Chapter 20: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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Chapter 20: Acting Skills
After arriving in Linyi County, Daohua had finally settled down with her parents.
Though life here wasn’t as carefree as it had been in Yan Family Village, it was still warm and cozy.
Perhaps out of guilt for not having raised their eldest daughter by their side, both Madam Li and Yan Zhigao treated Daohua very well.
On the tenth day after Daohua's arrival, Yan Zhiyuan and Yan Zhiqiang returned home.
In the main courtyard, in the left wing room.
"Your second and third uncles were worried about you. They waited for you for a long time, but when you didn’t arrive, they feared you might have had trouble on the road and insisted on going to meet you. Unfortunately, you missed them," Madam Li said, smiling as she inserted an exquisite pearl flower into Daohua’s hair. After arranging it, she pulled Daohua up and looked at her with satisfaction.
Daohua felt helpless about this.
It seemed every mother liked to dress up her daughters.
For the past few days, Madam Li had been personally overseeing Daohua’s wardrobe and appearance.
Seeing her daughter dressed so properly, Madam Li beamed with maternal love. "Come, let’s go to the Old Lady’s courtyard to greet your second and third uncles."
As soon as the mother and daughter arrived at the Songhe Courtyard, they heard someone crying loudly.
"Mother, it’s my fault, I’ve made you suffer," Yan Zhiyuan’s voice echoed from the main room.
In the hall, Yan Zhiyuan was kneeling on the ground, holding Old Madam Yan ’s legs, crying uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, the honest and simple Yan Zhiqiang stood nearby, red-eyed, looking at his mother.
Daohua walked in and immediately felt the urge to rub her temples.
Her honest third uncle—couldn’t he show a bit more filial piety?
Look at her second uncle, crying so hard, with snot and tears mixing together, showing such filial devotion and longing for their old mother!
But her third uncle was just standing there, doing nothing. What was that supposed to mean? If she didn’t know better, she might think he didn’t care about his mother at all.
"Mother, after leaving Linyi County, I’ve been following the official road toward the capital city, asking around every inn and temple along the way. I didn’t miss a single place, but still couldn’t find you. I’m useless!" Yan Zhiyuan continued to sob as he recounted all the efforts he had made, detailing how tired he was physically and how anxious he felt inside.
Unintentionally or not, during his speech, he only mentioned himself and didn’t mention his brother Yan Zhiqiang at all.
Old Madam Yan was deeply moved by his words and personally wiped away the tears and snot from his face.
Daohua couldn’t help but admire the scene.
What a perfect picture of a mother’s love and a son’s filial piety!
If it weren’t for her dear third uncle standing there looking clueless, she might actually be touched by their emotional reunion.
It was time to show off some real acting skills!
Daohua released her mother’s arm, pinched her own thigh hard, and immediately her apricot-shaped eyes filled with mist. Then, she quickly ran over to Yan Zhiqiang, calling out with a choking voice, "Third Uncle, I missed you so much."
The moment Daohua spoke, Old Madam Yan and Yan Zhiyuan stopped in their tracks, both looking up at the third uncle they had completely ignored.
The others in the room were also startled, their eyes all turning to Yan Zhiqiang.
Daohua, with tears in her eyes, clung to his arm. "Third Uncle, you’ve lost so much weight. We only parted for two months. Haven’t you been eating well or sleeping well?"
Upon hearing this, some people’s expressions grew slightly awkward.
Seeing Daohua’s concern for him, Yan Zhiqiang’s heart was filled with joy. He felt that his niece hadn’t been in vain all these years. He reached out and rubbed her head, smiling, "I’m fine, I’ll recover in a couple of days."
Daohua squeezed out a few tears. "I know, Third Uncle. You must have been exhausted searching for Grandma, me, and Third Brother. Tonight, I’ll make you some dumpling soup."
Yan Zhiqiang’s dark face broke into a smile. "That’s great! You have to make a lot, though. Third Uncle has a big appetite. I can eat a lot."
