The door creaked open as Madam Xue entered, finding Xiang Lan sitting on the bed wiping away tears. She sat down beside her and said, “You know your father’s nature – why upset yourself over it?”

Xiang Lan wiped her eyes, saying, “I finally came home hoping for some pleasant family conversation without thinking about troublesome matters, but I just couldn’t contain my anger earlier.”

Madam Xue sighed and after a while asked, “How does… Master Lin treat you?”

Xiang Lan paused before responding, “What’s good or bad about it? Wearing gold and silver, eating and drinking well – is that good? I could just close my eyes and live through the days, letting time pass, but I can’t accept it in my heart. Two years ago, when I entered the mansion as a maid, I endured humiliation, beatings, and scolding, doing all sorts of dirty and exhausting work. I nearly suffered disgrace, was severely beaten, and fought desperately to escape. Last year at the Song family, I met benefactors, our whole family was freed from servitude, and we had some good days. I thought I’d found a good man to rely on for life and could live peacefully, but it all turned out to be empty hopes. This year, after going in circles, I’m back at the Lin mansion. Though not a servant, I’m hardly different from one – just an object wagging its tail to please the master. When he’s happy, he rewards you with food, clothes, and gifts; when he’s displeased, he slaps you and scolds you. I can’t complain, or I’m ‘ungrateful for my blessings.’ Now that I still catch his eye, I have decent days, while Spring Yan who was driven out, Ying Ge who isn’t favored in the mansion, Yuan Er who lost favor, and Hua Mei who desperately tries to curry favor – they must be so jealous of me…” As Xiang Lan spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks.

Madam Xue couldn’t help crying too, holding Xiang Lan’s hand, “My child, say no more…”

Xiang Lan looked steadily at Madam Xue, “I’ve thought about it – a woman’s life is just this way, and with the Lin family’s wealth and power, I should go along with it, please him while he still finds me novel, have a child or two, and even if I lose favor later, I could find some peace. But I can’t accept it, Mother, I really can’t! I didn’t grit my teeth through so many hardships to live such a life!”

Madam Xue embraced Xiang Lan, “No matter how much you resist, what can you do? We can only blame your parents for being powerless!”

Xiang Lan wept in her mother’s embrace but soon wiped her eyes and sat up, saying, “I refuse to believe it. I’ve survived worse times – surely there must be a way to leave the Lin family.”

Madam Xue was startled, “What do you plan to do?”

Without answering, Xiang Lan took out a brocade pouch made of gold-threaded silk from her trunk. She opened it and shook its contents onto the bed – more than ten pieces of gold and silver jewelry fell out, including rings, hairpins, and bracelets, all of simple design. Xiang Lan explained, “Though there’s money in my quarters, Spring Ling manages it all with strict accounting. Only these few pieces of ordinary jewelry I’ve quietly kept weren’t registered in the inventory. Mother, take them secretly, find someone to melt them into ingots, and hide them without letting Father know.”

Madam Xue exclaimed in shock, “This… this… how can this work? What if the Lin household discovers it?”

Xiang Lan replied, “These were given to me, so there’s nothing wrong with taking them. It’s just that Lin Jin Lou shouldn’t know I’m secretly saving money. Whatever future awaits, having extra silver is always useful.” She then took out several paintings she’d done recently and gave them to Madam Xue, asking her to have Chen Wan Quan sell them, saying, “From the money they bring, Mother should keep half, saying I need it. In the Lin mansion, I need to give gifts to everyone, and having too little money would invite mockery. Mother, save that money for me, and when there’s enough, melt it into ingots and hide them somewhere – I have my plans.”

“Lan’er, you’re…”

“Just do as I say, Mother. This afternoon, call for a doctor – say it’s for your health.”

Madam Xue wanted to ask Xiang Lan more questions but feared touching on painful subjects, so she kept quiet. She merely chatted about casual matters while secretly worrying.

When noon came, Xiang Lan had intended to have Ji Xiang, the escorts, and the two personal guards stay for meals, but Spring Ling had already given them generous red envelopes and sent them away, along with the elderly nanny and servant women who had come back. Only Spring Ling and a young maid called Fan Hua remained. Madam Xue hadn’t expected so many visitors and hurriedly began cleaning the house.

Spring Ling stepped forward with a bright smile, “How can we let Madam busy herself while we’re here? Just leave the work to us. Miss rarely comes home, Madam should spend more time talking with her.” She then praised Madam Xue, “Miss is as beautiful as a flower, and we thought she must be a fairy reborn. Now seeing Madam, we understand where it comes from – our Miss’s features are exactly like Madam’s!”

This immediately made Madam Xue beam with joy, “Our Lan’er is much more beautiful than I am. It wasn’t so obvious when she was little, but she grew more beautiful with age…”

Spring Ling smiled and nodded while secretly signaling to Xiang Lan with her eyes. Xiang Lan silently praised Spring Ling’s shrewdness as she helped her mother inside.

