Chapter 78: Reality Teaches You a Lesson
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Jianjia bit her lip lightly, and her gentle voice was filled with worry. “Mother, you’re the mistress of the household and the mother of Fourth Sister. You have the responsibility to educate and discipline the sisters. Grandmother is already angry with you because of this. I’m worried that Father…”
Yang Shuwan’s breathing tightened as she tightened her grip on the handkerchief in her hand. She had only been angry earlier and had not thought of this.
Now that Jia Jia had mentioned it, she understood that Old Master was already very dissatisfied with her because of what had happened previously. If he were to vent his anger on her again because of Yu Qingning, he would probably really leave her.
Where was her place as the mistress of the household? Where was her dignity? How could she stand tall in the residence, let alone manage the household?
Yu Jianjia felt a little uneasy. “Father has received a lot of guidance and promotion from his mentor in the past. He has always valued rules and upbringing the most. He often taught us that as disciples, the kindness of a wise mentor is more important than the world, and more important than our parents. On the other hand, he respects his mentor regardless of whether he’s rich or poor.” At this point, she changed the topic with an inexplicable meaning. “Furthermore, Fourth Sister made a mistake yesterday and was punished by Grandmother. That’s adding to her mistake and making it worse. Father will definitely be very angry.”
Yang Shuwan looked thoughtful and sneered. “Yu Qingning doesn’t know how to respect her teacher, but she has violated your father’s taboo. It’s obvious that she doesn’t take your father’s usual teachings to heart. If your father finds out, do you think he can blame me?”
Yu Jianjia frowned and said hesitantly, “Mother, Concubine He is giving trouble to Grandmother. Fourth Sister was almost kicked out of the house today. It’s obvious that Concubine He can’t teach Fourth Sister well. You should find a courtyard and let Fourth Sister move in. It’ll be good for her.”
When Yang Shuwan heard this, her eyes flickered and she held her daughter’s hand. “I know you’re worried about your fourth sister, but Imperial Physician Hu said that with your illness, your illness is the most worrying. Don’t think too much about it. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything at home.”
Yu Jianjia’s pink lips curved slightly, but she did not say anything.
Yang Shuwan lowered her head and saw the gloves on her fingers. She frowned. “What happened to your hand? Did you hurt yourself?”
Biting her lip lightly, Yu Jianjia only said, “I accidentally dropped a jade paperweight in school today and cut myself. Mother, don’t worry. The wound isn’t deep. It’ll heal in two to three days.”
Yang Shuwan’s heart ached as she stared at her daughter’s fingers. “Why are you so careless? You have to be careful these few days. Don’t get wet. Nanny Qin knows some medical skills, so get her to take good care of you.”
Yu Jianjia nodded obediently.
Suddenly, she remembered that Yu Youyao had been studying at home today, and had actually memorized an entire section of the ‘The Book of Rites’ on the spot. Not only had she not missed anything, but she had even received praise from Ms. Ye. She felt suffocated.
—-
Not long after Yu Youyao returned to the Jade Courtyard, her grandmother had sent something over. There were a total of five items. There was a wooden pen holder with golden silk, twelve different-sized and thick floral pens, a carved rosewood pen holder, a few pieces of old ink slabs, and a few pieces of high-quality paper.
Nanny Liu smiled and said, “Old Madam was very happy when she found out that you’ve learned so much from Master. She sent me over to give you something useful so that you can study hard.”
She had only received a little praise from Ms. Ye. How could she be worthy of being praised by her grandmother?
No matter how thick-skinned Yu Youyao was, she couldn’t help but blush. Embarra.s.sed, she accepted the items and asked Chun Xiao to bring over a cup of medicinal tea. “Nanny, this is the medicinal tea that I made yesterday. Please give it to Grandmother. Just treat it as ordinary tea.”
Nanny Liu received the teacup with a smile and was sent out of the Jade Courtyard by Dong Mei.
Yu Youyao suddenly remembered that she had yet to write the 500 words that Ms. Ye asked her to write every day.
At the thought of her handwriting, which looked like a dog’s, and the promise she had made to her cousin at noon that she would practice her handwriting well, Yu Youyao leaned on the long table reluctantly, forcing herself to practice her handwriting stroke by stroke.
When she finally finished practicing the 500 words, Yu Youyao heaved a sigh of relief. She shook her sore arms and looked down at the big words on the paper. She couldn’t bear to look at them anymore. She crumpled the paper into a ball angrily and threw it into the wastebasket.
Chun Xiao watched from the side, not daring to make a sound.
Yu Youyao dipped her brush in ink and started practicing her calligraphy again. After writing a few words, she stopped to take a look. When she was dissatisfied, she crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the wastebasket.
After all this, the more she wrote, the uglier her words became, and the more frustrated she became. Soon, the small paper basket was filled with paper b.a.l.l.s.
“I’m not practicing anymore. My hands are sore…” Yu Youyao slammed the brush onto the table, ignoring the ink on the tip of the brush. A large ball of ink appeared on the paper, soaking it.
Chun Xiao wanted to persuade her, but Young Miss was still angry, so she couldn’t add fuel to the fire.
Looking at the messy desk, Yu Youyao was so angry that her eyes turned red.
However, she did not expect that practicing calligraphy would be so difficult. Even her memory, which had always been her greatest reliance, was no longer useful.
These days, she learned everything quickly. Cooking, tea, incense, and medicine were not difficult for her. She even learned the almost lost double-sided embroidery. She could learn what others needed months or even decades to learn in a few days. It was inevitable that she felt a little smug.
Who knew that she had kicked a metal board today and was taught a lesson by reality?
Seeing that Young Miss was pouting and looking like she was about to cry, Chun Xiao was a little worried. “Young Miss, you’ve been practicing calligraphy for a long time. You might be a little tired. Why don’t you rest for a while before continuing?”
Yu Youyao was furious. “No, I won’t practice anymore!”
“Uh…” Now, even Chun Xiao didn’t know what to say.
Yu Youyao sulked for a long time. She glanced at the pile of waste paper and then at the long table. On the wooden brush holder in the shape of a triangle, there were twelve fancy brushes of different sizes and thickness.
Each brush was made of a different material. There was wood, jade, stone, bamboo, ivory, animal bones, and so on. On each brush, there were carvings of twelve flower G.o.ds, including an orchid, plum, and peony. They were exquisite and elegant, and were extremely valuable literary tools.
She had only asked Chun Xiao to change them after her grandmother had sent them over.
She also recalled that at noon, she had personally told her cousin that she had to practice her handwriting well in the future.
Yu Youyao immediately looked ashamed. She said to Chun Xiao, “Clean up the study. I won’t practice calligraphy today. Tomorrow, I’ll ask Cousin if he has any calligraphy pieces that are suitable for practicing calligraphy. I’ll practice according to them. It’s better than practicing blindly.”
Chun Xiao heaved a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Xia Tao rushed in. “Young Miss, it’s bad. Master had a fright on the way back and fell off the carriage.”