Against the Current

The season had entered the fourth month, with spring's radiance illuminating every corner.

Xianglan had felt restless since morning, clutching the pouch in her hand while silently cursing Song Ke. Peeking into the room and seeing Cao Lihuan whispering with Huier, she seized the excuse of fetching water to slip out of Luoxue Courtyard and headed up the hill to find Song Ke. Before she reached the spot, she spotted a tall, elegant young man standing beneath the peach tree—who else could it be but Song Ke?

Xianglan immediately lifted her skirt and ran forward, thrusting the pouch into Song Ke's hand. "Here, take it back," she said, then turned to leave. Song Ke quickly grabbed her arm. "Hey, hey, what's the rush?"

Xianglan spun around angrily, shaking her arm fiercely but failing to free it from his grasp. "How can I not rush?" she fumed. "I lied to sneak out. If my cousin finds out, I'll be in serious trouble!"

Song Ke froze, his hand loosening as a look of remorse crossed his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't think it through properly..."

Seeing his expression, Xianglan's anger subsided slightly. She stood still and said, "The pouch has been mended. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave, Master Song."

Song Ke examined the pouch closely and saw that the torn area had been meticulously repaired with matching silk threads, the pattern seamlessly restored. It was so smooth and refined that one could hardly tell it had ever been damaged. Delighted, he exclaimed, "It's repaired so well!" He looked at Xianglan with a sincere smile. "You must have put a lot of effort into mending this pouch. I must properly thank you."

Xianglan had intended to leave immediately, but upon hearing this, she thought, "If you want to thank me, just give me some silver." She pursed her lips and watched Song Ke without speaking.

Song Ke smiled and said, "Giving you silver might seem too vulgar. Here, take this instead." He pulled out a small pouch made of kesi tapestry from his sleeve and handed it to Xianglan.

Xianglan initially thought of politely declining, but then she recalled the anxiety she had felt while mending the pouch over the past few days. When Song Ke had first asked her to repair it, she had agreed without thinking. Halfway through, it occurred to her that she could have simply claimed she couldn't fix it—what could Song Ke have done then? Yet, looking at the half-mended pouch, she had gritted her teeth and finished the task, working late into the night by lamplight and fearing discovery. Given all the effort she had expended, accepting a token of gratitude from Song Ke didn't seem unreasonable. With this thought, she took the small pouch and said, "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. Thank you for your generosity, Master Song." She curtsied and turned to leave again.

Song Ke stepped forward to block her path. "Don't you want to see what's inside?"

Xianglan felt a flash of irritation, but when she looked up, she saw Song Ke's smiling face. His ethereal handsomeness seemed even more captivating when he smiled, and Xianglan found herself momentarily stunned. "This Master Song is truly handsome and charismatic," she thought. "No wonder the young ladies of the Lin family are so infatuated with him." In her daze, her anger completely dissipated.

Song Ke urged her again, "Hurry and open it. See if you like it."

Xianglan had no choice but to comply. She opened the small pouch and shook out its contents: a tiny frog carved from emerald-green jade. The jade was translucent and moist, clearly of excellent quality. Though the carving was unrefined, it had a charming, rustic simplicity that was utterly delightful. Xianglan gasped softly, admiring it from all angles. "Jade trinkets are common enough," she murmured, "but one as amusing as this is rare."Seeing that Xianglan liked it, Song Ke's lips curved upward. "This little thing was just something I carved for fun in my spare time. I'm glad you like it."

Xianglan found his words ambiguous and suddenly realized she was standing too close to Song Ke. She hastily retreated two steps, composed herself, and said, "This humble maid thanks Young Master Song for the gift. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

Song Ke frowned deeply. Just moments ago, their conversation had carried a sense of familiarity and intimacy, but now she was referring to herself as "this humble maid" and addressing him as "Young Master Song," clearly creating distance again. Anxious, he stepped forward to block her path once more and said, "Wait, your handkerchief is still with me."

Xianglan then remembered the handkerchief she had lent him last time to wipe the stains on his clothes, which Song Ke had not returned. She reached out her hand and demanded, "In that case, please return it to me now."

Song Ke put on an innocent expression, spreading both hands open. "I forgot to bring it." Xianglan grew somewhat annoyed again, and Song Ke quickly added, "How about you come back tomorrow at exactly 9 a.m.? I'll return the handkerchief to you then."

Xianglan withdrew her hand and said indifferently, "Forget it. It's just a handkerchief. I don't want it anymore. Young Master Song, you can burn it." With that, she made to leave again.

Song Ke stretched out his arm to stop her, still smiling. "How about this? Consider the handkerchief a gift to me, and I'll exchange it for something else." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a white silk flower.

Xianglan was taken aback. With a hint of pride, Song Ke handed the silk flower to her and said, "Take this silk flower. It's much prettier than the paper flower in your hair."

Xianglan took the silk flower and examined it. On the back, she noticed a small ink stain. The flower she had lost had a faint brushstroke mark on the back as her personal identifier. So, the white flower she had lost had been picked up by Song Ke.

Song Ke watched Xianglan, noticing her lowered head and downcast eyes, her thick lashes veiling her exceptionally beautiful eyes. Even the serene elegance of an orchid could not compare to her delicate charm. He stared at her, somewhat entranced, and murmured, "I happened to be there when you dropped the flower. I wonder if this counts as fate?"

Xianglan found his words increasingly inappropriate and responded with a distant smile, "Young Master Song has returned the lost item to its owner. This humble maid thanks you here." She made a slight curtsy and prepared to leave again.

This time, Song Ke did not stop her but called out from behind, "I still don't know your name." Xianglan pretended not to hear, but Song Ke raised his voice and said loudly, "If you don't tell me, I'll go to Luoxue Courtyard to ask around."

