Chapter 6 Entering the Inner Chamber
Chou Niangzi's courtyard was in the backyard of Madam Ma's house. It had a separate side gate. The courtyard was not large, with a well in the middle and pomegranate trees planted on both sides. The shade of the trees covered a side room, which was used as a kitchen and a needlework room. Madam Ma said that she also taught people cooking and needlework here.
Several pots of white magnolias were placed under the eaves of the east wing, and looking at them in the hot early autumn seemed to have a cooling effect.
A bamboo curtain and several wind chimes hang at the entrance, making a crisp sound when the wind blows.
Miao Zhen thought that this Lady Qiu must be a person who understands the pleasures of life. As she was thinking this, she saw a woman in her thirties come out of the inner room. She was wearing a light purple linen shirt with a white vest embroidered with gold osmanthus on the outside, and milky white knee-length trousers were showing underneath. She had a very delicate appearance and looked like a scholar.
Then, Madam Mei stepped forward and said, "Madam Qiu, I'm bringing my daughter over."
Lady Qiu looked over and stared intently at Miaozhen. The girl was wearing a light green two-piece top and a pink horse-face skirt. Her hair was styled in three small buns and tied with red ribbons. Although her face was not stunning, her eyes were outstanding. Her pupils were very dark and bright, and she had a kind of cleverness.
She couldn't help but nod. "Okay, he does seem like a smart kid."
Mei smiled apologetically, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you even more."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely teach you with all my heart. By the way, did you bring the books? Shall we begin teaching the Four Books now?" Madam Qiu looked at Miaozhen as she said the last part.
Miaozhen nodded quickly: "I've already brought it."
Lady Qiu told Madam Mei to go back, then led her in again. Inside, four girls, about the same age as herself, were already sitting. She greeted them first, and Miaozhen quickly introduced herself: "I am the daughter of the owner of the Jin Chang Ru Lin Bookstore. My surname is Xu, and my name is Miaozhen."
Ma Yulan was someone I knew before. There were three others, the first of whom was Wang Xie. Her family owned a silk shop. She was eleven years old this year. She had slightly plump skin and a slightly flat nose, but she looked very pretty. Miao Zhen thought she was the prettiest girl with a flat nose that she had ever seen.
Then there was Lin Xiaoxiao, who ran a fan shop. She was the same age as me, but she seemed a little sickly, with a pale face and a somewhat uneasy demeanor.
Last but not least was Tong Jiansheng's daughter, Tong Pan'er, who was grinning widely.
After everyone had met, the seating arrangement became a bit awkward. Everyone else was seated in pairs at a table, but she was left alone. Miaozhen didn't seem to mind and sat down in the last row.
She calmly took out the book. Unlike Qiu Niangzi and Yu Xiucai who simply read from the book, she explained things in more detail and even expanded on the points. Miaozhen would then take notes.
Seeing this, Lady Qiu couldn't help but nod. Generally speaking, the girls cherished the opportunity to study, so they were very serious. It was good that this new Miss Xu was also smart and eager to learn.
Because she had joined the class as a transfer student, they had already learned two lessons. During the break, Miaozhen took the initiative to borrow Wang Xie's notes to copy. Wang Xie quickly gave her his own book and said, "If you don't understand anything, just ask me."
"Thank you so much, Sister Wang." In her previous life, Miaozhen had transferred schools four or five times because of her parents' divorce, so she was very experienced in transferring classes. She didn't have to integrate into a group at first, but focused on improving her studies.
While she was copying her notes, Tong Pan'er, who was sitting in front of her, turned around to watch her write and said, "Your handwriting is so beautiful. Mine is not good. My mother says it's like dog scratch."
Miao Zhen thought that she had indeed improved her handwriting under Yu Xiucai's guidance, and that it was all in the standard official script. Her handwriting was quite impressive.
After class at noon, Qiu Niangzi's two maids brought over the food. Surprisingly, it was all vegetarian, but it looked very appealing. The vegetarian roast goose was actually yam wrapped in a thin layer of tofu skin, with a few cucumber pieces sprinkled on top as a garnish. There was also a dish of tea-scented bamboo shoots, which was refreshing and delicious. Paired with a bowl of bean soup rice, it was quite tasty.
The tuition was ten taels a year, and the food and other miscellaneous expenses were about three to five coins a month. Although Madam Qiu prepared vegetarian food, she put a lot of effort into it.
The afternoon was supposed to be a calligraphy and painting class, but Miaozhen didn't know that and hadn't brought her paintbrushes and paints, so she immediately changed it to a tea ceremony class.
Each of them had a small pinch of tea leaves on their table. Madam Qiu taught them how to brew the tea, and then said, "Today we are drinking Songluo tea, which is a green tea. It has a fresh and tender taste, but it will leave a bitter aftertaste. So this kind of tea should be paired with some sweet snacks, such as mung bean cake, Huqiu cake, or flower cake."
Miaozhen secretly memorized everything. Her father often had to entertain guests, and since her family came from a poor background, it wouldn't be good if she didn't know the proper etiquette.
