Seeing his expression, He Jiuniang understood everything. She patted his shoulder and said, "Alright, alright, don't overthink it. We're all family, it's only right that I help you with these things."
He was just a young boy, carrying the lives of his entire clan on his shoulders, and constantly tormented by his conscience; it was truly not easy for him.
After turning over a new leaf, he has been working very hard and has helped his family solve many problems. He Jiuniang truly treats him as family. She even felt sorry for him when she found out he liked Lianhua. Now that she sees him accepting Liu Yuexiang, she is genuinely happy for him.
"Okay, Third Aunt, I understand!"
Lu Xiaoyang sniffed and laughed. He Jiuniang saw the genuine smile in his eyes and laughed along with him: "It's getting late, go to sleep."
After Lu Xiaoyang left, He Jiuniang went back to her room to sleep.
Meanwhile, in the main house of the eldest son's family, Madam Yu and Lu Laoda called their youngest daughter, Tingya, to their side to ask her what she wanted to do, whether she wanted to stay in Jingzhou or go to the capital with He Jiuniang.
Ting thought for a while, then asked, "Mother, does Susu's mother teach in the embroidery workshop or in the shop while instructing and managing it?"
Madam Yu didn't know why she asked that, but she still replied, "Your third aunt really thinks highly of Su Su's mother's skills and wants to train her to manage the shop. She should be working in the shop. If you go there, you'll probably be busy working in the shop, which will be much harder than it is now."
Tingyatou had previously studied at an embroidery workshop in Daling County. In the past few months, the adults in her family had come to the prefectural city and brought her along so that she could temporarily study at an embroidery workshop there. So far, she had not really been involved in business. Madam Yu was worried that she was too young to handle it, so she gave her a special reminder.
“Mother, I want to go to the capital with my third aunt and become an apprentice of Su Su’s mother, so I can learn embroidery and business from her.”
Ms. Yu originally thought she would back down, but she didn't expect her to make a decision so quickly.
The couple hesitated for a moment. Older Lu was a little worried and asked again, "Are you sure? That will make you very tired."
Ting nodded firmly and said, "I'm sure."
"Ting'er, tell your parents, why do you want to go to the capital?"
Mrs. Yu pulled her into her arms and comforted her. She knew that her little girl was a very opinionated person, and she must have her own reasons for doing this.
It's like when all the children in the family wanted to do the same thing, but this little girl insisted on learning embroidery.
"Father and Mother, I've been learning at the embroidery workshop. I've mastered the basic needlework techniques, and they won't teach me anything else. I just need to be diligent and practice more. But SuSu's mother's embroidery is so good that even Third Aunt praised it highly, which means she's really skilled. It must be different from what I learned at the workshop, so I want to go and learn. Besides, it's in a shop, where I can meet many customers, learn what customers like nowadays, and learn how to conduct myself in business. That's why I want to go."
The couple listened to her explain her thoughts so clearly that they were speechless for a moment. How come they all thought their children were so clever? On the contrary, they, as parents, were the ones who were short-sighted.
When Yu heard He Jiuniang mention this, her first reaction was that it was too far from home and she was worried that her daughter wouldn't be able to adapt. Secondly, she was worried that her daughter was still too young to endure the hardship and wanted to keep her by her side to pamper her for a few more years. She didn't think about all that at all.
The couple exchanged a glance and sighed silently, realizing they had been too simplistic.
"Aren't you afraid of working hard?"
Mrs. Yu still wanted to make a last-ditch effort, but she was afraid that her youngest daughter would not be able to stay for more than a few days and would cry to come back. A round trip would take half a month, which would be exhausting. Her third son and his wife were busy and would definitely not have time to go through all that trouble, which would be a real problem.
The little girl replied, "But who doesn't work hard? My older brothers and sisters all went through the same thing. Sister Youyou didn't know anything at first either, but now she can teach apprentices. Why can't I? My older brothers and sisters can endure hardship, so I believe I can too. Mom and Dad, don't underestimate me!"
The couple: ...
Alright, the kids have grown up and don't need their parents to worry about them anymore. They have their own goals and ideals, and all the parents can do is offer support.
It seems they need to work harder to expand their business as quickly as possible and expand it to the capital, so they can keep up with the children.
The next morning, Madam Yu went to find He Jiu Niang and told her about Ting Ya Tou's willingness to go to the capital.
Madam Yu said with a wry smile, "I thought she was too young and would feel insecure and reluctant to leave us. But now it seems that we are the ones who are reluctant to leave them. The children actually wanted to go to the capital with you, but they stayed for our sake. We, as their parents, have delayed them."
He Jiuniang understood her feelings very well and said, "Sister-in-law, isn't this how parents are? We should be happy that our children can become independent. Let's go to the capital this time. If the children are willing to stay, I will take good care of them there. Being able to study at the Imperial Academy is the dream of all students, and we should all be happy."
Ms. Yu nodded, deciding to let the children choose for themselves and not interfere.
There were still matters to attend to in the capital, so He Jiuniang didn't plan to stay long. She decided to take the two elders of the Lu family and a group of children to the capital early the next morning. Each household was packing things for their children.
This trip might last for a month or so, and they could return once the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony is over, but it could also take several months. Perhaps the children all want to stay in the capital, and the adults can't refuse them, so they need to be well prepared.
Of course, since the journey was long and it would be inconvenient to bring too much stuff, He Jiuniang advised everyone to prepare less. Everything needed could be found in the country, and anything not available could be bought on the spot. There was no need to bring so much stuff as a burden.
In the afternoon, Madam Yao personally came to visit, not to see him off, but to ask him for a favor.
Hearing her request, He Jiuniang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Auntie and Uncle Yao are also going to the capital?"
"Yes, we've been foolish all these years. We always thought that no matter what they did, they were still our sons and would be there to take care of us in our old age. Now it seems that our sons are useless, only adding to our troubles, and we've let Man'er and Susu down. So we've come to a realization: we'll sell this house in Jingzhou, go to the capital to find Man'er and Susu, and buy a small courtyard to make up for what we've owed them all these years. Hopefully, it's not too late."
Madam Yao answered with a wry smile, her face showing exhaustion. It was clear that this matter had dealt her a heavy blow, but fortunately, she had come to terms with it.
Seeing her say that, He Jiuniang smiled sincerely, feeling that everything she had done for Man'er and her daughter was worthwhile.
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