My Lady Always Lacks Ambition
Chapter 273 - 272: A Day When Big Sister Disdains Me

Chapter 273: Chapter 272: A Day When Big Sister Disdains Me

Nanny Shen brought a fresh cup of tea for Mrs. Wang and noticed her sitting lost in thought, she couldn’t help but ask, "Lady, what are you thinking about?"

Mrs. Wang blankly replied, "Xixi said she has a shop now."

"Isn’t that a good thing? Is there not enough silver?"

"That shop originally sold coffins."

Nanny Shen’s hand trembled, almost spilling the tea: "Coffins?"

Mrs. Wang nodded, took a sip of her tea to calm herself down.

Nanny Shen forced a smile and said: "The young lady indeed is extraordinary."

Mrs. Wang tugged at the corner of her mouth, took another sip of tea, feeling somewhat worried.

So in the future, the main branch of the Qin family would own a business that sells coffins?

The extraordinary Liu Xi returned to the courtyard and asked Qi Huang to prepare a gift. She said she was going to visit the Mountain Master of Zhihe Academy and took the opportunity to go.

"Chen Pi, go and have Li Cheng prepare the carriage," Qin Liuxi commanded after calling Chen Pi over, then she beckoned Qin Mingchun who was peeping around to come over.

Qin Mingchun rushed over clunking and raised his head to look at her: "Big sister, did you call me?"

"You’re coming with me to let the academy’s Mountain Master see you."

Qin Mingchun exclaimed, "Should we call Fourth Brother as well?"

"Don’t call him."

Qin Mingchun felt delighted, his eyes brimming with joy, how wonderful.

"Don’t be too happy too soon, perform well and don’t let the Mountain Master find fault," Qin Liuxi glared at him: "If you embarrass me, be careful of my fists."

With those words, Qin Mingchun became nervous again, nodding like a pecking chicken.

Qi Huang quickly prepared a gift, which was handed to Chen Pi, and Qin Liuxi took them out of the mansion towards Zhihe Academy.

Along the way, Qin Mingchun recited what he had recently learned in the carriage, yet his beautiful eyes roamed around, unable to resist stretching his neck to peek out the carriage window.

Since returning to Li City, he hadn’t seen the outside world, nor did he know what Li City was like.

Noticed by Qin Liuxi, he drew his neck back in and continued reciting silently.

"Stop cramming at the last minute. If you want to look, just look openly. What’s with all the sneaking around? Just remember the manners and etiquette you’ve learned when we reach the Mountain Master," said Qin Liuxi.

Qin Mingchun immediately cheered up, standing at the carriage window and looking out, his eyes not enough to take in all he saw.

Seeing him so happy, Qin Liuxi knocked on the carriage wall: "Slow down."

The carriage slowed down.

Qin Mingchun looked up at Qin Liuxi, his eyes filled with admiration and joy: "Thank you, big sister."

Qin Liuxi said: "It’s not for you, if the carriage goes too fast, it shakes me up. Your sister is frail."

That was deceiving the ghost.

Qin Mingchun had experienced carriage rides before; the carriages at the mansion were never this smooth, even at high speed they didn’t feel shaky.

But he didn’t say anything, just kept it in his heart.

Zhihe Academy is located on the central axis of Li City and is the most prestigious academy there. The current Mountain Master is from the well-known scholarly Tang Family, one of the scholars at court, and he is the current head of the Tang Family, father of Mountain Master Tang.

The Tang Family is a family of scholars; Mountain Master Tang Zishi became a scholar the year the previous Emperor died. After passing the Imperial Examination, instead of serving in the officialdom, he founded Zhihe Academy, which has been running for thirty-five years.

Mountain Master Tang dislikes the struggles within officialdom and prefers teaching and nurturing students, thus he established the academy. Although he doesn’t have students all over like his father, he still has many students and a good reputation. His acquaintance with Qin Liuxi also started by chance.

In the year Tang Mountain Master reached fifty, during a chance meeting, Qin Liuxi discerned from his facial features that he had a heart issue and left him her address, telling him she could save his life.

