Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Time flies. After lighting the lamp, Liulian went out for a stroll. It had only been about twenty days since she'd left the house, and the willow branches were already turning green. Liulian looked up at the tall, weeping willow, but felt someone behind her. She discreetly examined the willow branch in her hand. The person behind her slowly walked past. Judging from the back, it was a tall, slightly hunched young man. Could it be…? Liulian was suspicious and hurried back to her courtyard, regretting not bringing Cuicui. She felt a little annoyed that someone had seen her like that.

Around noon, I caught a glimpse of the young man. From behind, he didn't seem particularly remarkable, but seeing him from the front, I was shocked. He was incredibly thin, not just thin, but as if he hadn't eaten in ages. Luckily, his bones were held together by tendons, otherwise they would have surely pierced his skin. His fish-belly white robe made him look like a salted ribbonfish hanging high in the air. But as the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. Suddenly, Rui Qian, who was accompanying him, transformed into a handsome and dashing young man.

After lingering to greet her, Ruiqian, overjoyed, forced a smile in return, but couldn't help but smile back. "Seventh Miss, please go in quickly, Grandmother is waiting for you!"

Liu Lian nodded and returned his faint smile. Rui Qian was overjoyed. The two boys watched her go into the house. The sunlight in the courtyard was wonderful, making everyone happy.

As soon as Liulian entered the house, the old lady scolded her, "You've already lit the lamp wick, why don't you come to see me? What treasures are you hiding in your little courtyard, afraid someone will steal them?"

"Grandma, today isn't a dark day! I was thinking of coming over tomorrow!"

"You child, you're too cautious! What's with all this talk of 'black and yellow paths'? We're not visiting relatives, we're not seeing a patient. Don't bother with all this when you're with Grandma!" The old lady especially liked being called "Grandma," but these family members insisted on calling her "Grandmother" in a very formal way. The old lady smiled and lowered her voice, "My nephew from my mother's side is coming to see me tomorrow, and he'll take his son to the county school. You secretly take a look at that boy; if you like him, Grandma will arrange a marriage for you." Her voice lowered further as she spoke, "That one outside is your aunt's nephew from her mother's side. Look at him, he's not a lucky charm. That's the one your aunt wants to introduce you to. I'm not gossiping behind your back, but ever since Old Master Xu passed away, these younger generations... sigh, like weasels giving birth to mice—each litter is worse than the last!"

"Grandma, this morning that guy who looks like a salted ribbonfish was peeping at me!" Liulian said in a low voice, her face full of grievance, as she squeezed out two drops of cat pee.

"What? Where is he? By himself?" Fengxian asked anxiously.

"This morning, I walked this way, right by the big willow tree, and he was all alone. Grandma, I don't want him, he's like a salted ribbonfish." Liu Lian tugged at the old lady and acted coquettishly.

"Okay, okay, okay! Don't want him! Grandma will take care of it for you! Fengxian, just give me your sister, I'll eat several more bowls of rice a day with her around! Old Zhao, go to the kitchen and tell them to add some ribbonfish to the meal!"

Fengxian remained silent, feeling deeply offended! Liulian didn't really care about the matter or feel insulted, but Fengxian was different. Coming from a family of highly educated and cultured people, she hated such sneaky and rude behavior.

Ruiqian came in and asked with a smile, "Grandmother, there are some really big fresh fish today. Aren't the fish from the newly harvested river delicious? Why did you specifically ask for salted ribbonfish?"

Hearing her grandson mention salted ribbonfish, the old lady couldn't help but laugh again. "Your seventh sister said that salted ribbonfish tastes different from fresh fish. I'll try it and see how it's different!"

"Grandmother, this fish was bought by my eldest brother on horseback this morning. It was still alive when he brought it back. How can salted ribbonfish compare? Grandmother, I heard from Xiuluan that Seventh Miss can make fish balls. I'll buy a big fish tomorrow and ask Seventh Miss to help me. Is that alright? I ate it once when I went south with Father two years ago. I still remember it vividly!"

"Good lad, your seventh sister is right in front of you, ask her yourself, I'm not going to be your messenger!"

Liulian and Fengxian were both laughed at. Liulian then stopped pretending and said, "Okay, but the fish should be bigger!"

Ruiqian smiled and said, "Thank you, Seventh Miss!"

The old lady looked at her grandson with loving eyes, then at Liulian, and couldn't help but sigh, "Where are the guests? Why aren't they with him? Don't let him wander around the garden."

"Grandmother, I took him to Mother's. He wants to chat with her for a while. Xiu Luan went to Second Sister-in-law's; she's not in the house!"

Inside Xu's room, she was sitting directly opposite her brother's wife from her maternal family. "Salted Ribbonfish" tugged at Xu's sleeve and said coquettishly, "Auntie, Auntie, it's her! I don't mind that her feet are big!"

“Good son, is there a shortage of girls with bound feet in the world? Such big feet, making a slapping sound, what kind of appearance is that! Walking like a drum, you'll suffer your whole life in vain! Listen to me, I'll ask your aunt to find you a better one!”

"No, I want her! Auntie~~"

“Don’t rush, take your time. What’s wrong with having big feet?” Madam Xu turned to her brother’s wife. “Lower your skirt, cover them up and they won’t be noticeable. It’s five hundred strings of cash. Think about it, how many respectable families would be willing to pay that much? And she doesn’t have a proper family to rely on…”

“Sister, it depends on how you look at things! It’s easy to manipulate someone if they don’t have a maternal family, but they also don’t have a good in-law to rely on! Besides, five hundred strings of cash isn’t a big deal. What family can’t afford five or six hundred strings of cash?”

"Mother, I want her! Don't even think about giving me that silly girl from the Liu family!"

"Yu'er! Look, your aunt is making fun of you!"

"I don't care, Auntie, I want her! Go and propose marriage to her!"

Madam Xu patted her nephew's hand affectionately. She had always looked down on her brother's wife, and if it weren't for the fact that it seemed too abrupt to have her nephew come alone, she wouldn't have bothered to entertain her at all! "Good child, this can't be rushed. Let your aunt think of a way! You don't know, that old hag is eyeing her nephew's grandson! What can those country bumpkins compare to you? It's just that your uncle always listens to his mother! You stay here for one night, and tomorrow you can compete with that boy. As long as that girl is set on you, everything will be fine! Your robe isn't bright enough; your second brother has a few good ones. Wear them, and you'll dazzle those country bumpkins! I'm not saying that old woman is senile, but the He family only has a few acres of land, and their children are so dull-witted, even worse than your eldest brother, yet they're still so precious to them. I really don't know what they're thinking! How could that girl be interested in those few wads of eel? Did you manage to talk to him just now?"

"No, as soon as my third brother saw her, he said, 'Go quickly, Grandmother is waiting for you.' He didn't let me say anything and just stood there in the yard. He wouldn't let me go back into the house, and he wouldn't let me say goodbye to the old lady when I left!"

"How can this third brother be so Confucian!"