Luna de Luzhou

Capítulo 13

On the surface, Shen Qintian was the teacher of several young ladies in the He family, but in reality, he was an advisor to He Ziyuan, the father of He Sucheng. He stayed in Suzhou for other reasons, and teaching was just a side job. He had watched his master's children grow up, and to put it arrogantly, he was the one who educated the young master and young lady. No matter what happened in the future, he would always be called a "respected teacher" in the He family.

Although he didn't manage affairs, the reason why He Suchen fell into the water and fell ill had already become the talk of the town. Even a young girl like Yongjiao could overhear it from the maids, let alone him. Seeing He Suchen come to class that day, Shen Qintian felt relieved, but he was still a little worried, so he asked. He Suchen quickly stood up and said that he was fine. After chatting for a few more minutes, he packed his things and left.

As soon as Shen Qintian left the room, He Yuanfang, who had been sitting upright and silent, suddenly said coldly across Yongjiao, "I didn't expect you to be so favored, Fourth Sister. You only had a minor illness, but Grandma scolded people for you. The old manager of Tianyuan Hall stayed in the mansion for more than ten days. The maids and servants took turns looking after you, and your brothers and sisters also took good care of you. Now even the teacher has come to ask you about it. Aren't you proud of yourself?"

He Suchen was a little angry. She hadn't offended her at all. Did this child think she was easy to bully? She was about to retort when Yongjiao spoke up: "What are you saying, big sister? Uncle and Aunt are both in the capital, and Third Brother is usually at school and rarely comes home. Guazi is home alone, and she's so well-behaved and lovable. It's only natural that everyone likes and dotes on her. Unlike some people who only know how to take their anger out on the girl every day. It's one thing to curse her, but their hearts are more venomous than scorpions. They're capable of all sorts of vicious things."

He Yuanfang gave a cold laugh: "Where did you hear such words, Second Sister? You're really ill-mannered. I suppose your Aunt is too busy with other things to discipline you. You'd better pay more attention to your manners and morals, otherwise you'll not only embarrass yourself, but I don't want to be implicated by you." She glanced at Yongjiao's face, which was flushed with anger, and her lips curled up even more. "My mother is the Empress's cousin, and my maternal grandfather is the current Emperor's father-in-law. We can't compare to some families that have fallen on hard times."

Yongjiao felt a surge of anger rising in her chest, almost making her faint. Every time she argued with He Yuanfang, she was always at a disadvantage. She suddenly stood up, wanting to curse, but she didn't know how to curse loudly. She opened and closed her mouth, but still couldn't say a word.

"Aren't these people tired of playing this game every day?" He Suchen said helplessly, but Yongjiao was doing it all for her sake, so she tugged at her sleeve to make her sit down, and said to Yuanfang in a low voice, "What are you saying, elder sister? Sisters should respect each other. Since we're family, if Second Sister is not doing well, Elder Sister won't be doing well either. We're just children, why do you keep bringing up our maternal family background? Aunt's family has been a scholarly family for generations. Second Sister's maternal grandfather served as a prefectural governor twice, and he had countless students. Many high-ranking officials were his students. I don't know anyone who is more noble than him."

He Yuanfang's expression changed, and he suddenly laughed: "I remember that my second aunt's family was just in the Imperial Hospital, and they didn't even have a proper job. They didn't know how noble they were, and they were so proud of themselves. My second aunt must have been overjoyed to marry my second uncle, after all, she has climbed up a social ladder."

Although she had never met her, she was, after all, her mother in name and in reality. He Suchen was already quite annoyed by her, so he replied in a nonchalant tone, "I don't know what's so bad about the Imperial Hospital. I heard that my grandfather saved the late emperor from critical illness several times. He was very well received by the emperor. It seems that my sister has even higher standards than those above her."

Chapter Twenty-Three, Part One

The "Propaganda Officer" function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!! He Yuanfang frowned, about to speak indignantly, when Yuanrou stood up and said, "Sister, didn't Mother say we should go home early today? Guazi is very tired too, don't argue with her." She then called a maid to come in and pack up the writing implements, and went to pull her sister's sleeve to go home. He Yuanfang shook off her hand: "What a bunch of idiots! I'm not playing with you anymore, it's so boring." Without another word, she left.

