Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Mrs. Huo and Old Mrs. Liu chatted very enthusiastically. It turned out that their families lived on the same street and had many mutual acquaintances. The old lady was a talkative person, and although Mrs. Huo lived in town and was a bit out of touch with the outside world, she knew all sorts of strange and interesting stories from all walks of life in the clinic. Their conversation became more and more interesting as they talked. Mrs. Liu had a headache, but she still forced a smile and kept them company. As soon as she saw that they had returned, she grabbed this lifeline and ordered that dinner be served!

The meal was naturally very lavish. Mrs. Liu ostentatiously served Liulian dishes, patiently introducing them to her. However, Liulian, having been an excellent cook in her previous life, was hardly interested in such dishes as braised pork knuckle, braised pork belly, seaweed, and daylily buds. She only ate a few bites of the crispy crucian carp, showing little interest in the rest. Mrs. Huo, seeing that Liu Ye'er wasn't eating voraciously as if she hadn't eaten anything before, was pleased with the child's earnestness and smiled broadly. The old Mrs. Liu, being quite shrewd, could easily tell that her guest was only being polite and not actually eating. She smiled apologetically and said, "Perhaps it's too hot for you to eat such greasy food? How about we ask the kitchen to prepare a few lighter dishes?"

Mrs. Huo hurriedly said, "Grandma, please don't bother. The food is excellent, but this child has a weak stomach, so we don't allow her to eat too much meat. We only let her eat a limited number of slices of meat each time, to prevent her from getting indigestion!"

The old lady sighed, lamenting how difficult it is to raise children.

Mrs. Huo wholeheartedly agreed, and Mrs. Liu chimed in, "The eldest young mistress is always so careful, yet she still couldn't keep her! Alas, she's worked too hard!"

Liu Lian thought to herself, "Have you no shame? The whole family is idle, yet you're making a pregnant woman worry about everything." Her tone became a little unfriendly, "Being pregnant doesn't mean you have to be calm. What's so important that a pregnant woman has to work so hard?" Mrs. Liu then grabbed Liu Lian's hand and patted it, saying, "Who says otherwise? But your eldest sister is so strong-willed and won't listen to advice. She's busy both at home and outside..." The old lady interrupted her daughter-in-law, "Go see if the tea is ready. Tell the tea stove to make a bowl of plum juice for Miss Qi, with plenty of rock sugar!" For some reason, Liu Lian felt that something was amiss. Seeing that Mrs. Huo was just drinking her tea with her head down, she decided to shut up. After thinking it over carefully, she realized that it was right for the pregnant woman to rest more. A woman who had miscarried should rest even more. If she didn't recover well, she might develop habitual miscarriages or infertility, which would be a huge problem!

As Liu Lian was pondering, a maidservant hurriedly entered, bowed, and reported, "Young Madam has a dress that is a bit too tight. She would like to ask Seventh Miss to try it on to see if she can wear it. She hopes that Seventh Miss will not find it offensive."

Liu Lian, filled with suspicion, followed the maid. To her surprise, the eldest sister burst into a tirade as soon as they entered: "Liu Yezi, what have I ever done to offend you? How could you be so heartless as to try and frame me?..." Her voice choked with sobs before she could finish. Liu Lian was stunned, wondering what was going on. The matron beside her sister said sternly, "Seventh Miss, you're still young, there are some things you don't understand. Your eldest sister has had a hard time in the Liu family; if we let her go of her management power, she'll be devoured. You only know she needs to rest after her confinement, but how dare your eldest sister rest? You're family; you can't answer Madam's words like that!" The eldest sister, struck at a sore spot, was overcome with grief. She buried her face in her pillow, her shoulders heaving violently, yet she dared not even cry out loud. Liu Lian felt a pang of sadness and kindly advised, "Sister, your health is the most important thing. It's the right thing to take care of yourself first and then have another child. How can you live without children? What will you do if your husband takes a concubine? There's plenty of time to manage the household later."

"Silly child, we should think about the present when the fire is burning. Your wife has been married for over ten years and has never been able to get control of the household. How can she give up this opportunity?"

"Mom, I understand. Eldest sister, even though I'm young, I know this is a big deal, and I wouldn't dare ruin your plans. Luckily, I'm just a child, and my words don't carry weight. Take good care of yourself, and make sure you take the medicine your godfather prescribed!" The eldest sister calmed down a bit, then sat up straight and instructed Liu Lian, "Seventh Miss, don't talk nonsense about resting. Go with Mama Feng and pick out a piece of fabric you like, and tell her that the dress doesn't fit."

Liu Lian never expected that a casual remark could cause such trouble, and she wished she could sew her mouth shut. As they left the city, seeing Liu Lian still lost in thought, Mrs. Huo said apologetically, "This is my fault. I forgot to tell you, and you got scolded by your older sister for nothing. That old hag, she'll spit maggots at any opportunity!"

Reluctant to discuss the matter further, she said lightly, "I never imagined that my eldest sister's life was so difficult! No wonder the other sisters all married into ordinary, well-off families."

Mrs. Huo was surprised that her daughter had such insight at such a young age, so she put her arm around Liu Ye'er's shoulder and let her rest her head on Mrs. Huo's shoulder, saying softly, "Godmother, why are you so good to me?"

“Willow Leaf, I’ve never had a son in my life. Although your godfather never said anything, I’ve heard so much gossip! Those who are worse off than me are jealous of me, talking about having a son. Those who are better off than me are jealous of my happy marriage, claiming it’s for my own good, and advising me to take a concubine for your godfather so I can have a son. No one has ever thought that having five daughters is any merit. Only your father said he admired me for raising my daughters well and asked me to raise you for him. Your father has been kind to me. Before he died, he entrusted you to me, and I promised him I would raise you like my own daughter.”

Mrs. Huo's eyes were glistening with tears. She had never been mistreated by her husband in her entire life, but the gossip outside was enough to make her suffer!

"When I gave birth to your fourth sister, and it turned out to be another girl, I was almost furious. I threatened to kill myself and made a scene. Your godfather would try to coax me and cheer me up in every way possible. I was still angry, so I took it out on your sisters. Your godfather would scold me. He only ever lost his temper with me once in his life. He said, 'What sins have your daughters committed that you have to make things difficult for them for the sake of outsiders? They're just upset that you're having a good time and want to make things difficult for you. But instead, you're making things fun for them!' Later, I came to terms with it and focused on raising your sisters well. That's just how people are. If you don't care about anything, others won't bother you either. Look at me now, your sisters are all married, and I have so much peace and quiet. Unlike those girls who have to fight with their daughters-in-law and don't have any inheritance to give to their sons!"

“Sometimes I think about how pitiful your eldest sister is. She's thirty and couldn't even keep her child. Luckily, your brother-in-law is on her side. Don't take it to heart when your eldest sister scolds you; she's suffered so much. That heartless uncle of hers, I don't know what benefits he took from her mother-in-law, actually tried to persuade your eldest sister to let your brother-in-law take a concubine. Your sister even threatened to kill herself to suppress this matter! Old Mrs. Liu asked me to go and persuade her, after all, we are her legitimate maternal family. I said she's on a vegetarian diet and can't go to the postpartum room. Let's wait until she's out of her confinement period! Let's just delay it one day at a time!”

Liu Lian felt his blood freeze. So that woman's fate was so tragic. No wonder she lost her composure in front of him.