Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Chapter 21

A cold sweat broke out on Xu's forehead. Her two daughters-in-law were troublesome enough; not to mention how many times Huo had secretly wronged her, repeatedly leaving her speechless. If this little vixen were to join the fray, would she have any chance of survival? She had to find a way to get rid of her! Therefore, by ignoring the Huo family, she was making her stance clear: first, she disliked Fengxian; second, she didn't welcome Liu Ye'er. It must be said that Xu's intuition was quite sharp, but her actions were undeniably short-sighted.

The old lady of the Liu family prepared a silver-threaded silk ruler and fifty catties of rock sugar as return gifts. She gave Xiao Hu'er a bamboo snake that could flick its tongue and a small peach wood sword for warding off evil spirits. Xiao Hu'er was overjoyed, holding the bamboo snake by the tail and scaring everyone he saw. Everyone pretended to be frightened and ran away. Xiao Hu'er was extremely proud of himself. As for Aunt Jiang and the third son, they were more generous, each giving a small two-ounce ingot as a reward. There was nothing they could do; their daughter-in-law had mistreated her, so they could only swallow their pride and clean up her mess. Thinking back to when their son was infatuated with her and insisted on bringing her into the family, he seemed quite clever back then. But he's gotten worse with age, even arguing with the old woman sent by their in-laws to deliver gifts, refusing to even keep her for a meal. It was truly speechless!

After seeing Xiao Hu'er off, Fengxian served tea and water to the old lady. The old lady of the Liu family said kindly, "Go back and rest. Liang'er will take care of these little things! Even though it's only the beginning of your postpartum period, you still need to be careful. It would be terrible if you developed any health problems. Are you taking your medicine today?"

“Look what Grandmother is saying, how can I be so delicate? I’m not taking my medicine today. My sister-in-law still has to take care of Fu Hui. I’m all better now, and it’s so boring to just lie here. Coming to Grandmother’s place can help me relax!”

"Go and rest, I'm tired too, I need to lie down for a while. Where's Seventh Miss? I couldn't see her, did Liang'er drag her away again?"

"My sister-in-law said that she asked my younger sister to make a few knotted threads for Hui-jie to use as a bellyband, so she went over there."

"This Liang-jie!" Old Mrs. Liu shook her head. "You may leave now!"

Fengxian withdrew and hurried forward. The sun was setting, casting a cool shade over the tall buildings, and a gentle breeze rustled the willow branches lining the path. Fengxian's heart was more joyful than the willow branches in the wind, and her maidservant, unable to keep up with her pace, fell behind.

The courtyard was quiet. Fengxian dismissed her maid and went to lift the curtain to the main room. She removed her hairpins, tidied her hair, took off her shoes, and lay sprawled on the bed. The faint scent of her husband lingered on her pillow; it was his fragrance, and she loved using it. She hadn't brought any dowry, and her family had always been at odds with her. Her husband was her pillar of support, her everything. The couple were deeply in love. Her husband hadn't yet passed the imperial examination—he wasn't cut out for it. The young master Lin, betrothed to Xiuluan since childhood, had passed last year at only fourteen—studying required talent.

Grandmother reassured her that although she would be sharing household management with Madam Du from now on—which was unavoidable given there were three brothers—it was still better than living under her mother-in-law's thumb! Her mother-in-law had only been in charge for half a month, and the staff had already changed several times. If it weren't for the embarrassing incident with the new cook, she probably wouldn't have stopped! Madam Du was simple-minded; her immediate priorities were having a son and dealing with Hongxing'er. She probably wouldn't have the time or inclination to manage household affairs for the time being. She needed to be in charge herself, so that her years of diligent management wouldn't have been in vain. At least the old lady still had some compassion!

Liu Ye'er relayed all the words she had spoken to the old lady and her father's instructions to her. It's hard on this child. She's about the same age as the third son, but she has no connections whatsoever. The little money she has is more than enough to marry a shop assistant, but it would be difficult for her to marry into the Liu family. And to make matters worse, she has big feet. It's a pity, otherwise she would be a good helper!

He turned over, his mind still on Liu Ye'er.

Rather than inviting Liu Ye'er to make knots, Madam Du was more interested in inviting her for afternoon tea; more importantly, she was trying to get closer to her. Her own grandmother was very fond of this girl and probably considered a marriage alliance. Indeed, her third son was only three years older than her, a suitable age, and a marriage between close relatives would make things easier. Madam Du strongly approved of this idea: Liu Ye'er, like her sister-in-law, wouldn't have a large dowry—she would always be inferior to her among the sisters-in-law—and with a little manipulation, she could win her favor, ensuring harmony among the sisters-in-law in the family. She didn't want her third son to marry a woman from a wealthy or powerful family, as that would overshadow her.

Tea, snacks, and refreshments were laid out on the table, and everyone chatted and laughed. Du didn't even take out any silk thread, so there was no talk of making knots. Du was more lively than Fengxian, and she was full of strange and wonderful stories from the streets. There were no secrets in the inner quarters that she had no one to share with—Fengxian was too serious to talk to, and besides, Du knew more about some things than she did—so she finally had someone to listen to.

Liu Lian was an excellent listener, a master of deception, his eyes brimming with a thirst for knowledge. He delighted Du so much that he didn't even bother to drink his tea, and just kept talking non-stop. It was so enjoyable!

Liu Lian wasn't really interested in these things, but she desperately needed to communicate. In the Huo family, even casual conversation was very proper; Aunt Liu was a respectable woman at heart and wouldn't gossip about her wife. Only Qian Xuewen sometimes chatted with her, but he was her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, so she couldn't say much, much less anything inappropriate. As a result, she mostly talked to those few mischievous children. Du Shi was talkative, and Liu Lian was eager to understand the world; the two hit it off immediately, talking enthusiastically and thoroughly!

Before they knew it, the sun had set. Fengxian sent someone to call them for dinner, and the two women were surprised to find it was already dusk. The old lady of the Liu family chuckled and asked how the knotting was going. Du chuckled dryly and said, "My sister thinks there aren't enough colors, and the finished product isn't bright enough, so we haven't finished it. I'll get some better colors tomorrow and ask my sister for help again!" The old lady was too lazy to say anything more and let Du help her to the table. Having lingered all afternoon without stopping eating, she had no appetite. She hastily drank a bowl of soup and put it down. The old lady earnestly urged her to eat more, but Fengxian interjected, "Grandmother, are you worried that your second sister-in-law isn't hungry? If she can't eat, she's definitely not hungry!" This amused the old lady.

After lunch, Fengxian told Liu Ye'er to go for a walk, "I don't know if you've kept quiet all afternoon, go get some exercise, don't let it get stagnant!" Liu Ye'er quickly slipped out. The breeze was whistling, it was really pleasant.