Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Xiu Luan also liked to hang out in her sister-in-law's courtyard, often eating there. Liu Ye'er's cooking was mostly light and refreshing, with a unique flavor, completely different from the heavy, oily dishes in the kitchen. Today, the two of them were making egg dumplings by the fire pit. Each had a spoon, which they rubbed with a piece of lard, then scooped in a large spoonful of egg mixture, swirling the spoon until it was covered. Then they added a small dollop of seasoned meat filling, and used a thin bamboo stick to fold one half of the egg skin over and press the edge down. That was one dumpling done. The work wasn't difficult at all; it just required patience and care. Liu Lian didn't dare to appear too quick, but Xiu Luan had no such reservations. After making a few, she became more skilled and even made them better than Liu Ye'er.

Fengxian leaned against the large cushion, watching the two little girls playfully doing their chores. "How did you come up with this? It's so tedious. I'd rather not eat than waste my energy on this!"

"Sister-in-law, we're the ones putting in the effort now! You're complaining about the pit being too big even though you're getting these dates for free, that's just unbelievable! Yezi, where did you learn that? Did you come up with this yourself?"

"If I had this ability, would I still be stuck here? I would have been cooking for the Emperor in the palace long ago! The Emperor would be so happy that he would reward me with a big silver ingot! And then he would give me another big silver ingot! How wonderful!" He almost drooled as he spoke. "Later, the Emperor thought it was too expensive, so he told me to pay it off. After paying it off for a while, the Emperor said, 'How about this, you choose a prince and I will bestow him upon you to settle the debt!'"

Xiu Luan and Feng Xian were amused and burst into laughter. Xiu Luan continued her teasing, "After you marry the prince, you'll be a daughter-in-law cooking for your father-in-law. You can't count on Da Yuanbao anymore. The emperor thought about it and decided not to let you suffer too much. How about this, the throne will simply be passed to your prince, and you can become an empress. How about that!" She couldn't hold back her laughter as she spoke!

Liu Lian said in a serious tone, "No way, no way! If I became empress, all those princes, princesses, civil and military officials would come to eat my cooking, wouldn't that kill me with exhaustion!" Feng Xian put his hands on his hips and lay on the pillow, groaning "Ouch, ouch," almost laughing himself to death, "No, no, I've got a stitch in my side!"

"Sister-in-law, you're going to be the Empress's older sister! Look how happy you are!" Xiu Luan said in a serious tone.

"I can't tease it anymore, it's really giving me a stomachache from laughing so hard. Yezi, how do we eat this? Should we steam it again?"

"My godfather said to stew it, and add some ham slices, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, Chinese cabbage, anything goes, with broth and all, it's very comforting to eat. Steaming it should be fine to eat it directly, right? Let's steam a plate and try it, it'll be warm and warming us up."

"Ye Zi, let's stew it! I'll ask the kitchen to make some fried pancakes, and you can make some stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. Sister-in-law, is that alright?"

Fengxian laughed and said, "Okay, I also want to eat it with soup. Xiaoqi, do you still have that pickled mustard greens with rock sugar? They're refreshing!"

"Yes, I'll make you some more another day. When Cui Cui comes back later, I'll ask her to bring it over."

"Ye Zi, you just can't talk to people like that! Everyone in town knows about your maid, she refuses to go to any house, she'd rather beg for food. The matchmaker has tried so many methods, but nothing works! She insists on having you. I heard from Aunt Zhao that you're clever, obedient, and skillful. If you don't have any other problems after a few more days, we'll give you the job!"

Liu Lian said sadly, "Perhaps we are just kindred spirits."

Xiu Luan was a little embarrassed; she hadn't expected to upset Liu Ye'er. Feng Xian interrupted, "Xiu Luan, the slave traders have been coming quite often these past few days. Are they going to get you some maids?"

"Hmm. Mother said she'd prepare four for me. Sister-in-law, she might also need to find someone to serve my brother," Xiu Luan dropped this bombshell. "I'm not sure either. I only heard it vaguely, not clearly. You should pay more attention." Xiu Luan was simple-minded after all and didn't approve of her mother forcing people into her brother's room, so the scales tipped in Feng Xian's favor.

"Mother only wanted your eldest brother to have children soon, but I have failed to live up to her good intentions," Fengxian said with a forced smile.

Xiu Luan knew her sister-in-law was unhappy, and she felt a little sad too, unsure of what to do. The air in the room seemed to freeze. After a while, Xiu Luan forced herself to say, "Sister-in-law, since you stopped managing things, the house has been in complete chaos. There are several arguments and quarrels every day, and I can't control those people at all. They're two-faced, always trying to make things difficult for you! These wicked servants! Sister-in-law, were they like this when you were in charge?"

"Pretty much! If you can't control them, they'll control you! Observe your second sister-in-law more. Outsiders see things more clearly. Know how the people below you are fooling you so you can be prepared. The Lin family doesn't have many people. They will rely on you to run the family in the future. Learn from them so you won't suffer losses!" Xiu Luan nodded. She knew Feng Xian was serious.

During the meal, both Fengxian and Xiuluan were in low spirits. Cuicui sat on a small stool to the side, eating with relish. After finally finishing the meal, Xiuluan left dejectedly. Fengxian's forced smile vanished, and he leaned listlessly against the large cushion.

Liu Lian sat by the kang table until the courtyard quieted down, then went out to look around again before returning to pat Fengxian on the shoulder. "Eldest sister, if your mother-in-law insists on giving you someone, just push them to the third son. Anyway, the third son doesn't have a maid yet! If that doesn't work, push them to your father-in-law! There's no need to stubbornly resist. If you resist, and someone kneels in the courtyard crying and begging you, and others take the opportunity to persuade them, they can force the person to stay. That would be a disaster in the long run."

Fengxian's biggest fear was that her mother-in-law would buy a maid without a word and force her into the household. She wouldn't be able to get rid of her or keep her, and if her husband lost control or fell for her schemes, then it would be a done deal. She wouldn't be able to do anything for the rest of her life, and all she would have left was resentment and anger! Yumei was a case in point. When the maid in front of her reached a certain age, she was married off to a young steward and left. So her mother-in-law brought in the daughter of a distant, poor relative from her own family. She didn't know what bad ideas the mother-in-law had given her, but the girl refused to do her work properly and had no manners. She was like a leech, sticking to Ruihong, which made Fengxian grit her teeth in hatred.

Having observed this for some time, I've noticed that the people of Fengxian are indeed clever, but they are also aloof and straightforward, lacking tact. Perhaps it stems from their pride and disdain for petty scheming. It would be good to be friends with someone like that. She was rather unlucky, encountering a shameless and eccentric mother-in-law who suffered many hidden losses. Fortunately, she and her husband worked together to barely manage to cope.

Fengxian opened his eyes and looked quietly at Liu Ye'er. "I thought you had some feelings for the third brother!"

"Tch, little brat, he's not my type at all!"

So, who's your type?

"Of course it's His Highness!" Liu Lian laughed.