Chapter 006: Rise Up

It rained at night. The branches outside the window rustled, and the heavy rain was accompanied by thunder. However, Yao Niang was sleeping soundly and was not affected at all.

Qingdai combed her hair early in the morning, changed her into a goose-yellow gauze dress with a collar, and put on an oil coat outside, then went to school.

This oil coat is made of silk and coated with grease to protect her from rain, so along the way, except for the slightly wet ends of her hair, everything else was dry and comfortable. The maids were also very experienced, and after she sat down, they wiped her dry with a dry towel.

Mr. Yu also praised Yao Niang's buffalo painting, saying, "You must have put a lot of effort into it. Your previous paintings were very stiff, but now you have made some progress."

"Thank you for the compliment, sir. I will definitely work harder." Yao Niang breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, Yingniang also received a compliment, but Yaoniang knew at a glance that her second sister had done the painting for her, so she was not afraid. In her opinion, although her painting was not as good as her second sister's, at least she had done it herself, without any falsehood.

After class, Yaoniang saw that Xin Wan had not arrived yet, so she asked Qianniang: "How is Sister Xin's health?"

Qianniang shook her head: "It's always like that. It doesn't matter if it's too hot or too cold. I can't eat. The old lady was very distressed and asked a doctor to come and see me. He said it was a weak spleen and stomach, and prepared ginseng spleen-strengthening pills."

"When the weather clears up, I will go to visit cousin Xin. By the way, second sister, my mother said that she would clean up a yard for me, and then you and sisters Bei, Zhao and others can come and play." Yao Niang invited everyone.

Zhao Fang said enviously, "That's great!" Although she and her brother were doing well at her aunt's house, it was still very inconvenient to live under someone else's roof. It was not like the young lady of the Yan family who could do whatever she wanted.

Yan Rubei has her own embroidery studio, so she is very experienced: "Third sister, I won't say much else, but don't put too few things in the cupboard. Also, put the embroidery frame in a place with good light, and don't do it at the last minute."

Yao Niang smiled and said, "Let my mother worry about these things. I won't worry about them."

"That's right, Second Aunt is a careful person." Yan Rubai said.

A few people chatted and laughed. Yan Rubei had another gift for everyone today. She said it was a kite sent from Shandong. Everyone knew that Yan Rubei's mother, Second Madam Ming, was good at business. She had never missed any of the children of the Yan family, even Zhao Fang, who stayed overnight at the Yan family.

Because the kite was too big and too heavy, everyone had to go to the second room to get it. And as they wanted to thank Mrs. Ming, they all went there in person.

Mrs. Ming's second wife was dressed elegantly and luxuriously. If you didn't tell her that she was from a merchant family, you would have thought she was a noblewoman. When she saw them coming, she didn't mind the noise at all. Instead, she happily asked people to bring out various snacks and fruits to entertain them.

"We originally came here to thank you, but now we have to ask you to entertain us." Qianniang felt a little embarrassed.

Mrs. Ming II waved her hands and said, "It's nothing. You haven't come to my place for a long time. Now that you are here, just stay a little longer before leaving."

Although Yao Niang did not live with her second sister and fourth younger sister on weekdays, they were often outside, and the three of them always thanked each other in unison.

Mrs. Ming asked about the various families' situations, especially Yao Niang: "I heard that there was a guest in your house? He came from Beijing."

"Yes, he is said to be studying with my brother. He is said to be from the capital. It seems that his father is the chief academic officer of the Imperial College." Yao Niang said it without any precautions.

Mrs. Ming Er smiled and asked, "Has the third young lady ever met anyone?"

The girl shook her head.

"Go ahead, the kites are all on the table, you can take your time to choose." Mrs. Ming waved her hand.

There are many kinds of kites on the table, including catfish kites, kites of the Great Temple of Heaven, mantis kites and dragonfly kites. Among them, Yao Niang likes the dragonfly kite the most, and its red wings are also very beautiful.

Little did she know that Yingniang also had a crush on her. She hugged Yan Rubei's arm and said coquettishly, "Sister Bei, can you give me the dragonfly kite?"

Yao Niang couldn't learn how to act like a coquettish girl from others unless she was with her own mother. When she saw that her favorite kite was attracted by others, she had no choice but to do the next best thing and take the kite that caused trouble in heaven.

When they returned, Mrs. Ming was talking to her daughter: "I have found out that the Zhou family is a famous family in Runan, and the name of Mr. Zhou is Lingguang. You must seize the opportunity."

Yan Rubei blushed: "What are you talking about!"

"This is not the time to be shy. You will soon reach the age of marriage. Your father and I have only you as our daughter. You should think about yourself. I know you are arrogant. I originally had a good impression of Zhao Xian. For your marriage, I obviously didn't like your third aunt, but I still tried to curry favor with her. Little did I know that the Zhao family had no knowledge of promoting family members. Zhao Xian's father was just a Tongpan, while Mr. Zhou was the son of the chief academic officer of the Imperial College. If you can marry into a wealthy family, it will be a fulfillment of your own wish." Mrs. Ming said earnestly.

Yan Rubai nodded secretly after hearing this.

But Yao Niang came out with her sisters, and when she looked up, she saw a tall and thin young man coming in. Yao Niang recognized him. This was Zhao Fang's biological brother Zhao Xian. He had distinct features, a long face and high cheekbones, but his eyes were clear.

Yao Niang glanced at Zhao Xian, and then said to Qian Niang and Ying Niang, "I heard from my brother that this Mr. Zhao is a talented man."

Qianniang said nothing, but Yingniang glanced at Zhao Xian and said, "Third sister, since the Zhao brothers and sisters have their own families, why do they live in our house for so long?"

"I don't know about that." Yao Niang shook her head.

