Chapter 16: Enlightenment (Part 2)

Yueyao took the Hundred Family Surnames and pointed to the first one, saying to Zhenge, "Come, Zhenge, this character is pronounced Zhao. Come, pronounce Zhao..."

After teaching Zhenge for a while, Yueyao understood why everyone said Zhenge had poor aptitude. His aptitude was really as bad as it could be. She could remember something after learning it once, while Zhenge couldn't remember it even after ten times.

Yueyao sighed softly.

Zhenge was sensitive and saw Yueyao frowning and sighing. He asked hesitantly, "Sister, am I... am I really stupid?"

Yueyao thought for a moment. Instead of comforting words, she decided to tell him the truth, to motivate him. Denying it would not be genuine. "Zhenge, your aptitude is a little worse than average, but that doesn't mean you're stupid. Zhenge, whether a person can succeed doesn't depend on aptitude, but on character and perseverance. Your aptitude is a bit worse than average, so you need more effort to make up for it. Zhenge, as long as you can put in ten or even twenty times more effort than others, the question is whether you can endure such hardship."

Zhenge shook his head and said, "I'm not afraid of hardship. I will listen to sister and study hard." He wasn't afraid of suffering, but he was afraid of being rejected by his sister.

Yueyao comforted him, "Well, as long as you have this determination, you won't be worse than anyone in the future." Success depends on perseverance and determination. Many people with good aptitude have wasted their potential due to laziness. As long as you have perseverance, I believe that even if you can't become a dragon, you won't become a worm.

Zhenge nodded firmly, "I will listen to sister."

The gentle breeze blew against the window, making a loud noise. It seemed as if it couldn't stand the two people in the room being so engrossed in their studies and wanted to wake them up. However, no matter how loud the noise was, it couldn't attract the attention of the two people engrossed in their studies.

Yueyao taught Zhenge to recognize characters until six o'clock in the evening. In one afternoon, Zhenge learned ten characters: Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang, Feng, and Chen.

Yueyao couldn't help but sigh. Her father had learned all the Hundred Family Surnames in one day, and she had learned them all in half a day and could recite them fluently. But now, looking at Zhenge's learning speed, it would probably take him a month to learn all the Hundred Family Surnames. And that's assuming he can remember what he has learned and not forget it the next day...

After taking a deep breath, Yueyao comforted herself in her heart that she didn't have high expectations. This little brother was lucky to come back. She didn't expect him to pass the imperial examination or become a distinguished figure. She just wanted him to grow up safely, continue the family line, and have someone to rely on in the future, no longer being alone.

After comforting herself for a while, Yueyao finally calmed down her restless mood.

She had to be grateful for spending ten years in the temple, which had smoothed out her temperament. Otherwise, with Zhenge's almost wooden aptitude, with her proud and aloof temperament from her previous life, she would have probably been impatient and thrown Zhenge out long ago.

It was almost time, and Yueyao needed to rest. She took Zhenge's hand and walked out, and their meal was brought to them.

Seeing the sumptuous meal on the table, Yueyao looked at Muqiu. Muqiu was in charge of their meals and needed to make things clear to her.

Muqiu smiled and said, "This is the portion for Miss and Young Master." Muqiu's meaning was that Zhenge was treated according to the Young Master's standard, so the meal was more sumptuous than usual.

Yueyao nodded. This was what they deserved, and there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

After washing their hands, they sat down to eat. This time, Zhenge was different from lunch. He finished a bowl of rice and even asked for more.

Yueyao smiled at Zhenge to encourage him. Zhenge also smiled. Yueyao sighed in her heart, this child's demands were really low.

After dinner, Yueyao didn't teach Zhenge to recognize characters anymore, but let him start practicing writing. After writing the character "Zhao," Yueyao said, "Starting today, you will practice writing during the day and practice calligraphy at night."

Liu-style calligraphy has always had the reputation of being "thin, hard, square, and divine." Compared to Yan-style calligraphy, Liu Gong's regular script is slightly more even and thin, hence the nickname "Yan's muscles and Liu's bones." Lian Dongbo liked it very much, and Yueyao had inherited this habit. She was good at Liu-style calligraphy. Her Liu-style calligraphy had been praised by many people. It was enough for Zhenge's enlightenment.

Listening to Yueyao explain Liu-style calligraphy, Zhenge looked up and asked, "Sister, what is Liu-style calligraphy?" Yueyao encouraged him to ask if he didn't understand. It's not embarrassing to not know, but it's embarrassing not to ask. Not understanding and not knowing is the only way to progress.

Zhenge was a good child, and he asked when he didn't understand.

Yueyao was very pleased to see Zhenge asking for an explanation. She explained to him what Liu-style calligraphy and Yan-style calligraphy were.

