Chapter 168: Chapter 70: Old Madam Falls Ill
Under the soft glow of the lamp, both the large and the small figures were practicing their calligraphy seriously.
Hua Lei tiptoed to the doorway of the study and quietly asked Qiao Lan, who was standing guard in the outer hall, “Has the Young Lady finished practicing her writing yet?” The prepared late-night snack has gotten cold.
Yueyao had given orders that, when she was practicing calligraphy or painting, nobody was allowed to enter unless summoned, a rule put in place for fear of disrupting her thoughts.
Qiao Lan made a sour face, “Not yet!” Normally, practice would only take an hour, but today she hadn’t co out even after nearly two hours. Qiao Lan wondered how the Young Lady could be so absorbed in practicing her writing that she often forgot the ti.
Both were muttering to themselves when Yueyao called out, “Co in!” Just as Qiao Lan had thought, Yueyao had been so engrossed in practicing her calligraphy that she had lost track of ti, and turning her attention back, she saw Tingzheng standing beside her, watching her write.
After Yueyao put down her brush, Tingzheng said, “Sister, your writing is so beautiful. Sister, can I learn it too?” Tingzheng wanted to learn when he looked at the characters, which seed as exquisite as blossoming flowers.
Yueyao shook her head, “You must first master the characters I’ve given you before we talk about that.” Biting off more than one can chew is never good, and Tingzheng couldn’t possibly be like her, having so much ti and energy to practice calligraphy. Therefore, it was enough for him to learn just the Ou style.
Tingzheng was slightly disappointed.
Hua Lei brought over two bowls of egg and milk custard. The egg and milk custard was made at Yueyao’s request; she often ate it when she was in Jiangnan, and since she couldn’t have it after returning, she had the small kitchen prepare it again and made it every now and then.
Tingzheng looked at the smooth, tofu-like substance in the underglazed blue porcelain bowl, “Sister, it’s so pretty.” The Li Mansion had a wide variety of late-night snacks, but Tingzheng still thought his own ho’s offerings were better, even though he hadn’t tasted them yet.
Yueyao smiled and said, “If you like it, eat a bit more.” In this ti, ordinary people usually ate twice a day, while noble families like the Lian family had three als a day. However, Yueyao now had four als a day. Besides the three main als, she also had late-night snacks daily, and those snacks were always the choicest ones.
Tingzheng took a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and slid it into his mouth, “Sister, it tastes really good.” It was fragrant, sweet, and smooth on the palate.
Yueyao also liked this late-night snack quite a bit, so she ate a rather large amount. Before Tingzheng went to sleep, Yueyao asured him again, planning to make a new outfit for the New Year for Tingzheng.
Of course, Yueyao wouldn’t make it from scratch; she had maids like Xi Juan cut the fabric, and she would do the embroidery later. Otherwise, making an outfit alone would take a lot of ti, and she didn’t have that much of it available.
Brother Zheng had only two days off, and on the third morning, he took the carriage to the Li Mansion again. This ti, Tingzheng didn’t bring any gifts from the Lian Mansion, but instead, he boasted to Li Han about the clothes he was wearing, “This is a garnt my sister made by hand.”
Li Han was skeptical, “How could your sister, being so young, make clothes?” Li Han knew nothing about needlework and couldn’t believe that Yueyao, only eight years old, would know how to make clothes.
Li Han was just expressing doubt, but for Tingzheng, it was an affront to his sister, and he wouldn’t let it go. Thus, he quarreled with Li Han.
Lady Li was surprised to hear that Tingzheng had started a quarrel with her younger son, “What was the argunt about?” Tingzheng had been in the Li Mansion for over a month, behaving well, being diligent and eager to learn, and not only had she co to like him, but so had her husband and the tutors.
The maid explained the reason for the disagreent.
Lady Li said with a smile, “Such strong affection between the brother and sister.” She knew her younger son ant no harm with his words, but Tingzheng had taken them seriously and needed to be comforted.
At lunchti, Lady Li pulled Tingzheng to her side. Observing the garnt he was wearing, with its uneven stitching and slightly protruding embroidery yet extrely fine workmanship, she couldn’t help but ask, “Tingzheng, did your sister tell you that she embroidered this garnt?” Looking at the garnt’s embroidery and stitching, Lady Li found it hard to believe it was Yueyao’s work, so she inquired directly.
Tingzheng, unaware of any implication of surprise, replied, “She embroidered it herself. Last night, my sister even took my asurents, planning to make a winter robe.”
Lady Li was astonished. As for the clothes, she truly struggled to believe it. But since Yueyao herself had said she made them, then it must have been true because Yueyao had no reason to lie to Tingzheng about a garnt.
After Tingzheng left, Lady Li couldn’t help comnting, “This child is really remarkable.” For such a young age, the needlework was done so well; it was indeed rare.
The old nanny by Lady Li’s side said with a smile, “Madam, I heard that the Lian Mansion hired an embroideress nad Ma, who was quite famous in Jiangnan. Third Miss of the Lian Family is so intelligent, naturally, she learns quickly under a skilled ntor.”
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