After writing a bunch of nonsense, in the end, he did not mention his own troubles caused by the fights, only wrote a sentence asking him not to return unless he managed to bag the title of 'Number One Scholar', otherwise all the money spent on his studies would be wasted.
The Lady of Duke apparently didn't have the energy to get angry, she scolded: "All these years, the money spent on Xingze's studies is even less than what she has cost us all because of her fights and injuries."
Mother Wang laughed, "Shall you write another reply letter, my lady? To send it back to the young master together?"
"No more letters. He will definitely come back within a month. He wouldn't care for other's coming-of-age ceremonies, but there is no way he would miss Xiaoqi's. Thinking of this, it turned the Lady of Duke's mood sour, "I will send a letter to the Duke Residence right away to inquire if the marriage agreement is still valid? Our Xiaoqi is reaching her coming-of-age ceremony, if they said it's valid, then we will proceed accordingly, if not..."
She did not continue.
Mother Wang understood the Lady of Duke's unfinished words and sighed in her heart, "Shall we send these two letters out together?"
The Lady of Duke nodded, got up and thoughtfully wrote a letter addressed to the Duke of the Duke Residence, sealed it with wax, and asked Mother Wang, "This letter to the Capital City is very important, we can't send it through a post station, we should send someone reliable to personally deliver it. Who do you think should go?"
Mother Wang thought for a while, "How about sending Housekeeper Li's son, Li Yan? He's reliable and meticulous, just like Housekeeper Li."
The Lady of Duke nodded, "Alright, let's send him."
She called for Li Yan, handed him the letter and gave him instructions.
Li Yan solemnly assured, "Don't worry, my lady, I will make sure this letter gets safely delivered to the hands of the old Duke."
The Lady of Duke nodded, she trusted Li Yan, gestured for him to head off as soon as possible.
After Li Yan left, the Lady of Duke thought for a while, looked at Mother Wang and instructed, "For the next fifteen days, manage Xiaoqi well and let her recover from her injury. There should be a reply from Duke Residence by then. In case Duke Residence kept its promise and sends someone to propose, and she hasn't recovered from the injury on her forehead, how would that look? It's going to be embarrassing at that time."
Mother Wang nodded, "Don't worry, my lady, I will take good care of Miss Qi. If necessary, I will move to the small courtyard to live with her today."
The Lady of Duke thought it was a good idea, "Deal, you move in and live with her. Fortunately, she still has someone she's afraid of. It used to be Xingze and now it's you. Otherwise, she would have turned my world upside down."
Mother Wang laughed, "Honestly, Miss Qi is only afraid of the young master. Without the young master to hold her in check, she wouldn't fear me at all."
The Lady of Duke felt complicated, "What's the use of being afraid? Xingze can't stay with her all day."
She sighed, "She's a real troublemaker!"
Thus, on the same day, the two letters were sent out together. One to Yunshan Academy, and the other to Capital City.
That evening, Mother Wang moved into Su Rong's small courtyard.
Su Rong was puzzled as she watched Mother Wang moving her stuff into Yuewan's little hut, "Mother Wang, what are you doing? Are you visiting my place?"
"That's right, Miss Qi. The lady said that for the next half month, I need to watch over you while you recover. You are not allowed to go anywhere. The lady also had the walls of our courtyard raised by another three feet."
Su Rong pulled a grimace, "If the walls go any higher, we should worry it will collapse one day."
"Don't worry, it won't. We got the best bricklayer from Jiangning. Even the city wall would not collapse with that height."
Su Rong: "..."
She wanted to say that she had climbed over city walls too. Wasn't her mother a little bit too naive?
Seeing Su Rong's expression, Mother Wang seemed to realize this as well. Her face stiffened and she admitted: "The wife of which family can command as little respect as our lady does around their child? Please don't provoke her more. What if she gets too upset? How are you supposed to explain that to the young master?"
Su Rong rubbed her shoe sole and grumbled, "It's not my fault. Who asked my mother to make me kneel in the ancestral hall, which my eldest brother stopped? Who asked my mother to make me copy books and my father stopped it? Who asked my mother to applaud my beating someone for the first time, saying it was good to beat the brat who bullies girls?"
Mother Wang: "..."
Right, it's always someone else's fault.
Who could blame the child who was once the cutest? Just a soft, tiny marshmallow. Who had the heart to punish you then? Even the lady was just pretending to be stern at that time. She had never thought that you would grow up into such a character, year after year. The Lady of Duke is probably regretting so deeply it turned her intestines green. The lord also regrets too late. But the young master should be fine, he always thinks you're great no matter what.
"Ugh, so what if I can't go out! Anyways it's too hot outside, staying at home is cooler." Su Rong quickly accepted Mother Wang moving in.
Yuewan was overjoyed, "Mother Wang, you moving in is such a great thing! With you watching over the lady, she won't run out, and every time she leaves me alone I get bored. I only have Ahua to talk to."
Mother Wang snorted, "You and Ahua are growing fat from the food that Miss Qi brings back from outside."
Yuewan was shocked, touched her face, then her little belly, "Am I as...as fat as Ahua now?"
She just had a rounder face, her weight is only a bit...heavier than Miss Qi's?
Mother Wang gave her a "What do you think?" look, and then briskly began making her bed.
Yuewan was frightened by her look, she quickly looked at herself in the mirror, and then came to Su Rong, "Miss Qi, am I as fat as Ahua now?"
Su Rong glanced at the round face, "Being fat is a blessing."
"I don't want it." Yuewan shook her head, "Miss Qi, I'm not eating anything you bring back from outside anymore. You are so bad, you're fattening Ahua and me on purpose to contrast with your willowy beauty."
Su Rong didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Am I really that petty? The food I bring back for you guys, except for the fish I caught myself, don't the roast chicken and pastries cost silver?"
Yuewan nodded, "That's true." She tapped her head and asked a question that confounded her, "We are eating together, how come you never get fat?"
"That's because I work out every day." Su Rong glanced at her before lounging back on her bed playing with the dagger, "It's because you and Ahua are lazy. One of you spends all day flipping through song lyrics, whilst the other lazily lounges under the sun all day. You don't even bother to catch a mouse."
"Forget about Ahua, even if a mouse pulled her whiskers, she would be too lazy to stretch out her paw." Yuewan became depressed, "Is it too late for me to start exercising now?"
"Not at all. Just eat less everyday and run more." Su Rong lay back down on the bed to play with her dagger, "Keep it up for a year and you'll get thin. So thin that you could be toppled by the wind."
Yuewan: "..."
She did not exactly aspire to be thin to the point which gusts of wind could knock her over.