Against the Current - Chapter 276

Chapter 276 - Orchid Poetry (Part 4)

Jiang Xiyun's face grew even redder as she murmured, "It is nothing much to look at; I shouldn't bring it out to make a fool of myself."

Madam Qin smiled and said, "Hurry and bring it out for us to see. Surely you aren't going to keep it hidden under wraps?"

The others chimed in with a flurry of urging, leaving Jiang Xiyun no choice but to send Ruoqing to fetch it. Before long, Ruoqing returned holding a blue satin bundle. Upon untying it, they saw inside a pair of top-quality leather knee-pads with indigo linings, embroidered with the "nine yangs ushering in prosperity" pattern, symbolizing an endless and countless number of auspicious wishes. The workmanship was vibrant and exceptionally exquisite.

Madam Qin took them in her hands to inspect them, her face instantly breaking into a smile. She handed them over for Lin Jinlou to see, saying, "Such brilliant needlework completely puts the professional embroiderers to shame; one can tell a great deal of effort went into this. There is no craft more ingenious than this. Your eldest cousin is a general on horseback, and he will find these most useful in the winter."

Madam Jiang smiled and said, "Xi girl is simply a sincere-hearted child. She straight out said she wanted to trouble Eldest Cousin and make a matching set of needlework to humbly express her gratitude, and she even burned the midnight oil, lighting lamps and burning oil late into the night to make these."

Madam Qin beckoned with her hand, saying, "Good child, come here quickly." She took Jiang Xiyun's hand and said, "In the future, don't do needlework beneath the lamplight; you'll strain your eyes. The weather is also growing hotter by the day; I have a bolt of fine cloth here that is the coolest and most fitted for wear. Later on, take it and cut out some clothes to wear with your sisters."

Jiang Xiyun beamed with a smile and said, "Xiyun thanks Maternal Aunt by marriage. Grandmother dotes on us and has already made new summer gowns for Fourth Sister and me, yet Maternal Aunt is still so caring toward us that we truly don't know what to say."

This remark both flattered Madam Jiang and curried favor with Madam Qin, instantly making the two of them feel quite comfortable. Madam Jiang smiled and said, "This is your maternal aunt showing her affection for you all."

Lin Dongwan pulled Lin Dongqi and Lin Xiuxiu close, laughing as she said, "Just look at that! The moment our cousins arrive, the rest of us are no longer cherished!"

Jiang Xiyun kept her head lowered, a shy flush covering her face.

Everyone burst into laughter. Although Jiang Danyun managed a forced smile, her eye rims had already turned red. Lin Xiuxiu lowered her head to fiddle with her skirt and remained silent. Tan Luhua let out a soft snort from her nose, turned her head to the side, and whispered to Xianglan, "All a sham and a pretense, it's enough to annoy a person. Acting cute and fawning to win favor—that's the routine I despise the most. If I lose my temper later on, I'll definitely expose that little minx's cheap tricks!"

Xianglan grasped Tan Luhua's hand and whispered, "Madam is still sitting right there, don't stir up trouble to displease her."

Tan Luhua sneered, "What is there to fear? Although she is my mother-in-law, sooner or later she will return to Jinling, while Second Brother and I are staying in Beijing. With the mountains high and the emperor far away, what does it matter to her? To speak bluntly with you, Second Brother's health is poor, and his usual silver allowances are not generous either. Marrying into this household was already a grievance for me, and if I have to suppress myself over such trivial matters, what fun is there left in living?"

Just as Xianglan was about to advise her further, she suddenly felt someone watching her. Raising her head, her gaze locked directly with Lin Jinlou's. He was holding that pair of knee-pads in his hand, looking at her with a half-smile. Xianglan promptly forgot the words she had intended to use to persuade Tan Luhua. Across that distant expanse, the two exchanged a glance, yet Xianglan felt as though they were separated by a thousand mountains and rivers. Lin Jinlou's expression carried three parts complacency and seven parts gratification—it was clear that the gift Jiang Xiyun had presented had scratched precisely where it itched. A sudden heaviness gripped Xianglan's chest. Over the past few days, Lin Jinlou had acquired a chest of fine pelts and had also asked her to make a pair of knee-pads and a cap for him. She had already nearly finished the knee-pads, but she hadn't expected Jiang Xiyun to present a pair today. From the sheer expanse of the embroidery alone, she knew it was immeasurably more refined and detailed than anything she could craft. In that case, Lin Jinlou wouldn't need her to make another pair anymore, would he?

