Chapter 309 - Chapter 309 Chapter 114 Borrowing Rubbings
Chapter 309: Chapter 114: Borrowing Rubbings Chapter 309: Chapter 114: Borrowing Rubbings Lady Xiao Ma couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain in her heart upon seeing Yueyao’s expression. In her own girlhood, she had always been just a backdrop to her sister and she did not want her daughter to be reduced to someone else’s side-role.
Lady Xiao Ma said, “Yueyao, you mentioned that you were copying from character scripts. I remember your mother has a copy of rubbings written in plum blossom calligraphy style, is that what you practiced from?”
Yueyao did not deny it. There was no need to, for Mother Lady Xiao Ma knew it was not strange since she had practiced her calligraphy from rubbings when she was younger.
Lady Xiao Ma looked straight at Yueyao and said, “Yueyao, your plum blossom calligraphy has already become exceedingly refined, you no longer need to use those rubbings. Your cousin wants to learn the plum blossom calligraphy style, you should lend those rubbings to your cousin and she can return them to you once she has learned it well.” Although she said to borrow it, her tone left no room for denial.
Loo Ying gazed at Yueyao with stars in her eyes, cautiously saying, “Cousin, could you lend it to me to copy for a few days?”
Ruo Lan was initially startled but then looked at Yueyao with a smile. She could have spoken, but she wanted to see how Yueyao would handle it.
However, Cai Yun and Cai Yi looked disdainfully at this mother and daughter; they both knew that rubbings were treasures money can’t buy, yet they were blatantly asking for such valuable items.
Although Yueyao could not comprehend Lady Xiao Ma’s way of thinking, having had previous experiences with her bringing up absurd requests didn’t surprise her anymore, “Aunt, cousin, I already said that I have just begun learning and I still need it myself, so I can’t lend it to my cousin.” If it had been Zhuang Ruolan who asked to borrow it for a couple of days, Yueyao would definitely have agreed, but she was sure she wouldn’t with Lady Xiao Ma. If lent, it would surely be a case of ‘gone and never returned.’ Yueyao remembered Nanny Deng telling her that her aunt always tried to borrow valuable dresses and jewelry from her mother, never to return them.
Lady Xiao Ma’s face immediately soured, “Yueyao, it’s just lending it to your cousin for two days; she will return it to you afterward. It’s just a collection of rubbings and not something she will keep forever.”
Yueyao was about to argue when she saw Cai Yi blink at her, signaling her to say no more. Cai Yi meant well; no matter what Yueyao said, it would be misconstrued.
Cai Yun, standing to the side, looked on with displeasure, having never seen someone borrow something with such arrogance and rudeness. It was unbearable.
Yueyao thought for a moment; arguing with her aunt in front of everyone was unseemly, so she chose to remain silent. Silence, in this context, also indicated her reluctance.
Lady Xiao Ma’s expression grew even darker.
Ruo Lan stood up with a laugh, supporting her waist, “I’ve been sitting for so long; my back is sore. Come, Yueyao, help me walk around in the courtyard.”
Yueyao went over and helped Ruo Lan to stand. Zhuang Ruolan smiled at Lady Xiao Ma, “Aunt, it’s hard for a pregnant woman to sit still.”