Too high to reach

Chapter 3 Be More Mindful
After finishing her work, Mo Yi rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly into space.

Dad, when are you coming back?

The Lunar New Year is approaching, and there's still so much to do outside!
I have no idea how business is these days! I'm really worried...

She had two maids. The older one was named Xiangzhi, and the younger one was named Xiangye. They were sisters, but had no parents or brothers.

They did all the work in their own room.

Although she was called her maid, she also had to do needlework in her mother's room, clean the yard, and help out in the kitchen when there was a lot of work to be done. She was never free.

The two sisters are tight-lipped and hardworking.

But it's still not feasible to send them out to run errands.

My cousin Mo Fan from my uncle's side is my best friend, but that's limited to asking him to buy things for me and chatting about the wonders outside.

However, he dared not entrust business matters to others.

I was afraid that I might accidentally give myself away and my mother would find out.

Ha, they'll definitely wipe them all out, and they'll throw a huge tantrum.

What about the father?
The Mo family originally lived in Xinzhou, and their family owned only about a hundred acres of land, barely qualifying them as a farming and scholarly family.

My grandfather was a scholar who passed the imperial examinations; he was cautious and meticulous. With the help of a close friend from his school days, he secured a minor official position that offered some financial reward.

There are three males and one female.

The eldest son, also known as his uncle Mo Rushan, was an excellent student and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) at the age of twenty-one.

After passing the imperial examination, he found a job in the capital, and his grandfather brought the whole family with him.

However, although my uncle was undoubtedly learned, he had no connections in the court, so being an official was not easy.

His family didn't have enough money to help him pull strings.

He currently holds a fourth-rank official position, a respectable rank, and enjoys a good reputation. However, for many years, he has primarily engaged in book compilation and editing...

They spend their days buried in moldy and tattered ancient books, rising in rank with age and seniority.

But according to my father, it's probably come to an end.

To climb the ladder to the third rank... a high-ranking official position, one needs a great opportunity.

In the capital, even a single brick falling could kill four fifth-rank officials.

The Mohists are too insignificant...

After many years of hardship, my uncle lost his lofty ambitions and became pragmatic and calculating.

He married a woman surnamed Zhuang. She was the legitimate daughter of a fourth-rank official, so it could be considered a marriage down from her station.

However, my uncle was a promising young man back then. Zhuang Shi, on the other hand, was not tall and had only average looks and talent, so she could not be considered to be marrying above her station.

The couple had two daughters and one son.

Below my uncle was my aunt, Mo Ruzhen, who married my uncle's classmate and lived a peaceful life.

Next up is Mo Ruhai, his own father. He holds the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

Grandfather could only guarantee that his eldest uncle's marriage would be more respectable.

Both my father and my third uncle, Mo Rusong, have made contributions to the Mo family.

For example, the father married Wang Xiu'e, a merchant. The third uncle married the illegitimate daughter of a military general.

Both marriages brought benefits to the family to varying degrees.

My father was meticulous, simple-minded, and fond of refined things.

But his wife came from a nouveau riche family who were obsessed with fame and fortune. She was also vulgar and domineering, and sometimes didn't care much about appearances.

Since their marriage, the two have been unable to see eye to eye. The father found it difficult to concentrate on his studies, and when his son failed the imperial examinations, he gave up on taking them altogether.

Now, I work as a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel.

The parents had five children.

My third uncle, Mo Rusong, didn't even pass the imperial examination to become a scholar, but now he manages the family's farmland.

He married a woman surnamed Liu, whose family background was not low, but she was born out of wedlock.

The couple had only one daughter. The third uncle returned to his hometown and never came back.

The three brothers had already divided the family property when their grandfather passed away.

The courtyard we live in now is actually registered under my uncle's name.

My father and third uncle each received a small courtyard house.

Of the three brothers, only the eldest brother held a respectable official position. As the eldest brother, he knew how to take care of his younger brothers, and after much consideration, he decided to let his two younger brothers live with him.

One of them was the only one with an official position and a good reputation.

Another option is that the two younger brothers can also rent out their courtyards, which will give them more disposable income.

Furthermore, since my third uncle is not in the capital, it is inconvenient for my third aunt to live alone with her daughter.

