Chapter 203 Let bygones be bygones
On the return journey in the carriage, Daiyu rested her little head on Yuan Hongqu's lap and gently rubbed against her.
"Granny, if you're unhappy, just cry it out. Or how about you have some sweet snacks and candies?"
Yuan Hongqu stroked Daiyu's hair, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
After going around in circles, I still couldn't escape ending up in the capital.
Moreover, I was truly ignorant and fearless, actually managing to enter the palace.
Yuan Hongqu couldn't help but regret her actions.
But now it's too late for regrets; everything has already happened and can't be undone.
"I'm not unhappy, and I don't need to eat candy." Yuan Hongqu controlled her voice, trying to sound as normal as possible.
She tried her best to regulate her emotions and not let her negative feelings show.
However, Daiyu had spent a long time with Yuan Hongqu and was a sensitive child, so she could easily sense changes in Yuan Hongqu's emotions.
"Granny," Daiyu's voice was soft, yet carried a hint of firmness.
“I’m not going to the academy anymore. I feel like I might not be able to get along well with my classmates. I might also fall behind in the teacher’s lessons. I’ll just study at home.”
Yuan Hongqu bent down and hugged Daiyu tenderly. This little girl, when she was at home, would get so excited about going to the academy to meet new friends.
That clearly shows how much he liked the academy.
However, realizing that something was wrong with her, she refused to visit the academy and is now saying that she won't go there at all.
“My dear Yu’er, since I came to your house, you only know me as your nanny. Do you know anything about my past?” Yuan Hongqu’s voice was low and somber.
"Didn't you teach me, 'Don't dwell on the past, don't fear the future, don't let your heart be troubled, don't let your emotions bind you, and you will be at peace'? You also said that the past is the past. We can't go back, nor can we change anything. If we don't cherish the present, it will soon become the past. We must live each moment to the fullest so that we won't regret the past later. Have you forgotten all that, Granny?"
"Hehe, you remember all of that. But I'm telling you the original story now, not because I have any regrets or remorse from the past," Yuan Hongqu said with a light laugh.
"Tell me a story? I love listening to stories the most, Granny, please tell me one." Daiyu straightened up, but still didn't sit up properly, leaning against Yuan Hongqu.
Yuan Hongqu's thoughts returned to Yangzhou, where she was very young, but the soul of a middle-aged modern young woman resided within her body.
If you add up the time spent living in the two eras, she is now definitely an elderly person.
"Before I went to your house, I was a teacher at a girls' college... Later, I gradually became the vice principal of the college."
"Ah," Daiyu was clearly surprised, then smiled.
"Granny, I was personally taught by the headmaster. If I want to go to the academy, do I not need to take an exam?"
"That was back in Yangzhou. I'm no longer the dean now."
Yuan Hongqu was amused by Daiyu's words. How could she not know that Daiyu was never afraid of any exams and was just saying that to make her laugh?
"Dean, Mr. Yuan, please wait a moment. Mr. Yuan..."
No sooner had Yuan Hongqu finished speaking than she heard anxious shouts coming from outside the carriage.
"Granny, someone's calling you!" Daiyu said with a mischievous smile.
Yuan Hongqu felt embarrassed that she had been slapped in the face so quickly. She had just said that she was no longer the dean, and now someone outside was calling her.
The carriage stopped.
"Mr. Yuan, it is I, Mi Ling. I just overheard the receptionist say that she saw someone who looked very much like you. Looking at the roster, I knew it was Miss Lin registering, so I hurried over. Sir, please see me. I know you are in the capital, but I have never dared to visit you. Now that you are so close, I only beg you to grant me an audience..."
A woman's urgent voice could be heard outside the carriage. She was waiting outside, tears streaming down her face.
Yuan Hongqu was filled with mixed emotions, while Daiyu listened to the sounds outside with curiosity.
"Granny, the older sister outside is crying, she's crying very sadly."
Upon hearing Daiyu's voice, Yuan Hongqu felt a chill run down her spine. This was not Yangzhou; she was now merely Daiyu's nanny and had no say in anything else.
However, she has now regained her previous memories, and she doesn't believe she has the ability to pretend that she doesn't recognize these people at all.
Yuan Hongqu sighed inwardly and spoke softly.
“Miss Mi, although many years have passed since we last met, I am doing well. You don’t need to keep thinking about the past. Today’s events happened suddenly, and there will naturally be opportunities to meet again in the future.”
The woman outside the carriage sobbed a few times, then broke into a tearful voice, seemingly burdened with endless grievances.
“Mr. Yuan, Mi Ling has come here today with great determination. I’m afraid that if you refuse to see me today, I will not have the courage to ask to see you again in the future…”
“Mi Ling, you’ve come all the way to the capital, how come you’re still so unambitious!” Yuan Hongqu couldn’t help but scold her lightly.
"I need you to teach me, sir, how can I change Mi Ling's temperament?"
The woman outside the carriage spoke with an indescribable tenderness and affection.
"Sister, my nanny caught a bit of a cold today and has a headache, so she won't be receiving guests." Daiyu felt a little annoyed. The nanny was hers, and even if she were to discipline her, she should only be able to discipline her.
No one is allowed to take away her former nanny!
Seeing Daiyu's anxious expression, Yuan Hongqu felt a pang of heartache.
"Don't worry, I've been a teacher to many people, but I've only been Daiyu's nanny."
Daiyu nodded vigorously.
“Mi Ling, today is really not the right time to meet. We just registered at the academy. You have always been in charge of the academy’s admissions exams, and I suppose you will be in charge of them again now.”
Yuan Hongqu's gentle voice came from the carriage, and Mi Ling listened very attentively.
"...It was really inappropriate for you to contact the candidate's family privately beforehand."
"Thank you for your guidance, sir. Mi Ling almost made another grave mistake. Sir, you must come back soon. Without you at the academy, we are completely lost. We can only try to imitate what you did, but we don't quite get it right... We need you to lead us so that the academy can go further."
Mi Ling spoke very sincerely.
However, Yuan Hongqu's heart remained unmoved.
As a time traveler, she once enjoyed a period of glory and used her modern knowledge to bring new enlightenment and different ways of life to the women here.
But now, just as Daiyu said, the past is the past.
She no longer lingered, nor did she miss it.
"It's already excellent. You've managed to establish yourselves in the capital, which means you've adapted to the local customs and environment. Even if I were to do it, I'm afraid I couldn't achieve the same level of prestige."
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