Chapter 118: Tutoring Assessment
Jiang Mianmian saw her elder sister climb up the tree.
She was poking her head into the tree, trying to eavesdrop on the female tutor talking to Mother in the courtyard.
She couldn’t help but cover her eyes with her hand.
She felt like Sister was asking for big trouble.
Oh well, she wouldn’t say anything anyway; after all, Sister would have fewer chances to climb trees in the future.
Actually, rationally speaking, she thought hiring a tutor was necessary.
To live well and smoothly in a place, you had to follow its rules.
Rules were expressed through every word and action.
You could think about murder and arson, but at least your words and deeds had to be passable.
Otherwise, you’d be out of place and unable to move an inch.
And it felt like their family had quietly taken another step forward.
From not having enough to eat, to three meals a day, and now even having the setup of a live-in tutor.
In modern times, tutoring was also a huge expense; here, the cost was only higher—one-on-one tutoring, plus room and board. Judging by the female tutor’s age, it seemed like they’d have to support her for life and even handle her funeral.
She understood the logic, but she still couldn’t be happy.
Jiang Mianmian didn’t need to climb trees; her hearing was excellent.
Sister probably had an excellent sense of smell, and her taste was likely well-developed too.
But her hearing was average; otherwise, she wouldn’t need to climb trees to eavesdrop.
Jiang Mianmian heard from the courtyard that Tutor Yin asked Mother what kind of girl she wanted.
It seemed this tutor had some skill—at least she wasn’t the type to just boast about her teaching without considering the student or the parents’ requests, cramming in everything she could teach.
She wondered if she could assess the student’s talent.
In the courtyard, they heard it was a female tutor.
Qin Luoxia got nervous again.
She wasn’t afraid of bad people, but she was afraid of scholars.
Well, not exactly that; she just had a natural reverence for learned people.
Qin Luoxia straightened her posture, her back more upright, sitting properly. But then she realized she was too tall; sitting straight made her look down at the female tutor, so she scooted her stool back a bit.
“My humble home is simple,” Qin Luoxia said, using a phrase her husband would say.
After saying it, she felt it was odd. Oh well, this wasn’t working for communication; she’d just go with her own rhythm.
“I mean, our family conditions are average. I don’t have high expectations for my daughters—just that they live smoothly, reach old age in peace, and have no major worries.”
“But Tutor Yin, are you sure you want to stay and teach my two daughters? I can tell you’re not from a humble family; you must have lived well. Your hands are well-maintained. I’m worried you won’t get used to it here,” Qin Luoxia said straightforwardly.
Although she was a woman and hadn’t seen much of the world, she had a good mind and was influenced by her husband, so she was actually quite clever.
The more Great-Aunt Yin Ping talked with Mrs. Qin, the more surprised she became.
Although Mrs. Qin was dressed like an ordinary village woman, her speech was quite extraordinary.
Wishing for her daughters to have smooth lives and reach old age in peace—that was actually quite profound.
Living a smooth life was not easy. Reaching old age in peace was even harder.
Mrs. Qin noticing her hands wasn’t entirely surprising, but it showed she was very observant, not as inexperienced as she appeared.
Moreover, Mrs. Qin spoke openly, making people feel psychologically comfortable—a rare ability.
“If Madam does not mind this old woman’s age, I will shamelessly stay. Before coming, I gave away all my wealth. Now all I have is the clothes on my back. I’m not sure I can meet Madam’s expectations, but I’ll do my best. Calling me ‘Tutor’ feels distant. From now on, you can call me Aunt Yin, and the children can call me Great-Aunt.”
Qin Luoxia immediately said, “Aunt, from now on, you are my own aunt. Rest assured and stay. Though we are not wealthy, as long as we have a bite to eat, we won’t let you go hungry; as long as we have clothes, we won’t let you freeze. When the time comes, our whole family will see to your funeral.”
Jiang Mianmian, sitting on a straw mat outside, heard the courtyard door creak open.
She put on her well-behaved look, gazing up at the white clouds.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu was startled and scrambled down from the tree.
With a ‘thud,’ she landed on the straw mat.
Jiang Mianmian clearly saw their future female tutor’s face twitch.
Tsk tsk.
She felt a bit smug.
And as she felt smug, she couldn’t help but drool…
Then she saw the tutor’s face twitch even more.
Qin Luoxia came out and said generously, “Quickly, call her Great-Aunt. From now on, Great-Aunt will teach you. You must be obedient.”
Jiang Yu, who hadn’t heard what they said while climbing the tree, quickly greeted as Mother instructed, “Hello, Great-Aunt. Are you really my Great-Aunt? I thought Mother’s relatives would all be tall.”
Great-Aunt Yin smiled kindly and nodded, thinking to herself, this girl is outspoken and can offend people to their faces, saying I’m short right away…
A long road ahead!
Jiang Mianmian also obediently wiped her drool with her sleeve and said, “Hello, Great-Aunt.”
Then she flashed a standard smile, showing four tiny baby teeth.
