Chapter 1: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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**Chapter 1: Rice Blossoms**
In August, during the golden autumn, the sun shone brightly.
Across the vast land, a golden sea of rice swayed in the gentle breeze, creating waves that rolled over the fields. Amidst these dancing waves of rice, a young girl in a green padded jacket, her hair tied in a child’s hairstyle, closed her eyes and spread her arms wide, relishing the rich scent of rice blossoms.
“Daohua ~”
“Daohua ~”
A clear, carefree voice, full of joy and belonging only to youth, called out from afar, carried quickly by the breeze across the fields.
The girl’s eyes flew open at the sound, and tilting her head, she saw a young boy, as swift as the wind, running toward her from the ridges, waving eagerly.
When she saw the boy, the girl’s brows arched, and a radiant smile blossomed across her face. Raising her hand, she waved enthusiastically. “Third Brother, I’m here!”
Yan Wentao’s expression brightened when he saw her, and his long legs moved even faster.
In the sea of golden rice, the young girl in green stood with a soft smile, her brows graceful without makeup, her lips rosy without rouge, her eyes like stars, and her skin as smooth as cream.
Even after nine years of seeing her, Yan Wentao still felt he could never get enough of his lovely younger sister, as if she were a heavenly maiden.
“Third Brother, what brings you here?”
As soon as he arrived, the girl spoke cheerfully, her fair cheeks slightly flushed from the sunlight, making her look even more endearing.
“What do you think? Under this blazing sun, why did you come out here? Aren’t you worried about getting sunburned?”
Yan Wentao immediately removed the straw hat from his head and placed it carefully on hers.
“Look at you, your face is already red. When we get home, Grandmother will surely scold you.”
The girl stood obediently, letting her brother put the hat on her. Once it was set, she affectionately took his arm and pleaded, “If Grandmother gets angry, you’ll have to help me, Third Brother.”
“Oh, you!” Yan Wentao tapped her on the forehead, his face full of fondness and exasperation. “Come on, let’s go back. Our eldest uncle sent a letter, and Grandmother is waiting for you to read it to her.”
“Really?”
The girl blinked. “Why a letter at this time?”
Yan Wentao shrugged. “The harvest season is coming up soon, so he’s probably asking when we’ll visit him in the county where he works.”
The girl shrugged, unconcerned.
Seeing her reaction, Yan Wentao chuckled. “What’s this? Don’t you want to see Uncle and Auntie?”
The year the girl was born, their uncle had passed the imperial examination, and the following year he was appointed as a seventh-rank county magistrate. At that time, the girl was very young, and their grandmother’s health wasn’t good, so their uncle had to leave them both at home when he took office.
Eight years had gone by since then.
Looking at his younger sister, who was now nine and had rarely seen her parents, Yan Wentao felt a pang of sorrow.
“Of course I want to!”
The girl replied casually.
Compared to being confined to a manor’s back courtyard, she much preferred the freedom of life in the fields. If she could, she would rather stay here in the countryside forever, living a life of peace.
By now, the siblings had reached the main road, and people began to appear around them.
“Oh, it’s Daohua and Wentao!”
“Third Uncle!”
“Master Wu!”
“Auntie Liu!”
“Uncle Wu!”
The siblings greeted everyone warmly, drawing even broader smiles from those around them.
“What brings you out in this sun?”
“What else could it be? Daohua must be out inspecting their rice fields again.”
Everyone laughed heartily at the comment.
The girl laughed along with them. “I have to check; our family depends on this harvest!”
“Daohua , listen to your Auntie. Your father is a county magistrate; you don’t need to work hard like us. Go home and enjoy your life of comfort.”
The girl responded with a smile, “Auntie, even a county magistrate needs to eat!”
“Ha ha ha, look at our Daohua . She’s so young and already helping the family. No wonder Old Madam Yan dotes on her so much.”
“Of course she’s lovable! If I had a granddaughter like her, I’d spoil her to no end too.”
Listening to everyone’s playful banter, the girl smiled all along, holding her brother’s arm with one hand while letting the other hand playfully graze the rice stalks. She hopped lightly along as they headed to the grandest house in the village.
When they were out of earshot, a sour voice sounded from the crowd.
“What good is being spoiled when she’s just a girl?”
“Oh, Li’er, stop talking nonsense. What did Daohua ever do to you?”
“I just can’t stand you all fawning over a little girl. If her magistrate father valued her at all, he wouldn’t have left her here for eight years.”
“If you don’t know the truth, don’t talk. Daohua is here to take care of Old Madam Yan on behalf of her parents.”
“Hmph! That’s just a story to fool outsiders. Believe it if you want. I heard that Magistrate Yan took in a scholarly concubine, and they had twins. The daughter is beautiful and cherished, while Daohua , growing up in a village, is like a country girl. Magistrate Yan would never favor her!”
Farmers speak loudly, and their words carried across the open field. Even after the siblings had walked some distance away, they could still catch parts of the conversation.
“Third Brother, what are you doing?”
The girl quickly grabbed Yan Wentao’s arm as he tried to turn back and confront the gossiping man.
Yan Wentao was tall and sturdy for his thirteen years, nearly as tall as an adult man, and the girl almost couldn’t hold him back.
“I’m going to teach that jerk a lesson!”
Seeing her brother’s anger, the girl laughed, “Wow, Third Brother! You’re really speaking like a scholar now!”
Yan Wentao, known for his dislike of studying, felt some of his anger dissipate under his sister’s teasing.
She took the opportunity to pull him back. “It’s just idle gossip. Why take it so seriously?”
Yan Wentao reached to ruffle her hair, but the straw hat got in the way. “Daohua , don’t listen to them. You’re our family’s rightful daughter, and that concubine’s child will never surpass you. Even if… even if…”
The girl looked at him with sparkling eyes, smiling mischievously. “Even if what?”
Gritting his teeth, Yan Wentao replied, “Even if Uncle really likes that concubine’s daughter, don’t be afraid. You still have Grandmother and us. We won’t let anyone bully you!”
The girl beamed, her bright smile revealing a set of glistening white teeth. She twirled a stalk of rice in her fingers, and as she noticed the deepening green of the flower in her palm, her eyes sparkled even more.
“That’s right! With Grandmother here, even if Father’s an official, he’d never dare disobey her,” she said confidently.
“Daohua , you crazy girl, get back here! Do you want to turn into a charcoal briquette?”
A loud, vigorous shout came from the courtyard about ten meters away. From the voice, it was clear the speaker was in excellent health.
The girl flinched and, looking resigned, dashed toward the gate on her short legs, shouting, “Grandmother, your dear little Daohua is back!”
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