A couple of days later, Mountain Master Tang really suffered a heart attack, and it was Qin Liuxi who dragged him back from the hands of the Ghost Messenger, incurring the Five Disadvantages and Three Deficiencies, causing her hand to be useless for half a month, unable to lift it.

Thus, for Mountain Master Tang, Qin Liuxi is not only a lifesaver but also both teacher and friend. Because Mountain Master Tang taught her much knowledge, and Qin Liuxi also shared many things she knew that he did not.

Now, hearing that Qin Liuxi had arrived, Mountain Master Tang sent one of his students away and specifically went to the entrance to wait for her. When he saw her, his eyes lighted up with a smile, and he raised his hand, pointing at her playfully.

"I thought you might have forgotten where my door was, and wouldn’t come again," Mountain Master Tang feigned annoyance.

Qin Liuxi stepped forward, greeted him with a formal bow, and said, "I’ve been busy lately and couldn’t find the time." She pushed Qin Mingchun forward and said, "This is Mountain Master Tang, pay your respects."

Qin Mingchun, being an honest child, was initially nervous, but seeing his elder sister and this refined uncle happily meeting, he briefly paused, pushed forward, remembered his sister’s words, and suddenly knelt down.

"Qin Mingchun pays respect to Mountain Master, wishing you good health and everything to go smoothly," he said while kowtowing earnestly several times.

Mountain Master Tang hastily helped him up, saying, "There’s no need for this," while giving Qin Liuxi a querying look through his gaze, wondering what this act was all about.

Qin Liuxi pulled up Qin Mingchun’s collar and said, "This is my brother, a bit slow. Do you have a class for someone his age in your academy? If you could let him sit in and learn something. We have another one back home, eleven, didn’t bring him here, could you also give him a place to study?"

Mountain Master Tang’s mouth twitched: "Are you pulling connections?"

Admission to the Zhihe Academy required examinations, but here she was, forcing him to accept.

"Having connections isn’t worth wasting. I’ll arrange for them to take the examination later, and if it doesn’t work out, just issue them a failing report and I’ll take him back, find another place for him to learn."

Mountain Master Tang shook his head, saying, "Let’s talk inside."

Qin Liuxi pulled Qin Mingchun and followed him in.

Mountain Master Tang’s residence was elegantly and scholarly decorated, with one wall full of books, a writing desk in front of the south window with the Four Treasures of the Study, and in the north corner, a tea table with a small red stove bubbling and boiling water.

He intended to personally make tea, but Qin Liuxi, daring not to let him, hurriedly took over, setting about making the tea herself.

Seeing this, Mountain Master Tang didn’t insist, and instead started inquiring Qin Mingchun about his age, whether he had begun his elementary education, and what books he had read.

Being a son from a good family, Qin Mingchun kneeled at the desk, answering respectfully. Initially, he was quite nervous, but seeing how kind and approachable Mountain Master Tang was, he gradually became more fluent in response.

However, when the topic shifted to his learning, he stumbled over his words. Mountain Master Tang almost couldn’t keep his composure; in his family, boys started their education at age three and by five or six could recite basic classics backward and forward.

This child before him...

Best left unmentioned.

"He’s just a bit slow-witted," Qin Liuxi handed a cup of tea to Mountain Master Tang with both hands, with a look of disdain glanced at Qin Mingchun, and said, "The household is full of women, and if he continues being this slow, I fear he might truly have to rely solely on his looks later. So, would you be willing to take the trouble?"

Mountain Master Tang was shocked!

Qin Mingchun, feeling like a burden, bowed his head, ears turning red. He knew his learning was a bit poor, no wonder his elder sister disdained him.

Mountain Master Tang then had him go to the writing desk by the south window to write a few characters. Seeing his writing, his eyelids twitched, yet he amiably said, "Why don’t you go and stroll around the academy?"

Qin Mingchun looked at Qin Liuxi, who nodded, so he bowed and left.

As soon as he left, Mountain Master Tang jumped straight to the point: "Is he your biological younger brother?"