It's not that I speculate the worst about the girl, but Ruan Shiyi lives in the house, and if a girl suddenly dresses up, with a tight waist, slicked-back hair, and a hint of spring in her eyes, it would be a scandal if something really happened.
She took a sip of tea and decided to calm the eldest girl down first: "I have a few tricks here. You can send them to the Luo family for Miss Luo. Just tell her that I gave them to her specially and she can learn how to make them."
The eldest girl was a little reluctant: "Miss, I have clothes to wash today, or let the second girl go, I don't go to the Luo family very often, I don't know the way."
She couldn't wait any longer. Once Second Madam finished her confinement, she would no longer be able to stay in the Ruan family.
"Just go when I ask you to. I have other work for Erniu. As for your work, just put it aside for now." Mi Niang said calmly.
Seeing that the girl still didn't move, Mi Niang put down the teacup and said unhappily, "Why, I can't control you anymore?"
In fact, although Mi's family doesn't treat their servants like family members, they are still very tolerant. They even give them food and snacks if the second mistress has extra cloth. There wasn't much to do, just wash the clothes of these few people and sweep the floor, and we didn't even have to get up early.
It's not like other families where they would be beaten and scolded and have strict demands, but this also makes them not afraid.
"Miss, I'll go right away." The big girl was startled.
She had not had much contact with Mi Niang before, and she only knew that she was a lucky girl. The second grandmother spent so much money to send her to a private school, and the girl herself was also very hardworking. Her scalp hurt from looking at those big characters, but the girl studied very hard and never stopped.
Therefore, she could write, paint and play the pipa at the age of seven. When the little boy celebrated his third birthday, every guest praised her.
People often dare not ignore those who have great perseverance.
After she left, Mi Niang went to the upper room and told the matter to Mrs. Ding.
"I can't say for sure what she will do, but we have a young man living here. If something embarrassing happens, she is a little girl and is afraid of gossiping about you. If there is nothing wrong and she just wants to dress up, then everyone will be happy."
Mrs. Ding Er put down the cowherd and looked at Mi Niang in surprise: "They say that studying is good, it seems that Mi Niang is really good. I haven't paid attention to these things these days because I am in confinement."
The main thing is that there are only a few servants in the house, and they all have their own duties. Aunt Ding has to feed and take care of the child by herself!
Mi Niang smiled and said, "It's only natural for a daughter to share her mother's worries!"
After Mi Niang's reminder, Second Mistress Ding called her mother-in-law over and gave her some instructions.
The good mother-in-law asked Mrs. Zhong to go into the kitchen to prepare the meal. She pretended to be doing the work, but in fact she was staring at the big girl.
Even Mi Niang could see through Da Niu's obvious thoughts, let alone Hao Po who kept an eye on her every day.
As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you must seize the stolen goods; to catch an adulterer, you must seize the evidence. Even if you want to dismiss a servant, you must seize the evidence.
Before the annual examination, Ruan Jiading usually studied until very late, and the light in the study was always on. In the darkness, a woman came out from behind a tree.
She looked around, looking like a guilty thief, but after calming herself down, she walked towards the study room without looking back, touching her hair from time to time and unbuttoning two buttons at her collar, revealing a hint of snow-white skin.
When she pushed the door open, she raised her eyes with a charming look on her face, and was immediately startled.
The people sitting in the room were none other than Da Niu's mother, Zhong, and her sister, Er Niu.
Mrs. Zhong said sadly, "What are you doing? You're dressing up like a seductress. How can your father and I save our reputation?"
The good mother-in-law came in immediately and nodded slightly to Mrs. Zhong, "Tomorrow, ask Wang Wu to send Miss to the private school, and then send her to Fourth Grandma. Our Second Grandma said that she would ask Fourth Grandma Shang to find a good family for her, so you can find one for her if you have the money. Otherwise, if something happens, it will hurt our reputation, and let relatives say that our family does not follow the rules. Not to mention our Second Grandma, I'm afraid that the entire Ruan family will not tolerate your family."
