Chapter 42 My cousin is really a character!
"Miss, cousin."
When Xue Yuan walked into the library, she did not expect that her young lady was there too. She was startled for a moment, but after all, she was the maid of the eldest lady, so she quickly returned to normal.
"But what's wrong, mother?"
Wanyi lost the familiarity she had shown with Su Ying and acted like a lady of the house to Xue Yuan. She was displeased with Xue Yuan's unauthorized entry without even asking for permission or knocking. Such impertinence was unacceptable to her. It was obvious that Xue Yuan had no respect for Su Ying.
Xue Yuan bowed and said, "Madam, there is nothing wrong. I came here on my own."
"If that's the case, why didn't you report it before going in?"
Xue Yuan wanted to defend herself, "I didn't know the young lady was here, and Sister Qiaoshu wasn't waiting at the door. I thought no one was there, so I pushed the door open and walked in."
Because it was cold, Wanyi didn't want Qiaoshu to be outside in the cold, nor did she want Qiaoshu to come in and disturb her conversation with Sister Ying'er, so she asked her to come back in half an hour. But Xueyuan was so quick-witted that not only did she not admit her mistake, she also brought Qiaoshu in with her.
Wanyi, who had originally intended to leave it at that, suddenly lost her temper: "If you thought no one was here, why did you come in? Is this where you're supposed to be?"
Xue Yuan then knelt down, glanced at Su Ying, bowed her head and admitted her fault, saying, "My cousin asked me to come here in a few days to learn the Thousand Character Classic. I was reckless. Please punish me, my cousin."
"Wanyi."
Su Ying didn't want to offend Wanyi when she scolded the servants, but Xue Yuan was right; it was indeed she who asked her to come to the library whenever she was free. Just as she was about to speak, Wanyi stopped her.
"Sister Ying'er, you're so kind to everyone. Not to mention them, I'd also like to be close to you. But we still have to pay attention to the differences between the upper and lower levels, otherwise, over time, we'll both lose our sense of propriety."
Su Ying understood. Wanyi's words to her seemed blunt and unsympathetic, but in fact, she didn't want Xue Yuan to blame her after she scolded her.
So she nodded at Wanyi and said nothing more.
Wanyi saw that Su Ying understood, and not wanting to offend her sister, she asked Xue Yuan to stand up and said, "Since you've come to look for my cousin, you know there's someone in the library. Why did you think there was no one? You've been with mother for many years, so you should be the most well-behaved maid in the mansion. Let's forget what happened today, and there won't be a second time."
Seeing Xue Yuan admit her mistake, Wan Yi stopped blaming her. She caught a glimpse of a small booklet in Wan Yi's hand and asked, "What's that in your hand?"
Xue Yuan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she said softly, "My cousin taught me a line of Thousand Characters, and I copied it several times from memory. I'd like my cousin to take a look."
As he spoke, he presented the booklet in his hand. After Su Ying and Wanyi looked at each other, he took the booklet and looked through it with Wanyi.
"Whose calligraphy are you copying? Why does it look a bit like my sister's hairpin-flowered small regular script?"
Last time, her cousin had given her the Thousand Character Classic. Since she was a beginner, she had personally demonstrated and taught her the stroke order. Afterward, to avoid forgetting, she took the paper and practiced copying it every day. Her cousin's words had given her immense encouragement, and she, initially worried, couldn't help but look up with joy.
The young lady smiled and said, "Well written. Why don't you thank cousin for her guidance?"
"Thank you for your guidance, Miss, and thank you for your compliments."
Xue Yuan knelt down and kowtowed heavily.
Su Ying said, "Your young lady is right. Even if I teach you calligraphy, I cannot neglect etiquette. Since you are determined to improve yourself, I will continue to help you. Your handwriting is very spiritual. I am busy here today, so I will teach you the second line of the Thousand Character Classic tomorrow. Go away."
Seeing Xue Yuan retreat, the two smiled at each other. Su Ying knew that Wanyi was protecting her dignity, and Wanyi also knew that Su Ying understood her intention. The two sisters were in tune with each other and unknowingly became closer.
