Chapter 10 When A Chan Looked at Xue Shi, She…

Chapter 10 As A Chan looked at Xue Shi, she...

Zhao Wensheng didn't notice A Chan. He hurried into the Zhao residence with a fish basket in hand. Even after the back door closed, the lingering smell of fish hung stubbornly in the air.

A Chan didn't dwell on the matter. Yet, upon returning home, she couldn't shake the unpleasant fishy odor clinging to her. After enduring it for a while, she finally went to the kitchen to boil water, first bathing herself, then washing her clothes.

Perhaps the kitchen door’s wide gap let in cold air, for the next day, she developed a fever.

Fortunately, having experienced a fever before, she now understood that illness required a doctor's attention, especially for someone as frail as herself, who could easily succumb.

Bracing herself, she forced herself to rise and went to the clinic on the next street to get medicine.

The doctor who took her pulse also advised her that her body was weak and required careful nurturing, stressing the need for extra caution in her daily life.

A Chan thanked the doctor, rubbing her wrist. As long as the black line remained there, unresolved, her body would likely never truly recover.

The illness struck swiftly but receded slowly. Initially, after two days of medicine, she felt better and stopped taking it on time. Unexpectedly, the illness recurred.

Having learned her lesson, A Chan no longer dared to discontinue her medication without permission. After several more days of treatment, she finally made a full recovery.

By the time she had fully recuperated, it was already February. Sun Ma hadn't visited during this period, and A Chan had no idea how Xiao Lin Shi was faring.

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

A Chan, dressed warmly, was burning mugwort in her room. After about fifteen minutes, the room was thick with smoke, prompting her to open the windows and doors for ventilation. As she pushed open a window, she spotted the Zhao family’s carriage below.

She hurried downstairs, just in time to hear a knock at the door.

Opening it, she found Sun Ma standing outside, who instinctively recoiled a step from the strong scent of mugwort emanating from A Chan.

A Chan smiled sweetly at the set of clothes Sun Ma held, asking softly, "Sun Ma, has Auntie recovered, since you've come today?"

"Indeed," Sun Ma nodded, though her tone held a hint of hesitation. "After several days of pregnancy-stabilizing medicine, she's finally better. It's just that her appetite has been unusually robust lately."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Didn't they say a good appetite was a blessing?

"It is a good thing," Sun Ma forced a smile, but a shadow of worry still clouded her brow.

A Chan was curious but didn't press further.

Sun Ma briefly lost herself in thought before refocusing on A Chan. She presented the clothes to A Chan, saying, "The Flower Festival is in two days. Madam wishes to visit the Flower Goddess Temple, and this is a new outfit specially chosen for you."

The top of the outfit was white, with delicate pink peach blossoms embroidered along the collar and cuffs. The skirt, however, featured a graceful white-to-pink gradient, with floral branches stitched along the hem—exquisitely crafted. Both the fabric and workmanship far surpassed A Chan's usual attire, and naturally, it was much more expensive.

A Chan didn't decline. She accepted the clothes gracefully, saying, "Please thank Auntie for me, Sun Ma."

Only then did she notice a wooden box tucked beneath the clothes, which was also handed to her.

Sun Ma smiled and explained, "Inside is a newly crafted set of hair ornaments, a few pairs of earrings, and some silk flowers—all specially chosen by Madam for you. Don't forget to wear them the day after tomorrow."

"Since it is Auntie's kind intention, I shall accept it with gratitude."

She accepted the gifts; as for whether Xiao Lin Shi's objectives would be achieved, that would depend entirely on A Chan's mood.

A Chan was excited for the Flower Festival—or rather, she enjoyed bustling places.

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

This box of gleaming peach blossom accessories suggested Xiao Lin Shi's strong desire to attract some distinguished suitors for her.

Just as she finished getting ready, Sun Ma arrived.

When Sun Ma saw A Chan at the door, she secretly gasped, thinking, *Madam truly has sharp eyes. This young cousin, with just a little adornment, is utterly captivating. Even I can't look away, let alone others. She is truly radiant and charming.*

A Chan and Sun Ma took the carriage back to the Zhao residence. They were to wait for Xiao Lin Shi and Zhao Wenyue before setting off for the Flower Goddess Temple together.

In the main room, Xiao Lin Shi had been awake for a while. When A Chan arrived, she was having her morning meal.

Before even entering the room, A Chan caught the scent of fish again. She truly disliked the smell, and her steps slowed. She couldn't help but quietly ask Sun Ma, "Does Auntie eat fish in the morning too?"

At this, Sun Ma's face clouded with worry. "Indeed. Lately, Madam has been demanding fish at every meal—sometimes even a whole fish in one sitting. Yesterday, when the kitchen didn't prepare any, the cook was harshly reprimanded and nearly dismissed from the residence."

A Chan found this somewhat unusual and pressed further, "Three live fish daily—that's hard to come by this season, isn't it?"

"Live fish are indeed difficult to obtain. The eldest young master has been buying them from a familiar fishmonger and having them delivered to the residence."

"For Cousin to procure so many live fish at this time of year—that's truly remarkable."

"Who says it isn't? The eldest young master has been exceptionally filial lately, and Madam has been much happier because of it," Sun Ma echoed.

Seeing she wouldn't get any more information, A Chan changed the subject. "About the crying Auntie heard that day—did you have someone investigate it, Sun Ma?"

"We investigated, but found nothing. Thankfully, Madam hasn't heard the sound since then."

A Chan nodded.