That was fine too.

The way Madam Qin had praised Jiang Xiyun so deliberately just now, offering such warm and solicitous inquiries, combined with the fact that Lin Dongwan's blatant banter was met with smiling tacit approval, made it clear that the matter was probably all but settled.

She looked at Jiang Xiyun, whom Madam Qin was now pulling into her arms and patting affectionately, the girl's face wreathed in a coy, delicate blush. She felt neither strong affection nor aversion toward Jiang Xiyun; she merely watched from afar, unable to suppress the envy lurking in the depths of her heart. A sweet, soft, pampered girl like that deserved to be held in the palms of her elders and cherished as she grew up. Consequently, though she appeared charming and amiable, the innate, bone-deep superiority and self-assured cleverness could never be erased—much like her own appearance in her past life. Yet in this lifetime, she had grown up in the dust. No matter how resilient, silent, restrained, and cautious she tried to be, an unknown terror still lurked deep within her heart.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jiang Xiyun stole a furtive glance and saw that Lin Jinlou was still looking toward Xianglan's side. Taken aback for a moment, she quickly turned her head away as if she hadn't noticed anything. Madam Qin happened to catch sight of this, her gaze sweeping over to look, and instantly she furrowed her brow, cleared her throat, and said, "Fourth Brother?"

Only then did Lin Jinlou snap out of his reverie and look toward Madam Qin.

Madam Qin glared at him and said, "Your cousin has put so much thought and effort into making this needlework for you, why aren't you thanking her properly yet!"

Lin Jinlou smiled and said, "Many thanks, Fifth Cousin."

Madam Qin said, "How can a mere 'thanks' be enough?"

Jiang Xiyun hastily said, "Maternal Aunt, I made this needlework purely to express my gratitude."

Madam Qin patted Jiang Xiyun's hand and smiled, "Never you mind. He has the most money; today, Maternal Aunt will demand a few fine trinkets on your behalf."

Jiang Feiyun smiled and said, "Fifth Younger Sister's poem was also written so brilliantly just now—shouldn't that jade pendant of yours be given to the champion? We all heard Eldest Big Cousin bring it out earlier to add to the excitement. You aren't allowed to feel stingy or try to back out of it now."

Everyone laughed once more.

Lin Dongwan was someone who always kept her eyes on all six directions and her ears open to all eight sides. Seeing that Madam Jiang, Madam Qin, and Lin Jinlou all wore smiles on their faces, she piled on the amusement even more enthusiastically, laughing as she said, "Eldest Brother has always been generous and open-handed; naturally he won't go back on his word. Come, come, Cousin Xi, why don't you pour a cup of plain wine for my eldest brother? You must know that pendant is an item from the Crown Prince himself."

Everyone burst into roars of laughter. Jiang Feiyun hurriedly poured a cup of wine herself and shoved it into Jiang Xiyun's hands, exchanging a meaningful look as she smiled, "Hurry, go toast your eldest cousin right away."

At this point, Lin Dongwan had already said to Lin Jinlou with a smile, "I know Eldest Brother has an ocean-like capacity for liquor. Since it's Cousin Xi toasting you, Eldest Brother, you must show sincerity; a small cup won't do. Hai-tang, quickly exchange the wine cups for larger ones—bring out the big ones! Today, we absolutely must make Eldest Brother drink to his heart's content with a massive bowl!"

Lin Jinlou had seen this kind of spectacle countless times, but he hadn't expected Jiang Xiyun to lack stage fright either. She actually traded it for a painted autumn-chrysanthemum-and-magpie gold-traced porcelain bowl, filling it to the brim. At the sight of it, Lin Jinlou burst out laughing and said, "You can't do this. We're nowhere near that point yet, and there's still socializing out front later on. If you knock me flat-out drunk right here, all my relatives, brothers-in-law, and friends will just be left staring in bewilderment. They'd laugh their heads off at me—this simply won't do."

Lin Dongwan laughed, "Who doesn't know you can hold your liquor? I've heard that you drank an entire table of men under the table while you still sat as steady as a mountain. The other day, my husband went home and vomited all night, tossing and turning for days before the color finally returned to his face. Today, I'm just borrowing Cousin Xi's hands to exact some payback."