Qianniang, who had been silent the whole time, said, "I heard that Lord Zhao worked diligently in his position and never remarried, so there was no one to take care of the family, so he let the Zhao brothers and sisters come to Madam Junsan to take care of them."

Yingniang tilted her head and smiled, "Third sister, how does Mr. Zhao compare to Mr. Zhou who came yesterday?"

Yao Niang said shyly: "A girl like you is asking these questions. I will tell the Madam."

"You're welcome." Yingniang stepped forward and tried to chase Yaoniang.

When the two were having a lively conversation, they saw Yan Jingzhao leading a young man of about fourteen or fifteen years old towards them. The young man was wearing a moon-white robe, and his hair was tied up with a golden crown. Although he was only a young man, his appearance was extremely handsome, and he walked with ease and elegance.

Yan Jingzhao had not expected to meet them here, and he introduced them to the people around him: "Brother Zhou, these three are my sisters."

Zhou Lingguang looked at the three little girls, smiled and nodded slightly, and then he followed Yan Jingzhao away.

Yao Niang was hungry, so she said goodbye to Qian Niang and Ying Niang and went back to eat. She had two bowls of rice at noon. Xie couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh: "Do I have a little tiger here? It can eat so much."

"Mother, today I went to the second wife's house to get a kite, and I also had a fight with my fourth sister. Aren't you tired?" Yao Niang touched her neck.

Xie raised her eyelids slightly: "Is she asking you about our guests?"

Yao Niang was surprised and asked, "Mother, how did you know?"

Xie knew very well what kind of person Dong was. He would not do anything without profit. He bribed everyone with money and was well-informed.

When Zhen came back, Dong visited Zhen frequently, naturally for her daughter's marriage. Now that there was a young man of the right age, she was not surprised that Dong was like this.

She found Yao Niang was very good at understanding, so she wanted to teach her daughter some things: "There are not many people in our family, but we are not few either. So I tell you, even if you know everything when talking to everyone, you should only say a little."

Yao Niang nodded, not quite understanding. Xie continued, "This young master Zhou Lingguang, because of his outstanding appearance, the palace hinted that he should be selected as a prince consort. Zhou Jijiu was unwilling, so he was sent south to our house. I only tell you this, don't tell others. He came to our house to study with your brother. You are eight years old this year. Since ancient times, boys and girls have been sitting on different seats since the age of seven. Don't go to Wutong Courtyard on weekdays."

"Okay. But why can't he even be a prince consort? In operas, the top scholar always marries a princess." Yao Niang thought it was a very strange thing.

Xie smiled and said, "Being chosen as a royal consort would mean the end of your career, especially for a scholar, it's not a good thing." She then patted her daughter's head and said, "You are getting older now, and I have some adult words to say to you, so you must listen carefully."

Yao Niang nodded heavily.

Xie hugged Yao Niang and was very pleased. She knew very well that Zhou Lingguang was fifteen years old this year and her daughter was only eight years old. Not only was the age difference too big, but the family had high expectations for the child. Jing Zhao said that he couldn't put the book down as soon as he came over last night. Such a person was so persistent, and he was another Yan Yingqi.

She is so hardworking and motivated, yet she is only fifteen years old. She already attaches so much importance to her future. She will certainly take her future as the most important thing in the future. Such a person is good as an official, but may not be a good husband.

Just like Yan Yingqi, although he seems to be somewhat respectable to her now, it is all false.

When looking for a husband, you don't necessarily have to find one who is high-ranking and powerful, but he must be kind, honest, and reliable.

"After dinner, take a walk in the corridor to relax and rest for a while." After Xie asked Yao Niang to go out, she called the wet nurse Song Mama over.

Mother Song came in and said, "Madam."

Xie's expression was completely different from the kindness she had shown to Yao Niang just now. She said to Song's mother with a slightly cold face, "Zhen is already impatient. It's only been a few days and she wants to stir up trouble. Fortunately, I stayed in Nanjing to recuperate and bribed some people to pass on the message for me."

"Yes, the eldest lady over there also went to attend Madam Xunfu's birthday banquet in the rain and met Madam Guan. I heard that the two of them had a very pleasant conversation. Could it be that she wants to make trouble in front of the Guan family right now?" Mother Song said.

Xie shook her head: "Not only that, I'm afraid she wants to arrange a marriage for Jing Zhao. If she shows up, it will further prove that I am just a concubine. She is murdering me!"

Mother Song didn't understand: "You have never competed with her for favor in these years, why would she treat you like this?"

As the master and servant were talking, they saw Su'e, who was beside the third old lady, coming over. Su'e was young and beautiful, but had a rather aggressive temper. It turned out that she was delivering a pair of shoes. When she came in, she bowed and smiled, "The old lady said that she would go to Henan after the young master's wedding. She knew that you were good at sewing, so she wanted you to make a few pairs of shoes for our old man."

Xie didn't even frown, and agreed: "Okay, don't worry."

Su'e then walked away hesitantly. Mother Song was furious: "Madam, Su'e is just a maid of the old lady. Why did she ask you to come here to make shoes? Maybe the old lady asked them to do it and they brought them to you. This maid has been coming here a lot these days."

Xie said self-deprecatingly, "There are only a few things going on in this house. Zhen is an external worry, and Su'e is an internal one. The old lady is afraid that Jing Zhao and I will get along well because Jing Zhao wants to stay and study this time, so she wants to place her own people there."

"Then what are you going to do?" Mother Song asked hurriedly.

Xie stood up, her eyes were full of determination. "I have been tolerant enough over the years. I will not give in any more. If I give in, my son will no longer be close to me, my daughter will be treated so biasedly, and even I will be shunned. Zhen's hand has gone too far, and the old lady has treated me like a fool."