C117 (1/2)
Qing An Courtyard.
When the madams, misses, and concubines all came, they all began to think, but she wasn't the most talkative and active one like before. She sat there with her head lowered, not saying a word, and when Madam Hu saw her like this, although she felt sorry for her, she didn't want her to go back. She was still fantasizing about how she could make the Countess pity this granddaughter of hers more and plan for her future.
Everyone chose their favorite ingredients and thanked Imperial Concubine Fu for her bestowal, then began speaking as usual. Lian Xi quietly sat in the corner and lowered her head to drink her tea. As usual, she was still quiet. Only when she was questioned would she say a few words.
Although the matter of the inner chamber had been handled by the Madam Xiao for many years, the eldest wife was still the eldest wife. She was the head of the inner chamber, and the eldest miss was always the eldest miss.
Thus, everyone began to turn towards the First Wife. With the First Wife at the center, even though Aunt Xiao didn't feel good in all sorts of ways, she still had to maintain a respectful and submissive attitude on the surface.
”Eldest Sister-in-Law has completely recovered. I can see that you look pretty good today.” Mrs Liu, who was used to seeing the wind blow by and seeing the change in the situation, was anxious to curry favor with the First Wife.
When Auntie Xiao, who was standing behind Lian Shiya, heard Mrs Liu's question, she couldn't help but tighten her grip on the handkerchief. The First Wife gave Auntie Xiao a sly look and said, ”Someone used the wrong medicine on me earlier, so the more she treated me, the worse she became. Later, she switched the wrong medicine for the right medicine, and everything will be fine.”
”Use the wrong medicine?” Lady Liu's eyes widened in surprise as she said, ”Elder sister-in-law's illness was seen by Doctor Lu. Doctor Lu has always been cautious and hadn't made any mistakes for decades. How could he have made any mistakes at your place?”
”Doctor Lu wasn't wrong. It was the people at the bottom who were negligent and made a mistake. They had suffered for months for nothing.” The First Lady smiled bitterly.
”Those ignorant lackeys, don't let them get away easily, Eldest Sister-in-Law. We should pull them out and beat them a hundred times before chasing them out of the Prime Minister's Residence!” Mrs Liu said.
”That servant has already kneeled down. I admit my wrongs and said what I had to say!” From the start to the end, the First Wife's gaze had pretended to inadvertently pass by Madam Xiao, making her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles. ”But that child is still so young. I won't argue with her and send her away.”
”Eldest Sister-in-Law is always a Bodhisattva.” Mrs Liu flattered.
After selecting the materials that they liked, the few ladies happily compared them, discussing what kind of design they would like to create.
The Sixth Miss, Lian Xuezhu, had learned the Shadow Theater and performed excitedly for everyone to see. She sang the words ”Beauty committed suicide to kill herself on the bank of the Wu River, war had burned the Red Cliff Mountain”, and the young ladies enjoyed it very much. Fourth Miss, Lian Yin, and Seventh Miss Lian, Sheng Ru, were also eager to let Lian Xueqiao teach them how to play.
However, the old mistress had never been in the mood to speak. She held her little white fox in her arms, frowning slightly and not speaking much.
The first wife noticed something amiss and asked with concern, ”Mother, is it because there are too many people around? Why don't you let the juniors leave first?”
Lian Mu sighed and said, ”It's not that you guys are bothering me, it's just my white fox. For some reason, it has been sick and hasn't eaten anything for two days, so I'm worried that if this goes on, it won't be able to keep its life. Sigh, could it be that it has rolled itself up here and wants to return to the wilderness? ”