Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Mrs. Xu was furious!

She couldn't afford to offend the old lady. Putting aside everything else, being labeled unfilial could lead to divorce! That old hag had been trying to get rid of her for a long time; she'd been subservient day after day, but she still couldn't win her favor. The master would be back in a day or two, and if that wretched wife stirred things up now, things could get really...

The old lady of the Liu family, with her head held high, led Xiu Luan, Du Shi, and Liu Ye'er off to play. Before leaving, she coldly instructed them: Huo Shi is still in her postpartum period, so don't bother her unless necessary; the young maids can't get out of bed, so at least send two old women to look after them, lest they get a reputation for being harsh on the servants; Hong Xing'er is pregnant, so don't let her go hungry; tell someone to clean the bamboo trays used for drying things and wash the cold cloths...

Madam Xu agreed to everything. It was just dawn, and the wind was still cool. For some reason, large beads of sweat rolled down Madam Xu's forehead. The old lady only glanced at her coldly before being helped into the carriage. It was a hot day, so they traveled while it was cool. The old lady wasn't going to the countryside to pick mulberries, nor was she going to please Xiu Luan. She simply wanted to teach Xiu Luan how to manage household affairs—things Madam Xu had never worried about. The old lady believed that a girl would eventually marry, have children, and manage household affairs. She couldn't rely on servants for everything. Learning to manage the household while still at her parents' home was better than learning it at her husband's home. Even if she learned everything, she would still be subject to her mother-in-law's control.

Xiu Luan was very excited the whole way, constantly poking Liu Ye'er, and the two whispered to each other with their heads close together. Du Shi, along with Fu Hui and the wet nurse, sat in the back, and Fu Hui fell asleep as the carriage rocked. The wet nurse asked, puzzled, "Didn't the old lady always dislike Madam and her daughter?" Madam Du replied casually, "The girl is growing up. If she's not properly disciplined, she'll be a disgrace to her husband's family. You know, the Lin family's young master has already passed the imperial examination. If Grandmother doesn't intervene, how will she let Xiu Luan get married? The Lin family's young master is going to be an official, and being an official's wife is easy! Madam Lin is notoriously difficult to deal with, sigh..." Madam Du felt a pang of jealousy for her younger sister-in-law's good fortune; her own husband was already twenty and hadn't even passed the imperial examination. In Liang, it wasn't easy for merchants to marry into official families—that's why the Liu family didn't dare take a concubine even though Fengxian was thirty and still childless. Fengxian's husband was merely the head of the Imperial Medical Academy in the capital, while the Lin family's patriarch was a fourth-rank prefect, currently in mourning, and the patriarch was a sixth-rank river supervisor, in charge of repairing the old Shahe River embankment—a very lucrative project. Comparison is the thief of joy! The nanny whispered a word of advice: "Miss, since the old lady brought you out, she probably wants you to familiarize yourself with the household affairs. You need to pay attention; the eldest young mistress has been in charge of the household for so many years..."

"Alright, stop nagging," Madam Du interrupted the wet nurse. "I know what I'm doing." The wet nurse didn't dare say anything more, lowered her head, wiped the sweat from Fu Hui's forehead, and gently fanned her. Madam Du wasn't unaware of the wet nurse's words, but she had her own ideas: the family's income mainly came from the master's business, and the income from the mulberry orchard was only a tenth or a twelfth. Feng Xian couldn't do anything underhanded, but as the person in charge of the household affairs, she could always get a little something. Even if it was all for naught, the basket could still make a little money. Madam Du didn't care about such a small amount of money, and besides, Feng Xian was diligent and conscientious. Madam Du had no intention of competing with her, which was why the two sisters-in-law were close. The mulberry orchard was the foundation of their wealth; the old house and ancestral graves were all there. This property would most likely be divided among the eldest son's family in the future, so why should she meddle?

It was only a dozen or so miles, and they arrived in half an hour. The old house, though old, was spotlessly clean. The old lady looked around, nodding and sighing. After a quick bite, she led the group towards the mulberry orchard. The village was large, and people sitting idly in the street greeted each other, which the old lady responded to cheerfully. Du Shi greeted them with a beaming smile. Xiu Luan, unsure what to do, felt both embarrassed and nervous, clinging tightly to the old lady and pretending to be oblivious, following along without uttering a word. Finally, they left the village and reached a secluded spot. The old lady sighed, “Other families can earn thirteen or fourteen strings of cash from one mu of mulberry orchard, raising three batches of silkworms. Our family has over a hundred mu, and we only earn five or six hundred strings. Every day it’s either windy, dry, or plagued by insects—it’s unbelievable! Xiu Luan, what’s going on? What should we do?” Xiu Luan pouted, “It’s just that these wicked servants are bullying their master! Replace them all and teach them a lesson. My sister-in-law is too indecisive; that’s why she’s letting the servants control her!”

Before the old lady could speak, Madam Du spoke up for Fengxian, "Sister, other families' mulberry orchards aren't as good as ours! Our head farmhand, if you just said you didn't want him, someone would take him without even leaving the village! Sister-in-law has put so much effort into this orchard!" The old lady nodded in agreement; changing the head farmhand wouldn't make a difference! Nine times out of ten, like weasels giving birth to mice—each litter is worse than the last!

“These managers are all in cahoots! They believe that even egrets in the martial world don’t eat each other’s flesh, so they won’t undermine each other! Look at those managers, they’ve worked for several years and haven’t earned you much money, but they’ve bought houses and land for themselves, and their wives are dressed in gold and silver! Where do you think they get so much money?” Du Shi was more than ten years older and had suffered under the managers, so she was more knowledgeable than Xiu Luan.

"Yes, you also need to learn to manage things. In the future, you will have to manage your own dowry. You can't let the servants bully you. Take your seventh sister for example. She puts all her savings in the shop and earns fifteen strings of cash a year in interest, which is enough for her to travel expenses. If it were kept at the bottom of the trunk, how could she make such a steady income!"

The young girl, still only concerned with her appearance and how to adorn herself with silk flowers and face powder, had no idea how complex the world could be, and momentarily lost her way. Madam Du then said, "Sister Luan, it's your blessing that your grandmother is personally guiding you! You don't know how, when I was at my parents' home, I had no patience to listen to my mother's scolding. Later, when I was managing my dowry myself, I suffered several setbacks, and it was all thanks to your guidance, Grandmother!" Xiu Luan nodded thoughtfully, as if a door to a new world had opened for her, and she even lost her appetite for picking mulberries!