Finding a female tutor is difficult. Gu Nanjiao remembered that Lu Yanzhao had said a long time ago that he would ask about female tutors for her younger sister, but more than half a year has passed and there is still no sign of one.
What an unreliable guy!
Everyone has different circles, and Gu Nanjiao had no clue how to find the female tutor, so she simply posted a recruitment notice at the entrance of Meiwuzhai:
We are seeking a female tutor. Salary is negotiable. Requirements include a love for students, high moral character, and an optimistic attitude.
After posting the ad for several days, someone finally came to apply for the job.
The woman who came to apply for the job was named Yingniang. She was very beautiful, with graceful steps and an elegant demeanor. She looked like a young lady from a once wealthy but now fallen family. Even in her decline, her elegance remained.
Sure enough, when Gu Nanjiao asked her to introduce herself, she learned that Yingniang's family used to own a large restaurant and she was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Later, her family fell into decline and she was sold to someone to bring good luck. However, the man in that family died that very night, and the family thought she was unlucky. Now she had been kicked out and had nowhere to go. Seeing the advertisement for female tutors on the wall, she decided to give it a try.
Gu Nanjiao likes good-looking people the most, especially women who are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
She quickly smiled and said, "I'm the manager here, my name is Gu Nanjiao!"
"Manager Gu!"
Gu Nanjiao waved her hand: "No need to be polite. You're about my age, just call me by my name. Let me tell you what a female tutor does!"
"good!"
Yingniang silently followed behind Gu Nanjiao, looking at the girl in front of her who was about the same age as her. Her carefree manner did not seem like that of a pampered daughter.
She liked this personality very much. Before her family fell into decline, she was a young lady from a wealthy family, a true lady of high society. She was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her every word and action was proper and could not be wrong in the slightest.
Now that she's fallen on hard times and is working as a female tutor, she doesn't feel ashamed at all; on the contrary, she feels a sense of pride.
"You usually teach my sister-in-law to read, write, play musical instruments, and practice calligraphy and painting. Also, if you have some free time, could you teach the female servers at Meiweizhai to read?"
"Tuition fees are extra."
Yingniang agreed without hesitation, but she was very confused about what a waitress was.
Gu Nanjiao explained that it meant female waitress or female shop assistant.
Yingniang couldn't help but sigh, this girl's every word and action had refreshed her understanding.
Her family used to run a restaurant, and all the waiters and waitresses were men; they had never heard of any female waitresses.
The most bizarre thing is that he even hired a tutor for his shop assistants to teach them to read.
She asked, "Will I still teach the younger girls music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?"
"Second Sister?"
Yingniang's ears turned red: "It's the waitress. The one you're talking about."
Gu Nanjiao was amused by the word, and she found that this well-bred young lady was also quite adorable: "That's not necessary, being literate and polite is enough."
Gu Nanjiao led Yingniang to the back room and took out a zither to test her skills.
Gu Nanjiao bought the zither a couple of days ago, and she also bought the chess set. She's just waiting for her female tutor to come over.
Before the audition, Yingniang washed her hands several times and then took out a handkerchief to wipe them again and again, very carefully.
Gu Nanjiao knew that in ancient times, people would burn incense and bathe before playing the zither. Nowadays, things are simpler, with no incense to burn or bath to take, so Yingniang simply simplified this procedure, but the elegance was not diminished.
She truly lives up to her reputation as a lady of high birth! Refinement has nothing to do with poverty; it's something ingrained from childhood. Unlike her, who gulps down a ladle of water when thirsty and can eat three bowls of rice when hungry. She walks faster than she runs, and thinks kicking people is a cool move.
Seeing Gu Nanjiao staring at her, Yingniang felt a little uneasy, afraid that the shopkeeper would worry that she was being picky.
Gu Nanjiao laughed and said, "Hey, I don't know these etiquettes, just do what you normally would."
Gu Nanjiao believes that some etiquette should not be forgotten even in times of hardship. Many traditional etiquettes from China's five thousand years of civilization still persist to this day.
Some dross can be discarded, and the essence can be retained. But the essence should not be discarded, and should be continuously promoted.
With a sharp "zheng," the sound of the zither filled the air, its lingering notes echoing in the air. Yingniang's slender hands moved with focused concentration. Gu Nanjiao was completely mesmerized.
As the song ended, Gu Nanjiao couldn't help but give Yingniang a thumbs up.
Even if she had studied since she was a child, she still wouldn't have reached that level.
Next, Go, calligraphy, and painting all amazed Gu Nanjiao.
Yingniang modestly replied, "It's just a superficial understanding; compared to others, I'm still far behind!"
Gu Nanjiao knew Yingniang was being modest and pitied her family's tragic circumstances, so she quickly signed the document and agreed to come early the next morning to teach her younger sister. The salary was four taels of silver per month, paid on the first of each month.
Yingniang was overjoyed. Although this amount of money was less than what she used to spend in a day, she was already very satisfied with having so much money now that she was down on her luck.
Gu Nanjiao was worried that Yingniang was too picky and had some concerns in her heart, wondering if she had given too little.
Seeing Yingniang so happy put my mind at ease.
After seeing Yingniang off, it was lunchtime at Meiwuzhai. A large number of people rushed into the hall.
With more people eating, there's bound to be more gossip.
A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties put down his chopsticks and said, "I heard that after Master Wang's mistress was brought back to the mansion, she lost her baby within two days."
Some people sighed, "I knew it! Master Wang's wife was clearly not someone to mess with. All these years, none of his concubines have laid a single egg. What does that say?"
"That shows the First Madam is ruthless; she doesn't allow the concubines to give birth! Do you really think anyone would let that little wench's child stay in her belly? You must be joking!"
The middle-aged man shook his head: "No, no, my neighbor's second uncle's aunt's younger sister's brother's wife works as a maid in the Wang family mansion. She said that it was discovered that Master Wang had lost his fertility ten years ago, and that mistress was carrying an illegitimate child."
Everyone was shocked: "There's even more shocking news here?"
Hearing that there was some big gossip, Gu Nanjiao quickly put down her charcoal pencil and listened intently.
"Then surely the children born to the First Madam are Master Wang's children!"
The middle-aged man said, "That's for sure. Look at his son, he looks exactly like Master Wang, with a face full of fat and as fat as a pig."
"I suspect that after giving birth to a son and a daughter, Madam Wang gave Master Wang a drug that would prevent him from having children. Otherwise, how come none of the concubines in the house got pregnant?"
The gossipy crowd nodded: "You're right."
Gu Nanjiao also felt that what the middle-aged man said made sense. Yang Meiqin had been having affairs with countless people in the village, and there had been rumors that the child in Yang Meiqin's belly was Lu Yanping's. Gu Nanjiao recalled the live sex show that Lu Yanping and Yang Meiqin had performed in the bushes, and secretly guessed that the child might really be Lu Yanping's.
Gossip is gossip, but Gu Nanjiao only heard a little bit about it. What the truth is, it has nothing to do with her.
Gu Nanjiao didn't expect that trouble would come knocking on her door just a few days later.
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