Truthfully, in such matters, excluding supernatural interference, the most likely explanation was human agency. After all, unless there was deep-seated animosity, spirits wouldn't bother being so troublesome. But as an outsider, she couldn't state it directly.

The only female mistress in this household was Xiao Lin Shi. The others were her husband and their two legitimate children. If someone truly was causing mischief, there wasn't even a suspect to consider.

Sun Ma didn't notice the change in A Chan's expression and continued, "Madam has seen the sachet you made last time. She loved its fragrance and even asked you to make more for the summer. She only thought the embroidery on the outside wasn't refined enough."

A Chan felt a little embarrassed, not daring to admit she had bought the sachet from outside.

"By the way, I wonder if you could formulate an incense to repel rodents and insects?"

"What do you need that for, Sun Ma? Is the residence troubled by mice?" A Chan asked, puzzled.

Sun Ma frowned, as if recalling something unpleasant. "A few days ago, the cook told me that every morning lately, swarms of flying insects gather outside the kitchen. And the number of mice in the residence has increased significantly."

"Could it be that some food ingredients were processed in the kitchen and not cleaned up properly, attracting pests?"

"That's what I thought, but that cook Wang refuses to admit it," Sun Ma scoffed. "They're all taking advantage of Madam's pregnancy, thinking she has no time to manage them—utterly undisciplined."

"Haven't you used any medicine to repel the rodents and insects?"

"How could we not? We used the usual powders, but this time they had no effect whatsoever. The mice are brazenly running rampant all over the kitchen."

A Chan thought for a moment before replying, "Ordinary incense isn't very effective against rodents and insects. Fumigation works better, but the kitchen would inevitably retain the smell afterward and would be unusable for a day or two."

"That... might not be feasible. Could you think of another solution?"

Since their residence had no other masters, there was no separate small kitchen—the entire household relied on the main kitchen for meals.

A Chan didn't refuse. "Alright, I'll think of another formula when I get back."

If normal incense wouldn't work, she could always use some special formulas, though the ingredients might be hard to find.

But then again, Xiao Lin Shi had always been generous, so of course, A Chan would fulfill her request.

Upon hearing this, Sun Ma beamed with joy: "Then I'll trouble you for this, young lady."

As they spoke, the two entered the main room. The maid who had been serving by the table, removing fish bones, was dismissed to the side. Xiao Lin Shi, paying no attention to their arrival, was holding a plate of fish and had already eaten half of it without even looking up.

The fish wasn't particularly large, weighing about a pound, but even if one liked it, eating it at every meal was excessive.

Take A Chan herself—even if she loved chicken, she wouldn't eat it every day and would occasionally nibble on some greens, especially not Xiao Lin Shi, who was pregnant.

Yet even Sun Ma, who had served Xiao Lin Shi for years, dared not say anything, so of course, A Chan wouldn’t speak out either.

Only after Xiao Lin Shi finished the entire fish did she set down her chopsticks, looking thoroughly satisfied.

A Chan carefully observed Xiao Lin Shi, noticing she seemed to have gained weight these past few days, yet her complexion wasn't as good as when they first met—her eyes were shadowed with dark circles.

When Xiao Lin Shi stood up, A Chan also observed that her belly seemed more pronounced than a few days prior.

"Sit," Xiao Lin Shi gestured to a stool by the table for A Chan to take a seat, then instructed Sun Ma, "Go check if Wenyue is ready and tell her to hurry up."

Before Sun Ma could leave, Zhao Wenyue’s voice rang out: "I’ve been ready for ages—you're the one holding us up, Mother."

Upon entering the main room and spotting A Chan, Zhao Wenyue’s face fell when she noticed her favorite velvet flower hairpin adorning A Chan’s hair.

But she quickly remembered what her mother had said the day before—that securing a good marriage for Ji Chan would benefit the family—and so she bit back her words.

After all, Ji Chan could only enjoy this temporary victory; no matter how alluringly she dressed, she was only good enough to be a concubine.

Once Zhao Wenyue arrived, Xiao Lin Shi, leaning on Sun Ma's arm, left the courtyard. Two carriages slowly departed from the Zhao residence, heading toward Yongding Gate in the west.

Because it was the Flower Festival, the road to Yongding Gate was especially crowded with carriages and horses, and it took them an hour and a half just to queue their way out of the city gate.

The carriages lurched along, and after another half hour, they finally reached Yong Mountain.

The Flower Goddess Temple was built halfway up the mountain, requiring everyone to disembark and walk uphill. Fortunately, the slope wasn’t steep, and the gentle incline made for an easy climb.

By then, the trees lining the mountain path were already adorned with colorful paper streamers, fluttering like blossoms in the breeze.

Xiao Lin Shi had also prepared multicolored paper slips for A Chan and Zhao Wenyue. A Chan found a low-hanging branch to tie hers to, and when she turned around, she saw an elegant matron approaching. A closer look revealed it was none other than Xue Shi.

Xue Shi’s two children followed behind her, and her younger brother Xue Mingtang was also present.

Just as A Chan glanced at Xue Shi, the latter happened to look her way as well.

A Chan neither avoided her gaze nor hesitated to smile at her, while Xue Shi, seemingly startled, took a step back and was steadied by Xue Mingtang.

Xiao Lin Shi also noticed the Xue family but remained indifferent, neither stepping aside nor giving them any notice.

Though she despised her elder sister, she had no intention of showing courtesy to the woman who had stolen her sister’s rightful place.

In contrast, Zhao Wenyue, after hanging her paper slip, turned and immediately spotted Xue Mingtang, her face instantly lighting up with a smile.