Chapter 44: Mother, A Yuan is in pain

Chapter 44: Mother, A Yuan is in pain

Ever since that day, Shen Qiuyu has been a frequent visitor.

Her engagement to Wei Xun was officially announced, and as a close friend of Wei Jin, no one could object to her visits to the Marquis's residence.

Shen Qiuyu was a master of social graces, charming the old lady and slowly gaining Zhao Wan's favor. She was well-liked by everyone in the residence.

"Truly, she is a noblewoman from a distinguished family, excelling in poetry, literature, and etiquette. Only a woman of her caliber is fit for our young master, unlike others who rely solely on their beauty to ensnare men..."

A group of maidservants walked past the outer courtyard, spotting the woman embroidering by the window, they sneered.

Distracted, A Yuan accidentally pricked her fingertip with the needle, and bright red blood began to seep out.

"Oh no! Mistress, you're bleeding!"

Chun Tao, who had just returned with embroidery thread, noticed the blood on her fingertip the moment she stepped in and rushed to fetch a handkerchief and some medicine.

The maidservants scattered at the sound of Chun Tao's voice. They were bold enough to gossip about A Yuan but not Chun Tao, because Chun Tao wasn't afraid to lash out when provoked.

"Mistress, you've been overworking yourself lately. Why not take a break? My mother is managing the shop."

A Yuan had been juggling embroidery and managing the Su Embroidery Workshop lately, leaving her utterly exhausted.

Seeing this, Chun Tao couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

The young master is so good to the mistress, granting her every wish, so why does she push herself so hard?

The little maid's thoughts were written all over her face, and A Yuan, clutching her fingertip, smiled bitterly.

"It's alright. Madam Lin's birthday is the day after tomorrow, and we can't delay her new clothes."

Moreover, only by embroidering could she keep her mind from wandering.

Indeed, as the maids said, she was just a plaything that served with her looks.

Everything seemed fine now, but only A Yuan knew that beneath the flourishing flowers could be an abyss.

"Then I'll embroider with you, mistress, and you can teach me!"

Chun Tao, with her wrinkled little face, gritted her teeth and made up her mind.

It's just embroidery, she could definitely learn it!

"Are you sure you want to learn? Aren't you afraid of sitting for too long and your back hurting?"

A Yuan, with a smile on her lips, teased.

She had tried to teach Chun Tao before, but the little maid either complained about the needle being tiring or sitting for too long making her back hurt, as if the chair had nails, unable to sit still for a moment.

Chun Tao, blushing from her laughter, said in a muffled voice, "I'm not afraid anymore. As long as I can help the mistress, I'm willing to sit on the bench all day."

"Silly girl."

A Yuan, with red eyes, ruffled the little maid's head, forcing down the heat in her eyes, "Then I'll teach you."

Although embroidery is hard, learning it is a skill, and Chun Tao's simple and impatient nature had offended many in the residence. Embroidery could also temper her character.

Lin Qingshuang was a regular customer at the Su Embroidery Workshop. She liked A Yuan's craftsmanship and had entrusted her with making the clothes she would wear on her birthday.

After seven days of work, A Yuan finally completed the flowing fairy dress.

"Deliver it to Lady Lin."

At the Minister's mansion.

Today was the birthday of the Lin family's young lady, and all the noblewomen who were friends with her in the capital had come.

Lin Qingshuang had gotten up early to get ready. Her mother and sisters-in-law had prepared dresses for her, but Lin Qingshuang didn't choose any of them, insisting on the one made by A Yuan.

"How could Lady Xie's work compare to that of the palace embroiderers? Don't embarrass yourself and cry today."

The second sister-in-law of the Lin family was outspoken. The dress she had gifted was made by a palace embroiderer, and now it was being outdone by a mere concubine, which naturally upset her.

Lin Qingshuang couldn't stand her speaking ill of A Yuan and scrunched her nose at her, "Lady Xie is my friend, and I love anything she makes!"

Without waiting for her sisters-in-law to respond, she took the dress and went into the inner chamber.

The second sister-in-law stayed outside, waiting to see Lin Qingshuang cry, as she didn't believe A Yuan's skills could match those of the palace embroiderer.

However, this time the second sister-in-law was in for a surprise.

Lin Qingshuang, who had been pampered since childhood, usually had a lively personality and dressed in a cute and charming style. But the dress made by A Yuan revealed her bold and independent side.

The red flowing fairy dress was unadorned, and the sleeves and skirt were wider than what she usually wore, flowing like water as she moved, giving a sense of elegance and freedom. The sandalwood hairpin in her hair enhanced this sense of freedom to the fullest.

"So beautiful even without wearing a head full of jewels..."

The second sister-in-law gasped in admiration as she murmured.

Lin Qingshuang stood in front of the bronze mirror, admiring her reflection for a long time, extremely satisfied.

Hearing her sister-in-law's words, she put her hands on her hips proudly, "Now do you believe me, sister-in-law? A Yuan is truly amazing!"

"Yes, yes, I lost. Now, little birthday girl, go to the front courtyard, everyone is waiting for you."

The second sister-in-law playfully tapped her nose and pushed her out the door, already secretly deciding to have A Yuan make a new dress for her as well.

Lin Qingshuang's appearance naturally caused another round of admiration. When the noblewomen found out her dress was made at Su Embroidery House, their expressions varied.

Although not explicitly stated, everyone knew that the owner behind Su Embroidery House was A Yuan.

As Wei Xun's concubine, she was quite a subject of gossip in the capital.

"To think it was made by her, I never expected her to have such skills..."

"Wasn't she said to be a courtesan from Yangzhou? How does she know embroidery? No wonder she's favored by Wei Crown Prince."

"What does it matter? No matter how favored she is, she's just a plaything. With Shen Qiuyu's temperament, this little concubine will have a hard time in the future."

The noblewomen sighed, but they genuinely liked Lin Qingshuang's dress and planned to send their maids to Su Embroidery House to place orders.

A Yuan was unaware that Lin Qingshuang's birthday banquet had brought her a wave of new business. After finishing the flowing fairy dress, she didn't touch her needle again.

Chun Tao brought her a bowl of longevity noodles from the kitchen, whipped up with greens and a golden fried egg.

"I didn't say it was your birthday, just that you wanted longevity noodles, so they whipped up a simple bowl."

In fact, today was also A Yuan's birthday, but no one else in the household knew except for Chun Tao.

Thirteen years ago, A Yuan's parents were slaughtered by bandits on this day, and since then, she has been reluctant to celebrate her birthday.

If she hadn’t accidentally mentioned it, even Chun Tao wouldn't have known.

"Thank you."

A Yuan took the noodles and thanked her, while Chun Tao waved her hands repeatedly.

"My lady, you don’t need to be so formal with me. It's my duty to do these things."

A Yuan gave a small smile, but Chun Tao didn't know how much she feared this day. Whenever her mind was idle, the image of her parents covered in blood would haunt her.

Luckily, Chun Tao was by her side.

Perhaps due to several days of exhaustion and mental strain, A Yuan came down with a high fever in the evening.

When Wei Xun returned, Chun Tao had just finished giving her medicine.

The concubine's face was buried in the blanket, her pale and delicate features exposed, making Wei Xun’s heart ache.

"Hand me the towel."

He sat by the bed, carefully wiping the cold sweat from A Yuan's forehead and pulling the blanket snugly around her.

When his fingertips touched her face, she reached out and grabbed his hand.

Though the sick concubine's strength was weak, she held on stubbornly.

A Yuan tightly held his hand, her forehead creased, and she pressed her face into his palm as she murmured, "Mom, it hurts..."