Yueyao finished writing the characters for Zheng Ge'er to practice, and now she had nothing to do. Watching Zheng Ge'er practice writing, Yueyao thought that her running script had reached its peak and it was impossible to make further progress. She decided to learn a new style of calligraphy. After searching the bookshelf for a long time, she couldn't find a suitable model for her. Finally, she took a book of her father's essays to read.

Zheng Ge'er practiced the ten characters he learned during the day for a half hour that evening. Yueyao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was good that he didn't get impatient after practicing only ten characters in one evening.

Yueyao finally discovered Zheng Ge'er's first virtue: he had enough patience.

As the sky darkened, Yueyao asked Zheng Ge'er to rest and instructed him to get up at the second quarter of the hour tomorrow to recite the book (even though it was only ten characters, it still needed to be memorized. It was important to cultivate good habits).

Yueyao lived in Baoyao Pavilion, and Zheng Ge'er was arranged to stay in the east wing room. Yueyao had Xijuan and Xiyu serve Zheng Ge'er. They were close to each other, making it convenient to take care of him.

Yueyao had already decided that the steward mother around Zheng Ge'er would be Mrs. Deng, and the personal maid had not been decided yet, but it had to be someone she trusted. The personal servant who followed him also had to be carefully selected.

Yueyao was very clear that when it came to employing people and making plans, she was only at a basic stage and still had a lot to learn.

Thinking about the situation she was facing, Yueyao urgently hoped that Mrs. Deng would return soon. With Mrs. Deng guiding her, she could avoid many detours.

Yueyao sat at the dressing table and took off the hairpin from her head. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror and saw Mrs. Gu entering. These days, Yueyao hadn't shown any displeasure to Mrs. Gu. But she wasn't as close as before, and the serving matters were all left to Hualai and Muqiu. She completely marginalized Mrs. Gu.

Mrs. Gu took over Hualai's work and prepared to do Yueyao's hair. Hualai saw Yueyao nod at her and then stepped aside.

Yueyao coldly watched Mrs. Gu with a mocking smile as she carefully combed her hair. She regretted not seeing through this person in her previous life. She didn't know what she had eyes for.

But Yueyao didn't reprimand her. She had ignored her for the past few days, and if she suddenly reprimanded her now, it would damage her reputation. After experiencing so many suicides in her previous life, she didn't care much about her reputation, but it wasn't worth letting such a person ruin her reputation. She could endure for a few more days.

Mrs. Gu combed Yueyao's hair smoothly and cautiously said, "Miss, you didn't copy the scriptures today?"

Yueyao replied indifferently, "Teaching Zheng Ge'er to recognize characters and raising him to adulthood is the greatest filial piety to my parents." Copying the scriptures was just a trap set by someone. Of course, she still had to copy the scriptures, but she would extend the time and not limit herself to just the scriptures.

Mrs. Gu's hand paused, then she hurriedly said, "Miss, you must not give up. Master Pu'an said..." She had been quiet these past few days because she had been privately investigating who had been speaking ill of Miss. And what had happened to Miss that night.

When she asked Muqiu, Muqiu shook her head and only said that Miss had been startled by the lightning and thunder that night, but everything else was fine and nothing abnormal had happened.

If it had been Hualai who said that, Mrs. Gu wouldn't have believed it. But Muqiu was known for her honesty and never told lies, which made Mrs. Gu believe her.

Yueyao would tell Hualai about her mother's dream, but she hadn't said a word to Muqiu. It wasn't that she didn't trust Muqiu, but she was very clear about Muqiu's nature. She was too honest, which was actually foolish. Yueyao wasn't afraid of Muqiu betraying her, but she couldn't guarantee that Muqiu wouldn't be manipulated into telling the truth.

Yueyao looked at Mrs. Gu with a cold smile. After she returned, she went to the Hualin Temple to burn incense. Master Pu'an of Hualin Temple said that as long as she copied the filial scriptures with a sincere heart every day for a year and then burned them for her deceased parents, it would make her parents' afterlife better. For her, who had lost her parents suddenly, it was like a timely rain. So, in her previous life, she had persisted in copying the scriptures for a year, burying herself in the scriptures every day, and had missed out on many things because of it.

Mrs. Gu, seeing the faint smile on Yueyao's face, was greatly shocked. But thinking about the promise of the Madam, she could only force herself to say, "Miss, you must not give up halfway! Master Pu'an said it must be done with a sincere heart."

Yueyao gently placed the silver hairpin in her hand on the dressing table and said, "Mother, rest assured, I know what I should and shouldn't do. Mother, you are getting older, staying up late is not good for your health. Take care of yourself in the future. The matters in the courtyard will be left to Muqiu and Hualai."

