Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

It's funny to linger in my mind!

The old lady of the Liu family invited her to stay in her room, saying that since her brother-in-law was there, it wasn't appropriate for her, as the younger sister-in-law, to stay there. She suggested that she spend more time with her sister during the day.

The eldest sister recovered quickly, partly because her family helped her relieve the pressure, and partly because her husband promised that he would rather adopt her than take a concubine!

After staying for a few days, Liu Lian gradually learned about the Liu family's situation: the current Mrs. Liu was the half-sister of the former wife. After her sister's death, she had an affair with her brother-in-law, became pregnant, and forced him into marriage before the former wife's one-year anniversary had passed. Both families became the laughingstock of the entire city. The Xu family was so angry that they almost sold her mother, while the Liu family matriarch completely despised this daughter-in-law and refused to hand over the management of the household to her. The eldest sister had taken charge of the household soon after entering the family, which completely angered her mother-in-law. Even with the matriarch's support, she suffered a lot of humiliation. Therefore, the matriarch deeply believed Liu Lian's vague talk about witchcraft. She advocated for her eldest grandson to take a concubine, hoping that her grandson could have his own child and not be adopted by his brothers. The eldest grandson knelt before her and asked, "Even if a concubine gets pregnant, will she definitely give birth? And if she gives birth, will she definitely be able to raise the child? Isn't Fengxian's repeated miscarriages a result of me? Let's adopt her!"

Liu Lian didn't offer any words of comfort to her eldest sister; after all, it would be too bizarre for a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl to advise a thirty-year-old woman! She simply sat beside her and listened to her vent. Perhaps because Liu Ye'er wasn't a member of the Huo family, her eldest sister wasn't as hostile towards her. From childhood to adulthood, her eldest sister had accumulated too many tears. Liu Lian had always thought her eldest sister had married up, but that wasn't the case. Her eldest sister grew up in the Wang family; her maternal grandfather was an instructor at the prefectural school, and her mother was married to the second son of a sixth-rank imperial physician. Most of her eldest sister's other cousins ​​married into official families, while merchants didn't hold a high position in the Liang Dynasty. The Liu family had prepared an extremely generous dowry to marry the Wang family's daughter; she was merely pushed forward by the Wang family's uncles to exchange for the dowry, and her own dowry was pitifully small! Fortunately, the Huo family's daughter had a much higher background than the Wang family's daughter, so the Liu family gladly accepted the marriage. Because of this incident, her eldest sister understood things somewhat, and although she still felt uneasy, she reluctantly began to associate with the Huo family, finally acknowledging Old Man Huo as her father. As for married life, the eldest sister broke down in tears several times, leaving Liu Lian deeply saddened.

The old lady of the Liu family was decisive and efficient. Without hesitation, she had her eldest grandson invite a Taoist priest to perform a ritual. Whether it worked or not, it was at least a psychological comfort, and the eldest sister's complexion visibly improved. The couple and the old lady all urged Liu Ye'er to stay. Lingering at the Huo family's house, she couldn't even leave the house. At least this place had a garden, and besides, merchants' families were less restrictive, so she could go out for a stroll from time to time. So she readily agreed to stay and sent someone back to inform them.

The old lady was naturally active. Besides taking the two sisters for walks in the garden, she often kept them around for gossip, preventing the eldest sister from lying on the kang (heated brick bed) all the time. Xiu Luan also kept them company. Poor girl, she was already disliked by her grandmother because of her mother, and Liu Lian and Feng Xian were both thirty years old. They could easily appease the old lady, no more trouble than cracking melon seeds, which only made her stubbornness stand out even more! With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, everyone was making festive items in the old lady's room—the old lady was now trying to keep Feng Xian by her side as much as possible, temporarily leaving the household management to her mother-in-law. The eldest sister was skillful; she made tigers about an inch long with whiskers and tails, and tiger heads the size of a fingertip, which were so cute that Liu Lian liked them. Although Liu Lian couldn't make these, she showed off her skills, tying a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) with silk thread, a little bigger than a soybean. The old lady was delighted and kept praising her, urging her to make more and string them together. The little girl beside her, Xiu Luan, seemed almost invisible. Furious, she bit her lip and went back to her room, throwing a tantrum and refusing to go back to her grandmother. Her mother was equally troubled: the old lady was constantly changing her mind, demanding all sorts of things—jade bean cakes, almond tofu, walnut cream—none of which were easy to make. And that little brat from the Huo family was even worse! Today she'd eaten a two-colored water chestnut cake at the east house, describing how it was made, and tomorrow she'd eaten a seven-colored frozen cake at the west house, describing how it tasted. The old lady would wave her hand and order, "Make it!" She'd have to supervise the cook for ages, and when it was served, the little brat would find fault with this and that, always saying the cook wasn't putting in the effort. But the old lady would taste it and nod in approval, immediately sending her mother to reprimand her. And that was just a snack; the main course was even worse. She'd never seen such a picky eater; no matter how hard she tried, she just wouldn't eat it. The cook, frustrated—and fueled by her mother's influence—demanded she make a sample. The young girl really set a good example. The cook only took one bite, didn't utter a single word, packed her things, and left, no amount of coaxing or persuasion could stop her. How much effort had she put into getting this cook on the job! The young girl kept apologizing, tears streaming down her face, but the old cook, with a dark face, said that such skill was embarrassing! There was nothing she could do but swallow her pride and try to comfort this little princess. She found another cook, but the young mistress said the oil wasn't cooked properly and demanded a replacement. Before anyone could find fault with her, the cook refused to work, no matter how high or low her job was. The young mistress was frantic, but then the cook reminded her to bring back the original cook. And just like that, the situation was completely resolved. Mrs. Liu was overwhelmed with worry. She'd only been in charge for half a month, and her hair was already falling out in clumps. She'd poured in over a dozen taels of her own savings without any reward. Now, watching her own daughter suffer, her heart was bleeding. She had no words to express her bitterness: the old lady calling her in was an honor, her sister-in-law's skillful pointers were a sign of affection, and as for that willow leaf, its claws were even clumsier than her own daughter's—how could it have the audacity to laugh at her? She knew her daughter was being mistreated, but she couldn't find a single fault, nothing she could bring to light. She was so angry she rolled her eyes!

In this day and age, it's easier for a mother-in-law to find fault with her daughter-in-law than to pick up a leaf from under a tree. She's in charge of the household, and apart from complaining about the food, the mother-in-law hasn't said anything else. Mrs. Liu wiped the sweat from her brow and patiently comforted her daughter. If she couldn't afford to offend her, she might as well stay at her maternal grandmother's house. Although her own mother hadn't been officially recognized as the wife, she didn't care about that empty title anymore. Now that her own son was in charge, the old lady doted on this granddaughter the most; even her own grandchildren had to take a backseat!

The next day, she smiled ingratiatingly and told her mother-in-law, "My mother isn't feeling well and misses Xiu Luan. Could you perhaps let Xiu Luan visit her uncle?" Old Mrs. Liu replied indifferently, "Go ahead." Mrs. Liu was seething with anger. Mrs. Liu's mother was a concubine, so the old lady would never send anyone to inquire after her, nor would she feign concern—not even a single word! Don't be angry, don't be angry, the leaves will eventually fall to the ground, you old hag, you'll eventually die of old age!