Mrs. Zhong said hurriedly, "Don't worry, dear mother-in-law, we will send her away early tomorrow morning."
They have no worries about food and drink in the Ruan family, and now they have started to get paid. It is much more unbearable than the days of hunger before, so they are reluctant to leave!
Besides, if the news of her daughter climbing into the master's bed got out, who would dare to want them?
The next morning, Mi Niang saw Er Niu's eyes were red, and she didn't ask anything.
The fish fillet porridge we had for breakfast had smooth and tender fish fillets. Even Mrs. Ding smiled and said, "This tastes refreshing."
Everyone was very calm, as if nothing had happened. This was an extremely merciful way of handling the situation, and it gave each other dignity.
Ruan Jiading won first place in the annual examination and got a place in the provincial examination. With his assistance, Ruan Shiyi also passed the prefectural examination. Mrs. Gui was naturally grateful.
In the private school, Luo Qiujun's brother also passed the provincial examination, and everyone congratulated her and Tao Chuner again.
Tao Chun Er's face was full of blushes. She was very reserved and did not get carried away, which made everyone feel her preciousness. Wang Sumin saw that everyone was congratulating Tao Chun Er. She was usually not stingy, but she could not help being sentimental when encountering such things.
The Tao family is the leading rice merchant in Jiangling. From listening to Mrs. Guo and a few old women chatting, I learned that the Tao family was very generous to their son-in-law. After the palace examination, they took out two thousand taels in one go to support their son-in-law.
Thinking of the wealth of the Tao family and her own poverty, she felt that she could not continue to study in the private school. The Guo family was not rich to begin with, and they had to pay for her frequent illnesses. She also followed the same schedule as the other two young ladies of the Guo family. If she continued like this, she would not only be unable to help the Guo family, but also hinder them.
By then, I don't know how many words others will have to say.
Forget it. She decided not to come here again after she finishes her studies at the private school this year. The sisters here are all very nice, but she is really physically exhausted and mentally by the contrast.
After figuring this out, Wang Sumin felt relaxed all over, as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she felt completely at ease.
As the saying goes, the one who knows you best is definitely your enemy. Wang Sumin and Ji Chunfang have always been at odds. Wang Sumin is so cheerful, and the first person to feel the change is of course Ji Chunfang.
"What's wrong with your sister-in-law?" Ji Chunfang asked Guo Yaoyu.
Guo Yaoyu sighed: "She told my mother that she was not feeling well and she wanted to stop coming to the school next year to avoid being overwhelmed."
"But I see she's in good health lately."
"Maybe she's grown up and doesn't want to hang out with us anymore."
After hearing Guo Yaoyu's ambiguous words, Ji Chunfang suddenly reacted and cursed himself for being so stupid.
Wang Sumin will be in her teens next year. Although she has already held a wedding ceremony, Mrs. Guo treats her as her own daughter, but she is not her biological daughter after all. Although the Guo family is kind, she cannot be so tactless as to ask the Guo family to pay for extra care, so she had to make an excuse that she was not in good health.
Thinking of this, Ji Chunfang felt a little more sympathy for this old rival who was not always on good terms with her. Although her mother was not favored, she was still the wife of the main house and did not have to care about other people's faces at home.
"I always thought she was a freeloader. She was clearly an outsider, but she was ignorant in Madam Guo's house. Not only did she compete with the Yaoyu sisters for Madam Guo's favor, but she also wanted this and that. Now that I think about it, she must have something she is not satisfied with."
Upon learning that Mrs. Ding had finished her confinement and the male guests in the house had gone home, Ji Chunfang went to talk to Mi Niang. She was reluctant to go back to her home as she felt it was filled with smog and miasma. Instead, she could speak freely in Mi Niang's home.
Mi Niang nodded: "The Guo family is really kind and righteous. Don't worry, I think Sister Wang's life will be much better than ours."
After hearing this, Ji Chunfang smiled and said, "You are right. I can't understand this."
"It's not that I can't understand it, sister, it's just that everyone is biased." Mi Niang wanted Ji Chunfang to be on good terms with the Guo sisters, so she naturally looked at the problem from Guo Yaoyu's perspective, which was understandable.
