Chapter 22
Infuriated
“Don’t worry, Old Madam.” Auntie Xu understood what Old Madam Yu meant. She was asking that she be stricter with Yu Youyao, but also reminding her to care for Yu Youyao wholeheartedly at the same time.
Old Madam Yu was very satisfied with Auntie Xu. As expected of someone from the palace.
Yu Youyao turned to Auntie Xu. “Please guide me from now on.”
Auntie Xu immediately shook her head humbly. This young lady looked chubby and lovely. At such a young age, she already exuded an air of cla.s.s and elegance, with her fresh and delicate appearance. She wasn’t spoiled or domineering as the rumors claimed. Nodding slightly now, she was feeling quite satisfied with her new young mistress.
But!
Auntie Xu frowned with a look of disapproval in her eyes. The young lady indeed exuded a spiritual aura, but her behavior and mannerisms were slack and undisciplined. Although she had the underlying aura of a fine young lady, her demeanor was also quite bearish.
Fortunately, the young lady was still young. It was not too late to shape her.
Old Madam Yu finally had one less concern to worry about. “Yao Yao, you are already old enough, so it’s not good for you to stay in the north courtyard all the time. Later, you may pack up your belongings with Auntie Xu. Tomorrow, you’ll move into the Jade courtyard, which is just beside the north courtyard.”
She had ordered for the Jade courtyard to be organized and prepared the moment Yao Yao had turned seven, so that she could move in when she was a little older.
Yu Youyao was stunned when she heard this. Her eyes widened and she looked at her grandmother blankly. It took her a while to react. Then, she hugged her grandmother’s arm and wheedled, “Grandma, I can’t bear to leave you. Can I move later in the future? Grandma? Okay? Grandma, promise me…”
Old Madam Yu couldn’t resist any longer and opened her mouth, about to give in and agree.
At this moment, it was Nanny Liu who spoke instead. “The Jade Courtyard and the An Shou Hall are near each other. It only takes a few steps and turns, so it’s convenient to visit. If you miss Old Madam, you can just come over often in the future.”
“Grandmother…” Yu Youyao puffed her cheeks up and looked at Old Madam Yu with puppy eyes, like a pug who was being abandoned. It was impossible to ignore.
After raising her for so many years, Old Madam Yu couldn’t bear to part with her either. She stroked her granddaughter’s head. “Yao Yao, when you first came to live with me, you were only this big.” She gestured with both hands, showing a size not much bigger than a rabbit. Then, she sighed softly. “You’ve grown so tall.”
She placed her palm on Yu Youyao’s head and gestured, her eyes suddenly welling up.
Yu Youyao’s eyes turned red as she threw herself into her grandmother’s arms and cried softly. “Grandmother, don’t make me move away. I’ll be good from now on. If you want me to learn to manage the household from Nanny Liu, I’ll definitely learn well. And if you want me to learn discipline and rules from Auntie Xu, I’ll also learn well and not disappoint you. But I won’t move away. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to…”
Old Madam Yu held the little girl in her arms and dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
“Silly girl. Which proper young lady from a good family didn’t move to a small courtyard and live by herself at seven years old? I couldn’t bear to part with you, so I’ve kept you by my side for two extra years. But you’re already a big girl. You should learn to live on your own.”
“Grandmother, I-I can’t bear to leave you. No…” Yu Youyao had been with her grandmother since she was young and had never left her grandmother’s side. Now that she was asked to move out, she panicked and refused to let go of her grandmother’s sleeve.
Old Madam Yu and Nanny Liu tried their best to persuade her. After an hour, their mouths were dry, but Yu Youyao had finally stopped crying and reluctantly agreed to move. With red eyes, she left the An Shou Hall.
After Yu Youyao left, Old Madam Yu couldn’t help but cry, clutching her handkerchief. “My Yao Yao, she’s never left my side since she was young…”
Nanny Liu felt really helpless, but it wasn’t as if they were separated by life and death. “Eldest Miss is just moving to the house beside this. You can go over and visit her anytime when you miss her.”
After a long time, she finally managed to comfort and calm Old Madam Yu down.
But the Old Madam was still unhappy. She lay on the bed and groused, continuously talking about her granddaughter as if she had been s.n.a.t.c.hed away by someone else.
No wonder people said that children grew older while the elderly aged in reverse.
The Old Madam was precisely like that—she was an old child.
Meanwhile, Yu Youyao had led Auntie Xu back to the south wing and asked Chun Xiao to gather all the maidservants.
There were a total of nine people in the south wing, and Chun Xiao was the head maidservant in charge. Dong Mei often came over to help oversee everything as well, so there was no need for more maidservants.
There were two maidservants who were second-in-charge. One was called Xia Tao and the other was called Qiu Xing. They were in charge of Yu Youyao’s room.
Then there were also four other young maidservants who were in charge of sweeping and cleaning.
And two old maids who were efficient and experienced in household ch.o.r.es.
All of them were standing in a row with their heads lowered as Yu Youyao did the introduction. “This is Auntie Xu. She used to work in the palace. From now on, all the matters in this house will be handled by her. You must not show any disrespect.”
When everyone heard that she had come from the palace, their reactions were the same as Yu Youyao’s. They did not dare to even breathe aloud, and they merely stood rooted to the ground anxiously.
Auntie Xu took one glance and nodded to herself.
Although the people in Yu Youyao’s house looked a little untrained, at least they seemed to behave well. Yu Youyao was still young, so it was not a problem to teach her. If she were older, that might not be as possible, as she still needed some molding and cultivating.
“Eldest Miss, you’re too polite. Just call me Nanny.” Auntie Xu’s smile was very friendly, and she didn’t look like someone from the palace. Instead, she looked more like a nanny for a rich family.
Yu Youyao blinked and did as told, calling her Nanny.
So Auntie Xu became Nanny Xu, and she instructed the servants in the house to pack up. There were too many items in Yu Youyao’s house, so Old Madam Yu had asked Nanny Liu to bring some people from her house over to help them pack too.
This was a huge commotion in the north courtyard, so the news soon spread to everyone else in the residence.
Meanwhile, Yang Shuwan returned to the main courtyard with a stomach full of anger. Nanny Li brought over a cup of tea to calm her down. All of a sudden, Yang Shuwan was so angry that she grabbed the teacup and smashed it, causing the colorful peony teacup to shatter into pieces.
“Someone who’s from the palace makes a more impressive and qualified nanny. It’s not like our family doesn’t have enough money, so why didn’t she hire one more? Everything good goes only to Yu Youyao. Isn’t Jia Jia her biological granddaughter too?”
At the mention of this, an old grudge surfaced in her heart.
The Jade Courtyard used to be called the Water Pavilion. It was the best courtyard in the residence and was only slightly smaller than the main courtyard. As it was located at the back and not in the main area, it wasn’t convenient for the residence’s elders to live in.
At the end of last summer, when Jia Jia was preparing for her move, she had gone to the Old Madam as she wanted Jia Jia to move into the pavilion.
Old Madam had refused bluntly, “Water Pavilion is a distance away from the main courtyard. Jia Jia is not in good health, so she shouldn’t be too far away from her mother’s care. She should live in the courtyard that’s beside the main courtyard. Since it’s close by, it’ll be easier for you to take care of her.”