Chapter Three: Mother

  When asked by her stepmother, the eleventh daughter stood up and respectfully replied with a "yes", saying: "I only learned some superficial things."

  The lady saw her attitude was humble and nodded slightly in a nearly imperceptible manner.

  "April 24th is the birthday of the Madame of Yongping Marquis's manor. I want you to ask Fifth Sister to write a hundred different 'shou' characters, and then use them to embroider a screen with double-sided embroidery, which will be brought to Yanjing as a birthday gift for Madame."

  Luo Yuanniang, the young mistress of the Luo family, married Xu Lingyi, Marquis Yongping.

  The Grand Lady of Yongping Marquis Manor, also known as Luo Yuanniang's mother-in-law and the elder lady of the family.

  The eldest son of the Xu family died young, the second son died of illness, and the third son was born out of wedlock. Unexpectedly, the title was inherited by the fourth son, Xu Lingyi. With Xu Lingyi's sister being crowned empress two years ago, the Xu family became a prominent and meritorious family in the Great Zhou dynasty. As a result, Luo Yuanniang, the wife of the Marquis of Yongping, rose to prominence, becoming a figure of importance both in the aristocratic circles of Yanjing and in her own family in Jiangnan. The birthday gift for the mistress naturally became a major event that required the elder madam's utmost attention.

  Knowing the importance of the matter, Shiyi hesitated and said: "Although my daughter can embroider both sides, her skills are not refined. In the capital city where dragons and tigers hide, I fear that in the end it will lose face for Big Sister..."

  Before she finished speaking, the lady had already smiled and said: "As for exquisite skills, who can compare to the people in the palace embroidery workshop? We'll just send a ' Hundred Longevity Embroidered Screen' over as a token of our good intentions."

  It's also true that no matter how skilled one is, they can't surpass those embroidery girls who were selected from all over the country to learn their craft for survival; and no matter how valuable the things sent by the Luo family are, they can't be more valuable than the emperor's reward.

  The eleventh girl smiled and asked Madame Wang: "I don't know what good day Mother chose to send someone to Yanjing to deliver birthday gifts?"

  "On the sixth of March." The old lady said with a smile, "I checked the almanac. On the sixth day of the first month, it's unlucky to open warehouses and move earth, but it's auspicious to travel and meet friends. If we leave earlier, there won't be such a good day, and if we leave later, I'm afraid we'll get delayed on the road."

  The eleventh girl sank into thought for a moment, and a hesitant expression appeared on her face.

  The lady looked at him with concern and asked: "Is there any difficulty?"

  The eleventh girl hesitated: "This double-sided embroidery is not comparable to single-sided embroidery, the effort of flowers is three times that of single-sided embroidery... I count the days and it's a bit tight!"

  "How can this be good?" The old lady frowned, "I thought for half a month to come up with this great idea. Now it seems we have to re-select the birthday gift? I don't know if there's still time. Even if there is, what to give as a gift is also a headache!"

  The Luo family has been in officialdom for generations, and their roots are there. Even if there's nothing rare, it shouldn't be difficult to find something auspicious as a birthday gift, should it? Or perhaps this time the birthday of the lady of the Ping'an Marquis' manor has some special significance...

  Eleventh Sister thought for a moment, then quickly glanced at Fifth Sister with raised eyelids.

  She sat beside the lady with a cup of tea in her hand, staring blankly ahead, ignoring the lady's words.

  The eleventh girl's heart skipped a beat.

  Mrs. Duan asked her to embroider a hundred "shou" characters with double-sided embroidery, which was not easy, and it was equally difficult for Wu Niang to write a hundred "shou" characters with different fonts. With such a difficult problem in front of her, Wu Niang, who had always been quick-witted, suddenly became silent.

  She thought of Mrs. Wang being supported by Wu Niang as she walked in earlier.

  It seems that Wu Niang either didn't think it was difficult and readily agreed, or she thought it was difficult but figured that embroidering a hundred "shou" characters would be more challenging than writing them, so she waited for herself to refuse. This way, the mistress would only attribute the reason for not accomplishing this matter to Wu Niang's own head.

  No matter what the situation is, the current situation does not allow her to refuse.

  Besides, she didn't even mean to refuse Madam's request.

  But it's not as simple as just agreeing to embroider a hundred "longevity" characters, making the mistress think it's an easy task and ignoring her hard work...

  It was just a fleeting thought.

  She hesitated: "Or, let Jian Shifu help..."

  "How can that be!" Before the eleventh lady finished speaking, Mrs. Lao immediately negated her proposal, "Sending this hundred-year-old embroidered screen was originally to show our sincerity as the Luo family, letting others embroider it, what's the point?"

  The eleventh girl's face turned red as she muttered: "It was just daughter's own foolish thoughts! Mother, please don't blame me."

  The lady sighed as she listened.

  The eleventh girl looked uneasy and hastily said: "Why don't you let me try..."

  "Madam's eyes lit up: 'How confident are you?'"

  The eleventh girl sank into contemplation for a while, then said in a low voice: "I get up early and sleep late, and let Dong Qing help with threading the needle... it should be faster." She didn't sound very confident.

  The lady thought for half a day without giving a definite answer.

  The eleventh girl looked somewhat dejected.

  Wu Niang smiled and said: "I also got up early and slept late, and finished writing 100 'shou' characters in two days. I don't know if Shiyi Mei's grasp will be even greater."

  The eleventh girl's spirit was lifted, and she smiled: "I originally thought that the fifth sister would take more than half a month. If it only takes two days of work, then it can naturally be rushed out."

