Xianglan stood by the window and saw Lin Jinlou holding the fan Song Ke had given her, instantly turning pale with shock. She had kept that fan tucked away in a drawer, only secretly retrieving it yesterday. As she fondled the exquisitely carved jade frog pendant, she fell into a daze, suddenly recalling her time at the Song residence. Song Ke had been writing by the window while she brought him a cup of lychee drink from inside the room. Using a silver hairpin to brighten the candle flame, she leaned closer and saw that Song Ke had inscribed a poem on the fan:
"Cherishing spring, I cup dreams—flowers already late,
Adoring the delicate robe and low-chignon grace.
Fragrant powder, jade railings, bathed in moonlight's haze,
Orchid's subtle passion—can it convey my longing gaze?"
She had been about to tease him for writing in such a feminine, boudoir style, but upon closer look, she realized it was an acrostic poem—the first characters of each line combined to form "Cherish, Adore, Xianglan." Her face had flushed crimson then, her heart pounding like a startled rabbit, cheeks burning as if on fire, yet filled with an indescribable sweetness.
Song Ke had turned to her with a gentle smile and asked, "How did I do? You always wanted me to inscribe a poem on the fan—do you like this one?"
What had she replied?
Xianglan found she could no longer remember. Her throat tightened as if choked, not daring to unfold the fan again. Treating it like a scorching hot potato, she hastily stuffed it beneath some books and fled the room.
But now Lin Jinlou had unexpectedly produced the fan. Horrified, Xianglan rushed in, exclaiming, "That's my fan! Yesterday I—"
Lin Jinlou slowly turned, his gaze icy and savage as he stared at her.
Xianglan's heart quivered. She threw herself forward, clutching his arm, and pleaded, "I beg you, please return the fan to me."
He shook her off, watching her collapse against the desk. Weighing the fan in his hand, he sneered, "'Cherish, Adore, Xianglan'—what a touching romance. Pity such a lovely pair of lovebirds ended up like this. I heard Song Ke's wife is already with child—they're so devoted he hasn't even taken a Bedchamber servant. All your foolish devotion wasted." As he spoke, he snapped the fan in two, then crushed the fragments in his palm.
Hearing his words and seeing the fan destroyed, Xianglan felt all hope vanish. Though she no longer harbored illusions about Song Ke, she couldn't help remembering him. Those moments with him were treasures she guarded in her heart—during lonely, hopeless days in the Lin Family, she would secretly recall them to bolster her spirits, telling herself she would one day again experience such tender care. That fan was the only thing she had brought from the Song residence, and now Lin Jinlou had destroyed her last memento. Trembling uncontrollably, she lunged for the broken remnants, snatching the jade frog pendant into her hand.
Lin Jinlou hadn't expected her to seize the shattered fan from his grasp. His fury intensified—when had he ever suffered such humiliation? When had he ever needed to court a woman's favor? She had stripped him of all dignity, and in the end, he meant less to her than Song Ke's worthless fan!
He stepped forward, grabbed Xianglan by the throat, and lifted her up, snarling through clenched teeth, "Fine! Fine! Fine! You ungrateful slut! This is how you repay me!"Xianglan felt like a frail kitten, dizzy and weak, struggling feebly as she found herself unable to breathe. The suffocation was unbearable, and her consciousness gradually faded. She felt she was about to die—in truth, ceasing to breathe might be a release, but what would become of her parents?
Just then, the young maid Hua Shan entered with tea. Seeing Lin Jinlou gripping Xianglan, she screamed, dropping the tray in her hands. The teacups shattered with a crash. Xue Shi rushed over at the sound, glanced into the room, and was terrified out of her wits. She cried, "Master, have mercy!" and dashed in, kneeling at Lin Jinlou’s feet, clutching his robe and weeping, "Please show kindness, Master! Spare Lan-jie!" As she pleaded, she kowtowed repeatedly, her head thumping against the floor.
Xianglan felt the pressure on her neck loosen, and her whole body went limp, collapsing to the ground and knocking over a chair.
Xue Shi threw herself over Xianglan, sobbing, "Lan-jie, Lan-jie, are you all right?"
Xianglan coughed incessantly, stars dancing before her eyes, gasping too hard to speak, her throat burning with a sharp pain.
Lin Jinlou watched her coldly for a moment, then slowly walked over and said cruelly, "I’ve been too good to you, making you forget your place. Today’s a lesson—if you dare pull this again tomorrow, don’t blame me for really ending you."
Xue Shi still clung to Xianglan, weeping softly. Chen Wanquan, hearing the commotion, had hurried from the main hall and now stood by the window, peering in nervously, wringing his hands but too afraid to enter, sweating profusely in his anxiety.
Lin Jinlou strode out. Chen Wanquan hunched his shoulders and shrank back, pressing himself against the wall as if wishing to vanish. But Lin Jinlou stopped and said coldly to him, "Pack her things and send her to the Lin Family."
With that, he marched out, shouting, "My horse! My horse! Damned useless beasts, can’t you see I’m leaving? Bring the horse at once!" Ji Xiang scurried off to fetch the horse. Lin Jinlou mounted, tightened the reins, and galloped away furiously, with Ji Xiang and Shuangxi hastily following.
Xue Shi, Chun Ling, and the others carried Xianglan to the bed. Xue Shi brushed aside Xianglan’s hair and saw the swollen, bruised finger marks on her neck, blue and purple. She said, "What happened? Weren’t you fine just a moment ago..." Her voice choked with sobs.
