Too high to reach

Chapter 71 I regret not using enough time
Wang Xiaowei threw the chess piece she was holding onto the chessboard.

"You play with Miss Yuan! I'm not playing!"

A cold and direct rejection, showing no consideration whatsoever.

Lady Hou and Liang You listened intently, their eyes flashing, but they remained silent.

The expressions on Wang's and the other two girls' faces changed...

Only Mo Yuan remained smiling: "What? Afraid of losing?!"

"Heh! You think I'd lose to you?" Wang Xiaoyang sneered.

"What if!"

Most people were dismissive of the two girls' behavior. Wang Xiaowei had an arrogant air about her; how could she be so disrespectful in social situations? As for Mo Yuan, her demeanor, voice, and eyes often carried a different air from the other two, which was indeed a bit hard to get used to.

"What a joke! Even if you know how to play, I'll give you a 36-piece handicap and still beat you in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea!"

"No need for that! Just do it normally!"

Wang Xiaowei spoke, but refused to move.

Lady Hou was somewhat displeased. She liked capable girls, but this girl couldn't be so inconsiderate! This was a gathering I organized, and this disrespect towards my guests was a disrespect to me!
But she's still a young girl. If I open my mouth, how will she ever be able to go out in the future?

Knowing her mistress's intentions, Granny Zhang quickly said, "Everyone is here to have fun today. If Miss Xiaowei doesn't want to play anymore, please step aside and let Miss Shanlin and Miss Mo discuss it."

A woman came out and said, "Xiaowei, if you had that much time, you would have finished playing by now. Miss Mo is also a guest of the Marquis's wife. Even though your skills are superb, you can't be so disrespectful!"

Wang Xiao nodded slightly and said disdainfully to Mo Yuan, "Then let's settle this with one game. If I lose, I'll serve you tea and call you 'Master' whenever I see you in the future. If you lose, don't ever stand in front of me again!"

This disdain is incredibly embarrassing.

But Mo Yuan still smiled and said, "Alright! If I lose, I'll shout three times that Miss Wang's chess skills are unparalleled, and I'll never appear before you again. If you lose, every time you see me in the future... you'll have to serve me tea and call me Master!"

She even flicked her right eyebrow, which was very undignified.

Old Mrs. Liang snorted heavily and glanced at Wang Shi. Who are these people? She really looks down on them!

The two people started playing.

"Mo Yi, both of your older sisters have gone. What are you good at anyway?!" said Grandma Liang.

This girl is the one she's going to deal with today.

Mo Yi is bad at both chess and zither, but since she's been forced into this situation, she can't just keep backing down.

He stood up and said to the old lady, "Grandma, Mo Yi is not good at playing the zither or chess, and her calligraphy is not very good either, but she likes to paint."

"Really? Then draw one for us to see." Old Mrs. Liang's attitude was extremely cold.

While they were talking, Lady Hou didn't have a good impression of Wang: she was restless and gesticulated wildly whenever she spoke. She talked and laughed, laughing to herself without regard for others—a typical nouveau riche businesswoman!
The Mo family were supposed to be a family of scholars and farmers, so how could they marry such a woman?
Liang You's mother is too much of a pushover; she even befriends people like that, without knowing the proper boundaries!
"Xianlin, your calligraphy is good, and your painting is also quite good. Please paint another one for Miss Mo!" Lady Hou instructed.

Just as Wang was about to say something, Mo Wen finished playing the zither and stood beside her, gently taking her arm to stop her from speaking.

Mo Yi walked to the table.

Following Madam Hou's instructions, Zhang Xianlin stood beside her, and the two prepared paper and pen.

Mrs. Liang was kind-hearted, not completely naive, and she could tell that her stepmother-in-law harbored ill will towards the Mo family. So she took the initiative to speak up for Mo Yi: "That girl Mo Yi is incredibly skilled with her hands. The purse she made for Xin Xin last time had Xin Xin's name embroidered on it. The design was beautiful, the meaning was auspicious, and Xin Xin loved it so much, showing it off to everyone every day!"

Mo Yi was testing her pen when she heard this and knew that Mrs. Liang was speaking up for her. She was very touched.

