Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Time flew by, and after a few days in the countryside, Liulian felt nothing. The He family was extremely hospitable, with many women, young and old, coming and going to see her, their eyes filled with curious probing, which annoyed her greatly; she felt completely like an exhibition. The He family showed her Xiao Wu's future new house—a spacious five-room house, not luxurious, but solidly built. They even pointed and gestured, telling her that they planned to build three more side rooms here, and add a sycamore tree there, practically asking her if she liked her new home. Liulian disliked this feeling intensely; these people showed her absolutely no respect.

As Ruiqian's wedding day drew closer, the Feng family had a guest and entrusted Master Liu with entertaining him. Xiu Luan tugged at Liu Ye'er to peek at the guest, and the two girls enthusiastically discussed his appearance and clothing. The two silly girls had no idea that their lives were about to undergo a tremendous change, almost a complete upheaval.

The sun was shining brightly that day; there was no wind, and it was warm. Liu Lian sat with Feng Xian by the window, tilting their heads back and letting the sunlight bathe their bodies. Fu Hui came running over, jumping onto Liu Ye'er. Liu Lian gently stroked her delicate little face, teasing her. Fu Hui adored Liu Ye'er because this aunt was much better at coaxing and playing with people than the aunt at home. She never minded if Liu Hui knocked her hair ornaments askew or dirtied her clothes, and she never forbade anything.

The wet nurse came in panting, "Oh my goodness, my little darling, I'm exhausted!" Yulan, now the head maid serving Fengxian closely, quickly handed the wet nurse a small stool. The wet nurse didn't stand on ceremony, apologized, and sat down, rubbing her body from head to toe. "Young mistress, the weather's so nice, but for some reason, my bones feel cold, so sore and achy. Tomorrow's the fifteenth, isn't it? If the weather turns bad on the fifteenth, I'm afraid there won't be any good weather for the rest of the month!"

Fengxian's body was already showing signs of fatigue. She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and basked in the sunlight, saying casually, "Who can say for sure what will happen in God's hands?"

Yulan said, "The wheat is starting to turn green again, which means it needs water. Spinach and rapeseed also need water. Spring rain is as precious as oil!"

No one picked up on her comment. The nanny smiled and said, "Young mistress's belly is so pointed, it must be a little boy! Miss, do you prefer a little sister or a little brother?"

Fu Hui slid down from Liulianxi Daliu and tugged at Fengxian's clothes, saying, "Hold my little brother, pull my little brother, may you break the tiles and not touch the ground!" Fengxian chuckled and patted Fu Hui's head, laughing, "Thank you for your kind words!"

Yulan brought over two bowls of wontons, inviting everyone to have some snacks. The wet nurse fed Fuhui first, and then took the opportunity to eat the rest. Yulan took the bowls away. Cui Cui came over and asked Liulian, "Miss, the cabbage hearts are pickled, the tofu is fried, the mutton meatballs are fried, the radish slices are cut, and the kelp strips are soaked. Shall we start stewing?"

"Go ahead and stew it, cook the rice, fry the crucian carp, blanch the spinach, mix it with vermicelli, add a few slices of mustard cabbage, and stir-fry some shallots with an egg. My brother-in-law is eating with us today, so make a lot!" Cui Cui nodded and went downstairs.

The nanny sighed, "I can't believe it! In just a few months, Cuicui has grown into such a beautiful young lady! She can even cook all these dishes?"

"You can do it! You'll learn it in no time, you're very smart!"

The nanny chatted for a few more minutes, then carried Fu Hui back home. As soon as she left, Fengxian's face fell. "Yulan, go help Cuicui cook! Xiaoqi, let's rest inside; it's still chilly outside!"

Liu Lian helped her to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) and poured her a bowl of perilla tea. "What's wrong? Are you suddenly unhappy?"

Fengxian stared blankly, "Xiaoqi, do you think the second wife will be happy that I'm pregnant with this child? I don't feel at all at ease, I always feel like something's going to happen!" Liulian wasn't good at the intrigues of the household, and she was even more clueless about things Fengxian couldn't understand. After thinking for a while, she said, "You suspect they're plotting against you? Didn't you say those three maids are fairly honest? I or my brother-in-law personally went out to buy the things, and I and Cuicui basically made all the meals and soup. My godfather even wrote out a list of what they can and can't eat. Those two maids stay in the backyard all day, they're not allowed to see anyone outside, they're not even allowed to leave the second gate, they don't burn incense, they don't take medicine, and they're always accompanied when they go out. There shouldn't be any loopholes! How could they possibly find a way to cause trouble? It's not like Fuhui is plotting against you too, is it? The wet nurse only ate half a bowl of leftovers and didn't even touch the corner of your clothes, what could possibly happen?"

Fengxian stared blankly. "I don't know either. I just have a bad feeling about it. Never mind, you wouldn't understand these things. Let me talk to your brother-in-law. I just have a feeling something's wrong! Fu Hui's wet nurse is from the Du family, not a maidservant. She was Liang Jie'er's head maid back then, and she got married before Liang Jie'er. She came to our family as a wet nurse two years after giving birth. In the past few years, she's come to my courtyard to chat less often than she has these past few days. It can't just be to play with Fu Hui!"

As they were talking, Ruihong came in, and Fengxian told him about her worries. Ruihong thought for a moment and asked Fengxian, "What does she say each time? Tell me in detail!" Fengxian then recounted each conversation in detail. On the one hand, Fengxian's memory was indeed excellent, and on the other hand, the wet nurse's words were really nothing new: she just argued from various angles that Fengxian was carrying a boy. If someone else had said this, it would have been nothing more than flattery from a servant to the young mistress of the house, but coming from someone from the second branch of the family, it always made people suspicious.

"Actually, it's nothing much. It's probably because Xiao Qi is protecting you too closely, so they can't find a way to make a move. They keep saying things like 'have a boy' to make us happy. If we have a girl and I'm not happy with her, she might hold a grudge against you, and that would be an opportunity for them! Even if we don't care about the gender, you should know that if you fall from a high position, you'll lose face! In short, they can't make things comfortable for either of us! As for Xiao Qi, they even brought a toad to annoy her! It's just that Yu-ge'er is too useless; otherwise, he would definitely have found a way to distract her and then plot against you! We're so struggling to have children..." "Shouldn't I be with you? You insisted that Xiao Qi was there, and it wasn't convenient. You have exams this year, so study hard! You wouldn't let me take leave no matter what! Ye Zi, this child owes so much to you. Your brother-in-law remembers your kindness and will never let that old hag scheme against you! The Xu family dares to covet you? Even Cui Cui's family isn't good enough for you! If you don't like the He family either, I'll help you turn them down! However, Ye Zi, the He family is indeed good, and Xiao Wuzi is upright, but he's from the countryside and hasn't seen much of the world; he doesn't look as glamorous as city people!"

Liu Lian nodded, "Thank you, brother-in-law!"

"Why thank me? It's your sister who wants you to find someone you like, so you can have a happy marriage for life, just like us, hahaha..."