As soon as Qiao Xin and Nanny Qin entered the courtyard, they sensed that something was off.

Qiao Yunqing was inspecting the children’s schoolwork.

He sat upright, his face stern.

The children stood in a row before him, their heads lowered.

Madam Xu Shi and Madam Zhang Shi stood nearby with their hands clasped, looking nervous and uneasy.

Qiao Yunqing barely acknowledged Qiao Xin’s arrival, only giving her a slight nod before continuing to examine the papers in his hands.

On the other side, Mo Jiaquan and Shi Yazi stood tensely, their hands by their sides.

The moment they saw Qiao Xin, they reacted as if they had seen their savior.

They hurried over in a few quick steps.

“Old Madam, Nanny Qin, you’re finally here!”

They bowed respectfully and eagerly brought over chairs and tea.

Mo Jiaquan even asked, “Would you like me to prepare some food for you?”

Qiao Xin chuckled at their eagerness.

She glanced at them knowingly and said, “We’ve just eaten. You two go back to what you were doing and don’t mind me!”

Shi Yazi looked embarrassed.

He was only trying to find an excuse to escape from Qiao Yunqing’s school inspection.

Every time Second Master tested their knowledge, he got so nervous that his brain froze.

He was terrified of answering incorrectly and displeasing him.

Seeing Qiao Xin’s indifferent attitude, even the children who had been hoping she would intervene and save them lost their courage.

They all looked at her pitifully, but she coldly averted her eyes and simply sipped her tea, showing no intention of rescuing them.

Your grandma is powerless.

You’re on your own!

Qiao Yunqing took a deep breath, trying to suppress his frustration.

He looked down at the messy, ink-blotted characters on the grass-paper, his patience wearing thin.

“Qiao Renwu, tell me—what is this supposed to be? Is there even a single properly written character on this page?”

Qiao Erlang nervously dug his toes into the ground, not daring to look up. “I wrote them too big, and the teacher said that’s a waste of paper. But when I wrote them smaller, the brush didn’t cooperate! Who told the character win to have so many strokes? This paper is too rough—it soaks up the ink too fast, and everything smudges!”

As he spoke, his voice grew quieter and quieter.

He didn’t dare glance at his second uncle’s expression.

He had already been practicing this character for two days, and his hand was sore, yet he still hadn’t mastered it.

And today, of all days, Second Uncle had to check their progress!

“Let me see!” Qiao Xin said with curiosity.

Qiao Yunqing silently handed her the paper.

Qiao Xin took one look and immediately burst into laughter.

On the large 8K-sized yellow paper, twenty versions of the character ‘赢’ were sprawled across the page, each with its own unique, chaotic personality.

Every single one was creatively misshapen.

Poor kid.

However, the paper was indeed unsuitable for children learning to write.

It absorbed ink too quickly and was too rough.

Qiao Xin suddenly thought of the rice-grid and field-grid paper used for calligraphy practice in modern elementary schools.

She had an idea.

She offered some comforting words, “This character is quite difficult. Even I can’t write it well. Don’t be discouraged, Xiao Er. Once your Second Uncle finishes his exams, he can set aside time to teach you properly. In the meantime, I’ll get you some better-quality paper.”

She then turned to Qiao Yunqing and said, “Second Son, children’s hands are still too soft. It’s not good for them to start calligraphy too early. Let’s focus on having them read and recite their lessons first.”

Qiao Yunqing was silent for a moment.

He didn’t criticize Qiao Erlang any further, but he also didn’t let him off the hook completely.

“Memorize the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ by tomorrow and come find me yourself!”

“Yes, sir!”

Qiao Erlang sighed in relief.

Memorizing was much easier than writing!

He turned and gave Qiao Xin a bright, toothy grin.

His small tiger teeth and shallow dimples made him look absolutely adorable.

Qiao Xin couldn’t resist reaching out and gently tugging at his chubby little cheeks.

The boy’s eyes widened in shock.

Seeing this, Qiao Yunqing knew that today’s study session was over.

He put the books down and had the children come greet Qiao Xin properly.

It had been a month or two since they had last seen each other, and the children were especially excited.

They swarmed around Qiao Xin, chattering nonstop.

She patted one child’s head, hugged another, completely enjoying the moment.

Nanny Qin stood to the side with a small smile.

Of all the elders she had ever seen, Qiao Xin was the least like a traditional grandmother.

She never put on airs, never punished children unnecessarily, and—most importantly—she was willing to listen to younger generations instead of forcing her own opinions on them.

Compared to those who constantly emphasized their authority as elders, Qiao Xin’s respect for the younger generation was far more endearing.

Madam Zhang Shi, who had spent more time in the city recently and had been learning from Nanny Qin, suddenly blurted out, “Look at you all! Where are your manners? Have you forgotten everything you’ve learned about proper etiquette?”

The courtyard fell silent.

Everyone turned to stare at her.

Madam Zhang immediately realized her mistake and panicked.

If anyone in this household disregarded etiquette, it was Qiao Xin.

Had she just accused her mother-in-law of being improper?

Flustered, she stammered, “Mother, I didn’t mean it that way…”

Qiao Xin raised a hand slightly and pointed at her. “Etiquette isn’t just for those who have nothing better to do! We’ve only been eating our fill for a few days, and you’re already lecturing me about manners? What’s wrong with chatting with my grandkids?”

Madam Zhang was so frightened that she dropped to her knees. “Mother, I was wrong!”

Qiao Xin sighed and glanced at Qiao Yunqing, who remained silent.

Then she said, “Who have you been spending time with lately? Don’t blindly believe everything people tell you. You’ve taken everything Nanny Qin taught you and twisted it.

Learning manners isn’t about trapping yourself in a cage, making every action stiff and calculated. It’s about helping you live more comfortably.

These children are still so young! Should they already act like old scholars—never laughing, never running, never even showing their teeth when they smile? Should they move like puppets on strings? If that’s the case, then it’s better not to learn etiquette at all!”

Seeing that Madam Zhang was still kneeling, silent and afraid, Qiao Xin became impatient.

“Get up already! I don’t like people kneeling to me for no reason. It makes me feel like I’m some sort of tyrant.”

She turned to Qiao Yunqing. “Second Son, help your wife up!”

Madam Zhang Shi was so nervous that her heart nearly stopped.

She had been too comfortable lately and had clearly lost her mind—why had she gone and provoked her mother-in-law?

She stole a glance at Qiao Yunqing’s expressionless face and scrambled to her feet before he could even move.

After this little incident, Qiao Xin lost interest in playing with the children.

Once they were led back inside, she turned to Qiao Yunqing and asked about his exam preparations.

“Mother, don’t worry. Everything is ready. I will first take the county exam for the scholar title, then three months later, I will take the provincial exam.”

“You’re planning to do them back-to-back? Are you confident?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Good. I won’t pressure you about the exams. Just go in with an open mind—do your best, and whatever happens, happens. You started late and never had a proper teacher, so don’t be discouraged if things don’t go perfectly. If you don’t pass, we’ll just find you a good academy and a proper tutor. I can afford to support you!”

Qiao Yunqing’s eyes flickered with emotion. He looked at her for a long moment before finally smiling.

“Alright!”