Ji Chunfang looked at Mi Niang and sighed, "Actually, Yaoyu has no choice. Lord Guo doesn't look at family background or appearance when choosing friends, but mostly looks at character and talent. The reason why Yaoyu's brother married into Wang Sumin's family was because Wang Sumin's great uncle had a relationship with Lin Xia Zhifeng. But her great uncle doesn't represent her! Yaoyu is also afraid that her father will marry her off, so sometimes she can't help but think about herself."
To put it bluntly, Guo Yaoyu wanted to marry someone of similar age and appearance, and she didn't want her father to arrange a marriage for her casually, especially if she married into a poor family, as she was afraid that she would have more troubles in the future.
However, Mi Niang said, "It's useless for her to do this unless Mrs. Guo helps her."
Ji Chunfang held up her hands: "That's probably impossible. Mrs. Guo always listens to Mr. Guo on important matters."
Seeing Ji Chunfang was very worried, Mi Niang smiled and said, "Sister, instead of thinking about this, you might as well think about the poems that the teacher assigned you."
It would be fine if we didn't mention this. As soon as Ji Chunfang was mentioned, she started to wail: "I don't know why God gave you all such beautiful and talented children, but I am such a dumb person."
"I just finished learning this, so I have to work hard on it."
When Ji Chunfang heard that she had to work hard, her face turned green. She actually knew why she couldn't concentrate on her studies. It was because her mind was too distracted. She could never be as focused as Mi Niang. Just now, she was still joking with herself. When she was asked to study or write, she would immediately bury her head in work, oblivious to the people around her.
She sat for a while before leaving silently.
By the time Mi Niang came to her senses, it was already the afternoon and Second Madam Ding came in personally with the meal.
"Mi Niang, why are you so focused? Did you forget to eat? Look what I made. Fried egg with loofah, mixed pepper, and pickled lotus root. Isn't that your favorite?"
Mi Niang said coquettishly: "Mom, I want to finish writing this side before eating, so you can just leave it here."
Aunt Ding Er was still holding the bowl herself, just like when she was little: "Mom will feed you."
Just like when she was a child, Aunt Ding fed her daughter. Seeing that her daughter finished a big bowl of rice and refused to drink the soup, she coaxed Mi Niang for a long time before she drank it.
Sometimes Mi Niang thinks that this is probably the advantage of having parents, she can act coquettishly as much as she wants.
"Mom, how is the big girl?" asked Mi Niang.
Mrs. Ding Er smiled and said, "Your aunt Shang Si sent me a letter saying that she has found a family for her and she has married in Yueyang. You don't need to worry about who she is."
Grandma Shang Si actually married her eldest daughter to someone from another place. This was a really cruel move.
"Mom, I'm not worried about her, but her own sister is by my side." Mi Niang saw that Erniu was often sad these days.
Second Grandma Ding touched her head and said, "Your father said that after he succeeds, we can choose another one. Don't worry."
The cowherd's full name was Ruan Yuheng, "heng" means perseverance, and he was from the Yu generation. When the little guy was born, he looked like a red monkey, but after a few months, he turned out to be very white, very cute, and rarely cried.
The good mother-in-law said, "Our Heng brother is really obedient. When Mi sister was little, she was very noisy. People passing by heard that she was a demon star. But the little brother is very easy to take care of."
"Mother, am I really the Devil Star?" Mi Niang was trapped in Second Mistress Ding's arms, unable to get out, she was simply ashamed.
Second Madam Ding said with a smile: "When your mother gave birth to you, she was always hungry and her milk supply was insufficient, so you naturally cried when you were hungry."
These words expressed my sadness.
However, the good mother-in-law felt that Second Mistress Ding doted on her daughter too much. It was no longer ordinary doting, but spoiling.
Fortunately, Sister Mi was not spoiled. She was more diligent than the scholarly family next door and helped her mother a lot. If it weren't for Sister Mi's vigilance and the incident with Da Niu, how would others view it?
