Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Aunt Li was a simple and lovely person. Liu Lian stopped teasing her and chatted as they made dumplings. Aunt Li was quite talkative, gossiping about everyone, her language sometimes rough, but always lively. Fengxian, having washed his face, came to help. Aunt Li quickly changed the subject and started rolling out the dumplings with more effort.

Fengxian asked Liu Ye'er, "What dishes are left at home? Didn't Father say he wanted to have a few drinks?"

Li Ma hurriedly smiled and said, "There are cucumbers, dried tofu, and a scrambled egg, as well as a few peaches, which are being soaked in cold water. The young waiter went to buy a roast duck. Miss, is this alright? I was worried that the master might not have a good appetite, so all the dishes I prepared are vegetarian."

"Very well, don't add vinegar, the master is coughing," Fengxian instructed calmly. Li Ma dared not say more and repeatedly agreed.

Lunch was enjoyable; the father and daughter, rarely sitting together, chatted and joked, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere. They resolved their differences. There wasn't much to talk about, as they had each maintained their own social circles over the years. But it was much better than before, when his daughter viewed him as an enemy. What's done is done; there's no point in forcing things. A magnanimous person isn't born that way; often, it's something they have to cultivate.

Fengxian took the dietary therapy prescription written for her by Mr. Huo and went with her husband who came to pick her up to return to the city.

Life returned to normal, but the house felt much quieter with one person missing. It was as if the head of the household had been lost, and everyone in the courtyard became listless. No one pressured Liulian to do needlework anymore, and no one patiently assigned tasks. Sixth Sister started complaining after a few days in charge, and Liulian refused to take on any more responsibilities, especially since she wasn't officially in charge. Life continued in this muddled way.

Old Master Huo almost stopped seeing patients, spending his days supervising Xuewen as he organized the pulse records and prescriptions from previous years, with Liu Ye'er assisting him. Xuewen had no interest in this, but Liu Ye'er often managed to spot problems in the complex documents and would ask questions. Old Master Huo sighed inwardly: "It's a pity she's a girl, and not even one of my own. What a waste of such a promising talent." The old man would then explain things to her in simple terms, and Liu Ye'er's knowledge improved considerably—after all, a chef's medicinal cuisine prioritizes taste, while a doctor's prescriptions emphasize efficacy. Balancing the two, the opinion of an authority figure is crucial—after all, he was a doctor with decades of experience.

Old Man Huo didn't expect her to become a famous doctor. He just wanted her to be able to handle daily problems. He talked to her about prescriptions for replenishing qi and blood, preventing miscarriage, and postpartum care. He also emphasized some medicinal foods to prevent miscarriage. He even brewed some medicinal soup for her to taste. After giving her several instructions, Liu Lian was surprised but had no objections. These issues are indeed very important for women.

As the summer heat gradually subsided and the weather grew cooler day by day, Old Man Huo's cough became more and more frequent. His sixth sister tried to persuade him to stop, but he wouldn't listen and lost her temper. The old man sheepishly prescribed himself some medicine, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

These days, Widow Yang has been constantly grumbling and feeling unwell—ever since Liu Ye'er fell into the water, the third son's attitude has been ambiguous. The Huo family found an excuse to ask him to find another place to stay, but in reality, they were kicking him out. So, the third son officially moved into Widow Yang's house. He has been very diligent in seeking medical treatment and divination for her, and this day he invited a highly accomplished Taoist master, supposedly a disciple of Zhang Tianshi (a Taoist master of the 20th generation). Logically speaking, this has nothing to do with the Huo family, but this is just the Huo family's thinking, a wrong one.

When the esteemed Taoist, wearing a purple-yellow crown and a Bagua robe, with an exorcising sword on his back, a purple-gold gourd at his waist, and a silver whisk in his hand, stood before the door, repeatedly declaring that the courtyard was filled with demonic energy, everyone was stunned. They had no choice but to let the Taoist in to exorcise the demon. From the beginning, Liulian suspected that this was all aimed at her, and sure enough, the Taoist, convinced she was possessed, began to circle her, chanting incantations. Because she was mentally prepared, Liulian wasn't particularly afraid, staring intently at the esteemed Taoist. When the esteemed Taoist drew his sword and produced a yellow paper covered with talismans, Liulian almost burst out laughing—Liulian's grades in school were average, but she had a strong interest in chemistry, and she had personally performed this trick before; how could she not recognize such a simple prank? Suppressing a laugh, she shouted, "Wait! The sorcerer's sword has been defiled by some evil person. Who doesn't care about being unclean! Li Ma, fetch a bucket of water and help the sorcerer wash it clean." The water was quickly brought by the whole courtyard. But the sorcerer was unwilling to wash his precious sword—how could he perform magic tricks if he washed it?

"Master, this water is so clean, it'll make you healthier after washing! Is it possible that your precious sword can't get wet? Surely not?"

The Taoist priest was a little flustered. The girl's trick was too underhanded. He suspected that a fellow Taoist was sabotaging him. He quickly changed the subject and asked, "Is there a recent death in your family?" It was a completely pointless question. The door gods were covered with clean white paper. Of course, there was a recent death!

"Could it be a ghost? And why did it die so suddenly?" Everyone in the surrounding villages knows how many people Doctor Huo has cured, yet he can't cure his own family. His wife collapsed and died in less than ten days.

"It seems that people die suddenly and have many things they can't let go of! Although it's not an evil spirit, it's still the most exhausting! Young lady, have you been feeling drowsy and sleepy lately?" All nonsense. Spring drowsiness and autumn fatigue, after a hard summer, it's finally getting cooler, shouldn't you take a good nap? Liu Lian was too lazy to argue with the Taoist priest, so she nodded.

The Taoist priest, taking advantage of the situation, handed the talisman to Liu Ye'er, instructing her to wear it for forty-nine days to ensure her safety. He then asked for pen and ink to draw several more talismans, instructing them to hang them in the corner of the courtyard. He also told the Huo family to keep in touch with the old lady when burning paper money for her, so she wouldn't worry about her family, since they were now separated by death and could not return.

The old Taoist priest surveyed the courtyard, sprinkled some talismanic water around it, and, wielding his sword, chanted incantations before heading out to continue his search for the evil spirit hiding somewhere. At dusk, news arrived that the old priest had slain a weasel that had become a spirit—quite a feat, as it was over two feet long.

Old Man Huo sat at the stone table under the tree, his face ashen. Xuewen, standing beside him, was even more furious, muttering, "Outrageous! This is simply too much!" Aunt Jiang and Aunt Li were also indignant, while the servants and apprentices in the front yard were all cursing the wicked Widow Yang and the ungrateful third brother.

"Alright, enough arguing, let's eat first!" Old Man Huo was furious. He only drank a bowl of mung bean porridge and stared thoughtfully at the pomegranates on the tree. Widow Yang's move was extremely vicious, but unfortunately, like last time, she couldn't find any evidence against her. If it weren't for Liu Ye'er's quick thinking, this mess would have been pinned on the Huo family! Evil spirits—that's no joke!

Widow Yang was even more furious than the Huo family. Three hundred strings of cash for killing a weasel—it was a huge loss no matter how you looked at it. She insisted the Taoist priest hadn't done a good job and refused to pay the remaining two hundred strings. The Taoist priest was even angrier than her, demanding to know why she had chosen a fellow Taoist priest instead of him, giving the Huo family a heads-up. "My reputation was almost ruined by you!"