Madam Li had fully recovered from her illness, yet she still preferred not to go out. Aside from paying her daily respects to the elders at Glory and Splendor Courtyard, she rarely left her quarters.
On this day, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua were both in Madam Li’s main room, doing needlework with her and Nanny Zhou.
In the Ren Family, the young boys studied with tutors hired for the outer courtyard, while the girls learned to read and write from their mothers. Fortunately, the women of the Ren Family were all from respectable backgrounds, so reading, writing, and even painting were well within their abilities.
Some, like Ren Yaoqi, were taught by their fathers or brothers. Usually, such girls were either particularly favored or genuinely talented.
As for other skills like needlework or the arts, the Ren Family had also hired embroidery instructors and female tutors. However, classes typically began in early spring and ended around Mid-Autumn Festival. Attendance was not strictly enforced, and it was left to personal interest. Even those who attended sporadically were not held accountable.
As for why the Ren Family would spend money on female tutors despite not prioritizing women’s education, it was simply a trend among wealthy households at the time. If every other family hired tutors, it would be inappropriate not to follow suit.
Ren Yaoqi had just told a joke to Madam Li and the others, and everyone was laughing heartily. The atmosphere in the room was lively when suddenly Que’er, the maid standing by the door leading from the inner chamber to the washroom, frowned and turned toward the washroom, calling out softly, “Who’s out there?”
Everyone was startled, and Madam Li accidentally pricked her finger with her embroidery needle.
“What are you doing? Making such a fuss!” Nanny Zhou immediately stood up and walked over.
Que’er quickly apologized, “I just heard a noise in the washroom, as if someone accidentally kicked the wooden stool inside.”
Madam Li’s main room had a small washroom in the western inner chamber, which had a northern door connected to the backyard for the convenience of delivering water.
Nanny Zhou hurried into the washroom to check but found no one. She only saw a stool near the northern door curtain that had been knocked over, confirming that someone had indeed been there. She lifted the curtain of the washroom’s northern door and looked out into the backyard. The backyard of Purple Magnolia Courtyard was very narrow, with only about seven or eight steps from the washroom’s northern door to the eaves of the rear building. As it was winter, the outside was quiet and empty. Since the snow in the courtyard was swept three times a day, especially along the central path, only a few faint footprints were visible, all leading to the small kitchen in the backyard used for heating water in winter. Nanny Zhou stared at the footprints for a moment, then lowered the curtain and returned.
Ren Yaohua put down her embroidery hoop and also walked over, just as Nanny Zhou returned from her investigation. With a cold expression, she asked, “Was it someone from the backyard who came to eavesdrop just now?”
Xier said angrily, “These people are truly lawless! Sneaking around to eavesdrop at night is bad enough, but to do it so brazenly in broad daylight! How despicable!”
Ren Yaohua looked at Xier, both shocked and furious. “What! They’ve eavesdropped before? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Hearing this, Xier glanced at Madam Li and lowered her head in embarrassment.Madam Li sighed, intervening on behalf of the maids: "I told them not to tell you. Since they didn’t overhear anything important, let it go. I’ve also heard that those living in the backyard of our courtyard all have their own backgrounds. Offending any of them would be unwise."
"Mother!" Ren Yaohua stamped her foot in frustration.
Nanny Zhou quickly added, "Madam only meant to avoid unnecessary trouble. Third Miss, please don’t be angry with her."
Ren Yaohua naturally wasn’t angry with Madam Li; she was merely dissatisfied with her mother’s tendency to avoid conflict. It was precisely because of Madam Li’s timid nature that others dared to bully them.
"If you don’t teach these people a lesson, they’ll only grow bolder. Now they’re even eavesdropping on their masters—who knows what they’ll do next! Mother, you’re just letting them get away with it!"
At this, Ren Yaohua turned to Ren Yaoqi, casting a sidelong glance with a hint of challenge in her eyes. "Didn’t you say those people couldn’t be touched? Are we supposed to just endure them and do nothing?"
Ren Yaoqi, also displeased by the audacity of those people, shook her head. "I never said none of them could be dealt with. It’s just that you shouldn’t handle it yourself, and we shouldn’t rush things."
Ren Yaohua lifted her chin, her expression cold. "So you’re offering to help? I don’t care what you plan to do, but if you don’t resolve this before the New Year, I’ll use my own methods to drive them out! The thought of Mother and I living under their sneaky gazes every day is unbearable."
"Why are you two arguing again?" Madam Li grew anxious, fearing her daughters might come to blows again. Their relationship had only recently improved, and she dreaded another falling-out.
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Ren Yaoqi didn’t get angry. Instead, she pondered for a moment before calmly nodding. "I understand. I’ll take care of these people." She added, "Before the New Year."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, especially Madam Li, who once again marveled at how her younger daughter had matured.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi’s cooperative attitude and recognizing that this wasn’t her fault, Ren Yaohua fell silent. Feeling somewhat awkward but unwilling to apologize for her earlier tone, she simply nodded and said coolly, "If you need help, send someone to find Wujing by my side. She’ll assist you."
Ren Yaoqi smiled at her. "I understand."
This smile once again left everyone stunned, and Ren Yaohua said nothing more.
Today’s update is a bit shorter because I finished the epilogue for the old book.
With mixed feelings, I’d like to announce that the epilogue for The Scheming Daughter of a Noble Family is officially complete, meaning the story has truly come to an end. Those who haven’t finished reading can go check it out^^~
The epilogue follows a warm and healing route... they say... it’s full of love...
(Why do I feel a sense of sadness, as if I’ve just gone through a breakup? Or perhaps like Third Miss watching Wang Jing get married—that feeling of loss when your own child belongs to someone else...)
From now on, I’ll focus on updating the new story. Before it goes on sale, I’ll still update once a day. Once it’s on sale, I promise to update more frequently~
Meinan is a diligent author~^^*****************************************************
Completed works by Meinan:
[bookid=2288861,bookname=《The Scheming Daughter of a Noble Family》]·
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