Against the Current - Chapter 61
Chapter 61 - Fools
Let us say that after hiding for a while, Xianglan quietly returned to take a look, and seeing that the Reran Pavilion was completely deserted, she couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
By this time, the poetry gathering was nearing its end; Madam Qin led several of the Lin family's young misses to stand at the garden entrance to see the guests off, and once everyone had departed, she gave a few instructions before returning to her room to rest.
The people scattered in twos and threes from Longcui Residence. Qinglan made the excuse of feeling fatigued and went off, leaning on Chunling's support.
In the end, only Mother Wu, Xianglan, and Xiaojuan remained.
Mother Wu muttered indignantly, "Look at this one; she's the first to snatch the credit, but when it's time for her to put in some effort, she sure knows how to dodge work!" She then shouted loudly, "Yindie! Where is Yindie? Where has that little hussy run off to?"
Xiaojuan pouted and said, "Who knows where she went. If you call her to do chores, naturally she's nowhere to be found; but if Mother were to shout at the top of your lungs, 'They're handing out silver coins!', I guarantee she'd be the very first one to leap out."
Mother Wu couldn't help laughing, and tapped Xiaojuan lightly on the forehead.
She went out to call a few matrons and older women to clean up Longcui Residence.
Once all sorts of items had been cleared away, Mother Wu pulled Xianglan aside to a secluded spot, fished out a small silver ingot worth two taels, shoved it into Xianglan's hand, and said, "Here, take this. This is what you've earned."
Xianglan was startled. "Why is there so much? Didn't Mother say it would just be an extra month's wages?"
Mother Wu smiled warmly and said, "You did a good job, so naturally you deserve a bigger reward. Take it. You've grown a circle thinner running around busy these past few days, and this silver is what you rightfully earned. Later on, I'll mention it to Auntie, and give you half a month of leave."
Xianglan no longer declined and thanked her repeatedly.
Following Mother Wu's instructions, she first made a trip to deliver some items to Huifeng Zhai, and on her way back, as she passed through a lush bamboo grove, she suddenly heard the sound of sobbing coming from within.
Xianglan stopped in her tracks and peeked inside to see Yindie crying bitterly while leaning against her older paternal cousin, Hanfang's, shoulder.
Hanfang was a second-class maid serving in Lin Dongling's quarters who held some standing; she was tall, fair-skinned, and although not as pretty as Yindie, she possessed a certain charm.
She wore a jade-colored jacquard beizi and sported a pure gold droplet hairpin on her head, looking very neat and refined.
They only heard Yindie crying, "...Who would have thought that Eldest Young Master wouldn't say a word and just slapped me across the face? How am I supposed to face people now... Sob, sob..."
Hanfang cupped Yindie's face, sighed, and said, "You're at fault too. Of who else could you pick to provoke, if not that living Yama?"
She looked left and right before saying, "This strike was a bit too ruthless; it's all swollen and red. It won't fade in three or four days. Later on, I'll find some medicinal ointment for you to smear on, though I wonder if it'll get any better..."
When she mentioned the "medicinal ointment," she recalled another matter. "Doesn't your room's Xianglan have a box of Crystal Jade Orchid Snow Ointment given by the Eldest Young Master? Everyone says that ointment has miraculous effects. Why don't you ask her for some to apply so the mark fades faster?"
It would have been better if Hanfang hadn't brought it up; at these words, Yindie wept even harder, cursing aloud, "I'd rather die than beg that little hussy! Ever since she got that ointment, she's been acting as if she's a cut above everyone else. Her stuff is for me to use? Bah! Didn't you see the way she fawns and flatters beside Mother Wu? It makes me sick to my stomach just looking at her! Sister, she's no good at all. Obviously, she's dying to get ahead in the world, yet she deliberately puts on this modest, low-profile act. What the hell did she have to do with the Auntie's poetry gathering? She just had to tag along and busy herself. She's clearly just showing off! Isn't she just trying to stand out so the Eldest Young Master will spare her another look or two? Who does she think she is?!"
Upon hearing this, Hanfang immediately arched her eyebrows in anger and said, "Xianglan does have pretty features, but I can tell at a glance she's not a settled person, and sure enough, my guess was right! A maid should act like a maid. Even the mistresses haven't gotten any ointment yet, and she manages to get a whole box. I hear Auntie Qinglan keeps her at a distance nowadays too. With that arrogant swagger, you can tell she's no crowd-pleaser!"
