Lin Dong Ling was too absorbed in intimacy with the man to notice Xiang Lan and their figures quickly disappeared behind the rockery. Xiang Lan thought to herself, “This Lin Dong Ling is quite bold, daring to be intimate with a man openly at home.

The Lin family is considered a prestigious clan, and while their young ladies needn’t be as precious as gold and jade, they should at least maintain proper decorum. Now that such improper behavior occurs, it shows their family standards have declined. This is a place of controversy – I’d better leave quickly.” She turned back and took another route, but we’ll leave that for now.

Meanwhile, the Lin residence was exceptionally lively. Although still in the mourning period for Old Madam Zeng, Lin Jin Lou’s promotion to Fourth-Rank General made things more boisterous than usual, with an endless stream of New Year visitors coming and going like a revolving lantern.

Lin Jin Lou had gone out early in the morning to pay New Year’s visits, returning at noon with several close friends for a meal. Since they couldn’t hire opera troupes during the mourning period, he spent silver to have sedan chairs bring the leading courtesans Red Lady from Yi Hong Yuan and Li Chun Ge. He also called for several singing girls raised in the household to play silk and bamboo instruments behind screens. The atmosphere was quite spring-like.

Lin Jin Lou reclined on a cushion of the luohan bed, eyes half-closed, watching several people play drinking games at the wine table, enjoying various entertainments. Li Chun Ge’s famous courtesan Di Hong sat beside him, peeling tangerines and feeding him segments one by one. The wine table was full of officials’ sons, among them one called Wu Liang, the only son of Wu You Wei, the Circuit Inspector of Jiangzhe. At seventeen, spoiled by his elders, he was a dissolute youth given to drinking, visiting courtesans, gambling, and debauchery, yet quite cunning, eagerly seeking Lin Jin Lou’s friendship. Seeing Lin Jin Lou’s lukewarm response to him, he desperately tried to get close to Lin Jin Ting instead.

Lin Jin Ting had low alcohol tolerance and became confused after a few cups, speaking incoherently. Lin Jin Lou said, “Little Third, stop drinking. Let the servants help you lie down in the back.” Before he finished speaking, two handsome servants came forward to help, but Wu Liang quickly supported Lin Jin Ting, saying, “It’s my fault for making Brother Lin drink so much. Let me help him.”

Lin Jin Lou neither agreed nor disagreed, just taking a sip of ginseng tea that Di Hong offered. Wu Liang eagerly supported Lin Jin Ting to the back. When they reached the covered corridor, the cold wind hit Lin Jin Ting, causing his head to throb and stomach to churn. Holding onto a pillar, he suddenly vomited. Wu Liang was startled and hurriedly called out, “Someone come quickly, your Third Young Master is throwing up wine!”

He called several times but saw no servants appear. The servants knew these feasts wouldn’t end for at least two hours, with only a few clever ones attending the gathering up front. The rest had snuck off to gamble and visit brothels or secretly went drinking and merrymaking, while some went home, so no one came immediately.

Wu Liang looked up and caught glimpses of several maids passing through the moon gate. He hurriedly helped Lin Jin Ting over, standing at the garden entrance to peek inside. He saw the courtyard’s winding paths, elegant windows with embroidered curtains, and not far away on a hillside, a grove of plum trees where beauty in a bright red velvet cloak stood cutting plum blossoms. A small maid stood nearby holding a pure white jade vase with an already-cut plum branch in it, looking as lovely as figures in a painting.

Wu Liang stared transfixed, unconsciously stepping forward. He saw the beauty was about fourteen or fifteen, with skin like congealed cream, willow eyebrows, and sandalwood-colored lips – truly peerless in beauty and utterly elegant. Wu Liang felt his soul take flight and nudged Lin Jin Ting, mumbling, “Is… is she from your Lin family?”

Lin Jin Ting opened his drunken eyes, looked, and said, “This… this is my cousin, from the Song family…” Before finishing, he vomited again.

Wu Liang hurriedly let Lin Jin Ting lean against a Taihu rock and went to call someone from the house, but he had secretly taken an interest in Song Tan Chai. He would make various inquiries later, but we’ll leave that for now.

In the room, Lin Jin Lou grew bored of drinking. Yi Hong Yuan’s Xiao Cui Yun personally tore some spare ribs and placed them in a small dish, bringing them over with a smile, “Master, don’t just eat what Sister Di Hong feeds you. At least have a bite of what I prepared personally, just to give me face.”

Everyone teased, “Look, she’s jealous! It’s hard to bear a beauty’s kindness – you’d better eat it!”

Lin Jin Lou smiled lazily and took a bite, saying to Xiao Cui Yun, “My dear, you’re getting cleverer. Li Er must be treating you well.”

Xiao Cui Yun cast a reproachful glance at Lin Jin Lou, half-jokingly saying, “It’s only because Master doesn’t fancy me and only likes my sister.” Xiao Cui Yun was Xiao Cui Xian’s younger sister. She had earlier favored Lin Jin Lou, sending poems and tassels, and was secretly delighted when he accepted them. However, Lin Jin Lou paid her no attention, and instead, one of his military officers, Li Yi An, took a liking to her and spent silver to acquire her services. At first, Xiao Cui Yun refused, even attempting suicide, but later the madam scolded her, “Cui Xian is prettier than you and can sing and play instruments. Even Lin Jin Lou only visits occasionally. Your looks can’t compare to your sister’s, so give up this idea!” Lin Jin Lou also sent people to mediate between her and Li Yi An, so Xiao Cui Yun had to agree. But now, seeing Lin Jin Lou, her heart itched, and she couldn’t help but try to curry favor.

