Luan Er held back her tears and said, “Young Master, do you despise me so much that you won’t even look at me?”
Lin Jin Lou replied, “What are you talking about? It’s dinner time, why are you still standing here?” He stood up, glanced at Luan Er, and said, “Your outfit today looks nice and festive. You should go now. I’ll listen to your music in a few days.” With that, he went inside to change clothes.
Luan Er felt empty inside, unsure of her feelings. Remembering how Lin Jin Lou had just been intimate and playful with Xiang Lan while being indifferent to her, a wave of grievance welled up, coupled with a lump in her throat she couldn’t swallow. She buried her face in her handkerchief and began to sob. Ru Shuang heard the sound and hurried over, pulling Luan Er and pushing her toward the exit, whispering, “My dear miss, if you want to cry, cry outside. What are you doing here? Be careful not to upset Young Master or he’ll be angry with you. Quick, get out!” She pushed and pulled until Luan Er was out the door.
Ru Shuang, who was usually friendly with Shu Ran, wanted to give Luan Er some advice. At the doorway, seeing no one around, she whispered, “Why are you crying? Think about it – Young Master hasn’t seen you for so many days, and after being angry with you last time, didn’t he give you a kind face this time? Everything comes gradually, you can’t get fat from one meal. Go back now and come again tomorrow.” She brought out a cup of tea for Luan Er.
After drinking some tea, Luan Er came to her senses. Wiping her tears, she silently considered Ru Shuang’s words and remembered Lin Jin Lou praising her outfit and saying he wanted to hear her sing again. Her heart warmed, and though she resented Xiang Lan, she determined to come to the main chamber every day hereafter.
Meanwhile, Lin Jin Lou had changed clothes and washed up, sitting on the wooden couch when Lian Xin brought a clean, shining silver tray with a stack of cards, saying, “These are the cards received at the gate today. These were selected by Mr. Qi for Young Master’s decision.” She placed them on the kang table.
Lin Jin Lou opened them one by one, sorting them into piles. Looking up, he saw Xiang Lan sitting far away, lost in thought. He beckoned, “Come here, write something for me.”
Xiang Lan had to comply. Ting Lan brought writing materials, and Xiang Lan held the brush as Lin Jin Lou dictated: “Two hundred strong bows, three hundred feathered sabers, one hundred spears, fifty war horses…” He stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Xiang Lan paused, waiting. After a while, Lin Jin Lou continued, “Fifty sets of imperial armor, eighty pairs of copper hammers, nine hundred rope ladders.”
Xiang Lan wrote everything down. Lin Jin Lou took the paper, looked it over, nodded, and smiled, “Your delicate handwriting doesn’t match these items. It should be writing romantic verses instead.” He stroked his chin again, contemplating the paper deeply.
Ting Lan came in, saw Lin Jin Lou’s state, and dared not disturb him, signaling to Xiang Lan with her eyes. Xiang Lan shook her head slightly. When Lin Jin Lou was thinking, no one dared interrupt. Last time when he was reviewing letters in such deep thought, Nuan Yue had tried to be helpful, bringing him soup and saying several times, “Young Master, please eat while it’s hot. The chicken soup gets unpleasant when cold.” This annoyed Lin Jin Lou so much that he swept the bowl away with his hand, splashing Nuan Yue’s skirt, and pointed at her yelling, “Stupid fool, stop hovering around me! Get out!” Nuan Yue had trembled in fear, nearly falling as she ran out, and didn’t dare appear before Lin Jin Lou for two days.
Naturally unwilling to provoke trouble, Xiang Lan sat quietly to the side, unconsciously staring at the peacock-decorated rosewood mother-of-pearl eight-treasures screen in the warm alcove. When she first saw this screen after returning from home, she had been thunderstruck, dumbfounded, as if in a dream. She reached out to touch it, her fingertip meeting the cold ruby in the peacock’s eye. This screen had been part of her dowry in her previous life. Her mother smiled and told her, “The peacock screen is an old piece that belonged to the Old Madam. She loved you most and said peacocks symbolize wealth, grandeur, and good fortune, so she wanted to add this screen to your dowry. Don’t forget to kowtow to your grandmother later.”
Later, the screen followed her to the Xiao family, placed in their bedroom. In the evenings when Xiao Hang returned, he would read and write outside the screen while she did needlework on the kang bed inside it, peaceful and serene. Then when the Eighth Prince usurped the throne, the Xiao family’s property was confiscated, and she and Xiao Hang died of illness during their exile. The screen’s whereabouts became unknown. She never imagined that after all its travels, she would see this old possession again in the Lin family. Now she didn’t dare even set up memorial tablets or make offerings for her grandfather, parents, and relatives. She could only establish a small tablet reading “Shen Family Ancestors” at Jing Yue Temple, where she secretly burned incense, knelt, and chanted sutras for their souls. Seeing this screen again filled her with melancholy, yet she couldn’t help but look at it.
Lin Jin Lou emerged from his contemplation and looked up to see Xiang Lan motionless, staring intently at the peacock screen. The candlelight cast shadows on her, making her appear especially fragile and delicate, her brows like spring mountains, her eyes like autumn waters, with a unique charm and beauty. Lin Jin Lou watched her for a long while before softly coughing, “What are you looking at?”
Xiang Lan came to her senses, glanced at Lin Jin Lou, and lowered her head without speaking. After a while, she said softly, “Young Master should have dinner now.”
