Chapter 8 - 8 Chapter 8: Having a Foot in Both Camps (2/2)
Having received permission from her Father-in-law and Mother-in-law, the tea ceremony was set aside for the time being. Su Wenyue fetched needle and thread from her room and started embroidering in front of everyone, completely unpressured.
She thought about how the skills she had acquired in her previous life to please that person were not without purpose. Just on her first day at the Han Family, both her cooking and needlework had come in handy, puncturing Mrs. Wang’s sinister strategy and turning it back on her. Watching Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Wang’s fluctuating expressions, Su Wenyue felt a great sense of satisfaction.
Everyone except Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Wang admired Su Wenyue’s embroidery performance; she was truly the daughter raised in a wealthy family. Even the action of embroidering a flower was exceptionally graceful, each movement exuding a unique grace and charm unlike that of ordinary women.
Within a short while, Su Wenyue embroidered a butterfly ready to spread its wings on the handkerchief. She then stopped her work, put away her needle and thread, and handed the embroidered fabric to Mrs. Yang, “Mother, this is my craftsmanship, please review it.”
“Excellent! Such exquisite embroidery skills at such a young age, how extraordinary! Eldest Daughter-in-law, Third Daughter-in-law, you have seen for yourselves. The fact is in front of us – the Fourth Daughter-in-law is truly skilled and talented. Whoever else heeds rumors and slanders their own younger sister-in-law in the future, do not blame this old lady for ignoring family ties!”
Mrs. Liu truly acknowledged her mistake now. She had originally thought the Fourth Daughter-in-law was all show and no substance, winning favor simply because she was born into a good family and knew how to sweet-talk. She was deeply resentful and easily provoked by Mrs. Wang’s instigation. Now, seeing that the Fourth Daughter-in-law had real ability – not only cooking delicious food but also possessing excellent embroidery skills, not to mention her beauty and family background – she really had no choice but to acknowledge her. It was no wonder the Mother-in-law was partial.
Mrs. Wang, who thought she had thoroughly investigated the matter, was somewhat incredulous upon seeing the design that Su Wenyue embroidered. How could this be possible? The motif on the embroidery was clearly even more exquisite than that on the shoes and insoles. In her daze, the silk handkerchief she was holding as evidence against Su Wenyue inadvertently dropped.
Su Wenyue, with her sharp eyes, immediately recognized that handkerchief as her own, one that she had embroidered not long before marrying into the Han Family. How it had ended up in Mrs. Wang’s hands indicated that there certainly was a traitor in the Su Family. A girl’s handkerchief, although a seemingly inconspicuous item, was a personal belonging. If it fell into the wrong hands, it could be used to ruin a woman’s reputation.
As the Mistress of the house for many years, Mrs. Su would definitely understand this. She was very strict with such matters, yet someone still managed to take advantage. A chill flashed through Su Wenyue’s eyes. It seemed she needed to remind her Mother to have a thorough cleansing of the servants at home, not sparing those who betrayed their own household.
Taking advantage while Mrs. Wang was still unresponsive, Su Wenyue picked up the dropped handkerchief from the ground, “Third Sister-in-law is so considerate. This handkerchief seems to be the work of my servant girl who was learning embroidery skills from me. How did it end up with Third Sister-in-law? You wouldn’t think this is my embroidery, would you? No wonder, as she learned her skills from me, her technique naturally resembles mine. It’s common for those not in the know to mistake it. Since it belongs to a servant from my mother’s family, it is only right for me to take care of it and hold onto it in place of that unprogressive servant girl.”