All Hail Cousin Brother

147 Role Model Sisters

Ms. Ye did not mind who she learned the zither skills from. She called Old Madam Su over. “Bring me the zither in my room.”

Old Madam Su responded and left.

Yu Youyao looked at Ms. Ye curiously. Mr. Ye said, “Your grandmother is right. Only by learning some talent can you show off your abilities. Otherwise, others will think that you don’t know how to be elegant and are a nerd.”

Yu Youyao nodded obediently.

Old Madam Su carried the zither out. Yu Youyao took a closer look. The zither was dark green and looked elegant and simple. “Ms. Ye, your zither is really beautiful.”

Ms. Ye’s fingers hooked, picked, wiped, tapped, and twirled. The Ode to the Zither flowed between her fingers. It was clear, strange, light, and distant, like the endless spring rain.

It wasn’t until the sound of the zither gradually faded and the lingering sound lingered in her ears that Yu Youyao finally understood. “Ms. Ye, you’re really good at the zither. That’s why you can capture the scene with the zither.”

Ms. Ye nodded calmly. “You do it.”

Yu Youyao panicked when she heard this. She waved her hands frantically. “Forget about me. I can’t even play a complete song. How can I play in front of you…”

Ms. Ye said calmly, “Let’s see how much you’ve learned and give you some pointers.”

Now, Yu Youyao couldn’t refuse. She sat down bitterly in front of the zither table and placed her trembling fingers on the zither. She took a deep breath and picked the strings with the intention of dying early.

She was also playing the Ode to the Zither.

This was an entry-level piece of zither music, and it was the simplest. The eldest daughter learnt it quite well, and there were no mistakes. It was just that she had not practiced it well, so the tune seemed unfamiliar. Since she was not used to it, it was a little out of tune.

After the song was over, Ms. Ye nodded. “The zither requires a lot of practice. Practice more in the future. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.”

Yu Youyao heaved a sigh of relief and bowed to her. “Thank you, Ms. Ye,” she said solemnly.

Ms. Ye’s expression softened a little. “You’re talented and smart. Other than your zither skills, you can also dabble in chess and painting. Even if you don’t want to be a talented woman of the arts, you have to be someone who’s eager to learn.”

Others who learned a lot of things might bite off more than they can chew. However, Eldest Miss Yu was a rare person with wisdom, character, and spirituality. Such people usually learned everything.

Yu Youyao looked thoughtful.

Seeing that she had listened, Ms. Ye nodded in satisfaction. “I’ve seen your handwriting recently. It’s tactful and reserved. Are you using the Seven Purple Three Sheep brush?”

Yu Youyao nodded. “I didn’t have a chance to use the brush that you gave me.”

A smile appeared on Ms. Ye’s face. “It’s fine. It’s more difficult for women to learn calligraphy. Many people can’t control their wrist strength. The seven purple three sheep brush is a little soft, but it has a higher requirement for wrist strength. I’ve underestimated your talent. I’ll make a set of brushes for you another day. There are seven purple three sheep, six purple four sheep, and four purple four sheep. You can use them interchangeably.”

Yu Youyao was pleasantly surprised. “Ms. Ye, the brushes you make are good. They’re better than the ones I have. Thank you.”

The two of them chatted casually.

At this moment, Yu Jianjia walked over with an umbrella. She was wearing a light green dress that was very simple and clean. However, there was a pile of pear blossoms embroidered on the hem of her dress, making her look even more beautiful.

The faint ones were flowers, but the beautiful ones were people.

The weather was cold and the rain was slightly cold. She held a green pear branch umbrella and did not even wear a cloak to block the wind. Her figure was as slender as a branch.

Yu Youyao took a look and did not know what to say.

Wouldn’t she freeze like that?

If she wasn’t sick, who would be?

Nanny Xu said that an eight or nine-year-old girl was at the age where she knew how to appreciate beauty.

At this time, she still didn’t know how to be thin, what to wear, how to be beautiful, and how to lose weight. Her young body could also withstand the cold, but when she grew older, she would know that she had unknowingly hurt her body when she was young and ignorant. She would suffer from colds sickness.

Most young ladies from wealthy families had such cold diseases. They couldn’t be cured, and the older they got, the more uncomfortable they felt.

They were also warned not to be overconfident in the cold.

Yu Jianjia immediately saw Yu Youyao and Ms. Ye sitting opposite each other. There were zithers, books, tea, and incense on the small table. She pursed her lips and walked forward to greet Ms. Ye.

Seeing that she was wearing very little, Ms. Ye reminded her, “The weather is cold. You should wear more in the future, in case you fall sick from the cold and suffer.”

These were clearly words of concern, but in Yu Jianjia’s ears, they sounded a little harsh.

She tilted her head and glanced at Yu Youyao.

Yu Youyao was wearing a green cloak that blocked the wind. She was also wearing a green dress, but the color of the dress was a little darker, like a new bud after the rain. It was very elegant.

Ms. Ye compared her thin clothes to Yu Youyao’s thick clothes. She said, “Thank you for your concern.”

After that, Yu Shuangbai and the others also came in.

When she saw Yu Youyao, Yu Shuangbai immediately smiled and jumped forward. She was about to hold Yu Youyao’s arm when Yu Youyao gave her a look.

The sisters had a good relationship, so they had a tacit understanding. Yu Shuangbai immediately stopped in her tracks. When she saw Ms. Ye, she obediently stepped forward and bowed. “Hello, Ms. Ye!”

Ms. Ye nodded.

Only then did Yu Shuangbai move closer to Yu Youyao. “Big Sister, my mother found a nanny who knows how to make tea in the Education Department. Although that nanny is a little strict, her tea skills are really good. I’ve been learning from her for two days, and she even praised me for my talent. I even made hibiscus cake with the kitchen maid this morning. It tastes pretty good. I brought some over. I’ll let you try it later…”

Yu Youyao smiled as she listened. After receiving praise and affirmation from others, she became more motivated and worked harder to learn.

Yu Fangfei also leaned over. “It’s all thanks to Eldest Sister. My studies have improved a lot recently, so I asked the Concubine to teach me how to make hair ornaments. If they don’t look good, please don’t mind.”

With that, she took the wooden box from the maidservant and opened it.

Inside were headflowers made of different types of silk and brocade. There were peonies, camellias, plum blossoms, and various other shapes. The gems were sewn into the center of the flower, the golden threads were used as the stamens, and the jade beads were used as the tips. They were exquisite and bright.

Yu Youyao’s eyes lit up, and she picked out a silk camellia. “In the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were pearl flowers, hairpin flowers, head hairpins, flower crowns, and so on. It’s rare to see cloth-like hair flowers. Sixth Sister, you’re really skilled.”

The flower head wasn’t as precious as the gold, silver, and jade, but it was also more exquisite. Gold, silver, and jade couldn’t make such a realistic flower shape.

Seeing that Big Sister liked it, Yu Fangfei was also happy. “I’m only good at this. As long as Big Sister likes it.”

Yu Youyao picked a light yellow parasol tree flower and handed it to Chun Xiao. “Help me put it on.”

She was wearing green clothes today, so this flower was suitable for her.

The trumpet-shaped parasol tree flowers were small and delicate. Strands of stamens protruded from the center of the flower. A yellow stamen was at the bottom and the filaments hung by her ears. They swayed slowly, but were extremely beautiful.

At this moment, even Yu Lianyu, who was standing beside Yu Jianjia, couldn’t help but lean over.