Autumn turned into winter, and in a blink of an eye everyone had already put on jackets. The school even cooked Laba porridge for them. As the saying goes, after Laba it is the New Year. In a few days, Mr. Xue would also go home to celebrate the New Year.
Aunt Ji Chunfang and her cousin returned home. She no longer had any worries and said with a smile, "Thanks to the poem Mi Niang wrote for me, my father praised me after reading it, saying that my cousin was uneducated and unskilled. He sent my aunt and cousin back home in a few words."
Ji Chunfang just thought that her father thought her cousin was not worthy of her, so he acted like that, but Guo Yaoyu saw it clearly.
People need to have higher values to be respected.
Mi Niang was clearly increasing Ji Chunfang's bargaining chips, so that even for the sake of profit, Master Ji would choose a better person to maximize his profits.
Next year, they will be ten years old, which is not considered young.
Mr. Xue was lecturing on the Analects, and Mi Niang in the audience was listening very attentively. Mr. Xue, as always, spoke very carefully and seriously.
This time, Mi Niang was undoubtedly the first in the annual exam. Luo Qiujun said gloomily, "I finally surpassed you last time, but I never thought I would be surpassed by you again."
Mi Niang had no choice but to smile.
It was probably because Ji Chunfang won her father's praise for the poem that Mi Niang wrote for her last time, which also aroused her enthusiasm for learning poetry.
Mi Niang said, "The school will be closed in a few days, and we will be bored at home. Why don't we start a poetry club and take turns to host it?"
Ji Chunfang and Luo Qiujun were the first to agree, while the Guo Yaoyu sisters said they would discuss it with their families.
Mi Niang added: "I will be the host this time, and everyone can come to my house to play. My mother is an excellent cook."
Guo Yaoyu was the first one to agree: "Okay, I will definitely go."
Tao Chun'er's eyes were also sparkling. She seldom went out, and every time she heard others talk about where they were going to play, she was extremely envious. Even the section chief expressed his opinion, and she agreed.
Except for Zhou Furou who said she wanted to go home, almost everyone agreed.
Mi Niang also went home and told Mrs. Ding Er, "I have asked someone to sell the needlework I made in needlework class, and I have a few taels of silver. Mother, please buy some preserved fruits and snacks for me so that my female classmates can feel at home."
Before, she was only famous in the girls' school, but now that her poetry collection has been published, I'm afraid she will be famous throughout Jiangling Prefecture.
When Mrs. Ding Er heard that her daughter was going to prepare for a poetry recital, she was not willing to let her pay for it. She just said, "It's just two cents, so why should I ask you to pay for it? You are just a child, don't worry, I will definitely take care of it for you."
However, Mrs. Ding said, "You can't stand in the snow for too long in the dead of winter. Why don't you wait until the weather gets warmer?"
Mi Niang smiled but said nothing.
The timing is right. Her father will take the imperial examination in August next year, and Mr. Xue will not open the museum until February or March. It will take her half a year to build up her reputation before she becomes famous. By then, her father will be a famous man and will be able to protect her.
The reason why her father did not get pregnant in his previous life was, firstly, because his wife died tragically and he was in a coma for a long time, and secondly, he was just a student in his previous life, not a student on government stipend, so he was short of money and could not go to any good academy.
The teachers in the provincial school hardly cared about anything, and most of them just spent their time there fooling around. It was normal that Ruan Jiading failed the exam.
However, he had passed the examination and was said to have won the favor of the Grand Master. He was also studying very hard in the academy, so his chances of passing the examination were 80 to 90 percent.
So, this timing is very important.
Second Madam Ding was afraid that her daughter would be embarrassed, so she decided to pay for the wedding out of her own pocket. The second daughter of the Zhong family was even more cautious. Although the grandmother said that it was not their fault when the eldest daughter made a mistake, how would they cope if a new girl came in? Therefore, they were very concerned about the matter and wanted to show off to their master.
This reminded Mrs. Ding of the time when she interrogated the girl. The girl was very young, with red lips.
With her hair loose, she kept kowtowing: "Second Madam, I was bewildered for a moment, please don't chase me out."
