Old Madam Lin was in her sixties, with kindly eyebrows and pleasant eyes, broad-minded and stoutly built like a great Buddha. Her hair, already streaked with white, was coiled into a bun secured by a white jade orchid hairpin. She wore a pearl forehead band and a frost-colored soft silk garment, while her hands idly rotated two scholar's walnut baubles. Upon hearing the commotion, she slightly straightened up, and Xuezhan, who had been standing beside her, immediately stepped forward to support her, tucking two golden python-patterned autumn incense-colored cushions behind Old Madam Lin's back.
Old Madam Lin spoke unhurriedly, "What has happened? Get up quickly. Young ladies like you shouldn't be weeping and wailing. Come now, if you have something to say, rise and speak."
Cao Lihuan not only remained kneeling but knocked her head twice heavily on the floor with a "thump, thump." Her face was streaked with tears, wearing a stubborn yet pitiful expression as she sobbed, "Old Madam, I made a mistake earlier and upset Eldest Aunt. I know I was wrong. I beg Aunt to punish me, but please... please don't drive me away..." She then broke into loud, mournful weeping.
Qin Shi's voice remained calm, "Wasn't it you who resented the Lin family and blamed us? Why do you keep saying that I'm driving you away?"
Cao Lihuan shook her head desperately, her earrings striking her cheeks, "No, no, Aunt! I misspoke. Please teach me, considering my youth and ignorance. Have pity on me—I'm like a rootless duckweed with no father or mother, and since childhood, few have guided me. That's why I dared to contradict my elders..." She cast teary glances at Old Madam Lin and then at Qin Shi, choking out, "...I... I was truly wrong... Please forgive Huan'er..."
Wang Shi, soft-hearted and unaware of the earlier incident, found Cao Lihuan's weeping pitiful and thought to plead on her behalf. She looked at Qin Shi and said, "Well... this Sister Huan is still quite young, she..." But then she noticed Qin Shi signaling her with a meaningful glance and immediately fell silent.
Qin Shi was seething inside. Back in the capital, she had heard that Cao Lihuan colluded with Zhao Yuechan to scheme for the Lin family's benefits and was skilled at pretending to be obedient and pleasing in front of the Old Master and Old Madam. Today, witnessing her speech and behavior, which were no different from a market shrew, Qin Shi felt increasingly disgusted. She had been looking for an opportunity to expel her, never expecting Cao Lihuan to be so shrewd as to stir up trouble directly before Old Madam.
Qin Shi took a deep breath and said, "Then tell me, where exactly did you go wrong?"
"I shouldn't have contradicted my elders, shouldn't have lost my temper and fought with the maids, shouldn't have upset Madam... Aunt, please forgive..."
"You complained that Old Madam treats you like an outsider, saying that this was clearly a family banquet, yet she had two maids block you at the entrance and not let you in. You also said that if even Old Madam acts this way, how could those snobbish maids possibly regard you as a proper mistress and respect you? Did you say these words or not?"Qin Shi leisurely recounted what Cao Lihuan had just said, causing Old Madam Lin's expression to darken. Unexpectedly, Cao Lihuan remained composed, as if she had anticipated Qin Shi's words all along. Instead, she gave a bitter smile: "Aunt, do you know what those maids said earlier? They said the masters of the Lin family—the lord, madam, young masters, and young ladies—are the true masters. They asked where I came from to act like a mistress, saying I'm just a distant relative taking advantage of the Lin family, even less worthy than servants... Aunt, every word of this cuts deep to the heart! Though I have neither father nor mother, I still know how to write the words 'shame and honor.' How... how could I endure this..." Cao Lihuan wept mournfully, wiping her tears with her sleeve until her makeup smeared, making her appear even more pitiful.
Wang Shi's face showed compassion, and Old Madam Lin also seemed moved. Xuezhan grew anxious upon hearing Cao Lihuan trying to implicate Liubei and glanced at Qin Shi.
Qin Shi's expression remained unperturbed: "For this, you could disregard dignity and brawl with a young maid? Shouting 'little slut' repeatedly—I ask you, where has your noble lady's decorum gone? I advised you out of kindness, yet you vent your anger on me and Old Madam. We don't expect gratitude from you, but neither do we wish to make an enemy of you."
Hearing this, Cao Lihuan cried even harder, shuffling forward on her knees as she wept: "Aunt, it's all my fault for being young and foolish! My judgment was clouded to speak such words. No wonder you're angry with me—I hate this temper and this trouble-making tongue of mine too!" Saying this, she slapped herself hard twice across the face.
Startled, Old Madam Lin waved her hands urgently: "What are you doing! Stop this, Sister Huan!" She then glanced at Qin Shi and called her by her childhood name: "Ying, what do you think of this matter..."
Qin Shi cursed inwardly—Cao Lihuan's performance now made her appear innocent and pitiable. Pressing further would only make the elders seem harsh and cruel.
