"Ask the sewing room to help embroider white cranes with dark blue brocade for the curtains?" Yang stopped sewing and looked at Mother Yang with a serious look.

"Yes!" Mother Yang nodded repeatedly. "Now the people in the sewing room have stopped their work, even the small jacket that the Fifth Madam asked Xin Jie to make, and are anxious to make curtains for Madam. I heard that the pattern of the curtains was drawn by the Fourth Madam herself."

Mother Yang often did needlework. Whenever she encountered any inconvenience, she would go to the needlework room to borrow embroidery thread, embroidery needles, top hoops and other small items. After going there several times, she became familiar with the people in the needlework room.

"I heard from the people in the sewing room that the lady moved a black lacquered bed inlaid with mica stones and placed it in the delivery room," Mother Yang continued, "and the lady matched it with a stone-blue curtain, but felt it was too monotonous, so she had a row of white cranes embroidered on the curtain."

Yang couldn't help but pursed her lips: "Does the Marquis know?"

"I know." Mother Yang's voice couldn't help but lower. "I heard that the Marquis asked Ji Ting to move a few pots of famous flowers and put them on the windowsill."

Yang lowered her head and stared at the half-embroidered child's bellyband in her hands, without saying a word.

In a few days, Luo will become a mother. She may even give birth to a legitimate son... If that happens, the joy of the Madam and the Marquis is self-evident. Even if it is a daughter, it is a happy thing for the Marquis, who has always had few children. At that time, the Marquis will probably love Luo even more. And with Luo's skills and beauty, no one will be able to match her in the next three to five years.

She is only five months younger than Luo.

Thinking of this, Yang's mind emerged with Xiulian's beautiful face and Yumei's bright big eyes.

In three or five years, she will be an old maid.

If Luo still left her alone like this, what would she do as she was fading away? Even if she softened Luo's heart and let her sleep with him, she had neither the grace to take care of the Marquis' parents nor the affection to bear children with him. She was just serving him with her beauty. It was still unclear whether she could keep the Marquis, let alone give birth to a boy or a girl.

Yang thought of her deceased concubine Qin.

With her appearance, if she had not been lucky enough to give birth to a eldest son, how could she have been on equal footing with the shrewd and capable Madam Wen for the past decade or so?

Thinking of this, she threw away the bellyband in her hand in annoyance.

Young, beautiful, good at singing and dancing, and gifted by the Queen Mother, if she were in Luo's position, I'm afraid she would also find ways to leave her out for a few years, and let her get some rain and dew after the flower withers. By then, the flower will not be able to bear fruit, and she will still have a good reputation. Killing two birds with one stone, why not do it?

Mother Yang, who was doing needlework with her, saw that Yang looked unhappy and called her "Auntie" cautiously, her eyes full of worry.

Ever since the aunt presented the swaddling clothes that she had made day and night to the lady and the lady was unmoved, the aunt's mood became more and more agitated and she was no longer as calm and composed as before.

"Some things can't be rushed." Mother Yang thought for a moment and advised Yang clumsily, "The Queen Mother didn't tell Madam at the beginning, and directly gave the person to the Marquis. As the principal wife, she is unhappy, which is understandable. The Marquis has some rifts with our Marquis, so she will not help you speak. You told me these words when I first entered the mansion. Do you still remember?"

Yang was stunned.

Mother Yang said: "I can't talk about big principles. But I think that people are all made of flesh and blood. Since you stepped into the Xu family, you have been following the rules, being respectful and humble. After a long time, the lady will know what kind of person you are. At that time, she will naturally become close to you. Otherwise, look at Madam Wen! She gave her the accounts of the inner courtyard and raised the eldest daughter she gave birth to as her own. Not only did she find a good family for her, but she also helped the eldest daughter ask the marquis for a dowry. She also said that girls are different from boys. Boys pay attention to building up their own Achieve success and support the family, and don't ask for money from parents if you have ambition. If a girl marries into another family, she can neither show her face nor manage household affairs, and she has no private money. She depends on her husband. She has to look at other people's eyes everywhere. How can she live with her head held high? After hearing this, the Marquis gave the eldest daughter an additional 10,000 taels of silver as a dowry. This is of course because Madam Wen is cautious in front of Madam, but also because of Madam's friendship with Madam Wen. Madam, please relax. When Madam knows what kind of person you are, she will only treat you better than Madam Wen. "

Yang knew that her mother was an honest person and that there were some things that she would not understand even if she was told. So she simply nodded and asked her to pour herself a cup of tea. She then stared at the still lush leaves in the yard in a daze.

In a few days, these leaves will turn yellow, wither, and fall... and then be trampled underfoot, and after the autumn rain, they will rot in the soil.

* * * * * *

The large kang by the window was covered with a stone-blue brocade cushion, and there were two pots of tea, one red and one yellow, on the windowsill. Against the wall was a six-poster bed with a stone-blue curtain hanging on it. A row of white cranes were embroidered on the curtains, and on both sides of the curtains hung hooks with silver-gilt crabapple flowers. Opposite the bed were two armchairs, and on one side was a screen. Behind the screen was a small bathroom.

