By noon, the Great Flower Hall was already set with various delicacies, fruits, and pastries. The hall was adorned with brocade and flowers, while a stage was erected in the courtyard where the Qing Yun Theater Troupe’s young performers provided continuous musical entertainment.

Grandmother Lin sat on the large luohan bed in the main hall, selecting her favorite silver thread vegetables and exquisite desserts, arranged on small gold-rimmed white plates on the small kang table. She casually ate and drank while reclining on pillows listening to the opera, keeping Jiang Xi Yun by her side to serve her. Jiang Xi Yun naturally aimed to please, constantly busy offering desserts, refilling tea, and massaging her legs, showing exceptional attentiveness. Naturally beautiful, she had taken special care with her appearance today, wearing a set of pure gold and kingfisher feather ornaments, a satin jacket embroidered with gold-threaded lotus and peonies, and a five-colored skirt. With light makeup, her pretty face appeared even more roundly pink, radiating cleverness and charm. Her sweet tongue knew exactly how to please, and Grandmother Lin’s continuous smiles showed her evident satisfaction.

Madam Qin and Madam Wang sat at the raised table below, while Lin Dong Wan, Lin Dong Qi, and Lin Dong Xiu sat further ahead. Concubine Bao, Lin Chang Zheng’s concubine, sat in the corridor eating and drinking. Li Miao Zhi stood attending to Madam Wang, while Xiang Lan stood behind Madam Qin. Su Mei Ru was nowhere to be seen, and Grandmother Lin didn’t inquire about her – Madam Wang was naturally glad to avoid the sight.

Xiang Lan couldn’t help but look at Jiang Xi Yun, feeling as if a thorn pierced her heart, making her restless. Thanks to this seemingly sweet and lovely young woman, she might never become a mother! Yet this person, who had fled in disgrace, could now return so shamelessly, as if everything before had been merely a dream, showing no guilt while continuously acting coy and cheerful. Xiang Lan had thought she’d forgotten and forgiven, but now, every glimpse of Jiang Xi Yun – whether acting cute, smiling radiantly, or showing excessive enthusiasm to please others – sent waves of anger surging through her heart. Her resentment grew until she could barely contain it, threatening to drag her into an abyss.

Jiang Xi Yun felt someone watching her, knowing it was Xiang Lan, but she neither wished nor dared to look back, only casting the briefest glance before quickly averting her eyes, her heart unsettled. To say she felt no guilt would be a lie, but she quickly reasoned that without that incident, she might have married into the Lin family, with Xiang Lan as a dangerous tiger sleeping beside her bed. She would have suffered day and night, constantly battling Chen Xiang Lan, making her own life miserable. Her grandmother had once said, “How many can truly live a pure and blameless life?” As a woman, sometimes one had to be cruel to others for self-preservation – “better a friend’s death than one’s demise.” She lacked the energy to sympathize with others, so how had she done wrong? She desperately wished to avoid this visit to the Lin family but had no choice. The Jiang family’s influence had already declined due to the Second Prince incident, with Jiang Dan Yun barely managing to marry into a moderately respectable landowner’s family. Her situation was even more difficult. She had to make this visit to win Grandmother Lin’s favor and maintain face in public to resolve her current predicament.

With these thoughts, Jiang Xi Yun straightened her back, no longer looking at Xiang Lan, focusing entirely on peeling meat for Grandmother Lin.

Xiang Lan turned away, silently repeating three times: “Hatred is poison, don’t hate, forgive, hatred only hurts oneself.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Upon opening them, she saw Madam Qin turning to beckon her. Approaching, she heard Madam Qin whisper, “After the opera, there will be storytelling and acrobatics. It won’t end for a while. Don’t just stand here – go inside to rest and eat something.”

Xiang Lan forced a smile, “It’s fine, I’ll stand a while longer.” Seeing Lin Dong Xiu signaling her, she excused herself and joined her in the corridor, where winding paths, elegant windows, embroidered screens, and gentle breezes created a spring atmosphere everywhere.

Lin Dong Xiu walked along the covered corridor, saying, “Let’s walk outside, better than watching that little demon showing off and getting upset. Grandmother is confused, inviting the Jiangs here.” Xiang Lan hadn’t expected Lin Dong Xiu to speak up for her this way. Since she had saved Lin Dong Xiu at the mountain temple, the latter had shown genuine friendship. Though their relationship wasn’t particularly deep, it was harmonious, and over time had developed some sincerity. However, Xiang Lan understood everyone’s temperaments well and maintained appropriate boundaries, carefully managing the degree of familiarity – no matter how close they became, she never presumed too much. Now that Lin Dong Xiu had become a Marquis’s wife, she had changed significantly in this short time, with an air of superiority in her speech and conduct, completely different from before, dismissing ordinary people. Xiang Lan recalled the former Fourth Miss Lin, who would furrow her brow before speaking, with her sharp tongue and slightly sickly demeanor, and compared her to the current Marchioness with her imposing spring presence and air of proud decisiveness, feeling quite emotional at the change.

