Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

That morning, right after breakfast, Yu Mei came in triumphantly to report, "Madam wants you to go to the old lady's place!"

"what's up?"

"How should I know? You didn't tell me to ask!" Yu Mei retorted stubbornly.

Fengxian looked at her quietly for a while, then said, "There's not much charcoal left. Go and get two baskets. Can you manage by yourself? Ask Xiangmei to help you carry them."

"I can carry two buckets of water myself, and two baskets of charcoal only weigh a few pounds. Do you really need two people to carry them? Let's save our beautiful sister Xiangmei from exhaustion!"

"You must check carefully. Last time, a lot of charcoal was mixed in, and it was just smoking. We suffered a loss, and those shameless people will laugh at you behind your back for not knowing the value of goods!"

"Yeah. I know."

"Go."

After a moment's thought, Fengxian called Liu Ye'er to go to the back together. For some reason, Fengxian had an inexplicable trust in Liu Ye'er; she felt that with Liu Ye'er around, there was always something to be prepared for.

A young maidservant with no haircut stood under the eaves and hurriedly lifted the curtain to invite the two inside. In the east room, five or six young girls sat on small stools on the floor. On the kang (heated brick bed), Xiu Luan sat beside the old lady, while the mistress sat diagonally beside her. Opposite them was a commonly used matchmaker. Seeing Feng Xian arrive, the matchmaker quickly jumped down to greet him. The old lady told the two to sit on the kang, and they greeted the mistress before obediently sitting down.

The old lady smiled and said to Liulian, "Your godfather grew up in Beijing, so he's seen and eaten a lot of things. The egg dumplings he brought over yesterday were really good. I ate one and a half fried pancakes. If Aunt Zhao hadn't stopped me, I could have eaten another one! Heh, you didn't see how much sweat I put on. It felt so good!"

"Oh, old lady, what's so special about this? It sounds even better than medicine!" the matchmaker asked, trying to sound friendly.

"These two girls made dumplings out of egg wrappers and stewed them into a soup. It was so delicious it made your eyebrows fall off!" the old lady praised proudly.

"Old lady, you're so lucky! Not only is the girl beautiful, but she's also skillful and filial. I don't know what good fortune she accumulated!" The matchmaker's flattery was plentiful, costing nothing. Turning to the girls sitting on the ground, she continued, "See? Whoever gets to serve such ladies is truly blessed!" Then she turned back, "Old lady, look at these girls. I carefully selected them. They're clean, honest, and not at all pretentious. They're sure to cause trouble! Whichever one you choose is their good fortune!"

Looking closely, I noticed that the girls were only eleven or twelve years old, not even puberty yet. In modern times, they would just be elementary school students, yet they were already leaving home to make a living on their own.

"Fengxian, what do you think?" the old lady asked. Fengxian didn't want to get involved in her mother-in-law's affairs, knowing full well that it would be a waste of effort. Seeing the old lady ask, she smiled and said, "You already have a plan in mind, why are you testing me? Let's go with your idea!"

"Hey, why don't you ask them and teach your sisters!" The old lady wouldn't let her try to be clever.

Fengxian had no choice but to ask several girls as instructed, and then selected three. Madam Xu was furious, but she forced a smile on her face. She hated the old lady for belittling her, hated that her daughter-in-law had won the old lady's favor, and hated that the matchmaker was even more obsequious to Fengxian.

The matchmaker left with the remaining girls, and Madam Xu led a few newcomers to make arrangements.

Xiu Luan was a little anxious, "Sister-in-law, that girl in the light purple cotton-padded jacket is clever and sweet-looking, why don't you want her!"

“Xiu Luan, she’s not one to stay put. Look, I asked someone else, and before they could even open their mouth, she spoke for them. When she goes to your husband’s house in the future, do you really think she’ll serve your husband obediently? Even if you had two eyes, you couldn’t keep an eye on her! What’s the point of a maid being so clever? Only someone who is honest and dutiful can be relied on! The three we’ve chosen may seem a bit slow-witted and unsophisticated, but it’s easy to see the world, we can take them to see it! What’s important is that they’ll be obedient and dutiful after seeing the world! Choosing a maid is not the same as choosing a close female friend!” Feng Xian felt a little relieved that her mother-in-law hadn’t forced anyone on her, and she patiently instructed her sister-in-law.

Xiu Luan nodded thoughtfully, "Are you afraid that clever girl will steal my husband in the future?"

"She's beautiful, clever, eloquent, and charming. Such people are often ambitious and competitive. Why should she always be subservient to others? Being a concubine is better than being a maid. She can use her tricks to win a man's heart and even bully the proper wife. Keeping someone like that around will only bring endless trouble! Hongxing'er is a perfect example. Your second sister-in-law beat, scolded, and forbade her from going to the front yard. What was the result? Clearly, it was Hongxing'er who was not virtuous, but your second sister-in-law ended up being the villain!"

The old lady looked at the two sisters-in-law without saying much, but lingered with curiosity and asked, "Eldest sister, can you really tell that the three of them will definitely behave themselves in the future?"

Fengxian laughed and said, "I'm not that amazing! These three still need to learn the rules and skills. I'll observe them for two years before I dare to make a decision. Even if I buy seven or eight maids, I might not be able to pick four! I'll have to come back another day! Next time, let Xiuluan choose for herself, and you can learn from her!"

"Forget it! What use would I be to learn this dragon-slaying technique? Having Cui Cui is enough!"

Upon hearing Liu Ye'er mention Cuicui, the old lady spoke up, "Xiao Qi, your maid is quite cunning! She's been spreading rumors that you promised her she could choose someone she liked to marry at twenty-five, and that you'd even return her indenture! Is that true?"

Liu Lian chuckled and said, "Just a little trick, afraid I'd go back on my word! I really did say that! Grandma, we've all had such hard lives, I hope she can live a good life in her later years!"

The old lady sighed, said nothing, and turned to Fengxian, saying, "There are some things you have to teach her! In this life, you can encounter anything!"

Fengxian nodded.

"Grandma, you're worried that Yezi is too soft-hearted and will suffer in the future, right?"

The old lady nodded.

Liu Lian decided to speak frankly to avoid the old lady worrying about her. "Grandma, I've received so much kindness from my godfather, my eldest uncle, you, and my elder sister—I can never repay it. Everyone does good deeds, so why can't I follow suit? Cui Cui is twelve, which means she hasn't grown much yet. She's trying her best not to be a maid. But how could that matchmaker keep her for free? In a couple of years, when she grows up, she'll either be sold as a concubine or into a brothel. Isn't that just ruining her life? Keeping maids is for rich people, so I'll let it go! I'll let her keep me company for a few years, and when she grows up, I'll find her a suitable husband so she can live her own life. I don't really treat her like a maid, which is why I let her eat at the same table as me and don't set any rules for her. From now on, we'll treat each other like relatives."

The old lady nodded and said no more.