Spring was lingering. Though it was late spring, the weather had suddenly turned cool. After several drizzles, the grass and trees grew even more lush and verdant.
Xianglan tucked her valuables close to her body and packed two pieces of clothing into a peony-patterned bundle. With light steps, she walked out of Knowing Spring Pavilion. This was her first visit home since arriving at the pavilion. Qing Lan, in a good mood because Lin Jinlou had dined in the east wing, granted her request to return home the next day without hesitation. She even said it was fine if Xianglan stayed overnight and returned early the next morning when the mansion gates opened.
Naturally, Xianglan was overjoyed. She hurriedly prepared and left the mansion early the next morning. Her home was in an alley behind the Lin residence. Since she had been promoted to second-rank, a matron from the inner gate was assigned to accompany her. The matron, surnamed Cai, was short and wiry, and exceedingly attentive to Xianglan. She smiled and said, "You’re from Concubine Lan’s side, aren’t you? How is the concubine’s health? The entire household hopes she’ll give the Master a son—what a joyous occasion that would be."
Xianglan smiled faintly. "The concubine is in excellent health. Thank you for your concern."
While chatting with Xianglan, Matron Cai ordered a small sedan chair to be prepared. Xianglan quickly stopped her, saying with a smile, "My home is just in the alley behind the mansion, very close. It’s only a short walk—no need for the trouble of a sedan chair."
Matron Cai chuckled. "My dear, which respectable maid leaving the mansion doesn’t ride in a sedan chair? Those going farther even take carriages. Take Yin Die from Concubine Lan’s side—she was only third-rank and had no airs when going out. Yet she still slipped the gatekeepers some coins, claiming her legs ached, and got a sedan chair to go home. Everyone knew the truth—it wasn’t about the pain, but the prestige… Besides…" Matron Cai glanced at Xianglan’s expression and grinned, revealing slightly yellowed teeth. "Besides, since you live in the alley behind the mansion, you must be a household slave, right? Riding in a sedan chair will bring face to your parents. Those in the back alleys are quick to flatter the high and trample the low. Returning in style will make them look at you differently."
Xianglan had initially not wanted to ride in the sedan, but after hearing Matron Cai’s words, she changed her mind, silently praising the old woman for her insight. Soon enough, Matron Cai arranged a small green-canopied sedan chair carried by two men, swaying as it took Xianglan away.
Inside the sedan, Xianglan occasionally lifted the curtain to peek outside, feeling as though the short distance had grown unusually long. Some alleys were so narrow that the sedan had to detour before finally arriving. At the alley entrance, children were playing, and a few elderly women sat together chatting. When they saw the sedan, they squinted their eyes. Recognizing Xianglan as she stepped out, they began whispering among themselves.
Xianglan gave some coins to the sedan bearers and Matron Cai, asking them to return at three quarters past five in the evening. Pushing open the courtyard gate, she saw Xue Shi’s back as she hung laundry in the yard. Xianglan walked over briskly and called out, "Mother!"
Xue Shi turned around in surprise. Seeing Xianglan, her face lit up with joy. Wiping her hands on her apron, she exclaimed, "You’re back! Come, come inside!" She grabbed Xianglan’s hand and pulled her into the house, bustling about to pour tea and fetch snacks—now urging her to drink freshly brewed hot tea, now offering spiced melon seeds bought the day before, along with two pieces of rock sugar and sesame cakes from a neighbor’s wedding last month—keeping herself in a whirl of activity.Xianglan felt a warmth in her heart and stopped Xue Shi, saying, "Mother, don’t trouble yourself. Let’s just sit and talk for a while." Then she asked, "Where’s Father?"
Xue Shi replied, "Your father is still at the shop. He’ll be overjoyed to see you when he comes back at noon. Last night, we were talking about you, and he was upset with himself for not stopping you from entering the mansion. We didn’t know how you were faring there—whether you were being treated well or suffering any hardships. The last time you came home, your face was sallow and pale, which worried us sick. We asked around and heard you were serving Cousin... that Cousin is no good person. Your father and I were so distressed we couldn’t sleep all night..." As she spoke, she held Xianglan’s hand and looked her up and down, unable to hide her concern. "You do look better than last time, but you’re still thinner than when you left home..."
