Time Travel: The Noble Family
Chapter 431 - 154: Hardship_2

Chapter 431: Chapter 154: Hardship_2

Yueyao didn’t realize it herself, but the people around her felt deeply sad seeing her strive so hard. Xi Yu was moved to tears and cried out, "Miss, stop writing, please stop writing, Miss." It used to be tolerable before, but now it was even more extreme as she had started learning martial arts. However, Xi Yu, being young and not very influential, couldn’t persuade her mistress. But she truly felt heartbroken.

Unable to sway Yueyao, Xi Yu pleaded with Nanny Hao, "Nanny, please go and talk to Miss. She can barely stand up. Nanny, please convince her to stop learning these tormenting disciplines." Xi Juan and Xi Yu had been with Yueyao since their childhood, and although they were not as capable as Hua Lei, they were utterly loyal.

Nanny Hao saw deeper than Xi Yu; she thought there was a profound reason behind the young lady’s actions, as if she was preparing against someone. A tightness clutched at Nanny Hao’s heart—perhaps the young lady was doing this to guard against the Lady family; given their ruthless and fierce ways, an extra layer of precaution was indeed a further measure of safety. She said, "The young lady must have her own plans for doing this; you just serve her well." They’d be safe only if the young lady was safe. If anything happened to the young lady, they all would suffer a terrible fate.

Yueyao was preparing to take a nap when she saw Bai Yi approaching. She thought Bai Yi had come to explain the mental method, but instead, he came to give her a massage.

While massaging Yueyao, Bai Yi commented, "Doing this can alleviate the pain." It couldn’t eliminate the pain, but it could reduce it.

After massaging for a half-hour, Yueyao fell asleep. Upon waking, she indeed felt much better. However, once she woke up, she began training in martial arts again.

Bai Yi demonstrated a move, and Yueyao believed she had memorized it. However, every time she made a move, Bai Yi shook his head: "Your punch is too weak, need more force," and another time he said, "That’s wrong, the stance is incorrect." The afternoon passed in a constant stream of such corrections.

Yueyao always felt she had memorized all the moves perfectly, and the punches she threw seemed just like Bai Yi’s. But she always got something wrong and couldn’t grasp the essence. She only learned three moves that morning. Yueyao was very discouraged; despite having memorized everything, she still made mistakes while executing the moves.

Bai Yi said, "Miss Yueyao, it’s always like this in the beginning. It will get better slowly, so don’t rush. To be honest, reaching this level is already quite good." Bai Yi also felt that Yueyao lacked natural talent for martial arts and that she had already missed the best age to start training. Fortunately, Yueyao only wanted to strengthen her body, so he wouldn’t say anything discouraging. However, if Yueyao expressed a wish to become an expert, he would have told her the harsh truth. With Yueyao’s talent, even the best martial artist in the world couldn’t make her a master.

In the evening, as usual, Yueyao went to the studio first, then rested for around a half-hour before going to practice her calligraphy.

Bai Yi asked somewhat perplexedly, "Miss Yueyao, why push yourself so hard?" It seemed to him that her efforts weren’t merely about learning but rather about pushing herself to the limit.

Yueyao smiled and said, "I’m used to it. If I don’t practice calligraphy, I don’t feel at peace, and I can’t sleep at night." It wasn’t really about habit; she just believed that people are naturally lazy. If you think it’s okay to skip practice today because you’re tired, you might find the same excuse tomorrow, and eventually, you’ll achieve nothing. Her goals would remain unrealized as well.

Bai Yi stared at Yueyao for three seconds, then smiled and said, "Miss Yueyao, you truly have perseverance." It was remarkable that she could continue to practice calligraphy to the point of near exhaustion, with no one forcing her, and still not forget her own heart and goals under tough circumstances; only a person of great resolve could manage that.

If Bai Yi was merely curious about Yueyao before, he now felt a bit of admiration. However, he was still puzzled by her relentless efforts.

Bai Yi smiled, "Teaching Miss Yueyao this set of boxing techniques will take over a month to master. With such a long time, I should be able to find out everything about Yueyao."

Loo Ying, hearing that Luo Mingzhu had given a Maid to Yueyao, felt both envious and jealous. The next morning, after paying her respects to Ruo Lan, she detoured to Begonia Garden. Unfortunately, upon her arrival, Nanny Hao stopped her, saying diplomatically, "Miss Ying, our young lady should not be disturbed during her calligraphy practice. I hope you don’t take offense, Miss Ying." At the moment, Yueyao was not practicing her calligraphy, but was doing the horse stance.

In the back courtyard, Yueyao was practicing the horse stance. Nanny Hao and Xi Yu stayed away, fearing they might unintentionally urge the young lady to stop training, so at that time, only Yueyao and Bai Yi were in the courtyard.

Zhuang Ruolan, knowing that Loo Ying had gone to Begonia Garden, sent Cai Yi to find her. When Cai Yi found Loo Ying, she gently reminded, "Miss Ying, the Old Master said that Miss Yueyao should not be disturbed while practicing her calligraphy and had instructed earlier that no one should bother her. Our master won’t seek out Miss Yueyao unnecessarily."

Loo Ying, head bowed, did not utter a word; Cai Yi gave a meaningful glance to the Nanny standing next to Loo Ying before returning to the courtyard. This Nanny was meticulously chosen by Ruo Lan to be placed beside Loo Ying, hoping she could teach and counsel Loo Ying daily to make her more sensible.

The following day, Yueyao couldn’t get up from bed and cried out, "Xi Yu, help me up."

Seizing the opportunity, Xi Yu said, "Young Lady, perhaps you shouldn’t learn this." She looked on with heartache, especially now that seeing the young lady in so much pain that she couldn’t even get out of bed.

Yueyao smiled and said, "It’s just discomfort now. It will get better once I’m used to it."

After three days, Yueyao needed support while walking or she would be unstable. However, Yueyao never complained of suffering or tiredness. Every time Xi Yu applied medicine to Yueyao, tears would uncontrollably fall. It made Yueyao so uncomfortable that she didn’t want Xi Yu to apply the medicine anymore, so Bai Yi took over.

Xi Yu applied the medicine gently, but Bai Yi was much firmer. Tears streamed down Yueyao’s face from the pain; she didn’t want to cry but couldn’t help herself.

Seeing Yueyao, who usually bore pain silently, cry from the pain, Bai Yi felt he might have been too harsh and explained, "Miss, it hurts now, but you will feel much better when you wake up tomorrow."

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Yueyao said, "I couldn’t help it." She didn’t want to cry, but the pain was too much to bear.

Bai Yi, looking at Yueyao whose face was streaked with tears like a calico cat, thought the young girl looked rather cute in this state. If Yueyao knew what he was thinking, she would definitely think this woman was perverse.

The next day, Yueyao woke up to find the pain had significantly reduced. From that day, not only did Bai Yi massage Yueyao, but he also took over the task of applying her medicine, nearly taking over Xi Yu’s role.