CHAPTER 151: CHAPTER 151: HOW CAN YOU JUST DO SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK?

The next morning.

It was the sound of chopping wood that woke up Meng Yao.

She was a bit puzzled, as Zhao Dajiang usually got up later to chop wood.

Why was he up so early today?

Meng Yao dressed up and went out the door.

It wasn’t Zhao Dajiang.

It was Wen Nuan.

This little girl...

Meng Yao softly called to her. Wen Nuan turned around, grinning, "Good morning, Madam."

"Why did you get up so early? Besides, there’s already someone assigned to chop wood," Meng Yao said, "If you do it for him, he won’t have anything to do, and he might get upset with you."

Zhao Dajiang was stubborn; he wouldn’t adapt. If you told him to do something, he’d do it without slacking off. Wen Nuan took his job of chopping wood, and instead of being grateful, he would blame her for taking his work.

This left Wen Nuan a bit bewildered, as she had no idea what to do.

In the meantime, Zhao Dajiang and Song Xiu’er were up too.

As Meng Yao predicted, when Zhao Dajiang found his job had been done by someone else, instead of being happy, he frowned and muttered, "Why would you go and do someone else’s job?"

"I had Wen Nuan do it. Is it a problem?"

Zhao Dajiang’s eyebrows quickly relaxed, "Of course, if Mother says so. But does that mean she has to do it all the time?"

"You’re dreaming if you think so. Swinging an axe is rough work and not suitable for a young lady," Meng Yao replied.

"Then don’t do it tomorrow!" Zhao Dajiang seriously instructed Wen Nuan.

"Uh, okay, big brother," Wen Nuan responded.

"My name is Zhao Dajiang, not ’big brother,’" Zhao Dajiang scratched his head, "In the countryside, who calls someone that way? It’s odd and awkward."

Wen Nuan instinctively looked at Meng Yao.

"Wen Nuan, the first thing I need to tell you is about how to address us. In the future, just call me Aunt."

If nothing unexpected happened, Wen Shu’s future prospects should be quite promising.

Although she agreed to have Wen Nuan at their home, she didn’t intend to treat her like a maid either.

"This..." Wen Nuan hesitated a bit.

"Didn’t you say you would listen to me?"

"Alright, Aunt," Wen Nuan immediately stopped hesitating.

"We were all busy yesterday, and I didn’t get a chance to introduce you. This is your Dajiang brother’s wife, Song Xiu’er. You can call her sister-in-law," Meng Yao pointed to Song Xiu’er and said.

Meng Yao also introduced Qian Zhenzhen to Wen Nuan; as for the rest, she already knew them.

"So, Aunt, what should I be doing?" Wen Nuan asked.

"Xiaohua is about to start learning to identify herbs, and when the time comes to gather them in the mountains, you can go with her," Meng Yao thought and suggested.

Meng Yao thought it would be good for Wen Nuan to learn some skills.

Even without a natural gift, learning to identify some herbs would be a skill.

If she had a talent, Meng Yao would be even more willing to cultivate her abilities.

"But Aunt, we agreed I would be your maid, and this..."

This was hardly any work at all.

How could she justify taking the monthly silver like this?

It was clear Madam wanted to take care of their family.

She couldn’t accept it without feeling guilty.

"I haven’t finished speaking. For the other household tasks, if you have time, just lend a hand," Meng Yao said, "Just keep an eye out for things needing to be done. As for the monthly salary, it will be 500 coins a month, with room and board here."

Originally, Meng Yao planned to give a tael of silver, but seeing Wen Nuan’s response now, one tael would definitely be too much for her and cause overthinking.

She could tell this young girl had a very honest heart.

"Additionally, if you can learn to identify herbs from Xiaohua, the ones you collect and sell to the pharmacy will be your earnings," Meng Yao said, smiling.

Wen Nuan wasn’t foolish. Of course, she understood Meng Yao’s intentions.

"Aunt..." Wen Nuan’s voice choked with emotion.

"Wen Nuan, don’t get touched yet. My mother is strict! If you can’t learn it, she won’t spare you from harsh criticism! And there are punishments too!" Zhao Xiaohua quickly said, seeing Wen Nuan was about to cry, "Come on, let’s go jogging."

This was Meng Yao’s request for Zhao Xiaohua. A few days ago, while Meng Yao was away, Zhao Xiaohua slacked off quite a bit.

Now that her mother was back, she dared not be lazy, so she got up this early.

After Zhao Xiaohua pulled Wen Nuan away, the rest of the household slowly got up too.

Qian Zhenzhen was dressed in a neat short outfit, "Aunt Meng, when will you start teaching me kung fu?"

Meng Yao recalled what Meng Zhu had told her, coming up with an idea, "My arm is still injured, and too much movement could reopen the wound. Wasn’t Chang’an practicing with me before? Let him teach you for now. Don’t worry, I’ll be watching, and if there’s anything wrong with his teaching, I’ll correct it immediately."

Li Chang’an, who was named, wanted to refuse, but with his mother still around, he immediately dismissed the thought.

If not, his mother would definitely nag endlessly.

To save his ears from suffering, Li Chang’an obediently agreed.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Li Chang’an agreed, Qian Zhenzhen refused.

The reason was simple; she wanted to learn real kung fu, not just flashy moves.

The implication was that Li Chang’an was all about flashy moves.

Meng Yao sighed internally; her first matchmaking attempt had failed.

She was just about to suggest waiting for a few days when she heard Li Chang’an speak up, "Whether it’s flashy or not, let me teach you once, and then we can spar to find out. The condition is, you can’t use any other skills."

Qian Zhenzhen shook her head with a slight smile.

Her attitude was clear—it showed she thought he wasn’t up to it.

Not to mention, that day when she knocked someone away, it was clear Li Chang’an didn’t possess any real skills.

It wasn’t an honorable victory.

Li Chang’an was a bit annoyed. Although... his aunt said that it was a psychological issue, not physical. He was a man, and how could a man not be up to par!

So, he intentionally provoked Qian Zhenzhen, "What, are you afraid of losing to me and embarrassing yourself?"

Meng Yao found it amusing; it seemed she didn’t need to go out of her way to matchmake them.

With Zhenzhen’s personality, she couldn’t stand being provoked.

"Ridiculous, me lose to you?" Qian Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow.

Meng Yao watched as Li Chang’an demonstrated a round of military boxing, and seeing his precise movements, she quietly slipped away.

She went to the kitchen to help Song Xiu’er, but was sent back, told to rest up in her room. Song Xiu’er said she would bring the food to her room once it was ready.

Meng Yao wanted to insist that her injury was fine, but clearly, Song Xiu’er wasn’t going to listen.

So Meng Yao had no choice but to return to her room.

By this time, Meng Zhu was already awake and experiencing severe morning sickness. Meng Yao quickly brought her a cup for rinsing her mouth.

After a while, once Meng Zhu had calmed down, Meng Yao supported her to go to the courtyard for some fresh air.

Li Chang’an was already practicing, and Qian Zhenzhen stood by with her arms crossed, watching.

Meng Zhu inquired with her eyes about what was happening.

Meng Yao said, "My arm is injured, so Zhenzhen wants to learn the boxing technique I’ve been practicing, and Chang’an is demonstrating it for her."

After finishing speaking, Meng Yao winked.

Meng Zhu understood and loudly said, "Chang’an, you must teach Zhenzhen well."

Then she pulled Meng Yao outside so they could breathe the fresh air, avoiding making the two young ones uncomfortable in the courtyard.