Against the Current - Chapter 82

Chapter 82 - Delirious Ranting

As Xianglan drifted between consciousness and oblivion, she found herself trapped in a dream. In the vision, she was back in her past life, attired in a vibrant crimson bridal gown while a grand wedding procession stretched endlessly before her. Half the townsfolk spilled out onto the streets in a commotion, craning their necks to catch a glimpse. Just before she mounted the palanquin, her mother grasped her hands and wept, saying, "My child, once you go away this time, it won't be like staying at home. Your mother is only afraid you will suffer grievances..."

She looked into her mother's face, gripping her hands with all her might, yet words failed her. Suddenly, that face seemed to shift and transform into Madam Xue's. The dream morphed again, and she saw both Madam Xue and Chen Wanquan being sold off together by Zhao Yuechan, while the muffled weeping of her parents echoed in her ears. Burning with frantic anxiety, she desperately wanted to save them and thrashed with all her might, jolting herself awake.

Her vision was filled with greenish bed curtains. Xianglan stirred, feeling utterly devoid of strength. A strip of cloth was bound tightly around her head, and though her head still felt heavy and muddled, the injuries on her face no longer burned with that fierce, stinging pain of the past two days. Reaching up to touch her face, her fingers brushed against a layer of medicinal ointment. She struggled to push herself up and drew back the curtains, only to find a maid sitting on the embroidered stool beside the bed, wearing a silver-red jacket trimmed with contrasting piping and a dark green skirt, head bowed as she worked on a piece of embroidery.

Noticing the movement, the maid promptly laid down her needlework, stepped forward, and said, "Amitabha, you're finally awake, miss! You've slept straight through for two whole days." Her hand came up to feel Xianglan's forehead as she murmured, "There's still some fever, but it's much better than last night." With brisk, practiced movements, she fetched a bowl of warm water, used a small silver spoon to feed Xianglan a mouthful at a time, and gently dabbed the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.

Just as Xianglan wanted to ask a question, the maid set the bowl aside and darted out like a gust of wind. Moments later, Song柯 walked in, took a seat beside her, and said gently, "How are you feeling? The physician came and said you're suffering from external contraction and qi stagnation, with blockages throughout your five viscera. Coupled with excessive overthinking and catching a chill, your illness finally erupted. After taking a few doses of medicine and recovering properly, you'll be right as rain."

Seeing Xianglan staring at him with a pair of clear, bright eyes, Song Ke lowered his gaze, coughed lightly, and continued, "The injuries on your face are superficial. The physician said that thankfully the person who struck you lacked physical strength, otherwise this face of yours would have been completely ruined." After saying this, he looked back at Xianglan and, noticing she was still staring fixedly at him, thought to herself: Young girls care deeply about their appearance, and she is naturally a beauty. If her face were truly ruined, she would likely suffer deeply in her heart, and recovering from this illness would be even harder. He then added, "Two kinds of ointment have been applied to your face—one is top-tier wound-healing powder, and the other is Qianjintang's muscle-regenerating paste. The swelling has already gone down quite a bit over the past two days, and I reckon it will heal before long."

Xianglan nodded slightly. Her lips moved, but she felt a twinge of pain in her face, so she traced her finger across the quilt to write the word "Thank you." After looking at it twice to decipher it, Song Ke smiled and said, "It's nothing. I originally intended to bring you over to serve by my side anyway, but Jinling refused to let you go."

Xianglan continued to watch him, and Song Ke noticed a faint trace of a smile lingering in those eyes. His own heart lightened with cheer as he said, "There's some porridge in the kitchen. If you're hungry, have Yuexi and the others heat up a bowl for you."

Xianglan shook her head and traced her finger across the quilt again, writing the two characters for "Parents."

Song Ke nodded to himself, thinking that even in such dire circumstances, Xianglan was still thinking of her parents and family. He hadn't misjudged her; she truly was a filial and steadfast person. He said, "I will have your parents brought over together. I'll speak with Xiuhong later and have him ask Eldest Madam of the Lin family for their release."

Only then did Xianglan's heart finally settle. A flood of deep gratitude welled within her, yet she lacked the strength to voice it, and her energy completely spent, her head drooped against the pillow as she drifted right back to sleep.

Song Ke was taken aback. Having a modest grasp of medicine himself, he checked her pulse and realized Xianglan had simply exhausted herself into sleep. He immediately called the maid back, gave a few instructions, and then tiptoed quietly out of the room.

Thus, Xianglan settled into her new quarters in the side room adjoining Song Ke's bedchamber. There were only two maids in Song Ke's quarters, sisters named Junxi and Yuexi. Both appeared sharp and refined, neither of them gossips, and they cared for Xianglan with utmost dedication, occasionally sharing news about the Song family.

