Since her son was making progress, Meng Yao couldn’t fall behind, right?
After all, she heard that the higher level of education, the more silver it requires.
And now that she knew she could trade things in the space, she definitely couldn’t waste it. But buying things needed silver, didn’t it? So, earning money is currently the most important task.
Besides delivering embroidery patterns to Hundred Embroidery House, Meng Yao also took up the job of instructing the embroidery girls there, going twice every ten days of each month, earning three taels of silver monthly. Although it was little compared to selling patterns, it was much more compared to most occupations of the time.
Zhao Xiaohua was learning medicine, and Zhao Xiaoshu was studying literarily, martially, and medically.
After Qin Zheng learned that Meng Yao had acquired many skills from Zhao Ting, he insisted on taking Meng Yao as his teacher, and no one could stop him.
Like Zhao Xiaoshu, he pursued the three fields of literature, martial arts, and medicine.
To be precise, Qin Zheng took over teaching Zhao Xiaoshu and Zhao Xiaohua literary studies.
Zhao Dahe was responsible for compiling notes for Qin Zheng to study.
Zhao Dajiang and Song Xiu’er were taking care of the family life. Overall, everyone had their roles, and the days passed fairly peacefully.
As for the Meng Family, just as Meng Yao anticipated, when Zhao Dahe returned, Mrs. Lin brought Meng Ruyu to visit under some pretext, unusually bringing a chicken, saying it was sent by Grandma Sun for Zhao Dahe to nourish him while studying hard.
As it turned out, before Meng Yao could be troubled, Zhao Dahe sarcastically drove them away.
Meng Ruyu left crying.
The young girl was not deep in thought and was provoked by Zhao Dahe’s few words into stomping her feet and blurting out, "Even if I never get married, I won’t take a look at you, Zhao Dahe."
Who knows what kind of plans Granny Sun and Mrs. Lin had, but afterward, they never came again.
Instead, Tao Hua, whom Meng Yao deliberately avoided, came to visit several times.
Moreover, Meng Yao was surprised to find that Tao Hua had become normal. When they were together, even looking into her eyes didn’t sway her thoughts. Meng Yao lowered her guard quite a bit, gradually treating her like an ordinary little girl.
Of course, for everything she knew, she restricted her family from spreading it outside.
She believed in being prepared and Meng Yao had never been someone who easily trusted others.
She didn’t want to stir up any trouble.
In November, along with the first snowfall, the Han family mother and son came in a carriage.
The commotion was large, and the whole village knew.
Because as soon as Madame Han arrived, she spent eighty taels of silver to buy the Meng Family’s house.
In Shanghua Village, the best houses belonged to two families.
The Zhao Family and the Meng Family.
Madame Han first went to the Zhao Family. After being refused by Meng Yao, she went to the Meng Family.
The Meng Family sold it readily, after all, they still had an old house to live in, and the new house had only cost forty taels to build at the time. After the spring thaw, they could build a new house and still make a net profit of forty taels. It’s like picking up silver for free.
Only a fool would refuse.
In the Meng Family’s eyes, the Zhao Family was the fool.
Of course, they were also thankful. Thanks to the "fool" Meng Yao, they gained this windfall of forty taels for nothing.
The fool Meng Yao now had a head full of questions.
In the dream, the Han family mother and son moved to Shanghua Village a year before Zhao Xiaohua’s coming of age ceremony.
Now, they have arrived four years early!
So, was it her presence that caused a butterfly effect?
Glancing at Zhao Xiaohua, in these months, with Qin Zheng as her companion, though she hadn’t become as thin as a lightning bolt, apart from a little baby fat on her face, her figure had become very well-proportioned, hinting at the look of a young lady.
So, Zhao Xiaohua’s fate should see a twist, right?
To be on the safe side, Meng Yao quietly decided to keep her distance from the Han Family mother and son.
To nip it all in the bud.
Even so, the news about the Han Family mother and son still somehow flew into Meng Yao’s ears.
At the same time, it reached Zhao Xiaohua’s ears too.
"Han Muchi looks as handsome as an immortal in the heavens."
"Madame Han is also good-looking, not at all like someone with such a grown son."
"The Han Family is especially wealthy, with specialized people for washing clothes and cooking meals. The daily meals are even better than what we eat during the New Year."
"I don’t know why such a family would suddenly move to a small village like ours."
"If only we could marry into the Han Family."
Such topics were discussed enthusiastically and tirelessly by the villagers.
"Mom, is Han Muchi really that handsome? Is he more handsome than Brother Qin Zheng?" Zhao Xiaohua curiously asked.
Meng Yao shook her head, "How would mom know, I haven’t seen him, who knows if he’s really that good-looking? Besides, haven’t you figured out that when words spread, they change. And besides, as a young lady, should you be so concerned about good looks? What does it matter to you?"
In her dreams, Meng Yao had seen Han Muchi.
He was indeed very handsome, more so than Zhao Dahe, and on par with Qin Zheng.
How good-looking was the slimmed-down Qin Zheng?
Meng Yao felt that all the words to describe handsomeness and beauty could be used on him.
They say losing weight is equivalent to cosmetic surgery, but for Qin Zheng, it seemed as if even his hair strands had been touched up.
Moreover, the slimmed-down Qin Zheng was androgynous.
In Zhao Xiaohua’s words, "When dressed as a man, he’s the most handsome gentleman. When dressed as a woman, she’s a stunning beauty."
With such a dazzling gem before her, any other amazing people appearing wouldn’t have as much of an impact, right?
After all, her standards had been raised.
"Seeing Brother Qin Zheng all the time, I’m getting aesthetic fatigue," Zhao Xiaohua playfully said.
Meng Yao gave Zhao Xiaohua a light tap on the head, "If you have the guts, say that in front of Qin Zheng."
"I wouldn’t dare." Zhao Xiaohua immediately rejected.
Who would have thought the slimmed-down Qin Zheng was captivated by herself?
No choice, he was too good-looking.
Looking at him, one couldn’t help but be mesmerized.
So apart from diligently learning various skills, Qin Zheng valued his stunning appearance the most.
Now that Qin Zheng doubled as Zhao Xiaohua’s teacher, Zhao Xiaohua was rather intimidated by him.
If Qin Zheng found out about the aesthetic fatigue, to say the least, the coursework would definitely increase.
Zhao Xiaohua didn’t dwell further on the topic of Han Muchi’s looks because they had arrived at the Hundred Herbs Hall.
Meng Yao now had another profession as a resident doctor at Hundred Herbs Hall, treating women who came there. From initially having hardly any visits to now being bustling, it took just over a month.
Of course, when Meng Yao treated patients, she wore a homemade mask.
Zhao Xiaohua did too.
This was also to avoid much trouble, as among those coming to the Hundred Herbs Hall for treatment were women from Shanghua Village.
Under Meng Yao and Zhao Xiaohua’s makeup, no one recognized their identities.
After all, who would think that the mother and daughter who took the ox cart together into town would enter through the back door of the Hundred Herbs Hall and change into becoming resident doctors?
Besides the owner of Hundred Herbs Hall, even Doctor Su didn’t know his new female doctor was someone he had seen before.
"There’s always a foul smell down there, and now my husband even sleeps in a separate room,"
The first patient of the day for Meng Yao spoke up, looking embarrassed.