Thinking of this, it was impossible for Second Madam Ding to say that she had no grudges in her heart. She was waiting for Big Girl to say that she climbed into bed just for glory and wealth, and then deliberately asked her if she was willing to be a concubine in another family. Big Girl's ugly appearance made her husband feel sick, and Second Madam Ding's goal was achieved.
Not only men, but also women are prone to greed for novelty, but she will never allow anyone to destroy her home and her husband.
Absolutely not.
In fact, the person who was most excited about organizing the poetry club was Tao Chun'er. She was particularly happy after receiving the flower sticks sent by the Ruan family. Although she was always calm, she felt depressed staying at home every day. It was a rare opportunity for her to go out, so she started reading Tang and Song poems, fearing that she would fall behind.
Mrs. Tao smiled and said, "It just so happens that I made you a set of clothes the other day, so you can wear them now."
Mrs. Tao asked, "I heard that the girl from the Ruan family who sent the letter has always been the top student in your school, and Mr. Xue also praises her very much, is that right?"
Tao Chun'er is a very kind person. She would not praise Mi Niang in front of her, but she said a lot of good things about her behind her back: "Mi Niang is the youngest, but she is very hardworking and talented. She has always been the top student. She is also better at needlework than my daughter. The most rare thing is that she also writes well. Not only Mr. Xue, but also our classmates, no one dislikes her."
"Oh, this girl is so amazing. What does her family do? How many brothers does she have?" Mrs. Tao asked.
Since ancient times, people have married virtuous women. None of the three sons in her family are good at studying. If she could marry a daughter of a scholar, maybe there would be someone with honor in the next generation!
Tao Chun'er didn't expect her mother to have such thoughts. She thought her mother was interested in Mi Niang, so she smiled and said, "She is from the Ruan family of Jiangling. Although she is a side branch, her great-grandfather was once a county magistrate. Her grandfather lost the family business. Her father was the top candidate in our Jingzhou Prefecture. She has already won the first place in the annual examination and is just waiting for the provincial examination in August next year."
"So that's how it is!" Mrs. Tao suddenly had an idea.
Even if Mr. Ruan did not pass the imperial examination, he was still from a scholar's family. However, the Tao family was not bad either. The Tao family was the largest rice merchant in Jingzhou Prefecture. Their family was famous for its fine family tradition and they did not even have concubines. Their conditions were considered second to none.
Therefore, when Mrs. Tao was about to send her daughter there, she met Mrs. Ruan.
Speaking of Zhou Furou, she had a bad relationship with Mi Niang and was not good at poetry, so she didn't want to go to the Ruan family and had to return to her hometown.
When Li came to pick up her daughter, she saw that she was chubby with a pink and tender face. She was very happy: "I heard from your aunt that the food in your school is good. Now I see it's true. Look at your pink and tender face. You are really good-looking."
In the eyes of country people, being able to eat enough is good enough. Her family has five sons, and each of them has a big appetite, so not having enough to eat is normal. Her daughter can eat and drink well in the city and can also read and learn to read, so she is really enjoying a good life.
Zhou Furou said, "Mom, I don't want to come to the private school next year."
Li was in high spirits, and had never thought of her saying this, so she immediately asked, "What's wrong with you? The inspector's wife is so kind to you, and I heard from people in the village that you are well educated and literate, and everyone says you have made great progress. Could it be that someone has bullied you?"
"I don't bully her, but my daughter just can't learn well no matter how hard she tries."
It turned out that the child was afraid of hard work. Li smiled and said, "What's the big deal? Isn't it hard for you to go back home to farm? You get up early every day to cut pig grass, or sew, or help in the kitchen, and you have to go to the fields. Your brothers also have to pick up manure! Tell me, which one is harder?"
This gave Zhou Furou away, but Li found that her daughter was not as likable as before, and always lowered her head when she spoke. She thought her daughter had grown up, but she didn't know that Zhou Furou was often criticized by Mr. Xue because she couldn't pay the bills for many years, couldn't understand the knowledge, and was not good at needlework. Sometimes she was even spanked when she couldn't recite the book.
