Chapter 146 Exposed
The next day, before dawn, Lin Yuesha struggled to get up from the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) to wash and get ready, and made an appointment with Hongliu to go early.
Granny Xiao also praised Hongliu for her good nature, saying that the better a person is, the more stubborn they can be in certain areas.
Lin Yuesha arrived right on time, panting heavily.
"Look how impatient you are. It wouldn't matter if we were a minute or two late."
Hongliu stood at the door, smiling at Lin Yuesha, her attitude completely changed.
Lin Yuesha: "..." That's not what you said yesterday!
The two entered the room. Hongliu examined Lin Yuesha's fingers and found that the redness and swelling had mostly subsided. She nodded and said, "It seems that the medicine Xiao Mama gave me is more effective than the one I used before."
"Sister Hongliu, what are we practicing today?"
Lin Yuesha looked at Hongliu pitifully, her eyes glistening with tears, hoping she would take pity on her.
"Just like yesterday, continue sewing the strips of fabric. It's very simple, I've prepared everything for you."
Hongliu remained unmoved and took out even more scraps of cloth from a bundle, twice as many as yesterday.
Lin Yuesha wanted to cry. She was a person who couldn't sit still. From morning until sunset, sitting was just as Hongtao had said, comparable to torture.
"Sister Hongliu, how long will it take me to sew the strips of cloth?"
After much deliberation, Lin Yuesha decided to sound out Hongliu. She knew nothing about needlework and only needed to learn a little, preferably with a lower standard.
"Uncertain, it depends on your own progress."
Hongliu selected a few needles and threads from the sewing basket, and with a few quick stitches, a lifelike goldfish immediately appeared on a piece of cotton handkerchief, leaving Lin Yuesha dumbfounded.
"Here you go, turn this handkerchief over and take a look."
Hong Liu revealed her hand and handed the handkerchief to Lin Yuesha with a calm expression.
Lin Yuesha turned it over and gasped. It turned out to be double-sided embroidery, with a pattern on the back as well: a little yellow chick pecking at food with its head down.
My God, how did they do that!
"You can do it too if you put in the effort."
Hongliu's embroidery skills are a family secret, but she only knows a little bit about it. Because she owed Xiao Mama a favor, Hongliu did not refuse to teach Lin Yuesha needlework.
"Is it really possible?"
Lin Yuesha lacked confidence, but since she had a talent for cooking, she wasn't clumsy. Perhaps it was because she hadn't been ambitious since transmigrating and hadn't felt any sense of crisis.
Lin Yuesha didn't say much, stopped complaining, and started doing her needlework seriously.
When Granny Xiao returned briefly, she asked Hongliu, "How is Lin girl learning? Is she adapting well?"
"She's a clever girl, Granny Xiao, don't worry."
Hong Liu didn't say much about the rest; she wanted to continue observing, hoping that Lin Yuesha wasn't just working on it sporadically. As long as she persisted, nothing was impossible.
At the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the Xuan family finally arrived at Hanmen Pass. After going through numerous formalities, they were led by a special person to enter through the side gate of Xuan Yao's courtyard.
The concubine's family members were not legitimate relatives of the Prince's mansion, but they were still not to be offended, so the Xuan family members were treated with great respect throughout the journey.
"You must be Master Xuan, the young lady's father?"
Hongtao had already brewed hot tea and then went to the main kitchen to fetch several plates of pastries, showing great attentiveness.
The group consisted of three men: an older, fat man who bore a resemblance to Xuan Yao and was presumably her father; and two others, one a pig-headed man waving a folding fan, and the other tall and handsome.
Xuan Yao mentioned that she only has one older brother, so who is the other one?
Hongtao led the person into the room, and Xuanyao immediately got off the kang excitedly. Seeing that Hongtao was still there, she said with displeasure, "Hongtao, you go down first."
When the family meets, there must be a lot to talk about. Although Hongtao was reluctant, she still dawdled out of the house. She wondered if Xuanyao would tell the Xuan family about the promise she made.
If the eldest brother of the Xuan family were that handsome scholar, she wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
As soon as Hongtao left, Xuanyao immediately grabbed Master Xuan's hand and cried, "Father, I was ignorant before and couldn't understand your good intentions!"
Despite being in the backyard of the Prince's mansion, Xuan Yao was neglected. She discovered that she still had to rely on her family in the end, and she needed to bribe servants for food and drink. Since her father didn't contribute any money, her life became even more difficult.
"What exactly is going on?"
Master Xuan was overjoyed at his daughter's meteoric rise to fame, but the information he received was vague, and he was unclear about what had happened.
In short, the marriage between the Xuan family and the He family fell through.
In this matter, the Xuan family has wronged He Xing.
Fortunately, He Xing was a reasonable person and didn't make things difficult for her. He just said that he regarded Xuan Yao as a younger sister and wanted to come along to see the world.
Therefore, Master Xuan could not refuse and immediately agreed.
"It's a long story."
Xuan Yao took a deep breath, sipped her tea, and began to recount the events at Yu Tan Temple that day. However, she concealed the fact that she had taken the initiative to cause trouble for Lin Yuesha, only saying that Lin Yuesha and Jiang Baozhu were in cahoots, and that she was so angry that she set a trap for them.
"That brat again!"
Master Xuan was furious. Because of Lin Yuesha, he was arrested and taken to the yamen, where he was also flogged. When he returned to his mansion, the servants all looked at him differently.
That brat is only getting her revenge because she has the magistrate backing her up!
"Father, please don't upset yourself. It's not worth it for a stupid girl."
Xuan Yao curled the corners of her lips. No matter how aloof Lin Yuesha was, she was still her maid, a servant who could be beaten and scolded at will.
The father and daughter complimented each other and chatted happily.
He Xing sat to the side listening, but something just didn't feel right. This Lin Yuesha's name sounded very familiar.
"Sister Xuan, I have a question that I need you to answer."
He Xing interrupted the father and daughter's conversation, asking directly, "What is the relationship between this Lin girl you're talking about and Jiang Baozhu?"
Could this girl be the same one he bribed at the Jiang residence, the one who tricked him out of a silver hairpin on their first meeting?
"The two of them are practically inseparable."
Xuan Yao snorted and casually described Lin Yuesha's appearance, saying that this brat was Xiao Qi's stepsister, not his biological sister.
Upon hearing this, He Xing was certain. What a cunning girl! He hadn't even plotted against her yet, but the brat was already treating him like a fool and swindling him out of a lot of money. Even those who hunt geese all day long can get their eyes pecked by geese!
"But why are you asking about her?"
Xuan Yao looked at He Xing suspiciously. She had never heard of any interaction between the two, but when she thought of Jiang Baozhu, who was involved in the affair, she vaguely understood something.
Xuan Yao looked down on He Xing in her heart. He was just a poor wretch. If it weren't for the rumors that Master Jiang had a son to carry on the family line, the two families wouldn't have gotten married so quickly. In the end, He Xing was only after the Xuan family's money.
Now they've come up empty-handed, yet they still have the nerve to come with their father; they're probably trying to shamelessly freeload off him.
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