The cicadas outside were chirping incessantly. The air was already sultry in August, and the relentless chirping of the cicadas added an unnecessary irritability.
Yueyao leaned against the couch, seemingly oblivious to the cicadas' chorus outside, quietly contemplating her own affairs. Nothing from the outside could disturb her.
Hua Lei, seeing that Yueyao was in good spirits, cautiously said, "Miss, there's something I'm not sure if I should mention."
Yueyao snapped out of her thoughts. Hua Lei was loyal to her, and if she spoke out of turn, it was certainly for Yueyao's benefit. Yueyao nodded at her, "You and Mu Qiu are the people I trust the most. Just speak your mind." Indeed, both Hua Lei and Mu Qiu were trustworthy. Hua Lei wouldn't say it, but Mu Qiu was beaten to death, and even in his dying breath, he was still crying out in her defense.
Only then did Hua Lei say, "Miss, Nanny Yu has left. That leaves us without a steward mother in Lanxi Courtyard. I haven't brought this up because we have been busy these past few days. In a couple of days, Eldest Madam will surely assign a new steward mother here. Miss, do you think we should bring back Nanny Deng to serve you? She would be of help to you." Nanny Yu used to be Yueyao's steward mother, but she had left the courtyard due to some issues—that was the incident a few days ago.
Yueyao was taken aback, "Nanny Deng?" Yueyao said before she came back to her senses.
Nanny Deng was her mother's personal maid before, brought over as part of her dowry, and later became her mother's trusted nanny. However, after moving from Jiangnan back to the Capital City, Nanny Deng fell ill. She had gone to recuperate at one of her mother's bridal manors but Yueyao had intended to bring Nanny Deng back. Nanny Gu said that Deng's illness hadn't improved, and the matter was left pending. Eventually, the news of Nanny Deng's death reached her.
Yueyao thought for a moment and shook her head, "It won't work. The absence of a steward mother in my courtyard isn't an oversight by my Eldest Aunt, it should be Grandmother picking someone for me." The Lady family hadn't assigned anyone, which surely meant Grandmother had intervened. Otherwise, the Lady family would have placed someone there already. In her previous life, a steward mother did come, but the details were too distant to remember clearly.
Hua Lei's disappointment lasted for a second, but she quickly rejoiced again, exclaiming, "Miss!" The fact that there was no steward mother in the courtyard seemed to Hua Lei to be due to the Old Madam's decision.
Seeing Hua Lei's disappointment, Yueyao smiled, "However, it's also possible for Nanny Deng to come back." Seeing the puzzled look on Hua Lei's face, she added, "I plan to take Brother Zheng into my care once I am well again, to educate him myself. Though Brother Zheng comes from a humble background, he is still my own brother. In the future, the second branch of the family will depend on Brother Zheng."
Hua Lei was ecstatic, almost clasping her hands in prayer, muttering blessings for divine protection and for the spirits of Old Master and Madam to enlighten Yueyao, "It's good that you've come to realize this, Miss. Young Master Tingzheng and you are true siblings, and in the future, the only person you can rely on is Young Master Tingzheng!" Hua Lei had long wanted Yueyao to take care of Young Master Tingzheng, hoping it would be possible to bring him to the courtyard as that would be ideal. If Yueyao personally educated Young Master Zheng, their fraternal bonds would deepen. More importantly, as Young Master Zheng grew up, he would become a true pillar of support for her. But until now, Yueyao had steadfastly refused to listen, focusing only on copying scripture scrolls. Duty and respect must be shown, but scriptures are inert, while nurturing good relationships is more crucial.
Yueyao's smile was bitter. She hadn't grasped these truths as clearly as Hua Lei. With no parents left and only this one brother, they must rely on each other for survival. Such a simple truth, and she couldn't understand why she hadn't seen it clearly before. If she had comprehended this sooner, she would have made more efforts to keep Brother Zheng close and perhaps could have prevented him from being sent away so young, which might have spared him the troubles that left him without a protector. "Yes, I'll talk to Grandmother in a few days about bringing Brother Zheng over. I will suggest to Grandmother that we bring back Nanny Deng to be his steward mother. I don't think Grandmother will refuse. This way, we can achieve the best of both worlds." Both of them would be placed in the courtyard, and then see what kind of person Grandmother sends as a nanny. If she is useful, so much the better; if not, she will be dismissed.
In her previous life, Grandmother had eventually assigned a steward mother to her. But her courtyard was dominated by Nanny Gu. After Grandmother passed away, that steward mother left for reasons unknown. Yueyao didn't want to think about what happened afterward.
Hua Lei nodded vigorously, "Miss, your plan is excellent." Hua Lei had always known that her young lady was intelligent. The sudden death of the Old Master and Madam had deeply affected her, causing her to withdraw into herself and focus solely on copying scriptures. Now, it was good to see her recovering from her grief. Yueyao had always been sharp and sensible, previously devoting her attention to those matters. Now that she had strategized, he genuinely had no more worries.