Chapter 315 Preparations for Girls' School
Lin Yuesha was so convincing that she even believed it herself, and she felt incredibly proud of herself.
Xiao Qi rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He wanted to kick his little sister out.
Lin Yuesha told Chen Shi more than once that she wanted to hurry up and find him a wife, which made Chen Shi take it to heart. Now she wants to marry off her own accomplice. It seems that he really can't be soft-hearted. He sent his younger sister to a girls' school and found a strong nanny to teach her manners. He will cause his younger sister some trouble first.
A sapling won't grow straight if it's not pruned; Xiao Qi was holding his breath, unable to go up or down.
Lin Yuesha glanced at her stepbrother out of the corner of her eye and noticed that he was silent. She assumed that Xiao Qi was seriously considering her suggestion, and then she left satisfied.
That evening, Xiao Qi went out, and Lin Yuesha, carrying a plate of apple chips, missed him.
Qingxing followed behind Lin Yuesha, exchanged a glance with Qi'er, and the two couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle.
The lord has always been good at planning and strategizing in everything, but look what happened this time. He was driven away by his own young lady. It's true what they say, fortunes change every thirty years.
With her stepbrother not home, Lin Yuesha secretly took her newly bought storybook and sat on the bed to pass the time.
Most of the writers of vernacular stories in the Great Qi Dynasty were men, and the stories were all the same.
"The daughter of the prefect went out to offer incense and met a poor young coachman. She fell in love with him at first sight."
Lin Yuesha flipped through the pages, then muttered to Qi'er, who was doing needlework beside her, "Would a prefect's daughter ever fall for a poor boy?"
Even if they were to fall in love and be a good match, their families would never agree and would surely imprison and keep them under house arrest until the young lady was married off. But in the stories, the two of them overcame all the difficulties and got together.
"There's another story: a wealthy young lady fell in love with a poor scholar and sponsored his studies for the imperial examinations. After the scholar passed with flying colors, the young lady felt she was not good enough for him and voluntarily gave up her position to become his concubine."
In the end, the scholar married the daughter of a noble family, and from then on, he lived happily with his wife and concubines, and had many children.
What kind of utter nonsense is this?!
She worked hard and spent money to support the scholar's education. Finally, she had a good life, but she went from being a wife to a concubine. She was even happy to have children for the scholar and serve the legal wife. Was she out of her mind?
Lin Yuesha had intended to pass the time, but the more she looked, the angrier she became.
“Miss, these are all stories written by men. Most of them are scholars who couldn’t even pass the preliminary examinations, yet they think highly of themselves and always dream of being noticed by a rich young lady one day.”
If someone is chosen, it's not called marrying into the family; rather, it's because a businessman has a discerning eye and admires his talent.
With the wealth of a rich family, one can attend poetry and literary gatherings, and go to brothels to drink and have fun, which is called being romantic but not vulgar. As for one's own wife, one should not interfere, because a woman should obey her husband after marriage and strictly abide by etiquette.
"Pah, it means he's a freeloader."
Lin Yuesha felt utterly disgusted. She thought of her own father, Lin Shusheng, and realized he was a perfect example of this.
He took the Chen family's money all the way to the capital to take the imperial examination. After passing the exam, he simply faked his death, married and had children in the capital, and had long forgotten his first wife.
In the Great Qi Dynasty, the capital city and the northern lands were thousands of miles apart, and there were no means of communication. If it weren't for Granny Lin coming to her door, her mother, Madam Chen, would never have known the truth in her entire life.
"Aren't there any peasant girls who rise to prominence overnight by marrying a wealthy man?"
Lin Yuesha closed the storybook, pondered for a moment, and asked.
"Probably not."
Qi'er rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, since she had never heard of it before.
"Why? There are beautiful women among peasant girls."
If in folk tales men can marry into high positions, why can't women?
Lin Yuesha thought of the old monk's words: she was destined to marry a nobleman. Without her father's blessing, she would just be a small peasant girl.
“You can just snatch a beautiful woman or buy her with money.”
Since he's a nobleman, getting a woman wouldn't be difficult. Even if she were just a maidservant, plenty of women would be willing. Why bring her home and make his family unhappy? Giving her the title of a concubine would be fine enough.
Qi'er sighed. It's normal that there's no such story in the book; even as a woman, she wouldn't believe it if it were told to her.
A maid's horizons are limited. If she wants to become rich and powerful, she has to use her wits to climb into her master's bed. Becoming a concubine is her best chance.
Lin Yuesha's eyelids twitched; wasn't it too barbaric to just snatch someone away like that?
Thinking about the label that Blue Eyes had placed on her, Lin Yuesha threw away the storybook, covered her head with the blanket, and just wanted to sleep to forget all her unhappiness!
...
On the last day of the third month of the lunar calendar, Xiao Chenggui returned with Chen Shi, and the two thought about sending Lin Yuesha to the girls' school.
The girls' school was secluded, and like Changqing Academy, they could only go out about once a month.
“My little girl, I’m worried that you’ll suffer at the girls’ school.”
Mrs. Chen was extremely worried. Her daughter was different from the young ladies of wealthy families. She grew up in Chenjia Village and was used to being wild and untamed. Her family pitied her for not having a father at such a young age and didn't restrict her.
In the girls' school, the female teachers were all strict and didn't care about these rules. If you didn't follow the rules, you would be pricked with needles and hit on the hands.
Chen had made a special inquiry beforehand. She wanted to prevent Lin Yuesha from suffering, but she was also worried that her daughter would be taken advantage of in the capital and become a laughingstock.
Caught in a dilemma, Ms. Chen has not slept well for the past few days.
"Mother, don't worry, Sister Bai and I will go to the girls' school together and look after each other."
Bai Youran was, after all, the daughter of a prefect and had studied etiquette, so she should be able to speak with the teacher. Lin Yuesha was determined to learn etiquette well so that she could later play the role of a courtesan in the residence of the Prefect of the Capital.
The biggest weakness is that the rules are not good. She wants to make sure that the bunch of snakes and rats can't find any fault with her!
Chen's eyes reddened. She turned away to compose herself. A doting mother often spoils her son, and she couldn't always hold her daughter back.
"Mom, it's time for our shop to open. You can make all those snacks. We'll talk about the rest when I get home and see how well it sells."
Widow Sun and her son are now living in the shop; everything is ready except for an auspicious day.
The family's first business deal was with the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion. Granny Xiao gave a deposit, and the rest would be settled when the goods arrived.
"Okay, Mother knows all of this. We'll record it in the ledger later."
Chen agreed. It's good to be rich; not only will her own life prosper, but she can also help her clansmen. Now that she's back in Chenjia Village, the clan chief treats her very politely.
Lin Yuesha and Chen discussed some details about opening the shop, but found that everyone in the family was busy.
Father found a job as a tutor, Mother managed the shop and cooked food, Elder Brother went to Changqing Academy, and I went to a girls' school.
"By the way, is Tingyun back?"
Chen began to care about her stepson again. Xiao Chenggui treated her very well, and she always wanted to reciprocate. She was worried that she might have overlooked something.
"I've been back."
Lin Yuesha admitted that because of the murder case, she was afraid to deliver food to Changqing Academy. She could only ask her older brother to eat some of the academy's food first, and then she would prepare some food for him to take home after he returned home.
The day before yesterday, her stepbrother left in such a hurry that he disappeared without even saying goodbye.
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