It is said that after Xianglan returned to the mansion, she once again summoned Divine Doctor Luo, who had long been responsible for checking the household’s well-being, to take her pulse. This time, her pregnancy was confirmed, and the entire household was filled with joy. Guiyuan hurried to deliver the news to Chen Wanquan and his wife, and before long, the couple arrived.
It turned out that Chen Wanquan had intended to sell their previous residence and purchase another near the Lin residence to be closer to their daughter. Upon hearing this, Lin Jinlou said, “Why go to all that trouble? There are plenty of vacant houses in our estate. Just yesterday, Taitai sent a letter saying they plan to stay in the capital for a long time and asked us to move into their residence. Xiao San’er is not cut out for studying, so the family has purchased him an official title in the capital—a nominal position—and he will remain there to manage external affairs. The other day, someone was even sent to take all his belongings to the capital, saying that Dream Fragrance Courtyard should be cleaned up for him to live in. His former residence here, Lying Cloud Courtyard, is now vacant. Though it’s not large, it has a front hall and rear quarters, complete with a side gate leading to the street. It’s an independent courtyard—why not let your parents move in?”
Xianglan was overjoyed to hear Lin Jinlou’s suggestion but also worried, saying, “I am my parents’ only daughter, so I should be the one to care for them. But I’m afraid if they move in and live in Third Master’s courtyard—”
Lin Jinlou wrapped an arm around Xianglan’s shoulder and said, “Oh, my little Xianglan, can you stop worrying for even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea? With Second Uncle in his current state, they won’t be returning. I’ve given Xiao San’er a shop, and Dream Fragrance Courtyard in the capital residence has been prepared for him and his wife to live in. It’s clear they don’t plan to come back—besides, Third Master’s wife’s family is in the capital. Rest assured, I’ll handle everything.” He then sent someone to fetch Chen Wanquan and his wife and ordered his regular attendants and servant boys to help with the move.
Chen Wanquan was naturally overjoyed to hear they would be moving into the Lin residence. The thought of such grandeur and prestige made him feel as if he were walking on air. However, once everything was packed, he began to fret. At one moment, he worried about living daily alongside his former masters, feeling awkward from head to toe. At another, he feared his words or actions might cause trouble for his daughter. Then he grew concerned that the expenses of living in the Lin residence—food, rewards, and other costs—would be too high, making it less economical than living outside. He sighed and lamented all night, unable to sleep well. The next day, when he arrived at the Lin residence and saw Lin Jinlou, he was too nervous to speak and could only grin foolishly. Fortunately, Xue Shi was articulate and socially adept, offering endless thanks and lavishing praise on Lin Jinlou from head to toe. Her flattery made even Lin Jinlou somewhat uncomfortable. Glancing sideways, he noticed Xianglan standing nearby, suppressing a smile. He shot her a glare, but inwardly, he felt quite pleased and couldn’t help turning away to chuckle.
Fearing her parents might feel uneasy, Xianglan spoke to them privately: “Now that we’re all in the same estate, it will be much more convenient to visit. Otherwise, every time I return to my parents’ home, it requires carriages, attendants, and guards—a whole production. It’s not feasible to visit you frequently. Here, I will cover all your expenses—that’s the sustainable way. Avoid gossip with others in the estate. You have your own independent courtyard; just close the gate and live your life. If you lack anything, just let me know. All of Third Master’s belongings have been cleared from the rooms, and everything now is from the storage. Please use them without worry.”
Chen Wanquan frowned and said, “Your mother and I should still move out—”
Xue Shi shot him a glare and said, “What nonsense are you spouting? We’ve put so much effort into moving here—don’t waste our child’s kindness and make our son-in-law think you’re troublesome!”