Yuan Rou stood there, her face pale, unsure whether to follow or what to do. In the end, she bowed, said goodbye, and chased after them.

Yongjiao watched her retreating figure with concern and sighed, "Guazi, I'm worried about what will happen to your third sister in the future if she's bullied like this every day." He Suchen asked, "Is eldest sister always like this? I still don't understand what's going on. What's wrong with eldest sister and third aunt? Why do they always seem so immoral and unlikable, yet we seem to like them? Don't they know they're disliked by everyone in the manor?"

Yongjiao shook her head: "I don't know either. My eldest sister wasn't like this when she was little. She loved us very much. Back then, my third aunt wasn't home much. She often went back to her parents' home. Later, I don't know why, she took my eldest sister back with her. When my eldest sister came back, she became like this." She lowered her head sadly. "When we were little, my eldest sister took good care of us. Seeing her like this hurts me. I often want to talk to her, but I can't help but argue with her. She's used to being arrogant now and isn't the same as before. My third aunt is also becoming more and more shameless and doesn't follow any rules anymore."

"We kids can't figure out how to handle these things, so don't worry about it. Otherwise, you'll just make yourself uncomfortable for nothing," He Suchen comforted her. "Your older brother and my brother are both back today, aren't you going back to your room?"

Yongjiao was reminded and, without caring about anything else, said "Melon Seeds, come find me to play sometime" and ran out like the wind, not caring that Qing'er hadn't finished packing her things or whether the other girls could keep up.

He Su Chen smiled as he watched her run back, and then had Dong Kui help pack her things so they could go back to their room together. When they arrived at the small hall, He Su Shi was already sitting inside drinking tea, and Granny Sun was also sitting there packing things.

"Melon Seeds are back? Look what your brother brought you back." Granny Sun's hands didn't stop moving, but her face was all smiles. He Su said, "Why are you so doting on your sister, Granny? I wanted to tease her a bit." He turned his head and said in a teasing tone, "Call me 'good brother' and I'll give it to you."

"How rare!" He Su ignored him completely and went straight to Granny Sun, saying, "Granny, look at my brother. He seems to have been corrupted by outsiders. He can say all sorts of things!" Granny Sun's face turned stern: "Where did you hear such filthy talk?! Where have you been lately?! If I find out you've been to that unclean place, I'll tell the old lady!"

He Su Shi gave her sister a "you win" look, and hurriedly explained, "No, Granny, you've misunderstood. How could I go to such a place?! I only said it as a joke because my classmates at school told me. I won't do it again!" He Su Chen deliberately asked, "Granny, what is an unclean place?" He Su Shi glared at her, her eyes clearly saying, "You still dare to talk? You'd better stop."

He Su Chen ignored him and only looked at Granny Sun. He Su Shi coughed twice and mouthed "I was wrong." Granny Sun was about to scold He Su Shi again to change the subject of the little girl's difficult question, but He Su Shi was quick-witted and rang the bell to have her personal servant bring in the things.

A moment later, the pageboy A-Ming came in carrying something. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a small, snow-white ball. Looking more closely, one could see that the ball had a black nose, two round, bright black eyes, soft fur, and short limbs that wobbled as it lay on the ground. It was incredibly cute—it was a little snowball dog!

I just don't know what happened to this dog. It's missing a large patch of fur on its hind legs, and the bald areas look burnt and charred. It looks so pitiful. He Su said with a smile, "This belongs to my classmate. I saw it was cute and asked him for one. My sister gets bored at home every day, so I'm giving it to you to play with."

He Suchen was powerless against these things, so she quickly picked up the dog and played with it. She stroked Snowball's hind leg with some surprise: "Brother, what happened to the dog's fur? Why is a big patch missing?"

He Su Shi was drinking tea when he heard this and choked a little. Snowball, hearing his cough, was so frightened that it shrank into its new master's arms and didn't dare to move. He Su Shi chuckled awkwardly and said, "Uh, hehe, well, a single spark can start a prairie fire..."

