Against the Current - Chapter 86

Chapter 86 - Good News

When Xianglan returned, Junxi and Yuexi had already fallen asleep. She lightly and nimbly brightened the wick of the candle, took out some needlework to work on for a while, and then went to bed to sleep, tossing and turning until the middle of the night before finally closing her eyes. Early the next morning, she joined the maidservants in fetching warm water to attend to him. Song Ke had already dressed. Yuexi went to fold the bedding, while Junxi went to open the window. Scooping up some water to wash, Song Ke cleaned his teeth with green salt, took a sip of warm tea, and observing Xianglan's complexion, asked, "There are dark circles under your eyes. Did you not sleep well last night?"

Xianglan smiled and said, "It was just some bugs crawling in through the gauze window, nothing more than a bit of a nuisance."

Song Ke quickly said, "I remember we have some insect-repelling incense at home. Tomorrow night, have the girls place a pellet into the censer."

Xianglan smiled and agreed. Presently, Junxi brought in breakfast, and Song Ke once again kept Xianglan to eat with him. After taking a couple of bites of porridge, Xianglan looked at Song Ke's expression and said cautiously, "There is a matter that has been weighing on my mind for a long time. I have always wanted to bring it up, but I was afraid it might be inappropriate."

Upon hearing this, Song Ke set down his bowl and chopsticks and said, "Go ahead and speak."

Xianglan said, "A few days ago, I was severely beaten by Madam Zhao and put up for sale. When I think back on it now, it still feels like a nightmare. It was also my bad fortune; as a servant, I naturally have no freedom and cannot make my own decisions, having to live entirely at the mercy of my masters. If I were not a servant..."

Before Xianglan could finish, Song Ke furrowed his brows and said, "Rest assured, such a thing will never happen again in the future. As long as you stay by my side, no one will ever dare bully you."

Xianglan's heart sank. Judging by his tone, Song Ke had no intention of releasing her from her indentured status. Clever as she was, she shook her head and said, "I am of little consequence, but I worry that if my parents suffer because of me, I would be guilty of a crime so grave that even if I were smashed to pieces, I could never shirk the blame. Therefore, I have pondered this for many days, and today I boldly come to plead with you. My family has managed to save a little bit of savings, and I wish to redeem my parents' freedom."

Before Xianglan had even finished speaking, Song Ke understood her intent. He had initially been holding his breath, terrified that Xianglan might ask to redeem her own freedom and leave—that was something he could never agree to. He felt that Xianglan was like a wisp of faint smoke, drifting near and far; he wanted to grasp her, yet feared she would slip right out of his palms. If he were to release her as well, he feared he wouldn't be able to retain even a shred or a fraction of her. Hearing now that she only wished to redeem her parents, his heart finally settled. He had actually already intended to release Xianglan's parents from servitude and lend them a helping hand anyway; once Xianglan was by his side in the future, having parents who were commoners of good standing would also make for a respectable appearance.

After a moment of thought, he said, "If you redeem your parents, how will they make a living afterwards?"

Hearing this, Xianglan's eyes lit up. Knowing the matter could succeed, she hurriedly replied, "My father can find a position as a resident manager in an antique shop or a pawnshop in the future, and my mother knows how to do a bit of needlework. They will certainly be able to make ends meet."

Seeing her bright eyes sparkle, her expression full of earnestness and a hint of nervous apprehension, Song Ke found her simply adorable and couldn't help laughing. He picked up a mouthful of verdant side dishes, placed them in her dish, and said softly, "Redeeming your parents is no difficult task. Between the two of us, why must you use the word 'plead'?"

Surprised and delighted, Xianglan opened her eyes wide and hastily asked, "Then how much silver will it cost?"

Song Ke smiled and said, "Back then, your parents were obtained by Xiuhong from Eldest Madam Lin without costing much silver. Since she gave them to me as a personal favor, I will simply release them."

Overjoyed, Xianglan felt her heart clear up instantly. She was so happy she couldn't speak, only hearing Song Ke continue, "Since your father has the ability to authenticate antiques, rather than leaving him to wander, he might as well go to work in our family's pawnshop. The resident manager there is currently gravely ill and retiring due to old age, so we are precisely in need of someone. Fifty taels of standard salary per year, with bonuses during the festivals and New Year—it's a good place to be."

