Full House Spring

Chapter 24: Stealing chicken but losing rice
Even though she knew that the possibility of Xiao Fengxian'er's brother coming to find her was slim, Xia Li still carefully put away the gold-wrapped earrings.

She will not go back on her promise to others, even if the other person is no longer alive.

After this incident, apart from the actors in Jixiang Garden being disciplined more strictly and the servants being timid and behaving themselves, nothing else changed.

Xia Li became increasingly quiet. She either stayed in the tea room or practiced calligraphy or embroidery. She never showed her face in front of the old lady.

After Xia Li finished his work in the tea room, he went back to take out the carved candied fruit and continue to dry it in the sun.

The sun has been shining brightly for several days since the candied fruit was made, and all the moisture has dried up. By the afternoon, it can be canned and sealed.

She was standing at the foot of the wall turning over candied fruit when she heard someone calling her from afar. Xia Li stretched her neck to look and said in a loud voice:
"I'm here. I don't know why you called me, sister. Is there any errand for you?"

Yinchen walked forward with a smile on her face and said, "Isn't today the big day for you and Aunt Xie to hold a wedding banquet? The old lady asked me to call you to the main room."

Xia Li was stunned for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She wiped her hands with a handkerchief and said in a gentle voice, "Sorry for bothering me to make this trip. I'll go right away."

Although Xia Li and Yin Zhu had some minor frictions, they were able to get along generally. If they fought like black-eyed chickens all day long, the old lady would probably not tolerate them. Therefore, no matter how much Yin Zhu hated Xia Li, she still greeted him with a smile in front of everyone.

As soon as Xia Li and Yin Chen entered the inner room, Shi Mi teased her, "You are such a lazy girl. The old lady has to send someone to call you when she wants to see you."

Xia Li bowed to the old lady and saw that Grandma looked normal. She chuckled and said, "Sister, you are really wronging me. The old lady has you guys to serve her. Why would she need a maid?"

Shi Mi glanced at the old lady and said jokingly, "We old people are not as lively and interesting as you, a newcomer. The old lady has long been tired of you."

The old lady was as amiable as before. She rolled her eyes at Shi Mi and said angrily:

"Nonsense! How could I ever dislike you? Even if you stayed with me for the rest of your life, I wouldn't get tired of you."

Xia Li followed up and said, "The sisters are all well-dressed and have special skills. They are a hundred times better than those girls outside. That's why the old lady can't bear to reject them."

The old lady nodded her head after hearing this. She said cheerfully, "You are a very clever girl. I called you here today because I have a reward for you."

Xia Li's eyes suddenly lit up, and he smiled and said, "Thank you, old lady, for loving me!"

Bai Shao rolled her eyes at her and said teasingly, "You are so shameless that you don't even try to be modest."

Xia Li's face was filled with joy, and he said confidently, "Sister, are you jealous? Even if the old lady gave me a piece of rag, it was a blessing, how could I be humble and refuse."

Bai Shao turned her head and said to the old lady coquettishly: "Master, look, this girl is almost a spirit."

The wrinkles on the old lady's face were all exposed with laughter. She pointed at Xia Li and joked, "This girl is indeed a weird girl. I can't reward her with a piece of rag. Quickly give her the crane and Yunrui gold necklace."

Qiancao immediately walked up to Xia Li holding the wooden box and said with a smile, "Look at this gold necklace."

Xia Li took one look at the gold collar and his eyes immediately sparkled with joy. Anyone with a discerning eye could clearly see his uncontrollable excitement.

She wanted to reach out to take the gold necklace, but looked at Aunt Xie hesitantly. The old lady teased, "This is my gift to you. Why are you looking at your grandma? Just take it and thank her."

Aunt Xie nodded helplessly, and Xia Li then reached out to take it. With a slight gleam in her eyes, she looked at the exquisite crane and cloud pattern on the gold necklace and subconsciously asked, "The workmanship alone must be worth a lot of money, right?"

Everyone in the inner room laughed secretly. Shi Mi laughed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes. She scolded, "You are obsessed with money, girl. How can you measure the value of the things the old lady gave you with silver?"

Xia Li showed an annoyed look and changed her words: "It is because I am short-sighted that I can only tell whether it is worth money or not. I hope the old lady will forgive me."

The old lady wiped the corners of her lips with a handkerchief and said seriously:
"You are right. We have enough food and clothing at home, so we don't need to worry about its value. If it is kept outside, this gold necklace will be enough for the whole family to use for several years. This yellow and white thing is tacky. Without it, we will be unable to move forward."

The maids and servants nodded in agreement. Aunt Xie stood up and said sincerely, "Thank you for your kindness, my master. We, the grandparents, will serve you well in the future."