Hearing the two of them going back and forth like this, a faint, cold sneer curled the corners of Xianglan's lips.
What was the use of bustling about for the Auntie's poetry gathering? The use was enormous!
Her father was an honest, timid third steward who only scraped by on the meager stipend from the Lin estate and constantly had to send gifts to the head steward just to buy peace of mind and smooth sailing; her mother did mending and washed clothes for others just to earn a few meager coppers.
Her heart was set on removing her entire family from the servant registers, but all of that took silver to redeem themselves!
Besides, once freed from a lowly status, how were they supposed to make a living? Whether her father wanted to open a shop or her parents needed to provide for their old age, they needed a principal sum in their hands.
Right now, she couldn't paint freely within the estate, cutting off one of her sources of income.
At first, she hadn't wanted to take on the burden of the poetry gathering, but when Mother Wu mentioned getting an extra month's wages, her heart had leapt.
Right now, she ate chicken, duck, fish, and meat in the estate, but her parents were still eating meagerly, and only cooked meat when she came home.
She saw it all with her own eyes; she didn't say anything aloud, but her heart ached. With this silver, her mother could sew a few fewer pieces of work and wash a few fewer clothes, and her parents could eat better food to nourish their bodies.
Both Yindie and Hanfang came from prosperous servant families; their monthly wages were barely enough to buy face powder and hair oil, spent entirely on a couple of bright new garments. How could they possibly understand her thoughts and hardships?
Furthermore, ever since the Eldest Young Master gave her a box of ointment, the East Wing had turned bizarre.
With so much cold ridicule, so many attacks from all sides, even Qinglan treated her with indifference. Only Xiaojuan remained innocent and cheerful, maintaining a good friendship with her, while not a single other person spoke up for her.
Even Yindie, a mere third-class maid, dared to talk back and run wild against her. Why? Wasn't it just because Yindie's entire family consisted of hereditary servants with influence in the Lin estate?
Even though Qinglan had tried time and again to chase Yindie out of the East Wing, she had hesitated and never dared to take action.
Although Xianglan was kind-hearted and gentle of temperament, that didn't mean she was willing to be bullied.
Back when she was with Cao Lihuan, she had no choice and had to tread carefully every day. The mistress was one thing, but was she now expected to take abuse from a third-class maid?
Yindie was simply bullying her because she stood isolated and helpless within the Lin estate.
If one had no backing and merely remained blindly honest and low-profile, she feared she wouldn't even know how she died.
So, Xianglan had sought out a backer for herself: Mother Wu.
Mother Wu was an old-timer of the Lin family, originally Madam Qin's personal maid. Unlike the others, Lin Jinlou had even been suckled on her milk, making her the most respected among the old servants. Yet she didn't put on airs; she was amiable and fond of smiling, and her words carried immense weight.
Xianglan's dedicated and earnest work these past few days had won her great favor in Mother Wu's eyes.
With Mother Wu speaking up for her lately, Qinglan had grown somewhat warmer toward her, and by extension, Yindie had reined in her behavior considerably around her.
Moreover, everyone assumed this poetry gathering had been co-managed by Mother Wu and Auntie Qinglan. For Qinglan's face and reputation, Mother Wu would never leak the inner story of this matter to outsiders.
As for this whole poetry gathering affair, it had earned her silver while securing a backer and an ally—truly killing two birds with one stone.
Yet today, Lin Jinlou had come looking for her again.
Xianglan felt that didn't bode well; she calculated in her heart to ask Mother Wu for leave afterward, go home for half a month first to dodge the limelight, and let Lin Jinlou's romantic interest cool down.
Besides... deep down she still harbored a sliver of hope, which was that Song Ke might buy out her contract and take her away. That way, getting her humble household registration removed later on would become much simpler—perhaps Song Ke might even grant her freedom with a single command, who knew?
She carefully plotted her future within the Lin estate, playing chess by looking three steps ahead for every move she made.
How could someone with such deep calculations ever be understood by narrow-minded fools of Yindie's caliber?
Hearing Hanfang vaguely gossiping about her as "not being a crowd-pleaser," Xianglan couldn't help but shake her head.
She had never once considered how to become a slick, smooth, all-pleasing good servant who won the utmost favor of her masters. She merely wanted to do her best to make her life in the Lin household comfortable, earn more silver, and free herself from servitude sooner.
Whoever wanted to be an ingratiating servant could go right ahead and be one—Chen Xianglan would not be keeping them company!