Moreover, living together saves on personnel and expenses.

Actually, my aunt was not willing, because not only was the living space cramped, but she also had to deal with her two younger siblings all day long.

And these two younger siblings: "Neither of them are good people!"

But she couldn't go against her uncle's wishes.

The three brothers made an agreement that the two younger brothers would give Zhuang a symbolic amount of silver every year.

The family is responsible for accommodation, three meals a day, and welcoming and seeing off relatives. They also manage the monthly car trips for each household.

Other matters, such as having children, marriage, clothing, etc., are handled separately by each party.

My mother wasn't happy living here. My maternal grandparents provided her with a courtyard, which was quite tidy.

Being close to my maternal grandparents' home also saves me from having to deal with my sisters-in-law.

But my father resolutely refused to go!
Even now... he still can't hold his head up in front of his mother!
If we move into her dowry courtyard, the next thing I'll probably do is insist that we change our surname to Wang, so that he'll become a live-in son-in-law!

hey-hey……

In her generation, her uncle had two daughters before finally having a son, Mo Fan.

He's the second son in the Mo family, seventeen years old and still unmarried. His mind... takes after his aunt; although he's still studying, but...

The eldest daughter, Mo Hong, and the second daughter, Mo Xin, are both married.

Their parents had five children.

The eldest son, Mo Da, was nineteen years old. He was handsome and excelled in his studies, having already passed the imperial examination at the county level. He was studying at Xishan Academy and would take the examination the following autumn. He was his mother's precious darling!
He got married at the beginning of the year to a woman surnamed Zhou, the legitimate daughter of a fifth-rank official...

The young couple now rents a house in Xishan, and the sister-in-law is accompanying them to school.

The eldest daughter, Mowen, was the best-looking, intelligent, and opinionated. Among her relatives and friends, she was the most outstanding girl.

She is also her mother's precious treasure!

And then, the reborn version of herself... Mo Yi turned to look in the mirror, touched her face, and thought, although she couldn't compare to her sister, she was still alright, right?
With her older siblings above her, she couldn't attract her mother's attention.

Then came the arrival of his younger sister, Mo Qing, and younger brother, Mo Bao…

Mo Qing's personality is like her maternal grandmother's, which her mother likes very much.

Little Mo Bao is already in school. He loves to eat and is as chubby as a ball. But his uncle and father say he's the smartest in the Mo family. Naturally, he's also his mother's darling.

She had too many treasures... so she became completely invisible; she never saw herself.

Fortunately, I have my father...

Mo Yi smiled smugly. Her father had put more effort into her than into her older brother!
...Perhaps this is one of the reasons why my mother doesn't like me?
She smiled nonchalantly, looking at the finished painting of the magnolia...

As for my third uncle and third aunt...

Liu came from a respectable family, and her third uncle was quite satisfied when they first got engaged. However, he never expected that while her dowry wasn't much, her demands would be numerous.

Upon further inquiry, it turned out that Liu's birth mother was from a family of prostitutes... and was pregnant, so the Liu family had no choice but to bring her back.

The third uncle and aunt only had one daughter, her fourth sister: Mo Yuan.

The Mo family girls are all quite beautiful. Only Mo Qing is slightly less so…

Thinking of this family, I turned to look at the daffodils, and my head started to ache.

Everyone, both at home and outside, praises Mowen: she is beautiful, intelligent, talented, dignified, and virtuous.

But actually...

Hmph! Actually, she's the stingiest and most calculating. She never admits her mistakes and is also domineering.

But what can be done?
Resigned, I got up, found a small pot, and moved the two plants that Mo Wen wanted out, including the one that had just bloomed.

Hmph! She'll take whichever flower blooms! That's just like Mo Wen's personality!
After dinner, while no one was around, I quickly had Xiangye deliver it to her. I also needed to tell my uncle that the daffodils were starting to bud, so he could take them!

Otherwise, if Third Aunt, Mo Yuan, and Mo Qing found out about this... a chill ran down my spine.

She whispered to herself: Mo Yi, you'd better be more careful!

Stop showing off so much in the future!

Otherwise, how would my uncle know that you can carve daffodils?
Remember this: it's better to avoid trouble!
(End of this chapter)