Against the Current - Chapter 92

Chapter 92 - Conflict (Part 2)

These words left Lin Dongling completely speechless. She wanted to say "I dare," but the State Duke's maid was right there. Yet if she said nothing at all, she would be riding a tiger and unable to dismount. Sensing something was amiss, Lin Dongxiu chimed in to help, "We are talking about your lack of respect for status and seniority right now; why on earth are you dragging the State Duke's estate into this out of nowhere? The State Duke's estate would certainly never harbor an insolent, provocative servant like you!"

Acting as though she hadn't heard a word Lin Dongxiu said, Xianglan kept her eyes fixed solely on Lin Dongling as she stepped forward, inch by inch. "Young Miss, go on and say it: do you dare or do you not? If you say you dare, then go make a scene at the State Duke's ancestral residence in Jiangnan and throw pastries in their servant's face as well. If you truly do that, I will kneel on the ground, bark like a dog, and crawl in a full circle around Nanjing city. If you don't dare, then it means you look down on our Song family, and once I report this matter to the eldest young master later, we are going to have a proper talk about it."

By this point, Lin Dongling was already regretting her actions. She was effectively being roasted over an open fire, and never had she imagined that a mere maid would press her so aggressively, backing her into such a tight corner. Xianglan had seized upon her vulnerabilities and slapped her with one heavy accusation after another, leaving her with words stuck in her throat, unable to defend herself.

Lin Dongxiu sneered, "Look at this attitude of yours! You actually have the audacity to challenge your superiors—who do you think you are? Just for your repeated insubordination and lack of manners today, I should inform the mistress and have her severely discipline you! Not to mention that there was something filthy inside the pastries you made; the masters are all of noble birth, and if any of them fell ill from eating that, your cheap life wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"

Upon hearing this, Xianglan lowered her gaze and said, "Then let's take this piece of pastry before the mistress and let her judge what filth is supposedly inside it that could endanger someone's life." With that, she walked over intending to pick up the pine nut pastry.

Lin Dongling panicked. There was nothing whatsoever inside that pastry—it was purely something she had fabricated to pick a fight, and doing this would completely expose her sham. Just as she was at a loss for what to do, Lin Dongxiu took a swift stride forward, beat Xianglan to the punch, and crushed the pastry thoroughly beneath her heel, nearly stepping on Xianglan's hand in the process.

Xianglan straightened up and glanced at Lin Dongxiu. Seeing her flushed face and heavy breathing, Xianglan pulled herself up, smoothed down her temples, tugged at the hem of her half-sleeved outer garment embroidered with grayish-white and crimson peonies, and said with solemn dignity, "Since that's how it is, the truth of this pine nut pastry is clear to all of us. If we keep making a scene, I'm afraid it won't look good on anyone's face. I have a proposal: the young misses can walk out through that door and pull it shut behind you, and we will simply pretend this entire episode never happened. The mistress won't find out, the eldest young master won't find out, and Young Miss Tan won't find out either. How does that sound?" Inwardly, she thought: "Lin Dongling is ultimately just an ignorant child; why should I lower myself to her level? It's better to smooth things over and let sleeping dogs lie. Since they haven't gained any advantage anyway, I might as well offer them a graceful way down and drop the matter entirely."

Breathing an inward sigh of relief, Lin Dongxiu made a move to leave. But Lin Dongling was someone who refused to take a loss lying down; feeling that sneaking away in such a defeated manner was far too humiliating, she swept her hand across the study desk, sending books, calligraphy practice sheets, and brush holders tumbling to the floor in a loud clatter. Knowing that the inkstone was a prized possession of Song Ke's, Xianglan rushed forward to catch them, but Lin Dongxiu shoved her hard in the back. Losing her footing, Xianglan struck her head against the desk as the inkstone dropped, splashing a massive blot of black ink across the front of her pomegranate-red skirt before rolling onto the floor.