But the more unlucky she was, the more powerful Ruan Mi Niang seemed to be.
When she couldn't recite the book, Ruan Mi Niang was the first to recite it. When she was not good at needlework, Ruan Mi Niang was the first to receive praise from the teacher and classmates.
Even when she couldn't pay, she was the first to pay.
She is always good at everything. Compared with Mi Niang, she seems to be the most shameful person.
She definitely wouldn't go to the poetry meeting, and if she did she would just be an accompanying person.
On the 22nd of February, it had just snowed, but the Ruan family cleaned the house very thoroughly. Second Aunt Ding even hired someone to come in and help because of this.
There was a long table in the flower hall, with several high-footed plates on it filled with fresh fruits and preserved fruits, as well as some snacks specified by Mi Niang.
The Ruan family didn't have much of a garden to visit, so the most important thing for Mi Niang was to make this poetry meeting interesting.
Mrs. Ding looked at her clothes and said to Mi Niang, "Is this okay, mother?"
"Mom, you are naturally beautiful. You look good in anything you wear."
I never expected that the first person to come was Tao Chun'er, who was brought by her mother. Mrs. Tao was a plump white woman who looked very kind.
When Mrs. Tao looked at Mi Niang, she couldn't help but stare in amazement. She had also been to Jiangnan with her husband, but she had never seen such an expression on her face.
"Aunt Tao." Mi Niang smiled and stepped forward and bowed.
Mrs. Tao looked at Mi Niang's feet again. They were not bound, so she could not help but nodded. Her daughter did not have her feet bound either. When she was young, she followed her husband around everywhere. If she had bound feet, she would probably not be able to leave the house!
Originally, she just wanted to come and take a look, but when she saw how beautiful Mi Niang was and how gracefully she behaved, Mrs. Tao felt a little warmer in her heart, and she showed some of that when she was talking to Second Madam Ding.
She thought her family was sincere enough, but Ding Erniang politely refused: "She is not as good as you say. She is even more naughty at home. People in our family are also like you said. They are engaged, but her father told her that she can't get engaged too early, otherwise it will be a hindrance."
Mrs. Tao was also an extraordinary woman. She was able to raise a daughter like Tao Chun'er who was well behaved and kind. She was broad-minded. Not only was she not angry, but she also said, "I think so too. Mr. Ruan is very talented. If he passes the imperial examination and becomes a Jinshi in the future, your future will be assured. Why rush for the moment?"
Mrs. Ding thought to herself that it was a pity. If it weren't for the prejudice against family background, the Tao family would have been very good.
But her daughter was too strong-willed, she was born with a patriotic temperament, and her husband was too mediocre. Her life was a long journey, just like Liao who had thought of adopting her son.
The Tao family has a good tradition and has been doing business for generations. I heard from Mi Niang that Tao Chun'er's brothers hardly studied and started trading after learning a few words. Although they are rich, the second wife must know that they should not just pursue wealth.
Her daughter loves poetry and books, so she must be able to communicate with her future husband. Moreover, Mrs. Ding was more and more worried that her daughter was too beautiful and that ordinary people might not be able to take care of her.
But it was not convenient to tell Mrs. Tao about these. Mrs. Tao also saw that Second Madam Ding had a gentle temper and spoke slowly. Although the Ruan family was not well-off, Second Madam Ding was very well-educated, which made Mrs. Tao look up to her.
The adults have their own considerations, so the little girls just have fun.
"I have made some flower sticks here. Let's write a poem with the words we drew. After we're done, we can ask the section chief for comments. How do you think?"
Everyone should follow the host's wishes.
Mi Niang drew "Peony", Ji Chunfang drew "Begonia", Tao Chuner drew "Lily", Guo Yaoyu drew "Epiphyllum", Guo Yaoxian drew "Tuber-blooming Jasmine", and Wang Sumin drew "Lilac".
Wang Sumin has always been a quick-witted person. She was not planning to go to the private school, and this time she just came out to have fun. Therefore, she had no interest in getting the first place. After finishing the poem, she started to eat preserved fruits and snacks.
