An Ran, who truly lacked talent, was utterly embarrassed; to be honest, no one believed her.
The eldest of the four, Sixth Sister, couldn't remain silent forever. She tried to ease the tension by saying, "Seventh Sister, Ninth Sister was just saying it casually. Why are you taking it so seriously?"
As if waiting for her to speak, Seventh Sister immediately retorted, "I wasn't being serious! I just think Ninth Sister is a lot like Sixth Sister. She humbly claims that her studies and needlework are mediocre, but when she's with the teacher, Sixth Sister is a top student!"
Before she finished speaking, Liu Niang's face paled slightly, but she forced a smile.
An Ran finally figured out a bit of the situation. It turned out that Seventh Sister was dissatisfied with Sixth Sister, and was just taking it out on An Ran. Sixth Sister had been brought back from outside the mansion, and so had she... It seemed that Seventh Sister regarded Sixth Sister and An Ran as the same kind of people.
However, An Ran felt wronged, having been given a false reputation and then being resented by others.
"Sisters, if we don't leave now, we'll keep the teacher waiting!" Shi Niang said with a timely smile. "Today is Ninth Sister's first day meeting the teacher. We can't let her leave a bad impression, can we?"
An Ran immediately began to look at her youngest sister with new respect.
On the surface, she was resolving the conflict between Sixth Sister and Seventh Sister, but in reality, their conflict remained completely unresolved. Of course, she also inadvertently did An Ran a favor. An Ran, who was in an awkward position, was only able to extricate herself from the situation thanks to her "righteous words."
Jinping, who was helping Anran carry the books, couldn't help but feel anxious when she saw Anran looking lost.
It's impossible for the four illegitimate daughters of the Marquis's mansion to get along peacefully or have a deep sisterly bond. That rumor is almost certainly true; at least the other three girls believed it!
Only their own daughter doesn't know yet...
Jinping hesitated, wondering whether she should tell the young lady all this. Once she did, she and Cuiping would have no way out and would have to stand firmly by the Ninth Miss's side.
Listening to the Wind Pavilion.
The four An sisters were a little late. When they entered, the teacher was already waiting at his desk.
I had heard Shi Niang mention this Mr. He before. Her husband was originally a talented woman of some renown in the capital, but she had married the wrong person. Not only did he squander the family fortune on gambling, but he also died in an accidental fall from his horse. She had no children and was all alone. Because she had met the Grand Madam once, the Grand Madam took pity on her and allowed her to teach the young ladies in the Marquis's mansion.
Mr. He is very knowledgeable and has a good temper, but he is stricter with everyone.
Anran performed the apprenticeship ceremony and sat down at the small table to the right of Qi Niang with extreme trepidation.
Mr. He couldn't help but ask her about the little knowledge she had.
Mr. He was clearly understanding. She first asked the three sisters about their homework and asked them to review it again before standing next to An Ran.
"...I've only read the Four Books for Women and some primers." An Ran's pretty face flushed slightly. She felt embarrassed to say anything after hearing how fluently the three sisters, Liu Niang and Liu Niang, answered.
Mr. He nodded.
To An Ran's surprise, Mr. He immediately asked about the meaning of the passage in the Doctrine of the Mean: "Sincerity leads to enlightenment, which is called human nature; enlightenment leads to sincerity, which is called education. Sincerity leads to enlightenment, and enlightenment leads to sincerity."
An Ran was stunned on the spot. She immediately realized that Mr. He thought she was just being modest and probably didn't expect that she really hadn't read the Four Books.
Seeing An Ran's face growing increasingly red and her silence for a long while, Mr. He realized that what An Ran said was true. Mr. He's father had served as an official at the Imperial Academy and had higher expectations for his daughter than for his son. What seemed simple to her, An Ran seemed to understand completely.
When the Sixth Miss first entered the school, she humbly said she hadn't studied, yet she could answer questions ranging from the Analects to the Huainanzi fluently. The Ninth Miss who came today wasn't being modest; she was simply telling the truth.
Mr. He was now also embarrassed. An Ran was, after all, a daughter of the Marquis's family, supported by the family, and had never intended to embarrass the other young ladies. Now that An Ran had made a fool of herself in front of her sisters, she felt uneasy, fearing that An Ran might hold a grudge against her.
She wasn't unaware that the three girls, who appeared to be diligently reviewing their lessons, were actually listening intently to what was happening on their side.
Fortunately, Anran has one advantage: she has a great mindset. Having already died once, there's nothing she can't let go of.
She bowed gracefully to Mr. He. "This student is ignorant; please enlighten me, sir."
Seeing that she showed no shame or anger at losing face in front of her sisters, but instead became more peaceful and respectful, Mr. He began to think of teaching her properly.
Anran was considered quite beautiful among the four sisters, on par with Liu Niang. However, while Liu Niang was highly learned, her appearance was too artificially cultivated, whereas Anran was like a rough gem, pure and natural.
“In that case, I will teach the young lady other books separately for the time being, and she will not have to attend classes with the sixth young lady and the others.” Mr. He thought for a moment and said, “How about the ninth young lady goes to the private room to practice calligraphy first?”
An Ran quickly thanked them and left her seat without hesitation.
Watching her departing figure, even the three remaining sisters, who were all calm and collected, couldn't help but feel a sense of relief in their eyes.
They might have been modest before, but it would be pointless to hide anything from their teacher. Every few days, Mr. He would report their knowledge to the Dowager.
Could it be that An Ran is really as she herself said?
The three women, including Liu Niang, were initially somewhat doubtful, but it wasn't until they went to learn needlework after the midday rest that they truly believed it.
This newly minted ninth daughter has a beautiful face, but her talent and needlework skills are only mediocre.
She smiled peacefully, seemingly harmless.
Only when learning the zither did Master Wan praise Anran for her talent, saying that although her fingering was still rusty, she could improve a lot with practice.
Sixth Sister is skilled at the pipa, while Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister both learned the guqin, and their fingering skills are hundreds of times better than An Ran's.
The pipa is a skill that children learn from a young age.
An Ran also gained a new understanding of her.
******
After having dinner at the old lady's house, when the four sisters returned home, Anran clearly sensed that the atmosphere was different.
In other words, the three women, including Liu Niang, showed her a more genuine and friendly attitude.
Even the usually sharp-tongued Seventh Sister didn't ridicule An Ran any further along the way, at most making a few sarcastic remarks about Sixth Sister; Sixth Sister and Tenth Sister were even more understanding, only picking out unimportant things to say.
An Ran also genuinely breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as you stop targeting her, let them laugh at her if they want!