Chapter 583 - 231 Scholar
Yueyao, since making a mistake that one time, would ask clearly and thoroughly before doing anything. She was afraid of being misled into making another such blunder.
Life was not easy for Yueyao. Neither was it for Loo Ying or Ma Linlin. The two of them got up before dawn, and both the teacher and nurturing nanny were very strict,
Ma Linlin only recognized a few characters, and even those she wrote poorly. The teacher had been driven away by her before, and it was only after Zhuang Ruolan doubled the salary that he was persuaded to return. Entrusted by Zhuang Ruolan, the teacher was very strict with Ma Linlin. She had to write twenty large characters every day, not one less, and if the writing was not up to standard, she had to rewrite it a hundred times. If Ma Linlin dared to speak insolently again, the teacher would not hesitate to discipline her palms with a ruler for discipline.
As for the nurturing nanny, she was even worse. The one Zhuang Ruolan hired was known for her severity in Capital City. Zhuang Ruolan had specifically spent a large sum of money to hire this nurturing nanny to instruct Ma Linlin. This time, she was indeed put to great use.
The nurturing nanny didn’t beat the palms or enforce kneeling as punishment; if a mistake was made, she made Ma Linlin balance a basin of water on her head. Let alone an entire day, even a half-hour was unbearable for Ma Linlin.
Only in sewing and the Six Arts did Zhuang Ruolan take a more laissez-faire approach.
Ma Linlin and Ma Chengteng complained bitterly, but they met with rebukes. Ma Linlin feigned illness, only to have the teacher confirm she was fine, and Ma Chengteng even locked her in the ancestral hall for a day and a night. This eradicated the last of Ma Linlin’s wild hopes, and she eventually studied obediently with the teacher and nanny.
Compared to Ma Linlin, Loo Ying applied herself diligently to her studies. Loo Ying had not had the opportunity to learn before. Zhuang Ruolan was kind to Loo Ying, but she did not spend too much effort on her; therefore, Loo Ying seized this rare opportunity wholeheartedly. Not to say she excelled, but at least her attitude was affirmed by both the nanny and the teacher. Of course, no matter how much the teacher and nanny liked her, she would still be punished if her work was unsatisfactory.