Guidelines for the Education of Children Born Out of Wedlock 1

After arranging the tasks for Yan Xiju and other servants, Ling Wan had just taken a sip of tea when she heard the maid outside come to report that the fifth lady and the seventh master had come to pay their respects.

Ling Wan had met Shen Tang and Shen Huaian on the day of the family reunion. She didn't remember them very well, except for Shen Tang's slightly awkward cry of "Mom" and Shen Huaian's sickly face.

Frankly speaking, faced with a concubine's daughter who was only two years younger than her and a concubine's son who was less than ten years old, Chen Yuanyuan didn't know how to get along with them.

But as an old man and a young wife, she couldn't avoid her husband's backyard.

Xu Lingwan sighed inwardly and told Hongyue to go out and personally take them to the west side room of the main house. He then straightened his clothes and went into the house to wait for them.

Not long after, Chen Tang and Shen Huaian came over under the guidance of Hong Yue.

Today, Chen Tang wore a single spiral bun, a white gauze flowered shirt and a high-waisted green skirt. Her simple and elegant outfit made her look like a bamboo under the moon, and her demeanor was bright and graceful.

With such a good-looking stepdaughter, Ling Wan unconsciously put herself into the role of "stepmother", and a sense of pride that "my daughter has grown up" spontaneously arose.

Perhaps feeling Xu Lingwan's gaze, Chen Tang, who had been keeping his head down and silent, raised his eyes slightly. The moment he saw Lingwan, he was slightly distracted.

Ling Wan smiled brightly in response to her inquiring gaze.

Many years ago, Chen Yuanyuan watched a program produced by foreigners in China. She has almost forgotten the content of the program, but there is one sentence that she always remembers.

The foreigner said: "In China, in order to build closer relationships between people, people usually start with 'What did you eat?', while the British like to use 'How's the weather?'"

Now Xu Lingwan straightened up and asked Chen Tang and Shen Huaian what they had eaten in the morning.

When Ling Wan heard that Shen Huaian only ate "two small wontons", she finally frowned.

He eats so little, no wonder he is so thin and weak.

Chen Yuanyuan remembered that Shen Huaian was already eight years old.

An eight-year-old boy is at the age when he is full of energy and active, even dogs dislike him. However, Shen Huaian always gives her the impression of being gloomy and depressed, without any of the youthful energy that a little boy should have.

"Huaian, is the food in the morning not to your liking?" The woman next to him was still boasting that Shen Huaian would read until midnight every day, and Ling Wan couldn't help but interrupt.

"No." Shen Huaian whispered when he heard the young stepmother suddenly ask the question.

The maids around him kept praising him for his "hard work and ambition", saying "Seventh Young Master knows that diligence can make up for lack of talent at such a young age", which made his face blush.

Although he is not as talented as his elder brother, he also has self-esteem. Moreover, he can also hear the "stupid" behind "diligence can make up for lack of talent".

Seeing Shen Huaian's awkward look, Ling Wan didn't ask any further questions. She slightly turned her body and looked at the woman next to him: "Mother Li?"

Mother Li lowered her head and responded, her expression no longer as warm as before.

Just now, the new lady suddenly interrupted her in front of everyone. After all, she was a maid valued by the previous lady, and she had never been treated with contempt in public like this. Therefore, she felt a little angry in her words.

But her anger was short-lived. The new lady's next words made her break out in a cold sweat. She heard the new lady laugh and say, "Mother Li doesn't take good care of the Seventh Young Master's health, but instead focuses on his studies. I didn't even know when Yan Xiju had a female tutor?"

When these words were spoken, Mother Li was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat.

She was the housekeeper who took care of the Seventh Young Master, so naturally it was her responsibility to take good care of the Seventh Young Master. The Seventh Young Master's studies and education were all taken care of by the master and the stepmother in the mansion. How could it be the turn of a servant like her to interfere?

However, Wang Shi did like it when Madam Li publicly talked about how hard the Seventh Young Master worked. Isn't raising children the responsibility of a legitimate mother?

Madam Li's eyes twitched, but she quickly calmed down, forced a smile, and replied, "It was I who spoke too much. It's just that the previous lady was very concerned about the Seventh Young Master's studies, so I said a little too much today."

Haha, it sounds like she, the second wife, is not as gentle and virtuous as Wang, who also hopes her son will become successful.

Ling Wan snorted inwardly. She knew her circuitous ways couldn't outperform those women who had spent years immersed in the inner chambers, so she feigned ignorance and spoke directly, "Diligence can make up for lack of talent? Our Huai'an is a well-behaved and intelligent child. I don't know where his shortcomings lie."

After saying this, he looked towards the small figure and asked softly, "Huai'an, did the teacher say you were clumsy?"

Meeting the bright and mischievous eyes of his stepmother, Shen Huai'an felt warm in his heart, bit his lip lightly and shook his head.

Seeing this, Madam Li, who was standing beside her, turned pale. She no longer dared to argue and quickly knelt down, saying, "It was my fault for saying so. I'm not very literate, but seeing the Seventh Young Master working so hard every day, I thought of the saying 'Diligence can make up for lack of talent'. I was wrong!"

Ling Wan sneered in her heart, what a smart and intelligent woman.

He knew that Ling Wan had made a fuss about his "clumsiness", which would not end well. After all, "diligence can make up for clumsiness" is a self-deprecating encouragement. If others said it like this, it would imply that he was "stupid".

It's not that she doesn't know many words, it's that she understands too much.

Ling Wan was reminded of what Mother Yu had once told her: Mr. Shen's eldest son was a young genius with a great reputation in the family.

Faced with such an outstanding son, Wang must have been happy to hear people say that a concubine's son "can make up for his shortcomings with hard work". Otherwise, how could Mother Li, who was beside Huai'an, say this so normally?

Ling Wan glanced at her, and since she had done what she needed to do today, she sent her to wait outside, and then turned around to ask about Huaian's daily life and diet in detail.

When Chen Yuanyuan learned that this eight-year-old boy got up at five o'clock every day and went to bed at eleven or twelve o'clock every night, her brows furrowed even deeper.

It's strange that someone who doesn't eat or sleep well can be healthy. In ancient times, there were no antibiotics, and if his physical condition was even worse, a cold might kill him.