the Second Mistress. This matter will not implicate you."

Only then did Xiulan let out a breath of relief. Speaking with smart people certainly saved effort. She nodded and said, "Thank you, Eldest Young Master Song. Then I shall take my leave."

Song Ke said, "You must make that stationery case for me as payment for thanking me." His voice was very low, carried into Xiulan's ears on the breeze. Pretending she hadn't heard, Xiulan crossed the threshold and walked away.

Upon returning to Luoxue Lodge, Cao Lihuan immediately called Xiulan over and asked, "Did you hand the item to the Third Master personally?"

Xiulan nodded.

A look of delight crossed Cao Lihuan's face, and she pressed on eagerly, "What did the Third Master say? Did he give you any message to bring back to me?"

Xiulan was thoroughly unimpressed, thinking to herself, "To stay in the Lin family, the cousin really has thrown away every shred of her dignity. Ah, it's a pity she doesn't understand the saying 'what is meant to be yours will come in time, and what is not should never be forced.' Scheming and plotting away, the only person she's ultimately scheming against is herself." Aloud, she fabricated a reply: "The Third Master simply took the envelope and dismissed me without saying a word."

Cao Lihuan's voice sharpened as she demanded, "How could he not say anything! Exactly how did you phrase it to him?"

Xiulan put on an honest and obedient expression. "I told the Third Master that this envelope contained the poetry manuscripts you gave him, and that once he saw what was inside, he would understand everything."

With her brows sharply arched, Cao Lihuan said coldly, "And then the Third Master said nothing at all?"

Xiulan let out an "mm."

Cao Lihuan's face instantly darkened. Swishing her handkerchief, she turned and swept into the bedroom. Hui'er hurriedly followed close behind her. Letting out a silent breath, Xiulan sat down on the soft couch and poured half a bowl of tea to drink. Yet for some reason, her thoughts suddenly drifted to Song Ke, recalling how his warm smile and gentle words bore a slight resemblance to her husband from her past life, Xiao Hang. A sense of melancholy welled up in her chest. She stared blankly at the teacup for a moment, then noticed out of the corner of her eye that a deep bluish-green fabric had been draped over the bolster pillow. She thought to herself, "This fabric is brocade, which would be perfect for making a stationery case for the four treasures of the study, and embroidering a few clusters of bamboo on it would make it even more exquisite." Immediately following that thought, she spat "pah, pah" twice, wondering how she could possibly consider doing needlework for that ulterior-motived master. Tossing the fabric aside, she sat down in front of the embroidery frame, gazed at the colorful mandarin ducks on the bright red pillow cover, let out a long sigh, and gathered her focus to embroider stitch by stitch.