Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Feng Meiyin had only been in the Liu family for eight or nine days, yet she had already shown them what the pomp and circumstance of an official was like! She needed someone to serve her meals, someone to help her walk, a maid to roll up her sleeves when she washed her hands, and a maid to relay her words in a soft, affected voice. Poor Peony and Narcissus, who were assigned to her courtyard, had swollen legs by the end of the day! Four maids and a wet nurse were still not enough to serve her. She was indeed filial, spending every day with the old lady and mistress. The old lady was so distressed by her filial piety that she simply summoned Xiu Luan and Liu Ye'er to keep her company.

Having suffered several setbacks, Xiu Luan was no longer willing to appease her, so the heavy burden fell on Liu Lian's shoulders. What could girls talk about when they got together? Nothing more than clothes, jewelry, toys, and food. But this Feng Meiyin was terrible at conversation; she would often interrupt others in the middle of a sentence. Even if someone complimented your bracelet, you could at least compliment their silk flowers! No, whatever you complimented her on, she would seize the opportunity to boast about how famous the artist was, how much effort was put into it, and how many princesses or noble ladies had the same thing, while humbly stating that hers was inferior to the noble's in some way, and superior in others! Liu Lian was speechless!

Soon, Liu Lian noticed that Madam Feng liked to sit next to her, her feet always touching Liu Lian's, especially when Rui Qian came to pick her up, she would always intentionally or unintentionally let him see both of their feet. Liu Lian suddenly realized that Madam Feng was comparing her feet with hers! Good heavens! What a bizarre behavior! Even Xiu Luan, who was spoiled and spoiled since childhood, never did this! In her previous life, Liu Lian had a good friend surnamed Tian, ​​who was tall and big, with a large frame, making her look even more robust, but her feet were pitifully small. She could wear size 35 shoes, but because she was big, her feet had to be wide, so she often bought size 37 shoes. After wearing them for a few days, the shoes would loosen up, the width would be tolerable, but the length would be a problem. Wearing leather shoes, she would wobble with every step, making them look like slippers! Poor thing, she never wore a few pairs of shoes that fit properly in her whole life! Anyone who praised her for having small feet would get angry! Other girls have requirements for boyfriends: 180cm tall, 180cm house, and 180cm for sex. They'll figure it out later; it's always an ideal. My best friend only wants size 44, though bigger would be better! Even if you haven't witnessed such a tragedy, a modern person wouldn't appreciate a pair of deformed small feet. Liu Lian's nonchalant attitude infuriated Feng Meiyin. She chuckled dryly, "Seventh Sister's lotus blossoms on her shoes are embroidered beautifully, unlike mine, which can only have buds! Small lotus blossoms are unsightly! I've never had lotus blossoms embroidered on my shoes!"

"Third Sister-in-law, that's your maid being lazy! A flower bud is easier to grow than a fully bloomed flower!" Saying this, she lifted her skirt and stretched out her foot. "Look, these shoes of mine are embroidered with lotus flowers, aren't they pretty? Third Brother even painted the flowers for me!" Xiu Luan feigned ignorance. Feng Meiyin was speechless. She could only compare her feet to Liu Ye'er's, which were large. Xiu Luan's feet were not only smaller than hers, but also prettier.

Just then, Ruiqian entered. Xiuluan greeted him, "Third Brother, tell me, whose shoes are prettier, mine or Third Sister-in-law's?" Ruiqian looked down and saw that Meiyin was wearing bright red satin high-soled shoes embroidered with the four seasons of peace, Xiuluan was wearing emerald green satin soft-soled shoes embroidered with carp playing among lotus flowers, and Liuye was wearing light blue soft-soled shoes embroidered with twin lotus flowers. Ruiqian guessed that Meiyin was probably teasing Liuye about her big feet, and Xiuluan was probably standing up for Liuye, so he smiled and said, "Of course, Seventh Sister's are prettier. The colors are well matched, both simple and beautiful. However, Grandmother has a pair of black satin shoes embroidered with parrots picking peaches, which are the most dazzling!" He wanted to smooth things over, but he ended up offending both of them. Xiuluan glared at him, "Are you praising your own flower pattern? These shoes are also the pattern you drew, so why are Yezi's prettier! Are you saying that my maid is not as skillful as Cuicui?"

"How could that be! The color of your shoes is too bright green; the pink lotus can't balance it out. Your third sister-in-law's shoes have the same problem as yours! Seventh sister's light blue isn't so overpowering, and the twin lotus flowers are a bit darker, making them look even better! The meaning is also better! Seventh sister, did your eldest sister-in-law choose this color? When I was learning to paint as a child, she told me about it!" Honestly, Liulian had chosen the color herself, but she still nodded. Ruiqian smiled smugly—it was true he had studied painting, but Fengxian had never discussed color matching with him, so Liulian's lie pleased him.

Ruiqian picked up a few flower patterns from the kang table and looked at them. He picked out two and said, "These two are better! Who drew them? Was it Seventh Sister? They're very similar to the flower patterns that Eldest Sister-in-law drew!" Seeing Feng Meiyin looking at her suspiciously, Liu quickly nodded, "Third Brother has a good eye!" Ruiqian smiled smugly, "I thought Eldest Sister-in-law was too lazy to do these things anymore! Who knew that Seventh Sister had really mastered them!"

Ruiqian's eyes were full of mockery, and Liulian's heart skipped a beat. Was he deliberately flirting with her in front of everyone? The two drawings that Ruiqian picked out were indeed hers: Liulian was a chef who often had to carve things at work, so creating a sketch was not difficult for her. In her spare time, she often drew colored pencil pictures, which was her hobby. Although she had not created any masterpieces, she could still make them beautiful!

After lingering in thought for a while, he realized this was a serious matter. He couldn't touch the food belonging to someone else. He was being too audacious; even if Madam Feng was a simpleton, she would eventually notice—women were most sensitive in this regard! If things came to light, wouldn't he be humiliating himself? Why provoke these tangled vines? Having made up his mind, he ignored Ruiqian and turned to ask Old Madam He, "Grandma, where are your shoes? Can we see them?" The old lady, who was watching the children bickering with a smile, covered her mouth and laughed, "They're long gone, from several years ago! It's kind of you, Third Brother, to remember them. You don't know how many people praised those shoes back then! They were so comfortable! Go back and ask Fengxian; they're your sister's handiwork. Go back and ask her to make me another pair! Oh dear, never mind, she's about to give birth; let her be quiet!"

"Grandmother, tell my eldest sister-in-law to bring out the pattern, and let my third sister-in-law make a pair for you. I think my third sister-in-law's needlework is very good!" Madam Feng hurriedly nodded in agreement, "Grandmother, although my skills are a bit rough, I am still willing to be filial to you! This afternoon, I will go to ask my eldest sister-in-law for the pattern, but I don't know if she will be willing to give it to me! Or, Xiu Luan, why don't you come with me?" She was joking, her two dowry maids had been properly taught needlework by palace maids at great expense, how could they be inferior to a country bumpkin?