At the mention of their formidable son-in-law, Chen Wanquan “clamped” his mouth shut.After Xianglan left, Xue Shi couldn't resist touching and examining everything - the brand new pink ruyi cloud-patterned satin mattress, the official green quilt, the lotus-root colored gauze bed curtains hung on silver hooks, the begonia side table, the famille rose gentian vase, the brass lion censer, and the large ebony screen inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Sitting in the chair, Xue Shi let out a long sigh: "I used to see places like this often when I was a servant, but I never imagined I'd actually get to live here as a mistress."
Chen Wanquan was taking down curios from the curio cabinet one by one to examine them. Hearing this, he turned his head and scolded: "Look at your lack of ambition! Don't talk about being a servant anymore - what if someone hears and laughs at our daughter!"
Xue Shi rolled her eyes and said: "What's wrong with being a servant? Didn't I properly and grandly become the Lin Family's mistress? Back then I said our Xianglan was extraordinary, what did you say? Now she's really become an official's wife - going out with grand carriages and horses, eating and drinking the finest things, served by eight maids, and even letting you old thing live in the Lin residence. You should be having sweet dreams!"
Chen Wanquan immediately beamed with joy, his eyes disappearing into smiles.
From then on, the Chen couple moved into the Lin residence and rented out their original house. Chen Wanquan still went to the antique shop daily, leaving early and returning early. In his spare time, he would either drink tea at teahouses for leisure, play chess with people on the streets, or return to the residence to raise birds for amusement. Xue Shi stayed home doing needlework daily, sometimes going to chat with Xianglan, other times visiting temples to chant Buddhist scriptures, living quite contentedly. The Lying Cloud Courtyard was separated from the main residence by other buildings and had a street-facing gate. By closing the door connecting to the Lin residence each day, it truly felt like an independent household. Thus the couple settled in comfortably.
When the two heard that Xianglan was pregnant, they were overjoyed and hurried to visit her, busily preparing food, medicinal herbs and other items. Xue Shi clasped her hands together and said cheerfully: "Amitabha! There's finally movement! It wasn't in vain that I've been praying to the Child-Giving Guanyin for the past year or so. Tomorrow your father and I will go to the temple to fulfill our vow and donate some incense money."
When Chen Wanquan heard Xue Shi mention donating money, he couldn't help feeling the pinch. Just as he was about to frown and object, he remembered this was their daughter's first pregnancy - it might truly be due to Buddha's blessing. Hadn't that fortune-telling immortal accurately predicted their daughter's rise to prominence back then? This showed there might be some credibility to such matters. So he held back his words and only inquired after Xianglan's wellbeing.
After her parents left, Xianglan lay in bed hugging her quilt and thought: "Master, why aren't you back yet?"
Xianglan waited several more days, but Lin Jinlou still hadn't returned home. One day when she went with Xue Shi to Still Moon Temple to offer incense and fulfill vows, Bao'er came to deliver a message upon their return: "The Master said he'll return tomorrow." Lin Jinlou had now released Bao'er from servitude documents, rewarded him with a large sum of silver, and promoted him to be a personal guard, thus giving him a completely different future prospect. Bao'er was deeply grateful and served with utmost dedication.
Hearing this, Xianglan couldn't help feeling happy. She rewarded Bao'er with some coins and distributed various protective talismans obtained from the temple to everyone. She ordered Xue Ning and Lianxin to open the wardrobe and either give away unworn clothes or take them out to sun. She also collected the paintings she had done during this period, keeping those she liked herself - folding them neatly to place in boxes or painting tubes, while setting aside others she didn't wish to keep.
When Xiao Juan, Hua Shan, Ling Su and others saw Xianglan organizing the paintings, they quickly gathered around and pointed at the stack of set-aside paintings, saying: "Please give them to us."
Xianglan smiled and said: "Take whichever ones you like."Xiao Juan quickly busied herself summoning Ling Qing, Lianxin, Xue Ning, and the others to choose. Unfurling the painting for a look, she chuckled and said, "Madam, this painting lacks a seal. Don’t try to fool me—I know that without a seal or inscription, a painting isn’t worth much." She coaxed Hua Shan to join her in sweet-talking, bringing out the seal paste and cinnabar for Xianglan to stamp her seal.