She didn't dare eat so wantonly at the Guo family's, not because she had no money, but also because she was afraid that the servants would say she was greedy.
Guo Yaoyu's song was originally very good, but since she was a judge, she couldn't put herself first, so after looking around, she could only choose Mi Niang.
Mi Niang, who won the first place, said mysteriously that she would give everyone a gift.
Everyone was full of expectations, and then Mi Niang's maid Erniu brought a bunch of scrolls over. Mi Niang smiled and distributed them to everyone according to the numbers.
Ji Chunfang was the first to open it. She was stunned and murmured, "This is too much like me, clearer than the me in the bronze mirror." Then she looked at Mi Niang with red eyes and said, "This is enough to show your care for us. To be honest, I have many sisters, but none of them is like you."
She was so charming in the portrait, and her favorite color was the rouge-colored cloak.
Even Wang Sumin was surprised. She had a normal relationship with Mi Niang and she didn't expect that she could draw herself so well.
Tao Chun'er was also deeply moved.
Mi Niang came over with some soup and seeing everyone like this, she couldn't help but smile and said, "It's fate that we all met here, so there's no need to do this. I just hope that we can take care of each other like real sisters in the future."
This was the purpose of this poetry club. Guo Yaoyu quickly understood, "Mi Niang, what do you think we should call our poetry club?"
"We all met at Yimei Garden, how about calling it Meilin Poetry Society?"
"Okay, let's call it Merlin Society."
They were also known as the Six Sons of Meilin, and gained some fame in Jingzhou Prefecture. In the following year, several ladies even came to visit Mr. Xue and wanted him to teach them.
This is a story for later. At this time, everyone was having a great time playing together. Only occasionally did Tao Chun'er mention Zhou Furou, but no one responded.
This poetry club trip was very rewarding for everyone. We got the portraits and started a poetry club. We instantly became close friends and were reluctant to leave.
Although Mi Niang's heart has been through a lot, the warmth of the human world is always the most intoxicating.
After seeing off the sisters from the private school, the busy Ruan family finally slept soundly. The next day, Ruan Jiading came back and heard that his daughter had set up a poetry club and was the leader of it. He personally taught his daughter how to read and compose poetry at home.
After going back home to worship his ancestors during the Chinese New Year, Ruan Jiading returned to Wuchang. Soon after, he received another letter saying that he had saved a young man from the Li family. It was said that the Li family was a large family in Jiangxia and they treated Ruan Jiading very well. Ruan Jiading even said in the letter that Mrs. Li was a national pipa player, and asked Mi Niang to remember to play the pipa and not to neglect it. After he passed the imperial examination, he would take Mi Niang to become his disciple.
This silly father, the Li family is more than just a big family in Jiangxia, it even has five or six Jinshi archways, and is a veritable family of imperial examination masters. In his previous life, he was so persistent in seeking favors for his daughter because he knew that it would be difficult for her to find a husband as she had lost her mother, so he arranged the marriage for her.
In this life, he could have obviously helped the Li family advance their careers, such as recommending them to the Imperial College, but unexpectedly, he was only thinking about his daughter.
Not to mention Mi Niang, even Madam Li didn't believe it: "Our benefactor just asked me to teach her daughter how to play the pipa, right?"
Li Tan nodded, "Yes, I think he is very talented and hardworking. He has a high chance of passing the provincial examination. But I heard that although he is from a wealthy family, his family is poor. I was prepared to give him gold and silver, but he didn't mean to. He just asked me if I knew someone who played the pipa very well. He wanted to ask someone to teach his daughter a little."
"I remembered that when my wife was young, she was very good at playing the pipa, so I mentioned you."
Mrs. Li smiled and said, "I see, but it's nothing to instruct a little girl."
Li Tan asked again: "How is Guan'er?"
Speaking of her son, Mrs. Li sighed, "Although he is young and in good health, he still needs to take care of himself."
"Since it's nothing serious, you can go to the academy when you feel better."
