Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

During the first month of the lunar year, it was customary to welcome and send off guests, visit relatives and friends, and Xiu Luan often hid in the small courtyard she frequented. There were many taboos during the first month of the lunar year, and needlework was not allowed. The maids were also relatively idle. Often, as soon as Rui Hong and his wife went out to visit guests, the maids would sneak into the small courtyard to play. Together with the maids who came with Xiu Luan, the sounds of their playful laughter and banter could almost lift the roof off.

Ancient people had many games, unlike modern people who all have mobile phones. So-called gatherings are just people getting together to play on their phones. Xiu Luan, annoyed by the noise, chased the maids out to play shuttlecock. Once only the two of them were left in the room, she stammered, "My third brother wants to see you. I've turned him down so many times! He still won't give up. I really have no other choice. Please have pity on him and let him see you!"

Liu Lian was speechless. This stubborn fool, why does he bite like a bastard and never let go? Seeing Xiu Luan's expectant face, he gritted his teeth and poured cold water on her: "Xiu Luan, a secret rendezvous is not something you and I should do. The Third Young Master is not the kind of person who would climb over walls and sneak into holes. Why would you do something so improper? Besides, I have nothing to say to him!"

“Good sister, he’s almost obsessed with you. Why don’t you scold him a few times to his face? That would bring him back to his senses! Tomorrow, Grandma will take my eldest brother and sister-in-law to offer incense, and my parents will go to the Feng family for a banquet. I’ll send the maids away for you. It’s settled, you should at least take pity on my third brother’s sincerity!” After saying that, Xiu Luan wiped her head and walked out, not giving anyone a chance to linger and say anything more.

Ruiqian was pacing around the courtyard like an ant on a hot pan. When he saw Xiuluan come in, he tried to remain calm and coughed lightly, "Why are you back so early? Did you have a fight with the Seventh Miss?"

Xiu Luan was too lazy to pretend with him and said directly, "Okay!" Rui Qian was overjoyed. "Sister, I just got a jade pendant. It's not bad. You can take it and play with it!" As he spoke, he took out a piece of snow-white mutton fat jade openwork double phoenix pendant from his sleeve and stuffed it into Xiu Luan's hand.

Sure enough, the next day, when none of the adults were home, Xiu Luan suggested that the whole family eat dumplings—the tenth of the month was indeed the day for eating dumplings. She sent all the maids in Fengxian Courtyard and her own maids to the kitchen to help.

Ruiqian burst in impatiently, leaving Liulian both amused and exasperated. She could only offer him tea. Ruiqian gripped Liulian's hand tightly. "Seventh Miss, I'm sorry, I've wronged you! You should hate me! Come with me, okay? Let's go somewhere where nobody knows us, and then..."

"Third Young Master, I don't hate you, really!"

"I'm the one who hurt you! My marriage was arranged by my father, not what I wanted! All I've ever wanted is you. Come with me, let's go far away, where there's plenty of freedom and the world is ours, and we can be husband and wife. I swear, I will never betray you in this lifetime!"

"Third Young Master, we are not destined to be together in this life, let's try in the next!" Liu Lian felt a chill run down her spine. She never expected that the ancients could speak so passionately about love, and she never expected that a little boy's first love would be so intense. She was almost moved.

"What talk of the next life! It's all nonsense! Who knows if I'll find you again in my next life! In this life, I only want you! Come with me!"

Liu Lian withdrew his hand, sat up straight, and said solemnly, "Third Young Master, you are about to marry Miss Feng. If we leave, will this whole family survive? Will Master Feng forgive them? The Liu family raised you, and this is how you repay them? What has Miss Feng done to deserve being ridiculed? Even if I leave with you, can we live with a clear conscience? Third Young Master, we are not meant to be!"

Ruiqian slumped down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), head bowed and tears streaming down his face. After a long while, he smiled bitterly and said, "I still have a glimmer of hope, what if you're willing to come with me? You've thought of everyone else, why don't you think of me? Are you just going to watch me marry someone else? Aren't you even a little bit sad?"

"Third Young Master, I can move back to Shiqiao Town..."

"No, you can't go, I won't let you go! I just beg you, don't hide from me, let me see you every now and then."

"Third Young Master, what good would it do to take a look? It would only cause more trouble! It's better not to see him!"

"Heartless thief!" Ruiqian shook Liuye'er's shoulders. "Do you know how much I've missed you! I couldn't see you when you were at Shiqiao, I even skipped school to go to Shiqiao by climbing over the wall, but I still couldn't see you! Now you live at home, but you still won't let me see you. Yezi, how many more times will we see each other in this lifetime?" As he spoke, he hugged Liulian tightly, muttering curses under his breath: "Heartless thief, heartless and ungrateful thief!"

Regardless, the boy's intense emotions were truly moving. Liu Lian gently patted the boy's back. Rui Qian abruptly turned and left, leaving Liu Lian standing there in a daze.

Liu Lian felt a little sad. Why didn't she meet such a good suitor in her past life? Even the God of Love was mischievous; what kind of thing did he do? Thinking about it carefully, she realized she never had such a reckless, all-consuming love in her past life. When Lin Heng pursued her, he swaggered in through the restaurant entrance with a bouquet of flowers, telling everyone who teased him that he was looking for Liu Lian. They were both adults; there wasn't much romance to speak of. Although they eventually got together, it was only because they were a good match. Having lived two lives, shouldn't they have had a passionate, dramatic love affair? Who knew that the beginning was also the end, and the confession and the farewell were the same thing! It was so perfunctory, without any protagonist's aura. Maybe it's because I'm not romantically inclined!

Liu Lian lay down, sullen and lost in thought. The courtyard was quiet, giving her ample private space. But, good heavens, she didn't need any quiet right now. Liu Lian covered her head and let out a few strange cries, which eased some of the frustration in her chest. She scrambled to her feet, but there was nothing to do, so she rolled back down, let out a few more cries, and finally felt a little better.

Xiu Luan hurriedly slipped back to her own courtyard and delivered the intelligence she had gathered to Rui Qian. Rui Qian was stunned and said, "So she's suffering too! I'm such a bastard, who will comfort her?"

Xiu Luan pulled him back forcefully: "Third Brother, she's probably just pretending not to care about you because she's afraid you won't be able to get over this! How can she keep up the act if you go and find out? Don't go. You know she has feelings for you. You two aren't meant to be! Just break up! If you can act like nothing's wrong in front of her, just like she always treats you, Mother will feel more at ease, and you can take the opportunity to see each other more often. Third Brother, things have come to this, every meeting is a chance. Once Third Sister-in-law enters the family, I'm afraid you won't even be able to see her!"

"Xiu Luan, you've spent too much time with her, and your reasoning sounds just like hers!"

"Third brother, Grandmother says our family isn't lucky enough to keep her. I wonder which lucky young man will marry her!"

"Yes, Third Brother doesn't have that kind of luck!"