The maid hurriedly said, "It'll be ready after simmering a while longer." Madam Tan muttered a few words, clearly dissatisfied. Xianglan couldn't help but take another look at the maid. Shu Ran whispered in her ear, "That maid is called Qianluo. She's served Second Master since childhood and used to be the most respected in his quarters, but ever since Second Mistress entered the household, she hasn't been able to tolerate her... Now she's been driven out here to boil medicine."
Hearing this, Xianglan couldn't resist another glance. She saw the maid was about sixteen or seventeen years old, delicate and slender with almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, truly possessing some charm that made her stand out from other maids. However, she wore slightly worn clothes as she crouched by the stove, her face flushed red from the heat with fine sweat beading on her forehead. The maid carefully poured the medicine into a small porcelain bowl using a handkerchief to pad the handle of the earthenware pot, when suddenly Madam Tan scolded sharply, "Hurry up!"
Startled, Qianluo's hand slipped, splashing hot medicine that reddened her wrist. Bearing the pain, she hastily wiped it with her handkerchief and carried the medicine inside. Seeing her condition, Xianglan was reminded of her own days as Cao Lihuan's maid and couldn't help but feel pity. Lifting her skirt to enter the room, she heard Madam Tan scolding Qianluo: "So clumsy you can't even handle such a simple task. Are we keeping you here to eat idle rice?" Noticing Xianglan and the others entering, Madam Tan stopped and ordered Qianluo to serve tea, standing up to ask, "What brings you here?"
Xianglan smiled and said, "Eldest Master heard Second Master is ill and was concerned, so he sent us to check on him." She pointed to the basket, "This contains freshly prepared bird's nest with some medicinal herbs added, all mild tonics. We've checked it against Second Master's prescription - there are no conflicts. Please have Second Master take it while the medicinal properties are still potent." She then handed the bolt of cloth to Madam Tan, saying, "Take this fabric to make a skirt. When the eldest young mistress returned, she said pomegranate-red skirts are all the rage in the capital now."
Taking the cloth, Madam Tan saw it was smooth and glossy with a vibrant color, her face immediately breaking into a smile. "Oh, this is capital silk, isn't it? Such fine material, you should keep it for yourself."
Xianglan smiled, "I have more."
Being at an age where she appreciated beautiful colors, Madam Tan owned few nice dresses though she desired more. She had long wanted a red skirt but found commercially available colors unsatisfactory. High-quality silk cost three or four taels of silver, which pained her to spend. As a new bride, she couldn't comfortably ask her in-laws for such things either. Receiving this bolt of cloth fulfilled her wish, so she didn't refuse, ordering a maid to put the fabric away. Her attitude toward Xianglan became more smiling, though noticing Xianglan's half-sleeve jacket was made of material clearly superior to the capital silk she'd been given, she felt displeased again, privately thinking Xianglan was being stingy.
After discussing Lin Jinxuan's illness for a while, Madam Tan sighed, "Second Master's health is so fragile at such a young age, I wonder if he'll have longevity..." Her eyes reddened as she spoke.
Xianglan comforted her, "With proper care and the Lin family able to afford any medicine regardless of cost, I don't think Second Master has any serious illness - just minor ailments that take longer to recover from. We'll find a couple of good doctors to examine him properly later."Madam Tan merely shook her head. Lin Jinxuan had coughed half the night, keeping her awake as well. If this continued, she would either end up a widow or living as one in all but name—either way, it meant lonely springs in the women's quarters, with the room perpetually filled with the oppressive smell of medicine that made her chest feel tight. Having just married into the family, she already found it unbearable; she couldn't imagine how she would endure the long years ahead. Yet she was too ashamed to voice these thoughts, especially since Xianglan was merely a casual acquaintance. Instead, she said, "Actually, you're quite fortunate. The Eldest Master is in good health and holds considerable power."
Xianglan smiled faintly. "What fortune? I'm just a concubine. While the master favors me now, I enjoy a bit of glory, but 'even the grandest feast must end.' Soon enough, we'll hear the laughter of new favorites and forget the tears of the old. Who knows what the future holds?"
Madam Tan had initially felt a twinge of jealousy seeing Xianglan so radiantly dressed, but these words eased her mind somewhat. She blurted out, "They say beauty fades with age—there's truth in that."
Shu Ran, standing nearby, frowned at the remark. Xianglan maintained her faint smile and remained silent.
Only after speaking did Madam Tan realize her words had been too sharp. Feeling awkward, she was relieved to see no reaction from Xianglan, as if she hadn't heard.
Shu Ran said, "It's getting late. We should take our leave." Xianglan rose gracefully to bid farewell. Once outside the courtyard, Shu Ran whispered, "The second young mistress has no filter—she says whatever comes to mind. For someone from a scholar-official family, she puts on the airs of a lady but speaks with a cutting tongue. She ought to show some restraint."
Xianglan replied, "She's still young, and married to such a frail and sickly husband. It's only natural she's unhappy and vents her frustrations on us. Who knows how the second master's health will fare? In truth, she's a pitiable soul." If Madam Tan were a simple, honest woman, it might be different, but Xianglan had noticed her attire today—a pink peony-patterned sleeve jacket, a light green skirt, her hair piled high, her face heavily powdered and rouged. Despite her husband's illness, she still took care to adorn herself, clearly a lively and coquettish woman. With Lin Jinxuan in such poor health, he likely couldn't satisfy her romantic desires... At this thought, Xianglan shook her head and said, "If Madam Tan doesn't learn to temper her disposition, she'll have much to endure in the future."
