Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 580 - 229 Steward (Part 1)

Yueyao arrived at the main house and upon seeing its arrangement, she sighed in relief. The furnishings in Zhuang Ruolan’s room were not as luxurious as those in Madam Tang’s, yet they were all of ancient elegance. Each item was subtly luxurious, immensely valuable, yet understated and reserved.

Yueyao still favored this kind of refined and understated wealth. She really wasn’t accustomed to such ostentatious displays of riches, as they differed from her aesthetic values.

Yueyao handed the Melon Leaf Chrysanthemums she had picked on the way to Cai Yi, who then arranged them in a vase. Zhuang Ruolan came out and, seeing Yueyao’s expression, smiled and asked, "What’s the matter?"

Yueyao never hid her thoughts in front of Zhuang Ruolan, and immediately recounted the situation before asking, "Is my cousin-in-law extremely wealthy?" Yueyao only knew that Madam Tang was the legitimate eldest daughter of the wealthy Tang Family from the Capital City, and had heard about Madam Tang’s dowry from Xi Juan, but she hadn’t inquired further. However, this time she was shocked by the decorations in Madam Tang’s room. The furnishings alone were worth thirty to forty thousand gold, which showed just how substantial Madam Tang’s dowry was.

Ruo Lan didn’t hide it from Yueyao, smiling as she said, "The Tang family is also considerable among the wealthy households in Capital City, and this includes your cousin-in-law’s contributions."

Zhuang Ruolan initially did not think much about it, but later, upon visiting Madam Tang’s room, she discovered that Madam Tang’s dowry was even more substantial than she had imagined, which made her curious. After making careful inquiries, she found out there were reasons for Madam Tang’s considerable wealth: firstly, the Tang family had prepared a generous dowry; secondly, Madam Tang had accumulated a significant amount of money helping the Tang Family with their business over the years; thirdly, the Father-in-law had found a lucrative business opportunity for the Tang family, for which he did not take any compensation, and later, the Tang family gave that money to Madam Tang. All in all, Zhuang Ruolan estimated that Madam Tang’s dowry must be at least two hundred thousand taels of Silver.

Despite Madam Tang’s substantial dowry, Zhuang Ruolan felt no envy or jealousy. Madam Tang’s life could never match up to hers in other aspects: Ma Yue’s life was just so-so, while her husband had a promising future. Moreover, Zhuang Ruolan believed that Madam Tang’s substantial dowry was advantageous to their marriage. It could reduce many disputes in the future, at least preventing major upheavals over small sums of money during any family separations.

Yueyao just responded with an "Oh" and did not continue the topic. She was merely curious and had no real interest in the exact amount of Madam Tang’s dowry.

Zhuang Ruolan looked at Yueyao and laughed. This child had never cared much about money. In this aspect, she probably resembled her father-in-law. However, Yueyao was better than the father-in-law since she could make money and also didn’t squander it.

When Keyue came out and saw Yueyao, she immediately reached out to be held. Keyue was very fond of Yueyao and would not let go whenever Yueyao held her.

Yueyao played with Keyue for quite a while, and then Zhuang Ruolan had the wet nurse take Keyue away. She said, "The nurturing nanny is coming over tomorrow. Would you like to join your cousin and her sisters in their studies?" It was Ma Chengteng’s idea for Yueyao to study with the nurturing nanny. In Zhuang Ruolan’s opinion, Yueyao did not need to study with the nanny anymore. However, she still had to pass on her father-in-law’s wishes, and whether Yueyao studied was up to her.

Yueyao was surprised and asked, "I remember Cousin Sister Ying mentioning that the nurturing nanny and the master had been hired early. Why are they only coming now?"

Zhuang Ruolan took a teacup, stirred the tea with the lid, took a sip, then set it down, and said, "This was your uncle’s idea, to wait until you were well and then let you study along with them."

Yueyao, smiling, shook her head and said, "Uncle is really good to me. Cousin, I will not study. I have studied etiquette at Lian Mansion with nurturing nanny for two years. Mother said that my etiquette was quite good, so I will not waste any more time." Her etiquette might not be the best, but it was certainly presentable. freёweɓnovel_com

Zhuang Ruolan continued, "Besides the nurturing nanny, we have also hired three other masters: one specifically to teach the young ladies to read and write, another to teach your two cousins needlework, and yet another to teach various skills." The so-called skills were nothing more than Guqin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting.

Zhuang Ruolan originally hired only the masters for reading and needlework, the other master had been added upon Ma Chengteng’s request. Although Zhuang Ruolan felt it was unnecessary, she complied with the head of the household’s requirement.

Yueyao opened her mouth, "Read and write?" Loo Ying was already fourteen years old, and Ma Linlin was twelve. Why were they only learning to read and write now?

Zhuang Ruolan said, "Yes, the two of them know very little and their knowledge is quite mixed, so it is good for them to learn more from the master. If you do not want to study with the master, I will let someone inform your father-in-law." Zhuang Ruolan was certain that Yueyao would not agree to study together. Yueyao’s proficiency was such that she could teach others, not needing to learn from a master herself.