Only then did Xiao's mother feel relieved.
She didn't want to say anything more, and she didn't offer any further opinion on Jiang Tian learning to read from the maid in the house.
Jiang Tian herself has not yet achieved the status of a true young mistress. People still regard her as someone slightly higher than a servant. Xiao's mother also thinks so—so what difference does it make who she learns to read from?
Moreover, nowadays maids don't have lifetime employment; once they're hired to her home, they can resign.
It's hard to say whether Jiang Tian or the hired servants are happier.
"Alright, I get what you mean. You've grown up and I can't control you anymore. Do whatever you want."
Xiao's mother couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.
She had a strange feeling in her heart. Even her eldest daughter-in-law could read, but she couldn't. It was really infuriating to think about.
But she's already so old, she definitely can't learn to read anymore, so all she can do is make sarcastic remarks about others.
Jiang Tian gave her a flattering smile: "Grandma, don't worry. Once I know more characters, I'll read the scripts to you. Haven't you always wanted someone to read the scripts to you? I'll definitely learn to read, then you won't need to find anyone else."
Upon hearing this, Xiao's mother became interested.
Actually, she doesn't have any particular hobbies. She just likes listening to operas and listening to others recite scripts for her.
She herself is illiterate, so she always needs someone to read to her.
A literate person is always more useful than an illiterate one. She couldn't find someone to read stories to her every day. If she hired someone from outside, her husband might accuse her of wasting money. So, Xiao's mother had limited time to listen to stories each day.
If the eldest daughter-in-law learns to read, it will be of great benefit to her.
She really had a way with her eldest daughter-in-law, who never dared to resist her. If she made her read storybooks to her, wouldn't she be able to hear as many as she wanted?
Thinking of this, Madam Xiao finally smiled: "Alright, then go and learn. Remember to keep it a secret, don't let anyone find out. You really have a way with yourself—learning to read from the servants in the manor!"
"Don't worry, I will be very careful and won't let anyone find out."
"That's fine then."
Xiao's mother never mentioned hiring a tutor for Jiang Tian from beginning to end.
Because in her opinion, Jiang Tian didn't need it.
If a woman wants to learn to read, and her enlightened mother-in-law is willing to let her go, she should be grateful. How could she possibly spend money to find someone for her? Would she be out of her mind?
Moreover, given Jiang Tian's dull and clumsy appearance, if she wanted to learn to read, who knows how much time and money it would take?
Xiao's mother would never do such a deal; it's simply not worth it!
After receiving proper guidance from Xiao's mother, Jiang Tian spent even more time learning to read and write.
Whenever Xiao's mother wanted her to do something, she would see Jiang Tian holding a notebook, writing and drawing, while muttering something to herself.
Seeing how diligently her eldest daughter-in-law was learning to read, Xiao's mother felt embarrassed to disturb her, lest it seem as if she had changed her mind, which would be quite unpleasant.
Therefore, Jiang Tian spent even more time studying each day.
Xiao's mother also wanted to see how well she could learn.
Actually, subconsciously she still didn't want Jiang Tian to learn to be good. How to put it, a person is contradictory. On the one hand, she hoped that Jiang Tian could read storybooks to her, but on the other hand, she didn't want her eldest daughter-in-law to be too strong—she was afraid that she couldn't control her eldest daughter-in-law.
Unfortunately, to Xiao's mother's disappointment, Jiang Tian's ability to learn to read was truly astonishing.
Especially Xiuxiu, who taught her, she even thought she had taught a genius.
Xiuxiu always believed that teaching someone who had never read before to read would be extremely difficult.
After all, she only learned to read when she was in elementary school.
However, to her surprise, the eldest young mistress was a pleasant surprise.
In just a few days, the young mistress had almost mastered the skill of recognizing characters. She learned how to use a dictionary and knew what initials and finals were. Now that she had learned pinyin, she could actually learn the rest on her own.
“Young Madam, when the time comes, you can go to the bookstore and buy a large dictionary. You can flip through it from time to time, take your time to read and learn. Once you finish reading it, you will have mastered almost all the characters. Don’t worry, there are only a few commonly used characters. What you have mastered now is enough for daily communication. But don’t slack off, you still need to read and practice more.”
Xiuxiu was quite happy to have a clever apprentice.
She accepted the payment Jiang Tian gave her and did her best for Jiang Tian.
Seeing that she had learned enough, Xiuxiu sincerely gave her advice.
If you want to learn more about writing, then you'll naturally need a large dictionary.
Jiang Tian smiled and said to her, "Thank you, Xiuxiu."
Xiuxiu shook her head: "No need to thank me. You paid me, so of course I'll teach you well. You're so smart that you learned so quickly. I don't have much else to teach you. I only know how to read, otherwise I would really like to spend more time with you."
Xiuxiu is actually a very open and honest person. Although she is a little vain and sometimes can't stand seeing others do well, she is not a bad person at heart.
Having taken someone else's money, she had to work for them. Xiuxiu was very dedicated, and during this time, she took great care in teaching Jiang Tian to read.
Jiang Tian's progress even made her feel sorry for Jiang Tian.
If the eldest young mistress had attended a proper school, who knows what she might have accomplished? She's truly intelligent. It's a pity, though; she even had to secretly learn to read from a maid.
Xiuxiu said to Jiang Tian, "I won't teach you anymore. You can consolidate your knowledge on your own. If you have any questions, you can ask me again, and I won't charge you."
The few silver dollars that Jiang Tian gave her were actually tuition fees for a long period of time, but Jiang Tian learned too quickly and graduated, so Xiu Xiu could no longer accept all the rewards without hesitation.
“I can’t accept all of these silver dollars, young mistress. You’ve learned too quickly. I’ve only taught you for such a short time, and you’ve already learned everything. So I won’t teach you anymore. Naturally, I can’t accept all the money. I have to return a portion to you.”
Jiang Tian shook her head and smiled at her, "Thank you, Xiuxiu. I'm really happy that you taught me to read. Consider this money your reward. I couldn't have learned so well without your careful guidance."
"You know I'm timid by nature, I don't like dealing with people, and I'm not good at social niceties. I waste a lot of time chatting with others. If you teach me, I don't need to find those tutors. You charge so little, it's much cheaper than tutors outside. If you say you'll return the money to me, then you're not being sincere with me."
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