Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Liu Lian pressed down on Feng Xian's hand, which was reaching for longan, and asked seriously, "Did you buy this especially for you?"

"How wonderful! How could that be? Every courtyard has them. Xiangmei just insisted on having an extra box. I'm pregnant, so shouldn't I have an extra box? Besides, I just did a good deed for my father-in-law, so it's only right that he have two extra boxes!" She said with a chuckle.

Liu Lian coldly said, "Longan enters the heart and spleen meridians. It is sweet in taste, warm in nature, and non-toxic. It has the effects of nourishing the heart and spleen, replenishing qi and blood, nourishing muscles, benefiting the weak, beautifying the complexion, eliminating forgetfulness, improving eyesight and hearing, and calming the mind. It is often used to treat symptoms such as palpitations, insomnia, diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, and hematochezia caused by excessive thinking and damage to both the heart and spleen; it is also often used to treat symptoms such as cough due to lung deficiency and hemoptysis. However, pregnant women should not eat dried longan, although dried longan has the effects of nourishing the heart and spleen, replenishing blood, and calming the mind." Longan has the effects of invigorating the spirit, generating body fluids, and nourishing the five internal organs. However, it is too warm in nature, and those with yin deficiency and internal heat, or suffering from febrile diseases, should not use it. After a woman becomes pregnant, her yin and blood tend to be deficient, which can lead to internal heat. Therefore, pregnant women may experience symptoms such as dry stools, dry mouth, or fetal heat, and should clear heat and cool the blood. Eating longan will not only fail to protect the pregnancy, but may also easily cause spotting, abdominal pain, and even miscarriage. Therefore, pregnant women should not eat longan, especially those in the first eight months of pregnancy.

"you you……"

"My godfather made me memorize this; he's told me several times! Go and find out whether Xiangmei insisted on having it, or someone else ordered you to get more! Don't let your maid go; you can't trust her!"

Xiangmei was someone Fengxian valued, but Liulian always felt that Xiangmei was hostile towards her. This was rather strange. Liulian had rewarded Xiangmei with a solid silver bracelet with a bamboo-shaped pattern and a smooth gold ring with a leek-leaf design; these were things that even a well-to-do lady could wear, let alone a maid. But Xiangmei didn't seem to appreciate it. Liulian had caught glimpses of her sinister expression more than once, and she didn't even try to hide it from him, almost openly expressing her hatred. Liulian was certain he hadn't offended her. It wasn't until Liulian met Xiangmei's fiancé—a simple-minded, unromantic man—that Liulian realized the two were completely mismatched. Then, Xiangmei's hatred towards him seemed to make sense, especially since Liuye had helped Fengxian drive away the two cooks.

"Are you suspicious of Xiangmei? Is being your brother-in-law's concubine better than being Bangchui's wife? Don't you know, Bangchui may look simple-minded, but he's actually incredibly shrewd! None of the servants in the house are as good as him! He was even specially chosen by my father-in-law for my second son! You... did you see something wrong with her? I also find it strange that Xiangmei is so cold towards you? That shouldn't be the case. There haven't been any conflicts between you two, and she's not usually one to treat people differently based on their status. Could it be that she has some ulterior motive, or that she thinks you're in her way?"

"It's not necessarily because they think I'm in their way. Maybe they think I'm still young and don't need to bother putting on airs!"

Fengxian grew increasingly alarmed. Xiangmei was beautiful, generous, and gentle—exactly Ruihong's type. If it weren't for their mutual affection, and if Ruihong weren't a man of impeccable morals, perhaps… Fengxian broke out in a cold sweat.

"You can't eat crabs, soft-shelled turtles, hawthorns, Job's tears, purslane, or ginseng!"

"What did you say! What does purslane have to do with this! They say sour foods are for boys and spicy foods are for girls, hawthorn..." Fengxian's face turned pale, and his lips trembled so much that he couldn't continue.

Liu Lian gently stroked her shoulder, and Feng Xian lowered her head and began to sob. Liu Lian patted her back softly and asked, "Have you eaten all these things?" Feng Xian had no answer and nodded.

Liulian got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and wrung out a hot towel for her. Fengxian buried her face in the hot towel for a long time without moving. After a while, she handed the cold towel to Liulian.

"Don't get too agitated. I shouldn't have said these things to you. Why don't you lie down for a while?"

Fengxian kept her head down and shook her hand weakly. "What else did your father tell you?"

"Nothing else!" Liu Lian was telling the truth, probably because Mr. Huo was afraid that she was too young and might not know how to speak properly.

"Since Father suspected something was amiss all along, why didn't he say a word to me? Over the years, I've fallen ill... How could he be so heartless!"

You grumble to yourself, "Your dad needs to see you first. You hate him more than an enemy, but you say, 'Godfather hasn't caught him red-handed, so what can he say? Besides, with your awful temper, would you still be willing to stay in the Liu family after I tell him?'"

Fengxian remained silent for a long while before softly saying, "Cold purslane salad, dried purslane buns, hawthorn water, hawthorn paste, ginseng soup, dried longan—these are all good things. Clean the purslane, blanch it, and toss it with minced garlic, vinegar, and sesame oil—it's so delicious! I can eat half a bowl more rice that way. Making hawthorn paste is so much work, jar after jar, just so I can have a better appetite and eat a few more bites. Dried longan is used to make tea and soup for me, and they go to great lengths to get ginseng to stew for me…" Fengxian couldn't continue!

Liu Lian patted her hand, then suddenly heard soft footsteps outside. Feng Xian quickly lay down, and Liu Lian hurriedly turned to the opposite side and picked up her work. The person who came in was Xiang Mei, who was carrying a box. She placed it on the kang table and complained, "There's only one pregnant woman in the whole family, and she can't even get a ginseng root. I really don't know what she's up to!"

Liu Lian said, "If you're not going to eat it, then don't. It's not something you absolutely have to have. Eldest sister doesn't want to eat anything. Do you see if there's anything appetizing?"

"There's nothing new here. How about I make a bowl of hawthorn syrup for the young mistress first? It's sweet and sour, and it'll whet her appetite. I'll go to the kitchen and see what else we can make." As she spoke, she went into the west wing room and brought out half a bowl of bright red hawthorn syrup, placing it on the kang table.

"Oh my god! Sister Xiangmei, did you make this hawthorn paste? It looks so good! How did you make it? Can you teach me?"

"It's not difficult at all. It's just washing and pitting hawthorns, mashing them, adding sugar, and boiling them. Our young mistress loves sweet and sour things the most." As she spoke, she poured boiling water into a bowl, not even offering it to Liu Ye'er, and placed it directly on Fengxian's side.

"How about I ask the cook to soak some dried purslane, add some vermicelli, and steam two buns for you? Something simple and light. Would you like some?" Fengxian gave a faint "Mmm" and waved her away.

The two sisters looked at each other in disbelief. Purslane is known for its heat-clearing, detoxifying, blood-cooling, and hemostatic properties. It is effective for tinnitus and bloodshot eyes caused by excessive liver fire, oral ulcers caused by excessive stomach fire, and tongue ulcers caused by excessive heart fire. It also tastes good. Who would have thought that it would be a powerful tool for causing miscarriage!

"Elder sister, have you never asked the doctor about any dietary restrictions?"

“We have a doctor at home who always talks about these things to avoid. Xiao Qi, come with me to visit Daddy’s grave tomorrow!”

"Save yourself the trouble! It's not too late to burn paper money after you've safely given birth! It's too much trouble, and it's not good for you or the baby."

Fengxian sighed softly.