Against the Current - Chapter 48

Chapter 48 - Returning to the Mansion

At three quarters past the hour of you, Xianglan took a small sedan chair back to the mansion. By this time, dinner had just concluded within the estate, and the garden gates were about to be locked. Lanterns had been lit in every room, and everything was quiet all around. Xianglan chose a shady, secluded path to walk. As she reached the back gate of the Zhichun Hall courtyard, she vaguely caught sight of two figures standing and talking behind an odd-shaped rock. Walking a little closer and peering through the gathering dusk, she saw to her surprise that the two people were none other than Yingshuang and Yindie.

Startled, Xianglan hurriedly quickened her pace and hid behind a corner, cautiously poking her head out to take a look. Yingshuang was whispering instructions to Yindie, who nodded from time to time. At the end, Yingshuang drew some loose silver coins from her sleeve and pressed them into Yindie's hands. After a token resistance of a couple of refusals, Yindie smoothly slipped the silver into her own sleeve.

Xianglan thought to herself in secret, "Could it be that Yingshuang is trying to buy off Yindie? I must be extra cautious around her from now on."

With these thoughts, she took a wide detour and entered through the front gate, going to the east wing to express her gratitude to Qinglan. Qinglan was resting with her eyes closed on a daybed by the window, swaying a fan and wearing a white silk tunic paired with a patterned floral silk skirt, casually inquiring about how things were at Xianglan's home. Seeing that Qinglan was not feeling very energetic, Xianglan kowtowed once and withdrew.

When she returned to their room, Yindie had already come back inside. She was sitting on the bed with her knees pulled up in her arms, her gaze fixed blankly into the distance. Seeing Xianglan, Xiaojuan hopped over with a bounce and smiled, "You're back! Is everything well at home?"

Xianglan smiled and replied, "Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts; everything is well at home." As she spoke, she took out the sweet preserves she had bought from the shop and shared them with everyone.

Just then, Chunling stepped into the room. After exchanging a greeting with Xianglan, she turned her head and caught sight of Yindie. Her brows instantly knitted in anger as she pointed and scolded, "I already told you that the concubine wanted to take a bath and told you to go urge for hot water. But look at you, sitting on the bed like a mistress! Do you expect us to set up an incense burner and worship you?"

Startled, Yindie scrambled down from the bed and bolted out to urge for the water, while Chunling chased after her, hurling insults: "Clueless, base creature, you really think you're a lady of the house!"

Seeing that the commotion was getting out of hand—several young maids from the main quarters were already standing in the courtyard and peeking over toward their side—Xianglan pulled Chunling back and smiled, "Elder sister, do calm down. Let me pour you a bowl of tea."

Chunling used her small handkerchief to fan herself at her chest and fumed, "Just looking at her attitude makes my blood boil! You weren't in the mansion today so you don't know—that little hussy shamelessly threw herself at the eldest young master. She made a scented sachet and sidled up to him, claiming she wanted to help adjust his clothes, and then reached right out to touch him. Who would have thought the moment she reached out, she'd run right into the concubine? Thank goodness our concubine has a gentle disposition and didn't humiliate her on the spot; she only dealt with her after the eldest young master left, docking three months of her rice allowance."

Xianglan's jaw dropped in astonishment. "She... she had the sheer audacity..."

Chunling snorted. "It wasn't just audacity; she's completely out of her mind. In private, she even claims she's been wronged, whining to anyone who doesn't know the truth, 'I was merely adjusting the eldest young master's clothes and got punished for it,' and she even dragged both Xiaojuan and me into her complaints." Lowering her voice, she added, "I'll tell you this quietly, so don't go spreading it. I heard Mother Wu say that the concubine is planning to summon Yindie's parents into the mansion in a few days and have them take her back home."

Xianglan remarked, "If that really happens, she'll have lost all face completely."

Chunling covered her mouth with a giggle. "Indeed! Once she's gone, the rest of us can have some peace and quiet." With that, she hummed a little tune, turned on her heel, and walked out.

That evening, Lin Jinlou came to the east wing for dinner. Qinglan hurriedly instructed the kitchen to add two dishes that Lin Jinlou particularly liked and had fresh soup brewed. Everyone in the east wing bustled about in a flurry of activity. Qinglan used a painted-enamel petal-shaped wine vessel to warm a pot of wine for Lin Jinlou, accompanying him with tea herself, creating a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.

Chunling eagerly rushed to serve at the front, allowing Xianglan to steal some leisure. She stayed in the tearoom, tending to the stove on one side while doing needlework on the other. Suddenly hearing a commotion at the doorway, she looked up to see Mother Wu walk in. Mother Wu sat down on a small stool beside Xianglan, fanned herself with her hand, and said, "This room is like a little steamer, yet you're able to just sit here."

Xianglan smiled. "It's quiet here, so I don't mind the heat." With these words, she lifted the copper kettle from the stove and poured Mother Wu a cup of tea.

Mother Wu's face broke into wrinkles of pleasure as she smiled. "Today is certainly lively in the east wing. The eldest young master has come to rest with us for several days in a row, and the one in the main quarters hasn't paid him the slightest mind. At this rate, he'll likely be sleeping right here tonight."

Xianglan asked, "What will happen if the eldest young madam gets angry?"

Mother Wu gave a cold snort. "Who cares if she's angry or not? First Madam found a host of irregularities while auditing the accounts, and she's already furious with her. Moreover, the eldest young master can't be bothered to pay her any heed. Aside from Second Madam, whose heart occasionally softens and sends people over with a few trifles, who in the entire household would even give her the time of day?" Leaning close to Xianglan's ear, she dropped her voice and said, "I heard the concubine mention in passing once that the eldest young master is thinking of... divorcing her once the mourning period ends."

