Chapter 831: Chapter 350: Tingyi’s Wedding (Part 2)
Xiang Wei paused for a moment and then said, "As long as you know what you’re doing." Although Xiang Wei disliked the people of the Lian family, she couldn’t deny that Yueyao made a lot of sense. Reputation is very important to a person, especially for literati and scholars who place great emphasis on reputation. If Yueyao were to bear the stigma of betraying her family and being cold-hearted, she would be suspected of having questionable character. A person with poor character would not be accepted by those high-minded and proud literati, and at that time, no matter how well Yueyao painted, it would all be in vain.
Unexpectedly, six days later, Tingyi brought his newlywed wife to Ma’s Mansion to visit Yueyao. Upon hearing the news, Yueyao’s first thought was what Tingyi was up to.
Xiang Wei sneered and said, "What do you think Tingyi wants to plan? Haven’t you heard of riding on coattails?" Yueyao simply didn’t want to become hostile with the Lian family, but clearly, the Lian family didn’t think so. Seeing Yueyao relent, they certainly intended to take her back.
After hearing Xiang Wei’s words, Yueyao smiled, changed her clothes, and then went to the front hall to meet Tingyi and Zhou Yue.
Yueyao looked at the newlyweds, one handsome and the other graceful, very well-matched. Yueyao smiled and curtseyed, "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law."
Zhou Yue’s face was a little flushed. Their seniority and ranks were a bit confusing, as according to her side, Yueyao was supposed to be her little master-aunt.
The last time Tingyi saw Yueyao was when he became the Tanhua. His feelings upon seeing her then were completely different from now: "Yueyao, was that calligraphy piece you gave me written by you?" Without Yueyao’s verbal confirmation, Tingyi still felt a bit uncertain.
Yueyao looked surprised, "I wrote it, why?" Could there be something wrong with that calligraphy piece? It shouldn’t be!
Zhou Yue asked with a face full of excitement, "Husband, are you saying that the calligraphy piece hanging in our room was written by Yueyao?" Everyone who saw that calligraphy admired it. Zhou Yue only knew that Yueyao was good at painting, but didn’t realize her plum blossom calligraphy style was so extraordinary.
Tingyi nodded and then asked Yueyao, "Third Sister, I didn’t expect your seal script to be so good."
Yueyao gently laughed, "This was also taught by my teacher. The teacher also called me foolish and slow to learn." In fact, Yueyao had studied seal script in her past life and put in considerable effort, but later the teacher said her hand strength wasn’t enough, and even if she learned it, she wouldn’t write well, so Yueyao gave up. Picking it up again in this life and later getting instructions from Mr. Yu Shan, she progressed rapidly. Everyone around knew that Yueyao learned things quickly, so they never doubted her.
This time, Tingyi came over to suggest having Yueyao return to the Lian Mansion. Over the years, Bei because Yueyao was at Ma’s Mansion, the Lian Mansion was heavily criticized. Especially as Yueyao’s reputation grew, he and his elder brother would occasionally be asked about it, and every time Tingyi felt particularly embarrassed.
Zhou Yue smiled and said, "Yueyao, when will you come back? Once you return, I can learn painting from you."
Yueyao thought that daughters from wealthy families were never truly innocent. Yueyao smiled, "I am very content at Ma’s Mansion, and my uncle cares for me deeply, so I won’t be returning to the Lian Mansion for now."
Tingyi’s expression froze when he heard the word "content." Yueyao’s words subconsciously suggested that she felt uneasy at the Lian Mansion.
Being about to marry into the Lian family, Zhou Yue naturally knew the affairs of the Lian family and was aware of the case from a few years ago. Zhou Yue smiled and said, "Is there any place more reassuring than your own home, Yueyao? Don’t you think so?" Her husband wanted Yueyao to return to the Lian family, so she tried to facilitate it.
Yueyao did not respond to Zhou Yue’s words and just smilingly picked up a piece of pastry from the table, took a bite, and said, "Second Sister-in-law, my kitchen maid’s skills are quite good, not only are her dishes delicious, but her pastry-making skills can rival a master chef’s."
After hearing Yueyao’s words, Tingyi felt a bitter taste in his mouth and realized that there was no longer a need to probe further. Yueyao’s attitude was already very clear; she would not return to the Lian Mansion. To her, the Lian Mansion was a dragon’s lair and tiger’s den.
Zhou Yue was astute in reading expressions; seeing the look on her husband’s face, she stopped trying to persuade Yueyao to return and instead laughed and said, "Yueyao, I’ve loved painting since I was young, but I’m never good at it. Do you think I could visit you for some pointers?" Frequent contact might help loosen her up.
Without thinking, Yueyao immediately refused, "Second Sister-in-law, I’m sorry, I have a lot of coursework every day and no time to guide you." She had many things to learn herself and no time to teach others.
Zhou Yue was surprised, "Coursework?"
Yueyao nodded, "Yes, my teacher assigned me coursework. The teacher says my writing hasn’t matured, I know nothing about the four arts, and my poetry and songs are a mess, so I have a lot of coursework to complete."
Zhou Yue’s mouth dropped open; if Yueyao’s calligraphy was considered immature, then what level would be considered good? However, Mr. Yu Shan was also Zhou Yue’s forefather of her generation, so she dared not say anything unpleasant and just smiled sheepishly, "The Grand Master has high expectations for you."
Yueyao showed a pained expression, "People say that great teachers produce outstanding students, but being a top student isn’t easy either." Yueyao wasn’t boasting. Since formally becoming his disciple, Mr. Yu Shan had increasingly high demands on her, expecting her to learn everything and master it too. Thankfully, Yueyao was eager to learn; otherwise, it would be hard for anyone to endure.
Tingyi solemnly said, "Mr. Yu Shan is doing it for your own good." The more a teacher is strict with a student, the higher the hopes they place on them. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t bother.
Yueyao laughed upon hearing this, "I know."
After Tingyi returned, he sought out Lian Dongfang and said, "Father, Yueyao has no intention of returning to the mansion. Father, what do you think we should do?"
Lian Dongfang gave Tingyi a deep look and slowly said, "Yueyao cannot let go of what happened in the past. If you want her to come back, she has to be appeased. Otherwise, no matter how many times you ask, it will be useless." Lian Dongfang had completely given up on Lady family, even if she came out of the Buddha hall, he remained cold to her, leaving household management to his eldest daughter-in-law.
Tingyi was frozen stiff. Letting Yueyao be appeased would mean severely punishing his mother. His mother had already been locked away in the Buddha hall for years; how could he bear to let her suffer more: "Father, Yueyao is fine at Ma’s Mansion now, but she can’t possibly get married from there, right? If so, our family’s face will be gone."
Lian Dongfang expressionlessly said, "You needn’t worry about that. She will definitely be married from within the Lian Mansion." It’s not that Lian Dongfang was confident Yueyao would return, but because if she wanted to keep her reputation, she must be married from the Lian family. If married from Ma’s Mansion, outsiders would surely think she fell out with the Lian family. No matter how carefree Yueyao was, she wouldn’t dare truly oppose the Lian family.
Tingyi felt slightly relieved.
Not long after, news of Yueyao’s excellent Plum Blossom Seal Script got around.
People came to request her writing, but Yueyao declined all offers with a simple reason: a young lady’s work should not be spread outside. Previously, when Yueyao painted for people, it was either Buddhist images or self-portraits for elderly people, and she never inscribed them. Regardless of whether it was a Buddhist image or a portrait, adding the plum blossom calligraphy style would make it appear unfitting.