Full House Spring

Chapter 104 Fate
Xia Li accompanied her sister-in-law for lunch before leaving. It was already afternoon when she returned to Cuihua Court. She had nothing to do, so she simply picked up a paintbrush to sketch the pattern of the wedding dress.

She doesn't have too many aspirations or expectations for marriage, but she also fantasizes about what she would look like in her wedding dress, which has nothing to do with love.

But as fate would have it, she didn't have the chance to wear a white wedding dress, so she could only try to make her wedding gown more gorgeous.

The reason for choosing Panjin embroidery is that the embroidery products are well-proportioned, glittering with gold, luxurious and gorgeous, and suitable for auspicious patterns such as dragons, phoenixes and unicorns. The Jin Dynasty did not have strict standard requirements for wedding dresses, so auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes could be embroidered in summer.

She sat at her desk, sketching carefully. The sunlight shone through the window onto her body. Everything around her seemed to be bathed in a warm atmosphere, making her feel peaceful and beautiful.

This was the scene Qiao He saw when she entered the house. The corners of her mouth rose unconsciously, and she walked towards Xia Li with light steps. She first came to her side to look at the embroidery pattern she had drawn, and asked softly, "Girl, is this the pattern you want to embroider on your wedding dress?"

Xia Li looked up at her and said with a smile, "That's what I planned. What do you think?"

Qiao He smiled and said in a brisk voice, "The girl's painting is naturally very beautiful. If you pair it with colorful embroidery threads, it will surely be eye-catching when you wear it."

Xia Li kept moving his hands and said calmly, "How could you bear to come out of the kitchen? Do you have something to tell me?"

Qiao He put the fragrant sweet potato close to Xia Li's nose and said with a smile: "I am here to bring you something delicious. This sweet potato is sweet and soft, and it is baked with firewood. Come and have a try."

Xia Li put down the pen in his hand and turned his eyes to her hands. He said in surprise: "I was thinking about this a few days ago. You really understand me."

Qiao He brought a small stool and sat next to Xia Li. She gently peeled off the skin of the roasted sweet potato and handed it to Xia Li. When she saw her smile of surprise after taking a bite, she said, "How is it? It tastes good, right?"

The roasted sweet potato was no longer so hot and just right for the mouth. Xia Li praised it generously, "It's really soft, sticky and sweet. It's better than what we ate when we were sitting in the courtyard watching the snow."

Qiao He's eyes softened a little, and she said softly, "The roasted sweet potatoes we ate back then were different from this variety, but I was still very happy."

Xia Li lowered his head and took a bite. He looked at Qiao He carefully and said in a gentle voice, "A baked sweet potato has brought you here to reminisce about the past? When did you become so thoughtful?"

Qiao He said angrily, "Look at what you said, young lady. I am a thoughtful maid, but you just didn't notice it."

Xia Li showed an expression of seeing through but not saying anything, and said naturally: "Tell me, what happened again, your thoughts are written all over your face."

Qiao He subconsciously touched her face, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Miss, you are teasing me again. Actually, it's nothing serious. It's just that Mai Dong wrote me a letter, talking about some old people and stories in the Cheng En Marquis's mansion."

Xia Li's expression was slightly restrained, and he said with some emotion: "I didn't expect Mai Dong would write to you. She has really improved a lot. No wonder you look like this. Tell me quickly, how is she doing now."

Seeing that Xia Li did not avoid the topic, Qiao He relaxed a lot and said calmly, "The handwriting on the letter is from two people. Her husband wrote the words she could not write. Now she is married and lives a happy life."

Xia Li said with a look of relief: "Mai Dong is simple-minded, and Li Ang seems to be a man with a plan for success. They will both be living a good life. How are the others?"

The smile on Qiao He's face gradually disappeared. She hesitated and said, "After Mai Dong got married, she had no contact with the Cheng En Marquis's Mansion. As a result, Xiang Ru got into trouble and Manager Zhou was implicated. Only then did we get some news."

Xia Li pondered for a moment and said calmly, "Because Cheng Enbo deliberately ignored her, she made trouble again?"

Qiao He shook her head, with a complicated expression, "If she was ignored, that would be considered good. Mai Dong said in the letter that although the master gave her the status of a concubine, she lived worse than a maid. Even the servants in the courtyard dared to bully her, but the master just treated her as if she didn't exist."

Xia Li was a little surprised. In her impression, Lu Lingchuan was not a cruel person, but she didn't expect that he would treat Xiangru like this. How could a concubine who was not favored and disliked by the master of the family have a good life? She knew the living environment of the Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion very well.

"Just tell me straight, what has Elsholtzia done this time?"

