Against the Current - Chapter 275

Chapter 275 - Orchid Poetry (Part 3)

Lin Dongqi praised with a series of delighted acclamations, "This piece is exceptionally brilliant; you all must yield the top spot."

Knowing that her own poetic talent was merely mediocre and unlikely to place at the top, Lin Xiuxiu was quite happy to heap praise on Xianglan, both to add a bit of annoyance to the others and to give Xianglan a lift. She pursed her lips and smiled softly, "Xianglan's calligraphy and painting are both wonderful, but I never expected her poetry to be crafted so masterfully as well. She has truly completely overshadowed us."

The Jiang sisters wore looks of astonishment. As they looked at Xianglan again, their expressions grew complicated. Seeing everyone staring at her, Xianglan felt rather uneasy. She was never someone who loved being in the limelight, and today she had only been forced into it. She valued selling her paintings under the moniker "Recluse of Orchid Fragrance" above all else; only by spreading this reputation far and wide could she command high prices for her paintings in the future. For the exact same painting, one signed as "Recluse of Orchid Fragrance" and sold through Lin Jinlou's proxy would fetch several times the price of one signed with an alias and sold on the sly. Lin Jinlou was soon to take a wife, and she would undoubtedly not be tolerated by the Lin household. She needed to make thorough preparations. If one day she had to leave the Lin household, or if Lin Jinlou grew tired of her novelty, she could still rely on a specialized skill and the reputation she had built for herself to make a living, standing tall on her own strength rather than clinging to a man to survive.

She was unlike the high-born young ladies and noble matrons seated here, who had been tenderly nurtured in embroidered chambers and brocaded halls. They were delicate orchids cultivated in sheltered gardens, while she was merely a wild blade of grass growing in the roadside ravines. Competing for fame and adding luster to oneself was an exquisite, scheming parlor game for them, whereas what she thought about most nowadays was simply how to survive well in the future.

Xianglan gave a faint, detached smile and said, "The conception of my piece is ultimately a bit cliché. Xi姑娘's 'the moon plays with light clouds', 'fragrance separates the western window', 'brocaded flowers in abundance', and 'secluded grasses grow' have completely exhausted the true essence of 'admiring'. Second Sister-in-law's 'frost patters' and 'rain rests' are utilized exceptionally well. Danyun's 'its inner meaning' and 'no appointed date', and Fourth Sister's 'startling melancholy' and 'deep forbidden halls' are all written with rich flavor, far surpassing mine. I merely hoisted a giant banner to borrow prestige."

Lin Dongqi smiled and said, "Good is good, why are you being so modest?" She nudged Lin Dongwan and said, "Eldest Sister, don't you agree?"

Lin Dongwan hesitated, first glancing far off at Madam Qin's expression, then turning to look at Lin Jinlou's, unsure of which one she ought to flatter. Seeing that Madam Qin's expression was indifferent, while Lin Jinlou was sitting on the embroidered stool near Madam Qin's hand, watching Xianglan with a look of undisguised complacency, she decided to praise Xianglan first. Smiling, she said, "Young Sister Xianglan's piece is written wonderfully; just reading it is a refreshing treat. But Fifth Cousin's piece is not inferior either—both are exceedingly fine poems."

This remark was spoken as if nothing had been said at all. Lin Xiuxiu curled her lip in disdain, thinking to herself, "Eldest Sister has always been a slick schemer. It's obvious she wants to offend neither side, but in that case, why bother judging this poetry at all? Trying not to offend either side actually means offending both."

A mere smile hung on Jiang Danyun's face as she held her teacup to sip tea, her eyes flashing with schadenfreude as she glanced solely toward Jiang Xiyun and Jiang Feiyun. She hadn't noticed Jiang Feiyun secretly slipping the note earlier, and she had been utterly baffled as to when her little younger sister had become so adept at writing poetry, feeling a stifled, heavy sensation in her chest. It wasn't until Xianglan's poem was produced that Jiang Danyun finally let out a long sigh of relief, thinking to herself with a secret smile, "No matter how brilliantly you manage to write your poetry, you still can't surpass a concubine! How's that for a slap in the face!" Yet as she looked at Xianglan's beauty and talent, jealousy welled up within her once more.

