At first, Lin Changmin and Su Meiru naturally enjoyed a period of affection. But as time passed, Su Meiru gradually began to notice problems. First, Lin Changmin was not as wealthy and powerful as she had imagined. Earlier, when Lin Jinlou visited her, he would give her at least five taels of silver, sometimes even dozens, not to mention other expenses. Lin Changmin initially gave her one or two taels of silver each month, but soon began making various excuses to ask her for money, and before long, he was taking more from her than he gave. Second, once he had won her over, Lin Changmin abandoned his former gentle and sweet talk, becoming violent and prone to shouting, cursing, and smashing things. Third, he was boastful, exaggerating his abilities while actually having little talent. Su Meiru felt deceived, and the more she looked at Lin Changmin, the more she resented him. Yet, given the circumstances, she had no choice but to swallow her anger.
Two months later, Su Meiru realized she was pregnant and repeatedly urged Lin Changmin to take her into the Lin family. Lin Changmin, however, was unwilling and dared not do so, delaying again and again. When pressed too hard, he would erupt in curses and storm out, leaving Su Meiru in tears. She sensed his intentions and feared that as his affection waned, he would abandon her, leaving her unable to enter the wealthy family. So, she devised a plan, bribing Lin Changmin’s servant to secretly spread word of his covertly taking a concubine within the Lin family.
As the saying goes, "Good deeds stay indoors, but scandals travel a thousand miles." The matter not only spread throughout the Lin family but also reached the outside. Lin Changmin taking a concubine was not particularly newsworthy, but the fact that the concubine was Lin Jinlou’s former mistress made the affair explosive, like poking a hornet’s nest. Even Imperial Censors considered submitting memorials to impeach the Lin family for lax household management, accusing uncle and nephew of sharing a woman and violating moral standards. The Old Master was furious, angered by his grandson’s reckless behavior and even more enraged by his son’s disregard for ethics. Suppressing his rage, he managed to settle the matter through connections. He initially intended to order Lin Changmin to divorce the woman, but since Su Meiru was pregnant, he had her brought into the estate. She was housed in a room near the second branch’s courtyard, accessible only through a small side door, with a secluded courtyard. She was forbidden to leave ordinarily.
When Wang Shi learned of this, she feigned indifference and acted virtuously, even assigning two young maids to serve Su Meiru. But in the end, she fell ill from the stress.
Lin Zhaoxiang was enraged. His original intention in coming to the capital was to discipline Lin Jinlou, but unexpectedly, Lin Jinlou was severely injured, so he set the matter aside for the time being. Today, Lin Jinting came running eagerly to deliver news.
"I’ve seen Su Meiru too. She’s quite beautiful, no wonder you took a liking to her before, Big Brother. She... Ouch!" Lin Jinting was halfway through his sentence when Lin Jinlou kicked him, nearly knocking him off the bed. Looking up, he saw Lin Jinlou signaling with his eyes and followed his gaze to see Xianglan entering the room.
As soon as Xianglan entered, Lin Jinlou quieted down. Xianglan exchanged greetings with Lin Jinting, then approached and leaned over to check on Lin Jinlou, touching his forehead. "The physician said you might still have a fever these next few days. If you feel hot and uncomfortable, I’ll wipe you down with a cool cloth." She glanced at the side table and asked, "Why haven’t you taken your medicine?" She touched the bowl and found it cold. Summoning Ling Su, she learned that another bowl was warming on the small clay stove. She had it brought over, blew on the steam, and said, "Hurry up and take your medicine." She lifted a spoonful and fed it to him.Lin Jinlou frowned after taking a sip of the medicine. Xianglan said softly, "Drink it while it's hot so your wound can heal. I'll change your dressing later." Lin Jinlou looked into Xianglan's eyes and fell silent, quietly finishing the entire bowl.
Lin Jinting, standing nearby, clicked his tongue in disapproval, thinking: "Damn it! Just now he complained my feeding was too hot, but this bowl isn't hot at all? Prioritizing romance over family duty - serves you right if it scalds you to death!"
After drinking the medicine, Lin Jinlou turned to Lin Jinxuan and said, "Alright, I'm aware of what you mentioned. If there's nothing else, get lost."
"Brother, your dismissal is rather disheartening..."
"Hiss, not leaving yet?"
"Fine, fine, don't glare at me. I'm going, I'm going."
Just as he turned to leave, Lin Jinlou called out, "Come back!" Staring at Lin Jinting, he said, "Keep your mouth shut about this matter, understand?"
"Why?" Lin Jinting noticed Lin Jinlou's gaze fixed on Xianglan and immediately understood, feeling shocked. He thought: Good heavens, has someone like my eldest brother truly fallen in love? Seeing Lin Jinlou turn to glare at him again, he smiled apologetically and retreated. Walking along the corridor, he felt as if in a dream. When he saw Shu Ran approaching, he stopped her and asked, "Sister Shu Ran, has my eldest brother... has he really become infatuated with Chen Xianglan?"
Shu Ran rolled her eyes and said, "How novel. That's old news." She then tried to leave.
Lin Jinting still blocked her way and asked, "No, I mean, has my eldest brother developed genuine feelings?"
Shu Ran thought for a moment and said, "We servants dare not speculate about genuine feelings. It's just that despite being severely injured this time, the Eldest Master called out 'Xianglan' several times while delirious. From the moment he first woke up, his first question was 'Where is Xianglan?' That's the situation. You can ponder whether it's genuine or not yourself." Having said this, she left on her own, leaving Lin Jinting standing there scratching his head.
