Chapter Eight: Reflection

Lu Yalan’s tears gushed forth like a mountain spring, unstoppable no matter how hard she tried, and her nose began to run as well; her delicate face was utterly stripped of beauty at that moment. At first, she tried to cover it up with her sleeve in a vain attempt, but soon she gave up altogether, staring at Qian Mama with a choked voice that gradually turned into a hoarse shout: “Every single thing—you think I don’t know? I kept hoping that if I treated you a little better, you’d treat me a little better too. Even if it wasn’t as much as you care for Ah Xiang, I’d be happy if you just cared for me a little. You’re my wet nurse, the closest person to me. I respect you, rely on you, trust you. But you—do you see me as your puppet on a string? Are you proud you’ve turned the second miss of the Yancheng Lu family, the daughter of the famous Lu Anbang, into a fool?”

Lu Yalan sobbed and shouted, “Don’t you know what my life’s been like in Yilan Garden? If you’d ever spoken up for me, I would’ve been eternally grateful. But you—just watched, never lent a hand. These people are accomplices, but you’re the culprit. Hit them! Hit them hard! If they die, it’s on me! ‘Stupid’ is already a loud enough name—I don’t care about my reputation anymore!”

She knew she was losing control, making a scene, but it didn’t matter. Seeing the executioners hesitate, she shot them a glance; they shivered and without a word began to beat Ah Xiang and the others.

Second Madam covered her mouth with her handkerchief to hide her smile. Though things had strayed from her plan and she hadn’t managed to save Ah Xiang, she still gained something—she hadn’t expected Lu Yalan to lose her composure so completely.

Now things were getting interesting. If word spread, the second miss’s reputation would be ruined; she’d never again have a foothold among Yancheng’s noble ladies. That person would be pleased to hear of it, surely. Second Madam narrowed her eyes, deciding to stoke the fire further.

Ignoring Lu Yalan’s expression, she said languidly, “Since Second Miss insists on following the rules, then we can’t let servants who interrupt escape punishment either. Second Miss, you won’t be partial, will you? Someone, slap her!”

A group of people stepped forward behind Second Madam, ready to seize Hongxing and slap her.

Lu Yalan didn’t understand why Second Madam always opposed her; old grudges and new ones surged up together. She shoved aside the woman grabbing Hongxing and lunged at Second Madam, shouting, “I’ll fight you!”

Crying, she scratched Second Madam’s face.

Second Madam’s shriek snapped the crowd out of their daze, and chaos erupted—pulling at Lu Yalan, beating the servants, gawking at the spectacle.

Lu Yabai was baffled; he’d only been lost in thought for a moment and the scene had devolved into madness.

Furen Hall

When the maid came to report, the old lady held her teacup, hesitating to drink. “Who scratched Second Madam’s face?” she asked.

The maid repeated the story.

After dismissing her, the old lady sighed, “It’s gone too far.” After a pause, she added, “Go spread my orders—today’s events are to be kept secret. No one is allowed to speak of it.”

Qin Mama hesitated. “There were so many people present, it will be difficult to enforce.”

“Difficult or not, it must be done. We have more than one unmarried girl in this family; word cannot get out and taint the Lu girls’ reputation.”

Out in the courtyard, the crowd had disappeared; even the atmosphere seemed drained, leaving only emptiness behind.

Lu Yabai felt guilty—had he known it would end like this, he wouldn’t have pressed his younger sister. Seeing her swollen eyes and pitiful nose, he couldn’t help rubbing the top of her head. “Don’t be afraid; you have your brother.”

“Mmm!” Lu Yalan sniffled and nodded vigorously.

Considerately, Lu Yabai left, giving space to the two.

Lu Yalan looked around; no one was nearby.

She and Hongxing exchanged glances, then both rushed to embrace each other, laughing and crying. “Hongxing, did you see? I can protect you now!”

“Yes, Miss, you were so brave today!”

The two hugged, laughing and crying, and anyone passing by might have thought they’d stumbled upon a pair of lunatics.

Rows of evergreen trees stood between the courtyard and the main gate, and no one noticed the figures hidden behind them.

“Hey, boss, did you see? That girl’s got spirit,” said a man in smart military attire, speaking with a rakish air.

“Call me Deputy Mu,” Mu Chengyao replied. He’d originally come to discuss military provisions with Lu Yabai, but instead had witnessed this dramatic scene.

“There’s no outsiders here. Boss, do you fancy her? You haven’t taken your eyes off her.” Before Mu Chengyao could respond, the man continued, “Hey, boss, I didn’t know you had such a taste.”

Mu Chengyao shot him a cold look, shutting him up instantly.

“Let’s go—time for serious business.” Mu Chengyao led the way out.

The second miss of the Lu family—she seemed quite interesting.

Shanghai, Residence of Deputy Minister of Transportation, Lu Shibang

Third Miss Lu Yazhu stepped out of her car at the gate, clad in the latest Western dress and carrying a parasol. Her admirer hurried to open the door for her, rewarded with a sweet smile that left him blissful as he departed.

