Xianglan had no interest in watching the opera. While chatting with Lin Dongxiu in the covered corridor, she suddenly noticed a change in Lin Dongxiu's expression, who pursed her lips and smiled, "Oh my, look who's here."
Turning her head, Xianglan saw Lin Jinlou striding over, covered in dust from his journey. She remembered he had official business outside today and left early in the morning. His return now, still in his travel-worn clothes, showed he had come straight over without changing.
As Lin Jinlou approached, he frowned and scrutinized Xianglan from left to right. Unable to resist, she asked, "Why are you back so early? And why haven't you changed your clothes?"
Lin Jinlou replied, "I heard the Jiang Family came again? Did the Old Master and Taitai give you a hard time?" Without waiting for her answer, he took her hand and said, "Let's go, back we go."
Xianglan quickly protested, "The banquet hasn't ended yet, how can we leave?"
Ignoring her, Lin Jinlou pulled Xianglan along as he strode forward. They arrived at Chun Tang Hall before he finally stopped. Turning to look, he saw Xianglan's face flushed bright red and realized he had walked too fast. Still maintaining his stern expression, he said, "Alright, no need to go back. Save yourself from fidgeting there. I'll speak with Taitai later and have her send the Jiang Family away."
Xianglan grew anxious upon hearing this, "That won't do. I've already agreed anyway, wouldn't that make all previous efforts wasted? Besides, today is Taitai's birthday celebration. You shouldn't let your grandmother feel unhappy because of me."
Lin Jinlou still frowned, "This is because I care about you, silly."
Xianglan was taken aback and fell silent, simply looking at Lin Jinlou.
After a long pause, Lin Jinlou said, "Have you ever thought? Being too soft-hearted only ends up hurting yourself. When you accommodate others at your own expense, sometimes people take you for a fool. All your kindness feeds those ungrateful souls who won't appreciate it but instead bully you even more." Seeing Xianglan still stunned, he took her hand in his, turning it over and over while muttering, "Tch, alright then. Since I'm back anyway, the Jiang Family should be sent back soon. We'll go to the front later."
Suddenly, Xianglan said, "The weather is nice today. Why don't you take me out for some fresh air, Master?"
Lin Jinlou looked up in surprise—this was the first time Xianglan had asked to go out with him. He couldn't help feeling pleased and said, "Very well."
Servant boys promptly prepared the carriage. Xianglan changed out of her splendid attire into plain, inconspicuous clothes and didn't bring any maids. Lin Jinlou didn't ride his horse either, boarding the carriage with Xianglan instead. He asked, "Where would you like to go? The capital has plenty of places for food, drink, and entertainment."
Xianglan smiled, "Nothing particular, let's just look around."
The carriage then circled through the bustling areas of the capital. Whatever Xianglan asked about or glanced at outside, Lin Jinlou would immediately send Shuangxi and Ji Xiang to purchase. Local specialties like pear syrup, poria cocos cakes, crispy candies, and preserved fruits, along with simple yet charming items like old books, dough figurines, sugar paintings, rattle-drums, and small pottery jars—all sorts of things were bought.
Xianglan stopped him, "Why buy so much? I was just looking out of curiosity."
Lin Jinlou smiled warmly, "You can't get off the carriage, how can you see clearly from this distance? Buying them lets you examine them carefully, to your heart's content. If you get tired of them, you can give them away later. The small vendors have a hard time making ends meet anyway—just letting them earn a few extra coppers is fine."Xianglan was about to praise him upon hearing the latter part of his words, but then she saw Lin Jinlou lean closer and say lazily with a grin, "Don’t you think I treat you especially well? Touched?" He pointed to his own cheek and added, "Don’t you owe me a kiss?"
Xianglan choked back her words and ignored him. In the past, she had found Lin Jinlou’s behavior rather annoying. Originally, she had felt moved, but when he explicitly demanded a reward for it, that feeling of gratitude vanished entirely. This guy had no understanding of subtlety or restraint, where silence speaks louder than words. Yet now, she found his shamelessness somewhat endearing. The corners of her mouth twitched upward as she suppressed a smile and turned to peek through a crack in the carriage curtain.