Xianglan’s nose tingled with emotion. In the Lin mansion, she had gritted her teeth and endured hardships alone, treading carefully as if on thin ice, forgetting that she was still someone’s beloved. While others might treat her as a plaything to trample at will, her parents would always cherish her as the apple of their eye, cradling her gently in their hands. She hugged Xue Shi’s arm and swayed it playfully, cooing, "I’m doing just fine in the mansion. Don’t worry, Father and Mother. Cao Lihuan has already been driven out by Taitai. Now I’m serving under the Master’s concubine and have even been promoted to second rank."
Xue Shi exclaimed happily, "Really? You’ve been promoted to second rank?"
Xianglan nodded with a grin. "The concubine is kind and generous. She’s even given me quite a few things."
She pulled Xue Shi to sit on the kang and opened her small bundle, taking out the items one by one to show her, saying softly, "These are all the rewards I’ve received since entering the mansion."
Xue Shi first picked up the jade bracelet and held it up to the light to examine it, then inspected the agate hairpin and coral earrings, her face beaming with joy. "You’re just a maid serving a concubine, yet you’ve received such fine gifts—how impressive!"
Xianglan said, "The Master dotes on the concubine. He even secretly gave her a shop, not to mention the usual rewards. On top of that, he provides her with extra monthly allowances. These trinkets are nothing more than a drop in the bucket for Concubine Lan." She took the bracelet and slipped it onto Xue Shi’s wrist, smiling. "I brought these back for you, Mother. Pick whichever you like to wear."
Xue Shi quickly took off the bracelet and pressed it back into Xianglan’s hand. "I’m always washing, mending, and patching things all day. Wearing such nice things would just be a waste. You’re at the age where you should be dressing up, but our family can’t afford to buy you much. Now that your mistress has given you these, you should keep them for yourself. I used to work in the Lin mansion too, and I know how snobbish those people can be. If they see someone dressed poorly, they’ll look down on them and seize any chance to step on them."
Xianglan laughed. "I still have more. These are for you, Mother. Besides, I don’t really like wearing these things." She took out some needlework from her bag and said, "I found some spare time to make a pair of shoes for each of you. The fabric was leftover from making summer clothes for the concubine—all fine silk, cool to wear in the summer. Mother, you’re getting older. Don’t stay up late doing needlework to earn extra money—it’s too hard on your eyes. This pouch contains my monthly allowance, enough to support the family for a while. But don’t let Father know, or he’ll just take the money to buy drinks and carouse with those good-for-nothing friends of his." She pressed a small embroidered pouch into Xue Shi’s hand.
Xue Shi clutched the pouch and said, "I’ll save all this money for you—for your dowry."Xianglan felt somewhat uncomfortable upon hearing the words "dowry" and lowered her head without speaking.
Xue Shi picked up the silver ring gifted by Qing Lan again, examining it repeatedly before clasping her hands together and murmuring a Buddhist phrase. "Your mistress truly has the heart of a Bodhisattva. You must remember her kindness and serve her diligently," she said.
Xianglan fiddled with the scattered jewelry on the bed. "She treats me well, so naturally I'll repay her kindness."
Xue Shi shot Xianglan a glare. "What do you mean by 'repay'? You're her maid—loyalty to your master is your duty."
Taking a sip of hot tea, Xianglan replied nonchalantly, "It's just a matter of being born lucky. This whole 'master and servant' notion means nothing to me. If she treats me well, I'll return the sincerity; if not, why should I pledge blind loyalty?" Secretly, she wondered how horrified Xue Shi would be if she knew about the two times she had betrayed her mistress to report to Qin Shi. She sighed softly. "Right now, I'm just a servant, but who knows what the future holds? Maybe someday they'll all address me as 'Madam' or 'Taitai.'"
