Time Travel: The Noble Family

Yueyao did not refuse because Ruo Lan was the first to bring it up. Yueyao felt that Ruo Lan would not do something without reason.

The allocation of tasks was designated by Lady Cheng. Yueyao was responsible for managing the gifts from guests and recording these items in the register; Loo Ying was assigned the role of managing utensils, which were required for the wedding, and she had to log everything that was used and returned; Ma Linlin was in charge of the tea room, specifically dealing with the visitors’ social interactions. Among the three, Ma Linlin’s task was the most complicated and demanding.

Yueyao was not fond of household duties, but she was determined to learn and would devote all her efforts to it. This was Lian Dongbo’s teaching: it’s fine not to learn, but once you decide to learn, you must study earnestly.

Yueyao put all her energy into learning; she actually had some basic management skills because Nanny Wang had taught them how to manage a household, though only in theory, and now she was simply putting what she had learned into practice.

It may seem a simple matter to register gifts from guests, but there is much to learn from it. The degree of intimacy of the gift can reveal the closeness between the guest and the Li family. Closer relationships resulted in more substantial gifts; casual acquaintances, as colleagues, would give lighter gifts, and an ordinary or unrelated person giving a lavish gift definitely meant something was afoot.

Yueyao did not hesitate to ask for help where she did not understand, directly asking Nanny Hao and, if Nanny Hao had no answer, she would turn to Ruo Lan.

Yueyao listened and could only marvel, saying, "There really is knowledge to be found everywhere."

Nanny Hao chuckled in response, "Yes, there is knowledge everywhere. Miss should learn more as it’s only proper." Indeed, their Miss was a scholar, and although it seemed a struggle for her to learn these tasks, these were essential for all young ladies of her status to know.

Ruo Lan was very satisfied with Yueyao’s willingness to learn. She feared that Yueyao would be too engrossed in literature and arts and look down upon such mundane household matters. A woman ignorant of household duties does more harm than good. Even if she was not to manage a large family in the future but only needed to handle her own dowry, she still needed to be aware to avoid being deceived.

Cai Yun, laughing by her side, said, "Eldest Young Madam, Miss Lian is excellent in business; no one could deceive her. Miss Yueyao was simply uninterested in learning household skills before, but now she has started and is doing quite well."

Ruo Lan shook her head, "If only the Eldest Miss and Miss Ying could be like Miss Yueyao."

Ma Linlin, following Lady Cheng’s methods, managed the tea room, but now the Ma’s Mansion operated based on the system established by Ruo Lan, leading to numerous issues in the tea room under Ma Linlin’s charge who, unfortunately, refused to listen to the advice of maids or nannies around her, consulting only Lady Cheng, which only increased the chaos.