Seeing Xianglan in such a disheveled and wretched state, Lin Dongling finally felt a sense of gratification. Snorting derisively, she said, "That'll teach you to spend all day playing the fox-spirit and running around seducing people! If you dare instigate Cousin ever again, I'll be the very first to spare you!" With that, she turned to walk out. Catching sight of the three maidservants still standing frozen at the threshold, she shoved them aside, snapping, "What are all of you rubbernecking for? Follow me back." But midway through her sentence, her voice caught in her throat as she saw that Song Ke had already walked up right in front of her, demanding, "What is the meaning of this?"

Stammering and unable to string two words together, Lin Dongling broke out in a frantic cold sweat. Lin Dongxiu, being shrewd, had naturally no desire to stick her neck out and was hiding behind the door playing dead. Meanwhile, noticing that both Lin sisters and her own maid Yueer were missing, Zheng Jingxian had come out to look for them, following the commotion all the way to the study. She could only stand in the distance beneath the grape trellis, watching.

Seeing that everyone remained silent, Song Ke craned his neck to peer inside the room. He was greeted by a scene of utter chaos: books scattered everywhere, the large blue-and-white porcelain brush washer smashed to smithereens on the floor, and writing brushes rolling in every direction. Xianglan was sitting collapsed on the floor with a massive ink stain marring her skirt, rubbing her head while slowly trying to stand up and bending over to retrieve the fallen inkstone.

Song Ke's expression shifted instantly. Shoving Lin Dongling out of his way, he strode into the room in a few long strides, grabbed Xianglan by the hands, and asked, "What happened to you? Did you take a fall? Where are you hurt—let me see."

His sudden pull caused Xianglan to drop the inkstone she had just picked up back onto the floor. Anxiously, she cried, "Oh, oh, the inkstone dropped again! What if it broke?"

Clasping both of her arms, Song Ke said, "It's just an inkstone, it doesn't matter if it's broken. Sit down first and let me check where you're hurt." He pressed her down into a chair and looked her up and down.

Xianglan replied, "It's nothing, I just bumped my head against the table."

Looking closer, Song Ke indeed saw a red, swollen bump on Xianglan's forehead. Breathing a sigh of relief, he said, "Fortunately it's not serious. Just wait here, I'll go get you some ointment." Retrieving a small, round cloisonné enameled box from the drawer on his own initiative, he dipped his index finger into it and personally applied the medicine to Xianglan's forehead, acting as though no one else was present in the room.

Dodging left and right, Xianglan protested, "I can do it myself." After she repeated this several times, Song Ke finally relented.

This entire display turned the Lin sisters green with jealousy on the spot. Turning around, Song Ke demanded, "What was going on here just now?"

Silence reigned among the group. Song Ke repeated the question, "Just what is going on here?"

Glancing at Song Ke, Lin Dongxiu cast a sidelong look at Lin Dongling. Inwardly, Xianglan sneered: "This fourth young miss is truly a piece of work. With just a single glance, she manages to pin the blame entirely on her older sister. Even if she wasn't the one who started the ruckus, the way she was fanning the flames and jumping around earlier makes her the most despicable of all."

Asking for the third time, Song Ke raised his voice slightly, "What is going on here?"

The group remained dead silent. After a long moment, Lin Dongling stiffened her neck and blurted out, "I was eating a pastry just now and found something filthy inside it. Hearing that this pastry was made by Xianglan, I came to ask her about it. Who would have known that she would act above her station and show repeated disrespect? In a fit of anger, I swept the desk clean. If I broke Cousin's treasured items, I will compensate you for them and buy an even better one to return!"

Hearing this, Song Ke furrowed his brows slightly. He glanced back at Xianglan, who gently shook her head at him. Turning back, Song Ke maintained his gentle tone as he said, "What kind of talk is that from Sister? They are just scholar's four treasures; they aren't worth much. We're a family of relatives, there's no need to talk about compensation or anything of the sort. However..." His voice grew heavier, "...Xianglan is a maid of the Song household. If she has done something wrong, Sister should have told me or the mistress. To step in and handle it yourself is an overreach of boundaries. Furthermore, this front courtyard is a place where men stay; Sister has no business rushing in uninvited. If an outsider had come by and caught sight of you, and later turned it into gossip to spread outside, I would have no face to look Aunt in the eye."

