245 Cousin, Praise Me!
Ms. Ye continued, âI used the medicinal tea you sent over previously very well. Youâre too kind.â
Yu Youyao quickly said, âItâs not worth anything. I just made it to pass time. If you like it, you can just get Old Madam Su to come and get it when youâve finished it.â
At noon, Yu Youyao left school.
Xia Tao leaned over and said, âThis morning, Concubine Qiu arrived at the main courtyard at dawn to pay her respects to First Madam. First Madam only saw her after breakfast. Concubine Qiu waited for more than two hours before she offered First Madam tea. First Madam didnât hold the teacup properly and spilled hot tea all over Concubine Qiu. Concubine Qiuâs face turned pale from fright, and she immediately knelt on the ground, not daring to get up.â
Yu Youyao had long guessed that the main courtyard would probably not stop this morning. Madam Yangâs actions were really as she expected.
Yesterday, Yang Shuwan had wanted to show the dignity and magnanimity of a legitimate wife.
The second day of greetings was the main event.
Every first wife would suppress a concubine and put her in her place.
Xia Tao continued, âFirst Madam was good-tempered and wasnât angry, so she asked Nanny Li to help her to the inner room to change her clothes. Later on, First Madam didnât sleep well last night and felt uncomfortable. Everyone in the main courtyard was in a mess. Another two hours later, Nanny Li left the inner room and realized that Concubine Qiu was still kneeling on the ground.â
Yu Youyao held her teacup and sipped on it.
Everyone in the residence knew that Yang Shuwan was very petty. Yesterday, a new person entered the family. No matter how magnanimous she was, she would definitely suffer.
She hadnât slept well at night, and her head was already acting up. This was completely expected.
Xia Tao said, âNanny Li was shocked and exclaimed. Concubine Qiu, why are you still here? Why havenât you returned to your courtyard? Get up, get up. Youâre a newcomer. How can you kneel like this? Our First Madam is a gentle and magnanimous person. Many people in the capital know that.â
Xia Tao imitated Nanny Liâs exaggerated tone when she spoke usually. It was simply wonderful.
Yu Youyao laughed and put the teacup aside. She couldnât drink this tea anymore.
However, Nanny Liâs words were really interesting.
Yang Shuwan wanted to take Concubine Qiu down a notch. But when the words came out of her mouth, it sounded like Concubine Qiu was kneeling there on purpose, as if she was being bullied by the main wife and was trying to frame her.
Yu Youyao asked, âWhereâs Concubine Qiu? Did she really get up just like that?â
Xia Tao cleared her throat. âShe couldnât get up like this, but Master woke up an hour late today. Concubine Qiu servedâ¦â She felt that it wasnât appropriate to say this in front of Miss, who had yet to get married and was still a young lady. Xia Tao changed the topic. âMadam Qiu woke up late and didnât have time to eat in the morning, so she went to the main courtyard to pay her respects. She waited in the main courtyard for two hours and knelt for two hours. When she got up, she fainted on the spot and was carried back to the Autumn Courtyard.â
Yu Youyao was amused. âNone of them are simple.â
There was no use for breakfast. She wanted to pay her respects to the matriarch, but her health had suffered. If her father found out, his heart would ache.
It was not unreasonable for Concubine Qiu to serve her father for three years. Being obedient did not mean that she was a fool.
Xia Tao couldnât help but laugh. âThis time, First Madam became anxious. She couldnât care less about her head disease and ran to the Yuqiu Residence to visit Concubine Qiu. In front of Concubine Qiu, she complained that Nanny Li was insensible and actually caused the newcomer to suffer. Nanny Li apologized to Concubine Qiu on the spot. After that, First Madam even got someone to invite a doctor over.â
This way, the wife-and-concubine conflict in the main courtyard could be considered to have stopped.
At this moment, Chun Xiao came over. âYoung Master is here. Heâs waiting for Miss in the study.â
Yu Youyao hurriedly got up. Before she could even get her clothes ready, she ran to the study. Now that she had gone to school, her cousin came to look for her at noon, just like before.
Zhou Linghuai was looking at the Three Character Classic that Yu Youyao had written with a brush.
The words on the top of the Three Character Classic ranged from simple to difficult. This was the first time she had changed to a new brush, so she used this to practice her calligraphy.
âCousin, I can use the Five Purple and Five Sheep brush now!â Yu Youyao moved closer to her cousin, unable to hide the smugness on her face. She was already saying the words âpraise me quickly, praise me quicklyâ on her face.
Zhou Linghuai smiled. âYes, Cousin, youâre really amazing. When I just started studying, my progress wasnât as good as yours. It took me two months to practice before I could change my brush.â
What he didnât say was that he was only five years old at that time. He had already taken medicinal baths every day, practiced the fundamentals, and memorized everything. However, his bones were still a little tender.
Moreover, he had not exchanged his brush for five purple and five sheep at that time, but six purple sheep and four purple sheep.
However, calligraphy meant that the younger one was, the greater their improvement. The older they were, the less room for improvement. Yu Youyao started late, but her improvement was much faster than most people. It was also because of her own diligence.
At the thought of this, Zhou Linghuai couldnât help but think of how the young lady had almost cried from anger when she first learned calligraphy. In the end, he had suggested coming over every day to teach her calligraphy, but she was still unwilling.
At that time, her expression was really interesting.
Even he couldnât help but go along with her words and tease her.
In the end, seeing the young ladyâs pitiful face and drooping head, he reluctantly agreed. He couldnât help but find it funny.
At that time, he did not expect this young lady to improve so much in such a short period of time. In just a few months, she had almost caught up with two to three years of hard work by others.
After being praised by her cousin, Yu Youyao became smug. How could she have thought of this? She asked happily, âCousin, the brush of the Five Purple and Five Sheep was a birthday gift from Ms. Ye. I think itâs good, and the words written are also different. Cousin, take a look. Have I improved again?â
âYour strokes are steady and not light. Itâs obvious that youâve already mastered the essence of handwriting. The sizes of the strokes are mixed, and the retraction and release are well-matched. Theyâre also dense and appropriate. Compared to the calligraphy yesterday, theyâre a little more reserved.â Zhou Linghuai praised her for a while, then glanced at the most eye-catching bamboo brush hanging on the brush rack.
This time, it was purple bamboo.
It was a faint grayish-purple color with specks on it. Ms. Ye had carved extremely simple orchid patterns on it as the finishing touches. The entire brush looked elegant.
He remembered that the brush pen hanging on this spot two days ago was the one he had used in the past and given to Yu Youyao later.
Now that penâ
Zhou Linghuaiâs eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the seven purple and three sheep brush that Yu Youyao had placed by the brush rack.
For no reason, he felt that the pen Ms. Ye had given her was a little dazzling.
However, he had never given the five purple and five sheep brush he had used to Yu Youyao. At that time, he had used a four purple and six sheep brush. It was softer, and Yu Youyao wouldnât have been able to handle it.