The next day after returning from burning incense at Daci Temple, Luo Yixiu came to see Yining in a hurry.
"She's such a spoiled little girl, how dare she look down on me!" She was so angry that she drank up all the water in the teapot in Yining's room and asked the maid to pour her some more.
Yi Ning put down her pen, wiped her hands with the handkerchief in Xue Zhi's hand, walked towards her and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Luo Yixiucai told her about it.
Yesterday, when Yi Ning was not there to burn incense, she did not see it. Luo Yixiu knocked the incense burner over, and the incense ash spilled onto Zhao Mingzhu's jacket. New and old hatreds surged in her heart, and Zhao Mingzhu immediately frowned. Luo Yixiu knew that she was to blame and hurriedly apologized to her. The next day, Chen forced her to send two rolls of newly bought kesi fabric to apologize to her. Before Luo Yixiu left the yard, she heard the maid beside Zhao Mingzhu whispering, "...you burned our young lady's clothes, and you use this kind of stuff to pay for it."
If the maid hadn't stopped her, Luo Yixiu would have rushed back.
She had been raised by Chen since she was young and had never suffered such humiliation.
"Zhao Mingzhu's dress is woven with peacock feathers, which is indeed more valuable than ordinary kesi." Yi Ning simply said, "Calm down."
Luo Yixiu slammed the table again: "Call her capable! She's just an adopted girl, yet her eyes are rolling up to the sky. She's not born into a wealthy family. Your eldest sister is the Crown Prince's wife, and her temper is much better than hers."
Yining knew she was just talking and wouldn't actually do anything, so she took the stack of paper and continued practicing calligraphy.
After talking incessantly for a long time, Luo Yixiu finally stopped. Yi Ning glanced at her and said, "You're not going to talk anymore?"
"I'm thirsty..." Luo Yixiu supported his chin with a look of despair on his face.
She leaned over to look at Luo Yining's handwriting and asked in surprise, "Your handwriting is so good now?"
Yi Ning sighed, "Diligence can make up for lack of talent. It's all thanks to my third brother."
There is no such thing as genius, everything is forced out.
Luo Yixiu might have been even more unhappy after seeing her handwriting. She stayed in Yining until lunch and even had her dessert.
At noon, the servant came to tell me that the third young master had returned.
Yi Ning went to Fengxietang and saw Luo Shenyuan instructing the steward that the affairs of the mansion had been delayed in the past few days.
Luo Shenyuan's room was in perfect order. He had initially been served by a few servants, now by several maids. Outside, several guards stood guard, and the courtyard itself was decorated in a tranquil manner. Yi Ning listened to him from the side. The maids who served him were all handpicked by Lin Hairu herself. They were capable and reliable, and two of them were as beautiful as delicate flowers. They smiled and brought her some tea and snacks, saying respectfully, "Seventh Miss, try this. Third Young Master likes this mung bean soup lately, so we made more."
Yining took a cup and sipped it carefully. The taste was a little light, just what Luo Shenyuan liked. It seemed that these girls took good care of him.
Luo Shenyuan finished speaking and walked towards her: "Yining, come to the study."
Yining followed with gritted teeth.
His study was larger than before. Hanging on the wall was a piece of calligraphy, its brushwork flowing freely. Beside his desk sat a half-worn porcelain vase filled with scrolls. Next to it was a pot of green radish, which, thanks to the sunlight streaming in from outside, was lush and vibrant.
"Yining." Luo Shenyuan tapped the corner of the table lightly and looked up to remind her, "Don't be distracted again."
He was reciting the Analects. It was impossible to teach Yi Ning to pass the imperial examination, but he had to at least make her read the Four Books, and now she was almost there. Last time, Lin Hairu had asked him, "Why do you always force Yi Ning to learn these things? I think she's already the most hardworking of the sisters."
Luo Yilian became more and more depressed because of Aunt Qiao's affairs, while Luo Yixiu felt sleepy whenever she read for her own reasons. Luo Yiyu was even more so, as she was waiting to get married after the Mid-Autumn Festival - the Liu family had already sent someone to arrange the date.
Chen originally wanted to wait for Liu Jing to take the imperial examination again, as he had failed the last time. However, the Liu family disagreed. They had already waited for Luo Yiyu for two years to observe mourning, which was a very kind and righteous act. If they waited any longer, Liu Jing would be too old.
Luo Shenyuan knew in his heart that wealth and honor are fleeting, but literature endures. Those aristocratic families without a solid foundation would lose everything if their families were ruined. However, if they understood principles and studied hard, they wouldn't be afraid of change. The only thing they feared was a family that decayed within itself when its exterior collapsed.
He really wants Yining to read more books for her own good. She is young now, but she will understand it later.
But Yi Ning never objected. Although she lacked talent in this area, she never complained or felt tired. Sometimes, if she was asked to practice calligraphy for an hour, she could do it even if she lay on the table. She would not even notice him approaching her, completely immersed in it.
Yi Ning finally came to her senses and continued to recite the entire passage. In her previous life, she had suffered from a lack of knowledge, especially after marrying into the Lu family. When the other daughters-in-law sat together to write couplets, hers was always the worst.
Lu Jiaxue didn't understand her at that time, and laughed, "Are you hiding something?"
Everyone knew that her Luo family had produced a great scholar, and the old lady let her in because she valued her ancestors.
Yi Ning was so angry that she ignored him for several days. Lu Jiaxue even brought back a puppy to please him. The puppy loved licking people's fingers. Whenever it heard Yi Ning call, it wagged its tail happily. Later, she died. The dog couldn't find its owner and refused to eat no matter who fed it. It died.
Luo Shenyuan then closed the book, paused, and asked, "What was the last time you and Miss Song quarreled?"
Did he know that he had quarreled with Miss Song?
Yi Ning was really driven to anger that time, but later she thought it was funny. Why would she bother with a little girl? But at that time, she was very angry and spoke sharply to Miss Song, making her face flush, but she couldn't utter a word to refute.
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