The old lady nodded slightly and said with emotion: "Now that you have finished the family recognition party, I have one less thing to worry about. Now, go and do your own things. You can go and congratulate me in the evening."

Xia Li came out of the inner room, holding the wooden box containing the gold necklace in her hand. She was obviously happy. This thing was hard currency. If she pawned it and exchanged it for silver in the future, it would be enough for her to buy a house.

Although the old lady is not easy to serve, a little bit of money leaking from her fingers is enough for ordinary people to live a comfortable life. No wonder so many servants are trying their best to get close to her.

After Xia Li returned to his room, he locked the crane-shaped gold necklace in the cabinet. Not long after, Nanny Xie also came back with a heavy purse in her hand. She handed the purse to Xia Li as soon as she entered the room, and explained softly, "These are the gift money sent by the maids and servants. Keep it well."

Xia Li quickly refused, saying, "Grandma should keep the money, and it's safer to leave the gold necklace with you."

Madam Xie frowned and said, "Do you think I'm an old woman who likes to exploit others? You should keep these things for yourself. You are a smart person. If you don't have enough money, it will be inconvenient to do things. The money I have saved over the years is enough. You don't have to worry about me."

Xia Li felt warm in her heart. If she continued to refuse, it would be alienating to her grandma. She put He Yin into the cabinet and locked it in front of Grandma Xie. Then they went to the small kitchen to see how the meal was prepared.

Normally, whenever the maids had major or minor events, they would ask the kitchen to prepare banquets, and most of them would go to the big kitchen. But this time, since it was put on the old lady's account, it would naturally be more convenient to hold it in the small kitchen.

Although Madam Lu had a bad temper, she was quite capable and it was no problem for her to prepare two or three tables.

In the evening, just as it got dark, the old lady's side had been fully served and the meal could begin. The maids and servants in Leshou Hall were all very respectful to Madam Xie, even Yinzhu, who had been having a bad argument with Xia Li, came over, not to mention the third-rank maids below.

Witnessed by everyone, Xia Li respectfully offered tea to Madam Xie and kowtowed to formally change his words. Madam Xie was a very solemn person, but she never stopped smiling, and she drank generously with the servants.

Xia Li sat with the young maids, laughing and chatting throughout the meal. Xiang Ru and Mai Dong sat at another table. Seeing Xia Li chatting and laughing with the older maids, Xiang Ru was very envious. She wanted to go up to her several times to say hello, but she couldn't find a chance. In Le Shou Hall, there was a huge gap between the second-class maids and the third-class maids, and they rarely had the opportunity to interact with each other.

At first, Xiangru felt a little awkward, but after this period of time, she completely figured it out. If she became good friends with Xia Li, she might have a chance to be promoted, so she really shouldn't be estranged from her.

Maidong naturally had no idea what Xiangru was thinking. She was only focused on eating the delicious food in front of her, and was happy for Xia Li when she saw her happy, and that was all.

The banquet lasted until very late, and Nanny Xie was still drunk. Xia Li helped her back to the room with great difficulty, got some hot water for her to wash up, fed her sobering soup, and watched over her as she slept at night, fearing that she would vomit or have difficulty breathing after getting drunk.

The next day, Nanny Xie woke up with a severe headache and simply asked for a day off.

When they were having a drink yesterday, Bai Shao asked Xia Li to come over at noon to see the clothes she had made for the old lady. After Xia Li packed the candied fruits into the jar and sealed it, she went over.

As soon as she entered Bai Shao's room, she saw the long jacket with a full edge. The lace embroidered with colorful butterflies and peonies was very eye-catching. Bai Shao took her hand and said with a smile:
"Come and take a look at the color combination of my dress. This blue-green butterfly is unforgettable. The peony symbolizes prosperity and the butterfly is pronounced the same as "福迭", which means longevity and good fortune. It is the most suitable dress for an old lady."

Xia Li reached out and touched the pattern, and said with admiration, "Sister is really good at embroidery. This is perfect for the palace. No wonder the old lady looks down on other people's embroidery. It's really hard to go from extravagance to frugality."

Bai Shao was so pleased with the compliment that she said cheerfully, "Although this dress is beautiful, it took me one and a half months to embroider it. I sat there all day embroidering and my eyes are almost blinded. It was really hard work."

Xia Li could understand that embroidery can only be done slowly and carefully, and every stitch and thread must be done correctly. Staring at one thing for a long time is really hurtful.

She asked casually, "Are all the old lady's clothes made by my sister herself?"

Bai Shao nodded slightly, and said helplessly, "I have to make the silk stockings that the old lady wears. Yin Zhu should have helped me, but she is so stupid that she can't understand no matter how I teach her. I would rather do it by myself than teach her. Fortunately, you are here."

