Against the Current - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Entering the Estate (Part 2)

Early spring brought a lingering chill to the air. In the courtyard outside the second gate of the Lin estate, upwards of twenty young girls stood waiting. Xianglan wore a somewhat worn apricot-red tunic, her hair twisted into double-knots, and held a bundle wrapped in patterned cloth. She stood at the very end of the line. The girl standing just before her was around eleven or twelve years old, dressed in a relatively new patterned cotton jacket, with a round face, large eyes, and fair skin that looked exceptionally endearing. She turned around and smiled at Xianglan, saying, "My surname is Liang, and my parents call me Juanzi. I was just bought into the estate today. Where are you from, sister?"

Xianglan smiled back and said, "My name is Chen Xianglan, and I am a hereditary bondservant of the Lin family."

The two exchanged a few casual words and struck up a conversation. Juanzi had an innocent disposition and a brisk, lively way of speaking, and within moments they grew familiar with one another. Juanzi asked, "I wonder where we'll be sent to serve in the future. Since you're a hereditary servant, you must know a good deal about what goes on inside the Lin household! What masters, mistresses, young masters, and young misses are there in the family? Hurry up and tell me about them."

Xianglan thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "The Elder Master, Lin Zhaoxiang, originally served as the Minister of Rites, and later retired to his hometown. After the Emperor ascended the throne, there was talk of recalling him to service, but because of an old ailment, the Elder Master only served as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy for five years before retiring back home. The Elder Master has only two sons. The eldest legitimate son, Lin Changzheng, placed in the metropolitan examinations and was appointed as a Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. After serving away in the provinces for a few years, he returned to the capital to enter the Hanlin Academy, and after several more years, transferred to become the Junior Vice Minister of Revenue. He married a lady of a noble lineage, the Qin family, and they have three sons and three daughters. Lin Jinlou is the eldest legitimate son, and he married Lady Zhao of a prominent clan; Lin Jinxiang is the second son, born of a concubine, and is not yet betrothed; Lin Jinyuan is the youngest legitimate son and is still quite young; the eldest daughter, given the personal name Dongwan, is born of a concubine; the second daughter is the legitimate Lin Dongxiu; and the third daughter is the concubine-born Lin Dongxiu."

Yang Jun interjected—wait, no, Juanzi said, "Does that mean the Elder Master's family is still living in the capital?"

Xianglan nodded and added, "However, the Elder Master's eldest son, Young Master Lou, was raised by the side of the Elder Master and Elder Mistress since he was a child."

The two were chatting quietly when Second Steward Yang Zhong stepped out and announced, "Quiet down. Young Master Lou will be coming personally to inspect you shortly, so don't make fools of yourselves."

The surroundings instantly fell silent as the girls looked at one another in apprehension and ceased talking. Xianglan clutched her bundle and looked up to see a young gentleman of about twenty-four or twenty-five walking out from the moon gate. He wore a dark green everyday robe embroidered with orchid patterns in circular medallions. A crown of gold and jade bound his raven-black hair. His build was tall and upright, with broad shoulders and a deep chest. His features were bold and striking, and his eyes gleamed like cold stars. He radiated authority, majesty, dignity, and effortless elegance. It was none other than Lin Jinlou, the eldest legitimate grandson of the Lin household.

These girls were anywhere from eight or nine to thirteen or fourteen years old. Some blushed and abruptly lowered their heads, some shrank back in shyness, and others hid behind companions to steal glances outward. Xianglan felt a slight jolt run through her. I saw him twice when we were little, she thought to herself. Back then he was just a porcelain-doll toddler—headstrong, tyrannical, and outrageously mischievous, universally dubbed a veritable earthly tyrant. Fourteen years have passed, and he has grown into this appearance. He looks far more refined now. As she thought of how this man had once been considered as a match for her in marriage, strange ripples stirred within her heart.

Yang Zhong shouted, "Line up properly! Have you all forgotten the instructions just given?" He rearranged the girls into a single file and handed the roster to Lin Jinlou, reporting, "There are fifteen girls in total—ten hereditary servants and five purchased outsiders. Please review them, Young Master."

Lin Jinlou took the roster, cross-referenced it with the girls standing before him, and then drew a ink line through several names with a brush, demanding, "Didn't I make it clear? I wanted girls of upright appearance. Do these few qualify as upright?"

Yang Zhong stooped, offering an ingratiating smile as he explained, "Some of them may be a bit rough in appearance, but they are exceptionally clever with their hands and can handle fine needlework..."

