Chapter 199: Chapter 81: Remuneration
Yueyao had many questions in her heart, but it was not convenient to ask them in the presence of outsiders.
Nanny Deng came out of the courtyard huffing and puffing, “Miss, pay her no mind, no one could ever speak ill of you.” Her own miss was only nine years old and genuinely needed care! Yet not only did her miss take good care of herself, she also had to look after Fourth Young Master, and others did not know the hardships involved, but she was well aware of them.
In order not to let others say Tingzheng was fostered at the Li family, and not there to take advantage of them, Yueyao put a lot of thought into every gift she gave to the Li family and Mr. Zhu. The gifts could not be too expensive, yet had to be liked by the family and Mr. Zhu, which was certainly not an easy task.
Yueyao felt that Nanny Deng was not as shrewd as she had imagined, “Nanny, you must never say that again. Auntie is my elder, and I am the younger one, visiting her is my duty.” Yueyao’s visit to Lady Xiao Ma was out of etiquette; she did not take Lady Xiao Ma’s words to heart, and from their brief interaction, she could tell this aunt was unreliable. She had wondered before how her uncle, a generous man, could have placed them in such a remote and cramped place—now she understood the reason.
Nanny Deng looked at Yueyao, her face free of worry, and nodded, “What Miss said is true.”
Yueyao felt somewhat disappointed in Nanny Deng, but then thought that there were many intelligent people, but those who were truly loyal were hard to find, and so she cast aside that seed of displeasure in her heart.
Yueyao looked around the Ma Family courtyard with interest, noting its touches of Jiangnan style. She couldn’t help but think back to her days in Jiangnan, when she truly lived carefree and happy, a pity she could never return to Jiangnan in this lifetime. The affairs of Jiangnan were like a dream to Yueyao; those happy memories could only be found in dreams.
A Maid saw Yueyao and her entourage and curtsied, “Cousin Miss, Old Master said to let Miss stay at the mansion for a couple of days before returning, and he has already informed Madam of your kin.”
Yueyao smiled and nodded, “Then all right, I will return to Begonia Garden.” She had said that her uncle surely had many things to discuss and would not let her go back easily.
Yueyao returned to Begonia Garden, guessing that her uncle and cousin were entertaining guests, and she sent Nanny Deng to the study while Hua Lei and Qiao Lan stayed outside the study.
It was only in the study that Yueyao asked Nanny Deng, “Nanny, what kind of person is this aunt really?” She wondered how someone could make such an absurd request.
Nanny Deng revealed everything about Lady Xiao Ma to Yueyao, summing it up in many words: her expectations are as high as the sky, but her fate is as thin as paper.
After learning about Lady Xiao Ma, Yueyao let it go and did not bother with her anymore; she would not have much to do with this aunt and had no intention of getting close to Loo Ying. Yueyao was not someone who could sit idle. Seeing that Ma Chengteng and Ma Peng had not yet arrived, she went to the study to accompany Tingzheng in practicing his writing.
Tingzheng said softly, “Sister, Auntie doesn’t like me either.” He sounded somewhat downcast, wondering why so many people disliked him.
Yueyao laughed gently, “Auntie doesn’t just dislike you, she doesn’t like me either. But then again, your sister doesn’t like her either. In the future, when meeting such people, Brother Zheng, you don’t need to take it to heart and certainly don’t need to feel downcast over such people.” Unless one is under the power of authority and has no choice, if someone pays her respect, she will return it twofold; she did not wish for Tingzheng to be bound by such constraints.
Seeing that Yueyao was not concerned, Tingzheng said, “Hmm, I will listen to Sister.”
The siblings practiced writing for half an hour, and Yueyao asked Tingzheng to do homework while she herself picked up a book she had brought to read. The Yueyao of nowadays truly did not waste a moment’s time.
This near-obsessive behavior worried Nanny Deng. But no matter how much she tried to persuade Yueyao, it was useless. Nanny Deng wondered if she should ask Uncle Master to have a word with her, but then she shook her head thinking about it. Uncle Master would probably be happy if he heard it, and unlikely to say anything.
As Yueyao was reading, she heard a maid outside calling for Miss.
When Yueyao heard the footsteps, she knew that Ma Linlin had come over. Yueyao had thought that Ma Linlin would be there to cause trouble for her, but unexpectedly, Ma Linlin had come to apologize.
Yueyao glanced at Ma Linlin and then said with a smile, “Cousin Sister, the incident last time was just a misunderstanding. I haven’t taken it to heart, and I hope Cousin Sister won’t either.” After the last time Ma Linlin caused a scene at Begonia Garden, Ma Chengteng had replaced all the Maids and old nannies around Ma Linlin and even confined Ma Linlin for half a year, making her suffer enough hardship. It was this half-year that made Ma Linlin learn to behave.