Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

The addition of a baby made the courtyard ten times more lively. Fengxian recovered quickly, and Liulian would urge her to get out of bed and move around through the window, so Ruihong would help her walk around the room. The couple had been eager for a son, and now that they had a baby girl, they cherished her dearly—they knew that boys might not survive, but girls, being free from such schemes, could grow up easily. The baby girl was also very well-behaved; she ate a lot, slept soundly, urinated frequently, pooped a lot, and cried loudly, her two black eyes rolling around—she was truly adorable.

Fengxian has a good milk supply and loves to hold her in his arms while feeding her. The couple gaze at their baby with their heads close together, filled with sweetness.

When Liu Lian finally saw the baby on the third day after the baby's birth, she couldn't help but sigh: "Children are hope." Although Feng Xian looked pale, she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes. Rui Hong, contrary to his usual mature and composed self, had a silly grin on his face and clumsily but carefully changed his daughter's diaper and covered her with a blanket. The couple insisted on not using a wet nurse or a wet nurse, so the old lady sent Zhao Mama to help.

All five Huo sisters came to congratulate Fengxian. Although the Liu family treated them with great hospitality, there wasn't much to talk about. So the sisters gathered in Liulian's room and chatted lively. Usually, they all had their own things to do, but now that they had finally met, they all had a lot to say. Little Tiger even clung to Liulian's neck—Liu Ye often played with him, and the two had a very close relationship. When Cuicui saw the pile of paper boxes covering half the kang (heated brick bed), she was very excited and busied herself serving tea and water.

Xiu Luan, accompanied by Yu Lan and Cui Lan, brought over several plates of tea, snacks, and pastries, her face beaming with smiles. "There are so many people today, I haven't been able to take good care of everyone. My eldest brother will definitely come to toast you all later! If you have anything to say, just tell Seventh Miss. My grandmother was originally going to come and keep you company, but the old master of the He family is here, so she couldn't leave. Fortunately, it's quiet here at Seventh Miss's place, so you can all be more at ease and have a good chat together."

Sixth Sister replied, "Thank you for your mother's trouble! We're doing fine here. We were just worried about disturbing the little one, so we came to see Seventh Sister. We're quite busy today, so entertaining our guests is the priority! We're all close relatives, no need for formalities! Seventh Sister is quite mischievous when she's free! Let her take care of things!"

Xiu Luan made a few more perfunctory remarks before going out to stand with Liu Lian. She gently rubbed her face with both hands, sighed, and stared blankly. Xiao Hu'er hooked one arm around Liu Lian's neck, stretched over to look at the sullen young lady, found it pointless, and turned back to hug Liu Lian's neck again.

Liu Lian, exhausted from holding him, could barely stand. She warned Xi Luan, "Be careful, don't hang up the portrait, so many people are watching!" Xi Luan knew many people were waiting to see her fail—the Lin family, once the most prominent family in the small town, had fallen into complete ruin. To make matters worse, before the funeral was even over, a fire struck, burning down most of the garden! Actually, what saddened Xi Luan was someone else, someone who had stirred the girl's heart, making her feel both sweet and sorrowful!

Time flies by in a busy rush, and before we knew it, Jing Shu—Rui Hong had named her daughter—was a month old, and she had visibly gained a lot of weight and become much plumper. Because it was getting warmer, she was only dressed in a light jacket and covered with a quilt, and she was happily munching on her two fists.

Jing Shu's full-month celebration was even grander, with an opera troupe hired. The guests were led directly to the garden to sit—a tent had been set up in the garden, where the old lady, along with Madam Xu and Liang'er Meiyin, greeted the female guests, while Master Liu, along with his three sons, greeted the male guests.

Xiu Luan hid in Liu Lian's room, lying blankly on Liu Lian's rocking chair, which creaked and groaned. Liu Lian, feeling sorry for her chair, couldn't help but shout, "Ancestor! What deep grudge do you have against my chair!" Xiu Luan glared at her, pouting and remaining silent. Liu Lian sat beside her, embroidering shoe uppers, and returned her gaze without any politeness.

After a long while, Xiu Luan sat up and stomped her feet on the ground in annoyance. "Ye Zi, aren't you the one with the most tricks up your sleeve? Why don't you come up with a solution for me!"

“Young Miss, it’s an arranged marriage, what can I do? Should I let you elope? Luan’er, I don’t think that Young Master Liang is a good person! He’s already twenty-five or twenty-six, can you say he doesn’t have a wife? Why is he trying to seduce you? Even if you weren’t engaged, would you be his concubine? If he’s interested, make him divorce his wife first! Luan’er, isn’t it good that he wants to leave? Young Master Lin is just as handsome! He has a bright future, why do you…”

"Ugh! So annoying! So annoying!" Xiu Luan grabbed her hair in annoyance, making it all messy. Liu Lian sighed, picked up a comb and a bronze mirror, only to see that Xiu Luan was already in tears. Helpless, he patted her head, and Xiu Luan hugged Liu Lian and burst into tears.

After a long while, Xiu Luan finished washing and grooming herself, applied makeup, and asked Liu Lian with red eyes, "What did you eat for lunch?"

"Big sister! Of course I'm going to the banquet at noon!" Liu Lian said helplessly.

"Ye Zi, what's the point of that banquet? Everyone's just passing food around. Let's make something delicious for ourselves, okay?"

Looking at her swollen eyes, he realized it was inappropriate to show himself, so he said, "I have a few tender zucchini here. How about we have steamed dumplings with hot water dough? Lamb and zucchini filling?"

"Alright then!" Xiu Luan said sullenly, "What's Sister-in-law eating? Steamed dumplings again?"

"Eldest sister, have steamed dumplings with fermented dough! Stir-fried shredded pork with bean sprouts, stir-fried pea shoots with pork liver, thick millet porridge, and the leftover lamb bone, crucian carp and tofu soup, would you like a bowl?"

"No, I have no appetite! You're feeding my sister-in-law such bland food? She's in her postpartum period! You're even more cruel than a stepmother! My second sister-in-law had braised pork knuckles and chicken feet every day during her postpartum period!"

Liu Lian, too lazy to say more, simply said, "Eldest sister is weak and cannot take strong tonics. Besides, this menu was specially prepared for eldest sister by my godfather, so there must be a reason for it."

"That's true!...Wait! Where did you get your zucchini? My third brother..." Liu Lian was completely speechless. This Xiu Luan was always so clueless when she should be smart, and so clever when she should pretend to be clueless! She even noticed such details! She sneakily moved closer to Liu Lian, who was rubbing her forehead in exasperation, "You and my third brother haven't broken up yet, have you?"

"Bullshit!" He looked around furtively. "Do you want me to die?"

"Ye Zi! Ye Zi! It was a slip of the tongue! It was my slip of the tongue!" Xiu Luan hurriedly comforted Liu Lian, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Ye Zi, how did you get through this?"

"It's nothing, we just weren't meant to be! I understand that myself, and it's not something I can't bear!"

Seeing her feigned ease, Xiu Luan felt a pang of sadness. She hugged her arm and said softly, "It's my third brother's bad luck! Madam Feng only has her good family background. What can she have to compare with you? Poor third brother! I thought he had really forgotten about you completely!"