Eleventh Lady nodded and pointed to the white wall between the big kang and the bed: "Hang a four-panel porcelain screen, take a flower table, place a pot of Milan, and place a few holly trees next to the flower table. Add a few brocade stools, so that when people come to visit, they will have a place to sit."

Ji Ting's wife smiled and said "yes", and led her maid to move Milan and the holly tree.

Zhu Xiang took the little maid to the storehouse to get the porcelain screen, flower table and brocade stool.

Eleventh Lady and Mother Song went to the main house.

The two midwives from the palace and the two midwives hired by the Madam said that her belly had already swelled and she would give birth in the next few days. She looked in the mirror for a long time but could not see any difference.

Helped by Mother Song to sit on the kang, Shiyi Niang asked about Luyun's marriage.

"From the tone of your voice, you seem to be from a well-off family."

Mother Song personally handed her a cup of tea and said with a smile, "If it's not good, I dare not mention it to the Madam."

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Then call Lvyun's parents to discuss it."

Mother Song smiled and agreed. A maid came in and said, "Madam, Aunt Yang wants to see you!"

These days, Yang came to her place quite often, and whenever she came, she would chat with her. At first, it was limited to family matters, but these days, Yang often mentioned how poor her family was when she was a child, how her mother loved her younger brother, and so on.

A lot has happened at home these days, and she really couldn't empathize with Yang's "tragic" experience. After listening to a few words, she served her tea and sent her away.

Master Jian and Qiu Ju came over.

Each of them was carrying two large bags.

"We have more than fifty embroiderers in our shop. Do we really want you, a pregnant woman, to make clothes by yourself?" Master Jian said, and asked Qiuju to open her jacket. The kang was full of children's clothes. Not only were they finely made, but they were also colorful and dazzling, which dazzled the eyes.

"You can wear it until you are five years old." Qiuju covered her mouth and laughed.

Qiuju has grown a lot taller, and there is no longer the timidity in her eyes and eyebrows as when she was a maid. She looks very energetic.

She was just about to discuss marriage. The other party was a good friend of Master Jian in Jiangnan, and his family had a small embroidery shop in Huzhou. The two of them were considered to be well matched. Master Jian proposed that the other party marry into the family, but the family was a little hesitant, and the matter was put on hold.

Eleventh Lady was shocked when she heard this, and said with a smile, "Could it be that he has even put his business aside to focus on making these little things?"

Master Jian smiled and said, "Qiu Ju helped make all of this." A hint of pride appeared between his brows. "Maybe we can specialize in making clothes for children in the future."

Everyone laughed when they heard it.

What Master Jian said may come true in several centuries, but not now.

Those who can afford it have their own sewing rooms, while those who can't afford it just wear the clothes of the older ones. Moreover, there is a saying that "a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl can dress up, but a baby who can't dress up can only wear the clothes of the confinement baby".

Zhu Xiang asked Qiuyu to bring in two boxes to hold the small clothes.

Master Jian asked about Shiyi Niang's situation with a smile, and talked about some things in the shop. Seeing that it was getting late, he said that he had other things to do in the shop and said goodbye to Qiuju.

Master Jian rarely used needlework now, but all the embroidery in the shop had to be inspected by her before it could be sold. At this time, it was time to inspect the embroidery, and Shiyi Niang did not keep her, and asked Zhu Xiang to send her to the Chuihua Gate, and she called Qiuyu, Xiulian, and Yumei to come and help clean up.

After a while, Sister Zhen came over to greet me.

As a little girl, who doesn’t like these little things?

She marveled and helped Qiuyu and the others fold clothes.

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie finished school. They watched with great interest. Xu Sijie asked Shiyi Niang in a serious tone: "My younger brother is not born yet, what if he becomes a minor?"

Eleventh Lady was a little confused about the answer. As she was thinking, Xu Sizun said, "So we have done so many things, big and small. This is called being prepared for any eventuality."

Xu Sijie listened and nodded seriously: "Fourth brother is so smart."

Shiyi Niang and the others laughed so hard that they fell over and tears came out.

When they went to the old lady's house for dinner, Zhen Jie'er told the story to her again, which made the old lady and the fifth lady laugh so hard that even the second lady showed a bright smile.

Time passed quickly and it was early October. Everyone in the family became nervous. The lady even went to Ciyuen Temple to burn the first stick of incense on the morning of the first day of the new year.

I don’t know if it’s because of the approaching due date or the attitude of the people around her, but Eleventh Lady is starting to feel a little uneasy.

In the middle of the night, Xu Lingyi was awakened by Eleventh Lady who was tossing and turning. He held her in his arms and asked, "What's wrong?"

Eleventh Lady didn't know what to say.

She said she was worried that the baby would be born with missing arms and legs, that she was afraid that the baby would be mentally retarded due to lack of oxygen during delivery... all of these were unlucky. But these thoughts kept lingering in her mind. Especially when she saw the midwife from the palace asking Mother Song to prepare a new pair of scissors - she had read in a book that many babies died in the past because the umbilical cord was cut with scissors, which caused the umbilical cord to become infected.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Xu Lingyi remained silent. He just held her quietly, kissed her forehead, and comforted her.

In the warm embrace, Eleventh Lady gradually fell asleep.

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One update today.

PS: I’ll post a draft first and catch bugs later!

O(∩_∩)O~