The daily struggles of divorced women in ancient times

After returning to Pei Mansion, the maid Xia Mianwan had invited for the three girls had already arrived. Chai'er said, "Young Madam, Nanny Yuan is already waiting in the side hall."

Xia Mianwan frowned slightly, "Why let Madam wait in the side hall?"

Xia Mianwan rarely has a cold face, and Chai'er rarely encounters Xia Mianwan's cold face. This cold face directly frightened Chai'er. Seeing this, Ru Meng hurriedly said, "Why don't you ask Madam Yuan to go to the front hall?"

"Yes, young madam!" Chai'er lowered her head like a quail and walked quickly to the side hall.

"Fortunately, the nanny who teaches you is here today. Come with me to the front hall!" Xia Mianwan said.

"Yes, sister-in-law."

"Mother... should I go too? I'm much younger than my aunts..." Yu Jie'er begged Xia Mianwan with a bitter face.

Xia Mianwan knew that Yu Jie'er was impatient, so she said, "You are still young anyway, so if you don't want to go, then don't go. But your teacher will come to the capital in a while. If you haven't made any progress by then, your teacher will scold you, and your mother won't help you!"

"What? Sir is coming to the capital?" Yu Jie'er asked happily. She and Madam Yang had a very deep relationship and could be considered close friends.

"Yes, Mr. Yang will be here too. You and Brother Chen will take the test together!"

After her mother finished speaking, Yu Jie'er prepared to return to her own courtyard. "Mother, I have a lot of things and ideas to tell you, so I'll go back first."

Xia Mianwan laughed and said, "Go ahead."

As soon as Xia Mianwan finished speaking, Yu Jie'er ran out of the yard as quickly as a bird released from a cage.

Xia Mianwan shook her head and said to the other girls, "Let's go then."

Nanny Yuan was found by Lady Sang for Xia Mianwan. This Nanny was a powerful person. She was born in the Duke's Mansion and was a concubine's daughter of the Duke's Mansion. Later, the Duke's Mansion suffered a disaster and the whole family was exiled. Nanny Yuan endured in the north. After ten years, she finally waited for the new emperor to ascend the throne and grant amnesty. Nanny Yuan gradually became famous in Yanzhou with her superb embroidery and beautiful calligraphy.

Because she came from a prominent family and was not discouraged by being exiled to the north, and she was proficient in all the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, someone came to her door and wanted to force Nanny Yuan to marry her.

Nanny Yuan was unwilling to be someone's concubine, so she cut her hair and decided to go to the temple to become a nun.

Later... when the rumors died down, a merchant family hired Nanny Yuan to educate their daughter, and then they returned to the mundane world.

In the meantime, Nanny Yuan met Madam Sang again, and then accepted Madam Sang's employment and became the top nanny in training the prostitutes in Madam Sang's brothel.

Nanny Yuan was also disdainful at first, but in the process of getting to know Madam Sang, she realized that she was not a black-hearted mother, and would even fight for a future for the girls. Only then did she agree to Madam Sang's request.

Nanny Yuan was probably around forty years old, but her face didn't show her age at all.

Nanny Yuan’s temperament is very cold, but not in the way that she is detached from the world. It’s more like she has been immersed in the mud for several years but has not been stained by any mud.

"Sister Yuan, I'm sorry, the maid in our house is ignorant." Xia Mianwan said with a smile.

Nanny Yuan seemed very surprised that Xia Mian called her Sister Yuan at the party.

"Young Madam, you are too polite. I am not worthy of being called sister." Nanny Yuan said.

"Sister Yuan, you should be polite. Sister Sang is a sister to you and me, so why can't we be called sisters? In the eyes of outsiders, women are divided into different classes and their dignity depends on men. But we are trying to earn our dignity without relying on men."

Nanny Yuan was slightly stunned, then she was relieved, "I was obsessed, my sister is really just like what Ayu described. Okay, from now on I will call you sister."

Xia Mianwan smiled slightly, and then sat on the main seat, "Sister Yuan, please sit down, these are the girls from our Pei family."

"Hello, Madam Yuan." Several young ladies from the Pei family bowed to Madam Yuan one by one.

Nanny Yuan was polite to the girls, "I am a strict person. Since Madam Pei has entrusted you to me, I must fulfill my duties to you. From today on, you must be prepared."

"Yes!"

"I have taught many girls in the past, including young ladies from wealthy families and famous prostitutes in brothels. If you mind, please tell me now, so that I won't be embarrassed by gossips from others." Nanny Yuan spoke first.

Xia Mianwan was very surprised that Nanny Yuan was so frank.

"Brothel? Famous prostitute? Sister-in-law, this is the teacher you hired for us? Are you humiliating us? Although we have no adults in our family, we still know etiquette, righteousness, integrity and shame. We don't want to be taught by such a person." When Pei Ying heard that Nanny Yuan had taught a famous prostitute, she immediately stood up and looked at Xia Mianwan with a humiliated face.

She...if she could be with Young Master Jiang, she would definitely be an official's wife in the future. If she is taught by a nanny like this, how can she have any dignity in the future?

Nanny Yuan was not angry. She looked at Pei Yanyue, Pei Yanqi, Pei Ling and Pei Xia, and said, "What about you? If you have the same idea as Miss Ying, you can bring it up now."

Pei Yanyue shook her head and said, "Madam Yuan, I have no objection. What my sister-in-law finds for me must be the best."

Pei Yanqi quickly followed up and said, "Me too, me too."

Pei Ling wanted to make amends for her sister, but after thinking for a long time, she could not think of any way to make amends, so she had to stand up and apologize to Nanny Yuan, "Nanny, it was my elder sister who was rude, I hope you don't get angry and don't mind. I have no objection either, I will follow my two sisters."

Pei Xia looked at her eldest sister, then at her second sister, feeling a little embarrassed. Finally, Pei Ying glared at her, and she felt a little scared. "I can do it. It doesn't matter if I learn or not. Just look at my sisters."

Pei Xia closed his mouth after he finished speaking, refusing to say any more words, neither looking at Pei Ying's eyes nor Pei Ling's.

After asking all these questions, Nanny Yuan said to Xia Mianwan, "Mianwan, since you have no intention of learning from me, I will not teach you. How about that?"

Xia Mianwan smiled and nodded: "Of course you can. Students can choose their teachers, and teachers can choose their students. Since you and Pei Ying are not destined to be together, then you won't learn. But Pei Xia, do you want to learn or not?"

Pei Xia looked at Xia Mianwan carefully and found that Xia Mianwan really didn't seem to be reluctant. When he was about to refuse, Pei Ling pulled him back and said, "Speak carefully and don't talk nonsense!"

Pei Ying was furious when she saw Pei Ling acting like this, "Is there a sister like you? Of course she has to follow me!"

Pei Xia was troubled by the two people, "Stop arguing, I won't learn it."

"Okay, then Pei Ying and Pei Xia will not study anymore. Big sister, second sister, and Miss Ling, you can go to Changchun Garden with your nanny to get familiar with the study area first."