Xianglan was a thoughtful person. Considering that everyone at the table was a proper master eating together, her presence here was unjustified, so she simply watched them take their seats, planning to find an excuse to leave later. Seeing everyone seated, with several matrons and young maids bringing hot water for handwashing, she stepped forward to take Hui Ge’er’s hand, saying, "I’ll take the young master to his wet nurse for his meal." With that, she made to leave.
Lin Dongqi, being sharp-witted, understood Xianglan’s intention and quickly stood up to grasp her arm, smiling as she said, "Just sit down and eat with us. A maid will take Hui Ge’er."
Xianglan hesitated, "But..."
Lin Dongwan also rose, instructing an old nanny to take Hui Ge’er away while chiming in, "Exactly, exactly, come sit. We’re all family, no need to be so formal." Together with Lin Dongqi, they pulled Xianglan back to her seat from both sides.
Lin Dongqi teased playfully, "You eat at the same table with Eldest Brother every day, and your standards have risen. Could it be you look down on us sisters?"
Xianglan knew Lin Dongqi was helping her out of an awkward situation, and her heart warmed. She smiled and replied, "How could that be?"
Lin Dongwan personally poured a cup of fruit nectar for Xianglan, pushed it toward her, and said with a smile, "Have a cup to whet your appetite." She then directed a young maid to bring hot water for Xianglan to wash her hands. Ling Qing stepped forward to remove Xianglan’s bracelets, holding them on a handkerchief, and helped her put them back on after she finished washing. Lin Dongwan repeatedly praised Xianglan’s bracelets: "The jade has such a rich glow, and the patterns on the gold bracelets are lovely. Where were they made? Wanbao Lou or Cuizhu Zhai? One of these days, I’ll have a pair made just like them."
Madam Tan sat to the side, a smile on her face as she slowly wiped her hands dry, inwardly astonished. Having newly married into the Lin family, she naturally tread carefully and sought to please. With no elders present, Lin Dongwan and Lin Dongqi were the ones she usually tried hard to befriend. The former had married into the Lu family; though the Lu family’s influence was waning, "a centipede dies but never falls down"—they still retained some prestige. Moreover, Lin Dongwan was born of the same mother as Lin Jinxuan, and whenever she returned to visit Concubine Yin, Lin Jinxuan treated her with great affection. The latter, as the legitimate daughter of an official family, had married the promising second son of Duke Zhenguo and was highly regarded among noble ladies and young misses in the capital. With such exalted origins, delicate beauty, a reputation for virtue, and a prestigious marriage, she embodied the life Madam Tan most yearned for in her heart. Envying her deeply, Madam Tan was very eager to befriend Lin Dongqi.
Yet, Wan and Qi treated her with lukewarm politeness. Madam Tan assumed it was because she was new and they weren’t familiar yet. But she never expected that today, upon first meeting Xianglan, Lin Dongwan would also be so warmly attentive to her, her words dripping with flattery and eagerness to please.
Once everyone had washed their hands, three or four maids entered carrying large lacquered boxes. Xiao Juan and Xue Ning took the dishes from the boxes and arranged them on the table. Soon, the table was densely covered with bowls and plates, offering a variety of dishes, most of them light and plain.
The meal proceeded in silence, broken only by the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.After the meal was finished, the maids and serving women cleared away the remnants and brought fragrant tea for rinsing mouths. Everyone moved to the eastern room, where the maids laid out refreshments and fruits once more. They chatted and laughed for a while, discussing trivial matters. Lin Dongwan had a clever tongue, and she dominated about seventy percent of the conversation: whose garden was well-designed, which opera troupe performed best, which couple was at odds, who had recently taken a concubine, and which family's second or third wives were quarreling. These trivial matters were inherently dull, but she managed to narrate them vividly, with dramatic twists and turns.
As Xianglan listened to Lin Dongwan's stories, she occasionally heard a few familiar family names, but over a decade of changes had passed, leaving her with a sense of how much things and people had altered. Seeing Lin Dongwan's animated expressions, she thought that if the girl were equipped with a storyteller's wooden clapper to slap sharply on the table, she would truly be a professional female storyteller.
Just as the room was bustling with chatter, Lin Jinlou walked in from outside. Upon entering, he found it unusually quiet. It turned out that the mistresses were engrossed in their own conversation, while the maids had scattered—some to eat, some to nap, and others to chat and joke in the side rooms. Only Hua Shan remained, sitting on a small stool by the door, keeping watch as she worked on her needlework.
Seeing no one in the room, Lin Jinlou turned to leave but heard laughter coming from the eastern room and headed that way. He had been drinking earlier and had stained his clothes, so he had returned to change. He had intended to call for Xianglan, but upon hearing the laughter at the door, he changed his mind. He thought to himself that Xianglan was often lonely, and it was rare for her to have companions of similar age to chat with. If he entered, it would likely make everyone uncomfortable and spoil the mood. When Hua Shan saw Lin Jinlou, she hurriedly stood up and reached to lift the curtain, but he waved her off. She obediently fell silent and retreated to the side.
Lin Jinlou pricked up his ears and listened to the conversation inside.
At that moment, Lin Dongwan was recounting an incident involving the Dai family. The Dai family's ancestors had once held the position of a second-rank official in the court. Later generations also produced several talented individuals, but they were implicated in the Crown Prince's affair, which dealt a heavy blow to the family. They lay low for over a decade until three years ago, when The Emperor showed them favor once more, appointing the family head, Dai Qing, to the Hanlin Academy. Dai Qing was highly regarded by Zhao Jin, a senior grand secretary. As the saying goes, "Promotion, wealth, and the death of one's wife"—no sooner had Dai Qing's fortunes turned than his first wife passed away. A year later, he remarried, and the family began to thrive again.