Seeing an opportunity, Cao Lihuan intensified her act. Tears streamed down as her eyes and nose reddened, lamenting: "Old Ancestor, no one can blame Aunt for being angry with me—every fault lies with my wrongdoing. I only beg the elders to pity me for being orphaned. Though I have an elder brother, he merely runs a small business and cannot be relied upon. I'm truly someone with no one to depend on—wherever I go, people trample and scorn me. It's just that I've always been proud, afraid of being looked down upon by my husband's family after marriage. That's why I shamelessly sought refuge here, so people would know I was sent off from the Lin family—to have some backing and be regarded more highly... No wonder the maids would say such things... After all... after all I'm not a true master of the Lin family... I just couldn't bear the humiliation then... I only hope Old Ancestor and my two aunts will consider my youth and rootless existence, granting me a place in the mansion. I don't need monthly allowances—just a corner to shelter in would satisfy me..." She seemed about to break into loud sobs but forcibly restrained herself, pleading: "I beg you, don't drive me out!"
While speaking, she kowtowed repeatedly until her forehead turned red. Old Madam Lin hurriedly rose to support her, grasping Cao Lihuan's arm as she said: "Good child, rise quickly. The floor is cold—don't catch a chill."Cao Lihuan refused to rise, only turning her head to gaze at Qin Shi's face with immense pitiful misery. Even her originally tall and sturdy frame seemed to stoop and shrink smaller as she wept mournfully, "Aunt... dear aunt... Huan'er was truly wrong. Even after Huan'er marries... I'll often return... to care for you all... Please don't drive me away..."
This display was truly heartbreaking to witness and brought tears to listeners' eyes. Wang Shi couldn't help shedding two tears herself, saying to Qin Shi, "Sister-in-law, considering her youth, don't send her away. She doesn't seem like a bad child to me, just lacking in manners. You can teach her properly later, alright?"
Qin Shi's face had already softened with maternal affection. She stepped forward to take Cao Lihuan's hand, tucking the disheveled hair at her temples behind her ears as she spoke earnestly, "Silly child, I never truly meant to drive you away. I just made up that story to scare you when I saw you resisting discipline earlier. We're all family here - how could we speak like strangers? Not only would we never make you leave, we wouldn't allow you to go even if you wanted to. Earlier you even brought gifts specifically to welcome us back - I was so delighted I immediately sent someone to deliver local specialties and trinkets to you. But remember from now on: don't argue with servants anymore. It undignifies you unnecessarily and upsets us to see it."
Cao Lihuan nodded like a chick pecking rice, still sobbing intermittently. Old Madam Lin directed Xuezhan to pour tea for Cao Lihuan, while Wang Shi had already instructed maids to fetch water for Cao Lihuan to wash her face. Qin Shi held Cao Lihuan's hand, sitting by the bed and chatting intimately, their interaction resembling that of affectionate mother and daughter.
In the blink of an eye, the room's atmosphere had transformed from stern severity to harmonious warmth.
Incredible! Truly incredible!! Xianglan shrank by the doorway, watching dumbfounded. She couldn't help mentally giving Cao Lihuan a thumbs-up—no wonder this cousin could act so domineeringly yet comfortably in the Lin household! She genuinely had remarkable skills! Originally facing immediate expulsion, she had turned black into white with just a few words, not only securing her stay but also winning elders' affection. She could make scenes to vent anger yet humble herself to reconcile, flexible in approach, eloquent in speech, perceptive of expressions, skilled at reading moods, and even employing the "bitter flesh" tactic—those two slaps were certainly not light!
Xianglan sighed inwardly—even opera performers couldn't match Cao Lihuan's acting and rhetoric.
But Qin Shi was no easy opponent either. Fully aware of Cao Lihuan's sophistry—even intentional misinterpretation of "Aunt wants to drive me away"—she remained unshaken, meeting each move with countermeasures. Imperturbably, she exposed Cao Lihuan's disrespectful words about the old madam, every statement grounded in reason, making everyone understand that the junior was being unreasonable toward elders who refrained from bullying with authority.
Later, when Cao Lihuan deployed the "bitter flesh" strategy and Old Madam Lin softened, Qin Shi abruptly shifted from her expressionless sternness to overflowing maternal kindness, lightly dismissing the "expulsion" threat as "made-up words to scare you." The older ginger is indeed spicier!
Turning these details over in her mind, Xianglan's gaze toward Qin Shi now carried subtle reverence.Once they left Shouxi Hall, Cao Lihuan's warm and cheerful expression instantly darkened. Returning to Luoxue Courtyard, she threw a fierce tantrum, smashing two cups to pieces. Xianglan looked in the mirror and saw clear finger marks on her snow-white cheek, swollen and raised. She hid in the tea room, found some ointment, and applied it. Liu Pozi saw this and stamped her feet repeatedly, cursing the injustice, then soaked a towel in cold water and pressed it to Xianglan's face. As Xianglan loosened her hair to comb it, she noticed the white mourning silk flower she wore at her temple was missing. She sighed at her misfortune—the silk flower was issued by the estate, made of fine white silk, and each person only had one. Now that hers was lost, she didn't know where to get another, so she would have to make do with a paper flower in the future.
The next day, Cao Lihuan went to Qin Shi's main room to pay her respects, but the matron at the door stopped her, saying Qin Shi was unwell. After a few words, she was sent away. The gifts she had brought for the main branch were mostly returned by Qin Shi, who only kept some needlework, declining all the valuable items.
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