"Me too, me too!"
Six-year-old Yan Wenhui, with his round face and head full of energy, rushed over, looking up at his big sister. "Sister, Wenhui wants some too."
Daohua smiled and patted the little guy’s head. "Don’t worry, we won’t forget our cute Wenhui."
"I want some too. I love the dumpling soup my little sister makes." Yan Wentao walked over with a smile.
"What dumpling soup?"
Yan Wenkai leaned in curiously.
Yan Wentao immediately, with pride, introduced, "Let me tell you, Daohua’s dumpling soup is super delicious. It’s so good that even Third Uncle says you could swallow your tongue with it."
Yan Wenkai looked skeptical. "Really?"
"Really, really." Yan Wenhui raised his hand to swear.
Yan Wenkai made a decisive decision. "Then I want some too."
"And my mom, my mom wants some too," Yan Wenhui added.
"Also Grandma, Grandma has bad teeth, so she needs some dumpling soup too," Yan Wentao chimed in.
Yan Wenkai immediately added, "And my older brother! He’s always buried in books, he needs to replenish his brain!"
Hearing this, Yan Wenxiu shot a dark look at his silly younger brother.
Where did that fool get the idea that dumpling soup could replenish your brain?
Everyone else in the room:
Wasn’t this supposed to be a touching mother-son reunion?
Why did the mood suddenly shift?
Yan Zhiyuan stood next to Old Madam Yan , looking seriously at the niece he hadn’t really interacted with before.
Not bad, though—just a few words and she had already shifted everyone’s attention off him, highlighting his third brother’s filial piety. This niece was quite clever.
Old Madam Yan smiled as she watched her grandchildren’s playful antics and then waved at her third son.
Yan Zhiqiang immediately walked over. "Mother!"
Old Madam Yan took his hand and patted it. "You’ve worked hard."
Yan Zhiqiang grinned. "Not hard at all. I just couldn’t find Mother, and I made you worry."
Old Madam Yan smiled. "I didn’t worry. Wen Tao carried me all the way here."
When the conversation between mother and son seemed to be winding down, Madam Li pulled Daohua over to Yan Zhiyuan. "Daohua, quickly, greet your second uncle."
Daohua sighed inwardly.
Great, here comes the kneeling again.
In ancient times, she could tolerate everything except this constant kneeling. She could never get used to it.
But alas, formalities were more important than personal feelings. She had to lower her head.
"Daohua greets Second Uncle, thank you for your hard journey."
Yan Zhiyuan smiled broadly and helped Daohua up, looking her up and down. "So this is Daohua? She really is striking, even more beautiful than those noble daughters from good families."
Madam Li furrowed her brows slightly. "Second brother, you’re overpraising her. Daohua is just a little girl, how could she be compared to those noble ladies? Please, don’t say that in the future."
A woman’s beauty, without a strong family background, could lead to trouble.
Although her husband was a county magistrate, his rank was low compared to many others.
Sensing Madam Li’s displeasure, Yan Zhiyuan quickly agreed.
At this point, Yan Zhigao spoke up, "Second and Third Brothers, why are you so late returning? Did you encounter any issues on the way?"
Yan Zhiyuan immediately turned to Yan Zhigao. "Big Brother, actually, after we reached the capital city, while searching for Mother, we heard news that the court had sent people to help with disaster relief, so we stayed in the city for a while to inquire."
Yan Zhigao nodded. "I already knew about that. The county office received the news a few days ago."
Yan Zhiyuan smiled. "Big Brother, do you know what rank the officials sent for disaster relief?"
Yan Zhigao raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
Yan Zhiyuan, slightly excited, leaned forward. "It’s none other than the Prince Rui, the Emperor’s younger brother!"
Yan Zhigao was so shocked that he stood up. "What?!" A royal prince personally coming to handle disaster relief? That was extraordinary!
(End of Chapter)
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