This speech pleased Xue Shi, who cracked a smile and scoffed, "Quite the ambition! Your father and I don't expect you to become any 'Madam' or 'Taitai.' As long as you're safe and sound, we'll be content." After a pause, she hastily added, "And don't repeat what you just said in front of others."
Xianglan chuckled. "Of course not. I’d only say such things at home."
Mother and daughter chatted and laughed for a while.
By noon, Xue Shi was bustling around the stove, cooking several of Xianglan’s favorite dishes. When Chen Wanquan returned home and saw Xianglan, he was overjoyed. Upon hearing that she had been promoted to second-rank maid in the household, he was so delighted his eyes crinkled into slits. Straightening his back, he downed his cup of wine in one gulp and laughed heartily. "No wonder Ma Xiangu said Xianglan had some destiny! She hasn’t been in the household for long, yet she’s already risen to second rank. The Gong family’s second daughter has been there for years and is still only a third-rank maid—yet she still brags and puts on airs in front of me. Pah! Look at my Chen Wanquan’s daughter... My girl, maybe soon you’ll even become a 'deputy young mistress!'"
Xianglan rubbed her forehead. "Father, you mustn’t spout such nonsense outside."
Chen Wanquan frowned. "Tsk, how is it 'nonsense'?"
Xianglan sighed. "If you go around boasting, won’t it just make people resentful? Besides, there are plenty of second-rank maids in the household—bragging about this would only invite ridicule."
Chen Wanquan grew even more displeased. "Why shouldn’t I say it? This is good news—can’t I share it properly?"
Xianglan sighed inwardly. Her father in this life, though kind-hearted, was weak-willed and prone to exaggeration, often inflating one part into ten. His petty bourgeois tendencies had wasted his genuine talent for appraising antiques, leaving him stuck as a third-tier shop manager. She considered admonishing him further, but seeing the pride and joy on Chen Wanquan’s face, she held her tongue. "I rarely get to come home from the household—why upset him over this?" she thought. "Besides, he’s probably just bragging to his drinking buddies."Xue Shi placed a helping of vegetables into Xianglan's bowl and said with a smile, "Now that Lan-jie has been promoted to second rank, the prospects for her marriage will be different. Those like the Liu family’s shopkeeper or the Huang family’s—none of them are suitable now... The other day, our neighbor Xia Ersao wanted to arrange a match with our family and mentioned her nephew... He’s just a commoner, but I hear he studies well and aims to take the imperial exams to become an official. Right now, he’s studying hard at home to become a Licentiate. At first, I thought his family was too poor, and I worried that scholars might have high standards, making Lan-jie suffer if she married into such a household. But now that Lan-jie has risen to second rank in the mansion, she’s even better than ordinary young ladies from good families. The Xia family would surely be delighted!"
Xue Shi grew more and more pleased as she spoke, her face blooming with joy. "When the time comes, I’ll go take a look at that young Master Xia. If he’s handsome and has a good temperament, we should arrange the match early."
Chen Wanquan frowned. "The Xia family’s situation is worse than ours. What’s the use of just being good at studying? He’ll probably reek of poverty. Let’s wait until young Master Xia passes the Licentiate exam before discussing this."
Xue Shi snorted. "By the time he passes, it’ll be too late—who knows how many families will want to arrange a match then? Besides, not everything can go exactly as you wish..."
Xianglan found the conversation increasingly inappropriate and quickly steered it away, bringing up the topic of why Cao Lihuan had been expelled from the mansion instead. She omitted her own role in reporting the matter and the incident where Si Shun'er had nearly assaulted her. Her parents gasped in shock and spent some time discussing Cao Lihuan, temporarily setting aside the matter of young Master Xia.
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Thank you Yueyue Ai Yueyue for the Peace Talisman, thank you LMG for the Peace Talisman, thank you Hua Xiyue Xi for two Peace Talismans, thank you Youren Zhang for two Peace Talismans, thank you all =3=
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