Chapter 13: Ancient Books

Mo Shi had no idea what kind of medicine was being sold in Yueyao's gourd. But she didn't think much of it. Even if San Yatou had been instigated by the people around her, it didn't matter. This foolish girl couldn't cause any trouble. She just needed to find out what had been going on with this girl lately. Her behavior had been very strange these past few days. Mo Shi had a feeling of losing control.

Mo Shi's mind was racing, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she took a handkerchief and gently wiped away Yueyao's tears, speaking softly, "Silly girl, it's not your fault. It's those unruly servants who have no respect for the rules. Don't worry, I will punish them severely so they won't dare to cause trouble again."

Yueyao, holding back her disgust, expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Aunt. I believe in you. Please take care of my brother."

After seeing Yueyao calm down, Mo Shi said, "Yueyao, you are not in good health yourself. It's not good for you to live with your brother. He's already five years old and should start learning. He can't stay in the inner courtyard all the time. I will prepare a courtyard for him in the front yard. Don't worry, I will carefully select the maidservants for him."

Yueyao thought to herself, "I have already told Grandmother that my brother will stay with me for now. He hasn't learned anything and doesn't know anything. Aunt, you know he's not very clever. I don't feel comfortable letting him go out now. I want to teach him to read and write for a year or so before sending him to school. If he goes out like this, it would be strange if he can fit in. He might lose his confidence and be worse off than he is now. It's better to let me educate him for a year and then find a school for him to attend. I don't expect him to achieve much, I just want him to grow up safely and support the family."

Mo Shi, seeing Yueyao bring up the old lady, couldn't say anything more. She thought to herself, "Yueyao, are you really sure you can take care of your brother and your health can handle it? The doctor said you need to rest well."

Mo Shi felt that something was not right. In the past, Yueyao would usually listen to her. Even if she didn't, she would be persuaded by the old lady and then comply with Mo Shi's wishes. Now this girl was making decisions one after another. And she had heard that this girl had also started to dislike the old lady. What had caused the third girl to change so suddenly?

Yueyao firmly said, "Aunt, I will take care of myself and my brother. Please don't worry about it."

Mo Shi gently touched the few strands of hair on Yueyao's forehead and said kindly, "Since you have made up your mind, I won't persuade you anymore. If you need anything, send a maid to inform me. Don't overwork yourself."

Yueyao curtsied gracefully and said, "The clothes my brother had before are either too short or torn, and none of them can be worn. I would like the people in the sewing room to make more clothes for my brother."

As soon as Yueyao finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

Mo Shi's face stiffened. What did she mean by saying that none of the clothes could be worn? She was the lady of the house, and for the third girl to say such a thing was like accusing her of neglecting her duties. This girl really knew how to point fingers. She had really grown up.

Mo Shi felt angry inside, but she didn't show it. She immediately agreed, "I have already instructed the people in the sewing room to make clothes for your brother. Other things will also be sent over later. However, it will take two or three days to make the clothes. I will find some clothes that your elder and second brothers used to wear and send them over for now. How does that sound to you?"

Yueyao's expression clearly showed her displeasure. There were plenty of people in the sewing room, so why did they have to wait for days to get the clothes? And why should her brother wear clothes that had been worn by others? She felt a chill in her heart, but she could only think about it in her mind. She said, "Aunt, you have already done so much for my brother. But as for the clothes, I have already asked the maids to make them for him. They will be ready in a couple of hours." Although she didn't show her displeasure, her demeanor was indifferent.

The maids and servants around them all lowered their heads.

Mo Shi's face turned ugly. This girl really didn't know her place. She might as well have said that she didn't care about her brother at all. "Making clothes in the sewing room is more complicated. I will urge them to finish as soon as possible. I will also have a few sets made for you."

Yueyao smiled lightly, "Aunt, I have plenty of clothes and don't need any more for now."

Mo Shi smiled gently, "That's true. You haven't had any new clothes since you came back. It's almost autumn, so it's time to make a couple of new outfits."

Yueyao lightly laughed, "Aunt, it's not good for the sisters to have new clothes while I have none. I don't need them."

Mo Shi didn't continue the topic after that. At that moment, Hualai brought a bowl of ginseng porridge to Yueyao.

Yueyao used to dislike eating nourishing foods, but now she didn't miss a single meal, and she made sure to move around more. Her body was too weak now, and she needed to recover as soon as possible. However, she frowned at the ginseng porridge. She knew she needed to take nourishing foods, but ginseng was not what she wanted.

Mrs. Mo said affectionately, "Yueyao, take good care of yourself in the future. If you lack anything, let someone inform your aunt. No one should mistreat you."

Yueyao was feeling disgusted inside. Despite the unpleasant experiences from her past life, her nature was difficult to change, as she was proud and aloof. However, her pride and aloofness used to be evident on the surface, but now it was internalized.

After saying so much, Mrs. Mo finally got to the point, "Yueyao, there is no one to take care of Zhen ge'er by your side. The people who take care of Zhen ge'er, especially the housekeeper, must be carefully selected. Even the servants must be carefully chosen. If an unruly and ignorant person is chosen, they might corrupt Zhen ge'er, and it would be difficult to absolve the blame."

