"Haha! Grandpa He, I told you Xiaoqi is a smart kid. He was only a toddler when Ruyue brought him into the mansion, but to my surprise, he is really smart. I pity him and his sister, so I put away my prejudice and helped them. Otherwise, I won't introduce Xiaoqi to you."
"You smart girl," He Deping laughed. He was amused by Shen Xiangwan’s maturity.
But he was still teasing her.
"Then Ah Ning, do you want to learn from Grandpa He?"
Although he was only a steward, he had studied all the syllabus required for the Royal Exam.
Back then, he failed to get the position of a government official. As the Duke had helped him, he came to work for him in the mansion in return. Originally, he was supposed to become a teacher for the Duke’s offspring.
But at that time, he was ambitious and wanted to go outside more, so he applied to be an external steward in the mansion.
Everything went well during the first few years of his job. However, things changed shortly.
Ever since the Duke passed away, no one cared about him anymore. The newcomers treated him as a useless old man.
In order to seek power, they betrayed him.
Actually, he did not need to plead guilty at all. But he was unwilling to leave the mansion, so he begged to spend five more years in this backyard, and then he would ask to leave. He was an affectionate and highly educated man, and he had set a good example to the servants in the mansion.
If it weren't for his admirable character, Shen Xiangwan would not have noticed his existence, let alone introducing him to Murong Xiude.
"Grandpa He, of course I want to learn. They say to be able to learn is a blessing. I am willing to go through any hardship just to learn rather than leading a life without knowledge."
Her facial expressions were like an adult’s as she spoke seriously. However, she still has a little baby fat, so the way she spoke was adorable.
He Deping was amused, but he kept a serious face. "Well, looks like I will have to be your teacher, then. I must teach you more then."
"Yes!"
After a while, Ruyue and Xiaoqi came.
Xiaoqi was very close with He Deping. The two of them immediately began their lessons in the house.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiangwan and Ruyue went outside to cook.
Although He Deping’s house was small and simple, he had a small kitchen where he could cook some food during his spare time.
Shen Xiangwan and her group were familiar with this mansion. It was not easy for them to cook and eat privately.
They were still growing, so they needed to eat.
The two girls worked together. One of them cooked the stew, while the other one was busy squeezing the water from the spinach. When it was about time, they started to make the dumplings.
Shen Xiangwan stared at Ruyue's hands with envy when she rolled out the dumpling wrappers.
"Yueyue, why are you so capable? I tried so hard, but I can't make this dough."
"Haha! It was what I loved to do as a child. Practice makes perfect. If you do more, it will happen to you naturally."
Shen Xiangwan pouted. They had learned how to make dumpling skins at the same time. But up to now, she could only roll out imperfect dumplings. On the other hand, Ruyue’s dumplings were round and equal-shaped.
"But I couldn’t roll them like you, Wanwan. Look at your dumplings, they are shaped like ingots, and they even have patterns on them. I can't compare with you."
Ruyue became envious too when she saw Shen Xiangwan’s dumplings. Shen Xiangwan felt extremely proud of her compliment.
When Murong Xiude came, he saw the girls carefully wrapping the dumplings, their sleeves rolled up to their elbows.
"Jiuye..." Ruyue did not expect that he would come today.
Murong Xiude waved his hand. "Don't worry about me, I just came here to take a look at you two. I’m leaving."
He put a finger to his lips, gesturing them to keep quiet. Ruyue lowered her voice, while Shen Xiangwan nodded and lowered her head to continue her work. Murong Xiude’s lips curled into a smile, and his dark eyes glinted when he watched Shen Xiangwan’s serious expression.
She was so serious about learning things. He decided that he should look up to her as an example.
Actually, Shen Xiangwan was not much older than Murong Xiude. She was only about nine years old, yet she was a little taller than him, so she looked a lot older than him.
Besides, more often than not, Shen Xiangwan was the one taking care of him. So he had regarded her as a good sister.
Hhe didn't want to alarm He Deping and Xiaoqi in the house, so the three of them spoke in hushed tones.
Murong Xiude started to approach Shen Xiangwan closer. His body rubbed against her as he moved to stand beside her. "I want to help."
Shen Xiangwan raised her head and looked at him with her dark and bright eyes. At this time, her beautiful eyes emitted a light of hope.
Before she could give her opinion, Ruyue interrupted, “Come on, let's pack together. It doesn't matter if someone sees you here. Here, I will teach you."
Ruyue pitied Murong Xiude. When she learned that he fell sick almost every month, she knew that he was even more pitiful than Xiaoqi.
"Together……"
Murong Xiude's bright eyes lit up quickly. At that moment, Shen Xiangwan realized that his eyes were even brighter than the sun outside. It was as if he could speak with his eyes,
Looking at his pleading expression, Shen Xiangwan slowly moved aside to let him join them.
He grinned and sat down next to her, "Sister, teach me."
"Jiuye!" Shen Xiangwan corrected him. Her heart swelled. Although he lost his mother, he was still a Young Master, and a superior like him was willing to learn how to make dumplings with servant girls like them.
"Sister, when we are in front of other people, you should definitely call me Jiuye. But, when we are alone, please don’t call me that. It makes me feel old."
Ruyue chuckled at his last sentence. He was indeed only a little boy, calling him Jiuye would make him sound older than he was.
"Yes, I also think that you only have to be more formal when you are in front of other people. When we are in private, it doesn't really matter."
Shen Xiangwan glared at Ruyue. This girl had no manners.
"Thank you Sister Yue. You are the most considerate, you always care about my feelings." Murong Xiude stared at her with his handsome face, and his eyes were huge and beautiful. He fell sick some time ago, so no one could really see how handsome he really was. Now that Xiaoqi was by his side, and the Meat Blessing Group had also taken good care of him, he looked healthier.