As noon approached, the grand Flower Hall was already filled with an array of delicacies, fruits, and pastries. The hall was adorned with vibrant decorations, and a stage had been set up in the courtyard. The young performers of the Qingyun Troupe sang and played instruments, their melodious voices drifting incessantly through the air.
Lin Old Madam sat on the large Luohan bed in the center of the hall, selecting her favorite silver-threaded vegetables and exquisite pastries, which were served on small, gold-trimmed white porcelain plates placed on a heated brick bed table. She ate and drank at her leisure, reclining against a pillow to listen to the opera, while keeping Jiang Xiyun close by her side, seated on a stool to attend to her. Jiang Xiyun, naturally eager to please, busied herself by offering pastries, refilling tea, and massaging Lin Old Madam’s legs, her attentiveness reaching the utmost degree. Already delicate and beautiful, she had taken extra care with her appearance today, wearing a set of red-gold and kingfisher-feather hair ornaments, a lotus-purple satin jacket embroidered with golden peonies, and a colorful skirt. With light makeup, her charming face appeared even more rosy and endearing, exuding an air of lovable obedience. Her clever tongue knew just how to flatter, and Lin Old Madam smiled contentedly, clearly enjoying herself immensely.
Qin Shi and Wang Shi sat at a high table on the ground level, with Lin Dongwan, Lin Dongqi, and Lin Dongxiu seated further ahead. Concubine Bao, Lin Changzheng’s concubine, sat under the eaves to eat and drink. Li Miaozhi stood by Wang Shi’s side in attendance, while Xianglan stood behind Qin Shi. Su Meiru was nowhere to be seen, and Lin Old Madam did not inquire about her, while Wang Shi was naturally relieved to have her out of sight.
Xianglan found herself unconsciously watching Jiang Xiyun, feeling as though a thorn had lodged in her heart, making it impossible to sit still. Thanks to this seemingly sweet and charming girl, she might never become a mother! And yet, this person, who had fled in disgrace, could now enter the hall so calmly, as if the past events were merely a dream, showing no remorse and only acting coy and agreeable with endless smiles. Xianglan had thought she had let go and moved on, but now, every time she saw Jiang Xiyun—whether observing her ingratiating behavior, her blossoming smiles, or her excessive attentiveness to win favor—a wave of bitterness surged within her, fueling a growing resentment that she could barely suppress, threatening to drag her into an abyss.
Jiang Xiyun sensed someone watching her and knew it was Xianglan, but she refused to look and dared not meet her gaze. With a fleeting glance out of the corner of her eye, she quickly averted her eyes, her heart in turmoil. To say she felt no guilt would be a lie, but she quickly reasoned that without that incident, she might have already married into the Lin Family, with Xianglan becoming a fierce tiger sleeping by her bedside day and night. In that case, she would have suffered endlessly, locked in a lifelong struggle with Chen Xianglan, tormenting herself forever. Her grandmother had once said, "How many can live a spotless life?" As a woman, for her own sake, she must be ruthless to others—"better others die than I perish." She had no energy to sympathize with others, so how could she be wrong? She had been unwilling to come to the Lin Family this time, yet she had no choice. Now that the Jiang Family was declining due to the Second Prince’s affairs, Jiang Danyu had only managed to marry into a moderately respectable minor landowning family. For her, the situation was even more humiliating and difficult. She had to come this once to win Lin Old Madam’s favor, regain face in front of others, and resolve her current predicament.
With this thought, Jiang Xiyun straightened her back, ignored Xianglan completely, and focused on peeling meat to serve Lin Old Madam.Xianglan turned around, silently reciting three times in her heart: "Resentment is poisoned wine—do not hate, forgive, for hatred wounds oneself." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and upon reopening them, saw Qin Shi turning to beckon her over. Approaching, she heard Qin Shi whisper, "After the opera, there will be storytelling and acrobatic shows—it might drag on for a while. Don’t just stand here idly. Go inside and rest awhile, have some food and drink to settle your stomach."
Xianglan forced a smile. "It’s no trouble, I’ll stand for a bit." Glancing up, she noticed Lin Dongxiu signaling to her with her eyes. Xianglan excused herself and joined Lin Dongxiu under the corridor, where they beheld winding paths, elegant latticed windows, embroidered curtains faintly veiled, and a gentle breeze carrying the vibrant hues of spring.
Lin Dongxiu walked along the covered corridor, saying, "Let’s stroll outside to avoid seeing that little goblin’s arrogance—no need to add to our vexation. The old lady’s grown muddled, inviting that Jiang woman into our home." Xianglan hadn’t expected Lin Dongxiu to speak up for her. Ever since Xianglan had saved Lin Dongxiu at the mountain temple, the latter had treated her with some sincerity. Though their friendship remained neither too deep nor shallow, it was harmonious, and over time, genuine affection had grown. Yet Xianglan, keenly aware of individual temperaments, maintained her boundaries with care—no matter how close they became, she never overstepped or presumed. Now that Lin Dongxiu had become the Marquess’s wife, her entire demeanor had transformed in this short time: her words and actions carried an imperious air, a stark contrast to her former self, and she scarcely regarded ordinary people with any regard. Xianglan recalled the delicate Fourth Miss of the Lin Family—the one who would frown before speaking, her words laced with sharpness and a touch of frail sickness—and compared her to the present Marquess’s wife, dignified and severe, exuding pride and decisiveness. A sigh welled up in Xianglan’s heart.