Lin Jin Lou frowned, then relaxed and said, “Yes, it’s time to eat. Clear things away and set the table.”
Lian Xin, Ting Lan, and others had been waiting for these words. They hurried in to light the gilt lamps, cleared the kang table, brought copper basins for washing hands, and served the dishes. The kitchen staff knew Lin Jin Lou’s tastes well. Seeing he had specifically requested dragon whisker noodles and osmanthus cake today, they figured he had been drinking and eating rich food while entertaining outside, so would want something lighter. They, therefore, prepared two vegetarian dishes, cold dishes with braised meat and chicken, and specially made steamed corn flour buns with rose fruit filling, along with osmanthus cake, fuling cake, and lotus root cake.
Xiang Lan ate a bowl of noodles with the side dishes and then wiped her mouth with a napkin. Since Lin Jin Lou hadn’t finished eating, she didn’t dare ask for tea to rinse her mouth. Lin Jin Lou indeed had a hearty appetite, eating with great enjoyment and speed. After rinsing his mouth and having the maids clear away the remains, he took Xiang Lan’s hand, pulled her to the screen, and asked while pointing, “Do you like this?”
Xiang Lan’s eyes flickered as she said, “It’s quite beautiful, that’s why I looked at it a few times.”
Lin Jin Lou smiled, “I’m asking you, do you like it?”
Xiang Lan said, “…It’s quite beautiful…”
Lin Jin Lou snorted and sneered, “Huh, if you like something, you should say so and grab it. How would others know what you like if you stay quiet?”
“…Sometimes just looking at what you like is enough, you don’t necessarily need to possess it, right?”
“Silly girl, if you don’t grab what you like, others will take it first, and you’ll just watch enviously? Then you’ll just be left with heartache. Quick, tell me, do you like it?”
Xiang Lan couldn’t entirely agree, but seeing Lin Jin Lou’s intense gaze, she nodded slightly and said softly, “I like it.”
“There, that settles it.” Lin Jin Lou smiled, held Xiang Lan in his arms despite her struggles, and breathed hot air into her ear, “Call me ‘dear brother’ and ‘good husband,’ and I’ll give it to you. How about that?”
Xiang Lan’s ears turned red as she punched him lightly, “What are you saying!”
Lin Jin Lou laughed, “I’m in a good mood today, and this chance won’t come again… That old fox Lu Chang Yu suffered a big loss at my hands today. Last time he stole credit for my achievements, but this time I got it all back with interest.”
Xiang Lan thought for a moment and asked, “Is Lu Chang Yu the Marquis of Yong Xin?”
Lin Jin Lou was surprised, “You know of him?”
Xiang Lan quickly covered up, “A while ago when you were angry with him, you often cursed him at home…”
Lin Jin Lou looked at her for a moment. Xiang Lan felt somewhat guilty and lowered her head. Then she heard Lin Jin Lou say, “That fool got greedy and tried to sell military supplies and provisions secretly, but my men caught him red-handed. We leaked the information to the Duke of Zhen Guo and Marquis of Yong Chang, and the three of us worked together to deal with him. He’s clever enough, sacrificing pawns to save the chariot, slipping away to the capital with his wife and children to lay low. But all his cronies have been removed, and now my people fill all the vacant positions. Things will be much smoother from now on.”
Xiang Lan thought to herself, “When the former emperor was alive, the Yong Xin Marquis’s family relied on their ancestral prestige, but they still had some influence. I can’t believe Lin Jin Lou dared to confront a noble.” Then she reflected that with his domineering nature, he’d probably try to punch a hole in the sky if his temper flared, and she felt more understanding.
Lin Jin Lou played with the red agate earrings on Xiang Lan’s ears, saying casually, “No wonder he was desperate for money. His family was already poor, reduced to selling gold necklaces and antique paintings to get by. But he has a beautiful daughter who became the Third Prince’s consort, so things improved once he had that backing. The Third Prince helped him get promoted, and he gathered some lackeys who went around biting people like mad dogs. If the old man hadn’t warned him a few times, I would have dealt with him long ago.” He then lifted Xiang Lan’s chin, staring into her eyes, “Enough about that unpleasant business. Now, call me ‘good husband,’ will you? Will you?” He reached out to tickle her.
Unable to bear it, Xiang Lan giggled and squirmed, finally calling out “Good husband” when she couldn’t stand the tickling anymore.
Seeing her flower-like smile, rosy cheeks, and slightly loosened hair, Lin Jin Lou felt a different kind of itch. Remembering how Xiang Lan had angered him days before, he felt vengeful and held her tightly in his arms for a long while. When Xiang Lan felt she might suffocate, she heard him say through gritted teeth above her head, “If you dare to again…”
Hearing his ominous tone, Xiang Lan immediately froze in fear, thinking to herself, “Oh no, this living King of Hell is so unpredictable. Everything was fine just now, is he about to turn angry?” As she worried, Lin Jin Lou released her. Xiang Lan timidly looked up to see his face full of smiles again as he said, “That last one was good, say it again, quickly.”
With his expression changing so rapidly, Xiang Lan felt confused. After hesitating for a long while, she called out again, “Good brother,” then pressed her lips tightly shut.
Lin Jin Lou was very satisfied. He kissed her cheek and called for Chun Ling to enter and for others to bring more tea.