Xianglan took a sip of tea and glanced up slightly, noticing Lin Dongqi listening intently to Lin Dongwan's story: "...But the pregnancy occurred during the mourning period for Madam Dai. It was already over five months along—the result of an affair between Third Master Dai and a maid right under Third Mistress Dai's nose. The maid was clever; she first made an excuse to return home and hid for several months. Her belly was noticeably larger than others', likely because she was carrying twins. When it became impossible to conceal any longer, her mother brought her back to the Dai family. Third Mistress Dai wanted to force an abortifacient on her, but the maid, relying on her favored status with Old Madam, flaunted her belly and demanded that Old Madam intervene. You all know Third Mistress Dai's temperament—she was furious! She lifted her skirts and chased the maid to Old Madam's room, and right in front of Old Madam, she scratched the maid's face to shreds. Oh my! Some even say she gouged out the maid's eyes. Tsk, tsk, it sends chills down one's spine."
Lin Dongqi shuddered and rubbed her arms. "Elder Sister, please stop. It's too frightening. What happened after that?""So what happened? What else could happen? The Dai family's Old Madam fainted on the spot, and that maid was so frightened she fell and miscarried. Old Master Dai said he would severely punish his third daughter-in-law. Tsk, but I must say this Third Madam Dai really has some tricks up her sleeve. Knowing her father-in-law had just taken a new wife and was currently in the honeymoon phase, she turned around and curried favor with her new mother-in-law. With that pillow talk influence, the matter was handled lightly. Within days she was swaggering about again, and now all the maids in the Dai household have been subdued by her." Lin Dongwan said, picking up a cup of tea to moisten her throat. "That maid was sent to a manor estate. They say she was originally a neat, proper girl, but now her face is ruined. Who knows what will become of her? Third Master Dai just sent someone with forty taels of silver and hasn't concerned himself with her since."
Madam Tan snorted, "Amitabha! Serves her right! That maid got what she deserved. The Dai family isn't in the right either - how could they carry on with a maid during their mother's mourning period? If this gets out, the Dai family's reputation will be ruined. Even if Third Madam Dai acted improperly, it's the Dai family who indulged it. Does being by the old madam's side mean she can casually climb into her master's bed and steal another woman's man?"
Lin Jinlou found this women's gossip utterly tedious and was about to turn and leave when he unexpectedly heard Xianglan say, "Third Master Dai is no good either. That girl was ultimately just a servant maid - if her master insists, what can she do? It's pitiful how that girl's life is ruined, how she lost her twins, while that man continues to enjoy himself carefree."
Hearing this, Lin Jinlou set his raised foot back down.
Madam Tan sneered, "As the saying goes, 'flies go for cracked eggs.' Nothing happens without cause in this world. If that maid hadn't been willing, how could Third Master Dai have succeeded? Besides, she was the old madam's maid, more privileged than other servants - it's not like Third Master Dai could have raped her. I've heard Third Master Dai is as handsome as Pan An, a real charmer. With both wealth and looks like that, it's what made that maid entertain dirty thoughts."
Xianglan also sneered, "If we follow that logic, then any man with wealth and looks should have maids rushing to curry favor and climb into their beds?"
Madam Tan raised her voice sharply, "If that maid was truly forced, if she was so chaste and virtuous, if she was so unwilling, she should have just slit her throat! If she got pregnant, she should have taken medicine to abort it! Why hide it secretly, only to return later with a bulging belly to disgust everyone! Such a fearful, hypocritical little slut - Third Madam Dai really taught her a deserved lesson!"
Xianglan said slowly, "If she was forced by her master, losing her virtue is pitiful enough - she can no longer hope for a respectable marriage afterward. This matter wasn't originally her fault, so why should outsiders pressure her and demand her life? If she didn't die, perhaps she has parents to support - does her attachment to life make her completely wrong? When she became pregnant, the child in her womb was connected by blood - how could she bear to abort it? She must have struggled for a long time, ultimately unable to bring herself to do it, until her family noticed and she had to return to the Dai household."Lin Dongwan was unaware of the inside story, but Lin Dongqi had some knowledge of the matters between Xianglan and Lin Jinlou. Knowing that the earlier remark had struck a sore spot for Xianglan, she saw Madam Tan, flushed and still eager to argue, and quickly interjected with a laugh, "Alright, alright, these are all outsiders' affairs. Why should we bother discussing them?" Taking Xianglan's hand, she said, "I remember you used to be the best at drawing floral patterns. Have you created anything new recently? Quickly sketch a landscape for me—I want to make a cloak and embroider it on there later."
Xianglan, ever adaptable, took the offered escape gracefully and smiled, "I only arrived in the capital yesterday, and all my finished works are back in Jinling. I'll draw a few for you tomorrow, Second Young Mistress. Just tell me what style you'd like."
Lin Dongwan chimed in playfully, "And me, and me! So you have this talent too—now I know where to go for pattern designs. I want peonies with a hundred butterflies; draw two for me."
Lin Dongqi added with another laugh, "Take your time with the drawings, no need to rush. There's no hurry."
Xianglan agreed with a smile, her peripheral glance briefly falling upon Madam Tan.
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