Xianglan was slightly startled. Her original intention in having her parents freed from servitude was so they wouldn't have to rely on the Song family anymore. Yet now, Song Ke's offer of such a generous livelihood made her hesitate for a moment. Then, reflecting on it, she thought, 'My father earns his living through genuine skill; why should I be narrow-minded, stubbornly clinging to a false sense of pride and rigid principles? Besides, our family savings are scant, and we could never afford to set up any decent business of our own. It is far better to start out in the Song family's pawnshop and figure out our future plans from there.' She immediately stood up to kneel and bow, saying, "Your Young Master's immense kindness is so great that even if I weave grass and carry a ring in my teeth, I could never fully repay it."

Song Ke reached out to support her by the arm. Seeing the smile return to Xianglan's face filled his own heart with joy, and he said, "Between us, there is no need for such empty courtesies. Today itself, I will have the steward go to the yamen to exchange the papers of manumission."

Xianglan nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, gazing at him with wide, exceptionally beautiful eyes full of gratitude.

Song Ke smiled once more, feeling as though his heart had been filled to the brim with honey. He piled several varieties of pastries and dishes into Xianglan's bowl, smiling as he urged, "Eat up quickly."

Xianglan hurriedly served Song Ke some food, then ladled out his soup. After the meal, she eagerly helped him prepare the four treasures of the study that he needed to take to the academy. After Song Ke gave her a few more parting instructions, he smiled and departed.

Standing at the doorway, Xianglan lifted the door curtain and watched Song Ke walk away. Letting out a long breath, the corners of her mouth curled upward into a smile. Even though she herself remained indentured as a servant, being able to free her parents first was invariably a tremendous blessing.

By noon, the steward in Song Ke's service indeed brought over the papers of manumission. Overjoyed, Xianglan examined the document over and over again, carefully packed it away, and said to Yuexi, "I am going home for a brief visit and will be back shortly. I won't let it interfere with preparing the Eldest Young Master's evening meal." Packing a few items, she slipped out of the Song residence through the small back gate in the rear courtyard and headed straight for the back lane where her parents lived.

Upon returning home, she found both Chen Wanquan and his wife at home. Naturally, the couple was overjoyed, and an inevitable round of anxious inquiries and warm affection followed. The Chens were honest and simple folk with very little cunning or worldly insight. Witnessing their daughter being sold off by the Lin family and beaten to such a miserable state had naturally filled them with constant dread and sighs of despair, leaving them utterly helpless. Fortunately, they had managed to come to the Song household together; though it lacked the prestige of the Lin family, the food and lodging were far from poor, which finally allowed them to feel a measure of peace.

Xue Shi had also been quietly plotting with Chen Wanquan: "I see that Eldest Young Master Song is a compassionate man. Why don't we save up some silver and redeem our daughter's freedom? If she has to endure beatings and scoldings every single day, I'd rather you take a rope and strangle me to death." Because their family had always been poor, Xue Shi had never entertained any other grand thoughts. Now that Xianglan had brought back a considerable sum of silver, Xue Shi's mind turned toward redeeming Xianglan's servitude.

Yet Chen Wanquan was short-sighted. Hearing Xue Shi's words, he retorted, "Our daughter has just moved to a kind-hearted household where she wears silk and satin every day and eats delicacies from mountains and seas. Can she enjoy this kind of blessing if she comes out? Besides, didn't you notice what the Eldest Young Master's intentions are? He has taken a fancy to our Xianglan! If Xianglan is a fortunate girl and manages to stay by Eldest Young Master Song's side long-term to live the life of a young mistress, even if I close my eyes and pass away, I will be able to rest in peace."

Xue Shi said worriedly, "If it truly turns out that way, it would be wonderful. I'm just afraid that in the future the Eldest Young Master might marry a wife like a mother-gargoyle, just like that one in the Lin estate—then our Xianglan would suffer endlessly."

After thinking it over carefully, Chen Wanquan felt Xue Shi made sense, but he was inherently not a clear-headed man. He lived his life drifting along from day to day, preferring to duck out of trouble whenever it struck, so he remarked, "Who's to say the Young Master won't marry a gentle and obedient wife? Why on earth do you sit around fretting over every little thing all day long!" Consequently, whenever Xue Shi brought it up again, Chen Wanquan would instead fly into a rage. Returning from his duties at the shop every day, he would buy a few liang of wine, drink his fill, collapse onto the bed, and pull the quilt over his head to sleep, or else engage in grandiose idle chatter with the shop assistants, completely pushing the matter out of his mind.

Only Xue Shi harbored secret anxieties. Whenever Chen Wanquan was out of the house, she would quietly fetch out the gold, silver, and various pieces of jewelry that Xianglan had stuffed into her hands to count them over and over, calculating that when her daughter returned next, she would discuss it with Xianglan and settle on a joint plan.