Lin Jinlou cast a sidelong glance at Yang Zhong. "Does the estate really lack those who can do needlework? A maid must first of all be pleasing to the eye so that having her placed in a room brings comfort. Yang Zhong, you are usually sharp enough; how could you be unclear about this? Could it be that some hereditary servants bribed you to push their daughters or nieces in?"

Yang Zhong cried out in grievance, "My good master, how could this humble servant dare!"

Lin Jinlou let out a cold hum, ordered the rejected girls to be led away, and proceeded to question the remaining ones individually. He assigned them new names, changing Juanzi's name to "Xiaojuan." When he reached Xianglan, a young page named Shuangxi came running up, calling out, "Young Master! Two stewards have arrived from the docks and are waiting in the outer courtyard to see you. They say there is an urgent matter."

Lin Jinlou immediately said, "I'm going right now." As he turned to leave, he remembered that the very last girl had not yet been questioned. He drew a circle around Xianglan's name on the roster as a marker, intending to question her later, and thrust the roster back to Yang Zhong. "That's all of them. Take them to the Jihong Pavilion and have the senior nursemaids thoroughly drill them in the rules for a few days." With that, he strode away in a hurry.

Yang Zhong called Yang Hongying over, handed her the roster and the ten selected maids, and Yang Hongying immediately led them toward the Jihong Pavilion. Xianglan hugged her bundle and walked at the very end of the procession, gazing about curiously along the way. They passed through the inner courtyard's small corridor, stepped onto the winding covered walkway, and suddenly found their view opening up into a breathtaking vista. Everywhere featured carved beams and painted pillars, exotic flowers and rare herbs. A meandering stream wound beneath the corridor, spilling from the depths of the foliage into a small pond encircled by grotesque ornamental rocks, looking entirely like a celestial realm.

Xianglan felt her eyes could scarcely take it all in. Suddenly, she recalled how her past life had been spent within a grand courtyard deep in the capital, where the scenery was even more magnificent than this. Now that her family had been ruined and destroyed, it matched the verse precisely: The carved balustrades and jade steps should still remain, but only the rosy faces have altered. Circling around a large blackwood cloud-headed screen carved with landscapes, she caught sight of a hall four bays wide, behind which lay the main residential courtyard. A maid wearing a silver-red vest stood upon the steps, calling out to Yang Hongying, "Why are you only just now arriving? I've been waiting here for ages!"

This maid was named Yingshuang, personal attendant to Lin Jinlou's wife, Zhao Yuechan. Yang Hongying had long known that Zhao Yuechan and the servants in her circle were sharp-clawed, aggressive, and difficult to get along with, which inevitably gave her a headache. Nonetheless, she plastered a smile onto her face, hurried forward, and asked, "I wasn't aware you were looking for me. What is the matter?"

Yingshuang's demeanor was haughty and aloof. Without answering, she glanced down the steps and remarked, "Are these the maids the Young Master selected? Just this small handful?" Without waiting for Yang Hongying to reply, she snatched the roster right out of her hand, turned around, and commanded, "Bring them all inside. The First Young Mistress wishes to inspect them personally."

With no other choice, Yang Hongying had to lead Xianglan and the others inside. Upon entering the main hall, Xianglan lifted her gaze slightly to look up. Seated on the chair directly opposite was a woman of dazzling, breathtaking beauty. She wore a kingfisher-feather inlaid hairpin with dangling pearl Ruyi ornaments, and an intertwined gold necklace set with mutton-fat jade hung about her neck. From her waist hung a long palace sash adorned with multicolored silk flower knots and tassels. She wore a patterned robe of dual-toned gold peonies over a rose-purple pleated skirt. Two delicate, upswept brows framed a pair of watery peach-blossom eyes. Her brilliance rivaled peaches and plums, and every shifting glance of her eyes carried an unintended, flirtatious allure brimming with immense charm and elegance.

Yingshuang hurried forward to report to the woman, "First Young Mistress, the people have been brought in."

Zhao Yuechan picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said indifferently, "Weren't there over twenty people brought in? Why are there only so few left?" She glanced at Yang Hongying as she spoke.

Yang Hongying hastily replied, "These were personally selected by the Young Master himself, and the rest were all sent back."

Zhao Yuechan sneered, "I'd like to see just how good the Young Master's taste is. All of you, raise your heads so I can take a look."

Everyone lifted their heads. Zhao Yuechan scrutinized them closely until her eyes landed on a small maid dressed in a brand-new lake-blue dress. The girl possessed a delicate, pretty oval face and darting, restless eyes. Zhao Yuechan pointed at her and asked, "What is your name?"

