Madam Liu sent Grandmother a headband embroidered with ruby and sent Nan Baoyi a silk spring outfit. The workmanship looked exquisite and clearly it took a lot of effort.
However, Grandmother looked at it coldly and waved to her maid indifferently, "Take it to the storeroom. Jiaojiao'er, don't wear this outfit. No matter how good the embroidering work is from outsiders, it won't be as good as the embroiderers from our own residence. If a needle is left in the clothes, wouldn't it pierce you?"
Madam Liu's maid was still around. She wanted to get a word of praise from the Old Madam to please her Mistress. She did not expect the old lady to say such cruel things!
She smiled unwillingly, "Old Madam, these two items are done by our Madam. She stayed up late a few nights to get it done. Although the embroidery work is not as good as top-notch embroiderers, it is still our Madam's sincerity…"
Old Madam sneered, "Shamelessly being someone's mistress outside and ruining a husband and wife relationship. She's not even worth being a concubine and now she wants to call me 'Madam'?! Go back and tell your Mistress, tell her not to send any more lousy items to my residence and dirty my place here!"
The maid gripped her handkerchief tightly and felt ashamed.
She blushed, retreated rashly, and fled Songhe Yard.
Nan Baoyi teared up.
In her previous life, Grandmother also did not like Madam Liu. However, she was moved by Madam Liu's behavior by giving multiple things over and thought that Madam Liu was the best stepmother in the world. Hence, Grandmother made a lot of effort to let Madam Liu enter the Nan residence and that was how she suffered the consequences of her own actions.
She forced her tears back and obediently poured the Old Madam more tea, "If you don't like Madam Liu's workmanship, next time I'll make you a headband...but your Granddaughter's handiwork is definitely not as good as the embroiderers in the residence, Grandmother cannot laugh at me!"
Old Madam hugged her happily, "Jiaojiao'er's sincerity is good enough, but you shouldn't do it yourself. The needles are so thin and sharp, what if you injure your own hand? You shouldn't be doing these embroidery work, you should take care of yourself!"
After leaving Songhe Yard, Nan Baoyi thought to herself that she would never let Madam Liu enter this residence in this life.
However, her father was determined. She needed to figure out a good way to solve this.
The little girl walked with her thoughts. Xiao Yi was following her from behind, narrowing his eyes while looking sinister.
This little girl kept saying she wanted to care for him and even called him Second Brother lovingly. A while ago she even served him tea and right now she was ignoring him.
Nan Baoyi walked along and suddenly felt her back was cold as if she was stared at by a wild dog.
She turned around and saw Xiao Yi and quickly smiled sweetly, "Second Brother!"
Xiao Yi did not look at her and passed by coldly and arrogantly.
Nan Baoyi quickly ran after him, "Second Brother, I was unconscious for two days and did not know you were punished to kneel in the ancestral hall, really sorry!"
The teenager was expressionless.
Nan Baoyi followed him step by step, trying her best to show that she was good and pitiful and tried to flatter him as well, "Second Brother, I don't want Madam Liu to enter the residence. You are so smart, can you help me to think of an idea?"
The teenager looked like he did not hear anything and walked away further coldly.
Nan Baoyi stopped, feeling a little discouraged.
The future powerful minister was hard to please, he was ignoring her...
But she was not giving up easily. She asked her kitchen to prepare a chicken broth when she returned to Jinyi Pavilion and brought it over to Xiao Yi herself.
Xiao Yi was writing in front of the window.
She opened up the food container, "Second Brother do you want some chicken broth? I just prepared it and added some bamboo shoot seasoning to it, the taste is delicious!"
Xiao Yi's face looked cold from one side. His eyes were lowered, writing forcefully.
Nan Baoyi felt like she was playing the role of a one-person monologue show.
She glanced at the brand new calligraphy set on his table and found a new topic, "This must be a gift from Grandmother? Look at this inkstone, so round and big, this high-quality Duan inkstone must be expensive, right? Only an inkstone like this could match up to Second Brother's talents in calligraphy!"