Back in her own courtyard, the medicine had been fetched. Shu Ran promptly instructed Ling Su to decoct it, and once it had cooled, she personally supervised Xianglan as she drank it. Reluctantly, Xianglan forced it down, her heart growing anxious. If she were to bear Lin Jinlou's child, she would be trapped as a concubine for life. Could she bring herself to abandon the child and strive for independence alone? If she took the child with her, escape would be the only option—but where could she flee, with her aging parents to consider? Xianglan listlessly curled up in the warm chamber, facing the wall as she drifted into a troubled sleep.
She awoke to the glow of lanterns at dusk. Sitting up, her mind was foggy, unsure of the time. Ling Qing, who had been keeping watch by the kang while doing needlework, set aside her task and said, "You're awake, mistress. Would you like some tea? The Eldest Master is out for the evening—Shuangxi brought word that he won't be back for dinner. What would you like to eat tonight?"Xianglan wiped her face, feeling somewhat clearer-headed. As she dressed and stepped down from the bed, she said, "Something light. Stir-fry two vegetable dishes. The mixed mushroom soup from yesterday was quite good." Ling Qing then sent a young maid to the kitchen to order the dishes.
After the meal, while Xianglan amused herself by playing through a chess endgame from a manual alone, she suddenly had an epiphany. Since things had already come to this, she might as well let them be. There was nothing she could do now but meet troubles as they came, just as soldiers defend against invaders and earth contains floodwaters. Agonizing over it would only torment herself further. Having reached this realization, Xianglan instructed Hua Shan to put away the chess set. After exchanging a few casual words with the maids, she made the bed and retired for the night.
Half-asleep, she heard voices outside, followed by the bed curtains being swept aside. Lin Jinlou stumbled to the kang and sat down, haphazardly stripping off his clothes and tossing them to the floor. He pulled back the quilt and lay down, bringing with him the overwhelming stench of alcohol.
Xianglan sat up partially and leaned over, intending to draw the bed curtains and have the night-duty maid bring sobering soup, hot tea, and a warm towel. But as she drew closer to Lin Jinlou, she noticed that besides the alcohol, he carried the cloying scent of cosmetics—a clear indication that he had just returned from some amorous escapade. Xianglan's delicate, long eyebrows furrowed slightly. She lowered her head to look at him and saw Lin Jinlou lying motionless with his eyes closed. In the brief moment she was lost in thought, Lin Jinlou suddenly reached out an arm, pulled her into his embrace. Xianglan struggled to free herself, but Lin Jinlou rolled over and pinned her down, muttering, "What are you fussing about?"
Xianglan bit her lip and turned her face away. Ignoring her evasion, Lin Jinlou planted a kiss on her lips. She turned onto her side to face the wall, and he pressed against her from behind, his arm draped over her and his face buried in her hair. Xianglan lay rigid and unmoving, thinking that if Lin Jinlou had been intimate with another woman and his desires were still unsated, coming to her now felt indescribably humiliating and bitter. She waited quietly for a moment, planning to stealthily shift his arm away. But the moment she stirred, Lin Jinlou lazily commanded, "Stop moving."
Xianglan had already felt the hardness between his powerful thighs pressing against her buttocks and immediately froze. Lin Jinlou was always self-indulgent; once aroused, he was insatiable in bed. Xianglan feared he might be stirred to lust again. Tonight's circumstances felt particularly unbearable, yet she dreaded displeasing him and provoking further complications. So she lay still, her mind wandering to the half-finished painting, the incomplete chess game, the unfinished needlework, and then disjointedly to her days at the temple, and further back to her previous life when she had visited family friends with her parents. They had toured an exquisitely beautiful garden—perhaps it belonged to the Lu family, or maybe the Lu family? She had been very young then, her hair tied in two little buns, holding a peach blossom to tease the fish in the lake before her nanny hurriedly carried her away... Those past-life memories were so distant, so faint she sometimes wondered if they were merely a dream.
Lost in these scattered thoughts, Xianglan eventually fell asleep without realizing when. When she woke the next morning, she found herself nestled in Lin Jinlou's arms. His robe was open, revealing his muscular chest rising and falling with each breath as if he were sleeping deeply, his other arm still wrapped around her waist. Outside the bed curtains came the faint sound of footsteps, and Xue Ning whispered, "Shall we wake him?" It was usually the time when Lin Jinlou would rise to practice martial arts and boxing.Ling Qing hesitated and said, "Last night, the Eldest Master drank too much and came back late..." As she spoke, she tilted her head to listen and, hearing Lin Jinlou's soft snoring from inside, added, "The Eldest Master hasn't woken up yet... Should we go ask Sister Shu Ran?"
The two of them discussed it and went off.
Xianglan sat up quietly, draped her clothes over her shoulders, carefully lifted the bed curtain, put on her shoes, and got out of bed. Just then, Shu Ran came in with the maids. Seeing that Xianglan had risen earlier than usual, she quickly instructed the maids to attend to her. Noticing that Lin Jinlou was sleeping soundly, Shu Ran discussed with Xianglan, "The Eldest Master came back late yesterday. Should we let him sleep a little longer and wake him at Chen hour?" She thought to herself, "Last night, the Eldest Master was so drunk he could barely stand. After drinking the sobering soup, he vomited once and was still unsteady on his feet. Young Master Chu, afraid he might fall off his horse, specially sent him back in his own sedan chair. In the past, under such circumstances, the Eldest Master would have stayed out overnight. Even the most popular courtesans in the capital couldn't keep him from leaving. And now, he's even found a physician to examine her health and help her conceive. Tsk, this Chen Xianglan must have had a wonderful dream in her past life."
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