Great-Aunt Yin’s cheek twitched slightly. The younger one seemed very well-behaved, but wiping drool with her sleeve—that sleeve…
“Sister Yu, you can climb trees too. Your movements are very agile. Not bad,” Great-Aunt Yin said with a smile, offering praise.
Jiang Yu looked at Great-Aunt. For some reason, although Great-Aunt’s face was old and ugly, her smile was charming, making her feel inexplicably warm.
She wasn’t scolded; instead, she was praised.
Jiang Yu happily said, “That’s nothing. I can even climb cliffs now.”
Qin Luoxia gritted her teeth, wanting to grab an axe.
But with the tutor present, she felt embarrassed.
So she turned to Great-Aunt Yin and said, “Aunt, I entrust them to you.”
Although Qin Luoxia could climb cliffs herself, that didn’t mean she wanted her daughter to learn the same.
It was like a doctor not wanting their child to study medicine—too tiring; a civil engineer definitely not wanting their child to study civil engineering—too hard.
Elders hoped that they themselves would bear the hardships.
If they worked so hard and their children still had to endure the same hardships, then their efforts were meaningless.
Great-Aunt Yin didn’t even raise an eyebrow; she still smiled charmingly and began chatting with the little girl in a friendly manner.
Jiang Mianmian sat to the side, watching her sister act as if she were under a spell, spilling everything…
Scary.
“Great-Aunt, I can pick mushrooms, and I can catch mice.”
“Great-Aunt, I cook really well.”
“Embroidery? I can’t do that. I can sew soles, though. For Father’s birthday, I wanted to give him something. I pricked my fingers until they were swollen, and what I embroidered was a mess—I couldn’t even recognize what it was.”
“Reading and writing? I know a little, but not much. I have a hard time remembering, and I don’t like it.”
“What do I like? I like eating. Thinking about all kinds of delicious food makes me happy. I like sweet, but salty is fine too. Sour, bitter—I can try them all.”
“What I fear most is leaving my parents, my brother, and my sister.”
“Is there someone I like? Definitely not. All those boys are so ugly; they can’t even compare to a corner of my Father’s robe.”
“Great-Aunt, try this. It’s delicious—sour with a hint of sweetness, soft. Even if your teeth are bad, it’s still good.”
“Great-Aunt, where are you from? Prefecture City!!! Ah, Great-Aunt, is there a pastry shop there called Fan Lou? I heard it’s three stories tall. There must be tons of delicious food there.”
“In my family, my Father listens to my Mother. Major matters are probably decided by my Father, minor matters by my Mother. My brother used to compete with me for food, but after having a sister, he’s become much more sensible. He doesn’t snatch food from me anymore and brings me treats every day.”
Jiang Mianmian obediently played with Ant on the side, watching her sister act foolishly, revealing everything about their family at first meeting.
Good thing, good thing—she was just a little kid who drooled when she spoke.
Teething caused drooling; she couldn’t help it, so she didn’t have to face this terrifying one-on-one assessment chat with the tutor.
Just as she was thinking that, Great-Aunt actually picked her up.
She was as heavy as a little stone, but she hadn’t expected the old lady to be quite strong.
Great-Aunt held her steadily and gently wiped her drool, her movements soft and painless.
“Mianmian, what are you playing with?”
Jiang Mianmian looked up and said obediently, “Little Tree.”
Jiang Yu quickly explained, “This Ant is our family’s guardian spirit. Once, we were almost kidnapped, and this Ant bit the Kidnapper. My sister plays with it every day and even named it Jiang Xiaoshu.”
“You were kidnapped before?”
“Yes, it was all my fault… blah blah blah.”
Great-Aunt Yin listened to the eldest girl recount her foolish experience, watching the youngest hold an Ant and name it. Was this normal?
This was absolutely not normal.
The older one was foolishly obvious—at her age, she could still be lured away by food.
The younger one was precociously clever—so young and already naming her plaything, even giving it a surname, and knowing to distinguish it from family names…
Fortunately, Great-Aunt Yin was the sharpest of the sharp. Having risen from the filthiest places, she had learned not only survival skills but also the art of climbing the social ladder with grace.
This dynasty had no official position for women, but those who were clever and survived essentially did the work of female officials—not just serving others, but reading, writing, strategizing, being beautiful, and multi-talented.
Because in the palace, there were no ugly or stupid people.
Moreover, the palace masters all loved music and dance. Even in old age, Great-Aunt Yin could sing and captivate a crowd.
The palace was a gathering of eccentrics; she had encountered all sorts of miraculous things.
These were etched into her bones.
What was once life’s hardship had now become part of her, her means of survival.
So for her, teaching these two little girls was not difficult.
She had confidence that she could teach them well.
Looking down at the baby in her arms, who was talking to the Ant: “Little Tree, Little Tree, show me a leg.”
Then she saw the little Ant on her palm tremblingly stretch out a leg.
Great-Aunt Yin:…She could!
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