Lin Dongxiu took Xianglan’s hand and halted, frowning slightly. "Goodness, why are your hands so cold? And your face is deathly pale—is it from anger at that Jiang woman? It’s just as well you have a clay-figure’s patience. If it were me, even to spare the old lady’s feelings, I’d have flung my sleeves and spoken my mind!"
Xianglan shook her head. The two turned into the rear courtyard, where several maidservants were playing. Upon seeing them, the girls hurried over to attend, spreading large crimson cushions with emerald satin shimmer on stone stools. Lin Dongxiu asked Xianglan, "Shall I have the maids fetch you a shawl?"
Xianglan picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. "No need." She felt the bowl of scalding, light tea somewhat soothe the cold, gnawing hatred in her heart.
Lin Dongxiu said, "Or perhaps you could feign illness and return home? I’ll make your excuses to the old lady—tch, what a mess this is. Never mind you, even I feel disgusted."
Warmth touched Xianglan’s heart. She squeezed Lin Dongxiu’s hand and suddenly said, "It’s fine. I must go back later. Today is the old lady’s joyous occasion—if I plead illness and leave, she’ll surely be displeased. With members of the Lin clan present today, who knows how this might be twisted if word spreads. Since I’ve promised Taitai to consider the broader picture, I must see it through to the end."
Lin Dongxiu stared blankly for a long moment before saying, "Well—well, well. Ah, it’s not easy for you either. No matter how great your kindness to our family, the respect of others can’t outweigh a single word from the elders."Xianglan laughed upon hearing this: "These past few years I've stumbled along, experiencing the fickleness of human relationships and the harshness of the world. Through all kinds of twists and turns where I had no control over my circumstances, though I've achieved nothing remarkable, I've developed a thicker skin. Before, if someone made a sarcastic remark or mocked me, I would likely fly into a shameful rage and immediately retort. But now, even when facing the harsest bullying, I can accept it calmly. Holding onto resentment only hurts oneself in the end." She then made a funny face and added, "After today's events, I'm afraid I'll become even more capable of maintaining peace amidst chaos."
Lin Dongxiu sighed: "You're truly hard to figure out. When you were just a maid looked down upon by everyone, you held your head higher than anyone. Now that you have some status and position, with Taitai and your brother backing you, you're instead willing to endure grievances. You really are a strange one."
After exchanging some casual conversation, Xianglan wandered off for a while until she felt her inner turmoil had mostly dissipated. She then entered the main Flower Hall, only to find that Lin Dongwan, Lin Dongqi, Li Miaozhi, and Jiang Xiyun had all disappeared. Xianglan returned to Qin Shi's side and refilled her wine cup. Lin Old Madam lifted her eyelids to glance at her before looking away again.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiyun had attended to Lin Old Madam before going to the inner room for dinner. Upon entering, she saw Lin Dongwan sleeping on the large Heated Brick Bed in the inner chamber. It turned out Lin Dongwan had been made to drink several cups of wine by some familiar old nannies and soon began feeling dizzy with her heart pounding, so she had excused herself from the banquet to rest in the inner room. Jiang Xiyun was eating while watching the opera from the table by the window when she heard footsteps. Turning her head, she saw Li Miaozhi and Lin Dongqi walking in chatting and laughing.
These three had been close friends since childhood. Jiang Xiyun stood up with a smile and said softly: "So it's you two."
Lin Dongqi had heard some rumors about Jiang Xiyun and, thinking of Xianglan, felt somewhat uncomfortable. She only responded perfunctorily. Li Miaozhi, having grown up with Jiang Xiyun, felt much closer to her and was particularly delighted. She pulled Lin Dongqi over, and the three sat together in a circle, asking a maid for additional cups so they could drink and chat together.
After drinking a cup of wine and sharing more laughter, their conversation turned to childhood antics, making all three feel intimate and gradually warming the atmosphere. At this moment, a maid entered and whispered to Li Miaozhi: "Third Mistress, Concubine Su says she'll come later to congratulate the Old Madam on her birthday - no matter how much we tried to persuade her otherwise. When she arrives, I'm afraid our Taitai will lose face again—"
Li Miaozhi frowned and waved her hand: "I understand, you may go." After the maid left, she couldn't help sighing several times and said to the other two: "Since we're all close sisters here, I won't hide anything. Speaking of my father-in-law's newly taken concubine, she's truly quite a character. That mouth of hers could make black appear white. My poor mother-in-law is an honest person who's been bullied until she's full of bitterness but can't speak out. And now that concubine is relying on her pregnancy, she can stir up trouble over the slightest dissatisfaction. The tricky part is she always smiles sweetly at you, leaving you with no handle to grab onto. Nowadays, my mother-in-law trembles with anger just hearing her name. Who knows what will happen when they meet later."
Lin Dongqi said: "I've met her once. She has quite pleasing features and carries herself with graceful composure, unlike those who are timid and reserved."Li Miaozhi said, "It's precisely those who have seen the world and are cunning that are worse. They act better than opera performers, yet my mother-in-law happens to be slow with words. Only after someone has made her cry does she realize what she should have said or done—always locking the stable after the horse has bolted. As a daughter-in-law, I can't say much. That Su Meiru has also tried several times to scheme against me, looking for faults in my husband."
Lin Dongqi sighed and said, "Every family truly has its own troubles. I'd rather have a mother-in-law like Second Aunt, who is kind and honest. My mother-in-law is a second wife, so she treats the children from the previous marriage worse. Putting up with her many criticisms is one thing, but she favors my third sister-in-law, finds fault with everything I do, always tries to push her own maid into my household, and even secretly inquires about the size of my dowry—"
OpenNovel