Everyone in the private school was gathering together to make incense balls. The girls had nothing to worry about now and the spring weather was nice. Ji Chunfang was clamoring to start a club and this time her family would host the event.
"My father heard that I was going to host a party, so he gave us the garden. We can play on the swings, play croquettes and pots, and do whatever we want."
Ever since the reputation of the Meilin Poetry Society spread, Ji Chunfang also became a little famous in Jingzhou Prefecture, and her father also thought highly of her. Ji Chunfang might not have understood the significance of it, but her mother was a wise person, and gave her several sets of headgear in private, and Second Mistress Ding saved all of it for her daughter.
Guo Yaoyu clapped her hands and smiled: "Then we sisters will host the party next month. This way, we can have a lively party every month. Sister Wang also said that she wants to see everyone."
Wang Sumin has dropped out of school, but Guo Yaoyu has become close to her. Maybe they are all growing up!
"When Sister Wang was here before, we didn't mind it, but now that she's gone, I kind of miss her."
Adults are used to seeing life and death, and young people are very reluctant to see their classmates drop out of school.
As spring passed and autumn came, the Ji, Guo, Tao, and Luo families each organized a poetry club. Zhou Furou also attended the last few sessions, but she wrote poems to make up the numbers and did not return the invitation. Although she was sweet-talking and always made everyone laugh, after a long time, everyone was no longer a fool.
Besides, girls just don’t care, but that doesn’t mean everyone is stupid, especially girls understand girls’ thoughts best.
What's more, her backer, Mrs. Zhang, will be transferred soon.
Heng'er at home can already walk. Mi Niang takes time out every day to play with his younger brother. The little brother is very cute and he would flutter his arms when he sees his sister.
"Sister, sister..."
"Little guy, why is there a watermelon in your little belly?"
In fact, Mi Niang didn't know why the children's bellies were so bloated, and she even tapped them with her fingers.
While the brother and sister were playing, Second Mistress Ding came back from outside, her face full of joy that could not be concealed.
"Mi Niang, your father got the virus, your father got the virus..."
"Mom, you are now a man's wife..."
The good news had not yet reached her home from Wuchang Prefecture so quickly, but the prefectural school had already received the news and told her in advance.
Madam Ding gave the servants an extra meal of meat and bonus money that day. The servants were so happy that they followed orders and delivered messages everywhere. Soon someone sent congratulatory gifts. The county magistrate, the prefect, and local wealthy people, including Mrs. Ji and Mrs. Tao, came early to help thanks to their daughter's relationship.
They all got along very well because of the relationship between their daughters. Madam Ji was weak and gentle, while Madam Tao was kind and honest. As for Madam Luo, although she did not come, she also sent a gift. Madam Guo also sent a capable maid to help, etc. Let's not mention them.
Not even mentioning the clan members who didn't know the news, Second Grandma Ding felt like she was about to smile from ear to ear.
"Mom, have some tea and rest for a while. Heng'er will sleep with me tonight, and Erniu can take care of her."
Mi Niang handed a cup of tea to the second wife.
Mrs. Ding Er took a sip of hot tea and felt much better. She said, "I'm not very busy. You still have to go to school tomorrow. Don't worry about your brother. He still needs to be fed in the middle of the night and can't disturb you."
In the middle of the night, Mi Niang was sleeping soundly when she heard Wang Wu opening the door and Hao Po calling. In the silence of the night, these sounds became clearer.
"Erniu, go and see what happened." Mi Niang sent someone to check.
Erniu didn't dare to delay, so she quickly put on her coat and went out. She came back soon and said anxiously, "Oh no, Miss, it's Aunt Ding from Aunt Yu's house. She said that Aunt Yu was arrested."
Mi Niang was shocked. In her previous life, Master Yu was arrested a month later. She remembered that her father had just told the family that he was appreciated by the governor of the river, and Master Yu was arrested the next day. She thought she could avoid it this time, after all, her father went to Beijing to take the exam after the provincial examination. This incident clearly happened a month later, but now it happened earlier.
She seemed to have found some key from the thick fog!
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