The season had entered April, with spring’s brilliance everywhere.

Xiang Lan had been restless since morning, clutching a pouch while silently cursing Song Ke repeatedly. She peeked into the room, seeing Cao Lihuan quietly discussing something with Hui’er, and made an excuse to boil water, slipping out of Luo Xuewu to find Song Ke on the hillside. Before she arrived, she saw a graceful young man standing beneath the peach tree – who else could it be but Song Ke?

Xiang Lan immediately lifted her skirt and ran forward, stuffing the pouch into Song Ke’s hand, saying, “Here, returning this to you.” She turned to leave as soon as she finished speaking. Song Ke quickly grabbed her arm: “Hey, hey, what’s the hurry?”

Xiang Lan turned back angrily, violently shaking her arm but unable to break free from Song Ke’s grip, and snapped, “How can I not hurry? I lied to come out here. If Young Miss discovers this, I’ll be in serious trouble!”

Song Ke froze, his hand loosening as his face showed remorse, stammering, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think it through…”

Seeing his expression, Xiang Lan’s anger subsided somewhat. She stood still and said, “The pouch has been mended, Young Master Song. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

Song Ke looked carefully and saw that the torn part of the pouch had been meticulously repaired with matching colored thread, the pattern completed so neatly and precisely that one couldn’t tell it had been damaged. He exclaimed delightedly, “It’s mended so well!” Looking at Xiang Lan with a sincere smile, he said, “You put a lot of effort into repairing this pouch, I must properly thank you.”

Xiang Lan had intended to leave immediately, but hearing these words, she thought to herself, “If you want to thank me, just give me some silver.” She pressed her lips together, looking at Song Ke without saying a word.

Song Ke smiled and said, “Giving you silver would be too ordinary. Here, this is for you.” He pulled out a small pouch made of kesi silk from his bosom and handed it to Xiang Lan.

Xiang Lan had initially planned to refuse politely, but thinking about how anxiously she had mended the pouch over the past two days made her angry again. When Song Ke had asked her to repair the pouch, she had mindlessly agreed. Only halfway through did she realize that if she had refused, claiming inability, what could Song Ke have done? But looking at the half-mended pouch, she had gritted her teeth and finished it properly, working by lamplight and worried about being discovered. After much effort, accepting a gift from Song Ke wasn’t too much. With this thought, she took the small pouch and said, “In that case, I won’t be modest. Thank you for Young Master Song’s generosity.” She curtseyed and turned to leave again.

Song Ke stepped forward to block her path: “Don’t you want to see what’s inside?”

Xiang Lan felt somewhat annoyed, but looking up, she saw Song Ke’s smiling face. Such an immortal-like handsome face became even more striking when smiling. Xiang Lan couldn’t help but stare, thinking, “Young Master Song is truly handsome and elegant, no wonder the Lin family’s young ladies are all so enchanted by him.” This moment of distraction completely dissipated her anger.

Song Ke continued urging from beside her: “Quick, open it and see if you like it.”

Left with no choice, Xiang Lan followed his instructions and opened the small pouch. Looking at what fell out, she saw it was a small frog carved from emerald jade, translucent and lustrous, made from excellent material. Though the carving was simple, it had a rustic charm that was truly delightful. Xiang Lan let out an “Ah!” and examined it with delight from all angles, murmuring, “Jade carvings are common enough, but one this interesting is rare.”

Seeing Xiang Lan’s pleasure, Song Ke’s smile widened: “I carved this little thing when I was idle. I’m glad you like it.”

Hearing the ambiguous tone in his words, Xiang Lan suddenly realized she was standing too close to Song Ke. She quickly stepped back, collected herself, and said, “This servant thanks Young Master Song for the gift. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

Song Ke’s brows furrowed tightly. Their earlier conversation had developed a certain familiarity and intimacy, but now she was referring to herself as “this servant” and calling him “Young Master Song,” clearly becoming distant again. Anxious, he once more stepped forward to block Xiang Lan’s path, saying, “Wait, I still have your handkerchief.”

Xiang Lan then remembered that Song Ke hadn’t returned the handkerchief she had lent him to wipe his dirty clothes, so she held out her hand and demanded, “In that case, please return it quickly.”

Song Ke put on an innocent expression and spread his hands, saying, “I forgot to bring it.” Xiang Lan began to grow annoyed again, and Song Ke quickly added, “Why don’t you come back tomorrow at the Hour of Snake? I’ll return the handkerchief then?”

Xiang Lan withdrew her hand and said flatly, “Never mind, it’s just a handkerchief. I don’t want it anymore. Young Master Song can burn it.” She turned to leave again.

Song Ke blocked her path again, still smiling as he said, “How about this – consider the handkerchief a gift from you, and I’ll trade you something for it.” He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a white silk flower.

Xiang Lan was startled. Song Ke, showing some pride, brought the silk flower before Xiang Lan and said, “Let’s trade for this silk flower. It’s much prettier than the paper flower in your hair.”

Xiang Lan took the silk flower and examined it, noticing a small ink mark on the back. She had made a similar mark with a brush on the back of her lost flower – so the white flower she had lost had been picked up by Song Ke.

Song Ke watched Xiang Lan as she lowered her head, her thick eyelashes hiding her beautiful eyes. Even an elegant orchid couldn’t compare to her beauty. Song Ke stared, somewhat dazed, murmuring, “When you dropped the flower, I happened to find it. I wonder if this counts as fate?”

Hearing these increasingly inappropriate words, Xiang Lan smiled distantly: “Young Master Song has returned what belongs to me. This servant thanks you.” She curtseyed and turned to leave again.

