Chapter 014 Heart-piercing

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mr. Yu recovered from his illness and everyone returned to school.

Mr. Yu was teaching seven-character regulated verse today, which was no problem for Yan Rubei and Zhao Fang who had already learned it. However, Yao Niang was listening to it for the first time, so she was particularly serious.

As the saying goes, a good memory is not as good as a bad pen. She had to write down the key points that Mr. Yu said, so she didn't pay attention to the eye contact between Yan Rubei and Zhao Fang.

"Sister Shen, do you think it's okay for me to do this?" Yao Niang asked Shen Wan.

Although Yan Rubei was a nice person, it was Xin Wan who helped her the most. Xin Wan taught her everything she knew: "You are quick to react and have read a lot of books, but if you want to learn poetry, you have to read the works of predecessors first. As the saying goes, the meaning of a book will become clear after reading it a hundred times. There is a reason for this."

Yao Niang felt deeply touched. She looked back and saw that Yan Rubai and Zhao Fang seemed to be in a bad mood, so she didn't ask any more questions.

Master Yan Rubei never thought that Zhao Fang was so insidious that she actually wanted her brother to befriend Zhou Lingguang, live in their house, and even wanted to steal things from her. Of course, she was not convinced.

Pian Yingniang suggested at this time: "After school today, why don't we go on a boat trip on the lake?"

Qianniang agreed with a smile. Xinwan and Yaoniang had no objections either. Yaoniang even said, "We are always afraid of falling into the water when we are on a boat. My mother said that she would take me back with her when my cousin in Dongshan gets married next month. Then she would let someone teach me how to swim. If I learn how to swim, I will teach you guys."

"Third sister, are you going to Dongshan?" Yingniang asked.

Yao Niang nodded: "Yes, my cousin is getting married, and my aunt and her friends also want to see me. Last time when my brother got married, my uncle came over, and they all asked me to go and play."

At this time, Yan Rubei also said: "Third sister, you are going to your maternal family, and I also want to go to visit relatives. I heard that my great-aunt is also going to have a vegetarian feast. When the time comes, my second sister and fourth sister will also go. Then can our school still be open?"

Ying Niang smiled and said, "Sister Bei, you worry too much. It's just a matter of a few days, it's nothing."

"That's right. We always stay at home. Even if we visit relatives, we will be back in a few days. Who would stay at a relative's house?" Yan Rubei joked.

These words were too hurtful. Given Yan Rubei's character, she would not say such words. However, she was already very dissatisfied with Zhao Fang, so of course she did it on purpose, but she did not expect to hurt Xin Wan by mistake.

Zhao Fang pursed her lips tightly and said nothing. The second house was now managed by Ming Er Madam, who was well-off and supported the entire second house. Some servants were gossiping about her and her brother eating for free. My aunt had been worried because she had not conceived for many years, and she was very depressed recently because of this matter.

Xin Wan thought that if her parents were still alive, she would never have suffered such anger. Although the Yan family treated her very well, it was not her home after all. She could not show her anger when they said such things, otherwise it would be bad if the old lady and her aunt heard it.

…

Yao Niang had actually experienced these hardships. When she was in the northwest, she was not so financially strapped. She dared not say anything because no one would make decisions for her. But fortunately, her parents were still alive, which was better after all. People should learn to cherish what they have.

After a few days, Xie took Yan Jingzhao and Yao Niang on a boat back to Dongshan. Yan Yingqi personally saw them off at the shore and reminded Yan Jingzhao to take good care of his mother and sister. Yan Jingzhao nodded one by one.

The oars were swaying in the water, and Yao Niang told them what Yan Rubei had said that day while they were eating at the table: "After Sister Bei finished speaking, Cousin Xin and Sister Zhao both looked unhappy."

"Has she said such things before?" Xie was quite surprised, because Yan Rubei had always been gentle and polite and would never say bad words.

Yao Niang nodded seriously: "I won't lie to you. And every time she sent us food, even though Cousin Xin was not used to drinking cold food, she always sent us those ice bowls and so on. At that time, I felt that she was a bit picky."

So this is also the reason why Yao Niang and Yan Rubei have never been close. She thinks well of herself because she is Yan Yingqi's daughter. If she is not, wouldn't she also be treated differently like this?

Yan Jingzhao sat aside and listened. He felt that his sister was very smart. She could see the big picture from the details, think about others, and understand what others meant. Considering her age, she was no less capable than adults.

Xie looked at her daughter and said, "You are too clear in your behavior. Others can see it."

"What's the big deal? I'm very good to her now, but if I fall into poverty in the future, will she still be the same as she is now?" Yao Niang also has her own way of thinking. Just like when she read the story of Monkey King, Tang Monk said that the life and death of bad people are decided by God, and Monkey King said that if God really has eyes, he will not let bad people bully good people.

Xie took a piece of fish from her bowl with chopsticks and said helplessly: "You, enjoy your meal."

The Xie family of Dongshan lived in the manor. Xie had two older brothers, both of whom were local gentry and more than ten years older than her, so the two aunts looked at Xie as if she were their own daughter. The eldest aunt was tall and slender, while the second aunt was whiter and plumper. When they saw Xie, they seemed to have endless things to say, and they took good care of Yan Jingzhao and Yao Niang.

My grandfather was still serving in an outside office, so my eldest uncle and second uncle were in charge of the land and the shop respectively. Although neither of them had any achievements, they managed the family business very well.

