The Eldest Young Master Checks Homework

Although Xue Qingning knew very well why she had to treat Lin Xingcheng well, she certainly couldn't tell Lady Xu about it. She smiled and changed the subject. "Because I am Mother's daughter, I have a kind heart just like yours."

Lady Xu laughed, and Nanny Sun and the maids standing in the room laughed along with her.

After laughing, Lady Xu leaned forward, used her right index finger to lightly poke her forehead, and said with a smile, "You little girl, you're only good at saying these things to coax me."

Nanny Sun also smiled. "Everyone says mother and daughter are most alike. Looking at the Young Lady's appearance, she looks exactly like the Madam did in her youth."

Although Nanny Sun's words were somewhat exaggerated, Xue Qingning's appearance did indeed bear some resemblance to Lady Xu. Both mother and daughter had dignified oval faces and almond eyes as bright as autumn water. The difference was that because Lady Xu was over thirty and had experienced much in life, her eyes were more calm and steady, while Xue Qingning was still young, so her eyes were as bright as stars, clear and pure.

Hearing this, Lady Xu was very satisfied. However, on the surface, she still scolded Xue Qingning, "It's not that I want to scold you, but your temperament is nothing like mine. When I was young, I loved reading and writing, unlike you. Every time your big brother tells you to practice calligraphy, when have you not cried and wailed? Even if you reluctantly practice a bit, you don't put your heart into it at all."

Pausing for a moment, she concluded with a smile, "You only care about eating and playing with trifles."

Xue Qingning didn't mind and was about to laugh and argue back when she saw a maid lift the curtain and enter. It was Lady Xu’s head maid, Wen Zhu. She wore a short blue jacket and a silver bracelet on her left wrist.

After entering the room, she bowed to Lady Xu and Xue Qingning, then stood up and said, "The Eldest Young Master just sent someone to ask if the Young Lady is awake. If she is, he asks her to bring the homework he assigned the other day to the study to meet him. He wants to check it."

Upon hearing this, Lady Xu immediately turned and smiled at Xue Qingning. "What did I just say? The one who manages you has arrived. Hurry along."

Although Lady Xu could read and write, she was certainly not as good as her eldest son. She also had to manage the household and truly didn't have time to teach Xue Qingning. Her husband was a man of leisure who held the belief that "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent," so he didn't bother with Xue Qingning’s affairs.

As for the second son, he was too lively; his reading and writing were like trying to plaster a wall with thin mud—he couldn't even manage himself, let alone teach Xue Qingning. So the eldest son was the best; he was highly educated and steady. Although he also deeply loved his younger sister, Xue Qingning, he was very strict about the things he required her to do.