No matter where you are, you have to rely on your own strength. Mi Niang always believes in this. Luck and family background are of course very important, but as it is said in Han Yao Fu, when you are in bad times, you should just be content with your poverty and do your duty; if you don't deceive yourself, you will definitely be proud of yourself.
For dozens of days, she was so diligent, getting up early to recite her lessons, practicing calligraphy after school, and her second wife at home also taught her needlework skills. Although it was a bit tiring, Mi Niang lived a very fulfilling life.
Learning this kind of thing requires hard work and of course the rewards are plentiful. In the past, she had never been able to write small characters well and could only write large characters. Now, she could write large characters in calligraphy style and her small characters were acceptable. This can be said to be a small improvement. In her previous life, she envied others for their ability to write in small regular script with flowers on their heads. Some concubines from prominent families could also write in the flying white style. Of course, for most concubines, it was already very good if they could recognize a few characters.
But we can't compare ourselves with the inferior ones. Even though we can't become a talented woman, handwriting is also a person's face. It is true that a person's handwriting reflects his or her personality.
As for whether or not she could make friends, that was not what she considered.
First, she was new here, and it was difficult for her to integrate into a circle that had been in place for half a year. She might as well improve herself and make others admire her. Second, her father was only a scholar, and she couldn't compete with him. She might as well wait for her father to pass the provincial examination. By then, if she didn't flatter others, others would come to befriend her.
However, we cannot be completely distant and must remain polite to everyone.
On this day, she arrived early as usual, but unexpectedly, someone arrived earlier than her. This person was a stranger. She was wearing a grass green jacket and had a lily bun on her hair. Her eyebrows and eyes were very pretty, but she looked like a child who had stolen adult clothes.
There is no need to think, this person should be Wang Sumin who has been ill for many days.
Fortunately, although Wang Sumin felt a little awkward in the Guo family, the Guo family took great care to educate her. She was not as timid as imagined, but rather very cheerful, and not as suspicious as Guo Yaoyu said.
But since ancient times, there have been few harmonious relationships between aunts and sisters-in-law, and Mi Niang can understand Guo Yaoyu's feelings.
When Mi Niang stepped forward to greet her, she hurriedly said, "Sister Ruan, please stand up. We will all be classmates in the future, so why bother being so polite?"
"I heard about Sister Wang when I first came here. She said you were not in good health. Are you feeling much better now?" Mi Niang asked concernedly.
Wang Sumin smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Sister Ruan. I am fine now. Sister Ruan can keep up. I heard that this is your first time to attend school. If you are not used to it, please tell me."
She was really enthusiastic. When she saw Mi Niang taking out the copybook, she frowned slightly and said, "Sister, you need to improve your handwriting." She gave some pointers, and Mi Niang accepted them humbly.
Because Wang Sumin seems to be a person of real talent and learning, Mi Niang doesn't have any objection to her.
Just as Wang Sumin was instructing Mi Niang, someone at the door said, "Sister Wang is still so enthusiastic. When we first entered the girls' school, Sister Wang was the best in her studies."
These words coming from Ji Chunfang sounded a bit sour. Wang Sumin's eyes flashed with displeasure when she heard them, and then she smiled and said, "Sister Ji is not bad either. At that time, you couldn't even hold a pen steadily, and I was the one who taught you."
Ji Chunfang was a little embarrassed. Although she came from a wealthy family, she was not as well educated as Wang Sumin. Wang Sumin's father was a Confucian official, and her mother was also from a scholarly family. She was very strict in her upbringing and was taught to read and write when she was three years old. Ji Chunfang was different. Although she had learned a few words before coming, her mother was in poor health, and the second mother was the head of the family. She had no one to discipline her, so she could not compare.
But Ji Chunfang recovered quickly and said casually, "Yes, I also told my parents that Sister Wang is the most knowledgeable. When my parents heard that you were sick, they asked me to send you some precious herbs. But I thought that Sister Wang lived in the Guo family and didn't have anything she needed."
Mi Niang understood what Ji Chunfang meant. Wang Sumin's stepmother was in charge of the family, so she must be a very demanding person, otherwise the Guo family would not have accepted Wang Sumin. Then the dowry given by the Wang family must not have been much. She heard from Guo's second daughter Yao Xian that Wang Sumin only had eight loads of dowry, which might not even be worth one hundred taels.
Ji Chunfang was mocking Wang Sumin for eating for free at the Guo family. Besides, the Guo family was not very wealthy, which could be seen from the clothes and expenses of the Guo sisters.
Sure enough, Wang Sumin's face flushed. She glanced at Mi Niang. Mi Niang would certainly not help others easily. Although she is young and under your guidance, it does not mean that she will be your little brother and cheer for you.