She tried her best to flatter him, Xiao Yi raised his eyebrows and finally said something, "Soft as skin, sharpens once polish. This is She inkstone. Don't assume all good inkstones are Duan inkstone, no eye judgment at all."
[Translation note: Duan inkstone and She inkstone are two different kinds of good quality inkstone]
Nan Baoyi: "..."
Her efforts of flattering him were a waste!
She stirred the chicken broth, glanced on the words on the paper, and continued to flatter him, "Second Brother's calligraphy looks good!"
The teenager asked coldly, "Which part?"
Which part looked good?
Nan Baoyi paused. How would she know which part looked good, she was only trying her best to flatter him!
She forcefully replied, "I...I don't know which part exactly, just that looking at Second Brother's calligraphy, I feel relaxed and happy, all worries are forgotten…"
Xiao Yi continued to write indifferently.
The Nan family are all like this. They had no academic attainments whatsoever. Even distinguishing calligraphy sets and calligraphy was a huge effort. It was fortunate that he was not from the Nan family.
Nan Baoyi clearly understood his contempt in his eyes and blushed, "Second Brother, are you very hungry, have some chicken broth…"
She served the bowl diligently but the chicken broth was too hot. Her hands shook and she did not pass the bowl to Xiao Yi in time. The entire bowl of chicken broth spilled over Xiao Yi's calligraphy on the paper!
The chicken broth splattered everywhere, soaking the paper and ink. Even some of the books on the bookcase were wet.
Xiao Yi stared at Nan Baoyi blankly. If the little girl's hands were not red and burnt, he would suspect she did that intentionally.
Nan Baoyi blew on her hands and looked up to the teenager's gloomy eyes. She took two steps back fearfully, "I didn't do it on purpose…"
She was just trying to please him!
Xiao Yi coldly sat on his bed by the window, "Clean it up."
"Oh…"
Nan Baoyi cleaned his table, feeling wronged.
Xiao Yi supported his chin with one hand and opened a traveling book but his eyes were on that little girl.
She wore a light pink spring outfit, a pearl ornament hanging around her waist, her slender waist was so thin.
And she liked to curl up that little finger when she was doing something. She looked more beautiful and delicate than those girls of the same age.
It was a pity for such a tender little girl to be bullied by Madam Liu. It would be better if he could do it himself as revenge for the ways she humiliated him last time...
Thinking about this, he casually said, "You asked me, how to stop Madam Liu from entering the residence?"
Nan Baoyi turned around in surprise, "Second Brother is willing to help me?"
Xiao Yi twirled his fingertips, "That night I told you about the story of the chestnuts from the fire."
Nan Baoyi recalled back. That story was about a monkey fooling a cat to get the chestnuts for the monkey from the fire. The cat burnt its paws and got nothing while the monkey effortlessly ate the roasted chestnuts.
She nodded, "Second Brother said most people are like that stupid cat."
Xiao Yi smiled forcefully, "So why don't you become that monkey who fooled the stupid cat?"
Nan Baoyi: "..."
Be a monkey?
This was advice from the powerful minister?
It felt like he was scolding her.
She pursed her lips and suddenly remembered something from her previous life.
At that time, Madam Liu was married to her father for about half a year but the owner of a Chinese opera found her and said that her indenture for sale of oneself was still in his hands. He asked her father for a lot of money otherwise he would take Madam Liu back to the Chinese opera place.
When a madam of the family had such a scandal, her father was very angry. Although he was furious that Madam Liu did not tell him the truth, and knowing that the owner of the Chinese opera was extorting from him, he had no choice but to pay the man and finally put the troublesome case to rest.
If...
If in this life, she herself bought over Madam Liu's indenture for sale of oneself and then gift it to street hoodlums...
Thinking about this made her very excited!