Chapter 163: Chapter 68: Tingzheng’s Progress_2
Tingzheng said with a smile, “Sister doesn’t know, the teacher told me that although I remember things more slowly than others, I have an advantage others don’t have, which is that once I’ve committed something to heart, I never forget it. The teacher said that as long as I work hard, I will definitely succeed in my studies in the future. Sister, don’t worry, I will work hard to study, and later on, I will gain honors to protect you.”
Of course, this expectation was merely to surpass the level of Scholar. With Brother Zheng’s abilities, becoming a Juren was as difficult as scaling a high mountain, and becoming a Palace Graduate was like ascending to the heavens. In fact, when Mr. Zhu began, he was only teaching Tingzheng with a passing attitude. But after a few days, he found that Tingzheng was extremely diligent in his studies, rising early to recite texts, being very attentive in class, and asking questions about things he didn’t understand. Although Tingzheng learned slowly, his eagerness to learn still pleased Mr. Zhu.
Seeing how earnest and diligent Tingzheng was, Mr. Zhu adjusted his attitude and began to devote himself to teaching Tingzheng wholeheartedly, holding him to standards no less strict than Li Han’s.
Yueyao, hearing this, smiled even more comfortably, “Tell sister, what do you do every day in the Li Mansion?”
Although Brother Zheng was slow to react, he was very sensitive and could immediately feel whether someone genuinely liked him and was kind to him. The rules of the Li family were strict, and everyone, from top to bottom, was very disciplined. Both Li Guoxing and Lady Li doted on Tingzheng and took great care of him, so naturally, no one underneath dared to be neglectful, and their attitudes towards him were equivalent to Li Han’s. And the one in the Li Mansion who liked Tingzheng the most was none other than Li Han. Li Han was the youngest child in the family, with a four-year gap between him and his older brother, which made him especially lonely with no playmates. Now that Tingzheng had arrived, he was the happiest, because he no longer felt alone. Tingzheng and Li Han had nearly become inseparable, like conjoined twins.
Brother Zheng said cheerfully, “Sister, you don’t know but Li Han always says Uncle Li is very scary, yet I think Uncle Li is really nice.” Uncle Li always tested him and Li Han on their lessons, and while he always praised him, he was constantly scolding Li Han.
Because Yueyao had previously revealed her secret and made it clear that she had no expectations for Brother Zheng to glorify the family through the imperial examinations, both the teacher and Li Guoxing had very low expectations for Brother Zheng; seeing Tingzheng so self-motivated and hardworking, they couldn’t blame him for his innate shortcomings and were therefore much more lenient with him. But Li Han was different; he was very clever but too fond of play, and the adults only had to suppress him.
Of course, constantly praising Tingzheng had another benefit: it motivated Li Han to emulate Tingzheng and not think only of fun and games. Because of the attitudes of Li Guoxing and Mr. Zhu, Brother Zheng’s studies were very relaxed, free of pressure, and thus he naturally became more and more interested in learning.
Yueyao could see that in less than a month since Tingzheng had gone to the Li Mansion, he had become much more open and was no longer as melancholic as before. Yueyao felt greatly comforted in her heart and was more certain that her decision was the right one. The more Tingzheng interacted with people outside, the more open-minded he would become, and the better off he would be.
Yueyao, smiling, took Tingzheng by the hand, “Come, let’s have lunch with sister.”
Knowing that the young master had returned, the Kitchen Maid added two dishes at lunch, both of which were Tingzheng’s favorites. Tingzheng ate delightfully, “Mmm, sister, the food at home is delicious.”
Yueyao said with a smile, “Is the food at Uncle Li’s not tasty?” She could tell by Tingzheng’s complexion and height that he was treated extremely well at the Li Mansion.
Tingzheng shook his head, “It’s not that Uncle Li’s food isn’t tasty, it’s just that home’s is even tastier.”
Source: , updated on Ɲονǥᴑ.ᴄο
Yueyao couldn’t help but laugh. The child was now speaking more fluently, and thinking of the clever and mischievous Li Han, Yueyao smiled; truly, one is influenced by the company one keeps.
After lunch, Yueyao no longer had time for a siesta, “Tingzheng, you go take a nap. Sister will be back soon.”
Tingzheng nodded understandingly, “Okay.”
Yueyao met Yuehuan at the entrance to Jingsi Garden.
Yuehuan glanced at Yueyao and immediately turned her head away, entering the yard.
Yueyao watched Yuehuan’s retreating figure and sighed softly. It seemed Maternal Aunt Su’s plan had worked. Yuehuan would no longer approach her of her own accord, but perhaps that was for the best. She really feared that she would be unable to bear it if she became too involved with Yuehuan.
As Yueyao walked into the room, she saw Yueying, who had looked up. Since the day Yueying had asked her for a favor and was refused, she hadn’t initiated a conversation with Yueyao again.
Yuebing saw Yueyao smiling and said, “Fourth Younger Sister, you’re always the last one to arrive.”
Yueyao spoke indifferently, “I live far away, and it takes me over an hour to make the round trip, so I’m always the last one.”
Yuebing chuckled, saying, “Third Younger Sister, if you wish, you can stay in my courtyard at noon to avoid the back-and-forth.”
Unmoved by Yuebing’s gesture of goodwill, Yueyao said, “There’s no need, I prefer to walk more.”
Yuebing barely managed to maintain her composure and did not lose her temper, “In that case, Sister, please come over earlier in the future so we won’t have to wait for you every time.”
Yueyao was somewhat surprised by Yuebing’s change and thought to herself, “Forget about what happened in my last life, and focus on living well in this one.”
The Embroidery Lady Mah was very pleased with Yueyao’s progress and said, “Third Young Lady, in two more months, I can teach you the Gu embroidery technique.”
Yueyao was also very happy and thanked her, “Thank you, teacher.”
Today, Yueyao left half an hour earlier than usual because her brother had come back.
The Embroidery Lady Mah nodded, “Then you may go home, Young Lady.”
From afar, Yueyao saw Brother Zheng waiting at the entrance and was surprised when Mu Qiu mentioned that he had come out upon hearing her footsteps, “Brother Zheng, when did you learn to recognize my footsteps?”
After a moment of thought, Brother Zheng replied, “Just now.”
Before Yueyao could speak, Nanny Deng chuckled, “The young master is thinking of you, that’s why he can hear your footsteps. The bond between Brother Zheng and you is indeed deep.”
Yueyao shook her head slightly at Nanny Deng and told Qiao Lan, “Go tell Nanny Zheng that I’ll accompany Brother Zheng to pay respects to Grandmother tomorrow, and we’ll have our breakfast in the Upper Chamber.”
Qiao Lan bowed respectfully, “Alright.”
That evening, while practicing calligraphy together, Yueyao praised Brother Zheng with a smile, “The way my Brother Zheng writes is getting better and better.”
Tingzheng grinned and said, “Sister’s writing is even prettier, like flowers.”
Looking back at her own large characters, Yueyao thought that, after several months of practice with the plum blossom calligraphy style, she was making good progress and was confident of improving further with more practice.
After Tingzheng had gone to sleep, Yueyao entered the studio to paint a picture, insisting on painting daily for at least half an hour, regardless of the quality.
Nanny Deng was exasperated that she always had to urge the Third Young Lady to go to sleep and wondered why the Young Lady was so captivated by painting, wishing Lady Li had stopped her from learning to paint back in the day.