Lin Jin Lou was startled. As a martial artist, his hand moved like lightning, grabbing Xiang Lan’s wrist and squeezing hard. The pain made Xiang Lan involuntarily release her grip, and the hairpin fell to the ground with a “clang.” Lin Jin Lou could tell from his grip that Xiang Lan had put real force into her attempted strike. His face went white as he roared, “Have you gone mad?”
The shout startled Ji Xiang and Shuang Xi, who turned their heads to look, then quickly turned back around for fear of Lin Jin Lou seeing them, though they kept their ears pricked.
Xiang Lan’s face remained wooden and expressionless as she said, “I’m not mad. I just think death would end everything.”
Lin Jin Lou’s anger turned to laughter, “Good, good, good! You are something, playing these death games with me?”
Xiang Lan said coldly, “I only have this worthless life. If Master insists on making me a concubine, you’ll only be taking back my corpse.”
Lin Jin Lou’s face darkened as he pondered something. Suddenly, he crouched down, staring straight into Xiang Lan’s eyes, and sneered, “Fine, you’ve got guts to stake your life against me.” As he spoke, he picked up the sandalwood hairpin from the ground and inserted it back into her hair bun, gently smoothing her temple hair with extreme gentleness. He continued slowly and deliberately, “Let me give you some advice – don’t make such absolute statements. Don’t think playing with your life will let you escape this matter. I make my living on the edge of death, I’ve seen plenty who stake their lives, and your little display isn’t impressive. I’m being lenient because I cherish beautiful women, but don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. If you anger me, you may die, but you still have your parents – don’t make them suffer with you. And don’t count on Song Ke to save you. He’s nothing. Even if he becomes the top scholar and waits another decade, I still wouldn’t care about him. Do you understand?”
Xiang Lan just pressed her lips together as two clear tears rolled down her cheeks. Her body trembled in the bitter wind, looking utterly pitiful.
Lin Jin Lou wiped her tears, and Xiang Lan didn’t dodge, like a clay statue. Lin Jin Lou feared pushing her too far might cause other problems and thought to himself, “Since Song Ke is away in the capital for the examinations, there’s no need to force her now.” So he said, “Think it through carefully and don’t fail to recognize good fortune. I’ll send someone in a few days.” Then he stood up and called out, “Bring the horse!”
Shuang Xi hurriedly turned around and brought the horse over. Ji Xiang also came forward, and seeing Xiang Lan still kneeling on the ground, wanted to help her up but feared displeasing Lin Jin Lou. He quickly said, “Miss, don’t be so stubborn, just say some pleasant words and be done with it.” He looked back once more and saw Xiang Lan still wooden and blank, unsure if she had even heard his words.
After riding some distance, Lin Jin Lou was filled with anger. He couldn’t understand how the girl who had been as timid as a frightened rabbit in the Lin household had suddenly become so unyielding. She would rather follow Song Ke, whose family fortune had declined, treating him like dirt. Lin Jin Lou felt as if his chest was stuffed with rags. “Ungrateful!” he muttered under his breath, his face dark and lips tightly pressed.
Seeing Lin Jin Lou’s expression, Shuang Xi thought to himself, “Since Xiang Lan has upset Master, why not suggest visiting Miss Su to cheer him up?” He pulled something wrapped in a handkerchief from his chest and held it up to Lin Jin Lou, saying, “Master, this is from Miss Su for you.”
Lin Jin Lou took it and opened the handkerchief to find a small pouch with a lover’s knot. Undoing the pouch and tipping it over, an inch-long fingernail fell into his palm, smooth as spring onion and dyed a bright rouge color. Su Mei Ru had grown two long fingernails on her left hand, and this was one she had cut off herself.
Lin Jin Lou stared at the fingernail without speaking.
Shuang Xi smiled and said, “Yesterday, old man Xu came begging to the side gate and gave me this, insisting I deliver it safely to Master. He said Miss Su misses you desperately, crying morning and night, willing to cut off such a beautifully grown fingernail just to give you something to remember her by. He also said Miss Su has been practicing a new song, especially for when Master visits…”
Before he could finish, Lin Jin Lou threw everything in his hand at Shuang Xi’s face, shouting, “You’ve grown too bold, meddling in my private affairs! Now you’re playing pimp like those old madams?”
Shuang Xi immediately shrank his neck, too frightened to move.
Ji Xiang glared fiercely at Shuang Xi – his twin brother could be so tactless. Master hadn’t visited Su Mei Ru for some time, and her servant old Xu had approached him too, offering five taels of silver to put in a good word and pass along a handkerchief she had embroidered, hoping to remind Lin Jin Lou to visit her residence. Ji Xiang hadn’t dared accept but had indirectly asked Lin Jin Lou’s thoughts. While cleaning his weapons, Lin Jin Lou had carelessly said, “She’s just a kept woman, why is she coming around?”
