165 The Older The Wiser
After crying, no matter how upset Yang Shuwan felt, she calmed down. “Yu Youyao has been in charge of the household for more than half a month, and the sky in the residence has also changed. Your father has praised her three or four times in front of me, so I can’t help but feel a little anxious.”
At this point, she gritted her teeth. “Besides, the rules in the family were all set by Yu Youyao. Even if I were to take over again, I would have to do things according to Yu Youyao’s rules. How can that be? As the mistress of the household, I had to arrange my own rules. Who knew that Old Madam Ma would cause a commotion?”
She did not have the guts to abolish Yu Youyao’s rules. She felt wronged.
Yu Jianjia also knew that this matter could not be blamed on her mother, so she only said, “Mother, Eldest Sister is different from before. It’s time for you to change your attitude towards her. However, you shouldn’t treat her like a child anymore. Don’t forget that she has Grandmother’s guidance and a powerful nanny by her side. Zhou Linghuai from the Green House is also helping her. Compared to her, you seem to be alone.
She also understood.
Old Madam Ma had clearly received Old Madam’s instructions today and was deliberately making a fuss, taking the opportunity to knock her mother down so that she wouldn’t become frivolous and cause trouble for Yu Youyao.
Her mother was too anxious. She had thought that she was the mistress of the household in the past, but she had underestimated Yu Youyao’s current situation in the residence.
Although they did not criticize Yu Youyao openly during the meeting, no one was a fool. How could they not understand what she meant?
Wouldn’t Old Madam Ma start making a fuss?
Once Old Madam appeared, her mother would definitely be controlled by her grandmother.
From now on, she would be in charge of the family. How would she dare to act rashly?
It wasn’t that her mother’s methods weren’t good, but that Old Madam’s methods were too powerful. Everyone said that the older one was the wiser. In the past, when Yu Youyao was still young, Old Madam had turned a blind eye to the matters in the residence.
However, now that Yu Youyao had grown up, Old Madam wanted to pave the way for her. If her mother interfered, wouldn’t Old Madam use her methods to counter her?
Old Madam had been in charge of the family for most of her life, and her two sons were both capable officials. In the capital, who would dare to be disrespectful to Old Madam?
How could Mother be a match for Old Madam?
How could she gain anything from Old Madam?
Yang Shuwan thought about it carefully. Her daughter was right. Yu Youyao had indeed improved a lot during this period of time.
However, in her heart, she still thought that Yu Youyao was only a half-grown child, so she had underestimated her. If she was not careful, she would suffer at her hands.
However, when she heard Yu Jianjia mention Zhou Linghuai, Yang Shuwan couldn’t help but feel puzzled. “What future can a cripple have? Only Yu Youyao would come knocking on his door. Why did you mention him?”
Yu Jianjia shook her head. “Mother, you can’t underestimate him. I heard from Big Brother that Zhou Ling was born with a great talent. Second Uncle said that he’s not inferior to Prince Song.”
Second Uncle was definitely right.
It was a pity that she had misjudged Zhou Linghuai due to his legs previously. Otherwise, Yu Youyao wouldn’t be the one sending good things to him. She wouldn’t have pushed him to Yu Youyao for nothing and let him think of ways to help Yu Youyao go against her.
What Zhou Linghuai had crippled was his legs, not his brain. With such a powerful person by his side, he would also be of help in the future.
Yang Shuwan was also shocked. “Did your second uncle really say that?”
Yu Jianjia nodded. “Big Brother told me personally that even Mr. Hu Shan from the school treats Zhou Linghuai differently. From the looks of it, even if Zhou Linghuai doesn’t become an official in the future, he can still become a scholar.”
Yang Shuwan immediately felt vexed.
Yu Jianjia also felt that it was a pity, but since things had come to this, she couldn’t say anything else. Hence, she changed the topic. “Mother, don’t think too much. Isn’t the Xie Residence going to visit in three days? At that time, you have to manage it carefully so that the people in the residence can see your ability as the mistress of the household.”
When Yang Shuwan heard this, she couldn’t help but flare up again. “She’s from Xie Roujia’s family, yet I still have to suck up to her and serve her? Then what am I?”
She knew the logic, but she couldn’t help but feel indignant.
Yu Jianjia felt a tightness in her chest. She also knew that it wasn’t easy for her mother. “Mother, think about it another way. Doesn’t it take skill to manage the family? It’s usually not obvious, but it can only be shown during big events. At the very least, Yu Youyao hasn’t held a banquet in the past few days. If you do it well, the residence will be proud, and you’ll also be praised. Who will dare to say anything about you?”
With that said, Yang Shuwan indeed calmed down a little.
Nanny Li quickly served a cup of tea.
Yang Shuwan took a sip and composed herself. Then, she said, “Although Xie Roujia is dead, there are many businesses in the Yu Clan that still rely on the Xie Residence. All these years, Old Madam was afraid that her relationship with the Xie Residence would fade, so she tried her best to get Yu Youyao to get close to the Xie Residence. It’s true that Old Madam dotes on Yu Youyao, but how much scheming is involved behind this affection? After weighing the pros and cons? It’s ridiculous.”
Yu Jianjia did not say anything. There was no love or hate in this world for no reason.
Yang Shuwan rubbed her stiff head and stopped talking about this. Instead, she asked about Yu Jianjia’s studies.
Yu Jianjia’s expression froze for a moment before she said, “It’s alright!”
However, she did not smile gently like usual and tell her mother many things about class.
In the morning’s literature class, Ms. Ye was completely biased towards Yu Youyao. The class was also going faster and faster, and she couldn’t take it anymore. Every day, when she returned to the courtyard, she would spend some time learning the content carefully.
Yu Shuangbai and the others had Yu Youyao’s notes. Although it was a little difficult to learn, they could still keep up.
Yang Shuwan frowned and felt that something was amiss. Seeing that the girl’s expression was normal, she did not take it to heart. Jia Jia had always been her pride.
After the mother and daughter finished talking in the main courtyard, Yu Youyao asked Chun Xiao and Xia Tao to pack the prepared food into a lunch box and personally went to the main study.
Zhao Da stood guard at the door. Seeing that Yu Youyao had come personally, he did not stop her.
Yu Youyao entered the house directly and heard Yu Zongzheng’s deep voice. It made Yu Youyao’s heart skip a beat and she even held her breath.
“Last winter, first, King Ping of Liangzhou suffered a defeat in the south and suffered heavy losses. The Southern Barbarians burned, killed, and looted in the southern border before leaving. As it was about to be the new year, the Ministry of War had been suppressing this matter. Later, in Youzhou, the Di people rode into the city. The Marquis of Changxing was still powerful despite his age, and he led his troops to kill more than a thousand enemies. After the Di people retreated, he reported to the Imperial Court and asked the emperor to credit him the moment the new year began. Coincidentally, the imperial examination was imminent, and the cabinet suppressed this matter.”