Prompt 28

  Wanyu cherished this learning opportunity. She knew she had been out of touch with the world for too long and lacked many things, so she worked even harder to learn her skills.

  The peony was somewhat displeased, "Miss, how can she have such a big temper?" A pretty face blushed with anger, in our house, no one dares to be disrespectful to the young lady, why is she so unreasonable.

  Wanyu rebuked in a low voice, "Shut up, don't be arrogant. People with abilities deserve our respect. If I find out you're being so arrogant again, you won't need to serve me anymore, lest you offend someone unknowingly. Go get my guqin."

  The peony lowered its head and listened obediently, nodded in response, and quickly went to fetch the zither.

  After a while, the two girls moved in the guqin and the music stand. After setting them up, Wanyu washed her hands, took a gentle breath, sat down beside the instrument, and began to play slowly, closing her eyes slightly as she immersed herself in the subtleties of the music.

  She played the fisherman's question and answer, playing other things is easy to expose her shortcomings, only this kind of performance can bring out the hermit's yearning for the green mountains and clear waters. Years of solitary cultivation, living with the green mountains and clear waters as neighbors, rarely having human traffic, yet also revealing a hint of loneliness, but also content with simplicity and tranquility.

  The sound of the zither is soft and gentle, with a carefree and contented feeling of seeing Mount Nan, but also revealing a strong vitality, which is a kind of resilience and determination that will never give up at any time.

  Inside the house, Zhang's wife occasionally exchanged a few words with Wang's wife, but her ears were perked up high, listening carefully, feeling happy in her heart, yet also somewhat regretful.

  The king's wife saw that she was listening attentively and knew that she was very interested, so she couldn't help but say with a smile: "How about it, can this student still be taught?"

  "They're all so naive and empty-headed, yet they're very cunning, thinking I didn't catch on. Zhang Yiniang was indeed very perceptive, able to discern one or two things from the sound of the guqin, and also roughly grasped Yuwen's temperament."

  The king's wife smiled and said, "Why did I let you **? Smart people are rarely seen. How many have laughed to the end? I think this child is best at being cautious and not acting rashly."

  Zhang Ayi smiled and said helplessly, "Alright, I didn't say I wouldn't teach her either. Come to my place tomorrow afternoon, and I'll teach her personally."

  The old lady was overjoyed, "Now that's settled, I can rest assured."

  The king's wife couldn't wait any longer and ran to tell Yuwen that the good news, "You are willing to teach you to play the piano, don't hurry up and thank your aunt." Yuwen got up from the stool and bowed respectfully.

  "Wanyu thanked Niangniang, I will work hard." She said seriously.

  "Alright, go back, I'm going to rest." Zhang's wife waved her hand and let her leave.

  Wan Yu didn't mind Zhang Ayi's attitude, on the contrary, she thought that people like this were easier to get along with than those who had a different story on their face and behind their back. She herself wasn't a very enthusiastic person and wouldn't initiate small talk, so it was better this way.

  The next day, Zhang started her new role. From the very beginning, she learned the most basic things such as walking posture and table manners. Once she mastered them, she could stop practicing; otherwise, she would continue until she was qualified.

  This was a bitter experience for the delicate ladies like Wan Yi, who had never suffered such hardships before. It was far more severe than they had imagined, with endless repetitions of various rituals and etiquette, leaving them with sore waists and legs by nightfall, their heads numb with fatigue.

  Wan Yu has already learned these things, as long as she follows the qualified ones, she doesn't need to continue repeating them. However, she still needs to learn other things, such as house fighting and privacy, as well as food taboos, except for medicinal materials, which she doesn't need to learn about plants, she is naturally sensitive and will never make mistakes.

  All the flowers and grasses she raised with her hands were in high spirits, full of vitality, and won the praise of many people. The medicinal materials were just a small matter.

  It's just that the private housekeeper often makes mistakes, and is overly cautious and not decisive enough, with a soft heart, which makes Wang Niang worried, and even more strict with Ding Xiang and Mo Li.

  I hope the two of them can come up with something and help Wen Yu out, so that not everyone in the house is useless, but it's no use.

  Every afternoon, she still had to go and learn the piano with Zhang Niangniang. In the early morning, she practiced Tai Chi under the purple sun's energy. After breakfast, she started practicing calligraphy, which was also a great way to cultivate her body and nature. She found that she gradually grasped a little bit of the threshold of the Tao. Before, she only paid attention to the high and low of cultivation, but neglected the elevation of her mental state. It seemed that failing to transcend the calamity was also destined.

