On the way back to the Jade Courtyard, Yu Youyao saw that not far away, Yang Shuwan was talking to two well-behaved women. Seeing that the two of them were unfamiliar faces, she guessed that they were the nannies that Nanny Liu had hired from the Education Department. She was a little curious and couldn’t help but take a few more glances.
Nanny Jin was not as rigid as Nanny Qian. Instead, she had a lively personality. At a glance, she saw a lake-green figure not far away. She was young and her body was slender and delicate.
Her exquisite oval face had some baby fat, but it made her look even more innocent and delicate. In particular, every move she made was graceful, and not pretentious. She exuded an indescribable sense of nobility and beauty.
However, she was ignorant. She actually did not know that there was such a delicate person hidden in the Yu Residence. She could not help but ask, “May I know who the lady in front is?”
Yang Shuwan glanced at her casually. Although there was a smile on her face, her voice was a little lighter. “It’s the Eldest Miss of the residence.”
After saying that, she did not say anything else.
Nanny Jin suddenly understood.
So she was the eldest daughter of Eldest Madam Xie.
Madam Xie had a good reputation in the capital back then.
Unexpectedly, her daughter was also a precious beauty. In a few years, who knew how many people in the capital would be attracted to her?
She had heard some rumors about Eldest Miss Yu’s arrogance in the past. Now that she saw Eldest Miss Yu, she could sense that something was amiss. She quietly looked at Madam Yang, who had the mouth of a Buddha but the heart of a wolf, and swallowed the praise that was on the tip of her tongue.
Nanny Jin was used to entering and leaving wealthy families and was used to observing people’s appearances. How could she not tell that Yang Shuwan did not like the eldest daughter?
Not long after Yu Youyao left, Yu Jianjia appeared.
She saw that this little girl had a delicate figure and looked extremely weak. Her little face was pale and clear, and her eyebrows were furrowed. There was a fog in her eyes, and she looked delicate and sickly.
Nanny Jin couldn’t help but take a few more glances. “This must be the Third Miss of the residence. I’ve often heard that she’s intelligent and kind-hearted. Now that I’ve seen her today, she’s indeed a delicate beauty.”
Hearing this praise, Yang Shuwan couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows a little. “She doesn’t deserve such praise.”
Yu Jianjia also saw Yang Shuwan and walked over.
Yang Shuwan hurriedly stepped forward and asked, “Why are you here?”
Yu Jianjia’s face was pale, and even her voice sounded a little weaker. “I’m not feeling well, so I asked for leave. I won’t be attending the talent class this afternoon.”
With that, she coughed lightly into her handkerchief.
Previously, in class, her limelight was stolen by Yu Youyao. She had felt so stifled that she couldn’t even sit still. In order not to ruin her teacher’s impression of her, she had simply applied for leave.
When Yang Shuwan heard this, she immediately panicked. “What’s going on? You were fine this morning. Why did you suddenly…”
Yu Jianjia hurriedly said, “Mother, don’t worry. It’s probably just that the weather is a little hot today. I just feel suffocated, but it’s nothing serious.”
Only then did Yang Shuwan feel a little relieved. She thought of Nanny Jin, who was beside her. “This is Nanny Jin, who entered the residence today. From now on, your fourth sister’s upbringing will be in her hands. You can rest assured now.”
Yu Jianjia hurriedly stepped forward and bowed. She said gently, “My fourth sister was a little rash, so I’ll have to trouble Nanny Jin to teach her a little more.”
Her attitude was very sincere, and her tone was also very sincere. When Nanny Jin heard this, she couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. This Third Miss was indeed kind-hearted, so she said politely, “Third Miss, you’re too polite.”
On the other hand, after Yu Youyao had walked a little further, she instructed Chun Xiao, “When we return to the courtyard later, get someone to send some supplements and brocade to the two nannies who have just entered the residence. I’ll have to trouble them to take care of Fourth Sister.”
Chun Xiao nodded in agreement.
When they returned to the Jade Courtyard, Dong Mei smiled and walked forward. Before she could say anything, Yu Youyao’s eyes lit up and she asked impatiently, “Is Cousin here?”
Dong Mei nodded. “He’s waiting for you in the drawing room.”
Yu Youyao picked up her skirt and ran to the living room. She saw that her cousin’s book was still in his hand. “Cousin, you have a lot of work to do. You can’t keep running to the Jade Courtyard. You won’t have to go back and forth, and you’ll be exhausted.” Thinking of how tired Cousin looked yesterday, she pursed her lips. “Cousin, you have to take care of your health.”
Zhou Linghuai’s lips curled up slightly. “The lessons that Mr. Hu Shan is teaching now are all things that I’ve learned in the past. It won’t take much effort to learn them again. Besides, I don’t need to take the imperial examination, and Mr. Hu Shan isn’t that strict with me.”
Thinking of her cousin’s leg, Yu Youyao felt a little sad, but she quickly cheered up. “Cousin, you’re really amazing.”
It could be seen that her cousin had also learned his imperial examination syllabus very well in the past. If it weren’t for the fact that it was inconvenient for his legs, he would definitely have made it onto the Imperial Rankings this year.
Everyone said that the heir of the Marquis Zhen was talented, but she felt that her cousin was the most talented.
Zhou Linghuai took the calligraphy piece from Chang An’s hand and handed it to Yu Youyao. “Cousin said yesterday that she wanted to practice calligraphy. I’ve prepared a few books for her.”
Yu Youyao’s eyes lit up, and she quickly took the calligraphy. There were a total of five books, including the Three Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, the Disciples’ Rules, and the Analects of Young Learning. “Did Cousin specially write this for me?”
Zhou Linghuai nodded.
Yu Youyao flipped through the calligraphy pieces page by page.
At the side, Chun Xiao couldn’t help but interject, “Young Master’s calligraphy is really timely. It’s like a pillow when you’re sleepy. Yesterday, Miss didn’t practice her calligraphy well and was so angry that she almost cried. When I saw this, my eyes turned red.”
Yu Youyao felt embarrassed, and her fair face turned red. She glared at Chun Xiao. “You talk too much!”
Chun Xiao hurriedly lowered her head. She had said this despite being blamed by the young mistress because she was worried that she would not be able to practice her calligraphy well in the future. She felt terrible and wanted Young Master to help persuade her.
Zhou Linghuai’s expression froze. The young lady was smart and usually learned everything quickly, but practicing calligraphy was not something that could be done just by being smart. After all, she was still a child. Once she had a roadblock, she could not take it anymore and became furious. “It takes more than a day to practice calligraphy. Cousin, you don’t have to be too anxious. In the future, I’ll take an hour every afternoon to guide you in practicing calligraphy. When you’ve mastered the technique, it’ll be easier.”
When Chang An heard this, he wanted to say something but hesitated. However, Zhou Linghuai glanced at him indifferently, so he didn’t dare to say anything else.
Seeing the little girl’s stunned expression, Zhou Linghuai asked, “What do you think, Cousin?”
What did she think? Yu Youyao avoided his gaze and mumbled, “Of course it’s great that Cousin is teaching me how to write, but, but the way Cousin is going back and forth…”