Xianglan squeezed Xue Shi’s hand and shook her head. Chen Wanquan also came closer to look, then immediately went out and ordered Huacai to fetch a doctor. His face was twisted in misery, as if he were about to cry, unable to sit or stand still, muttering incessantly, "What are we to do! What are we to do!"
Chun Ling had already instructed Hua Shan to bring a basin of cold water. She wrung out a cold towel and applied it to Xianglan’s injury, tears welling in her eyes as she whispered, "Didn’t you come to your senses recently, Miss? You’ve been obeying the Master in everything, and we had a few peaceful days. What’s going on now? If the Master is angry, why not just coax him a little to calm him down?"
Xue Shi wiped her tears and said, "If he truly loses his temper and takes your life, how could I go on living..."
Xianglan couldn’t speak, but she squeezed Xue Shi’s hand again and shook her head.Soon, Chun Ling brought a bowl of warm water and helped Xianglan take a few small sips. Her throat hurt so much she could barely swallow, but not wanting to worry Xue Shi and others, she forced it down, nearly vomiting afterward. After lying still for a while, the doctor arrived. Chun Ling covered Xianglan's face with a handkerchief, and the doctor said, "Pardon me," before examining her. He diagnosed it as external injuries, prescribed a remedy, and left. Granny Liu hurriedly took the prescription to fetch the medicine, and before long, Hua Shan was brewing it in an earthen pot in the courtyard, fanning the flames with a palm-leaf fan.
The entire Chen household fell into silence. Xianglan, with ointment applied to her neck, lay quietly on the bed, slowly opening her hand to reveal the green jade frog resting in her palm. She didn't know what Lin Jinlou might do next, but since he hadn't strangled her earlier in the room, she assumed he wouldn't take her life. He had been furious, and this incident had likely disgusted him, diminishing his interest in her from now on. Her parents, aware of her plight, would find it easier to plan her escape from the Lin Family. She meticulously reviewed the plans she had been devising lately until her head ached and drowsiness set in. Suddenly, she saw Xiao Hang enter, speaking of their past life as husband and wife, then transforming into Song Ke, who told her, "In this life, I'm already married with children. No matter how much affection we shared, forget it all." Hazily, she replied, "Alright, I'll forget it. I was going to anyway." But her throat was too painful to utter a word. Faintly, she heard sobbing, and the voices of Xue Shi and Chun Ling drifted in and out.
"...Good child, tell me the truth. When we were at the Lin Family, did Master treat our Lan girl like this often?"
"How could that be? Master just has that temper. Today, it must have been a few words that didn't sit right, so he lost his temper. Usually, he treats the young lady very well. Please don't overthink it."
"Sigh, how can I not overthink... This incident today scared me half to death... Could we ask Master to let me into the estate too? I'd do any chore, sweeping or washing, just to be by Lan girl's side and watch over her..."
"What are you saying? You're Taitai, how could you do such work..."
Xue Shi let out a series of long sighs.
Xianglan struggled to sit up, and upon hearing the movement, Xue Shi and Chun Ling immediately came in. Xianglan gave a meaningful glance, and Chun Ling withdrew. Xue Shi, with a worried expression and tearful eyes, asked, "How did things come to this?"
Xianglan reached for Xue Shi's hand, feeling her palm cold. Unable to speak due to her sore throat, she whispered with her breath, "It won't happen again."
Tears fell from Xue Shi's eyes as she cursed angrily, "It's all the Xia family's fault! Why should you suffer such humiliation, serving that bandit? If you had lost your life, what would I do?"
Just then, Chen Wanquan entered the room holding a bowl of medicine and said, "Daughter, the medicine is ready. Drink it while it's hot." He nudged Xue Shi aside, scooped the medicine with a spoon, and with a trembling hand, fed Xianglan a sip. Her throat in agony, she slowly swallowed. Seeing Xianglan's complexion slightly improved, Chen Wanquan felt somewhat relieved but sighed, "Why did Master get so angry all of a sudden? What exactly were you arguing about? The fact that Master came yesterday was a great honor for us. How could you not control your temper and offend him?"Xue Shi angrily said, "Nonsense! If it weren't for you, how would Lan'er have fallen into his hands? Didn't you see she was nearly killed just now? Even if Sister Lan made grave mistakes, one shouldn't take a life!"
Chen Wanquan sighed again and stood up, saying, "Master wants you to return to the residence. The Lin Family has already sent a carriage. I'll go arrange some silver first, so you can rest awhile before going..." As he spoke, his eyes reddened, and he left just like that.
Xianglan thought to herself, "I mustn't make Father and Mother worry because of me." She gathered her spirits and endured the pain to gulp down the entire bowl of medicine. As the medicine passed through, a cooling sensation spread in her throat. After recovering for some time, she finally spoke in a hoarse whisper, "I'm fine, Mother, don't overthink things. He wasn't like this when we were at the Lin Family..." She added, "Remember what I said - sooner or later we must leave the Lin Family. After what happened today, I've come to understand. I won't let myself be taken advantage of in the future." She then quietly gave Xue Shi a couple more instructions.
Thank you 05111039283 for two sachets, noodles1986, Qianruo Qingfeng Guo, and napping cat for the Peace Talismans, and also thank everyone for the pink votes ^_^
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