After Liubei left, Lin Jinlou took out a filigree Ruyi orchid hairpin from the treasure box by himself. It was inlaid with tortoiseshell, white jade, and coral, exquisitely charming. Holding it in his hand and squinting at it, his thoughts drifted far away. He couldn't quite grasp his grandparents' intentions—sending such a valuable item, did it mean they had agreed? But why deliver it late at night instead of presenting it openly during the day? Did the covert manner imply refusal? Unable to decipher it, he grew secretly annoyed. Only when he heard movement nearby did he snap out of it—Xianglan had changed into casual clothes and called the maid to bring in the copper basin for washing.
He stared blankly at Xianglan's back. Since his injury, she had been more attentive to him, even smiling occasionally. The tension between them had eased, replaced by a tacit understanding, yet he still felt an awkward barrier lingering. A while ago, as his chest wound healed, the unbearable itching often kept him awake at night. He would get up and gaze at Xianglan's face in the dim light, sometimes for a long time, pondering repeatedly: Xianglan had a soft heart, and now that she treated him kindly, was it out of tolerance or had she developed some affection for him? Or was she still thinking of that fellow Song Ke? But he felt cowardly, unable to voice the question.
"Master, what are you thinking about?"
"Ah? Nothing, nothing at all."
Xianglan gave Lin Jinlou a suspicious glance. He had been staring at her intently just moments before, his expression shifting between sorrow and joy, as if possessed. She stepped forward, handed him a towel, took the hairpin from his hand, and placed it back in the treasure box. As she tidied up, she said, "Master, wash up and rest early. Taitai said guests will arrive early tomorrow—an old classmate of the master from back in the day. They were supposed to visit today to wish the old lady a happy birthday, but official duties delayed them, so they sent gifts instead. Just now, the master sent someone to ask you to come over tomorrow as well."
Listening to her murmuring in a soft, gentle voice, Lin Jinlou looked at her jade-like cheeks and felt his heart soften again, as if warmed by gentle, rippling waves.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, Lin Jinlou rose before dawn to practice martial arts. After completing two sets in the small garden, Shuran arrived with two urgent letters. Lin Jinlou wiped his sweat with a towel and took the letters with one hand. Lin Jinting was vaguely visible peeking from behind the flowering trees. Noticing Lin Jinlou's sidelong glance, he immediately put on an ingratiating smile. Lin Jinlou glanced at him, unfolded the letters, and said, "What brings you here so early?"
Lin Jinting shuffled forward, his mouth bitter. He hadn't woken up early—he hadn't slept at all that night. He said, "No, nothing much. I just wanted to ask—" He glanced around and lowered his voice, "I wanted to ask if there's any news about Third Sister?"
"None. We've searched almost every household in these lanes and found nothing." Lin Jinlou actually had an idea: unless something had already happened to his third sister, she must have been taken out of the city. In the vast sea of people, finding her would be exceedingly difficult. Now, they could only do their best and leave the rest to fate. He looked at Lin Jinting, noting his haggard appearance, and sighed, patting his shoulder. "I issued orders early this morning to search both inside and outside the city. Go back and wait half a day. For now, focus on taking care of Second Aunt's health." With that, he turned back to reading the letters.Lin Jinting nodded and remained silent for a long while before saying to Lin Jinlou, "I heard Uncle is planning to arrange a marriage for you?"
Without even looking up, Lin Jinlou continued reading the letter and said, "My father? Arranging a marriage for me? Are you out of your mind?"
"Tsk, today Uncle's classmate Minister Wei brought his third daughter to our house. Minister Wei has several daughters, so why did he only bring this one? She's his legitimate daughter, said to be as beautiful as a flower, and has a good reputation in her boudoir. Our family only has you and Second Brother now. Minister Wei is quite an influential figure—he wouldn't marry his daughter to a sickly person, would he?"
Lin Jinlou tightened his grip, nearly crumpling the letter, and said expressionlessly, "What a coincidence. Old Yuan asked me to train troops with him today." With that, he left.
Just then, Lin Changzheng, who had risen early, came strolling into the garden rubbing his ornamental walnuts. Seeing Lin Jinlou rushing past like a gust of wind, he shouted, "Stop! Your Uncle Wei is coming later. Change your clothes and greet the guests."
Lin Jinlou halted and said, "Father, you're the one hosting guests—what does it have to do with me? Listening to you all putting on airs with your pretentious scholarly talk gives me a headache. Why not have Second or Third Brother entertain them? I'm busy and need to go out now."
As Lin Jinlou spoke, Lin Changzheng's mustache bristled with anger. His voice thundered as he said furiously, "You unfilial son! How dare you speak like that! I'll beat you, you scoundrel!" He raised his hand to strike.
Lin Jinlou slipped away like greased lightning. Lin Changzheng couldn't catch up and, enraged, threw all the walnuts in his hand at him but missed. He then took off his shoe and hurled it, trembling with rage and muttering incessantly, "This scoundrel, this good-for-nothing!"
Suppressing a laugh, Lin Jinting made a great show of fussing as he hurried over to support Lin Changzheng, saying, "Oh! Uncle, please sit! Sit, sit, don't bother with him. My brother is just like that—he doesn't know how to speak properly. Come on, look at me, look at me." He scolded a nearby maidservant, "You clueless thing, hurry up and find the master's shoe!" He helped Lin Changzheng sit on a stone bench. The little maid retrieved the shoe, and after putting it on, Lin Changzheng glared at Lin Jinting and said, "Look at you? Look at what? Your eldest brother, no matter how lacking, is still better than you. Go back and study properly. The Old Master said if you don't pass the imperial examination next year, I'll personally supervise you."
At these words, Lin Jinting's face instantly turned as bitter as a gourd.
Meanwhile, Lin Jinlou hurried back to Chun Tang Hall, where he saw Xianglan sunning books and paintings with Xiao Juan, Hua Shan, Xue Ning, and others. Lin Jinlou went straight up to Xianglan, grabbed her shoulders with both hands, and pulled her into the bedroom, where he kissed her wildly without a word. Xianglan's face flushed crimson as she struggled and said, "Are you having a fit?"
Lin Jinlou chuckled and said, "No, I'm going to the battlefield—just boosting my courage."
Xianglan frowned at this and asked, "The battlefield? What battlefield?"
Lin Jinlou tapped her nose, gave her lips a fierce kiss, and left without changing his clothes. Entering the courtyard of the Hall of Substance, he saw Lin Zhaoxiang sitting in a rocking chair, holding a birdcage and watching the birds in the yard. Lin Jinlou approached, bowed first, and said, "Wishing the Old Master Golden Peace. Did you rest well last night?"
Lin Zhaoxiang glanced at him but said nothing, still pursing his lips to coo at the birds.Lin Jinlou held his breath and crept along the wall. Seeing the tea bowl on the small table was empty, he picked up the pot to refill it. While stealing glances at Lin Zhaoxiang, he noticed the latter's gaze turning toward him and hastily offered an ingratiating smile. In his distraction, he overfilled the bowl until tea spilled over, scalding him with a sudden jolt.
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