After feeding Lin Jinlou the medicine, Xianglan gave him fragrant tea to rinse his mouth. With chest injuries, even slight movements caused excruciating pain, so Xianglan supported him, letting him lean against her while holding the spittoon for him to spit out the tea. Throughout this, Lin Jinlou's forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain. He clenched his teeth without uttering a sound.
Xianglan took a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then unwrapped the bandages around his chest to change the dressing. She also examined the wounds on his shoulders, gently applying ointment. Lin Jinlou trembled slightly from the pain, the sheets beneath him soaked with cold sweat, his jaw tightly clenched. Ling Su wiped the sweat from his body nearby. Xianglan felt distressed and said softly, "If it hurts, groan a couple of times. It might make you feel better." Lin Jinlou simply grasped Xianglan's hand, turned his head, buried his face in her palm, shook his head, and muttered, "It's fine. Just holding you like this is enough." Xianglan then moved to the head of the bed, cradling Lin Jinlou's head in her arms. Ling Su took over, efficiently changing the medicine before quietly retreating. Xianglan helped Lin Jinlou cover himself with the quilt, but he still held her hand unwilling to let go. He looked up and noticed Xianglan's eyes seemed moist, making the words he wanted to say stick in his throat.
Soon, Xiao Juan entered to replace the incense cakes. Both remained silent, the room utterly quiet. After Xiao Juan left, leaning against Xianglan's embrace and enduring the pain, Lin Jinlou asked, "What were you doing all this time earlier?"Xianglan said, "The Old Master and Madam summoned me and gave me several gifts. Then Madam took me to see Old Madam, who held my hand and talked with me for a long while. She even kept me in her room to do needlework and rewarded me with several pieces of fine jewelry—head ornaments, bracelets, earrings, and rings."
As the medicine began to take effect, Lin Jinlou yawned drowsily and said, "Old Madam has plenty of treasures. She must be fond of you to reward you so."
Xianglan gave a soft "Mm."
Lin Jinlou's consciousness was already blurring. "Are you hurt?" he murmured. "You stayed out in the heavy snow for so long, and you gave me all the blankets and your own clothes. You're so delicate—what if you catch a chill..." His voice gradually faded into silence.
Xianglan replied, "I'm fine, just a bit frostbitten on my feet. I've already applied ointment." When she looked down, Lin Jinlou had already fallen asleep. She held him for a while, studying his face. In sleep, all his usual imposing aura vanished completely; his features softened, gaining a touch of scholarly elegance, almost childlike. Carefully, she rested his head on the pillow and let out a soft sigh.
Earlier that day, Old Madam Lin (née Jiang) had treated her with great kindness, inquiring after her well-being and praising her repeatedly before bestowing a heap of gifts. Xianglan presented some needlework she had made, and Old Madam Lin lavished praise on her skills. After chatting and laughing together for some time, Qin Shi brought up matters about her maternal family. Old Madam Lin began wiping tears, sighing, "Speaking of sisters, I'm reminded of my younger sister. She was a few years younger than me, yet she passed before I did—all because of her unfilial descendants. It's truly pitiable. Her two granddaughters were too young and foolish, led astray by misguided thoughts." She then took Xianglan's hand and said, "Good child, I know you've been wronged in this matter. From now on, whether you bear children or not, we will never treat you unfairly. I'll see to it that those two come to apologize to you properly." Xianglan was inwardly surprised, thinking that the Jiang sisters had already apologized to her. But then Old Madam Lin added, "And we must ease Lou Ge'er's heart too. After all, we're all family—why let things come to such a pass?"
Xianglan suddenly understood: Old Madam Lin was here to mediate. She smiled faintly and said, "I'm deeply grateful that you, Old Madam, would show such care for someone as humble as I. You're right—we are all family. I'll speak with the Eldest Master about it later."
Old Madam Lin sighed, "I just worry that stubborn boy won't listen. He's been causing the Jiang family trouble behind the scenes. What can I say now that they've come pleading to me?"
Xianglan merely smiled in response. Had this happened two or three years earlier, she would have felt indignant and resentful. But after all she had been through, she now faced it with openness and calm.
That afternoon, as dusk approached, Jixiang, Shuangxi, Xue Ning, and the others finally returned from the estate. Upon inquiry, it turned out that soldiers were arresting people everywhere outside, causing chaos and turmoil. The group had waited until things calmed down before being escorted back to the capital by officers. Of this, no more need be said.
At dinner time, Lin Jinlou woke up, and Xianglan brought him porridge to feed him. After one sip, Lin Jinlou frowned and said, "My mouth's been as bland as a bird's these past couple days—nothing but watery stuff."
Xianglan replied, "You're injured and can't eat stimulating foods. The physician said you must only have these."
Lin Jinlou retorted, "Nonsense! Back on the battlefield, even when I was wounded, I ate whatever was available."Xianglan coaxed, "Drink this porridge first, and I'll go check the kitchen to see if there's any simmered mushroom soup. I'll bring you a bowl, alright?"
Lin Jinlou felt utterly miserable. Lying ill in bed had filled him with restless irritability, making everything seem unbearable. He had intended to vent his frustrations and pick a quarrel, but hearing Xianglan speak to him so gently made his anger vanish completely. He silently watched as she fed him the porridge, wiped his mouth, brought tea for him to rinse his mouth, unwrapped the bandage to examine his wound, bustled around attending to him, and spoke to him in soft, comforting tones. Suddenly, he felt that this injury was almost worth it.
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