Chapter 117 Female Studies
Master Xuan stood there, followed by several lackeys, looking quite imposing.
"Master Xuan, have you come to deliver firewood to our house?"
Lin Yuesha pointed to the wooden sticks in the hands of several people. They were thick and good; they would be perfect for splitting into pieces to make firewood.
Since it became difficult to buy firewood in town, Lin Yuesha's eyes lit up whenever she saw wood, and she always wanted to buy some firewood for her family.
"You foul-mouthed brat! I've found evidence that you went to Zuifeng Tower. I'm going to confront your parents right now!"
Master Xuan blew on his beard, determined to succeed this time!
"What nonsense are you talking about, Zuifenglou?"
Lin Yuesha turned around and asked the constable behind her, "Brother constable, is the Drunken Wind Pavilion that Master Xuan mentioned the one with the Magpie Pavilion...?"
"Little girl, don't know these bad things."
The constables quickly stopped him, glaring angrily at Master Xuan. This man was truly oblivious; didn't he see they were escorting the little girl home? Now the little girl was a favorite of Lord Zhang, who had personally instructed her to come directly to the yamen if she suffered any injustice.
Master Xuan is utterly ungrateful! How dare a mere merchant defy an adult and slander the little girl's reputation!
"Officers, don't scare me. I know this girl has made contributions to the yamen, but that's all just bragging. Hanging yourself is nothing, anyone can do that!"
Master Xuan was furious, because he had been terribly deceived because of this!
Anyway, he hasn't won a single battle against the little girl in the past two or three rounds. Even when he went to Zuifeng Tower, he inexplicably made a fool of himself.
If he doesn't find an outlet for his frustrations, Master Xuan will go crazy.
"Hanging? You think you can just hang yourself whenever you want? Go ahead and try, see if you can contribute anything to the government!"
The constable curled his lip, then said, "Brothers, this guy's here to cause trouble. Let's take him back to the yamen and hand him over to the magistrate!"
"Wait a moment!"
Master Xuan was stunned. He had paid money to inquire about this information at the yamen and guaranteed it to be true. Now these yamen runners were going to send him to the authorities. Had he heard correctly?
"You heard me right, what you're saying is all outdated information. Miss Yue Sha has made great contributions to the government. If you come here to cause trouble, you're going against our officials!"
The constables didn't want to waste any more words, so they simply pinned the man down and were about to take him away.
"Leave the sticks in your hands before you leave."
Lin Yuesha pointed to the thick stick, saying that this way the family could burn firewood for another night.
Master Xuan: "..."
The constable escorted Lin Yuesha home and personally delivered the reward from Lord Zhang, praising Lin Yuesha highly.
Chen rarely dealt with yamen runners and felt particularly uncomfortable. Only after seeing them off did she grab her daughter and ask her what had happened.
"Mother, that's how it is."
Lin Yuesha only said that she was lucky to be there, but she never expected that she would help Lord Zhang.
"A tall tree catches the wind, which is not necessarily a good thing. Even though you have Lord Zhang backing you up, you should not bully others at will."
Mrs. Chen had mixed feelings. She gave a few instructions and left dejectedly.
Lin Yuesha couldn't understand why her mother seemed unhappy even though her family was making more and more money.
That evening, after discussing the matter with Xiao Chenggui, Chen found her daughter and expressed her concerns.
Yes, the family earns a lot of money, but compared to the impoverished days before, Chen always feels uneasy and anxious.
Although they had Lord Zhang's protection, they had still offended quite a few people.
I'm not afraid of people causing trouble in the open, but I'm afraid of those who sabotage me in the shadows.
"Mother, there's nothing we can do about it. Our family can't live in poverty forever."
Lin Yuesha understood Chen's contentment with the status quo, but her family couldn't just stay like that. Without money, nothing could be done. In the future, the family would need to build a house, her elder brother would need to take the imperial examination, and he would need to get married. All of these things required money!
The Chen family is probably the first person to be so rich as to complain about something that's too hot to handle.
“Little girl, your father and I have discussed it.”
Looking at her daughter, Madam Chen spoke solemnly, saying that it was thanks to Lord Zhang's high regard that they were able to shut up Master Xuan's foul mouth. Otherwise, if he spread rumors everywhere that Lin Yuesha had been to Zuifeng Tower, even if their family was innocent, they would still be criticized.
The saying "three men can make a tiger" not only makes marriage difficult, but also makes it unpleasant to be pointed at and gossiped about.
“Your father said that there are girls’ schools in the city, with female teachers who teach reading, writing, needlework, embroidery, etiquette and manners.”
Seeing her daughter running around all day, Mrs. Chen felt that this couldn't go on. Now that the family had some income, she had to think about her own daughter.
"Mother, is there any way to discuss this?"
Lin Yuesha had a long face. She never expected that being loyal would get her into trouble. She only wanted to make money and didn't want to go to the girls' school.
"There's no room for discussion. After the New Year, your older brother will go to study in the prefectural city, and you will go with him."
Most of the nannies at the girls' school were old servants who were kept by the government and knew etiquette and rules. Many young ladies from wealthy families were sent there, and when they later talked about their families, the other party would think more highly of them if they heard that the girls' school was a graduate of the girls' school.
In the past, when the family was poor, the village girls were not picky. But now that they live in the town, Chen's perspective is naturally different.
"mother……"
Lin Yuesha wanted to cry. Girls' school—it sounded like a terrifying place. She didn't want to go!
However, her parents' decision could not be changed for the time being, so she had to wait for her eldest brother to return. She then sought out a kind-hearted but unreliable person to plead on her parents' behalf, hoping they would change their minds.
...
Before we knew it, it was December. The border town was getting colder and colder. At night, the wind howled and snowflakes fell in a flurry.
Lin Yuesha stayed home, preparing to ship Master Jiang's Eight Treasures Box and making a batch of snacks before Jiang Huai shipped out his goods again.
With all the work completed and the money received, Lin Yuesha kept a small piece of silver and entrusted the rest to Chen for safekeeping. Chen, who was initially shocked and incredulous, had now calmed down considerably upon seeing the silver.
Outside the window, the snow was falling heavier and heavier. Lin Yuesha sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) practicing calligraphy.
The calligraphy copybook was left by Xiao Qi, and Xiao Chenggui came over every day to give her guidance, which made her suffer terribly.
Lin Yuesha was required to write several large characters every day, and only after receiving her father's feedback were she allowed to regain her freedom.
"Little girl, Xiao Xi from the Jiang family just came to deliver a message. Miss Jiang invites you to offer incense at Yutan Temple on the fifteenth of December."
Chen carried a food box into the house, which contained soup dumplings made by Xiao Xi's mother, Aunt Wang, and they were still warm.
Where is Xiao Xi?
Lin Yuesha put down her brush, finally able to go out for a stroll.
Last month, she and Jiang Baozhu had arranged to go to offer incense, but a series of unexpected events occurred, and the incense offering was delayed.
"Xiao Xi went to the pharmacy to get medicine for her wife and didn't stay long."
Chen sighed, feeling sympathy for Xu's plight. Looking at Hemei, no one knew the bitterness in her heart. Xu's health was deteriorating further, and she was now only kept alive by medicine.
"Miss Jiang will pick you up first thing tomorrow morning. Please be prepared."
Lin Yuesha has some close female friends in town, which Chen is happy to see. Without the Jiang family, her family wouldn't have been able to earn money so quickly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com