Madam Tan sat there with a taut face, clearly suppressing her anger. Xianglan thought to herself that although Madam Tan was married, she was still young and at an age where she would easily take offense and hold grudges over disagreements. Regretting her earlier argument with her, Xianglan was about to say a few conciliatory words when she saw Madam Tan stand up, her face pale with anger, and say, "I've been out too long and shouldn't disturb you any further. I'll take my leave now."
Ignoring everyone's attempts to persuade her to stay, she lifted the curtain and strode out. In her haste, she collided headlong with Lin Jinlou, who had been eavesdropping outside the door. Madam Tan caught a whiff of a masculine scent mixed with mint borneol and soap bean. She looked up abruptly and met Lin Jinlou's piercing dark eyes.
She wanted to push him away, but she was flustered and panicked, her heart racing wildly. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, her legs went weak, and she couldn't stand properly.
Lin Jinlou hadn't expected Madam Tan to rush out of the room so recklessly. Frowning impatiently, he pushed her aside and lifted the curtain to enter. Everyone stood up quickly upon seeing him. Lin Jinlou merely nodded slightly to Wan and Qi before saying to Xianglan, "Come out."
Xianglan had no choice but to follow him. Once they entered the bedroom, Lin Jinlou stood over her, silently staring down. Seeing his unpredictable expression, Xianglan feared this tyrant might unleash his temper and asked softly, "Does the master have any orders?"
Lin Jinlou continued to stare at her for a while before saying, "My clothes are dirty. Go find me a new set."
Xianglan looked up and indeed saw a stain on his lapel. She hurriedly opened the chest, took out a set of clothes, and helped him change. As she bent her head to adjust his belt and jade pendant, she could still feel Lin Jinlou's gloomy gaze fixed on her, as if trying to bore holes through her.
Xianglan trembled with fear, suspecting that Lin Jinlou had overheard her words in the room. This cunning and astute man would surely detect the hidden meaning in her words, and if he grew angry because of it, things would turn dire. Although he seemed slightly milder-tempered lately, his domineering nature had only increased, and his authority felt more oppressive than ever.
Her fingers trembling slightly, she noticed the emerald lotus leaf tray nearby, on which lay five or six jeweled purses. She quickly picked up a floral fire lotus purse and presented it to Lin Jinlou, not daring to look up. "The... the weather is gradually getting warmer. It's no longer suitable for the Eldest Master to carry a sheepskin purse. I made this one a couple of days ago. If the master doesn't mind my needlework, please wear it."
Seeing Xianglan's submissive and pitiful demeanor as she held out the purse, like a bullied young wife, Lin Jinlou took it, examined it briefly, and patted it in his palm. "Trying to curry favor now?"
Xianglan whispered, "No, not currying favor... I made it a while ago..."
Meanwhile, Hua Shan grew anxious upon seeing Lin Jinlou summon Xianglan, fearing her mistress might suffer. After scratching her head in thought, she happened to see Ling Qing bringing in a tray of tea. Hua Shan quickly took a cup and headed to the bedroom, lifting the curtain as she said, "Eldest Master, please have some tea."
Before Lin Jinlou could react, Xianglan spun around abruptly and dashed over to take the tea from Hua Shan, running faster than a startled rabbit.Lin Jinlou found it amusing but suppressed his laughter. He watched as Xianglan took the tea and dawdled over to him, placing it on the small side table. Hua Shan remained motionless at the door, so Lin Jinlou shot her a glare. Startled, she had no choice but to retreat.
Lin Jinlou picked up the teacup, took a few sips, and set it down. Suddenly, he grabbed Xianglan’s arm, intending to say, "Tie this pouch for me."
Xianglan flinched, thinking Lin Jinlou was about to hit her. She immediately clung to his arm, her voice trembling as she pleaded, "Eldest Master, please don’t be angry."
Lin Jinlou was taken aback. He noticed Xianglan’s red-rimmed eyes and the pleading expression on her face—a stark contrast to her previous stubborn defiance. While this submission was exactly what he had always wanted to see, for some reason, he felt no joy. Instead, a faint anger stirred within him, though he couldn’t pinpoint its source. Perhaps it was because he had overheard Xianglan’s words earlier? Unwilling to dwell on it, he shook his arm and said coldly, "Let go. Do you want me to hit you?"
Xianglan shuddered and obediently released his arm, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t dare wipe them away. She was genuinely afraid of Lin Jinlou—this man’s rage could truly cost her her life. Lin Jinlou hadn’t treated her poorly; he provided her with the finest food, clothing, and accommodations, and he gave her ample face in front of others. She was well aware of this, yet she still lived in constant fear—fear of Lin Jinlou’s authority, fear of an uncertain future, fear that her life would pass by in a muddled haze. Now that she had returned to the capital, the place where she had once flourished and later fallen into decline over a decade ago, everything felt familiar yet utterly changed. The surroundings remained, but the people and circumstances were entirely different.
Sometimes she wished she were a fool or that she had no memories of her past life. If that were the case, she could live carefree and unburdened. In such a scenario, Lin Jinlou’s favor would likely seem like a tremendous blessing. Which ordinary servant or maid enjoyed the respect she did? She might even have gladly become a Concubine, and her life would have been much simpler.
But alas, she was not that person. She couldn’t tolerate injustice, and for the sake of her dignity or her hopes for the future, she relied on an inner resilience to keep going, telling herself, "Sooner or later, the hardships will end." Yet deep down, she was anxious and carried a trace of sorrow.
The unresolved emotions she had tried to suppress were now stirred up by this incident, and Xianglan wept even harder, her sobs growing louder.
"Why are you crying? I haven’t even scolded you yet… Stop crying first… Are you trying to show off? Is this your way of defying me? Wipe those tears away now."
Xianglan used her sleeve to dry her tears and stole a glance at Lin Jinlou. Seeing that his expression had softened slightly, she feared he might settle accounts with her once she calmed down. Choking back sobs, she said, "I… I can’t stop…"
Lin Jinlou noticed a handkerchief lying on the bed, picked it up, and wiped Xianglan’s face. Then, he pulled her into his embrace, patting her back as he said, "You’ve really grown bold, haven’t you? I haven’t even said anything, and you’re already crying. Enough now, stop crying. I am angry with you, but with my elder and younger sisters here, I wasn’t planning to do anything to you. There are still relatives in the house—what will they think if they see you like this?… If you keep crying and soak my clothes, I’ll have to change again."Xianglan felt a wave of relief upon hearing Lin Jinlou say he "didn’t intend to do anything to her." She wiped her face with a handkerchief and stole a glance at him. Noticing this, Lin Jinlou chuckled and said, "What are you looking at? Enough now, tie the purse for me. There are still guests waiting ahead."
Obediently, Xianglan unfastened the sheepskin purse from Lin Jinlou’s belt, emptied its contents—cooling mint pills, copper coins for tipping, small silver ingots, and various other small items—and carefully transferred them into the new purse before securing it to his belt.
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