Against the Current - Chapter 87

Chapter 87 - Xiayun

Xue Shi hurriedly gestured for him to enter, and Xiayun cupped his hands together, preparing to step inside. Lifting his gaze, he saw a young maiden standing in the room, wearing an apricot-red tunic, looking fresh, vibrant, and strikingly lovely. Xiayun froze on the spot, one foot across the threshold, unable to decide whether to step forward or retreat. He wanted to steal another glance at the girl, but felt too embarrassed, so maintaining his lofty, aloof scholarly posture, he kept his eyes straight ahead and said to Xue Shi, "This... I suppose I won't go in after all..."

Seeing that Xiayun was ill at ease, Xianglan couldn't help pursing her lips into a smile. The place where the Chens lived was not a private courtyard, but rather a small two-story building, so Xianglan turned, lifted her skirt, and went upstairs. When Xue Shi urged him once more, Xiayun finally stepped inside. Xue Shi smiled and said, "It's my daughter, home for a visit today." She bustled over to pour tea, saying, "Your Uncle Chen had a couple of cups of wine and just fell asleep. I'll go wake him up."

Xiayun had long since heard that the Chen family had a daughter as lovely as a fairy, and seeing her now, he realized the rumors were true. While he stood there in a daze, hearing Xue Shi's words, he quickly stopped her, saying, "Aunty, please don't trouble yourself. I'm just here to deliver some things." With that, he handed over a cloth bundle, saying, "Inside are two pieces of calligraphy I wrote, as well as some copied books for someone. I must trouble Uncle Chen to hand them over to the buyer."

Xue Shi accepted the bundle, fished a string of copper coins out of the drawer, handed them to Xiayun, and said, "This is the payment from last time, fifty coins in all." She then earnestly exhorted, "Young Scholar Xia, please make sure never to mention to anyone that you saw my daughter here."

Xiayun tucked the coins into his robe and said, "Naturally." He then offered repeated thanks. Xue Shi still tried to keep him as a guest, but Xiayun exchanged a few polite pleasantries, cupped his hands in farewell, and departed. Xue Shi closed the door securely, took Xiayun's cloth bundle, and went upstairs. Seeing that Xianglan was tidying up the upstairs room, she sat down beside her and let out a sigh. "Did you catch a glimpse of him just now? He is the Young Scholar Xia I told you about, the nephew of Second Aunt Xia who used to live across from us. Though his family is rather plain, he studies diligently and is a man of ambition. Last year when he took the county examination for the title of xiucai, he missed it by a mere hair's breadth, and this year he is sure to pass. Second Aunt Xia spoke to me about arranging a match between you two, but who knew that you would later be sold off by the Lin family..."

Xue Shi chattered on alone for quite a while. Seeing that Xianglan was still tidying up the cabinet with an air of complete indifference, she felt a surge of irritation, poked Xianglan's arm, furrowed her brows, and said, "I am talking to you, did you hear me or not? Young Scholar Xia's character and appearance are of the highest order. Now that your father and I have regained our commoner status, we are a fine match for his family in social standing. Besides, your father is going to work as a resident manager, and the wages he'll earn will be even greater than the Xia family's... Haven't you seen Young Scholar Xia writing calligraphy and copying books to supplement his family's income? Knowing your father spends his days welcoming scholars and literati at the antique shop, he eagerly wrote these calligraphy pieces and brought them here, hoping to earn a few dozen coins by writing and copying for others. Everyone praises his handwriting as exceptional, calling him a great talent... It's just that Eldest Young Master Song has taken a fancy to you..." She poked Xianglan's forehead. "You, oh you, you give me endless worry."

Rubbing her forehead, Xianglan thought to herself that her mother was simply worrying over nothing, and she didn't give Xiayun another thought. After tidying up the room and sharing a laugh with Xue Shi, she returned to the Song residence.

Meanwhile, Xiayun walked home with a troubled mind, picked up a book to read, but flipped through the pages in vain, unable to settle his heart. Whenever the image of Xianglan's appearance flashed through his mind, he grew even more restless. Originally, his second aunt had mentioned Chen Wanquan's daughter to him. First of all, his heart was entirely set on achieving official honors, donning the embroidered python robe, and returning home in glory; secondly, although he treated Chen Wanquan with outward respect during their interactions, in his heart he looked down upon the man's vulgar and mercenary ways, figuring that a man like that could never raise a good daughter, so he had dismissed the thought; thirdly, his standards were high, and he looked down on ordinary families altogether, determined to marry a well-read and beautiful young lady of a prominent household, which was why his marriage had been delayed.

