When Xiang Lan returned to the mansion, she invited Doctor Luo, who regularly checked the family’s health, to examine her pulse. This time, it confirmed her pregnancy, bringing joy throughout the household. Gui Yuan hurried to send word to Chen Wan Quan and his wife, who arrived shortly after.
Originally, Chen Wan Quan had wanted to sell their current residence and buy another closer to the Lin mansion, near their daughter. When Lin Jin Lou heard this, he said, “Why go through all that trouble? We have plenty of empty rooms here. Yesterday, Madam sent a letter saying they plan to stay in the capital long-term and suggested we move into their residence. Little Third isn’t cut out for studies, so the family arranged an honorary official position for him in the capital to manage external affairs. Recently, they sent someone to bring all his belongings to the capital, saying they would clean up Meng Fang Court to live in. His Wo Yun Court here is empty, and though not large, it has complete front halls and back quarters, with its own street entrance and independent courtyard. Why not let your parents move in there?”
Xiang Lan was delighted to hear Lin Jin Lou’s suggestion but worried, saying, “My parents only have me as their daughter, and I should be caring for them regularly. I’m just concerned about them moving in and living in Third Young Master’s courtyard…”
Lin Jin Lou embraced Xiang Lan’s shoulders and said, “Oh, my little Xiang Lan, can you go even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea without worrying about something? The second Uncle is in his current state, and they won’t be coming back. I’ve given Little Third a shop, and they’ve cleaned up Meng Fang Court in the capital residence for the couple to live in – it’s clear they don’t plan to return. The third Sister-in-law’s family is still in the capital too. Just put your mind at ease, I’ll handle everything.” He then sent people to help Chen Wan Quan and his wife move in, dispatching servants and attendants to assist with the relocation.
When Chen Wan Quan heard about moving into the Lin mansion, he was naturally overjoyed, thinking about such glory made him feel light-headed. After everything was properly arranged, he began to worry: sometimes about living daily alongside their former masters, feeling uncomfortable from head to toe; sometimes about his conduct potentially causing trouble for his daughter; sometimes about the extensive costs of living in the Lin mansion compared to living outside more economically.
These concerns kept him sighing and unable to sleep well that night. The next day at the Lin mansion, when he saw Lin Jin Lou, Chen Wan Quan couldn’t even speak, only grinning foolishly. Fortunately, Madam Xue was articulate and socially adept, continuously expressing gratitude and lavishly praising Lin Jin Lou from head to toe. She praised him so much that Lin Jin Lou became somewhat uncomfortable. Glancing sideways, he saw Xiang Lan standing nearby, suppressing her laughter, and he gave her a stern look, though his heart was filled with joy, and he couldn’t help smiling when he turned away.
Worried about her parents’ discomfort, Xiang Lan privately said, “Now that we’re all in the same mansion, visits will be much more convenient. When I used to visit my parents’ home, it required carriages, servants, and guards – quite a production that made frequent visits difficult. Here, I can take care of all your expenses, which is a better long-term arrangement. Just avoid gossiping with the household staff, enjoy your private courtyard, and live your own life behind closed doors. If you need anything, just let me know. All of Third Young Master’s belongings have been removed, and what’s placed here now is from our storehouse – feel free to use everything.”
Chen Wan Quan frowned and said, “Your mother and I should probably move out…”
Madam Xue glared at Chen Wan Quan and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? After all the effort to move in, don’t waste our child’s kindness and make our son-in-law think you’re troublesome!”
At the mention of his imposing son-in-law, Chen Wan Quan immediately fell silent.
After Xiang Lan left, Madam Xue couldn’t help examining everything: the new pink ruyi cloud-patterned silk mattress, the official green large quilt, the lotus gauze curtains hanging from silver hooks, the begonia table, the Famille-rose gentian vase, the brass lion incense burner, and the black sandalwood mother-of-pearl inlaid screen. Sitting in a chair, Madam Xue let out a long breath: “I used to see this place often when I was a servant, but never imagined I’d live here as a master.”
Chen Wan Quan, examining the treasures on the display shelf one by one, turned and scolded, “Look at how short-sighted you are! Don’t mention being servants anymore – what if someone hears and laughs at our daughter!”
Madam Xue rolled her eyes and said, “What’s wrong with being a servant? Didn’t a servant properly and gloriously become the Lin family’s First Madam? I always said our Xiang Lan was extraordinary – what did you say then? Now she’s truly become an official’s wife, riding in grand carriages, enjoying the finest things, with eight maids serving her, and even letting you old fool live in the Lin mansion. You must be dreaming!”
Chen Wan Quan immediately broke into a broad grin.
From then on, the Chen couple moved into the Lin mansion and rented out their original house. Chen Wan Quan still went to his antique shop daily, returning early, spending his free time either drinking tea at teahouses, playing chess on the street, or enjoying his birds at home. Madam Xue spent her days sewing, chatting with Xiang Lan, or visiting temples to pray, living quite contentedly. The Wo Yun Court was separated from the main mansion by other buildings and had its street entrance. With the door connecting to the Lin mansion closed each day, it truly felt like an independent household. The couple thus settled in comfortably.
When they heard about Xiang Lan’s pregnancy, they were overjoyed and hurried to visit, bringing food and medicinal materials. Madam Xue clasped her hands together, beaming with joy, “Amitabha Buddha, finally there’s good news! My prayers at the Guanyin Temple for the past year and a half weren’t in vain. Tomorrow, your father and I will go to the temple to fulfill our vows and donate some incense money.”