Lin Jin Lou smiled, “You shouldn’t speak carelessly. Your sister is with Young Master Liu now and has no connection with me anymore.”

Xiao Cui Yun smiled apologetically, “This servant spoke out of turn, I should be punished!” She raised her wine cup and drank. Secretly she thought, “Lin Jin Lou is heartless. My sister was devoted to him, but in the end, he didn’t keep her, just paid for her redemption and gave her to his friend. Truly, men are mostly unfaithful and fickle, not as reliable as silver.” Her sentimentality disappeared, and she smiled again, “Yesterday, Madam was saying you haven’t been visiting us lately. We have several new girls in the garden, all fresh as spring onions with sweet voices. They’ve been specially trained. I brought a sister today to serve you, Master.”

She stood up and brought over a girl about fourteen years old, wearing a pink satin jacket embroidered with jade orchid branches, a white silk bamboo-leaf stand-collar undergarment, and a dark red plum blossom embroidered skirt. Her hair was still in braids, not yet in a bun, showing she hadn’t been initiated, but she wore a gold-inlaid pearl half-butterfly cloisonné hairpin, white pearl gold hairpins, gold diamond flowers in her temples, and green jade earrings, with gold-inlaid pearl bracelets on her slender wrists. She had an oval face with finely drawn eyebrows, eyes full of emotion, pink cheeks, and a soft slender waist, still carrying some innocence. Approaching Lin Jin Lou and seeing his handsome appearance, she blushed, curtsied gracefully, and said softly, “This servant is Cui Qiao, here to serve Master.”

Xiao Cui Yun pushed Xiao Cui Qiao to Lin Jin Lou’s side, saying with a smile, “This is my new sister, brought here to gain experience. Master, please be gentle with her, don’t frighten her.” She winked at Xiao Cui Qiao, “Be smart now, serving Master Lin is a blessing from your previous life.”

Although Cui Qiao had some talent and was quite beautiful, in Lin Jin Lou’s eyes she wasn’t anything special. He casually remarked, “Your madam works fast – as soon as Cui Xian leaves, she immediately fills the spot with someone new.”

Xiao Cui Qiao was quite clever, personally pouring tea and offering it to Lin Jin Lou, who merely took a sip before setting it on the table.

Seeing Lin Jin Lou wasn’t interested, Xiao Cui Yun said to Xiao Cui Qiao, “Go get the pipa and sing the new song you learned recently for the masters to hear.”

Xiao Cui Qiao took up the pipa and sat down, plucking the strings and singing “Dream of Pomegranate Flowers” in a clear, pleasant voice. The hall erupted in applause, with everyone saying, “Such a fresh, clear voice is truly rare.” Some longtime patrons of pleasure houses were already eager to pursue her, with one whispering, “So young yet already quite charming, I’ll go exchange handkerchiefs with her later.” Another quietly said, “Nonsense, can’t you see she already has someone in mind? Besides, that old madam at Yi Hong Yuan is quite shrewd – a pretty girl like this couldn’t have been initiated for less than eighty taels of silver!” Yet another said, “Eighty taels seems unreasonable – you can buy a maid outside for just five taels.” This comment drew laughs and teasing: “For five taels, you’ll get yourself a short, fat, ugly maid!”

When the song ended, Xiao Cui Qiao came to serve again, imitating Di Hong by feeding fruit to Lin Jin Lou. Lin Jin Lou turned to look at her timid, coquettish expression and suddenly thought of Xiang Lan – when he first met her, she was also this shy, secretly placing a magnolia in her hair by the lake, blushing when discovered, without makeup, far more beautiful and refined than this Xiao Cui Qiao.

This thought reminded him of how yesterday that girl had been ungrateful, making such a fuss and giving him the cold shoulder, leaving him with a sour face even during the ancestral worship. He grew angry and stopped drinking tea, put on his shoes, got up, and left, saying, “Keep eating and drinking, I just remembered an urgent matter, I’ll be right back.” He then rushed into the inner quarters like a gust of wind.

Meanwhile, Madam Qin was hosting people watching female performers in the flower hall. Lin Jin Lou saw Hong Jian carrying a tray about to enter the room and stopped her, asking a few questions quietly. Shortly after, Hong Jian came out from the room saying, “I’ve already told Madam Song, she’s waiting for Young Master in the side room.”

Lin Jin Lou repeatedly thanked her and lifted the curtain to enter the side room, where he saw Aunt Song had arrived. He clasped his hands and smiled, “Sorry to interrupt your opera-watching, Aunt.”

Aunt Song smiled, “You child, why so formal? I don’t know why you’ve called me here.”

Lin Jin Lou smiled, “I’m being presumptuous, but firstly, I wanted to ask Aunt for someone. The Song family should have a maid called Xiang Lan – I find her suitable. I wonder if Aunt would be willing to part with her? If you give her to me, I’ll certainly send Aunt a generous gift.”

Aunt Song was startled, then showed an awkward expression, saying, “Oh my, your timing is quite unfortunate… This morning, that girl came to ask for grace, and she’s already been freed.”

Lin Jin Lou was stunned, gradually furrowing his brows.