Yet that single, fleeting glimpse of Xianglan had left a deep impression on his mind, causing him to compare her in secret against others. Merely in terms of beauty, none of the women he had ever laid eyes on could compare to her, and his heart was stirred. Seeing Second Aunt Xia standing in the courtyard hanging out laundry, he went over to fish for information from her. Second Aunt Xia said, "You're asking about Chen Xianglan? She truly is a beauty, and she even possesses a certain spiritual grace. She can read and write, and most remarkably, she knows how to paint. According to her father, a single painting can sell for a full tael of silver. Even though Old Chen is prone to boasting, I've asked around here and there, and what he said turns out to be true. While not every piece fetches a high price, they go for at least half a tael of silver. If you were to marry her, it would be like marrying the Goddess of Wealth. It's just that people say she has a fiery temper; back then she dared to face someone with a kitchen knife, and she didn't settle down even after entering the Lin household. In fact, the Eldest Madam chased her out—tsk tsk, with looks like that, it's no wonder the men would lose their heads."

Xiayun was startled. "She caught the eye of the male head of the Lin household?"

Second Aunt Xia glanced to her left and right, lowered her voice, and said to Xiayun, "Of course! Word has it that the Eldest Young Master of the Lin family set his sights on her and intended to elevate her status once the mourning period for Old Madam Zeng was over. Later, when unrest broke out in the outer provinces and the Lin Eldest Young Master led troops out to suppress the bandits, it gave the Eldest Madam an opportunity to exploit, and she quietly disposed of the girl. Who knows where she was sold off to. The Lin Eldest Madam is notoriously vicious; Xianglan is bound to suffer terribly now. Didn't you notice? Even her parents were taken in by the Song family... Ah, even if Xianglan were still in the manor, nobody would dare pursue this match anymore. A maidservant who caught the eye of the Lin Eldest Young Master—who knows if she's even a maiden anymore..."

Second Aunt Xia chattered on relentlessly, but Xiayun stood there in a daze for a long time, feeling a heavy, choking sensation in his chest as he walked toward his room in a dazed, heartbroken trance. Behind him, Second Aunt Xia was still calling out, "Little Brother-in-law, what are we having for dinner tonight? I've saved a bowl of meat dishes especially for you in the kitchen." Seeing that Xiayun paid her no mind, she muttered to herself, "Nowadays everyone in the house treats him like an ancestor. Could he actually pass the imperial examination and come back as a top scholar? Ha! I'm hoping he passes so we can bask in his glory someday, I just worry the Xia family graves aren't blessed with that kind of ancestral smoke!"

Leaving aside Xiayun's vexations for the moment, Xianglan returned to the Song mansion, did some needlework, and then personally went to the kitchen to prepare two of Song Ke's favorite dishes, keeping them warm in a steamer. Seeing Junxi holding up a piece of fabric and measuring it this way and that, Xianglan asked, "What are you doing?"

Junxi replied, "I want to make a pair of shoes for the Young Master. Wearing boots in the summer is too hot; making a pair of thousand-layered-sole cloth shoes will be comfortable and cool. The pair the Young Master currently has on his feet is already old, and wearing them out isn't very presentable."

Xianglan smiled and said, "That's perfect. You go measure his dimensions, and I'll draw a floral pattern. Later, we can embroider it onto the shoes, and it'll also bring some good fortune."

Junxi smiled and said, "That's wonderful. I saw that the pattern on the stationery set you made for the Young Master was both exquisite and extraordinary—it was neat and even, and the needlework was finer than what professional embroiderers do. You'll have to teach me later."

Yuexi came out from the inner room and said, "The floral patterns you draw are also lovely and not the sort you see outside. Later, you must draw a whole stack of them for me to keep."

Clapping her hands, Junxi laughed and said, "My elder sister is thinking of getting married, hoarding Xianglan's floral patterns to embroider her dowry!"

Yuexi's face flushed red, and giving a light spit, she retorted, "Talking nonsense! See if I don't twist your mouth into a pulp." With that, she lunged at her, and Junxi begged for mercy repeatedly.