Xianglan pinched Xiao Juan playfully and couldn’t help laughing. "You clever little thing—all those snacks you eat must be feeding your cunning."
Xiao Juan carefully stored the painting Xianglan had sealed and said cheerfully, "Nowadays, Madam’s paintings are rarely seen outside. Each one or two of them is quite valuable."
Xianglan no longer relied on the reputation of "Lanxiang Jushi" to sell her paintings. Yet, some people, appreciating elegance and admiring her superb technique and refined color palette, desired a piece for enjoyment. Others, spurred by her rising fame from The Legend of Lanxiang Jushi and the fact that her works had once been presented to the Empress Dowager, saw them as rare treasures to flaunt their status. There were also those who sought to flatter or curry favor with Lin Jinlou by offering hefty sums for her paintings, essentially as bribes. Worried about causing trouble for Lin Jinlou, Xianglan had simply stopped selling. She only gifted small paintings to close friends and relatives as tokens of affection.
After her busy spell, Xianglan grew tired. She had lunch and then fell into a deep sleep on the bed. She didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard Lin Jinlou’s voice. Blinking sleepily, she opened her eyes to find him seated by the bed, clad in military attire, his hair tied up with a gold bat hairpin spitting pearls. His eyes sparkled brightly—clearly just returned. Seeing her awake, he smiled and reached out to pull her up.
Xianglan smiled faintly and extended her hand. Lin Jinlou drew her up, embraced her, and planted a kiss on her. Still not fully alert, she leaned lazily against him and murmured, "What time is it? Weren’t you supposed to return tomorrow?" Suddenly, she felt herself lifted as Lin Jinlou scooped her up and strode out, declaring, "Come, let’s take a stroll in the garden."
Xianglan flushed crimson. Wanting to struggle but afraid of harming her stomach, she whispered, "This is so improper—put me down at once."
Lin Jinlou looked down at her shy, flustered expression and felt immensely pleased. He kissed her cheek and chuckled, "There’s no one else here. Why be embarrassed?" Then he chattered on, "Did you have lunch? Are you hungry now?"
Xianglan replied, "I had some soup and a bit of side dishes before coming out."
Lin Jinlou frowned. "Why so little? I’ve had food and wine prepared at the Pruning Autumn Pavilion. Let’s go eat." Carrying her forward, Xianglan stole a glance around and indeed saw no one else, only a few maids following at a distance with supplies. Soon, they reached the waterside pavilion, where Lin Jinlou set her down on the Imperial Concubine Couch and said with a laugh, "Eat well—don’t starve my son or his mother."
Xianglan started. "You know?"
Lin Jinlou beamed with pride, tweaking her nose. "Well-wishers came to the camp, so I found out what was going on. I sent someone to ask and learned you were trying to keep it from me. But what can you hide from me? As soon as I heard, I rushed through my duties to come home. Do you know what I’m thinking?"
Xianglan had intended to tell him herself and, seeing him like this, couldn’t help feeling a bit piqued. "No, I don’t.""Both startled and delighted, so overjoyed he was nearly driven mad with happiness. He was so ecstatic he didn't know what to do, so he rewarded all the guards and servants in the mansion with silver." Lin Jinlou spoke while unable to suppress another burst of laughter. When he first learned of this matter, his whole mind went blank; he stood frozen for a long moment without recovering. After a while, the overwhelming joy threatened to burst from his lungs, making his heart feel as if it would explode. He laughed heartily, truly wishing he could leap on the spot. Wen Rush and the other young men thought he had gone bewitched, staring at him dumbfounded, wide-eyed and bewildered. Unable to close his mouth, he walked out while saying, "Even if knives were falling from the sky, I must return home now. The matter is nearly settled anyway—you all handle what remains."
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