Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner. Osmanthus hasn't come again, and Willow Leaf has been strictly forbidden from visiting her; lingering there is becoming rather dull.

The family received a huge quantity of mooncakes, and Xuewen and Sixth Sister delivered them everywhere by carriage. They couldn't deliver them all, showing that Old Man Huo was still quite beloved! Liu Ye was ordered to deliver four to Aunt Liu—each about a foot in size. Aunt Liu was overjoyed to see Liu Ye and, without further ado, invited them to stay for dinner—Aunt Jiang accompanied them.

Soon, Aunt Jiang realized something was amiss and nudged Aunt Liu, gesturing towards her stomach, "You old lecher, don't tell me..."

"Don't talk nonsense, the child is here..." she said, laughing incessantly.

"Sister Liu, it's been tough for you. You've finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. You're destined for good fortune! It's clear that Heaven has eyes!"

“Who says otherwise!” Aunt Liu said, her face beaming with happiness.

Upon closer inspection, Liu Ma's expression had lost its former wariness and become gentle, her complexion rosy, making her look much younger! Because she couldn't stand the smell of cooking oil, Liu Ma's family now employed a cook, but her skills were mediocre, Liu Ma silently criticized.

Although they lived in the same town, they each had their own things to do and had no chance to chat. Liu Lian watched the two talking happily and learned for the first time that Jiang Ma had a very useless husband. She had always thought that Jiang Ma was also a widow because she never mentioned her husband, not even a word, and never asked to go home.

Jiang Ma originally had two boys and a girl. Her husband gave the girl away to another man to be a child bride, and her two boys were taken to the river to bathe, where they both died. Jiang Ma was furious. When she failed to commit suicide, she tried to kill her husband. She caused a ruckus for several days, preferring to work as a maid rather than stay at home. Her condition was that she had to give her husband two strings of cash every month, and that she would never see him again until her death, with the money being delivered by someone else.

Aunt Jiang never cried. She seemed so clever and capable, yet her heart was so wretched. On the way home, Aunt Jiang held Liu Ye'er's hand silently. After a long while, Aunt Jiang asked Liu Ye'er, "Do you know why I've been able to stay in the Huo family for so long?" Not expecting Liu Ye'er to guess, she replied, "Because they never try to persuade me to forgive that beast!"

He lingered and nodded.

Widow Yang stared fiercely at Liu Ye'er's retreating figure. No one understood the source of her inexplicable hatred, not even she herself could explain it. Widow Yang's tea stall went completely out of business, and her hatred for Liu Ye'er grew even stronger! The third brother wanted to take her away—thanks to her, his business had become extremely poor. "A tree dies if transplanted, but a person thrives," as the saying goes; with a horse and a cart, where couldn't they find a place to eat? But Widow Yang refused, absolutely refused. The third brother was in a dilemma. Finally, he abandoned her and left. The third brother was kind; he left her almost all his money, though it wasn't much.

Hating Liu Ye'er became almost the only motivation for Widow Yang to live, but Shiqiao Town could no longer accommodate her. She sold her house and left for the city.

After Widow Yang left, the townspeople breathed a sigh of relief. The Huo family's tense nerves also relaxed a little, and Liu Ye'er would occasionally accompany Aunt Jiang and the two children out to play. The Huo family was well-liked, and so was the Liu family; many people struck up conversations and exchanged pleasantries along the way. Gradually, they began to realize that life in ancient times could be quite enjoyable.

August 16th is the day when married daughters return to their parents' home. Although Fengxian's position was awkward, she still came with her husband. At lunchtime, two tables were set up, and Old Man Huo was all smiles. Perhaps he ate too much, or perhaps he caught a chill, because the next day Old Man Huo suffered from vomiting and diarrhea and fell ill.

After drinking a few doses of herbal medicine, Old Man Huo recovered and stopped seeing patients in his clinic. The shop only sold medicine. The old man prescribed medicine for Xuewen, combining dozens of kinds of prepared medicines, which were then sold together. Business became much quieter, and Xuewen stayed at home peacefully, no longer going out to sell medicinal herbs.

The pears were already in season, so Liu Lian used a silver pot to stew soup, making various kinds: snow pear with white fungus, snow fungus with rock sugar, lily bulbs and lotus seeds, snow pear with fritillaria cirrhosa, yam and lily bulbs. As for ingredients like sand ginseng, Solomon's seal, ophiopogon japonicus, and dried tangerine peel, they had plenty at home, so she used them freely. Today, Liu Lian made lotus root and pork rib stew, adding a few goji berries. The old man drank two bowls, feeling completely refreshed. Wiping his sweat, he praised Liu Ye'er, "Little Seven, do you think your godfather has developed a craving? Why do you feel better after eating something delicious, but can't stand not eating?" Little Tiger chimed in, "Grandpa, I'm a craving too! I need to eat more to get better." The eldest son, just learning to speak, a cute little dumpling, also drank a few sips of soup, quite approving, stammering, "I...I..." without getting a coherent answer. Old Man Huo couldn't help but smile, and Xue Wen and his wife were overjoyed.

Several days passed in a flash. Fengxian came to pick up Liu Ye'er to go to the city for fun. On August 25th, there was a fair in the city that lasted for four days and was very lively. She casually replied and invited Old Man Huo to come to the city for a stroll.

"Is this appropriate? You have your parents-in-law and grandmother above you, won't it be too much trouble?"

"It's no trouble at all. You've been working so hard all this time. Haven't you had a good rest for a few days?"

"Okay! I'll go to the city for a few days too!"

Liu Lian felt strange. Old Man Huo often played with Xiao Hu or Chang Ge'er when he had nothing to do, but this time he resolutely refused to take them with him to the city, saying, "It will be so crowded when we go shopping. I'm not used to taking care of children. What if they get lost?" The carriage drove away amidst the children's loud cries.

The Liu family treated him with great hospitality. Master Liu often accompanied him on outings, to sample local delicacies, and to meet friends. On the 25th, Madam Xu, Fengxian, Liangjie, Xiuluan, Liulian, and all the maids, servants, and servants of the household went out in full force, leaving only Master Liu and his mother at home to guard the gate. Old Man Huo, finding the crowd too crowded, refused to go. The three of them sat on the old lady's kang (heated brick bed) drinking tea and chatting.

The festival on the fifteenth of the lunar month was even more lively than the fifteenth. People in the countryside, having almost finished their work in the fields, all squeezed in to join the fun. Storytellers, street performers, entertainers—all were waiting for these few days! The entire county town became a sea of ​​joy, with red flags waving, drums beating, and crowds thronging the streets, a testament to the fact that humans are social animals with a great interest in gatherings and socializing. The group was quickly separated. Liulian, disliking the jostling, headed towards a quieter spot. But there was no truly quiet spot; it was just less crowded. The truly quiet spots were all houses, most of them locked up and already crowding in. What was he going to do there? Count the roof tiles?