Yueyao had been on guard since Mrs. Mo's arrival. After listening to Mrs. Mo's words, she secretly sneered in her heart, as she had expected. The personal maids and servants must be people she trusted, not those arranged by Mrs. Mo. If she let Mrs. Mo arrange them, who knew if they would intentionally corrupt Zhen ge'er or even cause his premature death, leaving her alone.

Yueyao pondered and decided that it was time to use the people her mother had brought with her as dowry. However, she needed to obtain their contracts first and ensure that Mrs. Mo did not get hold of them. Fortunately, with her grandmother overseeing things, the personal maids serving her were all brought back from Jiangnan. The contracts of maids like Muqiu, Hua lei, and Dongqing were in her hands.

Yueyao's mind was filled with countless thoughts, but she did not show it on her face. She sincerely said to Mrs. Mo, "Aunt, I already have someone in mind for the housekeeper. As for the maids and servants, we'll have to wait a few days. Aunt, I have neglected my brother too much in the past, and I don't know his temperament. I want to understand his character before choosing the right people for him. So, these matters will have to wait for some time."

Mrs. Mo was full of suspicion. Was Yueyao being cautious of her, or was she really concerned about this fool? Either way, it was not favorable for her. "Our Yueyao is like a little adult, thinking so thoroughly."

Yueyao, upon hearing this, looked downcast. "Aunt, if I continue to neglect my brother as I did before, just focusing on copying scriptures and not taking care of him properly, I would be ashamed in front of our late parents."

With the conversation reaching this point, Mrs. Mo had no choice. Moreover, this matter was approved by the old lady. If the third miss did not change her mind, she could not do anything about it.

Seeing Mrs. Mo silent, Yueyao brought up another matter, "Aunt, I want to invite Doctor Tang to come and check on Zhen ge'er. He is too weak and needs proper care."

Naturally, Mrs. Mo readily agreed.

After Mrs. Mo left, Yueyao led Zhen ge'er into the room, and her expression immediately turned serious. She realized that she would have to wear a mask when dealing with Mrs. Mo in the future.

Hualei and Dongqing went to the storeroom to find the blue satin that Yueyao had mentioned. After retrieving it, they had the maids who were skilled in needlework start cutting and sewing the fabric. Yueyao had requested that the clothes be finished by the evening.

Hualei approached Yueyao and said, "Miss, the storeroom also needs to be organized. There are too many things, and it's getting messy. If we don't tidy it up, I'm afraid we might lose track of some items." Half of the items in the storeroom were the dowry of the second madam, and the other half were brought back from Jiangnan.

Upon hearing the mention of losing items, a sharp glint flashed in Yueyao's eyes, so quickly that Hualei thought she might have been mistaken. She convinced herself that it was just a trick of the light, as how could the miss have such a look in her eyes.

Yueyao remembered that after her grandmother passed away in her previous life, Mrs. Mo had subtly suggested that the storeroom needed to be organized. She had not paid much attention to it and had agreed without much thought. She had let the old mama and her people organize the storeroom. Later, all these items fell into Mrs. Mo's hands. She did not have much recollection of these items, such as gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings. She had never cared much about these things. What she could not forget were the precious books.

Her memory was so vivid because when she remembered, all these items were gone. Gold could be earned back, but the rare books were priceless. If they were lost, no amount of money could bring them back.

Seeing the miss lost in thought again, Hualei thought she had not said anything wrong, "Miss, Miss..."

Yueyao snapped out of her thoughts, and a cold light flashed in her eyes. These rare books had to be preserved and passed down for future generations. Mrs. Mo would only squander them. If her guess was correct, Mrs. Mo had probably given away these rare books. Many officials in the government obtained such items. Even her father had acquired many rare books in this manner. With her grandmother present, Mrs. Mo dared not act recklessly. But once her grandmother was gone, Mrs. Mo would surely find a way to take them from her.

Yueyao had no intention of hiding anything, as it would be impossible to hide it. The list of her mother's dowry was still in her grandmother's hands (her mother's dowry also included rare books). If she truly wanted to preserve them, there was only one way: to hide them where Mrs. Mo could not find them. That way, Mrs. Mo would be powerless.

Yueyao thought that she did not know the safest place at the moment. However, once she got rid of the trouble caused by the old mama, she would slowly plan it out.

When Yueyao thought of this, a scornful smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, fleeting in an instant. Her father must have long known the true nature of the Mos, so he entrusted half of the family property to Uncle Li in case of emergency, and then divided the remaining half in half again. One portion was kept by her, and the other was given to her grandmother. This money only fell into the hands of the main branch after her grandmother passed away.

Now, Aunt Gu knows that she has the money her father gave her, but she doesn't know exactly how much money Aunt Gu has. No matter what, she couldn't possibly reveal her family's wealth to an aunt. In her previous life, she was deceived by the Mos.

The situation is stronger than people, and she can't take revenge now. She and her brother still rely on the main branch, sharing both prosperity and adversity. In her previous life, she had no way out, and it was her resentment that destroyed the family. But now she can't do that. If she ruins the main branch, there will be no place for her and her brother in the world. No one will shelter a person who has destroyed their own family. And if she destroys the family again, she will have no face to meet her father and the ancestors of the family.