Li's illness has been completely cured, but she still doesn't like to go out. Apart from paying respects to the elders in Ronghuayuan every day, she basically stays at home.
On this day, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua were both in Li's main room, following Li and Nanny Zhou to do needlework.
For the generations of the Ren family, the boys all studied in the outer courtyard with the tutors hired by the mansion, while the girls learned to read and write from their mothers. Fortunately, the women in the Ren family were born into good families, so writing and drawing were no problem for them.
Or like Ren Yaoqi, who has a father and brother willing to teach her. Generally, such women are either particularly favored or do have some status.
As for other arts, such as needlework and other special talents, the Ren family had also specially hired embroiderers and female teachers to the mansion. However, classes generally began in the spring and ended around the Mid-Autumn Festival. On weekdays, everyone wasn't required to attend classes; it was entirely up to personal preference. Those who slacked off were not held accountable.
As for why the Ren family, since they didn't value girls' education, would spend money to hire a female teacher? This could only be a trend among wealthy families at the time. If everyone else hired a female teacher, but you didn't, that wouldn't be acceptable.
Ren Yaoqi was telling a joke with Li and the others, and everyone was laughing so hard that the atmosphere in the room was very cheerful. Suddenly, the maid Que'er, who was standing at the door leading to the bathroom, frowned and turned towards the bathroom and shouted softly, "Who's outside?"
Everyone was startled, and Li accidentally pricked her hand with the embroidery needle.
"What are you doing? You're so jumpy!" Nanny Zhou immediately stood up and walked over.
Que'er quickly apologized: "I just heard some noise in the bathroom. It seems someone accidentally kicked the wooden stool in the bathroom."
There is a toilet in the inner room of the west side room of Li's main house. The toilet has a north door, which is connected to the backyard for the convenience of delivering water from the backyard to the toilet.
Nanny Zhou hurried into the bathroom to check, but she didn't find anyone. She only saw a stool next to the curtain of the north door kicked over, proving that someone had indeed come in. She deliberately lifted the curtain of the north door of the bathroom and looked towards the backyard. The backyard of Ziwei Courtyard was very narrow. It was only seven steps from the north door of the bathroom to the eaves of the last entrance. Because it was winter, it was quiet outside and there was no one in sight. Because the snow in the courtyard had to be swept three times a day, especially the aisle in the middle, only a few shallow footprints could be seen, all leading to the kitchen in the backyard that was specially used to boil water in winter. Nanny Zhou stared at the footprints for a while, lowered the curtain and went back.
Ren Yaohua put down the embroidery she was working on and stood up to walk over. She ran into Nanny Zhou, who had just returned from investigating. She said with a slightly cold expression, "Was it someone from the backyard who just eavesdropped?"
Xier said angrily, "These people are truly lawless. It's fine if they sneak in at night to eavesdrop, but they're so brazen in the daytime! How despicable!"
Ren Yaohua looked at Xier in shock and anger: "What! They've been eavesdropping here before? Why didn't you tell me?"
Upon hearing this, Xier glanced at Li and lowered her head in embarrassment.
Li sighed and came to the maid's rescue, "I told them not to tell you, and they didn't hear anything anyway, so forget it. I heard it too, and those people living in our courtyard and backyard all have their own backgrounds. It would be bad to offend any of them."
"Mom!" Ren Yaohua stomped her feet in anger.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com