Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Xiu Luan is so happy!

She and Liu Ye'er led Fu Hui running all over the garden, the nanny unable to catch them, only following from a distance—what could possibly happen! The garden was mostly filled with women and young girls, with a few little boys occasionally. They were ostensibly there to work, but most were actually there to freeload—the Liu family provided excellent food for day laborers, so some of the more shrewd ones brought their children. The old lady of the Liu family didn't complain about the children not doing much work; instead, she ordered a box of snacks to be brought out and distributed to the children. The whole mulberry garden was filled with the children's laughter. The young girls looked at them with envy, and Xiu Luan's vanity was greatly satisfied! When she came, her grandmother forbade her to wear expensive jewelry or clothes, and she even pouted! Now it seemed her grandmother was so wise. The older girls were proud to chat with them, while the younger ones simply cried and fussed. Helpless, the three of them had given away all their silk flowers, velvet flowers, beaded necklaces, handkerchiefs, and so on. If they had worn anything valuable, they would have been heartbroken! When they stood nervously before the old lady, the old lady of the Liu family looked at the three disheveled girls with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Xiu Luan, deeply understanding, said, "Grandmother, luckily we wore cheap clothes, otherwise we would have lost a lot of money!" The old lady of the Liu family snorted a few times, picked out two sandalwood hairpins from her box and handed them over, ordering them to go and wash up.

For lunch, we had mung bean soup, braised noodles in a large iron pot, and fried dough sticks, along with freshly picked tender garlic. The braised noodles had a lot of meat in them, and they were shiny and oily, even more tempting than the fried dough sticks. For the first time ever, Xiu Luan ate a whole bowl of it and was so full that she kept burping.

Fu Hui had run around all morning and slept soundly. Madam Du instructed the wet nurse to watch over her while she and some others accompanied the two young ladies to watch the dragon boat races. The Dragon Boat Festival was a major event; every village with a bit of resources wanted to participate and show off! Although Liulin Village wasn't as wealthy as Shiqiao Town, it consistently outperformed Shiqiao Town in the dragon boat races, always managing to win some prizes. These past few days were their practice time. The riverbanks were packed with people, and in the river, a brightly painted dragon boat raced. Over thirty strong young men were rowing with all their might, chanting slogans, accompanied by the sounds of gongs, drums, and cheers—a truly lively scene!

Xiu Luan was slightly surprised when she saw Liu Ye put her index finger and thumb into her mouth and then let out a loud whistle. She looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. The enthusiastic audience was busy cheering and shouting, or throwing food wrapped in handkerchiefs down, and they also jumped for joy, completely letting loose!

Even after they got home, Xiu Luan's ears were still ringing. Old Mrs. Liu pursed her lips but didn't say anything to spoil the mood. Xiu Luan clung to the old lady's neck, whining and begging her to watch the dragon boat races on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, while Fu Hui also took the opportunity to climb up. Although the old lady outwardly refused, she was secretly pleased: this granddaughter was finally showing some manners! Feng Xian's ladylike demeanor was innate, unlike Xiu Luan who was always so aloof, yet ended up looking like a dog trying to imitate a tiger! The last time Xiu Luan had acted so affectionately was probably seven or eight years ago! This was how a young girl should behave!

"Okay! Alright, alright, alright! My little darling! Quickly shake Grandma to sleep! Grandma's got this sorted out! Go wash up and go to bed, you've been running around all day, aren't you tired?"

Xiu Luan and Liu Liuye slept in the same bed. Too excited to sleep, the two whispered among themselves for half the night.

Early in the morning, the sun shone brightly into the tent. The two were fast asleep when the old lady forbade anyone to wake them. She ate breakfast alone and went out.

The dried mulberries are ready to be dried this year! The old lady nodded in satisfaction. The dried mulberries that were dried a couple of days ago can be packed up now. Don't underestimate them; they'll be enough to cover the New Year's expenses! They'll probably be finished picking today; just a couple more days of drying will do! After the dried mulberries are sorted, it'll be time to harvest the wheat! And the scallions should be planted too. The old lady wandered around, looking around. The person in charge was very diligent. A patch of damp, sandy land by the river was prone to lodging if planted with anything else, so they planted scallions. The calculations showed it was worth five acres of wheat, so this year they planted fifty acres—no more, or it wouldn't be worth anything!

The foreman rushed over, attentively supporting the old lady's arm, his words a mix of complaint and concern, his voice sweet and gentle, "Grandma, I got up early but still couldn't catch up with you. The scallions are all planted! We can't plant any more, anything in excess becomes worthless! We've found the harvesters, would you like to take a look? There's something else I need to tell you!" As he spoke, he helped the old lady turn north, pointing and saying, "This area is for sale, priced at seven taels per mu, all good land, 372 mu. Further west, it's only three taels and fifty cents per mu, over 1500 mu. The Yuan family doesn't want to sell it piecemeal. They came to me last night and wanted to ask for your opinion, Grandma!" The old lady of the Liu family remained silent.

The manager couldn't help but say, "Grandma, this land isn't actually that expensive!"

The old lady chuckled and asked, "What benefits did the Yuan family promise you?"

The steward's face flushed red, and he stammered, "Young Master Yuan promised me fifty taels of silver and asked me to facilitate the deal. I thought that our family could afford it, so I agreed to ask for him. These lands are no good in the hands of that spendthrift son. Rather than letting them fall into the hands of others, it would be better for our family to take them over. It would be a valuable asset!" As he spoke, he carefully observed the old lady's expression.

The old lady of the Liu family smiled faintly, "Changshun, your eldest daughter is over ten years old, is she betrothed yet?" The steward's face turned pale, his legs trembled so much he almost knelt down, and he struggled to say, "Maybe I should ask him again. Selling in small quantities and selling in bulk can't be the same price!" It's no wonder the steward felt guilty; his eldest daughter was indeed betrothed to the Yuan family, though not the young master Yuan who sold the land—even if they were down on their luck, they wouldn't marry someone like him—but a legitimate relative, and their relationship had always been close. In fact, the steward had been manipulating things: the 300-plus mu of land at seven taels was fine, even considered cheap, but the 1,500-plus mu of land at three and a half taels were all over the place, some worthwhile, some not, with more not worthwhile than worthwhile! The old lady, who had properly managed household affairs, was not willing to suffer such a loss! However, his expression remained impassive. "Changshun, what is our daughter doing at home? Let her come and play with Xiuluan. She can also listen to the second young mistress talk about the latest trends in the city. She knows these things best. A magnificent dowry is a matter of honor for our Liu family! Let me know when our daughter gets married, and I'll add a dowry for her!"

Changshun could only nod and agree with a forced smile. The old lady's words sounded gentle, but her meaning was anything but. He understood that he had no choice but to honestly lower the price and not try to shirk his duties or cause trouble, otherwise he might not even be able to stay in his position as manager for long.

The old lady didn't say much, letting the scheming steward help her walk forward. It was the old woman following behind who reminded her that the sun was high in the sky and that the old lady should go back to cool off.

The old lady nodded.