By the time she finished squandering the modest fortune left to her by the Yu Family and Du Family, let’s see where she could go to cry.
"Oh, that’s right!" Jie Residence’s second young master suddenly remembered something and asked the Du concubine, "You should have learned the full embroidery from the Yu Family, right? Your concubine mother passed away when you were very young. Before Madam Du passed away, she was the one who took care of you. You learned embroidery when Du Xintong was learning it, didn’t you?"
"Me?" The Du concubine’s gaze shifted away, and she continued washing Jie’s second young master’s feet with her head lowered, saying, "I learned a bit, but I’m too stupid, always not as good as elder sister, and eventually I stopped learning."
Jie’s second young master was silent for a moment, then snorted and said, "That was her own mother; naturally, she learned better than you. Aqing, it isn’t that you’re too stupid, but rather that Madam Du didn’t teach you seriously."
He took out a crudely made little tiger sachet embroidered in the full style from his waist. The embroidery work was awkward and really left much to be desired.
He was only six when his mother died, crying inconsolably. With no women in the Jie Residence to take care of him, Madam Du brought him to stay at the Du Residence for two days.
During those two days at the Du Residence, he kept himself locked in his room, refusing to see anyone. It was Aqing who coaxed him out with that little tiger.
From then on, he remembered the little girl holding the little tiger.
"It could only be Aqing’s craftsmanship that could make this tiger look . It may be ugly, but it’s particularly endearing. Hmm, it seems Madam Du wasn’t wrong to call you clumsy, otherwise, how could the renowned embroidery of Zhuzhao turn out ?"
His eyes remained fixed on the terribly embroidered little tiger, but he didn’t notice that the woman washing his feet had turned deathly pale.
After a long while without a response from the Du concubine, he put away the little tiger and looked down to ask, "Why aren’t you speaking?"
The Du concubine took a deep breath, steadying her emotions before raising her head to answer, "My lord brings up this little tiger again, are you making fun of Aqing for being clumsy?"
Jie’s second young master laughed heartily and said, "How could I? I’m praising your embroidery skills."
Reminiscing about the past, his laughter didn’t last long and a moment later, Jie’s second young master became melancholic again.
"That year, we both lost our mothers. You were left with only a little tiger, and I was left with only a little tiger too. By the way, I haven’t seen yours for a long time. Where did you put it?"
"Me?" The Du concubine lowered her head and said, "That was a plaything from when I was young. I’ve grown up and stopped playing with such things a long time ago, so naturally, I’ve put it away. If my lord wishes to see it, I can fetch it for you."
Seeing that she was upset, Jie’s second young master quickly waved his hand and said, "No need, don’t take it to heart; it’s my fault for bringing up sad memories."
Gu Youyou was grounded, and so was Lin Qianqing.
It wasn’t too bad for her; other than not being allowed out, they didn’t make things difficult for her. She just didn’t know how Lin Qianqing was coping. She wondered if she really was copying the female precepts.
Gu Youyou pulled Xiang Chun over and said, "Take this pot of beef stew to the young miss and tell her I stewed it myself."
Xiang Chun was placed with her by her maternal grandmother. Although she served by her side, she was ultimately a person of the Lin Residence’s old Madam, and those from the uncle’s side who might want to intercept her would need to weigh their actions.
Xiang Chun lifted the lid off the earthen pot and a strong spicy aroma immediately rushed out, causing her to cough violently.
She said, "What is this stewed with? If the young miss eats this, what if it makes her sick? Don’t let her fall ill because of it."