Xianglan stood by the window and saw that Lin Jinlou had actually taken the fan Song Ke had given her. Instantly, her face turned pale with shock. She had kept the fan tucked away in a drawer, and yesterday she had quietly taken it out to examine it. As she traced the delicate green jade frog-shaped fan pendant with her fingers, she fell into a daze. Suddenly, she remembered the time at the Song residence when Song Ke was writing by the window. She had brought him a cup of Lychee Drink and used a silver hairpin to brighten the candle flame. Leaning closer, she saw that Song Ke had inscribed a poem on the fan:
"Cherishing spring, I grasp dreams, yet the flowers have already faded late,
Adoring the delicate gown and low chignon.
Fragrant powder, jade railings, facing the moon's halo,
Orchid's subtle fragrance, emotions deep, evoking longing."
At first, she was about to laugh at Song Ke for writing in such a feminine, boudoir style. But upon closer inspection, she realized it was an acrostic poem—the first characters of each line, when combined, read "Cherish, Adore, Xianglan." Her face flushed crimson immediately, her heart pounding as if a little rabbit were trapped inside. Her cheeks burned as if on fire, yet she felt an indescribable sweetness.
Song Ke turned his face slightly toward her and smiled faintly. "What do you think of my writing? You always said you wanted me to inscribe a poem on the back of the fan. Do you like this one?"
What had she said at that time?
Xianglan realized she couldn't remember clearly. Her throat felt choked, and she didn't dare unfold the fan to look at it again. It felt like a hot potato in her hands, so she hastily stuffed it under a few books and fled the room.
But today, Lin Jinlou had unexpectedly taken out the fan. Xianglan was horrified and quickly pushed the door open, rushing in as she cried out, "That's my fan! Yesterday, I—"
She saw Lin Jinlou slowly turn around, his gaze fixed on her, his face cold as frost, his eyes dark and cruel.
Xianglan's heart trembled. She rushed forward and grabbed Lin Jinlou's arm, pleading, "I beg you, please return the fan to me."
Lin Jinlou shoved her away, watching her stumble and fall against the desk. He weighed the fan in his hand and sneered, "'Cherish, Adore, Xianglan'—what a fine display of mutual affection. What a pity that such a lovely pair of lovebirds back then has ended up like this today. I heard Song Ke's wife is already pregnant, and the two are so devoted to each other that he hasn't even taken a single Bedchamber maid. What a waste of your foolish devotion, poured out like water flowing eastward." As he spoke, he snapped the fan in two with both hands, then crushed it into fragments in his palm.
Hearing Lin Jinlou's words and seeing the fan shattered beyond recognition, Xianglan felt all hope vanish. She no longer harbored any illusions about Song Ke, yet she couldn't help thinking of him. The time they had shared was a treasure in her heart, something she secretly revisited during her lonely and hopeless days in the Lin household to bolster her spirits, telling herself that one day she would again experience a life filled with gentle care. That fan was the only thing she had brought with her from the Song residence, and now Lin Jinlou had destroyed even this last remnant of her memories. Trembling all over, she rushed forward to snatch the broken remains of the fan, clutching the green jade frog pendant tightly in her hand.
Lin Jinlou hadn't expected Xianglan to seize the shattered fan from his grasp. His anger flared even hotter. When had he ever endured such humiliation? When had he ever stooped to please a woman? She had stripped him of all dignity, and in the end, he was worth less than Song Ke's tattered fan!
Lin Jinlou took a step forward, grabbed Xianglan by the neck, and lifted her up. Gnashing his teeth, he snarled, "Fine, fine, fine! You ungrateful wretch! You've truly repaid me well!"Xianglan felt like a frail kitten, dizzy and weak, struggling feebly as she found herself unable to breathe. The suffocating agony overwhelmed her, consciousness drifting further away. She felt death approaching—indeed, ceasing to breathe might bring relief, but what would become of her parents?
Just then, the young maid Hua Shan entered with tea. Seeing Lin Jinlou gripping Xianglan, she shrieked, dropping the tray. Teacups shattered noisily on the floor. Xue Shi rushed over at the sound and nearly fainted at the sight in the room. "Eldest Master, have mercy!" she cried, darting inside to kneel at Lin Jinlou’s feet, clutching his robe and weeping. "Please show kindness, spare Lan-jie!" She kowtowed repeatedly, her head thumping against the floor.
Xianglan felt the pressure on her neck release and collapsed to the ground, knocking a chair askew.
Xue Shi threw herself over Xianglan, sobbing, "Lan-jie, Lan-jie, are you all right?"
Xianglan coughed uncontrollably, stars dancing before her eyes, gasping too breathlessly to speak, her throat burning with pain.
Lin Jinlou watched her coldly for a moment before slowly approaching. "I’ve been too lenient with you," he said icily, "letting you forget your place. Today’s a lesson. If this happens again, don’t blame me for truly ending you."
Xue Shi continued to hold Xianglan, weeping softly. Chen Wanquan, hearing the commotion, hurried from the main hall but lingered by the window, peering in anxiously, wringing his hands, too fearful to enter, sweat beading on his forehead.
Lin Jinlou strode out. Chen Wanquan hunched his shoulders, pressing himself against the wall as if wishing to vanish. But Lin Jinlou paused and said coldly, "Pack her things. Send her to the Lin family."
