Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 755

Chapter 755: Upbringing

If the Xu family’s arrangements were important, Pei Que would tell An Zhi. If he did not, she would not inquire, as the New Year was approaching, and the affairs of the household kept her extremely busy.

As the year drew to a close, the household’s purchasing staff was already busy preparing.

Back in Yongning, with no one watching over her and no relatives visiting, she could simply be happy. But now that she was back in the capital, that was no longer possible.

A few days ago, when Huiping came, she told Yue’er how lively it was outside. Since Yue’er could not leave the house to play, she kept saying she wanted to go outside.

After hearing her daughter’s complaints for two days, An Zhi waited until the weather cleared up and took Yue’er out, also inviting Yu Yao along the way.

Inside the carriage, An Zhi asked Yu Yao, “Such beautiful weather, why did you not bring your three daughters out?”

“Them?” Yu Yao sighed deeply. “I do not know what to do. Before, I thought that even if Zhang Huai’an was a high-ranking official, he would only be stationed in various places, not in the capital. As for myself, I’m not good at any of the arts, and when it comes to raising children, the most important thing is good character; the rest is just teaching them whatever I know.”

At this point, Yu Yao could not help but sigh again, “But after arriving in the capital and seeing the young ladies of wealthy families, I realized what true nobility is. My husband… well, let’s just call him Zhang Huai’an. He’s a scholar, very particular about refinement. Yesterday, he discovered that the three girls had secretly gone out to play, so he locked them up at home and made them copy books as punishment.”

“Why did they go out secretly?” An Zhi thought Yu Yao was not the rigid type.

“Because if they told me, maids and servants would follow, making it inconvenient for my eldest daughter to go to Chunfeng Tower for drinks and music,” Yu Yao said, then could not help but laugh. “Speaking of which, I’ve long heard that Chunfeng Tower’s dishes are superb, and their singing girls are even better than those on the Qinhuai River; is that right?”

The eldest daughter of the Zhang family was most similar to Yu Yao, not in appearance, but in personality.

“I have not heard of the singing girls on the Qinhuai River, but the ones at Chunfeng Tower are indeed quite good. We can go there later,” An Zhi said.

“Then let’s go together.” Yu Yao smiled and began to imagine what Chunfeng Tower was like. “To be honest, those young ladies in the capital, never leaving their homes, are not so good. I’ve seen quite a few; they’d be blown away by a gust of wind, their health is obviously poor. Ah, but my daughter’s a bit too resilient; it would be better if she could be a bit more balanced.”

An Zhi smiled. “I think your three daughters are quite nice, genuine, straightforward, and not pretentious.”

“Just praise them; they also say you’re gentle and considerate.” Yu Yao suddenly slapped her forehead. “Oh dear, look at my head! I almost forgot the most important thing.”

An Zhi, hearing Yu Yao’s exclamation, quickly asked what was wrong.

“Zhang Huai’an asked me to come and beg you, saying that the three girls are all grown up, and I do not know much about the customs of the capital. He asked me to ask you if they could come and learn some manners from you after the New Year.” Yu Yao looked at An Zhi eagerly, “Sister An, I’m really begging you. Those three girls are not afraid of me at all.”

An Zhi had met the three Zhang family girls. Except for the youngest, who was a bit timid, the other two were like little monkeys from the mountains.

She thought about the situation after spring and hesitated. “Sister Yu, if things are peaceful now, I definitely can. But if the capital’s too chaotic after the New Year, I’m afraid I will not have the time.”

“That’s true.” Yu Yao had heard Zhang Huai’an mention a few things; the capital was likely about to change.

They arrived at Chunfeng Tower.

As soon as Yu Yao got off the carriage, she was stunned by Chunfeng Tower.

Upon entering a private room, Yu Yao, like Yue’er, found everything fascinating.

An Zhi helped Yu Yao order food, and Yu Yao leaned against the railing listening to the performance below.

Each private room had an open side facing the courtyard, with a railing behind the seats, allowing diners to eat while watching the performance and listening to music.

Yu Yao watched intently, peeking out from behind the railing, and was spotted by the Xu family next door.

A moment later, Madam of Xu’s maid knocked on the door.

Yu Yao looked at An Zhi in surprise. “What’s she doing here?”

An Zhi was feeding Yue’er osmanthus cake when she heard the Xu family knocking, and she too looked surprised.

They were mortal enemies now; even if they saw her, they should pretend they did not, right?

An Zhi and Yu Yao had just shaken their heads when they heard the old woman guarding the door arguing with the Xu family. She quickly told Yu Yao about Yue’er, “Sister Yu, please sit in the private room; I will go and meet her.”

In a place like Chunfeng Tower, you could not afford to argue; otherwise, with people coming and going, it would become a spectacle, and rumors would spread immediately.

An Zhi came out of the private room and saw one of the Xu family’s maids, her face stern.

“Nanny Zhang, who is this?” An Zhi asked.

“Reporting to Madam, it’s a maid from the Xu family, named Lü Ying,” Nanny Zhang said quickly. “She said Madam of Xu would like to speak with you.”

Lü Ying gave a perfunctory bow to An Zhi. “Madam of Pei, our Madam learned that you and Madam of Zhang are next door. She said our two families have not seen each other in a long time, and she would like to speak with you. She would like to ask you to come over.”

An Zhi smiled and said directly, “Go back and tell Madam of Xu that there’s no need for us to talk. Everyone comes to Chunfeng Tower to relax and listen to music. Let’s all keep to ourselves.” Turning to Nanny Zhang, she said, “Nanny Zhang, if anyone else comes to cause trouble later, just slap them across the face. I will take care of everything.”

“You!” Lü Ying looked at An Zhi in disbelief, but An Zhi did not give her a chance to speak and had already turned and entered the private room.

Seeing An Zhi return, Yu Yao hesitated, “How about we go somewhere else?”

“No need,” An Zhi said, glancing towards the private room next door. “We paid for it, so we can sit here comfortably. If they want to change places, let them. We will just pretend they are not here.”

“An Zhi, you’re so strong-willed,” Yu Yao gave An Zhi a thumbs up.

An Zhi laughed, hugged Yue’er, and continued feeding her osmanthus cake.

Hearing that An Zhi was not coming over, Madam of Xu next door paused, her chopsticks clasped in her hand. “She certainly has quite the airs.” She put down her chopsticks, snorted, and glanced sharply at the neighbors next door. “Inviting her now, and she will not come? Humph, such good treatment will not be so readily available in the future.”

Madam of Xu beckoned to Lü Ying, and when Lü Ying approached, she whispered, “Go to the kitchen and ask if the Pei family’s food has not been served yet. Tell the cook to put this in.”

Lü Ying asked, “Madam, what is this?”

“Just go when I tell you to. What are you asking?” Madam Xu urged.

While Lü Ying was in her private room, she went to the kitchen, unaware that Lin Feng had followed her.

When Lü Ying returned after drugging the food, she was even more unaware that the drugged food had been replaced with what they were going to eat later.