Spring Ling looked around at the garden’s flowers and trees, the fresh pink walls and green tiles, and the newly carved window patterns, letting out a long breath. She knew Xiang Lan’s family had been servants, and not well-regarded ones at that. Even with Lin Jin Lou’s later gifts of servants and silver, she had expected them to still have the air of humble folk. Yet surprisingly, the Chen residence was quite elegant – though not large, it was exquisitely designed. The rooms were fully furnished with antiques, ornaments, and paintings, and their lifestyle matched that of a middle-class family. Though Chen Wan Quan was shallow, he had been a shop manager for a while, and Madam Xue had served in the Lin household – while not extremely refined, they could at least pass in society.

Spring Ling immediately shed her contempt, thinking to herself: “I heard they bought this house after being free – it wasn’t Master’s charity. The Chen family must have some savings. With Xiang Lan’s beauty and character, she could have been a proper wife to a wealthy landowner. If Master had a good temperament and knew how to cherish people, it would be different, but he’s notorious for his affairs and tyrannical nature – no wonder Xiang Lan was unwilling to enter the Lin household.” After these thoughts, she energetically began directing the servants and maids to clean the house.

Originally, Lin Jin Lou had left an old woman Liu, and a servant boy Hua Cai with the Chen family. Seeing Xiang Lan’s grand return, they felt hopeful for their prospects. Old Woman Liu said to Hua Cai, “Though Old Chen is stingy and ignorant, he married a kind and virtuous wife and had a fortunate daughter. The Chen household is peaceful with few matters to attend to – if we serve well here, it’s better than being in the mansion.” The two became even more diligent, one following Spring Ling’s orders and the other running errands.

Meanwhile, in the main hall, a table of dishes had been set out with the family of three seated around it. Chen Wan Quan truly loved his daughter, and though he felt his earlier words weren’t wrong, he didn’t want to upset Xiang Lan. So he smiled, served her food, poured wine, and brought out the clothes and jewelry he’d bought for her, trying to please her.

Xiang Lan sighed inwardly – they were, after all, father and daughter, and her earlier displeasure dissipated like smoke. Seeing that Chen Wan Quan’s legs had mostly healed, and though he still needed a cane to walk, there were no major issues, she couldn’t help but feel relieved.

After the family finished eating, Chen Wan Quan, feeling happy, drank several extra cups and went to his room to sleep. As the maids cleared the table, Xiang Lan called Hua Cai over, gave him some money, and said, “My mother hasn’t been feeling well these past few days. Go invite Doctor Chu from Yongren Hall to come.” Hua Cai agreed and left.

Soon after, Doctor Chu arrived. Old Woman Liu led him to the side room, and all the maids withdrew. Xiang Lan and Madam Xue sat on the bed behind the curtain. Madam Xue extended her hand first, and Old Woman Liu covered it with a handkerchief. After Doctor Chu examined her pulse for a while, he said, “Madam’s qi and blood are weak, but there’s no major illness. Just take two doses of medicine to supplement qi and blood, and you’ll be fine.”

Xiang Lan asked, “My mother has no sons yet and wishes to have another child. Doctor, is this possible?”

Doctor Chu replied, “Madam has a cold constitution and is exhausted from overwork. She likely has lower back pain, probably due to complications from earlier childbirth. Having another child would be difficult – she needs gradual conditioning and substantial supplements. I’ll prescribe two doses of medicine first, and after taking them for a while, we can reassess.”

Madam Xue had been seeking medical advice lately and always received similar answers. Though disappointed, she had grown accustomed to it. She withdrew her hand and sighed to Xiang Lan, “Children are predestined. I’ve given up hope – as long as you’re well, that’s better than anything.”

Xiang Lan squeezed her mother’s hand, then ordered Old Woman Liu to serve tea to Doctor Chu and wait outside. She then extended her hand, covered with a handkerchief, asking the doctor to check her pulse.

Doctor Chu examined both her hands for a while, then stroked his beard and said, “This lady has deficient heart qi causing fire, shortness of breath and palpitations, blood deficiency, and qi stagnation leading to irregular menstruation. Moreover, liver fire is overwhelming the spleen and stomach, causing poor appetite and heavy limbs. From your pulse, I can tell you’re an intelligent and strong-willed person, but you think too much. Recently, you’ve likely had some troubling matters, and with your cold constitution and kidney deficiency, if not carefully nursed back to health, bearing children would be difficult.”

Xiang Lan was startled and quickly asked, “Difficult to bear children? You mean I can’t have children?”

Doctor Chu replied, “You’re young, so it’s not too late for treatment. You just need to take pills made with ginseng, angelica, astragalus, atractylodes, and poria to invigorate blood circulation and calm the spirit. Though your body is depleted, fortunately, it can still accept supplements. With this treatment, you should recover in a year or so.” He then went outside and began writing prescriptions.

Xiang Lan sat behind the curtain and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself: “Doctor Chu from Yongren Hall is famous for treating women’s qi and blood issues, and he’s upright with strong medical ethics. If he says I’ll have trouble bearing children, I probably will have difficulty conceiving. This is excellent – there isn’t even a place in the mansion to brew contraceptive medicine, and if I had a child, it would be truly impossible to leave. This misfortune has turned into good fortune.”

Soon, Doctor Chu wrote out the prescriptions, and Xiang Lan had Old Woman Liu come in with a thick red envelope as a reward, and then showed the doctor.