Lu Yazhu hummed a tune across the lawn; her maid, who had waited long, immediately followed.

“News from the old home?” Lu Yazhu stopped by the fountain, the sunlight making the water droplets sparkle even more exquisitely.

“Miss is clever—just now word came that Second Miss lost control in public, behaving like a madwoman.”

Telegrams were expensive, so the message was brief. Yet Lu Yazhu smiled, imagining Lu Yalan’s utter humiliation as if she’d witnessed it herself. Her mood soared.

Lu Yalan, women like you from the old society should disappear along with its remnants. Why, in our past life, did you, inferior in every way, live better than me? It seems Zhaoding Sheng’s broken engagement has deeply affected you. Good. I’ll take everything from you. You don’t deserve any of it!

Through the fountain’s spray, Lu Yazhu seemed to see the Zhaoding Sheng of her previous life, radiant, accompanying Lu Yalan shopping. He protected her tenderly, afraid she’d be bumped, while Lu Yazhu could only hide in the shadows and watch.

This time, even if I don’t want Zhaoding Sheng, you won’t get him either. Let’s see—without a reasonable fiancé, without reputation, how will you survive?

Lu Yazhu smiled at the cherub statue in the fountain’s center and whispered a few words to her maid.

Lu Yalan knew nothing of this. In fact, she was in quite good spirits.

By the next day, the news that Second Miss had scratched Second Madam’s face had spread throughout the Lu residence. Lu Yalan expected people to call her mad or vicious, and according to Hongxing’s inquiries, many did. Yet some believed she was simply an honest person pushed to her limit.

She’d prepared herself for total ruin, but hadn’t anticipated anyone would stand by her.

Lu Yalan realized that once the mind is unburdened, the world isn’t as bleak as it seems.

In the past, she would have been terrified, desperate to kneel before Second Madam and beg forgiveness. But since she’d let herself go, life felt surprisingly decent.

Letting go—she’d learned the phrase from the young lady in her memories, and it fit her situation perfectly.

She hadn't left her room these days, but whenever she wanted something, Hongxing would ask and it would be brought immediately: steaming oolong tea, fragrant cloud cake, treats she’d longed for but never dared request, fearing to trouble others or that no one would deliver them.

“Hongxing, life is good now. No one’s tormenting us, we eat whatever we want. Had I known this would stop the petty tricks, I’d have done it ages ago. Endured over ten years—who knows if I’ve gotten breast cancer.”

“Miss, what is breast cancer?”

Lu Yalan thought for a moment; she didn’t really know. She remembered the young lady in her memories muttering about it when bullied as a maid.

“It’s just an illness, nothing to do with us. Don’t worry about it. Why are you always frowning?”

Hongxing’s attention was easily diverted. She fretted, “Miss, what will we do in the future? The old lady hasn’t said anything, and Second Madam’s silence worries me even more.”

Since illness struck, they’d been busy recovering and hadn’t spoken much. Hongxing never questioned Lu Yalan, only silently supported her. Now Lu Yalan realized she had worried Hongxing.

Lu Yalan considered and asked, “Hongxing, have you thought about the future?”

Without hesitation, Hongxing replied, “Of course, I’ll stay with you. When you marry, I’ll be your steward. I want to take care of you all my life.”

Hongxing, orphaned and starving, had tried to sell herself as a maid, but no one wanted a child still nursing. She went four days without food—without Lu Yalan, she would have died.

The day Miss gave her a bun, she vowed to stay by her side forever.

When life was toughest for Lu Yalan, Hongxing suffered even worse. Lu Yalan once asked her if she wanted to leave, promising no blame if she did. Hongxing’s answer was always the same.

Though she’d heard it more than once, the warmth of that answer filled Lu Yalan’s heart anew.

Lu Yalan squeezed Hongxing’s hand. “You know better than anyone the life we’ve had. Even in our own home, things were like this; if I marry, it’ll likely be worse. Really, it’s not others’ fault our lives are so hard—it’s my own inability to stand up for myself.”

“Miss, don’t say that. It’s those people who are sly and push their luck.”

Lu Yalan shook her head. “Maybe because I had no parents as a child, I crave kindness from others. When Qian Mama was good to me, I remembered it and granted every request. I thought if I was good to others, they’d be good to me. With that mindset, I rarely refused anyone, and was embarrassed to trouble people. Over time, I forgot I was a person with thoughts of my own.”

She sipped her tea and continued, speaking to Hongxing and perhaps to herself, “I wanted to marry Zhaoding Sheng not just because he was my fiancé, but because I desperately wanted to escape this house. So when he broke the engagement, I was hopeless. But after this illness, I realized if I keep living this way, no matter where I go, I’ll be miserable all my life. With Qian Mama and Second Madam pressing me at every turn, I don’t want to endure anymore, but I don’t know how to fight back. That’s why I was so emotional.”