All Hail Cousin Brother

246 I Like Cousin Praising Me

He wanted to see the young lady holding the brush he had held in the past and writing with it.

This was probably impossible.

Zhou Linghuai felt a little regretful. If he had known back then, he wouldn’t have gone against his father in order to change to a softer brush. Not only did he suffer, but he also didn’t anger his father in the end.

He remembered that he had gone to look for his father with the words his teacher had praised him for writing well.

His father held the piece of paper and read it word for word. In the end, he even patted his shoulder hard and laughed. “You’re indeed my son. You’re so smart. You’re just like me. You’re only five or six years old, but you already know how to use soft brushes. If word gets out, I’ll be so proud.” Then, his father patted his shoulder smugly. “You’ve really made me proud.”

Back then, when he was in the capital, he didn’t like to study and his handwriting wasn’t good either. Every time, the elder of the Imperial College would slap his palm. He was often laughed at.

Who is making you proud? Look at how your son’s handwriting is better than yours. Let’s see if you have any shame.

There was more!

With how silly his father was, if he really took after his father, wouldn’t he be a little silly child?

Didn’t he know what kind of blockhead he was?

How dare he brag here!

Couldn’t he have some self-awareness?

This was called being gifted. He had taken after himself. What did it have to do with his father? His young face was scrunched, and he thought to himself that he had miscalculated.

His father was still smug. “The best thing I’ve done in my life was marry your mother. Your mother was a famous genius in the capital back then!”

Forget it, how was this not knowing his limits? He was clearly too self-aware.

That was why he chased after her like a dog chasing after a bone. He had shamelessly gotten her into his hands. Wouldn’t he have gained face by giving birth to such a powerful son?

Thinking of the past, Zhou Linghuai couldn’t help but laugh. He composed himself and looked at the young lady’s words. “Cousin has worked hard.”

Practicing calligraphy required focus and diligence. She had done both to the best of her abilities.

Yu Youyao smiled. “Cousin teaches me calligraphy every day. I can’t let Cousin work too hard, let alone embarrass him.”

Everyone knew that her cousin was guiding her in her calligraphy. Her cousin had also personally written calligraphy for her. If her handwriting was bad, wouldn’t she embarrass her cousin?

This wouldn’t do!

In the past, the young lady did not like to practice calligraphy at all. She felt that practicing calligraphy was boring and irritable. It was also because of him that she made up her mind and gritted her teeth to practice it.

Zhou Linghuai’s expression froze for a moment, and he felt a lump in his throat. “From now on, you just have to take an hour to practice every day. You don’t have to push yourself too hard like usual. Your writing has already become quite orderly. There’s not much benefit in immersing yourself in writing.”

In the end, he looked at the young lady’s smile.

Her lips were good-looking. They were thin, but they looked plump and soft. At such a young age, they were already red and smooth like butter. When she smiled, her lips were like a budding spring apricot that was suddenly tender.

Seeing such a smile, he also felt that she was delicate. Even the flowers of her heart bloomed with her. He was free from all forms of worries and stress.

Yu Youyao nodded vigorously. “Cousin, I’ve been practicing calligraphy for a long time. I find it interesting too. I see that I’m improving every day, and the words I write every day are better than the day before. I’m also very happy. Cousin, look. I even left the words I wrote in the past.”

With that, Yu Youyao really dragged out a large wooden box from under the bookshelf. She sat down beside her cousin and opened the box in front of him.

Inside were the calligraphy pieces Yu Youyao did as practice. Not every piece was saved. She just felt that she had improved, so she kept them as a memento.

Zhou Linghuai took a look and froze.

Yu Youyao took out the small script she had written in the beginning. “Look at how ugly my handwriting used to be. I couldn’t even stand it myself. Fortunately, Cousin is amazing. In such a short period of time, he’s already made me improve so much. Otherwise, in the future, when I write letters to other people, I’ll have to ask a maidservant to write for me. When I go out, I’ll be a joke.”

With that, she looked at her cousin with sparkling eyes.

Zhou Linghuai did not say anything. He took the stack of papers from her hand and looked at them carefully.

Every piece of paper showed traces of the little girl practicing hard. Some of them were practiced when he was around, but most of them were practiced by her alone in the study when he was not around.

He recalled that every time after he left, the little girl would still bury her head in her desk and write furiously. Whether rain or shine, she was unbothered. Only a calligraphy piece that he had personally written was spread on the desk to accompany her through this dry and boring time.

Young ladies usually liked crowds.

In the past, she couldn’t sit still either. She always wanted to go out and play. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been punished by Ms. Ye at home.

Seeing that her cousin was silent, Yu Youyao called out softly, “Cousin?”

Zhou Linghuai came back to his senses and smiled. “It’s nothing. I just feel that Cousin is working hard, so I feel a little…” He swallowed the word “heartache”. Hence, there was a lump in his throat. He changed the topic and said slowly, “I’m relieved!”

Yu Youyao tilted her head and smiled. “Every time Cousin praises me, I feel happy!”

Zhou Linghuai laughed when he heard this. He tapped her forehead lightly. “You’re already ten years old. Why are you still acting like a child? Aren’t you ashamed?”

Yu Youyao covered her forehead and pouted. “What’s there to be ashamed about? Even if I’m ten years old, I’m still Cousin’s cousin. In front of Cousin, of course I can do whatever I want. It’s so uncomfortable to pretend to be an adult!”

Zhou Linghuai couldn’t help but laugh.

Yu Youyao suddenly thought of something and quickly called out to Chun Xiao.

Chun Xiao was guarding the outer room. When she heard Young Miss call her, she put down the embroidery in her hand and quickly walked into the room.

Yu Youyao pointed at the curtain by the window. “Quickly pull up the curtains in the room.”

Zhou Linghuai was stunned when he heard this, but he did not understand. The little girl had thought of something and pulled the curtain up.

Chun Xiao was also puzzled, but she did not ask. She quickly stepped forward and pulled the curtains in the room. The bright study room, which had just been filled with sunlight, immediately became dark.

After Chun Xiao finished pulling the curtains, she saw that Young Miss had no other instructions and left the study.

Looking at the tightly covered curtains, Zhou Linghuai couldn’t help but feel curious. “Cousin, what are you doing?”

Yu Youyao tilted her head to look at her cousin. “Cousin, wait. I’ll show you something good.”