  She had actually made up her mind that when the time came, she would have two copies of the "shou" character written by Wu Niang embroidered, one by Jian Shifu and the other by herself. Whoever finished embroidering first would give it to whom. Even if Old Lady suspected something, she would stick to her story and not budge. What could Old Lady do even if she tried to confront them? Could Jian Shifu possibly contradict himself?

  The old lady was delighted to hear this: "Since that's the case, you sisters should work together and complete this hundred-year-old embroidered screen. It will also make your elder sister proud. Let the people of Yanjing see that the daughters of the Luo family not only know how to behave in a dignified manner but also follow the teachings of the saints."

  The Luo family has an ancestral motto written by Ji Gong for the Luo girls, which has been passed down. Before learning to read, the Luo girls would first read "Ji Gong's Admonition to Girls", then "Admonitions for Women" and "Domestic Instructions". These two sentences are exactly what is in the family motto. But when Madame Yu uses them at this time and place, it sounds awkward no matter how 11th Sister listens!

  But who would be stupid enough to question the lady?

  The Eleventh and Fifth Girls stood up, half squatting down to pay their respects to the mistress, respectfully answering "yes".

  The old lady was very satisfied with the attitude of the two, and nodded slightly. As if remembering something, she asked her daughter-in-law Wu Xiangquan's family: "I remember that the wet nurse in Shier Nian's house stayed in Fujian..."

  Wu Xiaquan's family hurriedly replied: "At that time, Miss Eleven's wet nurse was unwilling to leave her hometown, so she didn't follow us."

  "Hmm!" The old lady nodded slightly, "Then take Amber to Miss Eleven's room and let her use it..."

  The eleventh daughter was shocked.

  Bring the amber into your own house, what about the holly?

  Is it true that Mother Yao really moved Big Madam to pair Dongqing with her nephew, so Big Madam first pulled Huopo over to let them get familiar with each other, and when the time came to pair Dongqing off, things wouldn't be chaotic in her own home.

  Thinking of this, Shiyi's heart was turbulent and indignant, with a hint of resentment.

  After three years of management, she had finally cultivated feelings with the people around her and let them do things according to their own wishes. However, the mistress suddenly put her maid by her side... This is just like having someone snoring beside you on a bed, even if there's no ill intention, it still makes one feel uneasy.

  But her face didn't dare to reveal a hint, and she couldn't hesitate for a moment. With a terrified expression, she said: "Mother, how can this be? Sister Hua is your reliable assistant. If you give it to me, what will you do?"

  The lady smiled and waved her hand, indicating that she should not say any more.

  "Our young lady's personal attendants are all assigned according to established rules." She said seriously to the maid beside her, "Each is allocated two senior maids, two junior maids, one wet nurse and two rough-duty maids. Now that Eleventh Young Lady's wet nurse has stayed in Fujian, I'll add another senior maid for her, filling the vacancy of the wet nurse... it doesn't count as an exception."

  The people around her said, "Mrs. Wu is right," or "Mrs. Wu has thought it over carefully." The Wu family's relatives even laughed and said, "Logically speaking, Mrs. Wu should have filled the vacancy in Miss Eleven's room long ago. Now that she mentions it, who knows whether she wants to save a few years' worth of monthly expenses or if she really didn't think of it?"

  Everyone burst out laughing.

  The lady also burst out laughing.

  Wu Xiaquan is the general manager of Luo's family, the birth mother of Xu's family, and the accompanying room of the big wife.

  She has always been very tolerant of these people!

  Everyone laughed for a while, and Madame Wang looked at Shier Niang: "As for the winter jasmine in your room..." She paused.

  Or perhaps it was the arrival of Amber that made her thoroughly awake, knowing that the castle she had built with all her might was fragile in front of Mrs. Big, no, or rather, in the hands of her superiors. She, who had always been able to calm down, suddenly became restless. A brief stay, and she suddenly found herself drenched in sweat, her heart racing wildly.

  This is what it feels like to be "a fish on a chopping board"!

  The girl's hand on her skirt was clenched into a tight fist, and she didn't even feel the pain of her fingernails digging into her flesh.

  I have to find a way to change my own circumstances... This feeling of leaving one's fate in the hands of others is too unbearable!

  "...also excused her from her duties, letting her focus on serving you wholeheartedly, so that you can embroider the longevity screen with a peaceful mind." The mistress's voice seemed to be coming from afar, yet also sounded as if it was right next to her ear, making her head buzz. "Hupo is capable and reliable, having her by your side makes me feel more at ease too! From now on, let her handle the matters in your quarters!"

  Things have come to this, she has no ability to resist, and she doesn't think about refuting anything.

  The eleventh girl forced herself to gather her emotions.

  Her top priority is to cope well with everything in front of her.

  Eleventh Girl showed a somewhat embarrassed expression, half-kneeling down to give Mrs. Big a courtesy: "Thank you, Mother!"

  "That's it!" Madame's face showed a few points of fatigue, and she instructed Wu Xiaquan: "Later, tell the two ladies about the size and style of the screen, so they won't be in the dark. After the sisters have discussed it, come back and let me know."

  Wu Xiaoquan's family smiled and agreed.

  The lady of the house brought out tea: "You all go down!"

  Nothing was mentioned about Dong Qing's marriage at all.

  Did you forget?

  Is it still because it's not the right time?

  The eleventh girl couldn't help but glance at Yao Mama standing far behind Mrs. Dai.

  Yao's mother also looked over.

  The two pairs of eyes met in mid-air. The Eleventh Sister saw her opponent's unyielding gaze.

  She suddenly felt sorrow for herself.

  Now she can only compete with people like Yao's mother!