Chapter 116: Chapter 51: Embroideress_4
Maternal Aunt Su told Yuehuan about Nanny Gu’s matter. Although Lady Mo wasn’t mentioned, Yuehuan understood immediately. Yet after listening, Yuehuan felt even more uneasy. How did the Third Young Lady come to know that her own wet nurse had betrayed her!
Yuehuan didn’t dare to let herself think any further, fearing that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to resist rushing to Lanxi Courtyard to ask Yueyao if she was reborn.
Yueying had been attending to the Old Madam all along and didn’t show excessive joy. However, one could tell from the sound of her footsteps that she was in a very cheerful mood at the moment.
The only one who remained calm was Yueyao. To her, this was just completing what she hadn’t done in her previous life, making up for past regrets. There was nothing more.
Upon returning to Lanxi Courtyard, Yueyao began teaching Brother Zheng how to recognize characters. Starting tomorrow, there won’t be as much time—during the day she would have to study with the governess and the teacher, and at night she would have to tutor Tingzheng. Yueyao felt that there wasn’t enough time and was even more worried that she would not be able to handle it. Therefore, she was eager to find a teacher for Tingzheng so he could study under the teacher.
Seeing Yueyao with a frown, Brother Zheng said, “Sister, are you worried about something?” Looking at his sister who was staring at him as if she could bore holes through him, Tingzheng couldn’t help but laugh, wondering if it had anything to do with him.
Yueyao gently patted Brother Zheng’s head, “It’s nothing. Sister is just thinking about tomorrow’s matters! You should focus on your studies.” Those mixed-up matters—if Brother Zheng didn’t understand them, it was just as well, for even if he did, it would only add to his worries and serve no other purpose.
Brother Zheng obediently nodded.
After practicing writing, Yueyao picked up Brother Zheng’s hand, which had many large blisters. Yueyao felt a pang of heartache—these blisters were the result of practicing writing over the past days. But to succeed, this step was essential.
Enduring hardship for ten years isn’t just talk—her father, with his exceptional talents, had never slacked off for a moment. Brother Zheng, being far less gifted, couldn’t afford to relax even more. Therefore, it was imperative to find a good teacher for Tingzheng, to carefully guide him and nurture his talents…
Cough, with this thought, Yueyao couldn’t help but sigh. Tingzheng had been studying for such a long time and still hadn’t mastered the Hundred Family Surnames. Faced with Tingzheng’s talents, Yueyao could only sigh!
Yueyao lanced Brother Zheng’s blisters and applied ointment before coaxing Tingzheng to sleep, then she returned to her own room. Yueyao sat on a stool lost in thought.
Nanny Deng followed her in to help Yueyao with her bedtime routine and couldn’t help saying, “Young Lady, don’t overwork yourself. Otherwise, just send the young master to school.” Nanny Deng did not mention the Clan School—she knew what it was like. Sending Brother Zheng to the Clan School would be a waste, but going to a regular school was still feasible.
Yueyao shook her head; going to school was necessary, but not now. However, Yueyao did find it strange, “Nanny, why did we suddenly hire a female teacher?” Yueyao always felt there was something odd about this. If her grandmother truly had this idea, she would have hired one much earlier, without waiting until now.
Nanny Deng also shook her head, “Young Lady, I’ve inquired about it. It was the Old Madam who hired the governess and the embroideress; the two female teachers were hired by the Great Master. Perhaps the Great Master thought that with three young ladies in the house, it was necessary to hire female teachers to properly educate them, otherwise, it would reflect poorly on the Lian family if word got out.” Nanny Deng directly excluded Yueyao from this. Yueyao wasn’t allowed to study with them while observing mourning.
Thinking of Yuebing’s words and recalling her grandmother’s complex gaze, Yueyao suppressed the odd feeling in her heart. She might express her suspicions about Lady Mo’s insidious intentions in front of Nanny Deng, but she couldn’t speak ill of her uncle. These were all her suspicions without concrete evidence. To date, her uncle had done nothing inappropriate, “Nanny, I’ve already planned to study calligraphy with Mr. Yun and learn embroidery from the embroideress. I won’t learn anything else.”
Nanny Deng’s face showed a slight change. She was about to advise otherwise but, seeing Yueyao’s tired expression, she swallowed her words, “It’s alright. Young Lady, don’t tire yourself out too much.”
After Yueyao went to sleep, Nanny Deng went out to ask Hua Lei about what had happened in the Upper Chamber. Hearing that the Second Young Lady had suggested that her mistress join the studies, Nanny Deng’s face turned ashen with anger. The Second Young Lady clearly had no good intentions. “Don’t think the Second Young Lady looks simple on the surface; how could Lady Mo’s daughter be so simple. Be more careful in the future.” Nanny Deng said this to avoid Hua Lei, who was a reward from the Old Madam. To the elderly lady, all granddaughters were equal. Although it wasn’t shown outwardly, she cared deeply within. If she knew they were speaking ill of Yuebing, she would definitely be uncomfortable.
In the Upper Chamber, the Old Madam was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. She eventually sat up, leaning against the bedstead, and asked Nanny Zheng to bring out a box. Looking at the last letter written by her son, especially when she saw that at the end he had pleaded for her to take good care of Yueyao, the Old Madam’s heart trembled.
The Old Madam knew that her youngest son, when seriously ill, had written letters to his close friends Shen Qian and Li Guoxing. It was strange that he hadn’t written to his eldest son at all. In other words, the youngest son would rather trust outsiders than his own brother. She had always deliberately overlooked the conflicts between her two sons, but now that the facts were laid bare in front of her eyes, the Old Madam’s heart ached deeply.
Seeing the Old Madam’s extreme anxiety, Nanny Zheng said, “Old Madam, the doctor said you must rest well and not overexert yourself, otherwise your old ailment may relapse.” Nanny Zheng was indirectly expressing her wish that the Old Madam would live a long and healthy life.
The Old Madam shook her head without saying a word.