This time Song Ke didn’t stop her, but called from behind: “I still don’t know your name!” Xiang Lan pretended not to hear, but Song Ke raised his voice and said, “If you don’t tell me, I’ll go to Luo Xuewu to ask around.”

Xiang Lan silently cursed his insolence, turned back to glare at him, and reluctantly said, “I’m called Xiang Lan.” With that, she lifted her skirts and ran away quickly.

As she approached Luo Xuewu, Xiang Lan stopped to adjust her clothes and hair, picked up a half-full kettle of water from the small tea room, and walked back slowly. As soon as she entered, she saw Hui’er leaning against the doorway eating small walnuts. Hui’er glanced at Xiang Lan and sneered, “Where did you run off to so early in the morning?”

Xiang Lan said quietly, “I went to boil water.” She slipped inside to add tea.

Hui’er looked at Xiang Lan’s retreating figure and snorted, spitting walnut shells on the ground before lifting her face to address Cao Lihuan, who had just walked out of the bedroom: “You should control her better, she’s always running around wildly.”

Cao Lihuan said, “Right now we need to coax her to work more. I’ve noticed that little hussy isn’t as diligent as before. If we scold her and she becomes frustrated, her embroidery work might suffer.”

Hui’er said disdainfully, “What’s there to fear? If she dares to be lazy or slack off, just let Madam Lou drive her out!”

“Now that the First Madam is back, her words don’t carry as much weight as before,” Cao Lihuan said shrewdly. “After all, Xiang Lan is still a Lin family maid. If she were ours, we could beat or scold her as we pleased. You should avoid quarreling with that little maid. Tell me, how did you handle the matter I assigned you? That’s our path to long-term security.”

Hui’er lowered her voice and said, “I’ve done everything exactly as Miss instructed, without missing a single detail.” She added nervously, “Miss, what if this gets discovered…”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be discovered!” Cao Lihuan said firmly. “Besides, what if it is? They can’t swallow us alive! If worst comes to worst, we’ll pack up and leave. Things have already come this far – we have to do it whether we want to or not, so we might as well gamble everything.” Seeing Hui’er’s timid expression, she patted her hand and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility if anything happens.”

Hui’er sighed and hesitantly said, “Miss… Miss, you’re already engaged to the Young Master Ren, just waiting to marry into their family. Even if the Ren family’s circumstances are modest, Young Master Ren is gentle and caring. Living off the land would still provide peace and security. Why must you…”

Cao Lihuan remained silent, staring at the blue and white underglaze red wine cup on the table. Suddenly, she picked up the cup and held it before Hui’er, asking, “Let me ask you, even if my parents were still alive, could we have afforded cups like this back home in Yuzhou?”

Hui’er was stunned and shook her head.

Cao Lihuan pointed around them: “Then could we have afforded these gold-inlaid carved beds, mother-of-pearl inlaid screens, or that Cheng kiln flower vase on the table? Though I have some decent clothes, I can count them on one hand. Lin Dongwei’s simplest outfit is made of the finest kesi silk brocade, costing at least forty taels of silver!” Cao Lihuan’s face grew redder as she spoke, her eyes blazing. “I used to think our original home, with its three courtyards, was grand, but after coming to the Lin family, I realized that house in Yuzhou was no better than a pigsty. Their garden is like paradise – I never knew people could live in such luxury… Hui’er, I told myself then that unless I could find a better match than the Lin family, I would never leave! Otherwise, why would I let that wretch Zhao Yuechan have my mother’s set of ruby and gold hairpins!”

Hui’er hesitated: “But… but even if this succeeds, at most you’d be Third Lord Ting’s concubine. People will gossip, and you might never be able to hold your head high. With the Ren family, you’d be the proper wife, this…”

“That’s a problem for later! We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Haven’t I weathered so many storms already? Hui’er, you’ve seen Third Lord Ting – not only is he handsome, but his every gesture shows true noble breeding. Compared to him, Ren Yu isn’t worth mentioning.” Cao Lihuan fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. “Even if the Ren family treated me like a Buddha, could they afford to wear kesi silk, scorched-hair silk, and brocade robes year-round? Could they drink imperial wine bestowed by the palace?”

Hui’er stammered wordlessly, looking somewhat dazed. Cao Lihuan’s smile became dreamy: “Not to mention that Ren Yu is dim-witted, failing at both studies and business. After studying for over ten years, he’s still just a student… I praise him to others, saying the Ren family is simple, easy to serve, honest, with property and fields, quite well-off, and that Ren Yu is honest and good-natured. But actually… it’s all to save face. I know exactly what it’s really like deep down, but I’ve said it so many times I’ve almost convinced myself as if I truly desire this marriage…”

Seeing Cao Lihuan’s bleak expression, Hui’er couldn’t help saying, “Miss…”

Cao Lihuan shook her head: “No matter how capable and ambitious I am, I still need to rely on a man’s strength. Ren Yu is spineless – in the future, forget about achieving rank through examination and bringing honor to his wife and children, I doubt he can even maintain the family business properly.”

Cao Lihuan’s voice gradually grew quieter, and both fell silent. Suddenly, Cao Lihuan straightened her chest and said loudly: “I was born to a noble family too. Why should Lin Dongwei, a mere concubine-born daughter of the Lin family, marry into an official family while I, a legitimate daughter, must marry into a poor family? Even as a concubine in the Lin family, I will enjoy wealth and luxury in this life… Hmph, once I become a Lin family concubine, who would dare treat me as just a concubine? The position of primary wife will eventually be mine!”

Cao Lihuan’s gaze was sharp, revealing a hint of ruthlessness. Thinking that Cao Lihuan’s staying with the Lin family would only benefit herself, Hui’er eagerly poured tea for Cao Lihuan and began wracking her brains to help her mistress strategize.