“Yuan’er is my daughter. I will teach her well, whether she is good or bad. There is no need for you, sister-in-law, to overstep your bounds.”
Madam Lihua was embarrassed and her face was not very pleasant. She deliberately spoke loudly: "Everyone in the manor knows that the Fourth Miss is illiterate. It's not that I don't say it doesn't exist. If Second Brother really wants to cover up Yuan'er's shortcomings, then I won't say it next time."
He claimed he was trying to cover it up, yet everyone knew it; his intentions are despicable.
Lady Lihua's implication was that An Chaoli knew his daughter was incompetent, yet he forbade anyone in the household to speak of it.
Lady Lihua widened her eyes and made an exaggeratedly aggrieved expression. When the people below saw this, they really thought that An Chaoli had bullied her.
An Chaoli is a gentleman, and what a gentleman fears most is a shrew who doesn't know manners.
An Chaoli pondered for a moment. His maid was still young, and he had never pressured her. In fact, Yuan'er had never studied in all these years.
He used a strategy of retreat to advance, frankly saying, "There's nothing I can't say. The story of 'The Tragedy of Zhongyong' is the most obvious way to tell everyone that while innate talent is important, diligence and hard work are the key. Although Yuan'er started her studies late, who knows who will rise and fall in the future? My daughter will certainly not be bad."
An Chaoli's humble yet assertive remarks earned him much respect.
Madam Lihua could only say sullenly, "Then we'll see. I don't believe Piao'er will lose to her sister."
Meanwhile, An Yuan'er, who had been behaving herself the whole time, held An Chaoli's hand and asked with a childish and confused look, "Father, is the Li Sao really that hard to memorize?"
An Chaoli was worried that An Yuan'er's enthusiasm for learning would be dampened by her harsh aunt, so he comforted her, saying, "Yuan'er, don't be afraid. Learning is all about taking it step by step. We'll take it slowly, it'll be fine."
"Really?" Xiao Yuan'er frowned in confusion. "Daddy, that would be terrible!"
"It won't be bad, Daddy's here." An Chaoli encouraged his daughter.
Madam Lihua then made a sarcastic remark: "It's terrible. Yuan'er is already six years old and doesn't know a single character. His early education is far too late."
"None of them are right, none of them are right!" An Yuan'er kicked her short legs and shook her head desperately.
An Yuan'er lowered her head and admitted her mistake to An Chaoli: "Father, you said we should proceed step by step, but Yuan'er got the order wrong. It's terrible!!!"
An Chaoli: "Order???"
"Yes, shouldn't we be like our older sister, first memorizing the Three Character Classic, then the Analects, and then the Li Sao?"
"Heh!" Madam Lihua sneered, "Yuan'er, you can recite these words yourself."
The six-year-old girl opened her big eyes, blinked innocently, and said, "Yuan'er does know how to recite Li Sao!"
After speaking, the little girl stood at her doorstep, like a little master, and recited with a swaying head: "I am a descendant of Emperor Gaoyang, my royal father was named Boyong. On the day of Gengyin in the first month of spring, I was born. My father, observing my birth, bestowed upon me an auspicious name. My name is Zhengze, and my courtesy name is Lingjun..."
The little girl's voice was still somewhat immature, with the unique babyish tone of a child, but her pronunciation was very clear, so clear that everyone could hear it. She recited it perfectly, without missing a single word.
Mrs. Lihua stared in astonishment, her jaw nearly dropping.
She mumbled in her sleep, unwilling to admit it: "This isn't real, how could it be?"
An Chaoli, on the other hand, was completely unable to utter a single word.
Who can tell him how his precious child could be so outstanding?
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