Chapter 197, Only when you have it yourself can you truly have it
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, life returned to normal. Daohua went to class and practiced whipping as usual. Every day was as busy and fulfilling as before.
In the blink of an eye, it was September.
After September, the weather was not so hot anymore and the interactions between families began to increase. Mrs. Li received many invitations, all of which were invitations to visit for flower viewing and tea drinking.
Daohua was not very interested in these things. She really had nothing to say to a group of little girls who had been brought up with the Three Obediences and Four Virtues.
People like Zhou Jingwan are not too restricted by rules and etiquette because they are favored at home, and they can still joke and play with each other.
If she were to meet other young ladies, if she laughed or talked louder, made more noise, or behaved in a strange way, she would really be afraid that she would scare them to death.
"The Wang family held a chrysanthemum viewing banquet yesterday. Why didn't you go?"
The day before the Double Ninth Festival, Zhou Jingwan came to find Daohua. Seeing her standing under the eaves teasing the parrot, she also walked over with a smile.
"Miss Zhou is here!"
Seeing Zhou Jingwan, the parrot immediately said something.
Zhou Jingwan smiled: "Oh, this little thing finally remembered me."
Rice Flower laughed and said, "You come here every other day, it's impossible for it not to remember you!"
The parrot has been kept here for a while and has become familiar to people who come here often.
After placing the nuts in his hand on the plate, Daohua took Zhou Jingwan into the house, saying as they walked, "I don't get along with those girls."
Zhou Jingwan: "You didn't go, but your illegitimate sister stole the show for quite a while yesterday."
Daohua became interested: "Oh? Why is she so popular?"
Zhou Jingwan: "It was Miss Wang. She suggested writing a chrysanthemum poem and then took the other girls' poems to the ladies of each family for comments. In the end, your concubine's sister won first place."
Daohua smiled and didn't care much: "Third sister is indeed very talented in poetry."
Zhou Jingwan looked at Daohua carefully, and seeing that she didn't show any displeasure, she shook her head and said, "You are so daring! Aren't you afraid that your concubine sister will steal your limelight?"
Daohua: "What limelight do I have to steal? Besides, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. My third sister has her strengths, and I have mine. We can each shine in our respective areas of expertise. There's nothing wrong with that."
Zhou Jingwan sighed, "Alas, I'm not as tolerant as you. If my half-sisters were stronger than me, I would be unhappy."
Daohua smiled. She liked Zhou Jingwan's personality of saying whatever she wanted to say. Her likes and dislikes were completely revealed, so she didn't have to guess what she was thinking.
"You haven't found what you love yet, so you're so concerned about these insignificant people and things. If you're too busy every day, how would you have time to pay attention to your half-sisters?"
Zhou Jingwan held her chin and looked at Daohua: "Then do you know what you like to do?"
Daohua nodded and smiled, "Of course I know. I like to save money to buy a farm and open a shop. I want to grow all kinds of grains, vegetables, fruits and melons on the farm so that I can eat whatever I want."
"The remaining ones can be sold in the shop. Firstly, I can earn money, and secondly, I can share the delicious things I think with others."
"By the way, do you remember sunflower seeds? I've started selling them in my shop. Not many people knew about them at first, so I asked my employees to promote them in teahouses and theaters. Now business is booming."
"I have to go to school every day, take care of the shop, and find time to practice needlework. I also have to get up early in the morning to practice whipping. How can I have time to pay attention to my concubine sister?"
Zhou Jingwan was amazed: "You have to do so many things every day?"
Rice Flower nodded.
Zhou Jingwan: "Several times at other people's banquets, I heard Aunt Yan say that you couldn't come because you had something to do at home. I just thought she was making up excuses to excuse you, but I didn't expect you to be so busy."
Daohua said seriously, "People only feel fulfilled when they are busy. Otherwise, they will be like you, thinking about all sorts of things when they have nothing to do."
"I have time to argue with my half-sister and make more money. It would be better for me to manage the shop properly and make more money."
Zhou Jingwan exclaimed: "Why do you like saving money so much?"
Daohua asked back, "You don't like it?"
Zhou Jingwan was silent for a moment: "I can't say whether I like it or not, but I'll just ask my mother for money if I want it."
Daohua knocked her on the head and said, "From what you said, I know you have never suffered from lack of money."
"Let me tell you this, money is only meaningful if you earn it yourself. Your parents' money is always yours, and you can only ask for it if they give it to you. If they don't, you won't have any money to spend. And every time you ask them for money, don't you have to explain the reason?"
Zhou Jingwan nodded: "Indeed, every time I want to buy jewelry material or something, my mother will give me money, but it takes a long time to negotiate."
Daohua: "Yeah, it's always inconvenient to spend other people's money, even if it's your parents'. It's better to have your own money and spend it however you want. It's comfortable and confident."
Zhou Jingwan nodded as she listened: "I think what you said makes sense. When I get back, I'm going to think about it and see if I should open a shop like you, so that I don't have no money to spend in the future."
Daohua smiled and said, "Okay, if you open a shop, we can exchange business experiences with each other."
Afterwards, Zhou Jingwan told Daohua some interesting stories that happened at other people’s banquets.
Not long after, Ping Xiao walked in with a letter and smiled: "Miss, this is a letter from the Fourth Master."
Daohua was surprised: "Fourth brother wrote to me?" The correspondence between the academy and home has always been handled by the eldest brother Yan Wenxiu.
Ping Xiao smiled and said, "Madam is reading this letter from Master. This is something the Fourth Master wrote specifically for you. Look, your name is written on the envelope."
Daohua took the letter, looked at the words 'From Yan Yi' written on it, and said with a smile: "Fourth brother must be greedy and wants to ask me for food." After that, she quickly opened the letter and began to read.
After a while, Daohua stood up and said happily to Zhou Jingwan, "Jingwan, my fourth brother said that they are going to the horse farm in Wuhua Mountain to ride horses tomorrow. Do you want to go?"
"Really?!" Zhou Jingwan also stood up excitedly, stretching her neck excitedly to look at the letter in Daohua's hand.
It was just a family letter, nothing to hide, so Daohua handed it to Zhou Jingwan directly: "Your brother's letter should have arrived at your house by now."
After Zhou Jingwan finished reading the letter, she returned it to Daohua, then pulled her aside and asked excitedly, "Are you going?"
Daohua: "Of course I'm going. Going out for some fresh air and riding a horse is much more interesting than going to the backyard to admire flowers and drink tea. Why, you're not going?"
"Go, go, we must go!" Zhou Jingwan nodded. "I tell you, every time I see my brother riding a horse, I envy him so much. That's great! We can ride one tomorrow too."
(End of this chapter)
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