Early in the morning, after finishing her meal, Ye Yunniang came to Fanghua Courtyard to relieve Taohong.
"Ms. Ye, the young master is still asleep," Taohong said and then left. Having stayed up all night, she was very sleepy at this moment.
Ye Yunniang entered the inner room. Jiang Tingjun was sleeping soundly.
Ye Yunniang sat beside him and waited for him to wake up.
When Jiang Tingjun woke up, Ye Yunniang first fed him milk. Then she dressed him, washed his face and helped him rinse his mouth. After all this fuss, Jiang Tingjun was hungry again.
Hong Cai brought in minced meat and egg custard, and Ye Yunniang fed Jiang Tingjun a little.
All the tables and chairs in the outer room were removed and replaced with a large area of fur blankets.
They put Jiang Tingjun on the blanket, and Hong Cai and Hongyin carried over a toy box.
All the toys inside were Jiang Tingjun's.
They took them out one by one.
"Little master, what toy do you want to play with today?" Hong Cai said as she took out a wooden sword and waved it in front of Jiang Tingjun to catch his attention.
Jiang Tingjun glanced at the wooden sword and then continued to look into the box.
Hongyin took out a ball with bells sewn at the four corners and shook it. "Little master, how about playing with the bell ball?"
Jiang Tingjun's big, round eyes looked at the ball, and he coldly spat out a single word, "No."
"You don't like the bell ball. Little master, do you want to play with the rattle?" Hong Cai took out the rattle and shook it gently.
The rattling sound rang out.
Jiang Tingjun looked at the rattle seriously. Under the expectant looks of Hong Cai and Hongyin, he said "No" again.
Hong Cai and Hongyin continued to take toys out of the box.
There were a cloth cat, a cloth tiger, a wooden dagger, a small abacus, colorful clay figurines of cats, dogs, sheep, rabbits... a nine - ring puzzle...
All the toys in the box were taken out, but Jiang Tingjun didn't like any of them.
"No, no, no..." Jiang Tingjun urged them to take out new ones.
"There are no more, little master," Hong Cai said helplessly, spreading her hands. The box was already empty.
Jiang Tingjun didn't listen. He pointed at the box, asking Hong Cai to take out more.
Ye Yunniang, who had been watching by the side, got up and gathered all the toys on the blanket and put them back into the box.
"Let's do it one more time," she said.
Hong Cai and Hongyin understood what she meant. Hong Cai picked up the rattle and shook it. The rattling sound rang out again.
"Little master, do you want to play with the rattle?"
"No," Jiang Tingjun laughed.
"Little master, do you like the cloth tiger? Roar~" Hongyin picked up the cloth tiger and imitated the roar of a tiger.
"Ah... No," Jiang Tingjun giggled.
Jiang Tingjun played the game of choosing toys all day.
Hong Cai and Hongyin's throats were hoarse.
When Jiang Tingjun was happy, he giggled and pounced on Ye Yunniang's legs. "Nai (Nanny)."
Ye Yunniang picked up Jiang Tingjun.
"Nai," Jiang Tingjun put his arms around Ye Yunniang's neck and rubbed his head against her neck.
Ye Yunniang felt a little ticklish and couldn't help laughing. She carried him into the inner room and fed him milk.
She held him upright to help him burp, and then put him to bed.
Hong Cai walked into the inner room and called Ye Yunniang out to the outer room for dinner.
"Wait a little longer. The little master just fell asleep," Ye Yunniang said, motioning for her to be quiet.
Hong Cai nodded and went to the outer room to keep watch.
After making sure that Jiang Tingjun was sound asleep, Ye Yunniang got up and went to the outer room. The blanket in the outer room had been put away, and the tables and chairs were set up.
"Have you eaten? Have some with me," Ye Yunniang said. She couldn't finish the five - course meal and a soup by herself.
"I've eaten. Sister Ye, you eat. I'll go and watch over the little master," Hong Cai said and went into the inner room to keep watch.
Ye Yunniang had been eating light - flavored food for several months. She really wanted to eat some strongly - flavored dishes.
After dinner, she packed up the food and put it back in the lunch box and washed her hands.
Ye Yunniang went back to the inner room to keep watch over the little master with Hong Cai.
At night, to prevent herself from getting sleepy, Ye Yunniang took out some needles and thread to do some sewing.