The one getting married this time is my second uncle's third cousin, who is seventeen years old this year. Xie also prepared a few boxes of makeup and sent them over. She was talking to my second aunt, "These are all the best red makeup satins. There are eight pieces in total. It's been hot recently, so we sent more gauze."

"Thank you for all the trouble." Second aunt said, holding Xie's hand.

"It's nothing. Your family has no shortage of satin fabrics. These are just home-made items. They also add a touch of meaning."

The Yan family has high-ranking officials like Yan Yingqi in the ministry, as well as local officials like the Third Old Lady. The emperor has given them many rewards, so although the Yan family cannot compare with the families of nobles, they still have things made in their own right.

Yao Niang felt completely different in the Xie family. When she was in the Yan family, she was treated differently. In the Xie family, everyone revolved around her. Her sixth cousin was two years older than her. He took her fishing and climbing trees. He was better than her own brother and was her best playmate.

Early in the morning, she was still combing her hair when her sixth cousin rushed in and said, "Yao Niang, let's go eat peaches today."

"Okay, I'll go out after I comb my hair." Yao Niang smiled.

In fact, Yao Niang hadn't even finished combing her hair when she hurried away to go out and play. Gu's mother was so angry that she complained to Xie: "The girl has gone crazy since she came to Xie's house."

Xie smiled and said, "Let her play. It's better than keeping her in a strict and regimented environment at home all day long."

Yao Niang and her sixth cousin went to her aunt's house to eat peaches. The skin was thin and juicy, and it would squirt out if you poked it. Her aunt said to her, "Your uncle heard yesterday that you like to eat sweet and sour eels, so he asked someone to catch eels today, and we will have that dish for lunch later."

"This is great! I've eaten eels at home before, but they were always eel noodles. I've never eaten eels cooked like this." Yao Niang said happily.

The eldest aunt wiped the juice off Yao Niang and asked someone to bring wedding cakes over so that she and her sixth cousin could eat them together.

The sixth cousin ate by himself, and Yao Niang even put the cakes and pastries they brought from Jinling together. It was obvious that the sixth cousin was very interested in Jinling. He had been studying with his father and brothers since he was a child, and the farthest place he had been to was Hangzhou Prefecture. Jinling was a prosperous place, and Yao Niang knew a lot about it, so she told him a lot of what she had seen: "There were fire-breathing jugglers, but that was nothing. There were also people who could spray six different colors of water from their mouths, which was really fun. When my brother got engaged, there were people who wrote and painted with white sand. Oh, and by the way, there were also people from the southern country of Srivijaya who came to Beijing to meet the emperor. They were all very thin, their hair was tied up with cloth, and they wore red clothes with Buddha images woven on them. The five surnames of the southern barbarians all had their hair combed into pointed buns and wore black felt hats. My father said that they saluted the emperor in the same way as they saluted their own Buddha." [1]

"Yao Niang, you know so much." The sixth cousin seemed to be listening to a foreign language.

Yao Niang smiled and said, "Sixth cousin, I am nothing. My father knows more."

The relatives of the Xie family and the aunt of the Xie family whispered, "Sister-in-law, I see that your Liu Lang and the cousin of the Yan family are getting along very well. Who knows, in the future--"

Aunt Xie quickly stopped him and said, "My sister-in-law is a very nice person and doesn't care about anything else. I also like Yao Niang, she is smart and pretty. But they are still young now, so we will talk about it later."

Xie Liulang is the youngest son of Aunt Xie. She gave birth to three sons in total. The eldest son has already married and helps his father with housework. The second son is doing very well in his studies. He is eighteen years old this year and is already a student. The wife he married was the one he chose, and she is a girl from a very wealthy family in Dongshan.

But Liu Lang was born when she was about 30 years old, so it was inevitable that she doted on him a little. But if we really want to talk about kinship, the Xie family and the Yan family are still far apart! If Liu Lang becomes famous in the future, it would be easier to ask for his help.

Yao Niang, on the other hand, finished her peaches and went shrimp fishing with her sixth cousin. They first used earthworms as bait, and when they caught a shrimp, they used a small piece of shrimp meat to wrap it with a thread. Whether cutting the earthworms or breaking the shrimp meat, she was very enthusiastic and didn't feel it was dirty at all.

"Hey, I caught another shrimp." Yao Niang put the shrimp in the wooden basin, very happy.

If Yan Jingzhao hadn't come over, Yao Niang would have learned how to weave crickets from Jie Liulang. She felt that this cousin could do everything, whether it was weaving crickets, weaving wreaths, or even fishing and fighting for grass. He also spoke slowly, so he could be considered Yao Niang's first good friend.

Even Yan Jingzhao felt a little jealous when he saw this: "Yao Niang, you have only been hanging out with your sixth cousin these days, and not with your brother?"

"Brother, you have many sisters, but Sixth cousin only plays with me." Yao Niang wrinkled her nose. She did not forget the last time she complained to Yan Jingzhao that Ying Niang and the others were targeting her, but her brother did not speak up for her.

Children are different from adults. Adults can pretend to be nice to someone they don't like, but children will just push away someone they don't like. But Yao Niang is not just a child. She understands some principles, but she is not as mature as an adult. Therefore, her words are particularly touching.

Yan Jingzhao was stunned on the spot. He didn't know why, but he felt a little sad in his heart.