Xia Li said modestly: "Although I can do embroidery, it is far from being as delicate as my sister's. I am afraid I need to practice for a while before I can help."

Bai Shao said angrily, "Don't tell me lies. The headband you made for Madam Xie and the long coat with a cross collar yesterday are both suitable for the old lady to wear. I don't care. You will be responsible for the small items in the future."

Xia Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I just figured out the work in the tea room, and you're assigning me new work. I'm just a kid."

Bai Shao covered her mouth and laughed secretly: "This is called the capable do more work, some people rush forward, but I am too lazy to pay attention to her."

The two were chatting animatedly in the house, but they didn't know that Yin Zhu, who was hiding under the wall, heard everything. She was so angry at Bai Shao's overt and covert sarcastic words that she gritted her teeth. In addition, Xia Li had tripped her up, and she couldn't swallow this anger no matter what.

Watching Bai Shao and Xia Li come out of the house, Yin Zhu waited until they were far away and out of sight before she quietly got up. She took out the key that she had prepared long ago from her sleeve, quickly opened the door and slipped in.

After seeing Bai Shao's embroidery, Xia Li was not too affected, probably because she had seen more exquisite works than this. If she were to embroider the colorful butterflies and peonies, she could do it more perfectly.

Bai Shao asked her to make a dress for the old lady. If the old lady was satisfied, she would be responsible for the job in the future. Xia Li had no objection. She went back to her room and started drawing embroidery patterns and doing embroidery. She would rather be busy during the day than to work late at night by lamplight.

However, before she had finished embroidering a crabapple flower, there was a commotion in the yard again, saying that the clothes Bai Shao had made for the old lady were damaged by someone.

Xia Li's heart skipped a beat. She had just seen the dress before, so how could something happen so soon? She hurried to see what was going on. As soon as she entered the room, she heard Bai Shao crying bitterly and the old lady sitting at the top of the table with an unhappy look on her face.

Aunt Xie had rushed over at some point, and when she saw her, she asked hurriedly, "After you and your sister Bai Shao had seen the dress, did you ever look back at it?"

Xia Li hurriedly shook her head, "Sister Bai Shao asked me to make a middle garment for the old lady, and I went back to my room to work on it, so I didn't have time to look back. If you don't believe me, you can go to my room and see that my half-finished crabapple embroidery is still on the table."

Bai Shao choked up and said, "It's no good for Xia Li to have her clothes damaged. It definitely wasn't her who did it."

The old lady's face was so gloomy that water could drip out of it. She said coldly: "If it wasn't her, then who else could it be?"

Bai Shao was suddenly speechless. She usually spoke without caring about other people's faces and had offended others. She was completely clueless for a moment.

Xia Li looked at everyone present with sharp eyes. Some were eager to distance themselves from the matter, while others were just watching the fun. When her eyes rested on Yin Zhu, she lowered her head and was unusually quiet. Logically, she should be gloating over other people's misfortune.

Seeing that Bai Shao couldn't explain anything, the old lady became even angrier.

"This was originally your job. Now that something went wrong and you can't find the culprit, you have to take the blame. There are still two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival Palace Banquet. If you can repair the clothes, the matter will be over. Otherwise, go to the front yard to receive the punishment yourself."

Bai Shao knelt on the ground, her face pale as she said:

"Old Madam, please understand. The damaged butterfly was embroidered with indigo thread. This thread is very rare. I don't have any on hand now. I have to wait for more than a month to buy it. I am really powerless..."

The old lady showed an unhappy look on her face and said solemnly:
"You have to clean up the mess you made yourself. I only care about the final result."

Bai Shao's face lost all color, and it was obvious that there was really no other way. Xia Li couldn't bear to see Bai Shao take the blame, so she had to take a gamble. She raised her voice and said:
"I vaguely remember that I looked back before I left, and it seemed that a light yellow figure flashed by. I thought I was seeing things, but now I think it might have been that person who went in and did something bad."

As soon as she said this, everyone's eyes were focused on Yin Zhu. She was the only one wearing a light yellow cross-collared silk shirt. Yin Zhu immediately panicked and said in a timid tone, "Fang Xiali, you are slandering me. I have never been to Bai Shao's place."

Xia Li narrowed her eyes slightly. Originally she was only 30% sure, but now she was a few more. She smiled and said:

"Then tell me where you were during the time when your clothes were damaged? Is there anyone who can testify for you?"

Qiancao couldn't help but say, "At that time, the three of us were sorting out the old lady's clothes for the changing seasons, and we really had never seen her."

(End of this chapter)