Mrs. Gu wanted to say that she could endure, but seeing that Yueyao didn't even look at her, she called Muqiu in and left awkwardly.

Yueyao waited for Mrs. Gu to leave, a sneer in her eyes. It seemed that the Mo family was anxious and sent Mrs. Gu to test her. But now with her grandmother's support, the Mo family didn't dare to make a move. Otherwise, her grandmother wouldn't spare them.

Yueyao lay on the bed and couldn't sleep, her mind in a mess. Unable to sleep, she got up and went to the small Buddha hall. Yueyao looked at the table full of scriptures but didn't continue copying as usual. Instead, she pondered how to proceed on the road ahead.

Yueyao sat in a chair, looking at the round moon outside. She didn't just come back to guard against the Mo family, nor was it just to come back and fight with Mrs. Mo. As long as she was on guard against Mrs. Mo and wasn't deceived by her, and sought help from others, she wouldn't be as lonely and helpless as in her previous life, and Mrs. Mo wouldn't dare to harm her.

So what would she do in the future? She couldn't just live as she did in her previous life, confused and clueless.

Yueyao's mind was in a mess. Unexpectedly, she looked at a painting hanging on the wall. It reminded her of her days in the temple.

In the temple, there were many women. Among them, those who had family members concerned about them would receive money and supplies sent from home every month, ensuring they had no worries about food and clothing. There was also a large group who were homeless and had chosen to dedicate themselves to the temple. These women had to support themselves, as the temple couldn't afford to support them for free. To make a living, these women would take on various tasks. Most of them did embroidery or other crafts, while a small minority had to do more labor-intensive work, all of which was very hard.

After arriving at the temple, she realized that she was useless in many ways. She couldn't cook, she couldn't do needlework, and she couldn't do anything. Even the supervisor of the temple frowned upon her. As time passed, not only the supervisor, but even the other women around her looked down on her. It was as if she were a parasite.

Later, it was the abbess who discovered that she wrote well and asked her to transcribe scriptures. In the process of transcribing, it was found that she was very skilled in painting. So, she started to earn money for the temple by transcribing scriptures and painting Buddhist images. The income she brought in was considerable, and her days at the temple became more comfortable.

Sitting at the table, Yuexiao looked up at the painting of a mountain retreat at sunset. In this life, she didn't seek fame and recognition, but her artistic talents had to be preserved at all costs. Not only should they not be lost, but she also had to strive for improvement and look forward to greater progress. This way, if anything were to happen, she could still survive with her talents.

As she thought about her painting, she couldn't help but remember Mr. Wen's words about her wasted talent. If she were a man, he would have definitely taken her as a student. But unfortunately, she was born as a daughter.

Years ago, Mr. Wen only agreed to teach Yuexiao because he owed a favor to a friend. Although Mr. Wen thought that Yuexiao had amazing talent in painting, he didn't take her as a formal student because she was a girl. For them, women were meant to marry, have children, and manage household chores. Learning to paint was just a way to cultivate their sentiments, not a serious pursuit. However, even though Mr. Wen held this view, he was just as strict with her as he was with his male students and devoted all his efforts to teaching her. Those four years laid a solid foundation for her. Unfortunately, due to a family emergency, she had to return to Beijing before she could delve deeper into her studies. When she came back later, she had to explore on her own without Mr. Wen's guidance.

Yuexiao clenched her hands. Her calligraphy had reached its peak and couldn't improve any further. However, her painting skills had only just begun, and there was still a long way for her to go. If she wanted to improve her painting, the only option was to seek guidance from Mr. Wen. It was impossible for Mr. Wen to take her as a student now, but if she encountered difficulties, he would surely guide her. Although she hadn't undergone systematic study in her past life, the twenty additional years of experience and practice had elevated her skills. With Mr. Wen's guidance, she could surely advance her painting skills even further.

After pondering for a while, she had a clear direction for the path she would take in the future. With this clarity, the panic in her heart alleviated. Yuexiao returned to her room and lay down on the bed, unable to stop thinking about how her younger brother, Zhengo, had only recognized ten characters in an entire afternoon.

Yuexiao was truly frustrated. Zhengo's literacy was far behind others of his age, and his learning was slower than a turtle's crawl. At this rate, he would fall far behind in his studies. As for the imperial examinations, Yuexiao had already given up hope. At this pace, if Zhengo could obtain the lowest scholarly degree, it would be a great blessing from heaven.

Yuexiao sighed. She didn't know why her brother's aptitude was so poor. Why was he so different from her? If she could, she would rather be mediocre and allow her brother to be clever instead!