After more than a decade, the capital appeared both familiar and unfamiliar in her eyes. When she was a child, her grandfather and father had taken her out on the streets, with servants carrying her on their shoulders, buying all sorts of trinkets to amuse her. As she grew older, her father would hold her hand and take her to watch street performers or to the opera house to enjoy plays. Just then, the carriage slowly passed by a shop called "Rongxi Zhai," a long-established store in the capital selling the Four Treasures of the Study. Xianglan remembered how her grandfather, whenever he found a rare moment of leisure, would bring his grandchildren here to browse for antique inkstones. On each visit, she would pick out a stack of decorative stationery with various floral patterns to take home. Her father would laugh at her girlish sentiments but often painted flowers, birds, fish, and insects on plain letter paper for her and her younger sister to admire.
Even as the carriage moved on, Xianglan continued to look back. Lin Jinlou couldn’t help but ask, "Do you want to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones?" After a pause, he added, "Should I have the guards clear the area so you can take a look inside that shop?"
Xianglan shook her head, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Suddenly, she said, "Over a decade ago, when Grand Secretary Shen’s family was wiped out, I wonder—I wonder if anyone collected their bodies—and where they are buried now—"
Lin Jinlou was surprised. He had long suspected that Xianglan had a deep connection to the Shen family, but since she never spoke of it, he never asked. He hadn’t expected her to bring it up now. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, "If you’d like to visit, I’ll take you." With that, he ordered the servant boys to drive the carriage out of the city.
Once they passed through the city gates, the official road grew increasingly deserted and desolate. After traveling about eight or nine li and making two turns, they arrived at the foot of a mountain, where a narrow path wound its way upward. Lin Jinlou helped Xianglan out of the carriage, and the two walked along the path for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Before them lay a gentle slope, where a tomb made of blue bricks and white stones stood—it was the ancestral burial ground of the Shen family. Lin Jinlou said, "Grand Secretary Shen and his descendants are all buried in this large tomb chamber."
Xianglan gasped, her body trembling slightly as she covered her mouth in astonishment. "Who is buried here? Could it be... could it be that the Shen family wasn’t completely exterminated? Are there survivors?"
Lin Jinlou shook his head and said softly, "No—when the Shen family fell from grace, all the male members were executed at the Meridian Gate. It was my grandfather who bribed the guards to secretly retrieve their bodies under the cover of night. At first, they didn’t dare bury them here and had to hastily inter them elsewhere. Five or six years later, when the turmoil had subsided, they chose an auspicious day to quietly move the remains to the Shen family’s ancestral tomb."Xianglan's eyes had long reddened, two pools of tears rolling down her cheeks. The situation back then had been perilous, with stormy winds and dark clouds. The prince's Succession Struggle led to the Shen family being the first to be executed. Not only their relatives and close friends, but even the disciples of her grandfather were implicated one after another. At the time, three Censors in the imperial court had spoken up for the Shen family, yet all were reprimanded and demoted. The world was cold and unfeeling, human relationships as thin as gauze—no one came to lend a hand, all avoiding involvement if they could. Originally, Lin Zhaoxiang and Shen Wenhan had grown distant due to political differences, drifting further apart. Yet who could have imagined that when the Shen family was already like an overturned nest, it was the Lin Family who gathered the remains of Madam Shen's entire household. The dangers they must have faced in doing so went without saying. She turned slightly, wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and asked, "Is there any incense?" Her voice choked with sobs as she couldn't help but lower her head to wipe more tears. "I have some connection with the Shen family and wish to pay my respects today."
Lin Jinlou said, "I just bought a packet of yun incense at the market." He then ordered Ji Xiang to fetch it.
Moments later, Ji Xiang came running, panting heavily. Not only did he bring the yun incense, but also a small earthenware jar to serve as an incense burner, some plain fruits and pastries, and even carried over a cushion from the carriage to kneel on. Shuangxi, standing not far away, couldn't help but click his tongue and rub his hands, thinking to himself, No wonder their Master favors his elder brother more. If I had been sent, I probably would’ve only brought the incense, never thinking of the burner or cushion.