Even Lady Qiu specially asked them to go to the kitchen to make sugar cakes together, which was something Miaozhen had never experienced before. They used a wooden pestle to grind roasted pine nuts and walnuts into a paste in a stone mortar, and then ground rock sugar into powdered sugar with a small millstone. They mixed these three ingredients together and put them into plum blossom molds. After they were shaped, they could be taken out and eaten directly, without even needing to be steamed.
Once the tasks were finished, the day's classes were over, and Miaozhen found it very relaxing and fun.
It's strange how people are. In modern times, she had no home and, due to frequent school transfers, had few classmates or friends. In contrast, in ancient times, she had wonderful parents and friendly classmates at the girls' school.
After school, she didn't have time to go home; she had to ask the driver to take her to the Tao family's house.
She had just made sugar cakes today, and she and the maids each used a few. The rest were wrapped in oil paper and would be given to Madam Ru to eat later.
Xiao Xi asked Miao Zhen, "Are you tired, Miss?"
"Not tired at all, the afternoon was like a game," Miaozhen said with a smile, resting her chin on her hand.
When she arrived at the Tao family, Madam Ru was already prepared. Miao Zhen thought that women who achieved success were generally punctual and self-disciplined, and even when they did things, they were exceptionally trustworthy. Madam Qiu was like that, and so was Madam Ru. She had prepared a book called "Pulse Diagnosis" long ago.
"I'll teach you how to take a pulse first. It's one thing if you can memorize it, but you'll have to experience it for yourself to truly understand what it's like."
Although Miaozhen had a foundation, this time she completely treated it as if she were listening to it all over again, using the cun, guan, and chi positions of both hands to distinguish between floating and sinking, to differentiate between emptiness and fullness, length and shortness, and speed and slowness, and finally to identify the pulse.
For someone like Miaozhen, who is not exactly a genius, taking notes is the best way. As Ru Shi said, she took notes while taking pulses.
Having learned enough, Miaozhen took out a sugar biscuit and said, "Teacher, these are biscuits I made myself. Although they are a little cold now, please try them."
She was afraid that Ru would refuse, but Ru quickly accepted it, saying, "I only have two sons in my family and no daughters. No one has ever been so filial to me."
Miaozhen was also very happy after hearing what she said: "Then I will make it for you again when I have time."
Madam Ru wanted her to stay for a meal, but she said, "This is my first day here. My parents are waiting for me to go back home. Please forgive me."
After leaving Ru's place, she went home first. Dinner at home was very sumptuous, with cooked beef and slaughtered chicken. At the dinner table, Miaozhen talked about the day's harvest with a smile.
Xu Erpeng said to Madam Mei, "Our daughter ate vegetarian food for lunch, so please tell the kitchen to make some meat dishes for dinner."
Ms. Mei quickly agreed.
Miaozhen then told her family what kind of snacks to pair with green tea that she had learned in school, and Xu Erpeng secretly memorized it.
Half a month passed quickly, and Miaozhen went to the girls' school early in the morning. She was closest to Lin Xiaoxiao. Although Lin Xiaoxiao was a little weak, she was very knowledgeable and had really taught her things. Moreover, the two could also talk about their innermost thoughts from time to time.
Because she lived nearby, she arrived first, and the maids helped her arrange her books before she went back. At this moment, Lin Xiaoxiao and Ma Yulan came over. Lin Xiaoxiao said, "I was just about to go to your house to wait for you, but I saw a shabby old lady standing at your door with a girl, asking me for directions."
"Huh?" Miaozhen was still very puzzled.
Lin Xiaoxiao said, "They should be your relatives. It's nothing. A few days ago, some relatives from the countryside came to freeload for us."
Lin Xiaoxiao's family's fan shop was passed down from her grandfather. Her father inherited the family business and carried forward the Lin family's fan business. However, there was one problem: Lin Xiaoxiao was the only daughter in her family.
When a family has a lot of money and only has one daughter, many people take advantage of the family's wealth to try and profit from the family's wealth.
Just like in Miaozhen's family, why is Mei always inferior to Bao? It seems natural that Bao would monopolize her parents-in-law's work, simply because Bao gave birth to a son first.
The Lin family is wealthy, and Lin Xiaoxiao is their only child. They have long been considered a piece of fat meat by the clan members, and no one wants to take a bite out of them.
The old woman and the young girl standing at the entrance of the Confucian Academy were none other than Old Madam Xu and Fourth Sister Xu. Old Madam Xu was instructing her daughter: "You should rein in your temper and coax Miaozhen well for a few days. Then you'll have someone to take care of you. Besides, Miaozhen is still young and not at the point of discussing marriage. Your second brother should also contribute some of his earnings to your dowry. We're getting old and can't handle many things anymore."
As Xu Si Niang gradually became more worldly-wise, she realized that living in that cramped building in Fengqiao, where even going outside would bring dust, made her determined to stay when she saw the grand mansion before her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
