Chapter 82 Father and Son Come to Look for Me
The Dragon Boat Festival is here.
Grandmother Ding sent someone to ask Miss Ding to go to the old house to celebrate the festival together.
Miss Ding refused and said to the person who brought the message: "It's too hot and I feel dizzy and uncomfortable. I feel very sluggish. I won't disturb my grandmother and the others."
The visitor had no choice but to leave a basket of very delicately wrapped rice dumplings with colorful threads and return to the old house to report.
Seeing the people leave, the girl lying on the couch immediately jumped up and shouted to the study: "Madam Qin, shall we go to the farm for a walk?"
Qin Yao put down the book in her hand and walked out. She wanted to be Miss Ding's personal guard, so naturally she had to go out with her.
Aunt Qiao was still worried that she was not feeling well, but when she saw that she was lively and energetic again, she knew that she had lied. She shook her head helplessly and said, "If the old lady and the others knew, they would be angry with the young lady."
"Why is she angry? I'm not her favorite granddaughter. She just sent someone to invite me because she was afraid of being criticized. If I really go, I'm afraid they will be really unhappy. It's better for me to be at home and feel more at ease."
While complaining, Miss Ding changed into light clothes with the help of Dou'er so that she could go out.
Qin Yao went back to the house to get her bow and arrow, ready to go out.
The group was about to go out when Butler Yu arrived. He greeted the young lady first, then waved to Qin Yao outside the house. He was actually looking for her.
"Butler, is there something wrong?" Qin Yao asked doubtfully.
Miss Ding also looked over curiously.
When Butler Yu saw that they were about to leave, he hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to say yes.
"Madam Qin, your husband is here with the child to see you. He is waiting outside the door under the tree. Do you want to go and see him?"
"They are coming?" Qin Yao couldn't believe it, and there was a little surprise in her heart.
After all, it is a holiday and she always thinks of her family. She was still thinking about it just now and didn't know how they celebrated the holiday. She didn't expect that they would come to the town to find her.
Seeing Butler Yu nodded affirmatively, Qin Yao's heart began to beat fast again. She hoped that he was just looking for her and not that he was going to do anything bad and she would have to clean up the mess.
After notifying everyone, Butler Yu left.
Qin Yao turned and looked at Miss Ding. She must have heard what Butler Yu said, and there was some curiosity in her eyes.
Qin Yao was about to speak, she asked first: "Did your family come to see you?"
Qin Yao nodded and said, "Miss, why don't you and Aunt Qiao go first and call the guards. I will catch up with you later."
"No need. I'll go with you." She was free anyway.
She heard from her brother that Madam Qin was married as a second wife, so those who came to see her today were all stepchildren. She couldn't help but wonder what the mother-child relationship was like.
Qin Yao was in a hurry to go out, so she followed her, walked in front and went out of the yard first.
Sure enough, I saw five people, a father and his sons, standing neatly under a tree by the roadside.
"Fourth Lady!" Qin Yao called out with a smile.
The four of them, father and son, turned around quickly, looking a little excited.
"Mother!" Sanlang and Si Niang came running over. Qin Yao picked one up and held him in her arms. She was happy but couldn't help asking in confusion, "Why are you here? Aren't you going to celebrate at home?"
Dalang and Erlang also walked a few steps forward to greet them. Dalang said embarrassedly, "Sanlang and Si Niang wanted to see you, and Dad couldn't resist. It happened that there was a market in town today, so we took the village chief's ox cart to come here."
"It cost five cents!" Erlang added, "We could have walked without spending that much money, but Dad said he was afraid we would get tired, so he took the ox cart."
Liu Ji was annoyed, "Why do you say I'm afraid you'll get tired? Oh, so you don't want to sit in this ox cart, right? Then why don't you walk here?"
Erlang was suddenly speechless and could only glare at his father angrily.
Qin Yao found it funny. She put down the twins in her hands and looked up at the man standing under the tree. He was wearing a green shirt, looked like a decent human being, but his eyes were full of embarrassment.
"I still have work to do and I can't take leave here. Please take them to the town for a walk." Qin Yao said with some regret.
Liu Ji felt a little disappointed. "Why don't we let people go home to celebrate the festival?"
Qin Yao looked at his expression and raised her eyebrows with interest, "Why, do you still want me to accompany you shopping?"
"You, you overthink it!" He rolled his eyes in annoyance.
But you know what, he was used to being beaten three times a day, and suddenly there was no one to beat him. He felt bored at work and was not used to it.
Liu Ji was frightened by the thoughts that popped up in his mind. He shivered with chills in the middle of summer. Could it be that he was under a spell from that evil woman Qin Yao?
Qin Yao patted the drooping heads of the four siblings and smiled mysteriously, "Wait for me, I'll go back and get something for you."
The four siblings' eyes immediately lit up and they nodded.
Qin Yao returned to the Ding Mansion and took out the "Enlightenment Picture Book" and two blank small notebooks she had cut out of waste paper from her residence.
Liu Ji's eyes widened immediately, "Where did you get the book?" It looked like a printed version, not a rough manuscript.
Qin Yao raised her eyebrows at him proudly, "Don't worry about it, it's just a book, I still have the ability to get it."
Qin Yao handed the book to Dalang, "This is a book for learning to read pictures. Keep it well and take it home. All four of you brothers and sisters should learn it. If you don't understand something, ask your father."
At the urging of his younger brother and sister's curiosity, Dalang flipped through the book and took a look, and his movements became cautious.
The graphics and texts were very clear, and each word had a corresponding picture, such as an axe, wind, clouds, thunder and lightning, each with a thumb-sized picture. There were also many objects he had never seen before, such as persimmons, pears, bananas, etc.
"Auntie, this book is very expensive, right?" Erlang asked nervously.
Qin Yao nodded. Liu Ji was also surprised after reading the contents of the book. Such a good enlightenment book would cost more than one or two taels in a bookstore, and the amount might not be due to the high-quality paper.
Qin Yao handed Liu Ji two blank notebooks made of waste paper and asked him to take them back and use them for the children to write.
As he said this, he took out three coins from his pocket and gave them to him, saying, "Buy the writing brush, inkstone, and inkstone. Pick up your studies and practice calligraphy more often."
Liu Ji was a money-grubber. He didn't expect that he could gain something extra by coming to the town. He happily took the money, but I don't know if he understood her instructions.
However, the three brothers and sisters of Dalang listened to it.
The children were very surprised and astonished. They didn't know why their stepmother was suddenly willing to spend so much money to prepare pens, ink, paper and inkstone for them.
Children from poor families never thought that they could read. They felt lucky to be able to learn so many words, and they dared not even think about learning more.
But looking at the stepmother's attitude today, it seems that she wants them to study seriously.
Erlang has always been sensitive about money. He counted on his fingers for a while but couldn't figure out the amount. He just felt that if they all learned to read and write, it would cost a lot of money.
(End of this chapter)