That one sentence told Ji Xiang everything. Though Su Mei Ru was a captivating beauty with certain skills, even if Master didn’t care for her now, who knew when things might return to how they were in Zhejiang, sweet as honey? So Ji Xiang didn’t offend her, deflecting old Xu’s subsequent visits with excuses, and had specifically warned Shuang Xi. Yet Shuang Xi hadn’t listened and chose to bring this up when Lin Jin Lou was already irritated, truly hitting a sore spot.
Lin Jin Lou frowned and said, “Ji Xiang, take a message back to Miss Su – if she wants to stay with me, she should quietly remain in her residence and stop coming to the Lin house. If she comes again, she can leave for good. I’m not short of such servants!”
Ji Xiang repeatedly agreed. Then he spat at Shuang Xi, “Has oil clogged your brain? When did it become your place to manage Master’s affairs? Outside women are just for novelty – how dare you deliver things from them? Haven’t you noticed that even the proper ladies and concubines in the household don’t send things to Master? You worthless thing, slap yourself!”
Without a word, Shuang Xi began slapping himself left and right, cursing as he did so, “This is for being blind! This is for having no manners! This is for angering Master! If I ever deliver things for others again, cut off these dog paws!”
After several slaps, Lin Jin Lou waved his hand impatiently, “Enough, enough, enough, stop hitting yourself. You’re giving me a headache.”
Shuang Xi stopped his face bright red.
Lin Jin Lou spurred his horse forward. Since coming to Jinling, Su Mei Ru had become increasingly clingy, wanting Lin Jin Lou to spend every night with her as he had in Zhejiang, like a proper married couple. Once the novelty wore off, Lin Jin Lou grew tired of her lack of propriety and constant entanglements. Whatever affection had existed was now completely gone – he didn’t even want to see her. When Shuang Xi presented the fingernail, it only added to his irritation.
Ji Xiang quietly fell behind and pulled Shuang Xi’s sleeve, saying, “Have you lost your mind? I warned you before, so why did you bring up Miss Su to Master again?”
Shuang Xi grumbled, secretly regretting taking the five taels of silver to deliver the pouch. Seeing Lin Jin Lou had ridden far ahead, Ji Xiang said no more, and they both hurried to catch up.
As for Xiang Lan, after Lin Jin Lou had mounted and ridden away, she finally stood up from the ground. Her whole body felt weak, and she leaned against the wall to rest for a while. She took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face before slowly walking home.
When she entered the courtyard, Madam Xue was carrying a basin of noodles to the main house and asked, “Where did you go? Why were you gone so long?”
Xiang Lan lowered her head and forced out, “I was seeing Master Lin off.” Then she turned and entered her side room, buried her head in her bedding, and began to sob. Earlier, when she had tried to stab her throat with the hairpin, she had only used seventy percent of her strength and deliberately moved slowly to give Lin Jin Lou time to stop her, hoping to shock him somewhat. She hadn’t expected him to be completely unmoved.
What should she do now? She could disregard herself but not her parents. Though the Chen couple were no longer registered with the Lin household and needn’t fear being sold off, Lin Jin Lou still had power and influence. The Lin family was an influential clan in Jinling with connections everywhere, and her small family was like insects in their eyes. Moreover, she was still waiting hopefully for Song Ke to return from the capital…
Xiang Lan wiped her eyes and sat up, thinking to herself, “Things have come to this point. Crying only eases the heart a little, but tears won’t solve anything. I need to think of a long-term plan. I can’t discuss this with my parents – they can’t solve it and will only worry needlessly. My father might even think being Lin Jin Lou’s concubine would be a great fortune and urge me to return to the Lin family right away.”
As she thought, she secretly went to the kitchen and brought back half a pot of hot water, poured it into the copper basin in her room, removed her accessories, and washed her face. She applied some moisturizing cream, and fearing others would notice she had been crying, used some rouge to add color to her face. After redoing her hair, she forced herself to be cheerful and went to chat with her parents.
Chen Wan Quan was praising Lin Jin Lou’s righteousness, saying proudly, “When that woman Zhao hurt Xiang Lan before, I was furious. Who would have thought Master would personally come to apologize today? Oh my, what an honor!”
Madam Xue said, “Indeed, and he brought so many gifts.”
Chen Wan Quan said, “Just the New Year goods filled an entire bag, plus two lengths of fine cloth and two deerskins to make clothes later.” He called to Xiang Lan, “There’s also a pair of gold bracelets and a gold hairpin, presumably for you.”
Xiang Lan inwardly smiled coldly without responding. She went out to arrange fruits and pastries on the ancestral altar to worship the Chen family ancestors, while quietly turning over plans in her mind. In the evening, Xiang Lan helped Madam Xue prepare a New Year’s Eve feast. As the Chen family had become more prosperous, the evening meal included chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Chen Wan Quan specially opened a jar of good wine, making it quite a feast. However, Xiang Lan found no taste in the food. The wine only added to her melancholy as she listened to the rumbling firecrackers outside.
The Chen couple were in high spirits, lighting a string of firecrackers at the door and preparing more snacks for the night watch. Seeing that the New Year’s Eve vigil was over, Xiang Lan ate a little and returned to her room, tossing and turning until midnight before finally falling into a confused sleep.
For now, all was quiet.