Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

As soon as they arrived home, Liu Ye'er and Madam Du helped the old lady walk to the back. As soon as they sat down, a personal maid brought over some plum juice and reported, "Reporting to the old lady, the Huo family has sent some rice dumplings and fish. They are in the eldest young mistress's room!"

The old lady turned to Liulian and said, "Seventh Miss, I've come to pick you up! Don't go, stay a few more days, I'll take you to see a play tomorrow!" She then instructed the maid to invite the eldest young mistress over for dinner. Liulian found it amusing; what incredible luck Liu Ye had.

Fengxian led Xiaohu'er in by the hand. As soon as Xiaohu'er saw Liuye'er, he cheered and rushed over. Liuye'er was a little touched and said, "Auntie, it's so boring without you at home. Changge'er cries every day. Come back with me today! You don't know, Guihua'er looks for you every day. She's so worried when she can't find you. She cries as soon as she goes out..."

The old lady of the Liu family ordered someone to bring a stool for Jiang Ma. They chatted idly for a few minutes, then she instructed Fengxian to take Liu Ye'er and Xiao Hu'er to see the newly blooming white pomegranate flowers. Then she said seriously to Jiang Ma, "Fengxian has benefited greatly from Liu Ye'er's stay these past few days. Look at her complexion; she doesn't look like she just had a miscarriage. With her there to comfort her, Fengxian is even willing to eat. This child is so considerate; she even had soup and broth prepared for Fengxian, and she's better than an adult! No wonder your wife is reluctant to let her go! Tell your wife to at least wait until Fengxian is out of her postpartum period before leaving. It's been so many years since I've seen Fengxian so happy!"

Jiang Ma hurriedly stood up and bowed, smiling, "Since she has caught the old lady's eye and the sisters get along so well, it is her good fortune. However, my mistress has always pampered the seventh young lady, and there may be some shortcomings in her manners. I hope you will forgive her and teach her if she does anything wrong."

"It's fine. Girls can be pampered if they want, but they can't be spoiled all the time. I've raised daughters before, so I know how serious it is. Your seventh young lady isn't that reckless, and she won't make a single wrong step. She only worries about your eldest young lady's medicine and diet on weekdays, and in her spare time she listens to this old woman tell stories. She even stays with me at night. She's so adorable!"

After a few more words, the old woman came in to report that the food was ready. The old lady then invited Jiang Ma to dine with her, but Jiang Ma firmly declined. The old lady did not force her, so she ordered a table of food for guests and instructed her personal old woman to accompany Jiang Ma to dine in the west wing.

With Xiaohu'er around, the meal was quite lively. After finishing the meal and washing his hands, Xiaohu'er picked a willow leaf to look at the fish. The old lady said to Fengxian, "I'm letting your sister stay a few more days to keep you company. Don't let her down; she's very devoted to you. You also need to recover quickly. Look at the state your mother-in-law has in the household! We came back at noon, and the people from your in-laws who sent gifts hadn't even eaten yet. It's simply outrageous! Once you're out of confinement, you should take over the management again. Let Liang'er assist you and give her some experience."

Fengxian lowered her head and gave a soft "hmm". The Liu family was not a wealthy or powerful family, and their rules were not particularly strict. Serving the elders a meal simply involved setting out the bowls and chopsticks, helping the old lady to sit down, and then having her eat together when she spoke. After that, they would help her wash her hands and rinse her mouth, help her to the kang (a heated brick bed), offer her tea, chat for a few minutes about whether the food was salty or bland, and then the old lady would send them away. However, Xu Shi absolutely refused to serve her mother-in-law and often made excuses not to come. Now that she had the job of managing the household, she simply used the excuse of having too much to do to avoid it and stopped making excuses.

Fengxian sometimes felt sorry for her mother-in-law, who only knew how to use underhanded methods. Today, the old lady took Du Shi and Liu Ye'er out, clearly to appease Rui Cai's wife. Her own sister was just taken out for fun, so how could she interpret it as her completely losing the old lady's favor? She even called her over and gave her a good scolding! The old lady kept her around every day, wasn't that to guard against her doing something underhanded? She changed the usual cook, but because Liu Ye'er complained a few times that the pastries weren't made well enough and the shrimp were overcooked, the new cook was replaced. Then another cook was brought in, and another was replaced, until the old cook was returned. Even so, Fengxian couldn't understand the old lady's intentions! Although Jiang Ma was a servant and Xiao Hu'er was just a child, they represented the Huo family. To treat the Huo family members so poorly, she really didn't know what her mother-in-law was thinking!

Madam Xu was furious. Her eldest daughter-in-law had miscarried and should have been bedridden for months, but who knew what method that little brat from the Huo family had used to make her recover in just a few days? The old lady kept her in the main room every day, using the small kitchen there for soups, tonics, and medicine. The little girl was watching her closely; there was no chance for her to do anything. She feared that after the confinement period, the old hag would make her manage the household. No way! The master was coming back soon, and this time she was determined to hold onto the household management position! How could such a thing be allowed? Using a granddaughter-in-law instead of a daughter-in-law? What family did that? Even if my marriage into the Liu family wasn't entirely aboveboard, Rui Cai was still a member of the Liu family, wasn't she? Remembering her husband's once-ardent gaze, Madam Xu felt a pang of sadness. Now, her husband was indifferent to her, but obedient to her mother. His two wives, one from a wealthy family and the other from a rich one, neither of them respected her. Was she destined to be a thief for life?

My wife has been being way too nice to that brat lately. Is she up to something?

No, absolutely not!