Smiling, Xianglan propped up the kang table and set out the writing brush, inkstone, paper, and ink. Yuexi's parents had already petitioned for grace, and Yuexi was to be married off after the New Year to the son of a Jiangnan cloth merchant who owned some farmland. Junxi had secretly taken a peek and later reported that the young man looked capable and sharp—it was a rare and fortunate match. These days Junxi constantly teased Yuexi, so the two sisters inevitably dissolved into a scuffle.

Deep down, however, Xianglan envied the carefree life of the two of them. Suddenly, the door curtain rustled, and looking up, Xianglan saw Fangsi walking in with a pair of trousers in her hand. Seeing the playful commotion in the room, Fangsi slightly tightened her face and scolded, "Stop that right now, stop that right now. What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket?" She then glanced at Xianglan. "And you aren't even going to keep them in check? If the Young Master comes back and sees you all carrying on like this, what kind of decorum would that be?"

Xianglan smiled and said, "Sister Fangsi is like 'a single bird entering the woods silencing a hundred voices.' Since I don't know much about managing people, I have much to learn from Sister Fangsi."

Fangsi sneered. "Didn't you claim you came from a prominent aristocratic household? Could it be that you never learned how to manage junior maidservants?"

Still smiling, Xianglan replied, "I never learned, which is precisely why I said just now that I need to learn from Sister Fangsi."

Fangsi felt as though she had thrown a punch at a bundle of cotton, leaving her with nothing to say in return. Xianglan's smiling expression made any further fault-finding on her part look petty, which left a fire of frustration burning inside her.

Pouting her lips, Junxi climbed down from the platform bed and muttered under her breath, "Even the Young Master doesn't mind, yet she has to come meddling." Yuexi gave Junxi a tug and laughed, "Sister Fangsi, please sit down. I'll go brew a bowl of tea for you." Pulling Junxi along, she retreated into the inner room, lowering her voice to scold, "Fangsi is favored in front of Madam; don't you know what's on her mind? Zip it and stop crossing her." With that, she went to pour the tea.

Here, Fangsi sat down, looked over at the kang table, and asked, "What are you making?"

Xianglan said, "I'm making a pair of shoes for the Young Master. I was just planning to sketch a floral pattern and embroider a design on them."

Fangsi hurriedly chimed in, "Oh dear, thank goodness I asked, otherwise you'd be bringing disaster upon yourself. You don't know this, but the Young Master despises having flowers and blossoms embroidered on his clothes, saying all those things are girlish and effeminate. He only cares for plain and simple things." She cast a sideways glance at Xianglan, a fake smile hanging on her face as she added, "Even if you want to curry favor with the master, you must first figure out his preferences, don't you agree?"

Xianglan understood the situation completely. Smiling falsely in return, she nodded and said, "What you say is true, but that's still better than figuring out a master's preferences and still failing to win his favor."

Fangsi's expression shifted slightly.

Xianglan picked up her writing brush, dipped it into the ink, and continued as if nothing were amiss, "Besides, I am not trying to curry favor with the master. I am the Young Master's maidservant, and attending to my master is nothing more than fulfilling my proper duty—to say nothing of merely embroidering a floral pattern on a pair of shoes. I am merely doing my job. Unlike certain restless individuals who spend all day plotting to climb into their master's bed while outwardly proclaiming their own loyalty and slandering others as lowly. When all is said and done, everyone knows what those intentions are—who is she trying to bluff?"

Fangsi slammed her hand onto the table, stood up, and trembled at the lips as she demanded, "You—what do you mean by that?!"

Xianglan still smiled, laid down her writing brush, put on an expression of utter astonishment, and said, "Why is Sister Fangsi getting so angry? I was just talking about those restless maidservants back in the great noble houses."

Fangsi's face flushed beet red. She wanted to flare up and accuse Xianglan of pointing at the mulberry while cursing the locust tree, but if she said that, it would be tantamount to admitting that Xianglan was talking about her. Trapped and unable to advance or retreat, she stood there stiffly.

Xianglan thought to herself, 'Back in the Lin household, I was merely biding my time waiting to be released from servitude, which is why I tolerated everything and played the deaf-mute. But now that I have found Xiao Hang, I am planning to pick up our bond from our past life once more. Anyone in his household who wants to stir up trouble cannot be allowed to stay. Since Fangsi has already taken a dislike to me, I have no need to keep retreating; I must first let her see my strength. Just let her take offense—this will also serve as a test to see how Song Ke reacts. If he shows pity and affection for this maidservant, I will simply repay the favor of him rescuing our family from the Lin estate, but I will never stay with him as a lifelong companion.'