Ye Yunniang was making tiger - head shoes for Jiang Tingjun, which were his favorite.
After sewing a few stitches, Ye Yunniang would look up to check on Jiang Tingjun.
Hong Cai was also doing some needlework. She was embroidering Buddhist scriptures.
As she embroidered, she read the characters out.
"Hong Cai, you can read!" Ye Yunniang was surprised and a little envious.
"Yes, I know some characters," Hong Cai replied. Seeing Ye Yunniang's envious look, she asked, "Ms. Ye, do you want to learn to read?"
"Yes, I do," Ye Yunniang didn't hide her desire.
"In our Jiang Mansion, there are literacy training courses for the servants. If you want to learn to read, you can go to Xiaosong Residence beside Zhuyun Pavilion to sign up with Aunt Kong Ci. The learning fee is 1 tael of silver for 30 days. I learned to read from Aunt Kong Ci in Xiaosong Residence. Only after I learned to read did I have the chance to work in Fanghua Courtyard," Hong Cai said, feeling proud of her foresight at that time.
Among the 15 little maids who entered the Jiang Mansion with her, she was the one who had done the best.
"Thank you. I'll go and have a look tomorrow when I'm off," Ye Yunniang thanked her.
As they were talking, Hongluo walked in.
"Keep your voices down," Hongluo's scolding tone made Hong Cai frown.
"We're talking very quietly. We won't wake up the little master," Hong Cai said.
After confirming that Jiang Tingjun was sleeping soundly, Hongluo turned to look at Ye Yunniang and Hong Cai.
"Aunt Lan has set a rule that we should keep a good watch over the little master at night. I'll report everything about you two doing needlework and talking to Aunt Lan," Hongluo said.
Hong Cai didn't want to be reported. Aunt Jinlan liked to find those who made mistakes and fine them.
"At night, if people don't talk or do anything and just sit there, they'll easily get sleepy," Hong Cai said.
"Still daring to talk back," Hongluo frowned and made another mark against Hong Cai.
Ye Yunniang held back Hong Cai, who was about to say something more. "Got it. We won't do needlework."
Hongluo snorted at them and left.
"Ms. Ye, she's riding roughshod over us. Why do you still endure it?" Hong Cai was dissatisfied with Ye Yunniang's attitude.
"If I don't endure, should I quarrel with her or fight with her? Hong Cai, let me say something you may not like. You're different from me. I'll leave the Jiang Mansion in a few months. I probably won't have any more contact with Aunt Jinlan and Hongluo in the future. You'll be serving in the little master's room all the time. Aunt Jinlan is the head aunt, and Hongluo is in her good graces now. What good will it do you to have a conflict with Hongluo?" Out of gratitude for Hong Cai telling her about the literacy training course, Ye Yunniang talked to her a little more.
Hong Cai realized that she had been impulsive just now. "Sister Ye, thank you for holding me back just now."
"We've known each other. I hope you'll do better in the mansion," Ye Yunniang put away the needles and thread in her hand.
Hong Cai also put away her things, and they sat back on the couch at the foot of the bed to keep watch over the little master.
With a little grunt, Ye Yunniang got up to check.
Jiang Tingjun woke up, his big black eyes staring at Ye Yunniang without blinking.
"The little master is awake. Nanny will check if you've wet the bed first," Ye Yunniang said as she checked Jiang Tingjun's little bottom wrapped in the diaper.
He had wet a little.
Hong Cai brought in some warm water.
Ye Yunniang cleaned Jiang Tingjun up, put on a new diaper for him, and then fed him milk.
Even though Ye Yunniang had been drinking all kinds of milk - promoting soups, her milk supply was still very abundant.
After Jiang Tingjun was full, he closed his eyes.
Ye Yunniang held him for a while and then put him back to bed when he fell asleep.
Jiang Tingjun woke up twice during the night and slept until dawn.
Ye Yunniang relieved Taohong and left the room.
Aunt Jinlan stopped Ye Yunniang and Hong Cai.
"Aunt Lan, we shouldn't have done needlework last night. We violated the rules. Please punish us," Hong Cai admitted her mistake actively with a very good attitude.
"Please punish us," Ye Yunniang echoed.
"Considering that this is your first offense and your good attitude of admitting the mistake, I won't fine your monthly pay. But next time..."
"Aunt Lan, please forgive us. We won't make such a mistake again," Hong Cai and Ye Yunniang said in unison.
