"...Third Miss said she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be coming, but I just saw her at Autumn-Clipping Pavilion with a whole table of fruits and pastries, eating and drinking to her heart's content while admiring flowers and feeding fish. She looked perfectly content—hardly ill at all. Clearly, she just didn't want to come." As she spoke, Shu Tong rolled up her sleeves and began grinding ink for Lin Dongxiu.
Lin Dongxiu was copying an inventory list with a brush. Upon hearing this, she raised an eyebrow and sneered, "That's just like Third Sister—foolish and tactless, with a terrible temper. All she does is eat and sleep aimlessly. She's no good at managing household affairs or needlework, and she's hopeless at reading and writing too. There's not a single redeeming quality about her."
Shu Tong replied, "Exactly! Just yesterday, I was talking with Qiangwei, who serves Madam, about you. We agreed that although you appear delicate and gentle, you're actually incredibly determined inside—a truly proper young lady with remarkable energy. You handle everything Madam assigns flawlessly, putting all the other girls to shame. Only Second Miss, being Madam's own daughter and personally trained by her, could possibly compare. But you, with no one to guide you, are hardly inferior to Second Miss—in fact, we privately think you even surpass her! And as for the eldest miss who's already married, or the lazy Third Miss—among the young ladies now, you're undoubtedly the finest." Shu Tong was originally a second-tier maid serving Lin Dongxiu, constantly suppressed by Hanzhi above her, leaving her ambitions stifled. Fortunately, a few days ago, Hanzhi had been beaten on Lin Jinlou's orders and was now bedridden. With no personal maid attending Lin Dongxiu, Shu Tong had stepped into the role. She knew well that Lin Dongxiu loved flattery and pomp, so these past few days she had been ingratiating herself with careful attentiveness, earning Lin Dongxiu's favor.
Lin Dongxiu indeed beamed at these words, setting her brush on the stand and picking up her teacup with a laugh. "You! How could you gossip about me with Madam's people? And even compare me to Second Miss? If this reaches Madam's ears tomorrow, who knows what might happen!"
Shu Tong chuckled, "What could happen? Second Miss is about to marry, and Madam will have no capable girl left by her side. Won't she have to rely on you then? Besides, you're all family—you call Madam 'Mother.When you rise to greatness someday, your maternal family will surely benefit too."
These words struck exactly the right chord with Lin Dongxiu, filling her with smug satisfaction. "You really are clever and know what's what, understanding such reasoning." She glanced at Shu Tong, noting her blue satin jacket and pink cotton skirt, her round-square face with large eyes and a wide mouth, slightly sallow skin touched with powder. Though no beauty, she looked proper and sharp. Lin Dongxiu added, "I thought you were a dullard, but it turns out you have insight beneath the surface."
Shu Tong smiled, "You're absolutely right, miss. I am a dullard—it's just that you've taught me well. Lately, you've been leaving early and returning late, studying and practicing diligently, even working the abacus late into the night. It pains us to see you working so hard. I thought, if someone as clever as you puts in such effort, how much more should us fools strive?"Lin Dongxiu smiled and took a sip of tea, then suddenly sighed. "What's the use of putting in effort? It's all about fate—I wasn't born from Madam's womb. Someone like me, with no one to care for me, has no choice but to fight for everything and strive to be strong. Look at Third Sister—she doesn't have to lift a finger, and her mother naturally handles everything for her. I heard her father is planning to find her an excellent marriage, one that's quite prestigious. My father, on the other hand, wants to match me with a scholar, saying it doesn't matter if the family's wealth is modest."
Shu Tong chuckled and said, "I don't see what's so great about that. No matter how prestigious the family, once you're married, you'll be burdened with in-laws—mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and young sisters—all crowded together, leaving no peace. With Miss's character and looks, if you marry a scholar, wouldn't he treat you like a goddess? That would be far more comfortable than chasing after prestige."
These words pleased Lin Dongxiu, and though she tried hard to suppress her delight, she casually brushed the topic aside with a few light remarks.
Soon, people from various households came to collect their bolts of cloth. Lin Dongxiu instructed Shu Tong to read out the names while she checked them off with a brush. For the Hall of Knowing Spring, Shu Ran arrived with two young maids. Lin Dongxiu quickly stood up, took Shu Ran's hand, and said with a smile, "Oh, for such a trivial matter, why trouble Sister to come in person?" She then called out repeatedly, "Hurry and fetch the share for Eldest Master's household."
Shu Ran smiled and replied, "I had nothing better to do, so I thought I'd take a stroll and also come to see Fourth Miss. Yesterday, Eldest Master had someone bring back two boxes of fine pastries from outside, all from Crispy Fragrance Studio. I saved one of each for you and put together a plate to bring over. Fourth Miss, try them—they might not be as good as what our family's chefs make, but they're something new to taste." As she spoke, she lifted a small food box.
