The gifts were delivered into each individual’s hands.
Yueying looked at the beautiful pair of round fans and two strands of fragrance beads that Yueyao had brought, and said to Cai Lan, "Put them away."
Cai Lan murmured, "The third young lady is too stingy, only this much from two large carts of goods." She had heard from people in the outer courtyard that the Ma Family had sent two carts of fine goods, and that having received so many fine items, to only give their own young lady so little, if that wasn’t stinginess, what was it.
Cai Qing helplessly said, "Could you talk less! It’s the third young lady’s choice to give gifts to our young lady, that’s a matter of sentiment, how can you still complain about how precious or plentiful the gifts are?" Whatever the third young lady had more of was all given by her maternal family, and it had nothing to do with their young lady.
Cai Lan looked at Cai Qing with unfriendly eyes and said no more.
Yuebing’s gift included an additional official kiln pastel porcelain inkstone compared to Yueying’s, while Yuehuan’s was the same as Yueying’s. Yueyao paid significant attention to the difference between legitimate and illegitimate offspring.
Nanny Wang earnestly taught Yuebing, saying, "Second young lady, the gifts from the third young lady might not be worth much, but they represent the heart of a younger sister."
Yuebing nodded, "I know," and then sighed softly, "If only my maternal uncle’s home were the same as my third younger sister’s, there wouldn’t be so many troubles."
Currently, the relationship between the Lian family and Mo family was also very delicate. Lady Li had managed to fill the gaps with her own dowry, but the large sum of money owed by Mo Jun couldn’t be repaid.
Mo Jun had no choice, so he asked for support from Lady Li. If Lady Li had had the money, she surely would have helped her legitimate brother, but now the Lady Li was also severely drained and couldn’t take care of her parents’ home. Driven to desperation by the usurers, Mo Jun ultimately had no choice but to ask the old lady to go to the Lian family. Old Madam Mo sought out Dongfang.
Dongfang called for Lady Li and asked her what she planned to do. Finally, in the presence of Lady Li, Dongfang lent ten thousand taels of silver to the Mo Family. After Mo Jun left, Dongfang told Lady Li to stay in the small Buddhist hall for a couple of days to clear her mind and instructed that if the Mo Family came again, they should not be received.
Lady Li fell ill that very day and only recovered two days before Yueyao returned.
Nanny Wang also shook her head thinking of the Mo family. The madam’s parental family was quite unreliable, and the madam had fully depleted her own dowry believing in uplifting her parental family. The dowry for the second young lady’s marriage would likely not be substantial. Without a generous dowry, even marrying into a high-status family would be difficult.
Yuehuan, looking at the gifts Yueyao had brought, couldn’t help but say, "Having support is indeed good!" When she lived with Maternal Aunt Su, her concern had been malnutrition, but now she realized being independent brought many responsibilities. She had to cater to Yuebing’s preferences, manage her personal maids, and handle the tricky maids and old nannies; she had plenty of issues to deal with still.
Yuehuan actually was a bit envious of Yueyao. Even without parents, she didn’t need to please anyone, nor did she have to endure torments from the maids and nannies or be wary of her personal maids.
While Yuehuan was still reflecting, Hong Ling entered the room and said, "Miss, Second young lady’s Ru Ju sister has come."
Ru Ju came delivering Yuebing’s message: "Fourth Miss, our young lady wants you to accompany her tomorrow to visit the third young lady." Since gifts were exchanged, a visit was customary. If it weren’t already late, with the journey there and back taking an hour, they would have gone now.
Yuehuan nodded in response, "Alright."
That evening, Yueyao was practicing calligraphy in the study. Seeing the bamboo swaying at the window, she smiled, put down the goat hair calligraphy brush, and walked to the backyard.
Yueyao stood under the night sky, watching the bamboo intensely.
Nanny Hao and Hua Lei knew that the young lady was about to start painting again. When Yueyao was painting, everyone knew not to disturb her.
An hour and a half later, Yueyao had people summoned into the studio.
Yueyao’s painting depicted green bamboo, the greenery loosely unfurling, half-hidden in the mist under the night fog, conveying the tranquility of nighttime.
Hua Lei, looking at the painting Yueyao had done, was immensely surprised: "Miss, this painting is even better than the previous ones." Hua Lei couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was better, but it just felt comforting to look at.
Yueyao smiled gently, as Mr. Yu Shan always emphasized that the best paintings must convey something, and she was slowly integrating that into her work. Moreover, the training of the past month had shown positive effects, and she felt her hand was stronger than before. As long as she persevered, she believed she could overcome her inherent disadvantages.
Hua Lei cautiously asked, "Miss, will this painting be burned as well?"
Yueyao shook her head, "Not anymore, keep it in the studio. Without my permission, no one may enter my studio. And definitely, no one should see my paintings."