He turned his head and smiled at Mrs. Liang and Liang You.

Her radiant smile made her glow instantly... Old Mrs. Liang was quite the ladies' man. "Needlework? What woman doesn't know how? In a family like ours, we just need to know how to thread a needle and how to stitch. Why would we need to do needlework ourselves?"

A relative standing next to her chimed in, "Oh dear, not all families are the same. Miss Mo, she might have to do some of the chores herself."

That means the Mo family was poor, and they didn't even have a sewing room in their own home...

Seeing his family being repeatedly looked down upon, Mo Wen's expression became increasingly uneasy. He was about to say something...

But then they heard Wang Xiao frown slightly, his voice unpleasant: "You! How could you be so mean?!"

Mo Yuan smiled slowly and asked, "What's wrong? Did I break the rules?"

Wang Xiaowei hesitated for a moment: "It's not exactly breaking the rules. But you..."

“Since I haven’t broken any rules, why do you care how I walk?” Mo Yuan interrupted the move and then slapped down another piece.

That kind of manner had a certain roguishness about it.

But Wang Xiaowei had no time to argue with her anymore; she frowned even more as she stared at the board.

Wang hated Old Madam Liang terribly, and kept cursing her in her heart: What's wrong with my family? You have a good background, but you still married into the Liang family, didn't you?
She stubbornly insisted, "Every family has its own way of doing things! My family values ​​needlework very much for young women. Back when Master Yun from Suzhou came to the capital, my family even invited her to come over and teach us sisters how to embroider on both sides!"

Someone immediately said, "Oh, Master Yun! I heard it's impossible to get him to come now. Mrs. Wang, you can also do double-sided embroidery?"

"I did learn it back then. But since I didn't need it anymore, I guess I've forgotten it all?" Wang finally felt a little smug. She was secretly thinking to herself: You're the ones who have to do the work yourselves!

Several people were arguing, and when they looked again, Liang You had already walked up to Mo Yi.

Those who didn't know about Liang You and Mo Yi's previous encounter were wondering: What's wrong with Liang You? Is he interested in this unassuming little girl?
Lady Hou also saw it and felt somewhat displeased: This silly boy, why is he so stubborn?

Wang was quite pleased... Liang You was truly a capable man!
Mo Yi, however, paid no attention to who was coming over, picked up her pen and focused on what she wanted to draw.

She is very self-aware; her handwriting is average, and she's not very good at drawing.

She only learned some basics at a girls' school. Without instruction, diligent practice, talent, or exposure to famous paintings, it would be impossible to succeed.

In the family, all the men have excellent handwriting. The eldest brother's is especially good; otherwise, he would always be writing calligraphy samples for them! Even the third uncle and Mo Fan, though not very learned, have beautiful handwriting.

My older brother let them practice whenever he had the chance, but unfortunately he wasn't really into it...

It's not that I didn't care; there were so many miscellaneous things to do every day!

You only realize how little you know when you need it; the ancients were right!

If we're talking about her strengths... she's actually good at drawing jade ornaments. She's seen many paintings and copied quite a few.

Drawing those bird and animal patterns, cloud patterns, floral patterns, dragon and phoenix patterns, and unicorn claw patterns is all done in a single stroke. It's not very useful at this time…

But when you need to show off in front of others, you can always imitate what others do, right?
Zhang Xianlin, standing beside her, had already begun writing, her expression focused. Her movements were noticeably more graceful than Mo Yi's. Even with Liang You standing next to Mo Yi, it had no effect on her whatsoever.

Lady Hou nodded secretly. Xianlin's demeanor was most suitable for Liang You. "Silly boy, do you even understand?" she thought, looking at him with a hint of exasperation. However, besides his literary and martial talents, she had chosen him because of his character: steadfast and upright. These qualities made him stand out among the others!

Mo Yi has already decided what she wants to draw.

Immediately put pen to paper, eyes firm and focused, pen moving like a ball, scribbling and drawing long lines up and down, without the slightest hesitation or stagnation!
This sudden display of confidence made the previously quiet, barely noticeable girl...

It even emitted a mesmerizing halo.

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite novels. When writing about Wang Shi, I always thought of that old mother…

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(End of this chapter)