Madam Qin lightly pointed at Lin Dongwan with a finger and laughed, "Just look at this girl. Once a girl marries, her heart belongs elsewhere; she only knows how to protect her husband, but forgets to pity her brother." In her heart, however, she was quite satisfied with Lin Dongwan, thinking to herself that this girl used to be full of thorns before she was married, acting all day long as if her stepmother was plotting to harm her somehow. Now that she was finally married, she understood the bitterness and the sweetness, and appreciated the benefits of protecting her natal family. She glanced at the silent Lin Dongqi and sighed softly, wishing her own biological daughter had Lin Dongwan's social awareness. Such a straightforward and honest temperament—she had no idea who she took after.

Madam Jiang gave a slight nod and smiled, "My nephew's wife is truly blessed. Every single one of these daughters is outstanding and poised, a refreshing sight to behold."

Jiang Feiyun said, "Come, come, Fifth Younger Sister, hurry and toast Eldest Big Cousin. Didn't you just say that Eldest Big Cousin is young, promising, and has carved out a career without relying on ancestral shade, making him the most admirable person of all? Today, you should give him a proper toast, so as not to waste all those nice things you said praising him."

As soon as her voice trailed off, everyone's gaze turned toward Lin Jinlou. Outside the pavilion, there had been a lively hubbub earlier, but inside the pavilion, Jiang Danyun, Lin Xiuxiu, Tan Luhua, Lin Dongqi, and Xianglan sat in utter silence, not a single one of them uttering a word. Jiang Danyun felt a mixture of bitter resentment and grievance in her heart; if she hadn't forcefully held it back, her tears would have already cascaded down. Lin Xiuxiu and Tan Luhua both wore cold sneers. Lin Dongqi merely kept her head lowered. She herself loved to chat and laugh, but ever since everyone joined forces in teasing and crowning Jiang Xiyun as the winner, she felt it went against her conscience. It was obvious to all that Xianglan's poem was superior to Jiang Xiyun's, but witnessing such a spectacle made her suddenly feel intensely embarrassed on Xianglan's behalf, so she simply chose to shut her mouth entirely.

Xianglan sat quietly at the very edge of the pavilion. Watching everyone frolic and laugh, watching Jiang Feiyun and Lin Dongwan take turns making merry with a stream of witty remarks, and watching Jiang Xiyun flush a deep rosy red as she poured wine for Lin Jinlou, she felt more and more like she didn't belong. Even if they forcefully elevated her, it could not change the fact that everyone looked down on her and regarded her as mere furniture or a plaything. It would have been one thing if her poem had been mediocre, but as things stood, it only served to make her feel all the more awkward.

She suddenly let out a soft, helpless laugh, lifted her head, and gazed up at the blue sky beyond the pavilion.

Jiang Xiyun had already lifted the bowl of wine, a faint flush gracing her cheeks, her smile both sweet and charming as she spoke, "Eldest Big Cousin, my sisters were only joking, but as for this bowl of wine, I am offering it to you with sincere heartfelt intent. Drink it up; it's just plain unfermented brew, not very strong, and quite sweet indeed."

Lin Jinlou leaned lazily against his chair, lazily reaching out to stop the bowl of wine. His gaze lingered on Jiang Xiyun's face for a moment before he smiled and said, "It's not that big brother won't give you face, it's just that the wine shouldn't be toasted quite like this. How about this: you first toast the Elder Aunt and Madam, and then come toast me. How can a junior ever bypass their elders? Besides, this bowl is far too large; however much the elders drink, I shall drink the exact same amount."

Everyone was taken aback, and a trace of awkwardness flitted across Jiang Xiyun's face. Jiang Feiyun thought to herself, How can this do? The whole point was to have Fifth Younger Sister toast him so the matter would be set in stone and she could win that pendant. She hurriedly laughed aloud and said, "This was originally what Fifth Younger Sister wanted sincerely to toast Eldest Big Cousin with..."

Lin Jinlou, however, ignored her. He turned his head, pointed at a few cups on the table, and tapped his chin at Hongjian, saying, "Pour."

Lin Jinlou's word was always law, and Hongjian didn't dare disobey. Stealing a glance at Madam Qin and seeing that her expression remained calm, she withdrew her gaze and carefully poured the wine.