Xianglan was utterly stunned, her eyes widening in disbelief. "A divorce? This is no laughing matter..."

Mother Wu sighed. "I said the same. The Zhao family will certainly not let the matter rest. Even though the eldest young madam's paternal family only holds a sixth-rank post, the Zhao clan as a whole is a prominent lineage with quite a few members serving as officials at court. I'm afraid it won't look good once a fuss is kicked up. This is merely what the eldest young master has in mind, after all... Ah, even if they truly divorce, our concubine might not necessarily be elevated to the primary wife's position." Her expression turning stern, she added, "What I've just told you must never be breathed to anyone else—not even Xiaojuan or Chunling. The concubine holds you in special regard, which is why I've shared these words with you."

Xianglan nodded and said, "Mother Wu can rest assured; I will never speak of it." Before her voice had even faded, Chunling came running in, grabbed Xianglan by the hand, and urged, "The eldest young master told me to deliver something to First Madam, and they're short of hands out front. Hurry up and take the pastries into the inner rooms on a tray."

With no other choice, Xianglan went to the small kitchen, accepted four plates of pastries from the cook, placed them on a tray, and entered the bedchamber. Walking in with lowered eyes and glancing sideways from beneath her lashes, she saw Lin Jinlou and Qinglan dining on the large brick-bed behind the beaded gauze partition. On the kang sat a red-lacquered mother-of-pearl inlaid kang table with gold accents, laden completely with wine and fine dishes. Lin Jinlou was half- reclining on the inner side, leaning against a dark-blue satin bolster embroidered with scattered ink-wash patterns. His hair was already unbound as he had changed into casual indoor garments, his robe parted halfway to reveal his robust chest. He held a fine-porcelain wine cup adorned with golden floral designs from the imperial treasury, his bearing free and uninhibited. Qinglan sat beside the kang table, holding chopsticks to feed Lin Jinlou, and whenever his wine cup emptied, she picked up the flagon to refill it.

Xianglan stepped forward cautiously, placed the plate of pastries on the table, and removed two dishes that were no longer being touched. Catching sight of Xianglan entering, Lin Jinlou felt a jolt in his chest and narrowed his eyes. Ever since that brief exchange between him and Xianglan last time, for some reason, that luminous and ethereal face kept lingering in his mind. Yet whenever he came to the east wing afterward, he could never catch sight of the little maid. He had visited for several days running and even hinted about the girl to Qinglan on multiple occasions. To his annoyance, Qinglan proved entirely oblivious, failing to catch his drift and letting his words pass in one ear and out the other. Remembering Xianglan's mention that she only did needlework in the back and never came forward to pour tea or serve water, he had deliberately detoured to the tearoom to check, but still failed to find her. He had hardly expected to run into her here today.

Lin Jinlou sipped a fraction of his wine and instructed Xianglan, "You stay here and serve. You are not allowed to go anywhere else."

Reluctant in the extreme, Xianglan had no alternative but to obediently stand about a zhang away from the beaded gauze partition to await orders. To make matters worse, Lin Jinlou proved thoroughly vexing—first complaining that the wine was too cold, then that the dish was too bland, deliberately finding errands for her to run back and forth. Presently, he called out again, "I've been running about all over the place these past few days, and my legs ache. You—come here and massage my legs for me."

Hearing this, Qinglan immediately moved to massage Lin Jinlou's feet herself. Lin Jinlou stopped her in a hurry, taking her hand with a smile. "You're carrying a child; how could I bear to wear you out? Just have a maid do the kneading and pressing."

Xianglan had no choice but to pick up a massage mallet and step to the edge of the kang to beat Lin Jinlou's legs. Yet even then he remained unsatisfied, grunting, "Use your hands. The mallet is too hard and stiff; it's not comfortable for your master."

With his eyes half-closed, Lin Jinlou watched Xianglan obediently clenching her fists to massage his legs. Her two hands felt like balls of cotton, patting against him as though brushing away an itch, yet he found it exceedingly comfortable. Especially since he was ordering Xianglan around to do this and that, keeping her bustling busily in a circle around him, it filled him with a profound sense of satisfaction.

When the meal was finally over, Xianglan shook her aching hands, picked up the tray to clear the table, and heard Lin Jinlou point to two dishes on the table. "These two plates of pastries, along with a bowl of congee, are a reward for you. Finish eating them before you come back to help me wash up."

Xianglan accepted the reward and walked outside. Upon looking down at the plates, she saw honeyed lotus root pastries, glutinous rice cakes, white kidney bean rolls, pigeon crystal terrines, creamy pineapple gelatin, and shredded meat puff pastry rolls, accompanied by a bowl of polished japonica rice and bird's nest congee—all of them the most exquisite delicacies. Ordinarily, even if such dishes were left over, they would be saved for the master's subsequent meals.

Xianglan thought to herself, "These two plates of pastries were just ordered from the kitchen because he wanted to keep me busy, and not a single bite was touched. I wonder if this young master is just soft-hearted toward servants and loves giving out good treats, or if he's simply profligate, throwing gold and silver away without a care for saving." She never suspected any alternative motive and cheerfully carried the pastries back to the tearoom, setting aside two sweet, rich pieces for Xiaojuan and devouring the rest entirely.

Suddenly, a maid's voice rang out from the doorway: "The eldest young madam is here!"