The next day, Song Ke came specifically to tell Xianglan, "I've already secured your father and mother. Your father is now working as the second manager at our family's antique shop, and your mother has gone to stay with him there. However, since you're still recovering, having you meet right now would inevitably distress your parents. Once you've regained your health, I'll let you go home for a few days." With that, he produced a brand-new lined jacket and said, "Your mother just made this and asked me to bring it over."

At a single glance, Xianglan recognized Madam Xue's needlework. Tears welled up in her eyes, and silently clutching the jacket to her bosom, she struggled to scramble up from the bed and kowtowed once to Song Ke right there on the mattress.

Song Ke hurried forward to support her, saying, "You haven't recovered yet, why are you putting yourself through such a tussle? Have you not taken enough medicine yet? Lie back down at once!" Just then, a junior servant from the front courtyard came to report a visitor, forcing Song Ke to leave. Before departing, he strictly instructed Junxi and Yuexi to look after her properly.

Song Ke had originally assumed that once Xianglan received word of her parents, her condition would improve. However, the moment her long-anxious heart finally relaxed, her entire body seemed to collapse. As the saying goes, "illness arrives like a landslide and departs like unraveling silk." This bout of sickness brought out every latent ailment she had accumulated while trapped inside the Lin family manor. Though the injuries on her face steadily healed, she remained trapped in a hazy fever that stubbornly refused to break. Growing increasingly anxious, Song Ke went through three different physicians in a row, yet none of them could cure her.

One evening while Junxi and Yuexi were attending to her in the room, they suddenly heard Xianglan mutter, "The Crown Prince has been driven to his death by the Eighth Prince, and our entire household is going to be executed... Grandfather, Father, Mother, little brothers, little sisters, run as fast as you can... Don't let yourselves be caught..." A moment later, she babbled again, "Eldest Miss Cousin, this servant was wrong, please stop beating me..."

Hearing the words "executed," the two maids were startled. They crept closer to the bed, nudged Xianglan gently, and whispered, "Sister Xianglan, Sister Xianglan." Seeing that Xianglan remained unresponsive and feeling the blazing heat of her forehead, they realized she was talking nonsense in a fever delirium. Just then, they heard Xianglan cry out, "Cao Lihuan, I am by no means afraid of you! If circumstances hadn't forced my hand, why would I ever swallow my pride and endure you! Zhao Yuechan, what a venomous heart you have—aren't you truly afraid of karmic retribution in the netherworld?!"

Junxi and Yuexi exchanged terrified glances, their hearts pounding with fright, and quickly pulled down the bed curtains. While Junxi stood guard by the bed, Yuexi hurried out to the front of the study and knocked on the door.

Song Ke was deep in late-night study for the upcoming spring imperial examinations. Hearing Yuexi enter, he laid down his book and asked, "What is it?"

Yuexi replied, "Sister Xianglan is doing rather poorly, muttering endless nonsense in a fever. I'm afraid she's going to burn her mind out."

Song Ke immediately hurried over to the side room. Pushing aside the curtains, he saw Xianglan lying with her eyes tightly shut, looking on the verge of collapse. His heart sank, and his lips tightened into a firm line.

After a moment of thought, Junxi suggested, "Master, why don't you take your calling card and ask Third Master Lin to send Divine Physician Luo from the Lin family's Jiyantang pharmacy to examine her? His medical skills are exceptionally brilliant."

Song Ke hesitated. He knew full well that Divine Physician Luo was brilliant, but the man practiced out of the Lin family's private pharmacy, frequently moved through the inner quarters of the Lin manor, and was intimately familiar with the family's affairs. If he saw Xianglan and recognized her later, it could easily cause trouble. Song Ke had originally planned to keep Xianglan hidden within his household until he passed the imperial examinations next year, secured an official post with money, and then fled with his entire family to take up his assignment, breaking completely away from the Lin family's sphere of influence before making any further moves.

As he still hesitated, he heard Xianglan murmur softly, "It hurts so much..." A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

A pang of heartache struck Song Ke, washing away his remaining hesitation. He immediately picked up his brush and wrote a calling card for Tingting. Before long, Divine Physician Luo arrived. Seeing the bed curtains drawn tightly shut and the patient's wrist extended from behind them covered in a handkerchief, he assumed Xianglan was either an unusual maid in Song Ke's quarters or a young lady of the Song family. He took her pulse and wrote out a fresh prescription.