Originally, these pastries had been brought back by Lin Jinlou's servant for Xianglan, but Xianglan had no appetite for them. After some thought, she picked out a few exquisite ones, placed them in a colorfully painted box, and asked Shu Ran to deliver them personally for her to enjoy. Lately, Xianglan had been sending small gifts to Shu Ran from time to time—sometimes a hairpin, sometimes an embroidered half-sleeved garment, other times two bowls of delicate dishes. They were always fine items, but given in such small quantities that they didn't seem extravagant. Occasionally, Shu Ran would reciprocate with a gift or two, and Xianglan would accept them, only to send something even more valuable next time. When inviting Shu Ran over for conversation, Xianglan would only discuss topics like whose embroidery was best, whose clothing was prettiest, which maid had been matched with which servant, or which young lady had married into a prominent family—never broaching anything else. Shu Ran inwardly admired Xianglan's cleverness. Though each gift was small, the frequent giving added up. As the saying goes, "Once you accept gifts, your hands are tied." Over time, Shu Ran felt she owed Xianglan a significant debt of gratitude. Yet, she couldn't complain. Seeing that Xianglan was Lin Jinlou's favorite, Shu Ran felt she had to tread carefully and even flatter her. Xianglan, however, seemed to have no ulterior motives, acting as if she genuinely wanted to be close sisters, holding Shu Ran's hand and urging her to visit often, always sending her off with another small gift. After a few days, Shu Ran grew restless and took the initiative to visit Xianglan's room, deliberately bringing up matters related to Lin Jinlou. Xianglan would simply smile faintly, listening to Shu Ran's anecdotes about him, occasionally praising Shu Ran subtly, and only now and then asking follow-up questions. Initially on guard, Shu Ran gradually let down her defenses, charmed by Xianglan's beauty and kindness. Before she knew it, she had divulged things she shouldn't have. By the time she realized it, it was too late, but Xianglan acted as if she had forgotten everything upon hearing it, never dwelling on any of it.Shu Ran couldn't quite figure out what kind of person Xianglan was. She seemed clever, yet she frequently provoked Lin Jinlou's anger; she seemed foolish, yet she clearly understood reason and knew what was important. However, Shu Ran could see that Xianglan was a generous person and intended to let Luanr get closer to her. But Luanr stiffened her neck and said, "What? You want me to put on an act with that little bitch? I'd rather slit my throat!" Any further persuasion would only make her angrier, so Shu Ran could only shake her head and leave.
On this occasion, she had received a box of pastries from Xianglan and had tasted two pieces herself. Coincidentally, a maid came to summon them to the storeroom to collect some items. Shu Ran thought that it had been a long time since she had seen Lin Dongxiu. Being naturally sociable and having built good relationships everywhere, she decided to bring the remaining pastries with her.
Lin Dongxiu smiled and said, "How thoughtful of you to remember me." She ordered Shu Tong to take the pastries and pulled Shu Ran to sit beside her on the edge of the kang, engaging in warm and friendly small talk.
Lin Dongxiu asked, "How is Eldest Brother? Has he not returned from the barracks yet?"
Shu Ran replied, "Indeed, I heard there's unrest by the coast again, so the Eldest Master went to take command."
Lin Dongxiu said, "Eldest Brother is always busy, never around." She leaned closer to Shu Ran and whispered, "What about the new one he took in? Is she still living in the main room?"
Shu Ran said, "Yes, she's still there."
Lin Dongxiu curled her lip and said, "That Little Fox Spirit, she only has a pretty face. She certainly knows how to work her charms."
Shu Ran said, "She has a hard time too, always making the Eldest Master angry. Before the Eldest Master left..." She paused here, feeling it inappropriate to discuss such matters with an unmarried young lady, and quickly stopped herself.
Lin Dongxiu pressed, "What happened before he left?"
Shu Ran vaguely replied, "Well, she just upset the Eldest Master." She thought to herself, "Xianglan was bedridden for several days and only managed to get up yesterday. What a tragedy..."
Lin Dongxiu snorted coldly.
Shu Ran chatted a bit more with Lin Dongxiu before taking the young maid back with her. Entering the courtyard, she saw Xiao Juan carrying a box of items into the room and approached her, asking, "What are you doing?"
Xiao Juan said, "Sister Xianglan said she wanted to paint and asked me to find some paper. But when I brought it, she said it wasn't right and started talking about Unsized Xuan Paper and Sized Xuan Paper. Since when is paper divided into 'raw' and 'ripe'? And then there are brushes—Wolf Hair Brush, Goat Hair Brush—how am I supposed to tell them apart? I found some in the small storeroom and just brought everything."
Shu Ran looked at the items and said, "None of these are usable. I'll find some better ones later." With that, she entered the room with Xiao Juan.
They saw Xianglan sitting properly behind the desk that Lin Jinlou had set up in the main room. She wore a peach-red jacket embroidered with golden bamboo leaves and multicolored floral patterns, paired with a moon-white silk satin skirt. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she was dressed casually for home. Though she wore no makeup, she looked more spirited than she had in previous days. In front of her was a sheet of paper, on which she had already painted a flower.
Shu Ran approached with a smile and said, "Well, well, you have such refined interests! Let me see what you've painted."
Xianglan smiled gently and said, "I was just idling away my time, amusing myself."
Shu Ran picked up the painting, smacked her lips, and said, "You call this 'amusing yourself'? It's painted so well!" She added, "If you need painting supplies, you should look in the chests at the back. They're all leftover items the Eldest Master used before, and they're all good quality. About half should still be usable. Make a list of what you need, and I'll have the boys under the corridor purchase them for you later."Xianglan exclaimed in surprise, "Leftovers from the Eldest Master?"
Shu Ran smiled and said, "When the Eldest Master was young, the Old Master thought his temper was too fiery and feared he might cause serious trouble in a fit of anger. So he had him cultivate his mind through music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, hiring several masters to teach him. There were even people who came to request his calligraphy or paintings. Later, as the Eldest Master became increasingly busy with official duties, he set these things aside."
Xianglan thought to herself, "The Lin family has been a lineage of officials for generations. Their descendants may not be masters of poetry, couplets, music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, but they can certainly hold their own in conversation. It’s not surprising that people came seeking calligraphy or paintings. In my previous life, even my elder brother, who only dabbled in writing and poetry, had sycophants coming to ask for his works—all just to flatter their master and curry favor. As for that brute Lin Jinlou, there isn’t a single refined bone in his entire body."
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