Now that Xianglan had returned, Chen Wanquan was naturally delighted and ordered Xue Shi to fry up a few dishes. The family of three gathered closely around the table. Xianglan specially poured herself a cup of wine and smiled, saying, "Today there is tremendous good news. This morning I brought it up with Eldest Young Master Song, begging him to release Father and Mother from their servitude. I never expected that the moment I asked, the Eldest Young Master agreed right away." With that, she produced the manumission document from her bundle.

Xue Shi cried out in delight, "Really?" and carefully received the document into her hands.

Xianglan smiled. "Naturally."

Chen Wanquan, however,'s face darkened, and he raged, "You muddlehead! Why on earth would you go asking for such a thing! Without masters to rely on, where do you expect your father to find a livelihood? Furthermore, with such a request, the Song family will think you have a rebellious heart and despise you—what will you do if they chase you out?" He went on to launch into a lengthy, rambling scolding.

Xianglan was momentarily stunned. Knowing her father was a man of limited insight, she silently sighed inwardly and said, "Eldest Young Master Song said he wants to invite you to work as the resident manager in his family's pawnshop, with a salary of fifty taels of silver a year, plus bonuses at the end of the year." She then added indifferently, "Could it be that Father is actually eager to go back to being a lowly slave? If I were foolish in the future and accidentally offended the masters again, leading to being sold off, at least I could turn to my family for help. It wouldn't be like this last time, when I almost got sold off to a brothel, not to mention dragging the family down to suffer with me."

Xue Shi also nodded and sighed, "Who can say otherwise? We all saw how Aunt Lu the Second's family was dragged away and sold off, tearing a good family into four separate pieces without even knowing if they'll ever see each other again."

Upon hearing the words "resident manager" and "fifty taels of silver," Chen Wanquan stopped talking. A brilliant smile bloomed across his face as he thought to himself that Song Ke must have taken a fancy to Xianglan to grant him such prestige. If Xianglan played her cards right and managed to bear a son or daughter for Song Ke, from then on he would be the father-in-law of the Song family—wherever he went, wouldn't people have to treat him with special respect? The thought made his heart expand comfortably, and a smile spread across his face. He downed several more cups of wine and collapsed onto the bed to sleep.

Xue Shi quietly pulled Xianglan aside and asked, "Silly child, why didn't you mention to Eldest Young Master Song about redeeming yourself?"

Xianglan smiled. "I figured I wouldn't be able to get out right away anyway, so we'll just take it one step at a time."

Xue Shi continued, "Does Eldest Young Master Song really feel that way about you... Does he have that kind of intention?"

Xianglan thought for a moment and said with decisive certainty, "Since Mother is asking me, I won't hide it from you. He does have that intention, but I am not willing to serve someone as a concubine. Originally, I had planned to wait a bit longer before asking him to release Father and Mother from servitude, but now I realize we cannot wait. If he hadn't agreed today, I had intended to weep and plead further. Who would have thought he would agree so readily? That makes things much easier. Life in the Song household is unburdened by heavy labor. I have painted a few pictures and can have Father ask a trusted acquaintance to sell them off, saving up the silver we earn. We'll have Father work a bit harder to look into more antique businesses, and combining that with our previous savings, bit by bit we can buy property, build a home, and start an enterprise. If I drag things out for two years, I will definitely find a way to redeem myself and get out. If Song Ke is truly sincere, let him send over betrothal gifts to marry me as his proper wife. If he only wants to take me as a concubine, then he has miscalculated, and I will simply go find someone else to marry as his legitimate first-wife."

Hearing these words, Xue Shi felt her whole body surge with strength, though she hesitated and asked, "This... can this work? I'm afraid it won't be that easy, right?"

Xianglan said, "Whether it works or not, we have to try before we'll know. Mother, please also persuade Father to drink less wine and spend more energy doing some proper work."

Xue Shi nodded repeatedly, and mother and daughter quietly calculated their plans together.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, and someone called out, "Is Uncle Chen in? It's me, Xiayun, delivering some things."

Xue Shi hurriedly went to open the door. Fixing her gaze, Xianglan saw a tall, slender young scholar of eighteen or nineteen standing outside. He was fair-skinned and proper-featured, with bright, penetrating eyes, a straight nose bridge, and lips that were slightly on the thick side. He carried a refined and courteous aura, dressed in an old gown that had nonetheless been laundered until it was exceptionally clean.