The girl started in fright and answered timidly, "My name is... the Young Master just renamed me Yindie."

Zhao Yuechan said coldly, "Listen to that—still calling herself Yindie, always picking such frivolous, seductive names." The room fell dead silent, and no one dared to breathe a word. Xianglan thought to herself: This First Young Mistress looks like a celestial being, but her temper and disposition are like a rakshasa; she's hardly endearing. Because Zhao Yuechan was illiterate, she ordered Yingshuang to read out the names on the roster. When Yingshuang reached the very last name, she paused slightly, brought the roster over to Zhao Yuechan, pointed at Xianglan's name, and said in a low voice, "Mistress, the Young Master drew a brush circle around this girl named Xianglan's name."

Zhao Yuechan arched an eyebrow and demanded, "Who is called Xianglan?"

Xianglan stepped forward and said, "It is me."

Zhao Yuechan looked Xianglan up and down several times. Seeing that the girl possessed a spiritual, graceful appearance and an otherworldly temperament, her expression grew dark and gloomy. She thought to herself: I knew when he was in such a frantic rush for me to buy maids that there was an ulterior motive. It wasn't because "his parents and siblings were living comfortably at home"—it was entirely for his own base, sordid intentions. Just as I expected! The more she looked at Xianglan, the more displeased she felt. At that moment, she heard Yingshuang whisper quietly, "Does the Mistress intend to drive this little slut out? That simply won't do. Since the Young Master circled her name, it means he has already taken an interest in her. You've been at odds with the Young Master lately anyway; if you drive away someone he personally fancied, wouldn't you just be adding fuel to his irritation?"

Zhao Yuechan stiffened her face and said, "I'll be irritated whether I drive her out or not."

Yingshuang suggested, "I have an idea. Why not send her off to some desolate and out-of-the-way place? Perhaps the Young Master only acted on a whim and will forget about her later on. If he truly doesn't remember her, we can easily dispatch her out of the estate when the time comes. The Old Mistress has only these few days left; once the Old Mistress passes away, no matter how many schemes the Young Master hatches, it won't matter."

Zhao Yuechan asked, "And what if the Young Master asks about her?"

Yingshuang replied, "We'll stall him first. If we can't stall him, isn't the girl still right here in the estate?"

Zhao Yuechan thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and said to Yang Hongying, "Xianglan stays; take the rest of them away."

Yang Hongying thought to herself: The First Young Mistress picked out the girl with the most striking appearance the moment she opened her mouth. Who knows what will become of this little girl in the future? Worrying for Xianglan, she cast a troubled glance at her, but dared not argue. She hurriedly led the rest of the girls away. Juanzi kept turning her head back to look at Xianglan, looking thoroughly reluctant to part.

Zhao Yuechan instructed Yingshuang, "Take her to the Luoxue Lodge. Coincidentally, the Cousin Mistress asked me for a servant a few days ago, saying she didn't have any maids at her disposal. Go tell her that this girl belongs to her now."

Yingshuang received the order, led the girls out, and Xianglan furrowed her brows with an inner thought: What kind of person is this Cousin Mistress? How come I've never heard of her before?

"The Cousin Mistress is the maternal granddaughter of the Elder Master's second sister," Yingshuang glanced sideways at Xianglan. "Her elders passed away early, and her brother and sister-in-law's family fortunes are modest, so she came to seek refuge with us." Yingshuang continued, "You must serve her diligently. The Cousin Mistress was betrothed in her youth, and she's only staying in our family for a year or two at most. Once the mourning period is over, she will be married. When the time comes for her to be carried out from our Lin family for her wedding, it will bring glory to your face as well."

Xianglan sneered inwardly: She's nothing more than a maid herself, yet she keeps saying 'us' and 'our Lin family'—it's utterly laughable. Keeping her expression completely blank, she lowered her gaze and walked obediently forward.

Yingshuang led the two of them for a long distance until they came upon a delicate, compact building situated right by the water. It was three bays wide—one central hall and two side rooms—built with uniform polished grey brick walls and black barrel-tiled roofs, completely devoid of any red or pink decorative paint. A tall, sturdy-looking elderly woman of around fifty was sitting by the front door washing clothes. When she saw Yingshuang approach, she stood up and shouted toward the interior, "Miss Huan, Yingshuang is here!" With that, she leaned against the doorframe, her large eyes rolling around as she sized Xianglan up from head to toe.