As for Jiang Feiyun, her heart suffered a violent jolt. She thought to herself, "What on earth is the background of Lin Jinlou's concubine? Not only is she blessed with such looks and the ability to write poetry, but she also holds her composure under pressure. She truly is a formidable adversary! Even though Fifth Younger Sister is clever and bright, she is still young after all. With such a beautiful concubine around, I'm afraid she's going to suffer!" When she looked more closely at the poem Xianglan had written, a surge of pride welled up in her heart again, and she told herself, "This piece of hers amounts to nothing special. Later on, I shall match wits with her once more and utterly crush her!"

Jiang Xiyun merely felt bored. Letting her gaze wander, she happened to catch sight of Lin Jinlou sitting with crossed arms, half-squinting as he watched Xianglan without even blinking his eyes. A stifled feeling rose in her chest once again, and she thought that since the man she would arrange a marriage with in the future actually liked this kind of talented-scholar aesthetic, wouldn't she have to study the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting herself just to win his favor? Yet these were precisely the things she held in utter disdain! What on earth was the fun in messing around with these flowers, moonshine, and groaning without an illness? It was agonizingly pretentious... But then looking back at Xianglan, her heart felt as heavy as if it were wrapped in an oily cloth. Although she was only a concubine-born daughter, among all the sisters in her family and the young ladies she associated with among her relatives, not a single one surpassed her. Wherever she went, people invariably praised her for her "beauty," "noble bearing," "generosity," "pleasing demeanor," and "tactfulness." Yet here in the Lin household, that maid-born concubine subtly overshadowed her. She was a discerning person and could see that this wasn't something Xianglan did intentionally; simply by standing quietly there, she naturally possessed an imposing presence, as if imbued with a long-cultivated, noble literary talent and the proud backbone of a scholar. Even though she was merely a humble, lowly concubine, that self-respect and self-worth prevented anyone from finding it in themselves to look down upon her.

While everyone harbored their own private thoughts, Lin Jinlou felt thoroughly pleased. He thought to himself that little Xianglan really knew how to read the room, and he wondered whether he should take the poem Xianglan had written and bring it out front for all those outside men to see, so that her reputation would spread even more widely. Then he began to worry about what would happen if that group of fellows made a ruckus insisting on seeing Xianglan in person. On second thought, he decided he simply wouldn't let them see her; anyway, those scoundrels didn't have the capability to go poking around the inner residential quarters of the Lin family.

At that moment, Madam Jiang smiled and said, "What poems have you all been writing to chat so happily? Bring them over here for us to see so we can join in the amusement." With that, she instructed her personal maid, Liusu, to go over and fetch the drafts back.

Madam Qin was also watching from the side. When she flipped to Jiang Xiyun's piece, she couldn't help but nod, but when she looked at Xianglan's, she paused slightly, furrowed her brow, and then suddenly sighed, gently shaking her head.

Madam Jiang finished reading the drafts as well, raised her head to look at Madam Qin with a pointed gaze, and said with a faint, calm smile, "As expected of someone nurtured by the Lin family; she is actually capable of writing such fine poetry."

Madam Qin smiled and said, "If we are talking about originality, naturally it is Xianglan's piece. But when it comes to delicate refinement and grace, we must still yield to Xi girl."

Madam Jiang caught her meaning instantly. As for whose poetry manuscript was truly superior, anyone with even a slight grasp of poetry and literature could tell; crowning anyone as first place was secondary. What Madam Jiang wanted was simply Madam Qin's attitude. Though her heart had previously been filled with heaviness and displeasure, upon hearing these words, the expression on her face softened once more into something pleasant.

Everyone in the pavilion heard this clearly. Quick-witted and agile, Lin Dongwan immediately smiled and said, "If I were to judge, Xianglan and Fifth Cousin are an absolute match, neither superior to the other."

Though Lin Dongxi still felt that Xianglan had written the better poem, when she raised her head to look at her mother, moved her lips, and ultimately said nothing, she lowered her head.

