Chapter 177: Chapter 176 Mother and Child’s Thoughts Chapter 177: Chapter 176 Mother and Child’s Thoughts Meng Zhaojun watched obediently from the sidelines whenever her brother and Tang Shunyan competed in martial arts or scholarly pursuits.
She noticed that Tang Shunyan was sometimes cold and sometimes warm toward her. The heart of this young boy was hard to decipher, and what distressed her even more was that if she stood with the Ye Family’s sisters, Tang Shunyan would side with them.
Meng Zhaojun discovered that if she acted obediently, Tang Shunyan would treat her better, but if she was more assertive, Tang Shunyan might just walk away.
That’s why she coaxed her brother to join her, but always remained demure in front of Tang Shunyan. In fact, she really wanted to compete with these two boys.
Ever since she learned Tang Shunyan was fond of practicing martial arts, she had added martial training to her skills. She secretly practiced a different form of martial arts, which was yoga from her previous life, meant to shape her body.
It was not the kind of martial arts ancient people practiced to strengthen their bodies, nor was it the type that involved learning Qinggong. She practiced yoga in secret; it was an act of necessity after she had once asked her mother to hire a teacher for her to learn martial arts, like her brother.
Her mother’s words still echoed in her mind: dancing was acceptable, but martial arts were not. How could a girl learn martial arts like a boy? Wouldn’t that turn her into a tomboy?
Hence, Meng Zhaojun could only practice yoga, secretly gaining insights from the sparring sessions between Tang Shunyan and her brother. Nevertheless, she did not have the natural talent for martial arts and couldn’t master things like Qinggong.
Fortunately, her mother had hired a teacher to instruct her in dancing and even playing musical instruments, as well as singing, which was one of the four arts of Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting.
As a boy, when Tang Shunyan was with the Meng siblings, he would treat Meng Ruixiang as a younger brother, and he compared himself to this little “brother” in everything his other friends did.
He found that Meng Zhaojun was much more obedient when she was with him than when she was alone, and he felt that such a Meng Zhaojun was more pleasing to the eye, so he treated her better.
A boy needed face too. This little girl, Meng Zhaojun, was better than him in Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting. Being with her made him feel inferior, and there was no honor in playing with her. He lacked confidence in front of this little girl.
Tang Shunyan wanted to visit the Ye family more often but couldn’t; his family did not agree, fearing it might also trouble the Ye family.
However, he thought that once the longan season arrived, he would definitely go to the Ye family’s orchard to pick longans.
The days were nearing, and he specifically asked Housekeeper Tang whether the Ye’s orchard’s longans were ripe yet.
Ever since his son got married, Housekeeper Tang managed the household chores and handed over the outside errands to his son, Young Master Tang.
The management of the estate’s affairs outside was now entirely his son’s responsibility. When the young Master inquired, he couldn’t be completely unaware and mentioned that the longans should be ripe this season.
“Housekeeper Grandpa, please make the arrangements for me to visit the Ye family tomorrow, I want to go pick longans.”
The housekeeper had already guessed the young Master’s intentions when he asked; he wanted to visit the Ye family.
“Young Master, I can make arrangements for your outing, but it must be approved by the elders. I, a mere servant, cannot make that decision.”
Upon hearing what Housekeeper Tang said, Tang Shunyan brought up the outing to his grandparents during dinner, when his father was still dining in his grandparents’ courtyard, with only his mother and younger brother eating in their own courtyard, sticking to the habit of eating in his grandparents’ courtyard.
Tang Shunyan pleaded with his elders, as he had done many times before. Every time he mentioned going to the Ye family, there was initial opposition, but eventually, his reasons persuaded the elders.
Madam Tang instructed Young Master Tang to arrange for the outing the next day, with the condition that there must be many more maids, old women, and guards accompanying the young Master, just like they had done many times before, to ensure sufficient protection for Tang Shunyan, the eldest grandson.
Young Master Tang made very good arrangements for the trip; the only person who couldn’t go was his wife, as the wife, who had been married for over a year, was found to be pregnant.
For the sake of the next generation, he couldn’t allow his wife, who was experiencing morning sickness, to accompany him.
The two maids by Tang Shunyan’s side were trustworthy, and Young Master Tang would provide full protection, bringing along several extra guards to make sure the young Master didn’t have to lift a finger during the fruit-picking.
Tang Shunyan was to visit the Ye family, and the young madam found out afterwards, informed by a spy from her mother-in-law’s quarters. She was so angry that she wanted to smash things.
In the presence of her young son Mengmeng’s gaze, she held back her temper. She understood that within the Tang Family her power wasn’t sufficient yet, even her most assertive son would discuss matters with his grandmother, grandfather, or father without consulting her opinion.
This was what frustrated a mother the most: her anger that her son was getting close to those poor relatives at the Ye’s estate, especially her irritation over her son’s closeness with the people of the Ye family.
When her husband returned, she pretended not to care and asked him nonchalantly if their elder son had a good dinner?
The young madam’s husband, who had been married to his wife for several years, had a bit of understanding of her. The point was not whether their son had a good meal, but that there was another intention behind it.
“Yan’er is going to Ye Manor tomorrow to pick fruit, and arrangements have been made for people to accompany him.”
“Husband, how could such an important matter be kept from me? As a mother, I am not reassured by him going alone.”
“How could it be just him by himself? There will be maids accompanying him, guards following, and Young Master Tang will be there as well.”
“Husband, Jinhua won’t go, right? How could that be?”
“Madam, if you’re worried, you can go with them.”
“Fine, I will go as well,” the young madam agreed without hesitation, as this was what she had meant to ask her husband.
With her there, her son would not be able to become more intimate with the Ye family’s people.
The young madam made preparations for the trip the next day. She decided not to take her younger son, lest he be led to become close with the Ye family as well.
Tang Shunyan had talked to his family about going to the Ye’s estate and was excited the whole evening. He was exhilarated by the thought of going to the Ye family’s tomorrow, laughing happily all night long.
If he knew his mother was also going to the Ye family’s, it was uncertain whether he would be as thrilled as he currently was.
“Young Master, what’s making you so happy?”
Tang Shun had dined at his grandmother’s. Since the little pageboy wasn’t a maid, he didn’t follow him there and was still unaware of the young master’s itinerary for tomorrow.
“Hehe, tomorrow this young lord is going to the Ye family’s to pick fruit. Do you want to come along?”
“Young Master, are you saying that we’re going to pick longans at the Ye family’s tomorrow? Great, great, I also want to get some more longans to bring back home for my parents to enjoy.”
“Roar, you seem even happier than I am, you glutton. If you hadn’t joined the Tang family, I wonder if you’d be as happy as you are now.”
“That’s due to servile good fortune, being able to follow the young master. It’s truly a humble blessing.”
“Enough, enough, no more bootlicking. Start packing some luggage quickly. What about the gifts we need to bring tomorrow?”
“Hmm, understood. Young Master, you want to bring gifts for the Ye family’s sisters, what do you plan to give them?”
“The gifts others have given me are not meant to be re-gifted, but we can bring silver and gold along. When we pick fruit later, we must pay for it.”
“Servant understands, when we go pick fruit, we can’t just take others’ things for nothing, understood, understood…!”
The little pageboy started packing excitedly with a smile.