When Chen Wan Quan heard Madam Xue wanted to donate money, he felt the pain in his pocket and was about to frown in objection. Then he thought about this being their daughter’s first pregnancy, and perhaps it was the Buddha’s blessing – hadn’t that fortune-telling fairly accurately predicted their daughter’s rise to prominence? Believing there might be some truth to it, he held his tongue and only showed concern for Xiang Lan’s well-being.
After her parents left, Xiang Lan lay in bed hugging her blanket, thinking, “My Lord, when will you return?”
Xiang Lan waited several more days, but Lin Jin Lou still hadn’t returned home. One day, while returning from offering incense and fulfilling vows at Jing Yue Temple with Madam Xue, Bao Er came with a message: “The Lord says he’ll return tomorrow.” By now, Lin Jin Lou had released Bao Er’s slave papers, rewarded him handsomely, and promoted him to become a personal guard, significantly improving his prospects. Bao Er was deeply grateful and served with utmost dedication.
Hearing this, Xiang Lan was delighted and rewarded Bao Er with money. She distributed various protective talismans from the temple among everyone, instructing Xue Ning and Lian Xin to open the wardrobe and either give away or air out unworn clothes. She also organized her recent paintings, keeping her favorites in boxes or scroll tubes and setting aside others.
Xiao Juan, Hua Shan, Ling Su, and others, seeing Xiang Lan sorting paintings, quickly gathered around the pile of set-aside paintings, saying, “Please give them to us.”
Xiang Lan smiled, “Take them if you like them.”
Xiao Juan hurriedly called Ling Qing, Lian Xin, Xue Ning, and others to come to choose, unfolding the paintings to look at. She laughed, “Madam, these paintings don’t have seals. You’re not fooling us – we know paintings aren’t valuable without seals and inscriptions.” She and Hua Shan sweet-talked together, bringing out the seal paste and cinnabar for Xiang Lan to stamp them.
Xiang Lan pinched Xiao Juan, laughing, “You clever little thing, seems all those snacks you’ve eaten have gone straight to growing your wit.”
Xiao Juan carefully collected the sealed paintings, grinning, “Now that Madam’s paintings are rarely seen outside, even one or two pieces are valuable.”
By now, Xiang Lan no longer sold paintings under the name “Lan Xiang Resident.” Some appreciated her sophisticated style, admiring her superior technique and elegant coloring, wanting a piece to enjoy; others, influenced by “The Biography of Lan Xiang Resident” and her rising fame, especially after her paintings were presented to the Empress Dowager, saw them as valuable investments; still others sought paintings at high prices to curry favor with Lin Jin Lou, essentially offering bribes. Fearing trouble for Lin Jin Lou, she simply stopped selling altogether, only gifting small paintings to express friendship among close acquaintances.
After busying herself for a while, Xiang Lan grew tired. After lunch, she dozed off on the bed. Sometime later, she heard Lin Jin Lou’s voice. Still drowsy, she opened her eyes to see Lin Jin Lou sitting beside the bed in military attire, his hair tied with a golden bat-and-pearl hairpin, his eyes sparkling – clearly just returned. Seeing Xiang Lan awake, he smiled and reached for her hand.
Xiang Lan couldn’t help smiling, extending her hand. Lin Jin Lou pulled her up and embraced her, kissing her. Still not fully awake, Xiang Lan lay in Lin Jin Lou’s arms, lazily saying, “What time is it? Weren’t you supposed to return tomorrow?” Suddenly she felt herself lifted – Lin Jin Lou had picked her up and was striding out, saying, “Come, let’s walk in the garden.”
Xiang Lan blushed deeply, wanting to struggle but afraid of harming the baby, and whispered, “This isn’t proper, put me down quickly.”
Seeing her shy expression, Lin Jin Lou was delighted. He kissed her cheek again, laughing, “There’s no one else here, why are you embarrassed?” He continued asking, “Did you eat at noon? Are you hungry now?”
Xiang Lan replied, “I had some soup and a few side dishes when I came out.”
Lin Jin Lou frowned, “Why did you eat so little? I’ve had food and wine prepared at Jian Qiu Pavilion, let’s go there.” He carried Xiang Lan forward in large strides. Xiang Lan peeked around and saw indeed no one nearby, only a few maids carrying things following at a distance. Soon they reached the waterside pavilion, where Lin Jin Lou placed her on a daybed, smiling, “Eat more, don’t let my son and his mother go hungry.”
Xiang Lan was startled: “You know?”
Lin Jin Lou smiled triumphantly, pinching her nose tip, “People came to the military camp to offer congratulations, that’s how I found out what was happening. I sent someone to inquire and learned you were trying to keep it secret – but how could you hide anything from me? When I heard the news, I rushed to handle everything and come home. Do you know what I was thinking?”
Xiang Lan had wanted to tell him herself, and feeling somewhat put out, said, “I don’t know.”
“I was shocked and overjoyed, then overjoyed and shocked again – I was nearly crazy with happiness. I was so delighted I didn’t know what to do, gave silver to all the guards and household servants.” As Lin Jin Lou spoke, he couldn’t help laughing again. When he first heard the news, he was completely dazed, standing still for a long while before coming to his senses. After some time, the joy in his heart threatened to burst from his chest, making his heart feel ready to explode. He laughed loudly, wanting to jump in circles right there. Wen Ru Shi and the other young men thought he had gone mad, staring at each other in bewilderment. He couldn’t stop grinning, and as he walked out, he said, “Even if it’s raining swords, I must go home now. Everything’s mostly settled here, you handle the rest.”