The Tenth Chapter

Zhao Wensheng did not see A Chan. He hurried into Zhao Manor with his fish basket. After the back door was closed, the fishy smell lingered for a long time.

A Chan did not take the matter to heart. However, after returning home, she felt a lingering, unpleasant fishy smell on her body. She endured it as much as she could, but still went to the kitchen to boil water and wash herself and her clothes.

Perhaps it was because the gap under the kitchen door was too large, letting in the cold wind, that she developed a fever the next day.

Fortunately, after the last fever, she already knew that one needed to see a doctor when sick, especially with her frail body, which could easily lead to death.

She forced herself to get up and went to the clinic on the next street to get medicine.

The doctor who took her pulse also said that her body was weak and needed good rest, and that she should take extra care in her daily life.

A Chan thanked the doctor and rubbed her wrist. As long as the black line on her wrist was still there, and this trouble could not be resolved, her body would probably never recover.

The illness came quickly but left slowly. At first, she felt better after taking medicine for two days and then stopped taking it on time. Unexpectedly, her condition relapsed.

Having learned her lesson, A Chan no longer dared to stop taking medicine without permission. After taking it for a few more days, she finally recovered completely.

By the time her body had fully recovered, it was already February. During these days, Mama Sun had not visited, and A Chan did not know how Lady Xiao Lin was doing.

On the tenth day of February, the weather was clear.

A Chan dressed a bit thicker and burned mugwort in her room. After about fifteen minutes, the room was filled with smoke, and then she opened the doors and windows to ventilate. As soon as she pushed open the window, she saw the carriage from Zhao Manor below.

She hurried downstairs and happened to hear a knock on the door.

When she opened the door, Mama Sun was standing outside, and the smell of mugwort on her body made Mama Sun take a step back.

A Chan smiled at the set of clothes in Mama Sun's hands and asked softly, "Mama Sun, are you here today because Aunt's health has recovered?"

"Yes." Mama Sun nodded, but her tone was hesitant. "Madam finally recovered after taking prenatal medicine for a few days, but her appetite has been excessively good lately."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Isn't it said that being able to eat is a blessing?

"It is a good thing." Mama Sun forced a smile, but a worried look lingered in her eyes.

A Chan was curious but did not press further.

Mama Sun merely paused for a moment before shifting her attention back to A Chan. She handed the clothes in her hands to A Chan and said, "In two days, it will be the Flower Festival. Madam wants to visit the Flower Goddess Temple to pray. These are new clothes specially chosen for you, Young Lady."

The top of the clothes was white, with pink peach blossoms embroidered on the collar and cuffs. The skirt was a white and pink gradient, also embroidered with flower branches at the hem, which was very exquisite. Both the fabric and the workmanship were much better than what A Chan was wearing, and naturally, much more expensive.

A Chan did not refuse. She took the clothes and said generously, "Please thank Aunt on my behalf, Mama Sun."

After taking the clothes, she discovered that there was a wooden box underneath. The wooden box was also placed in A Chan's hands.

Mama Sun smiled and explained, "Here is a set of newly made hair ornaments, and a few pairs of earrings, as well as a few silk flowers, all chosen by Madam for you, Young Lady. Don't forget to wear them the day after tomorrow."

"Since it is Aunt's intention, I will not decline, A Chan."

She accepted the gifts. As for whether Lady Xiao Lin's objective could be achieved, it would depend on her mood.

A Chan was looking forward to the Flower Festival, or rather, she liked lively places.

Early on the twelfth of February, she changed into her new clothes, tied a simple hair bun, and chose a peach blossom hairpin and a pink silk flower hairpin. Even the earrings were shaped like peach blossom petals.

This box of golden peach blossoms, she thought, was Lady Xiao Lin's way of wishing her good fortune in romance.

As soon as she finished tidying herself up, Mama Sun arrived.

When Mama Sun saw A Chan open the door, she secretly took a breath, thinking that Madam's eyesight was indeed sharp. This young lady, with just a little bit of dressing up, was so captivating that even she couldn't look away, let alone others. She was truly charming and beautiful.

A Chan and Mama Sun took the carriage back to Zhao Manor together. They were waiting for Lady Xiao Lin and Zhao Wenyue to set off for the Flower Goddess Temple together.

In the main room, Lady Xiao Lin had already been up for a while. When A Chan arrived, she was having her breakfast.

Before entering the room, A Chan smelled the fishy smell again. She really couldn't stand the smell and slowed her steps, unable to help but ask Mama Sun in a low voice, "Does Aunt eat fish for breakfast too?"

Speaking of this, Mama Sun's worried expression was evident. "Indeed. I don't know what's gotten into Madam lately. She has to eat fish at every meal, one whole fish per meal. Yesterday, the kitchen didn't prepare any, and Madam scolded the cook, almost kicking her out of the mansion."

A Chan felt something was wrong and asked, "Three live fish every day. It must be difficult to buy live fish now, right?"

"Live fish are indeed hard to come by. It's the Eldest Young Master who finds a fishmonger he knows to buy them and deliver them to the mansion."

"At this time of year, it must not be easy for Cousin to buy so many live fish."

"Who says not? The Eldest Young Master has been very filial lately, and Madam has been much happier." Mama Sun agreed.

Seeing that she couldn't get any more information, A Chan changed the subject. "Did Mama Sun investigate the crying sound Aunt heard that day?"

"We investigated, but found nothing. Fortunately, Madam hasn't heard the sound since that day."

A Chan nodded.

In fact, such matters, apart from supernatural interference, were most likely man-made. After all, without a deep-seated hatred, supernatural beings wouldn't be so idle. However, she was an outsider and it was not convenient for her to say so directly.

