All Hail Cousin Brother

125 Cousin, You’ve Worked Hard

Yu Jianjia did not say much and only said, “Manager Sun sent someone to send the clothes over. Eldest Sister asked me to go over and take a look to see if there’s anything wrong.”

It turned out to be such a small matter. Yang Shuwan felt relieved, and her mind couldn’t stay awake anymore. Her eyelids kept twitching, and before Yu Jianjia could say anything, she had already fallen asleep.

Yu Jianjia tucked her mother in and turned to leave the room. She asked Nanny Li to take care of her carefully. “Report to me in the courtyard if there’s any news.”

After returning to the courtyard, Yu Jianjia didn’t even get a chance to take a sip of hot tea.

Wen Zhu came over. “Master asked me to come over and pass a message to Third Miss. Master said that it’s rare for Eldest Miss to be thorough and appropriate, so he asked Third Miss to learn more about how to deal with people from Eldest Sister in the future.”

When Yu Jianjia heard this, her throat felt itchy. She covered her handkerchief and coughed lightly a few times. “Sister Wenzhu, please tell Father that Eldest Sister has grown up in front of Grandmother, so she naturally has more principles than us. As her younger sister, I naturally have to learn from Eldest Sister.”

Only she knew whether the heart of the lotus seed was truly bitter.

Her eldest sister, Yu Youyao, had borrowed a book, which showed how thorough and appropriate she was. Her father praised her endlessly, which made her seem like she didn’t know her limits.

Other than having her grandmother guiding her behind her back, she probably would have received some teachings from Nanny Xu.

Yu Jianjia suddenly thought of Zhou Linghuai.

She did not have a good impression of this poor relative who had come knocking on her door with broken legs. However, now that there was suddenly another person in the family, she naturally had to find out more.

Usually, it was inevitable that one would be dwarfed if they lived under someone else’s roof. Even if they were relatives, it was very likely that things would not go as planned. However, Zhou Linghuai had only stayed in the Yu Residence for less than a month, but he had already curried favor with Yu Youyao. Not only did he teach Yu Youyao how to write, but he also often guided her in her studies. This allowed Yu Youyao to be in the limelight at home, and people were impressed by him. Therefore, he had also received special treatment from Old Madam, and even her father and second uncle paid attention to him.

He was probably the one who had taught Yu Youyao these tricks. Otherwise, how could she have known how important the lanshan was?

After an entire afternoon, Yu Youyao was exhausted. As soon as she returned to the Jade Courtyard and found out that her cousin was waiting for her in the study, she quickly went to complain to him.

Zhou Linghuai put down his book and tilted his head to look at the little girl sitting beside him. She held her oval face in her hands and pouted as she complained—

“Cousin, I’m still a child, and I have to learn to manage the household like an adult. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt, but since Grandmother has already asked, how can I refuse?”

“Madam Yang handed over the key and said that she wanted Nanny Liu to manage more matters in the residence. However, how could there not be a proper master in the residence? She deliberately used her migraine to make Grandmother work hard.”

“When Grandmother works too hard and gets tired, Father will also know that it’s not easy to manage the household. Not only will he feel guilty towards Madam Yang, but if anything happens to the household in the future, Father won’t blame Madam Yang anymore. With Father’s support, what worries will Madam Yang have in the future?”

“I won’t hold it against Madam Yang no matter how she schemes, but I’m unwilling to let her deliberately think of ways to trouble Grandmother. Grandmother dotes on me, so no matter how hard it is, I have to share some of her burden.”

“Grandmother trusted me, so she asked me to help manage the household. How could I disappoint her? I definitely have to do things well to reassure her, lest she worries that I won’t be able to do anything and not feel at ease.”

“By dealing with Mother Yang, she’s also teaching Madam Yang a lesson. She doesn’t stop scheming all day long. Not only did she anger Grandmother, but she’s also so annoying in the residence.”

Hearing her nag for a while, Zhou Linghuai listened and did not find it noisy. A smile gradually appeared on his lips. His jade-like fingers gently touched the pink camellia teacup. Feeling that it was not hot, he picked it up and handed it to her.

After talking for a while, Yu Youyao was indeed a little thirsty. She took the teacup and took a few sips before handing over the empty teacup.

Zhou Linghuai reached out to take it and placed it on the table.

Ever since he had returned from school, he had heard about the young lady’s glorious achievements in the residence. Everyone in the residence praised her for being kind, generous, and respectful.

It was because of this that he came to the Jade Courtyard.

“…If it weren’t for the fact that Cousin had told me earlier about the clothes, food, and residence of the emperor, princes, and marquises, as well as their harems, madams, and other servants in The Book of Rites, I would have definitely made a mistake.”

She had read less than Yu Jianjia. If her cousin hadn’t mentioned it, how would she have known?

This was the difference between her cousin and Ms. Ye.

When Ms. Ye taught her, she abided by her rules and principles. She would never say anything that she shouldn’t. However, her cousin was good at everything. He never restricted himself or cared about the difference between men and women.

Seeing that the young lady had stopped talking, Zhou Linghuai placed a large silver covered cup with flowers and birds on it in front of her. “Cousin, you’ve worked hard.”

Yu Youyao’s eyes lit up and she opened it eagerly. There were indeed big red cherries inside. They weren’t as red as before, but their skins were thin and sparkling. She couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, Cousin.”

Zhou Linghuai rubbed the top of her head. “I washed it.”

Yu Youyao happily ate the cherries. Then, she remembered that the cherries in the south should be transported to the capital in a few days. Now that she was in charge of the household, she should get someone to pay attention to them as soon as possible, lest they were late. The best cherries would be obtained by other families. As she thought about this, she called Chun Xiao over and gave her some instructions.

When Chun Xiao received her orders and left, Yu Youyao reacted. She had complained bitterly the moment she saw her cousin, but she had even forgotten to ask, “Cousin, why are you here?”

“I heard that it was your first day managing the household, so I came over to take a look.” Zhou Linghuai’s eyes narrowed slightly, but they looked even more long and narrow. The little girl was dressed in a pomegranate dress. The flowers on her dress were as bright as fire and fully bloomed. They complemented her gold-plated pomegranate outerwear and it was still dazzling and eye-catching. “Cousin, you really have the aura of a household manager.”

Yu Youyao pouted. “Cousin, you only know how to laugh at me. I’m still so young, so how can I have the aura of a household manager? Nanny Xu helped me pick out this outfit and asked me to wear it so that I could put on a show. I can’t scare anyone with my aura, so I dressed up in expensive clothes. If I’m dressed in jewelry, I can still suppress others. The servants won’t dare to act rashly in front of me.”

Zhou Linghuai chuckled. “It’s very nice.”

Yu Youyao’s eyes lit up. She took a big cherry and handed it to her cousin’s lips. Zhou Linghuai was stunned for a moment, but he subconsciously opened his mouth. It was only when the juicy cherry burst open in his mouth that he realized what was going on. “Naughty!”