With everything prepared, Xianglan personally lit the incense and performed three bows and nine kowtows before the large grave with utmost reverence. She poured a cup of light tea onto the ground, silently praying, Ancestors of the Shen family, today I offer you tea, hoping you may transcend suffering in the afterlife. But back then, the crisis came so swiftly that I couldn’t even say a word of farewell. Remembering your voices and smiles now feels like a knife twisting in my heart, so unbearably sorrowful. Even after the rites, she remained kneeling on the ground, tears still falling.
Lin Jinlou watched from the side, puzzled. Xianglan once said she was the reincarnation of the Shen family’s eldest daughter. How could such an absurd thing be true? Yet her honest nature means she’s never lied—I heard her master was also from a prominent family. Could there be some connection between the Shen family and her master? As he pondered, he saw Xianglan rise. Lin Jinlou stepped forward, lit incense, and paid his respects as a junior. Noticing Xianglan staring at him with reddened eyes, he said, "I met Shen Gong once as a child, though my memory is hazy. Grandfather once said that although he and Shen Gong disagreed and often clashed, he still respected his character. When Shen Gong fell from grace, some of our family’s advisors and retainers mocked him for being foolish, unable to read the times. Grandfather angrily rebuked them, saying even if one couldn’t match Shen Gong’s unyielding integrity and loyalty unto death, one should at least revere such virtue and feel sorrow for his fate."
Hearing this, Xianglan couldn’t hold back more tears, thinking, Setting aside the kindness of collecting their remains, these words alone prove Grandfather’s friendship with Lin Gong was not in vain. Raising her head, she noticed a solitary tombstone standing not far from the ancestral graves on the hillside. Curious, she lifted her skirt and walked over, only to freeze upon seeing the inscription: "Xiaomen Shen Shi" (Shen of the Xiao Family).
Lin Jinlou, following behind her, saw the tombstone and said, "I heard this was a cenotaph set up by the Shen family’s eldest daughter’s maid. As a married woman, she couldn’t be buried in the ancestral grave. Grandfather lamented this several times in passing—what was that maid’s name again? Something-dong?""Rendong." Xianglan silently recited the name in her heart, reaching out to trace the characters on the tombstone. She recalled how she had once resented this person's cunning behavior—constantly crossing boundaries and stirring up trouble. She had even considered driving her away, but ultimately couldn't bear to do so. Seeing her secretly crying when no one was watching, Xianglan thought that if she were to sell her off, given her frail health, she might not survive long. So she softened her heart and let her stay. Afterward, Rendong remained stubborn and difficult to change, causing Xianglan no end of headaches. Yet, out of regard for the affection Rendong had shown her, Xianglan tolerated it. Little did she expect—little did she expect—that their bond would end here.
She looked up at Lin Jinlou and saw him casually examining the tombstone with the lazy demeanor of a wealthy young master. Noticing Xianglan's gaze, Lin Jinlou turned his eyes toward her. Xianglan gave him a radiant smile and said, "Earlier at the Lin Family, Master said that sacrificing oneself to fulfill others' wishes is like feeding one's conscience to the dogs. At the time, I didn't know how to respond, but now I understand—I act with kindness because it is the right thing to do, not for any future personal gain. Even if others betray that kindness, should I then refrain from doing what is right? Heaven is always fair. After all the calculations, though I have suffered betrayals, I have also received abundant rewards. There are always more good people in this world."
Xianglan rarely smiled at him like this, and Lin Jinlou was momentarily stunned. It took him a while to grasp what she meant. He couldn't help but take her hand and ask, "Oh? Then tell me, what rewards have you received?" Just as Xianglan was about to speak, Lin Jinlou added, "Look how well I treat you—perhaps this is the good karma you've accumulated through your virtuous deeds. It seems you've truly built up great merit over the years."
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