Xianglan cursed him silently for being despicable, turned around to glare at him, and reluctantly said, "My name is Xianglan." With that, she lifted her skirt and hurried away.

As she approached Luoxue Courtyard, Xianglan paused, straightened her clothes and hair, picked up a half-pot of water from the small tea room, and walked back slowly. As soon as she entered, she saw Huier leaning against the doorway, cracking and eating small walnuts. Huier glanced at Xianglan and sneered, "You've been missing since early morning. Where have you been running off to?"

Xianglan said softly, "I went to fetch water," and slipped inside to add tea.

Huier snorted at Xianglan's retreating figure, spat the walnut shell in her mouth onto the floor, and raised her face to Cao Lihuan, who had just emerged from the bedroom. "Aren't you going to discipline her? All she does all day is run around outside."

Cao Lihuan said, "For now, we still need to coax her into doing more work. I’ve noticed that little wench isn’t as diligent as before. If we scold her again and she becomes resentful, her embroidery work might suffer, and that wouldn’t be good."Huier said disdainfully, "What's there to fear? If she dares to slack off, just have Da Nǎinai drive her out!"

"Now that First Madam has returned, her words don't carry as much weight as before," Cao Lihuan said with a shrewd expression. "After all, Xianglan is still a maid of the Lin family. If she were ours, beating or scolding her would be a simple matter. You should stop getting angry with that little maid. Let me ask you, how have you handled the task I gave you? Only by accomplishing it can we secure our long-term future."

Huier lowered her voice, "I've done exactly as you instructed, not a single detail amiss." Then she added with some trepidation, "Miss, what if this matter gets discovered..."

"Don't worry, it won't be discovered!" Cao Lihuan said resolutely. "And even if it is, what can they do? Swallow us whole? If it really comes to that, we'll just pack our bags and leave directly. We've already come this far - we must see it through. Let's just gamble on this one chance." Seeing Huier's fearful expression, she patted her hand and said, "Just rest assured, if anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."

Huier sighed and hesitated, "Miss... miss, you're already engaged to the Ren family's young master, just waiting to marry into their family. Although the Ren family's circumstances are somewhat modest, Young Master Ren is gentle and caring. Living off their farmland would bring peace and stability. Why must you..."

Cao Lihuan remained silent, staring blankly at the blue-and-white underglaze red decorative cup on the table. Suddenly she picked up the cup and handed it to Huier, saying, "Tell me, even if my parents were still alive, back in our hometown in Yuzhou, could our family afford to use such a cup?"

Huier was taken aback and shook her head.

Cao Lihuan pointed around the room, "Then could we afford this gold-inlaid carved bed, this mother-of-pearl and gem-embedded screen, or that Cheng kiln decorative vase on the table? Although I have a few presentable outfits, I can count them on one hand. Lin Dongqi's casual clothes are made of the finest kesi tapestry brocade, costing at least forty taels of silver!" The more Cao Lihuan spoke, the redder her face became, her eyes shining remarkably bright. "I used to think my original home with its three-courtyard mansion was impressive, but after coming to the Lin family, I realized that Yuzhou residence was practically a pigsty compared to this. Their garden is like a fairyland - I never knew people could live in such luxury... Huier, I told myself then that unless I find a marriage better than the Lin family's, I will never move out of the Lin residence! Otherwise, that set of ruby gold hairpins my mother left me would just fall into that wretched Zhao Yuechan's hands!"

Huier seemed to want to say something but hesitated, "But... but even if this succeeds, at most you'll become Third Master Ting's concubine. People will gossip, and you might never be able to hold your head high. At the Ren family, you'd be the legitimate wife, this..."

"That's for the future! We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Haven't I survived many storms before? Huier, you've seen Third Master Ting too - not to mention his handsome features, his every gesture embodies the bearing of a noble young master. Compared to him, Ren Yu isn't even worth mentioning." Cao Lihuan played with the bracelet on her wrist. "Even if the Ren family treated me like royalty, could they afford kesi tapestry, burnt wool, and brocade jackets all year round? Could they drink imperial wine bestowed by the palace?"Huier stammered, unable to speak, her expression somewhat dazed. A vague smile played on Cao Lihuan's lips: "Not to mention Ren Yu is slow-witted—neither successful in studies nor business. After over a decade of schooling, he remains a mere Tongsheng... I've spun grand tales to outsiders, claiming the Ren family has few members and is easy to serve, an honest household with property and land, well-off. I praised Ren Yu as decent and honest with a gentle temperament, but in truth... it was all to save face. Deep down, I see everything clearly. Still, repeating these lies often enough almost fools even myself, as if I truly favored this match..."

Seeing Cao Lihuan's desolate expression, Huier couldn't help speaking up: "Miss..."

Cao Lihuan shook her head: "No matter how capable or strong-willed I am, I still rely on a man's competence. Ren Yu is a weakling—forget earning honors to glorify his wife and ancestors; I doubt he can even manage his family estate properly."

Her voice gradually faded, and both fell silent. Suddenly, Cao Lihuan straightened her back and declared loudly: "I was born a daughter of a prominent family! Why should Lin Dongwan—a mere concubine-born daughter of the Lin family—marry into an official's household, while I, a legitimate daughter, must wed into poverty? Even as a concubine of the Lin family, I'll live in luxury all my life... Hmph! Once I become the Lin family's concubine, who would dare treat me as one? The position of principal wife will eventually be mine!"

Her gaze turned sharp, revealing a ruthless determination. Realizing that Cao Lihuan remaining with the Lin family would benefit her, Huier eagerly poured a cup of tea and began racking her brains to devise strategies for her mistress.