No matter where you go, you should never get involved in other people's disputes too early.
Ji Chunfang smiled and returned to her seat. Wang Sumin also lost her previous enthusiasm. The atmosphere did not become better until Zhou Furou came over.
This is also Zhou Furou's ability, you have to admit it.
But in this private school, when it comes to admiration, Mi Niang has to admire Luo Qiujun. If Zhou Furou relied on her incredible luck, then Mi Niang had actually heard of Luo Qiujun's name in her previous life. She heard that she was very good at writing eight-legged essays. Her husband was originally a playboy and the son of an official, but she pushed him to achieve fame, not to mention that she also cultivated a son who became a Jinshi. Her deeds were even included in the local chronicles of the time.
Of course, Luo Qiujun at this moment is not the image of Meng Mu who moved three times. She is a little aloof and always keeps to herself. She has very ordinary relationships with people around her and can only chat with Guo Yaoyu.
But her academic performance is far beyond comparison.
However, her needlework was not that good. After all, a person's energy is limited. If you put too much energy into one thing, you will neglect another. Therefore, when learning needlework, Mr. Xue simply arranged for Mi Niang Tao Chun'er and Luo Qiujun to be together.
Tao Chun'er is meticulous. Needlework requires concentration. Tao Chun'er's education is above average, but she is very meticulous in needlework. Although she is not as dexterous as Mi Niang, she is very calm and can work calmly for a whole day.
Mr. Xue's intention was to let Luo Qiujun learn Tao Chun'er's meticulousness and Mi Niang's dexterity. After all, although Tao Chun'er's needlework in this private school was not the best, it was the most solid. As for Mi Niang, she was particularly talented. In less than half a month, she was able to do embroidery, and she also learned pattern cutting in one go.
"Qiu Jun, look, this is how the needle goes in. You need to sew a few more stitches here so that it will be smooth." Tao Chun'er said seriously.
Luo Qiujun couldn't help but complain: "I'm not afraid if you ask me to read more books, but I'm really not good at sewing." Then, he looked at Mi Niang with envy: "You are so good, you are gifted."
Mi Niang smiled and said, "Sister Luo, my handwriting is not as good as yours, and my reading is not as good as yours. This is my only advantage."
But Luo Qiujun said seriously: "You can't say that. I started learning at the age of three. My father taught me for many years before I entered the girls' school. You just entered the private school and just picked up a pen. It's good enough that you can write well."
She doesn't talk much, but she has good insight.
It seemed that when Wang Sumin saw her handwriting, she only found out why her handwriting was not good, but she did not notice her day-to-day improvement in copying calligraphy.
Mi Niang was about to say something when she heard Zhou Furou laughing. Zhou Furou was learning needlework with the Guo sisters. In fact, Zhou Furou had only been holding a needle for a short time. She was still learning how to weave, but she was progressing very slowly. From what I heard privately, she didn't learn much either. It was strange that she had such a good opportunity to come to the needlework school, but she didn't work hard at all.
"Hmph." Luo Qiujun snorted coldly.
"I really don't know what the inspector's wife likes about her?"
Perhaps it was because Luo Qiujun was always reading and working very hard, so he looked down on Zhou Furou and often spoke frankly to her.
Tao Chun'er quickly jumped out to smooth things over: "Qiu Jun, it's good for Fu Rou to be like this. After all, she has never learned to knit before, let alone read and write."
"But isn't it the same with Mi Niang? I think she is good at everything and she is also very hardworking."
Seeing Luo Qiujun praising herself, Mi Niang said something fair, "After all, she is not very old, and no one teaches her these things at home." Mi Niang lived her life again, but Zhou Furou was a real child. If Mi Niang was really only six years old, she probably would not have learned so well.
Of course, even though she was only six or seven years old, she worked very hard.
The three of them were just chatting, all concentrating on their own needlework. Although Mi Niang was not as meticulous as Tao Chun'er, she was very smart. She could see that Luo Qiujun's skills were indeed limited. If she was taught according to the conventional methods, the more she learned, the less effect she would see. On the contrary, if one or two embroidery pieces stood out, it would be something she could show off.
When Mi Niang suggested this, Tao Chun'er disagreed at first: "This is just taking shortcuts, it won't work."
Since Tao Chun'er said so, Mi Niang stopped talking. Instead, during lunch, Luo Qiujun said to her privately, "Mi Niang, I have never been good at needlework. No matter how much I learn, it is useless. This is probably because I don't have the comprehension ability. You just said that if you can teach me one or two pieces of embroidery, I will be outstanding. I still ask you to teach me."