  For several years in a row, I have been practicing the same thing, and Wan Yu has practiced it to the point where it has some flavor. At least this character can be shown to others, and it already has a somewhat artistic conception. It even received praise from my old father.

  The arrival of Zhang Ayi made several girls see the gap between each other, especially when Zhang Ayi always took Wen Yu as an example for them, which made several girls strive to be stronger and perform very positively.

  After several days of training, they finally saw some results. At least when standing up, they looked much more confident, their eyes no longer darting around nervously, making people feel uncomfortable. Now, after being carefully instructed by Zhang Mama, they have made great improvements, at least knowing how to restrain themselves.

  Mrs. Li came over personally and said to Zhang's mother, "I'm disturbing you, I have a request."

  Madam Zhang curtsied and smiled slightly: "You're too kind, ma'am. Just give your orders."

  "Tomorrow, the master is going to attend a banquet hosted by his good friend Dingguo Hou and has allowed me to bring a few children along to broaden their horizons. I've come to ask for a day off from you, nanny."

  "No problem, I'll take a rest day tomorrow." Zhang's nanny readily agreed.

  Mr. Li turned around to look at the excited children, with a warm smile, "Dingguo Hou is a close friend of the Marquis, they are very familiar with each other, so just dress casually tomorrow." After finishing speaking, he took the people and left.

  A glint flashed in Zhang's eyes as she turned around with a smile, "Alright, you've all heard the mistress' words clearly. As for how you dress, consider it the first test of my teachings over these past few days. Let's see how you respond. When you return, I'll ask you about it in detail and we can discuss it further."

  "Yes." Several girls bowed together to show they understood.

  For the first time, following the adults out to visit relatives, they were all very excited, but specifically how to dress was a bit bewildered. What is home attire? Can't really wear casual clothes to visit relatives, that's definitely not okay. But if it's too formal, it's probably not okay either, otherwise Li wouldn't have specifically mentioned it.

  Wan Yi looked a bit anxious, running over to pull on Wan Yu's arm and asking: "Big sister, what did Big Aunt mean? How should we dress so as not to lose face?" She thought big sister would definitely know.

  Wanyu didn't mean to hide anything, and after some thought, she said: "Mother has already said that the relationship with Dingguo Hou is quite close, it's just a friendly gathering, so dressing up too much would be inappropriate. It's not a big occasion, so there's no need for such formality. Maybe everyone will be relatively casual, so we don't need to dress up too much either. Just wear something like what we usually wear when going out on the street, and eight or nine new clothes should be enough. Wearing a hair ribbon, silk band, or pearl flower is fine, no need to insert a full head of gold, it would make people laugh at us."

  Wanyi nodded with a pleased smile, "Thank you, big sister, I understand."

  Yun Qing took a look and understood too, since everyone said so, she just followed suit.

  It's just that Yun Shu hesitated a bit, wondering if Wan Yu was intentionally setting them up to make themselves look more beautiful and making them look shabby in comparison.

  Wanyu's intuition is strong and her thoughts are meticulous. At a glance, she knew that Yunque hadn't taken her words to heart. She had said what needed to be said, and reminding him once out of sisterly affection was enough. As for whether he would do it or not, it had nothing to do with her.

  She smiled and gathered her notes for class, then left with her maid. Zhang Mama watched them silently, a slight smile playing on the corners of her mouth, as she gained a deeper understanding of the young ladies' characters.

  This Yun Shu is the most difficult to deal with, not clever but also likes to show off, and every time he shows off, he can't get to the point, and every time he ends up in a mess.

  The queen waited until all the children had left before leaning in close to Zhang and smiling: "How was it? Did you get a good look?"

  "Hmm, overall it's not bad, the Murong family's upbringing is still decent, but what's with this Second Miss?" Zhang Yini asked, raising an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling with interest.

  They all came from the Murong Mansion, and Third Miss Yun Qing was also a concubine's daughter. Although she wasn't very clever, she made up for it with her honesty and integrity. Her legitimate sisters would occasionally take care of her, and she knew how to repay their kindness. So why was Second Miss Yun Shu so strange and ungrateful, completely unlike the child Lady Li had raised?

  The queen smiled and said: "That was raised by the aunt, has been raising in the northwest, just came back recently, I guess it's intentional for the marquis."

  Zhang's expression suddenly cleared up, and she nodded in understanding, "No wonder."