Lady Xiao Lin was the only mistress of the mansion. The rest were her husband and their two legitimate children. If someone were indeed causing trouble, there wasn't even a suspect to consider.

Mama Sun did not notice the change in A Chan's expression and continued, "Madam has seen the sachet you made last time, Young Lady. She really likes the scent of the sachet and said that in the summer, you should make a few more. However, she was a bit displeased that the embroidery on the outside of the sachet was not exquisite enough."

A Chan felt a little awkward and didn't dare to say that she had bought the sachet from outside.

"By the way, I wonder if you can concoct a scented medicine to repel rodents and insects, Young Lady?"

"What do you need this for, Mama Sun? Are there rats in the mansion?" A Chan asked doubtfully.

Mama Sun seemed to recall something and frowned. "A few days ago, the cook told me that every morning, many flying insects gather outside the kitchen, and the number of rats in the mansion has increased."

"Is it because something was handled in the kitchen that wasn't cleaned up properly, attracting rodents and insects?"

"I think so too, but Cook Wang refuses to admit it," Mama Sun snorted. "She's just taking advantage of Madam's pregnancy, knowing she's too busy to deal with them. They're all acting up."

"Didn't you use medicine to get rid of the rodents and insects?"

"Of course, we did. It was the usual powder we always use, but this time it had no effect at all. The rats were running rampant all over the kitchen."

A Chan thought for a moment before saying, "Ordinary scented medicines are generally not very effective against rodents and insects. Incense would be better, but after burning incense, the kitchen would inevitably retain the smell, and no one could enter for a day or two."

"This... I'm afraid that won't do. Can you think of another way, Young Lady?"

They didn't have any other masters in their mansion, so they didn't set up a small kitchen. All the food for the entire mansion relied on the main kitchen.

A Chan didn't refuse either. "Alright, I'll think of other recipes when I get back."

Normal incense recipes wouldn't work, but she could use some special ones, though the materials would be hard to find.

But since Lady Xiao Lin was always generous with her rewards, she naturally had to meet the other party's needs.

Mama Sun's face lit up with joy. "Then I'll trouble you, Young Lady."

As they spoke, they walked into the main room. The maid serving by the table, meticulously removing fish bones, was sent away. Lady Xiao Lin, as if no one else were there, picked up the plate of fish and had already eaten half of it, not even looking up when they entered.

The fish wasn't particularly large, weighing about a pound. But even if she liked it, she didn't have to eat it like this for every meal.

Even A Chan, who loved chicken, wouldn't eat it every day. She'd still nibble on some vegetables occasionally, let alone Lady Xiao Lin, who was pregnant.

But even Mama Sun, who had served Lady Xiao Lin for many years, didn't dare to say anything, so A Chan naturally wouldn't pry.

After Lady Xiao Lin finished the entire fish, she put down her chopsticks, her face full of satisfaction.

A Chan carefully observed Lady Xiao Lin. She seemed to have gained weight in the past few days, but her complexion wasn't as good as when she first met her. There were dark circles under her eyes.

When she stood up, A Chan noticed that her belly seemed to have grown larger than a few days ago.

"Sit down," Lady Xiao Lin gestured to a stool by the table for A Chan to sit. Then she instructed Mama Sun, "Go see if Wenyue has finished packing, and tell her to hurry."

Before Mama Sun could leave, Zhao Wenyue's voice rang out, "I finished packing long ago. It's clearly you, Mother, who is the slowest."

When Zhao Wenyue entered the main room, she saw A Chan was also there. A Chan was wearing the velvet flower hairpin she liked, and her eyes immediately turned hostile.

However, she quickly remembered what her mother had said yesterday: finding a good marriage for Ji Chan would benefit the family. So, she suppressed her feelings.

After all, Ji Chan could only be smug for this moment. No matter how alluringly she dressed, she was only fit to be a concubine.

After Zhao Wenyue arrived, Lady Xiao Lin, supported by Mama Sun, left the courtyard. Two carriages slowly drove away from the Zhao Manor, heading towards Yongding Gate in the west.

Because it was the Flower Festival, the road to Yongding Gate was crowded with carriages and horses. It took them an hour and a half to finally queue up and exit the city gate.

The carriage moved intermittently. After another half an hour, they finally reached Yong Mountain.

The Flower Goddess Temple was built halfway up the mountain, so everyone had to get out of the carriage and walk up. Fortunately, the mountain wasn't steep, and walking slowly wasn't too tiring.

At this time, the trees along the mountain path were already adorned with many five-colored papers. When the wind blew, they looked like trees full of flowers.

Lady Xiao Lin had also prepared five-colored paper slips for A Chan and Zhao Wenyue. A Chan found a low tree branch and hung hers. Turning around, she saw a beautiful middle-aged woman coming up behind her. Upon closer inspection, it was Madam Xue.

Madam Xue's son and daughter were following behind her, and her younger brother, Xue Mingtang, was also there.

As A Chan looked at Madam Xue, she happened to look over as well.

A Chan's gaze did not shy away. She even smiled at Madam Xue. Madam Xue, however, seemed startled by her and took a step back, only to be steadied by Xue Mingtang.

Lady Xiao Lin also saw the Xue family. Her expression was neither warm nor cold, and she didn't make way for them.

Although she disliked her eldest sister, she wouldn't show a pleasant face to the bitch who had stolen her eldest sister's position.

It was Zhao Wenyue, however, who, after hanging her five-colored paper slip, turned around and saw Xue Mingtang. Her face immediately broke into a smile.