HBWnovel Chapter 1451: Seventh Lady Li Extra Story (Part 1)_4
Chapter 1451: Seventh Lady Li Extra Story (Part 1)_4
Chapter 1451: Seventh Lady Li Extra Story (Part 1)_4 Yueyao shook her head helplessly and said, "If I’m not mistaken, he has no idea that choosing such a name would have such a big impact."
An Zhichen: "Uh..."
An Zhichen didn’t know what to say, so he simply left the study to see his youngest son. Every time he heard about some odd thing Lian Tingzheng did, he felt particularly grateful when he saw his own sons. Fortunately, his sons were all sensible and well-behaved, with clear minds.
His youngest son was named An Yang because he was born at sunrise. An Yang was now five years old and had been learning with a teacher for two years.
An Yang was practicing calligraphy. When he saw An Zhichen, he put down the brush, bowed, and called out, "Father."
As the saying goes, the emperor cherishes the eldest son, and the common people spoil the youngest. An Zhichen particularly doted on An Yang, even opposing An Yang’s reluctance to learn martial arts, but Yueyao had him learn a set of Kung Fu exercises for his health. Yueyao was quite strict with An Yang, starting his enlightenment at three and hiring a teacher to teach him to read and write at four. She had strict demands for Brother Yangyang in their daily life.
An Zhichen smiled and said, "Let Father see your writing." He was immensely proud of his decision back then. An Yang was still young, but Brother Shengsheng and his two brothers all wrote beautifully, a skill he definitely couldn’t have taught them himself.
An Yang was used to An Zhichen’s frequent checks on his lessons. He handed over his calligraphy to show An Zhichen.
An Zhichen looked at An Yang’s calligraphy and praised it, while An Yang stood by with a twitching mouth. You couldn’t blame An Yang for reacting this way; every time An Zhichen praised his writing, Yueyao would later find a bunch of faults. Yueyao paid close attention to homework, never letting a poorly written character escape her eye. Thus, An Yang was very careful while doing his homework, not daring to let his mind wander.
An Yang actually didn’t mind this because his three brothers had told him they went through the same thing, so their mother was indeed fair to everyone.
Yueyao put a lot of thought into it and finally chose a name she was satisfied with.
An Zhichen knew Yueyao had named the child Jing and wasn’t pleased: "Such a good name, why waste it on someone else? Save it for our grandchild."
Yueyao laughed: "A good name is secondary; whether a child succeeds depends on their talent first and then on being well-taught. Even the best tutor can’t make a top scholar out of someone without talent. But even with talent, without proper teaching, one can’t achieve anything."
Hearing this, An Zhichen had no objections. Brother Feifei’s brilliance was a given, but Brother Shengsheng and Brother Xuxu weren’t particularly gifted, maybe above average, yet they were all outstanding and didn’t lag behind other noble families’ boys. Why? All because Yueyao taught them well!
At this point, An Zhichen couldn’t help but negotiate with Yueyao: "The Second Old Grand Master wants Brother Zhengzheng to study at our mansion, what do you think?" Brother Zhengzheng was the great-grandson of the Second Old Grand Master, just half a year younger than An Yang.
Yueyao immediately refused, saying, "If you’re not afraid that Brother Zhengzheng will lead Yangyang astray, go ahead and let him come."
Perhaps because he was his only great-grandson, the Second Old Grand Master treated him like a precious treasure, overly spoiling him, fearing for his frailty. The child became terribly tempered, demanding his way in everything, throwing tantrums when opposed. The Second Old Grand Master didn’t mind and simply said the child would understand once grown.
If Brother Zhengzheng had been a good child, Yueyao wouldn’t have minded letting him study together with the teacher, even if it meant putting in extra effort to supervise their homework. But given Brother Zhengzheng’s temperament, Yueyao wouldn’t teach him on principle; it was one thing to be blamed for poor teaching, but it was another if her son got led astray, and then she’d have nowhere to find regrettable solace.