"Mr. Bai's two sentences are a warning to us: when people are poor and humble, it is difficult to be lazy and idle in order to make a living, but when they are rich and noble, it is very easy to be lazy and idle. Mr. Bai knew that we had chosen the scripture, so he specially used this sentence as a warning."
"So, instead of writing about your understanding of this passage, it's better to write about your own feelings, compare them with the passage before and after, and then write about how you will avoid arrogance and impatience in the future and continue to learn with an open mind."
After Su Ying's explanation, Wanyi suddenly understood. She exclaimed in amazement, "Sister Ying'er, if you were to become a female teacher, who knows, you might have several princesses among your students!"
"So my sister wants to be a princess?"
After joking with each other, the two sisters burst into laughter, and the library, which had been deserted for a long time, gradually became a little lively.
After Xue Yuan left the library, she suddenly heard laughter behind her. She couldn't help but stop and look back.
After just a few days of copying scriptures, the young lady and her cousin had become as close as sisters. The young lady's scolding of her just now, combining kindness and severity, not only saved the cousin's dignity, but also established her authority.
My cousin is really a character!
Why do all the young ladies and gentlemen favor her?
The scene outside the Bodhi Temple gate haunted her for a long time. If she didn't act now, it would probably be too late. Just now, the young lady had said that her calligraphy was on par with her cousin's, and even her cousin praised her calligraphy as being very spiritual. Both young ladies' calligraphy had been approved by the high monks of Bodhi Temple. So, if her cousin left the Du Mansion and put some effort into her poetry and prose, would the young master also look upon her differently?
With her mind made up, she decided not to wait and see. It was getting late, so she had to return to her wife as soon as possible.
After lunch, Cheng took a short nap.
Ever since her meeting with Madam Xu at the Bodhi Temple, she had decided to start her outings at the start of the New Year. After noon, she summoned the storekeeper and began sorting through the mansion's treasury to see if anything needed to be replenished.
Xue Yuan also took advantage of this time to go to the library. She originally wanted to take the opportunity to get acquainted with her cousin so that it would be easier for her to enter and exit the library in the future. However, she never expected to meet the cousin.
After entering the East Courtyard, Nanny Li winked and said, "Young lady, you're back just in time. That's why Madam sent someone to call you!"
"Thank you, Ma'am. Please don't leave yet. I have something to ask of you after I return to my wife."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Li nodded and asked her to go into the house first, and she would wait for her there.
Xue Yuan entered the room and saw Cheng resting with her eyes closed, letting the little maid massage her back.
"Madam called me?" Xue Yuan quietly walked behind Cheng and replaced the little maid. She kneaded Madam's shoulders and asked softly.
"You rub it so comfortably."
Cheng slowly opened her eyes and pointed at the list on the table.
She recognized it as the detailed list presented by the warehouse manager and was about to reach out to take it when an idea suddenly came to her mind.
"I just met the young lady and her cousin. Our young lady is not only talented, but also considerate of me. She said that since I usually follow the mistress, I should learn to read well. She let me follow her into the library and gave me a copy of 'Thousand Character Classic'."
Cheng was brimming with pride. While she was flattered by her son's success in achieving first place and first place in the provincial examinations, she often heard praise for his vast knowledge. Now that Wanyi had made the list for her sutras, the burden of raising her daughter could no longer be circumvented by her mother: "Young Lady has asked you to study, so study diligently. For a family like ours, even a maid who can read and write is quite impressive."
Xue Yuan nodded in agreement as she put away the detailed list. "Of course I'm willing to learn. When I entered the library, I saw that it was truly extraordinary. If it weren't for the rows and rows of books, I would have thought I was in the Master's study!"
"oh?"
This sentence caught Cheng's attention. She had been to the library once before and found it had a lot of books, but she hadn't paid much attention to anything else. She had devoted all her energy to giving Du Heng's study the best, so how could the library be the same as her son's study?
Xue Yuan saw that Cheng was interested, so she acted like she had never seen the world before and sighed, "There's a glass lamp on the desk in the library. It looks exactly like the one in the young master's study."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