Tan Luhua was the very first to be displeased. Originally, she had established the poetry society simply to show her face in front of her in-laws; it was one thing if Chen Xianglan wrote better than her, but Jiang Xiyun had clearly cheated with someone's help—by what right did she manage to overshadow her as well?

Blushing crimson, Jiang Xiyun stammered, "I... I didn't write all that well. Sister Xianglan's is much better."

Lin Jinlou raised his brows slightly without saying a word. Madam Jiang smiled affectionately and said, "You child, that is your maternal aunt by marriage praising you."

At this point, the maids stepped forward to replace the tea and fruit with fresh, hot ones, and Madam Qin smiled, saying, "This is the famous Anxi Tieguanshan tea from Fujian brought by Xi girl. Drinking it leaves a sweet, light, and airy taste in the mouth—truly a filial and steadfast child. I heard there are only a few ounces of this tea, and upon hearing that I love tea, she actually gave me the greater half of it. I also heard that during the summer heat I have trouble digesting food, so she even took the trouble to make pickled honey plums herself. There really is no one more thoughtful than her."

Lin Dongqi caught the cue behind the words and understood that since Jiang Xiyun had fallen short in the poetry writing, Madam Qin was purposely changing the subject to elevate her and save face for Jiang Xiyun. She hurriedly went along with the flow and smiled, "Indeed! The moment I arrived today, Fifth Cousin presented me with a multicolored 'Immortal Gourd Gathering Auspiciousness' bellyband, saying it was for our family's little Hui-er. Fifth Cousin made it stitch by stitch with her own hands; the stitches are so fine and dense, and no one could be more meticulous. Finding such a gentle young lady is like searching with a lantern—you simply can't find another."

Lin Dongxi had known Jiang Xiyun for a long time and shared a certain fondness for her, finding her lovely, pleasing, and kind-hearted as well. Smiling, she said, "Fifth Cousin is truly a most generous person; she even made tiger-head hats and little shoes for my baby too."

Jiang Feiyun smiled and said, "My little younger sister here has been honest since she was small. Her heart is genuine, she's filial, clever, and understanding—you could talk for a full day and night and still not finish listing all her good points."

Lin Dongwan chimed in with more praise about how sensible Jiang Xiyun was, making Madam Jiang feel that her face was glowing with pride and warming her heart toward Jiang Xiyun even more. Madam Qin also felt that this had successfully shut everyone else's mouths, and her eyes kept drifting toward Lin Jinlou. Lin Jinlou merely toyed with the magnolia jade pendant in his hand, a lazy smile hanging on his face.

Lin Dongwan smiled and said, "Since I've come to join the fun today, let me ask Fifth Cousin what her birth characters are! I happen to have a splendid marriage match I want to set up for you! Don't you all agree?" As she spoke, she threw a meaningful look toward Lin Jinlou. Seeing this clearly, everyone burst into laughter.

Lin Dongwan went over to pull Jiang Xiyun's hand, smiling as she asked, "How would you like to be a daughter-in-law for my maternal family?"

Another round of laughter erupted from the group. Only Jiang Danyun stared blankly at Lin Jinlou for a moment, her eyes turning red before she averted her face to the side. Tan Luhua's expression remained indifferent as well; she merely went over to pull Xianglan's hand, whispering softly, "Don't pay any attention to those scoundrels, you and I will talk over here by ourselves."

Jiang Xiyun's face was completely flushed, her two little hands nervously twisting together as she lowered her head and whispered, "Eldest Cousin, please don't talk about this..." She looked at Lin Jinlou timidly like a startled little bird, only to find that he was acting as if nothing had happened at all. Their banter seemed to have nothing to do with him; he merely half-squinted as he quietly watched her. This man was so imposing and tall, his gaze sharp and his presence overwhelming; even while seated, he resembled a resting beast of prey.

A sudden sense of powerlessness welled up in Jiang Xiyun's heart. She felt that before this man, she had already been seen completely through, and this feeling was utterly grating to her nerves.

At that moment, Jiang Feiyun smiled and said, "Fifth Younger Sister, Eldest Elder Brother helped Second Elder Brother, don't you have a token of appreciation to present to him? I saw you bustling about busily these past few days—is it finished now? Let us all have a look together!"