Chapter 85, Position and Responsibility
Daohua thought that the matter of changing seats should be over, but who knew that Master Shen changed the subject and looked at her again.
"Big girl, I'm going to change your seats today. What do you think?"
Ideas, what ideas?
Daohua's head started to spin rapidly.
The Master is fair in his dealings, not afraid of power, and does everything according to the rules?
Looking at Master Shen's eyes sparkling with wisdom, Daohua shook her head. It shouldn't be this. This master probably didn't want to listen to her flattery, although she couldn't say anything good.
So what exactly did she want to hear?
Master Shen did not urge Daohua. He calmly picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.
Well. The Yan family's tea is very good. It is not as expensive as other families'. The tea is just ordinary jasmine tea, but it tastes fragrant, delicious and refreshing.
Daohua was silent for a while. Seeing Master Shen put down the teacup in his hand, he spoke uncertainly: "In a family, everyone has his or her own place. You can't take away others', but you don't want others to take it away from you either."
Hearing this, Master Shen raised his eyebrows, and seemed to be satisfied with the answer. However, he said nothing and just gestured for Daohua to continue.
Daohua glanced at the master's face and continued, "Sitting in different positions requires taking on different responsibilities. Just like me, if I sit in a good position, I have to take on greater responsibilities."
Hearing this, Master Shen smiled and said with satisfaction: "It's good that the eldest lady can think of these things from the perspective of changing positions." After that, he looked at the other three girls in the room.
The second girl frowned in deep thought, as if she had felt something;
The third girl was still feeling aggrieved and sad about the seat change, her eyes still red.
The fourth girl's eyes were wandering and her body was swaying from side to side. It was obvious that she did not take what Miss Yan said to heart.
At this moment, Master Shen had a preliminary impression of the four girls from the Yan family.
Master Shen looked at Daohua, who was waiting for his judgment, and smiled, "What the eldest lady said is correct. Different positions mean different responsibilities. The family's resources are always limited. Those who enjoy more resources will have to give more back to the family in the future."
"Nothing in this world comes for free. You are enjoying the protection and upbringing of your family now, but you will have to pay it back in the future."
"I'm moving seats. First, I want to teach you about the rules of seniority and the hierarchy of legitimate and illegitimate children. Second, I want you to understand your respective positions within the family and the responsibilities you need to bear."
"Miss, as the eldest daughter of the Yan family, you are the most respected among the four sisters. If you enjoy good treatment, you must also shoulder your own responsibilities. For example, you must set a good example for your younger siblings and shoulder the responsibility of daily teaching and supervision."
At the beginning, Daohua thought it was very true, but she was a little hesitant to agree with the last sentence.
How could she enjoy good treatment?
Everyone has the same food, clothing and other necessities.
Well, not quite.
She has a courtyard where she lives alone and a small farm as her private property.
Although she paid for the manor, without her stepfather's official authority, she, a little girl, would not be able to buy it, let alone keep it even if she did.
Thinking about it this way, it seems that her treatment is indeed better than Yihuan and the other two.
Master Shen had been paying attention to Daohua. Seeing that she first looked disapproving, but then began to nod, he felt more satisfied with the eldest daughter of the Yan family. She was a teachable person.
It is not easy to make a living in everyone's backyard. Female teachers like them are most afraid of encountering people who are not smart and do not listen to their teachings.
Even though each family invites them into the house under the pretext of teaching all the girls there, in reality, although they teach everyone, the teachers’ focus is on the children born to the principal wife.
Firstly, no matter how favored the concubines were, it was the wife of the principal house who hired them and fixed their hair;
Secondly, it stems from an unspoken rule among aristocratic families that illegitimate children cannot outperform legitimate children, which is detrimental to the stability of the family. Of course, there are exceptions.
For example, concubines are really favored, and their children are treated no worse than those of legitimate wives, or even better. Of course, the rules of such families are chaotic, and few can remain prosperous forever.
Also, when legitimate children are really useless and hopeless, illegitimate children have a chance to emerge.
Either way, it's rarely encountered.
Therefore, their main responsibility is to teach legitimate children.
In this way, the qualifications of legitimate children are related to the ease of their teaching. After all, parents tend to favor their own children, and if they don't learn well, it must be the teacher's responsibility.
The eldest daughter of the Yan family is teachable; the second daughter is quiet and well-behaved, and usually does not cause trouble; the fourth daughter is active, and it is not difficult to teach her if she finds the right interests.
The most difficult thing to deal with was the third girl who actually started crying silently.
After seeing so many backyard scandals, she honestly said that most concubines' daughters brought their own deaths upon themselves.
Whether it is for reputation or to maintain the relationship with her husband, except for a very few who are particularly jealous, most ladies in the house are actually tolerant. As long as the concubines are well-behaved, it is not difficult to get them married smoothly.
But some concubines' daughters are self-righteous and try to compete with legitimate daughters in various ways. It would be strange if the lady in charge of the house could tolerate this!
"Woo woo~"
Seeing Yan Yishuang crying harder and harder, Master Shen stretched out his hand and beckoned the maid who was serving him: "The third lady has some problems that she can't figure out. Let her go back and rest today. You send her back to her courtyard, and then go to the main courtyard to explain to Madam Li."
So, Yan Yishuang was sent out of the classroom by the maid.
As soon as she left, Master Shen began to calmly check the learning progress of Daohua and the other two.
Around noon.
Daohua left the school with a look of admiration on her face. When she returned to the main courtyard, she couldn't wait to tell Madam Li, "Mother, this Master Shen you invited is really amazing."
First, I changed the seating order, then explained the relationship between position and responsibility, and after checking their learning progress, I started the class.
In class, he quoted from classics, told various stories at will, and spoke wittily, and the classroom atmosphere was very lively and vivid.
Seeing her daughter so happy, Madam Li also smiled: "I'm glad you like it. This Master Shen is very knowledgeable and has a wide range of experience. All the major families in Xingzhou like to invite her. You must learn from her carefully, especially the etiquette and rules."
"People are very critical of women. If you want to live a peaceful life without being criticized, you must learn the rules of etiquette."
Daohua took Madam Li's arm and rested her head on her shoulder: "Don't worry, mother. I will study hard."
(End of this chapter)
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