Qiao He sighed softly and said with pity: "She was tortured beyond recognition by her subordinates. She was unwilling to live a miserable life, so she hooked up with a guard in the front yard. After she got pregnant, she drugged the old master to confuse his bloodline. Little did she know that the old master had already sent people to keep an eye on her..."

Xia Li felt a chill in her heart after hearing this. She actually developed a sense of fate. Even if Lu Lingyan hadn't interfered, Xiangru's fate would still have developed as planned.

She calmed down and asked in a low voice, "Then how did Lu Lingchuan deal with her?"

Qiao He kept a tense expression and said calmly, "This time, the uncle showed no mercy. He had her drugged and dragged out to be sold. Manager Zhou couldn't bear it and secretly redeemed her. But Xiangru had been tortured to the point of going crazy. She couldn't even recognize Maidong. Her life is ruined."

Xia Li stared out the window in a daze. After a long while, she slowly said, "Lu Lingchuan has become decisive and ruthless. It is not easy to survive in the cracks of the Cheng En Marquis's mansion. Xiangru's madness and stupidity may not be a bad thing. At least she can save her life. As long as Manager Zhou is here, she will not die. She chose her own path and cannot blame others."

Qiao He said with sadness in her eyes: "Xiang Ru made one mistake after another. If she had behaved herself, the master would not have ignored her for the rest of her life after his resentment subsided. But she is strong-willed but not strong-willed. She really can't blame anyone else."

Xia Li raised a faint smile at the corner of her lips and said in a gentle voice: "Don't think too much. Her tragedy was not caused by you and me. We probably won't meet again in this life. Just be well."

Qiao He nodded slightly and said, "Miss, what you said makes sense. I feel much better after saying it. I won't bother you any more. I'll go to the kitchen to see what I can make for you for dinner."

Now that she is free from the pressure of survival, Qiaohe has become much more lively, and Xiali is happy to see it. Perhaps because he was too emotional after hearing about Xiangru, Xiali dreamed of Xiangru at night.

In the dream, Alocasia came running to her with disheveled hair and looked crazy and questioned her.

"Are you satisfied with the results you saw? Are you still gloating in your heart? Even if you are gone, the uncle still has you in his heart. Don't you feel a sense of accomplishment?"

Even in his dream, Xia Li didn't bother to explain to her. Her contemptuous and disregarding attitude angered Xiangru. She rushed over and strangled Xia Li's neck tightly. The feeling of suffocation was like real suffocation, which woke Xia Li up suddenly.

She sat up, looking at the daylight outside gradually getting brighter, and she was no longer sleepy. After all, they were people she had spent every day with, so she couldn't just ignore it.

Although Xia Li got up earlier than usual, there was no sign of trouble on her face when she met Sun Fuya. The two sisters-in-law had a pleasant conversation in the carriage. Sun Fuya had been in charge of the household affairs for several years and had many capable people under her, so when she gave orders, things were done very quickly and efficiently.

The decoration of the perfume shop was better than Xia Li had expected. Several tea rooms were specially reserved for receiving distinguished guests. Xia Li only made suggestions for modifications on minor details and had no objections to anything else.

After visiting the perfume shop, the aunt and sister-in-law went to the embroidery workshop. After choosing and selecting, Xia Li ordered various colored embroidery threads. Since the gold thread could not be obtained in a short time, they could only wait a few days for the shopkeeper to deliver it to the house.

When they came out of the embroidery workshop, it was already lunch time. Sun Fuya suggested going to a nearby vegetarian restaurant for lunch. She heard that although the dishes there were made with vegetarian dishes, they tasted like meat. She had always wanted to try it but had never found a chance. Today was a good opportunity.

Xia Li naturally had no objection. She got along well with her sister-in-law and she didn't have to be too cautious when talking to her. It was like they were close friends.

After entering the vegetarian restaurant, I was led by the waiter to the private room upstairs. Although the room was not big and was only separated by a screen, the sound insulation effect was not very good, but it could block the prying eyes of outsiders and provide a relatively relaxed dining environment.

The two of them ordered five special dishes, which tasted very good, so they wanted to invite the chef to come back home to cook for their parents. The aunt and sister-in-law were enjoying their meal when they suddenly heard the door of the private room next door being kicked open.

A familiar voice came out, "Hu Yongyun, you are so good. I asked you to go horseback riding and you didn't have time, but you had time to meet with a woman. Where do you put me?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xia Li and Sun Fuya looked at each other unconsciously. They subconsciously held their breath and pricked up their ears to eavesdrop. Before Hu Yongyun could speak, a soft and weak female voice was heard.

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Zhang? Lord Hu and I are seeing each other openly. How can there be any talk of a secret meeting? It's really too much for you to humiliate my reputation like this."