With that, he marched away, shouting, "My horse! Where’s my horse?! Useless beasts, can’t you see I’m leaving? Bring the horse at once!" Jixiang scurried off to fetch it. Lin Jinlou mounted, yanked the reins, and galloped away, with Jixiang and Shuangxi hastily following.
Xue Shi, Chunling, and others carried Xianglan to the bed. Xue Shi parted Xianglan’s hair and saw the swollen, purplish finger marks on her neck. "What happened? Weren’t you fine just now…" Her voice choked with tears.
Xianglan squeezed Xue Shi’s hand and shook her head. Chen Wanquan edged in to look, then hurried out to order Huacai to fetch a doctor, his face twisted in anguish as if on the verge of crying. He paced restlessly, muttering, "What are we to do! What are we to do!"
Chunling had Hua Shan bring a basin of cold water and applied a chilled towel to Xianglan’s injury, her own eyes brimming with tears. "Hadn’t you come to terms with it recently?" she whispered. "You’ve been complying with the Eldest Master, enjoying a few peaceful days. Why stir trouble now? If he’s angry, just coax him—wouldn’t that settle it?"
Xue Shi wiped her tears. "If he truly loses his temper and takes your life, how could I go on living…"
Unable to speak, Xianglan merely clasped Xue Shi’s hand again and shook her head.Soon after, Chunling brought a bowl of warm water and helped Xianglan take two small sips. Her throat hurt so much she could barely swallow, but not wanting Xue Shi and the others to worry, she forced it down, nearly vomiting. After lying still for a while, the doctor arrived. Chunling covered Xianglan’s face with a handkerchief, and the doctor said, “Pardon me,” before stepping forward to examine her. He diagnosed it as an external injury, wrote a prescription, and left. Liu Pozi hurriedly took the prescription to fetch the medicine, and before long, Hua Shan was boiling it in an earthenware pot in the courtyard, fanning the flames with a palm-leaf fan.
The entire Chen Family was enveloped in silence. Xianglan lay quietly on the bed with ointment applied to her neck, slowly opening her hand to reveal the jade-green frog resting in her palm. She didn’t know what Lin Jinlou might do next, but since he hadn’t strangled her to death earlier in the room, she assumed he wouldn’t take her life. He had been furious earlier, and this incident must have disgusted him, likely diminishing his interest in her from now on. If her parents learned of her situation, it would be easier to plan an escape from the Lin Family. She went over the plans she had been contemplating these past days in detail until her head ached and she grew drowsy. Suddenly, she saw Xiao Hang walk in, speaking to her of their past life as husband and wife, then watched as Xiao Hang transformed into Song Ke, who said, “In this life, I am already married with children. No matter how much affection remains between us, let’s forget it.” Hazily, she replied, “Alright, let’s forget it. I intended to anyway.” But her throat was too painful, and she couldn’t utter a word. Faintly, she heard sobbing, and the voices of Xue Shi and Chunling drifted in and out.
“…Good child, tell me the truth. When we were at the Lin Family, did the Eldest Master treat our Lan girl like this before?”
“How could that be? The Eldest Master has that kind of temper. Today, it must have been a few words that didn’t sit right, which is why he lost his temper. Usually, he treats the young lady very well. Please don’t overthink it.”
“Ah, how can I not overthink it… This incident today scared me half to death… Could you speak to the Eldest Master and let me into the estate too? I’d do anything—sweeping, washing—just to be by Lan girl’s side and watch over her…”
“What are you saying? You’re the Madam; how could we let 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 Chunling immediately came in. Xianglan gave a meaningful glance, and Chunling withdrew. Xue Shi, her face full of worry and tears in her eyes, asked, “How did things come to this?”
Xianglan reached for Xue Shi’s hand, finding her palm icy 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 again as she cursed angrily, “It’s all the Xia Family’s fault for bringing this disaster! 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. “Daughter, the medicine is ready. Drink it while it’s hot.” He nudged Xue Shi aside, stirred the medicine with a spoon, and with trembling hands, fed Xianglan a mouthful. Her throat in agony, Xianglan could only swallow slowly. Seeing that her complexion had improved slightly, Chen Wanquan felt somewhat relieved but sighed, “Why did the Eldest Master get so angry all of a sudden? What exactly were you two arguing about? The fact that he came yesterday was already a great honor for us. How could you not control your temper and offend him?”Xue Shi angrily retorted, "Nonsense! If it weren't for you, how would Lan'er have fallen into his hands? Didn't you see she almost lost her life just now? Even if Sister Lan has made grave mistakes, one cannot take a life!"
Chen Wanquan sighed again, stood up and said, "The Eldest Master wants you to return to the mansion. The Lin family has already sent a carriage. I'll first arrange some silver coins so you can rest for a while before going..." As he spoke, his eyes reddened, and he left just like that.
Xianglan thought to herself, "I cannot let my parents worry because of me anymore." Summoning her strength, she endured the pain and forced down the entire bowl of medicine. As the medicine passed through, a cooling sensation spread in her throat. After recovering for a while, she hoarsely whispered, "I'm fine, Mother, don't overthink. He wasn't like this when we were at the Lin residence..." She added, "Remember what I said - sooner or later I must leave the Lin family. After what happened today, I've come to understand. I won't let myself suffer losses anymore." Then she quietly gave Xue Shi a couple more instructions.
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