Was this the right time to say this? Li Shan stomped her foot, angrily turning her head away from Aunt Wang. The arriving Li Yao heard Li Shan's complaints about Li Xia and Mrs. Lu inside the room. He rolled his eyes in silence, finding Li Shan more and more unpleasant.
Li Shan's jealousy was too strong. And in his view, Mrs. Lu had done the right thing. Li Shan directly reported this trivial matter as if she had caught someone red-handed. She showed no consideration for sisterly affection, which made her even more dislikable.
Li Xia returned the unused wood to the garden, and had Qiu Shui take some of her own carvings that were presentable to the Wild Goose Pavilion.
Mrs. Lu originally thought Li Xia's learning of carving was just a young lady's meaningless play, but looking at the few pieces on the table, she had to admit that Li Xia had great talent in this area. These pieces could be described as "divine craftsmanship."
Such carvings were beyond the abilities of even the most renowned carvers in Liuzhou. Each one could be given as a gift. Especially the one of Guanyin sitting in lotus, the compassionate portrayal of the Bodhisattva was so vivid that from any angle it seemed the Bodhisattva was looking at you, reciting the equality of all beings. Mrs. Lu was dumbfounded looking at it.
Li Ming walked in and was also surprised, "This was carved by the second young miss?"
This was better than the work of professional carvers, not because the carving technique was particularly good, but because the carved objects had a lifelike quality. This lifelike quality was something severely lacking in the current craftsmen. It was also the most sought-after feature by the seasoned adults.
"What a pity," Mrs. Lu sighed, if only Li Xia were not a young lady, she could continue to learn and perhaps become a renowned carver. With this skill, she could even open a shop and have a promising career in this field.
"Madam, I'll take these two pieces, the Evergreen Pine and the Guanyin in Lotus. They will make perfect birthday gifts for the 70th birthday of the mother of the Prefect Zhou," Li Ming said, wishing to take these two pieces that were suitable for gifting to the elderly.
Mrs. Lu summoned Chunlu Granny to carefully package the two pieces and send them to Li Ming's study. The remaining pieces were stored in the warehouse.
"Madam, about the third young miss..." Li Ming just began when he saw Mrs. Lu's smile disappear.
"The master thinks I punished the third young miss wrongly," Mrs. Lu's tone was unchanged, but after many years of marriage, Li Ming could naturally detect her displeasure.
"She is still young to be made to copy the Precepts for Women," Li Ming said flatly.
Mrs. Lu did not say much, just ordered someone to bring the account books for the garden and needlework room for Li Ming to review. As the administrator of the prefecture, he would naturally be able to understand these simple ledgers.
"The second young miss's learning of carving may be unorthodox, but the rest of her conduct is good, be it in the needlework room or her interactions with her siblings. The third young miss managing the kitchen is something you have experienced. Out of respect for you, I did not punish her, and just assigned her to the garden. But in just a short while, the expenses have quadrupled compared to before."
Li Ming understood Mrs. Lu's dissatisfaction, not only with Li Shan, but also with him. If he had not insisted that Li Shan be put in charge, Mrs. Lu would not have made these arrangements.
"Madam, Shan'er must have been deceived in her simplicity," Li Ming said, but this only made Mrs. Lu have more to say.
"Simplicity? If she were truly simple, she would have come directly to me to report her own sister. Master, I know you dislike the second young miss because of Mei'er, but you cannot be so biased. She is also your daughter. I don't care how you pamper the third young miss normally, but in front of me, you cannot show such favoritism."
Mrs. Lu's words left Li Ming at a loss for how to respond, and he hastily fled, "Alright, alright, we'll do it your way. I'll go attend to the official matters."
Seeing Li Ming leave, Mrs. Lu snorted coldly, men were just so irresponsible. Chunlu Granny came in with some concern, "Madam, why must you argue with the master over these two stepdaughters? In a couple more years, they'll be married off with their dowries."
"Granny, the second young miss is no ordinary person," Mrs. Lu had always remembered the words of the old Taoist priest. And the incident on the Lantern Festival night also proved that Li Xia was extraordinary. Li Xia wanted to keep it hidden, so Mrs. Lu went along with the concealment. After all, if it got out that the young miss of the Li household had committed murder, the family's reputation would be ruined.
"Madam, aren't you overthinking it?" Chunlu Granny also remembered the Taoist priest's words, but she felt they were just flattering words.
"Granny, you don't understand," When Li Xia was younger, Mrs. Lu didn't have this sense. But with the recent events, Mrs. Lu felt that as long as Li Xia was here, the Li household would prosper. Her son and daughters were all close to Li Xia. They would also receive more blessings. Even without Li Xia, Li Ming's favoritism towards the stepdaughters was unwarranted.
Li Xia finished copying the text, and the confinement period also ended. She brought the copied book to see Mrs. Lu.
Mrs. Lu glanced at Li Xia's copy. Li Xia lightly cleared her throat, "I've been practicing wild cursive script lately."
Mrs. Lu looked at Li Xia's writing, it was indeed wild and cursive. This girl was no longer trying to hide her abilities in front of her. This point satisfied Mrs. Lu, but the writing was truly unsightly, "Rewrite it."
As soon as Li Xia returned to the Orchid Courtyard, Mrs. Lu sent someone to deliver a copybook of the fine small script of a renowned female calligrapher from the previous dynasty. Li Xia looked at the copybook. Forget about wild cursive, Li Xia looked at the fine small script with a headache.
Auntie Mei also saw Li Xia's wild cursive. She directly brought a chair and sat down next to Li Xia, staring at her as she practiced her writing. Li Xia finished copying a page, and Auntie Mei would inspect it. If it was not good, she would directly tear it up, not leaving any leeway. She had to ensure that every page was neat and tidy, with the characters uniform in size.
Under Auntie Mei's strict supervision, when Mrs. Lu looked at Li Xia's copied text again, it was quite orderly.
Li Shan stood aside, glancing at Li Xia's writing, constantly sneering. She scornfully thought Li Xia's writing was too ugly, lamenting that Li Xia was truly unsuitable, lacking in all the arts of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and chess.
As the daughter of a Confucian scholar, Aunt Wang had been taught writing since she was young. After entering the Li household, knowing that Li Ming valued this, she had specifically learned and instructed Li Shan. In comparison, the best calligrapher among the three young misses of the Li household was not Li Xin, but Li Shan.
Li Shan's disdainful expression was clearly seen by Li Xia. But she didn't mind, seeing that Mrs. Lu did not make her rewrite, she breathed a sigh of relief. Copying texts was much harder than carving, she really didn't want to copy the Analects again.
After looking at Li Xia's, it was Li Shan's turn. Li Shan wore a smug expression as she presented her own copy. Mrs. Lu took a look, Li Shan's writing was very beautiful. But it was only superficial beauty, lacking any substance.
"The reason I had you copy these is for you to remember that you are young ladies of the Li household. When the family prospers, you all prosper. When the family suffers, you all suffer." For the sake of her own small interests, framing her sisters was unacceptable. Mrs. Lu's words, Li Xia understood, and Li Shan also understood, but she had no intention of doing so.
The two left the main courtyard, and Li Shan started humming again. Li Xia couldn't be bothered to deal with Li Shan, and turned to leave. Seeing the indifferent Li Xia, Li Shan inwardly cursed, "Worthless thing unsuitable for anything."