An Zhichen still didn’t give up: "The Great Grandfather also knows he shouldn’t spoil the child like this but can’t bring himself to discipline him harshly. That’s why he’s considering sending him here for us to oversee. Don’t worry, Old Grand Master said you could teach the child as you see fit; he won’t intervene."
Yueyao wanted to rebut. An Zhichen said, "Yueyao, you know the Old Grand Master has shown me great kindness. With him requesting us like this, I really can’t refuse."
Yueyao sighed, "Just this once, there will be no next time." Yueyao wasn’t truly as skilled at teaching children as rumors said; she simply had strong principles and wouldn’t go easy when strictness was needed. She also found reputable teachers for the children, nothing more.
Yueyao wasn’t aware, but the children turned out so well indeed because of her. Not because she was a good teacher herself, but because she set a fine example as a mother. Kids in this era had heavy workloads, with studies being particularly strenuous. Ordinary families’ children, studying just with students, couldn’t handle it, while Brother Shengsheng, along with his two brothers, not only learned with the teacher but also practiced martial arts with a master, enduring even more hardship. Despite this, they saw their mother manage household affairs on top of guiding them and still maintain regular practice of calligraphy and painting.
Especially when the children learned from Xiang Wei that Yueyao had been diligent in her writing for over twenty years without complaining of exhaustion, they grew to respect her deeply. By comparison, they felt their current hardships were insignificant. As long as the children didn’t grow weary of studying and continued to strive, they wouldn’t fall too far behind. Not to mention, their talents were quite promising.
When Yueyao agreed, An Zhichen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When it came time for the wash-three-ceremony, Yueyao went to Lian Mansion. Holding the newborn, she smiled and said, "I’ve named the baby Jing, what do you think?"
Seventh Lady Li, not as well-read as Yueyao, asked, "Eldest sister, what does the name Jing mean?"
Yueyao laughed and explained, "Jing signifies the essence of a hero. We hope our boy grows up to be a great hero."
Seventh Lady Li repeated the name gently and said with a smile, "Li Jing, what a meaningful name, and it sounds nice too. Thank you, eldest sister." The child was from the ’Li’ generation, hence the name Li Jing; similarly, Brother Qingqing’s formal name was Li Qing.
Yueyao smiled, "As long as you like it."
Tingzheng was aware Yueyao had named the child and didn’t dare object. But when Maternal Auntie Qiao found out Yueyao had named the newborn, she was so furious her teeth gnashed. Though she couldn’t express her anger, it didn’t stop her from bad-mouthing Yueyao to Tingzheng.
Tingzheng, hearing her complaints, was extremely annoyed: "Focus on recovering your health; external affairs are not your concern." After speaking, he left, and it was a month before he stepped into Maternal Auntie Qiao’s courtyard again, further worsening her illness from anger.
The Li family, upon hearing this news, was in high spirits, but Seventh Lady Li couldn’t help but look down on Maternal Auntie Qiao: "She must be blinded by lard to speak ill of her Great Aunt." Even if Maternal Auntie Qiao bad-mouthed her, the Old Master wouldn’t be so angry. Talking bad about Great Aunt was just asking for trouble.
Old Granny Cao chuckled and said, "Recently, she was on such a high horse she’d forgotten her place, and now, having suddenly lost everything, she’s completely lost her sanity." When Maternal Auntie Qiao was pregnant, she caused quite a stir with her newfound status. Even after giving birth to a son, she wanted to keep causing trouble, but Madam restrained her.
The Li family’s mouth curled into a smile: "A wife is a wife, and a concubine is a concubine. Thinking she could rise above me was nothing but a daydream." Although Seventh Lady had many discontents about Tingzheng, she was pleased with one aspect: Tingzheng was clear about the distinction between wife and concubine, maintaining Li family’s dignified status as the legal wife. This virtue helped balance out his other shortcomings.