Granny Sun reached out and stroked Snowball's fur, laughing, "It's quite adorable. It's kind of you to think of that, young master. But will this thing bite? Is it obedient?" He Su Shi hurriedly found a handkerchief to wipe it, saying as he did so, "This dog's teeth have been pulled, and its nails have been trimmed. These kinds of dogs are usually very well-behaved and have excellent temperaments. If it weren't safe, I wouldn't dare give it to my sister." Granny Sun nodded: "Have you named it yet?"

He Su took off her handkerchief and thought for a moment: "I do have some, but they're not presentable. Sister, think of one. Since I've given it to you, think of a good name."

A name? He Su Chen pondered for a moment, just then Snowball barked twice. He Su Chen suppressed a laugh and said, "I've got it, how about we call her Yi Yi?"

She remembered a comic she read in junior high school, in which a purebred neurotic Scottish Terrier was named Yi. The origin of the name was really funny. Although this Snowball dog was not a Scottish Terrier (in someone's mind, even Chinese mongrels are more noble than foreign purebred dogs~~), it was still not bad to call it Yi Yi. Who told you to bark twice just now?

He Su recited the name twice and said, "It's quite unique, let's call her that. She really is a girl, with such a delicate name. Is she reluctant to part?"

A huge bead of sweat appeared on the back of He Suchen's head: "Brother, it's not the Yiyi who bids farewell with reluctance, it's the Yiyi who is one two three four."

...

...

He Suchen swore he saw black lines appear on this guy's forehead. Granny Sun, on the other hand, readily accepted the decision: "It's simple and easy to remember, and I recognize that character too, so let's call him Yi Yi."

The Snowball dog, which had just been given the name "Yi," barked twice more, completely unaware that its name would be the subject of ridicule from countless people in the future.

He Sushi was still extremely puzzled: "Why is it called 'one, two, three, four'?" His sister suppressed a laugh and answered seriously: "Because it's a dog."

? ?

"It's a dog, it barks all the time, so we named it Yi Yi." She laughed, picked up Yi Yi, and ran out to play with Yong Jiao. He Su Shi was extremely puzzled and thought about it for a long time. Suddenly, his face stiffened, and after a long time, he showed a strange smile.

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Why is the dog named Yi Yi?

Those who have read "Wei You's Youth Diary" will definitely know this~~hehe~~but it's not hard to guess at all.

Furthermore, a single spark can start a prairie fire. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Chapter Twenty-Four, Chapter Eighteen

The "Promoter" function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now! The Qingming Festival passed quickly, and He Su Shi indeed fulfilled his wish of traveling to Yangzhou in the third month of spring. He Su Chen, alone at home using the study, found it somewhat inconvenient.

The second wife's residence was called Guanyi Courtyard, which had five main rooms, eight side rooms for servants, plus a storage room and a study. The study was very large because the owner loved books, and you could see the entire study filled with bookshelves as soon as you entered.

This room would be perfect if only my brother were using it. But it would be a bit inconvenient if I were to join him.

He Su-shi, who attends classes at the state academy, often brings friends and classmates home. Whether they are discussing academic matters or simply chatting, it all takes place in the study. This might lead to them bumping into He Su-chen, who is reading a book.

Even if He Sucheng himself disregarded the strict social norms of the era, Granny Sun cared a great deal. If Tang's mother found out, the consequences would be unimaginable. Besides, the feeling of being constantly interrupted was really unpleasant. Moreover, the thought of being observed like a panda at a zoo by her brother's classmates was chilling.

So, while her brother was out, He Suchen decided to renovate the study. She initially had a grand plan: rebuild a wall in the center of the study to divide it in two, giving her half and her brother half, making it convenient for both of them. But this idea was immediately vetoed by Granny Sun.

—It takes three years to break ground and build a house. How can you arbitrarily modify the structure of a house?! The buildings in this mansion were designed by the current Hanlin Academy scholar, Lord Cai. He even invited a master from Longhu Mountain to come and see the design drawings and feng shui. What if the house is disturbed if you make changes too easily? Besides, you are not a male heir, so you don't need to take the imperial examinations. You can just attend classes on poetry and literature. There is no need for you to work so hard.