Mi Niang smiled slightly.
During her day off, she took a carriage to the Luo family. Mrs. Luo was about forty years old. Although she had a smile on her face, her lips were always tightly pursed. It was obvious that she was a person with a very strong will and would not change her mind easily.
She held Mi Niang's hand and said to the people around her, "Qiu Jun has always been aloof. I didn't expect that he would make friends so quickly."
After that, Mrs. Luo asked how many other people were in Mi Niang's family. Mi Niang smiled and said, "My father is a scholar and is still studying. My mother wanted to send me here, but because she was pregnant with my brother, she couldn't come, so she asked me to say hello to you."
Mrs. Luo was very fond of her because she was so beautiful, spoke clearly and behaved gracefully.
After passing the test of Madam Luo, Mi Niang went to Luo Qiujun's room. In fact, although the Luo family had a male owner who was a teacher, they were not rich, and the place they lived in was not as good as their own. It was heard that Luo Qiujun's father had failed in the imperial examinations many times before, borrowed a lot of money, and was not good at managing money, so he did not live very well.
"Mi Niang, you're here." Luo Qiujun said with a faint smile.
Mi Niang nodded and without further ado, she took out a carp mold. Luo Qiujun was puzzled: "Why is it that you only embroider this kind?"
"Sister Luo, think about it, this carp embroidery mostly uses flat stitches, which seems complicated, but I have summarized no more than three stitches. If you learn this one, then you can always use it in a variety of ways. For example, this hibiscus carp is a good gift for students or officials' wives. It has a very good meaning. It not only means carp jumping over the dragon gate, but also has a sense of wealth. I will teach you the simplest one, which is just to embroider more lotus leaves. As for the golden carp pattern embroidery, let's keep it simple, just use gold thread to inlay a layer on the edge of the carp. Look at this two-color carp, you can abandon the staggered stitch method and only embroider two carps, but don't you just use different colors?" Mi Niang said as she drew.
Luo Qiujun smiled happily, which was rare: "Excellent, excellent."
She held Mi Niang's hand for a rare moment and said, "You really solved a big problem for me."
Mi Niang also said cunningly: "Sister Luo will also teach me to read, this is also called reciprocity."
Luo Qiujun smiled and said, what's the problem?
The two of them talked back and forth, and Mi Niang benefited a lot. She realized that if she had only studied in girls' school for three years, at best she would have only been able to recognize a few words. However, Luo Qiujun was educated like a man, and this was what she wanted to learn.
Of course, Luo Qiujun also learned a lot of needlework tips from Mi Niang. She was no longer as averse to needlework as before. At the same time, her liking for Mi Niang increased, especially her diligence in learning.
Soon, Mi Niang had her first good friend, Luo Qiujun, in the academy.
Luo Qiujun, who always kept to herself in the academy, was actually close to the newcomer Ruan Mi Niang, which shocked everyone. Ji Chunfang glanced at Tao Chun'er and couldn't help but say to Guo Yaoyu, "Although Ruan Mi Niang is young, she is really capable. Have you ever seen our Miss Luo pay attention to anyone? Tao Chun'er has been left aside now. Yaoyu, you have to pay attention."
Guo Yaoyu's expression was gloomy and unclear: "Don't tell me what I am paying attention to."
Mi Niang heard Ji Chunfang's mumblings, but she didn't care what other people thought of her relationship with Luo Qiujun. It was just like when she was favored and countless people were jealous of her. What is this called? If you are not envied, you are mediocre. Only mediocre and incompetent people are free of faults and others won't even think of targeting you.
As for the fact that they looked at her as if she were a treacherous minister, Mi Niang just found it funny. In her previous life, she was scolded as a treacherous concubine and she was sad at first, but then she slowly got used to it.
Just like some people are not ashamed to use backdoors, but if you really give them a backdoor, they will be the first to use it and will be very happy.
There are also those who think that the emperor is too gracious to them, not knowing that the emperor has raised their own status by one level, and those people are vying for his favor like black-eyed chickens.
Anyway, Mi Niang thought that her main purpose of coming to the girls' school was to study, so of course she had to choose to study under Luo Qiujun, who had the best knowledge. It was just like you had to win the emperor's heart when you entered the palace, otherwise it would be of little use to please the empress or the queen mother.
Only by finding the key point in anything can you succeed.
Otherwise, you'd just be wasting your time here.
The so-called networking is to make sure everyone is on the same level, otherwise, who would be willing to help the poor? Even if someone is willing to help you, you have to have the ability.
Instead of always relying on others, it is better to rely on yourself and develop your own network of connections. This is the foundation of your own life.
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