Tao Wanniang turned around and told Chen Lian about it.
"Sister Tao, you...you really think highly of me?" Shen Lian was surprised. Could she really do what Tao Wanniang was talking about?
“You are our little Qiao’er’s teacher, so of course I have a good eye on her.” Tao Wanniang smiled gently. “Little Qiao’er has learned enough. Now it’s more about her own efforts. If Master Shen has time, please go to the restaurant to take a look.”
Shen Lian was naturally tempted. Although she also enjoyed teaching, she envied the atmosphere of the Tao family.
Here, no one will ask her why she hasn't married into the family at her age, nor will there be a male head of household eyeing her covetously, or a female head of household offering only empty words of affection.
“Master, if you want to do something, just do it. When I finish my apprenticeship, I want to do things for my mother too,” Xiao Qiao’er encouraged from the side.
"You're only twelve. We'll talk about everything after you come of age," Tao Wanniang said. "Think about what else you want to learn, and I'll make sure you do it!"
"Thank you, Mother!" Little Qiao'er felt immensely happy and hugged Tao Wan's mother's arm affectionately.
“Sister Tao, shouldn’t the young master and the second young lady’s early education begin?” It was Gao Cuiniang who spoke up. “The second young lady is a bit too young, but the eldest young master can already read.”
“The adults in the family have all gathered to teach him before, so that’s fine. Master Shen, I won’t ask you to waste your time with my eldest grandson for now.” Tao Wanniang knew that Shen Lian intended to go outside, and that Shen Lian focused on teaching women, from music, chess, calligraphy and painting to manners and needlework.
Shen Lian nodded and replied, "I will follow Sister Tao's arrangements."
Tao Wanniang nodded, asked about some areas where Xiao Qiao'er still needed improvement, and also called Zhang Liang and Yang Bai over.
“Young Master is old enough to go to school; there’s one nearby. As for Miss, she’s a bit too young.” It was Yang Bai who spoke.
The two children are currently in the main courtyard with their son and daughter-in-law. After thinking for a moment, Tao Wan's mother asked Zhang Liang to call the two of them over.
Whether to hire a tutor or go to the school is a decision that Ling Dahu and Wang Hongyu should make themselves.
It is indeed a drawback for children to be confined at home and lack interaction with peers, but Tao Wan's mother is not going to make the decision for her son and daughter-in-law.
"Studying is a must." A moment later, Wang Hongyu and Ling Dahu came over, each carrying a child. After hearing Tao Wanniang's words, Wang Hongyu hesitated.
"Mother, which one do you think is better? Xiaofeng is still too young, it's too early for her to start learning."
“You are the child’s parents, so you can do whatever you want,” Tao Wan’s mother said. “Rui’er, have you thought about this yourself?”
"I want to study. I want to be like my aunt and become a good talker," Ling Rui said earnestly.
“Of course, we must read books. In our family, everyone reads,” Tao Wanniang said. “Would you like to hire a tutor to teach us at home, or send us to a school outside?”
The son and daughter-in-law looked completely bewildered, so Tao Wan's mother simply asked her eldest grandson.
"I want to go to school, Dad, Mom, I want to go to school," the little guy said earnestly.
"Waaah~" Ling Xiaofeng, the younger sister, burst into tears, "My brother went out, and I'm the only child left at home."
"There's another one in the East Wing," Yang Bai reminded him.
“Liang Dabao can’t even walk properly, I don’t want to play with him.” Ling Xiaofeng said bluntly, sobbing as she tugged at Ling Rui, “Brother, brother, don’t go outside!”
The little girl's sudden crying left Ling Dahu and Wang Hongyu somewhat at a loss, but Gao Cuiniang helped to soothe her.
Ling Rui frowned, somewhat unhappy, but couldn't bring himself to say anything about going to the outside school.
"Yang Bai, go and see how old the youngest child in the school is, and whether they accept girls." Tao Wanniang spoke up again. "Xiao Feng, if you want to be with your brother, you can either go to school together, or you can try to eat more and grow up a bit before going to school."
"Grandma, but Xiaofeng is just this small!" The little girl pouted.
"Who didn't grow up from a tiny little thing?" Tao Wan's mother patted her granddaughter's head. "Alright, go play now. Master Chen will wait a few days."
“Okay, Sister Tao,” Shen Ru said quietly.
After discussing most of the family matters, Tao Wan's mother went out with her son and daughter-in-law.
Ling Yunzhou was very troubled. Hailan and Zhou Xiaoyun would quarrel every three days. He really had no intention of having any other relationship with Hailan, but it seemed that Hailan did not think so.
"Qian Feng, you said both of them went to the Star-Picking Tower. Did they say something bad about me to Tao Wanniang?" Ling Yunzhou couldn't help but pull Qian Feng aside and complain.
"General, what are you going to do about Hailan?" Qian Feng, as an outsider, saw things very clearly. "They had a falling out with Sister Tao at Zhaixing Tower, and I was thinking of going there to try their new dishes. I feel a bit embarrassed!"
"Eat, eat, eat! How many times can you go to Zhaixing Tower? Aren't you going to save money to get married?" Ling Yunzhou couldn't help but scold.
"How about we go to Spicy Hot Pot instead of Star-Picking Tower?" Qian Feng is a gourmet, how could he miss such a unique restaurant as Spicy Hot Pot? But it seems like everyone there eats in groups of three or five, it would be a bit lonely to go alone!
Ling Yunzhou thought for a moment, and then heard the guard say that Hailan had arrived, so he simply pulled Qian Feng out the door.
"Let's go to that hot and spicy place. Aren't my eldest son and daughter-in-law here?"
The hot pot restaurant, which serves ten tables, was indeed quite busy during mealtimes. Ling Yunzhou and Qian Feng had to use the back door to finish queuing early.
But seeing Wang Hongyu and Ling Dahu so busy, Ling Yunzhou couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"This eldest daughter-in-law is indeed much more diligent than the youngest!" Ling Yunzhou thought to himself. "How can there be such a big difference? The General's Mansion can afford to support an idle person, but they shouldn't be causing trouble every day!"
"General, look at these, you've never seen anything like them before. I guess this is actually Manager Tao's shop, and only she puts so much effort into the food."
Qian Feng looked around and whispered to Ling Yunzhou.
Ling Yunzhou nodded, but judging from their appearance, it was unlikely that he could find out about Tao Wan's mother from his son and daughter-in-law; they were too busy.
Soon, their food arrived.
"Are you two guests here for the first time? This is the broth. After the broth boils, you can cook these vegetables in it. As for the condiments, please go to the condiment station to get them." The waiter said with a smile to Qian Feng and Ling Yunzhou.
“Okay, we understand.” Qian Feng immediately replied, and then said to Ling Yunzhou again, “General, look, isn’t it very peculiar?”
“This is similar to what we eat in the army,” Ling Yunzhou said. “Back when we were at the border, we ate like this too, but we didn’t have any sauces or anything like that.”
“That’s different. This broth is fragrant, isn’t it? Although this is my first time here, I’ve heard people talk about it before,” Qian Feng replied. “Look around you, are you enjoying your meal?”
Lingyunzhou looked around and indeed, the place was bustling with activity, mostly young people eating and chatting loudly and freely. How could Tao Wanniang have opened such a shop? What she was doing seemed to be setting many precedents.
Thinking of Tao Wanniang, Ling Yunzhou sighed heavily. Seventeen years of missed opportunities had ultimately amounted to nothing.
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