Zhang Junan said with anger in his voice: "He, Hu Yongyun, is my man. Could it be that Miss He has never heard of him? What kind of dating are you two doing? Why don't you see a matchmaker? You two are clearly having a secret meeting!"

Sun Fuya leaned close to Xia Li's ear and whispered, "In the private room next door are Zhang Junan, Hu Yongyun, and He Moli. There's going to be something interesting to watch today."

Seeing his sister-in-law's interested expression, Xia Li lowered his voice and said, "If this matter gets out of hand, I'm afraid Miss He's reputation will be damaged."

Sun Fuya nodded slightly. He Moli was an unmarried girl after all. Even if Zhang Jun'an was a homosexual, there would always be implications if it got out.

Zhang Jun'an seemed particularly angry. He raised his voice and said, "Hu Yongyun, tell me clearly, what do you want?"

Hu Yongyun said in a clear voice: "I am the only child of the Hu family. I promised my sister that I would continue the bloodline. I hope that Mr. Zhang will help me."

His words seemed to stir up a hornet's nest, causing Zhang Jun'an to roar, "You want to continue your bloodline? Then why did you provoke me before? Am I your toy to be summoned and dismissed at will? Don't get rid of me just like that!"

He was so angry that he knocked the screen down with one punch. Xia Li and Sun Fuya were exposed in front of everyone without any mental preparation. They were stunned for a moment and then continued to eat as if nothing had happened.

However, He Moli saw their faces change drastically, and stood up and said, "I think Mr. Zhang San has some misunderstanding. Lord Hu and I are just here to meet each other because of the matchmaking of our family elders. We have never had any contact before. Since you have something to resolve, I will leave first."

He Moli was about to flee. When she left the vegetarian restaurant, her personal maid said with a pale face, "Miss, what should we do? If the mistress knew that you secretly came out to see Lord Hu, I'm afraid she would not let you and Miss Cui go."

He Moli's fingertips turned white as she pinched the handkerchief. She said in a cold voice, "Mother won't notice. I'm usually inconspicuous, and outsiders may not be able to recognize me."

The maid said in a trembling voice: "But Madam Fang and Miss Fang know you. If they tell anyone about you, you will..."

Before she finished her words, He Moli glanced over and said sinisterly, "The women of the Fang family disdain to gossip behind others' backs. Just keep your mouth shut and don't reveal your true identity when you return home."

The maid was so scared that she held back her tears, hiccuped and nodded continuously, then followed He Moli to the He Mansion.

Zhang Junan saw that Xia Li was not panicked at all, so he said politely, "I wonder if Madam Fang and Miss Fang could vacate the private room so that I can settle my private affairs with Lord Hu. I will compensate you two another day."

The aunt and sister-in-law had almost filled their stomachs. Although it was a pity that they could not watch the fun, they still cooperated and made room for them.

Hu Yongyun kept his head down and remained silent. When Xia Li went out, he turned around and happened to meet his eyes. Xia Li was stunned by his familiar face.

She felt like she had seen Hu Yongyun's face somewhere before, or perhaps his face looked like someone else's. She thought as she walked, but couldn't figure it out for a moment.

Seeing her thoughtful expression, Shi Mi lowered her voice and asked, "Miss, do you also think that Lord Hu's face looks like an actor in the Duke's Mansion?"

Xia Li suddenly had an idea and blurted out, "It's Xiao Fengxian. His face is 80% similar to Xiao Fengxian."

Shi Mi suddenly realized, "It must be Xiao Fengxian who was beaten to death for having an affair with the second master. I went to see her execution. Although they look similar, they may not be related. After all, Lord Hu is a county lieutenant, and Xiao Fengxian is just an actress. They are not related at all."

Xia Li shook her head solemnly. It had been a long time since the incident happened, so it was okay to talk about some things. She said in a low voice:
"I have had contact with Xiao Fengxian. She really had a brother who was stranded in a foreign land and has disappeared. Before her execution, she gave me a token and asked me to give it to her brother. I spent money to secretly bury her body. I don't know if Lord Hu is her brother."

Sun Fuya said in a calm tone, "As far as I know, Hu Yongyun has no relatives. His adoptive father who raised him passed away a few years ago. If you have a token, you might as well ask him. This can be considered a good deed."

Xia Li nodded slightly and said, "Then I'll talk to him in detail another day, and don't disturb them from handling their private matters for now."

Sun Fuya nodded in agreement and said gently, "Then let's go home. Don't tell anyone what you saw today, so as not to cause trouble."

The maids who accompanied them agreed repeatedly. Just because they didn't gossip didn't mean others wouldn't say anything. There is no wall that is completely airtight in this world.

(End of this chapter)