Quick on the uptake, Lin Dongxiu immediately chimed in, "Cousin, we were in the wrong. Please don't be angry, I am offering my apologies to you." With that, she executed a graceful bow, then looked toward Xianglan and said, "Elder Sister Xianglan, please forgive me for being young and ignorant."

Xianglan thought to herself that this Lin Dongxiu really was a master at trimming her sails to the wind, truly a prodigious talent. Putting on a false smile, she replied, "It's nothing, I also offer my apologies to Young Miss." As she returned the bow, Lin Dongxiu hurriedly curtsied back.

Pouting her lips, Lin Dongling felt she had done nothing wrong. However, seeing how Lin Dongxiu's apology had smoothed over Song Ke's expression, she reluctantly offered a half-hearted bow to Song Ke, muttering, "I was in the wrong, I pay my respects to Cousin," as she sank into a perfunctory curtsy. Still burning with jealousy toward Xianglan and utterly unwilling to apologize to a mere maid, she simply pretended not to see Xianglan and stood off to the side.

Song Ke said, "Since that's settled, you sisters should head back." Lin Dongxiu walked out first. Though Lin Dongling was still somewhat reluctant to leave, since Song Ke had already issued a clear dismissal, she could not linger and had no choice but to depart.

Closing the door behind them, Song Ke walked over to Xianglan and checked her forehead again, asking, "Let me look again—are you injured anywhere else on your body?"

Standing up, Xianglan replied, "I only bumped my head." Looking down at her skirt, she sighed heavily, "I just made this skirt and now it's stained with ink. I wonder if the mark can even be washed out."

Amused yet exasperated, Song Ke chuckled, "You really are 'more attached to your possessions than your life.' The important thing is that your head didn't come to any real harm, yet you're fussing over a newly made skirt. I'll have a few more made for you tomorrow."

Xianglan stuck out her tongue and said nothing. This was the first new garment she had ever made with fine material in this lifetime, not to mention that the fabric had been specially chosen for her by Song Ke, so naturally she held it very dear. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Song Ke had already bent down to tidy up the items scattered on the floor. She joined in to help him, and biting her lower lip, she asked, "What your cousin said just now... did you believe it?"

Song Ke glanced at Xianglan, placed the books back onto the desk, and looked at her with eyes as clear as water. "I know you're not the kind of person to make unreasonable trouble. No matter what she says, I simply take it as a child throwing a tantrum. I already know all about her stormy, overbearing temper... You were wronged today."

A wave of warmth washed over Xianglan. She looked at Song Ke for a long moment without speaking, and the grievance that had previously lingered in her heart vanished completely. Beaming with a radiant smile, she said, "I wasn't wronged. It's just that your two cousins listened to the instigation of a little jealousy-pot and both knocked over their respective vinegar jars, splashing the bitter brine onto an innocent fish like me." Placing her hands on her hips and mimicking Lin Dongling's exact expression and tone, she reenacted dramatically, "'That'll teach you to spend all day playing the fox-spirit and running around seducing people! If you dare instigate Cousin ever again, I'll be the very first to spare you!' Oh, tell me honestly if I wasn't wronged for nothing."

Understanding dawned on Song Ke immediately. His brows locked in a frown as he slammed his hand down onto the desk in anger, shouting, "Absurd! I've repeatedly warned her not to let word of your presence in the Song household get out, yet she completely turned a deaf ear and even brought people straight into the study!"

Xianglan let out a sigh. "What's meant to be will happen, and you can't wrap paper around fire. The truth was bound to leak out sooner or later. I only hope Lin Jinlou throws me to the back of his mind so we can live in peace for a couple of days."

forcibly reining in his anger, Song Ke comforted her, "He's away suppressing bandits in Zhejiang and won't be back anytime for a while—it might take three or five years for all we know. Once I pass the metropolitan examinations, we'll pack up the whole household and move away. The world is vast; can the Lin family's influence really reach the heavens?"

Xianglan nodded, though she still felt somewhat uneasy. Together with Song Ke, she finished tidying up the room, little knowing that the ripples of future turmoil were about to be stirred up by someone entirely different.