The other guests of the Tang Family felt it strange—what was going on with the Tang Family? It was clearly mealtime, yet there seemed to be no intention of starting the meal.
Some family members who followed the young Master Tang to the courtyard had already found out about the contest between Miss and the farmer girl.
Mrs. Meng, in the living room, initially thought her daughter had just stepped out for a moment, but later, when she sent the maid to find her, she learned that her daughter had gone to Young Master Tang’s courtyard. She decided to disregard it.
It was almost mealtime and her daughter had not yet returned; she had no choice but to send the maid to see what was the matter.
"Mrs. Meng, do not worry; your Miss is very promising, she is painting in my grandson’s study!"
Mrs. Meng felt strange about Madam Tang’s words—why was her daughter again showing off her skills in front of others? She already had a reputation as a talented lady.
There was no need to be so forgetful of her meals, preventing so many from dining together.
"Ah, being a mother is not easy, having such a peculiar daughter. It is really a headache."
Mrs. Meng wasn’t just boasting about her daughter’s capabilities; some of her daughter’s abnormal behaviors were sometimes truly beyond her control.
For instance, she had a grand idea and had said so upon arrival, asking her daughter not to cause trouble here and upset the host’s family.
It hadn’t been long since they arrived, yet her daughter had forgotten, preventing the host’s family from starting their meal at the auspicious hour.
Even though one does not need to pick a specific day for a birthday, one would choose a specific hour to dine.
Today was supposed to center around young Master Tang as the protagonist. Her daughter behaving in such a way had overshadowed the event.
Mrs. Tang didn’t show a displeased expression, but Mrs. Meng could feel it. It was about saving face for their family. If it had been someone else, they wouldn’t wait for her daughter to finish her business and would have just had everyone come back to start the meal—letting her daughter go hungry if she didn’t eat!
"Miss Meng is so lively. Children are like that. She and a farmer girl, only over two years old, are comparing their painting skills; I really don’t know who would win!"
Madam Tang often heard these words spoken by her grandson in front of her.
Her grandson would dine in her courtyard both at noon and in the evening every day. Whenever something occurred with the Ye family, or her grandson took interest in some actions of the Ye family, he would discuss it in front of her.
Over the past year, it had been as if she had seen the Ye family and their children’s transformations with her own eyes.
It wasn’t her first time seeing Mrs. Li’s five girls, each one of them so dainty. She had observed them among the crowd of nobles who visited the estate last time.
"Madam, I’m not quite sure what you mean by that!"
Mrs. Meng actually didn’t know that the Ye family’s little girl could paint; she only heard that the Tang Family had hired Mr. Le, who also part-time instructed Ye family girls in music.
Madam Tang looked at Mrs. Meng, understanding from her expression that she was clueless. Looking at Lady Meng, it appeared that not every matter was discussed with her mother.
Everyone says daughters are the warmth of a family, but facing a daughter like Miss Meng, she wasn’t as considerate as her own grandson.
That’s what Madam Tang thought, yet she didn’t voice it out loud. She dared not say such things in front of Mrs. Meng.
"Lady Meng has been proficient in Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting since she was young. Don’t underestimate her just because she’s a farmer girl; from a young age, she has been adept at many things. Even I am sometimes in disbelief at what I hear. A lot of these things I know from my grandson; the little Ye girl can paint, and her skills in Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting aren’t bad either. This comes from the mouth of our Mr. Instrument."
After hearing Mrs. Tang’s words, which suggested her daughter was inferior to a farmer girl, Mrs. Meng, as a mother, was the first to object.
Her daughter, educated by a scholastic family, losing to a daughter educated by a farmer woman?
It’s not just about the children’s competition; this was already damaging to her own reputation. Could she be inferior to a farmer woman who hardly knows more than a few characters?
Miss Ye was known for her delicate beauty, which Mrs. Meng had seen twice already.
Being dainty might be due to good genetics or the local environment, but she couldn’t believe that a farmer family could afford high-quality supplements to nurture their child so well.
She heard that Mrs. Li’s family was very poor before. When she came to be a wet nurse, her infant at home was malnourished, scrawny, and yellow from hunger.
It was only during these past two years as their family became wealthy that their children started to look vibrant and dainty.
Mrs. Meng struggled inside, her disbelief evident on her face, yet she did not use her words to satirize or refute.
She was more composed, unlike her daughter who would just say anything.