Lin Dong Xiu held Xiang Lan’s hand, stopping to frown slightly, “Oh, why are your hands so cold? And your face is so pale – did that Jiang girl upset you? Thank goodness for your clay-doll temperament. If it were me, even while considering Grandmother’s face, I’d have stormed off with some choice words!”

Xiang Lan shook her head. As they turned into the back courtyard, several young maids were playing, but quickly came to attend them, laying large red-and-green brocade cushions on the stone bench. Lin Dong Xiu asked Xiang Lan, “Shall I have the maids bring you a shawl?”

Xiang Lan lifted her teacup and took a sip, saying, “No need.” She felt the scalding plain tea somewhat soothing the cold, gnawing hatred in her heart.

Lin Dong Xiu said, “Why don’t you feign illness and go back? I’ll explain to Grandmother… tsk, what a situation. Never mind you – even I feel disturbed by it.”

Xiang Lan felt warmth in her heart and squeezed Lin Dong Xiu’s hand, suddenly saying, “It’s fine, I need to return shortly. Today is Grandmother’s special day – if I leave claiming illness, she won’t be happy. With Lin’s family relatives here too, who knows how rumors might spread. Since I’ve agreed with Madam to consider the bigger picture, I must see it through.”

Lin Dong Xiu paused, then said, “Good… good, good, ah, it’s not easy for you. No matter how great your service to our family, no matter how much respect others show, it can’t override an elder’s word.”

Xiang Lan smiled at this, “These past few years, stumbling along through life’s ups and downs, experiencing the world’s fickleness, various complications beyond my control – though I haven’t achieved much, I’ve grown somewhat wiser. Before, if someone mocked or scorned me, I might have angrily shot back immediately. Now, even facing severe bullying, I can accept it calmly. Obsessing over one’s grudges only hurts oneself.” She made a face, “After getting through today, I’ll probably be even better at staying calm amid chaos.”

Lin Dong Xiu sighed, “You’re truly hard to figure out. As a maid when people looked down on you, you held your head higher than anyone. Now with some status and position, with Madam and your brother supporting you, you’re willing to accept such wronging – you’re quite strange.”

After some trivial conversation, Xiang Lan felt her irritation mostly dissipated and returned to the Great Flower Hall, finding Lin Dong Wan, Lin Dong Qi, Li Miao Zhi, and Jiang Xi Yun gone. She resumed her position beside Madam Qin, refilling her wine cup. Grandmother Lin lifted her eyelids to look at her, then turned away.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xi Yun, after attending to Grandmother Lin for a while, went to the inner room to eat. Upon entering, she saw Lin Dong Wan sleeping on the large kang bed several familiar old women had plied her with wine, and soon she felt dizzy with a pounding heart, so she excused herself to lie down. Jiang Xi Yun ate at the table under the window while watching the opera. Suddenly hearing footsteps, she turned to see Li Miao Zhi and Lin Dong Qi entering together, chatting and laughing.

The three had been close friends since childhood. Jiang Xi Yun stood up with a smile, softly saying, “So you two have come.”

Lin Dong Qi, having heard about Jiang Xi Yun’s matters and thinking of Xiang Lan, felt uncomfortable and only responded perfunctorily. Li Miao Zhi, having grown up with Jiang Xi Yun, shared a deeper bond and was delighted, pulling Lin Dong Qi over. The three sat together, asking servants for cups and sharing wine while chatting and laughing.

After a cup of wine and some conversation about childhood memories, the three felt closer, and the atmosphere grew warmer. Just then, a maid entered and whispered to Li Miao Zhi, “Third Madam, Concubine Su says she’ll come later to wish Grandmother happy birthday… We tried to discourage her but she wouldn’t listen. When she comes, I’m afraid our Madam will lose face again…”

Li Miao Zhi frowned and waved her hand, saying, “I understand, you may go.” After the maid left, she sighed repeatedly and told the other two, “Since we’re close sisters, I won’t hold back. Speaking of my father-in-law’s new concubine, she’s truly something – that mouth of hers can turn black into white. My poor mother-in-law is a simple person, bullied until she’s bitter but can’t speak up. That woman uses her pregnancy as leverage, turning every displeasure into an incident, yet smiles so sweetly to your face that you can’t find fault. Now my mother-in-law trembles just hearing her name. Who knows how she’ll react when they meet later.”

Lin Dong Qi said, “I met her once – she has nice features and carries herself well, unlike those timid types.”

Li Miao Zhi replied, “It’s exactly those worldly, calculating ones who are trouble-better actors than actual performers. My mother-in-law is so awkward with words – she only realizes what she should have said or done after crying from anger, it is too late for regrets. As a daughter-in-law, I can’t say much, and Su Mei Ru has tried several times to scheme against me, looking for ways to trap my husband.”

Lin Dong Qi sighed, “Every family has its difficulties. I’d rather have a mother-in-law like Second Aunt – kind and honest. My mother-in-law is a second wife who treats her stepchildren poorly. Not only is she picky, but she also favors my third sister-in-law, finds fault with everything I do, keeps trying to place her maids in my household, and secretly inquires about how much dowry I brought…”