Shortly after, as Yuexi went off to decoct the medicine, Junxi leaned in close and whispered, "Did you hear what she said just now? Xianglan was babbling about 'the Crown Prince,' the 'Eighth Prince,' and being 'executed.'"

Startled, Yuexi glanced left and right before lowering her voice to warn, "Hear it and treat it as if you heard nothing. Let it rot right here in your stomach—she's just out of her mind from the fever."

Junxi stuck out her tongue and dropped the subject.

After taking two doses of Divine Physician Luo's medicine, Xianglan's symptoms finally began to subside. Naturally, Song Ke instructed the kitchen to prepare rotating varieties of nourishing soups and broths for her. During this recovery period, Xianglan learned three pieces of news from the maids and junior servants: first, Lin Dongqi had become betrothed to the second young master of the State Duke's household, and the six rites of marriage would be performed the moment Old Dowager Zeng's mourning period ended; second, Lin Jinlou's concubine-in-waiting Huamei had returned home for a brief visit when a fire mysteriously broke out at her home, after which both Huamei and her maid Xique vanished without a trace; third, Qinglan's funeral had already concluded. Although she received a decent burial, as a mere concubine she was barred from entering the Lin family ancestral cemetery, and was instead interred at a scenic plot surrounded by hills and streams.

Xianglan let out a long sigh. As her health gradually recovered and the swelling on her face faded by more than half—leaving only lingering bruises that were no longer terrifying to look at—Song Ke arranged for her to meet the Chen couple in a small room near the second gatehouse once she regained her vigor. The moment Madam Xue laid eyes on Xianglan's battered appearance, large teardrops rolled down her cheeks like shattered beads, and Chen Wanquan's eyes reddened as well.

The family of three sat facing one another in silence for a long time before Xianglan forced back her tears and smiled, saying, "Everything is fine now. Our family is reunited once more, what is there left to cry about?"

Madam Xue croaked through a hoarse voice, "How can you say everything is fine? Just look at what they've done to your face..." With that, she burst into fresh tears.

Noticing that no one else was around, Chen Wanquan lowered his voice and asked, "What on earth happened here? Earlier, rumors were flying everywhere that the Eldest Master had taken a fancy to you and intended to elevate you as his favored mistress. How did you end up being bought by Master Song instead?"

Xianglan lowered her gaze. "It was precisely because the Eldest Master favored me that the Eldest Madam could not tolerate my existence. She subjected me to a brutal beating and tried to sell me into a brothel. Fortunately, Master Song bought me... But this matter was handled with the utmost secrecy, and Father and Mother must keep your mouths tightly shut. If the Eldest Madam and the others ever found out, it would only spell trouble."

Hearing the word "brothel," the couple drew in sharp breaths of cold air, shaking their heads like rattling drums. "We won't, we won't, we will never speak of it. Master Song already warned us—even if our tongues slip, we must never leak a single word."

Chen Wanquan added, "You can set your mind at ease. Because we left the Lin household, your mother and I have moved into the alley directly behind the Song residence. That neighborhood is exceptionally quiet, and hardly anyone knows us there."

Madam Xue sighed, "Master Song truly is a compassionate man. He bought your father and me simply so our family wouldn't be torn apart. Later, I must go kowtow to him a few times to thank him for his boundless mercy." As she spoke, she turned her gaze back to Xianglan, her heart aching as if pierced by knives.

Chen Wanquan looked at his beloved daughter with equal heartache, swallowing hard to blink away his tears before putting on a stern face to scold, "This is all the consequence of your own stubbornness and willful behavior! If you hadn't insisted on entering the manor in the first place, and had obediently married Manager Liu's son, by now you'd be the respected mistress of an ordinary household, living in comfort. How could you ever have suffered this kind of torment? But you looked down on the Liu family just because they were also servants of the Lin household, and you thought their son was simple-minded. Yet you didn't even look in the mirror at your own father—wasn't I born a servant too? What wild, delusional dreams were you chasing? Look at where it's gotten you now—you've brought suffering upon yourself!"

Madam Xue pulled Xianglan tightly into her arms and gave Chen Wanquan a shove, scolding, "Say another word and see! Can't you see the girl has suffered such immense hardship, yet you still throw such piercing words at her? You truly are a blind, tactless old fool!"

Xianglan kept her gaze lowered. Ever since entering the manor, she had weathered countless trials and hardships, yet she had never once felt a shred of regret. Difficult as the Lin household was, if she had simply accepted her fate as a hereditary slave and obediently married into an arranged match, that suffocating despair would truly have broken her spirit. Her heart had remained utterly set on shedding her servile status, and she was willing to risk everything to try—even if a sea of flames lay ahead, she was determined to wade right through it.