Chapter 62: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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Chapter 62: The Country Bumpkin and the Unlucky Fellow Reunite
Looking at the desolate and dilapidated courtyard in front of him, Yan Zhigao could no longer maintain the forced smile on his face.
The guide, looking a bit embarrassed, gave a sheepish smile and said, "Well then... Lord Magistrate, you all have a good rest. I'll take my leave now!" With that, he darted off in a flash.
"This is too much!"
Yan Wenxiu, still a young man in his early teens, couldn’t suppress his indignation as well as Yan Zhigao or Advisor Xiao. His scholarly pride, coupled with a sense of righteousness, left him shaking with anger.
Seeing his flushed face, Daohua quickly stepped forward to comfort him. "Eldest Brother, let’s not lower ourselves to the level of these fawning sycophants. One day, when you become a jinshi, no one will dare treat us like this anymore."
Yan Zhigao walked over, patted his eldest son on the shoulder, and sighed. "Your sister is right. Only capable people earn respect. Instead of getting angry at a low-ranking postal officer here, why not focus on studying harder?"
"If you manage to pass the jinshi examination, our family will have two jinshi in one generation. That would make us a respectable literary family. By then, others will naturally hold us in high regard."
Seeing Yan Wenxiu's eyes light up with determination, Daohua worried that he might put too much pressure on himself. She immediately added, "Eldest Brother, don’t rush. You’re still young. Just focus on your studies for now. The rest, Father will handle."
At this, Yan Zhigao glared at Daohua. Now you remember I’m your father? Where was that respect when you were contradicting me earlier?
Advisor Xiao chuckled as he observed Daohua. Seeing that Yan Wenxiu’s expression had relaxed after her words, his eyes twinkled thoughtfully.
So, this Miss Yan isn’t all about headstrong antics after all!
"Let’s go inside and tidy up. We’ll still need a place to sleep tonight."
The matter of changing courtyards had already soured everyone's mood. Upon entering the courtyard, their expressions grew even gloomier.
"It's not just shabby—it's so small! How are we supposed to fit here?" Yan Wenkai muttered discontentedly.
Daohua tugged at his sleeve, signaling him not to stir things up further. Couldn’t he see their cheap father’s face was already dark as storm clouds?
The courtyard had only five rooms. In the end, Yan Zhigao took one, Advisor Xiao another, Daohua a third, while Yan Wenxiu and his two younger brothers squeezed into one room. The last room was given to the few servants who had accompanied them.
"Oh no, the bedding’s all moldy! How are we supposed to sleep on this?" Yan Wenkai's complaints sounded again.
Daohua glanced at the sky. It was still two or three hours before nightfall. After some thought, she pulled her three brothers into the courtyard, tied up a long rope, and hung all the bedding out to air.
"Even if there’s no sunshine, at least we can get rid of some of the musty smell." It was still the first lunar month. There wasn’t much sunlight during the day, but at least it hadn’t snowed since the Lantern Festival.
That night, none of the younger ones slept well. Tossing and turning, they were uncomfortable from the damp, musty bedding and unsettled by the events of the day.
Lying in bed and staring at the canopy above her, Daohua found herself lost in thought.
In this ancient era, power was everything. Without it, dignity was out of reach. If even Yan Zhigao, a county magistrate, could be ignored and disrespected like this, what hope was there for the common people at the bottom of the hierarchy?
Sigh.
The next morning, all four of them showed up at the breakfast table with panda eyes.
Yan Zhigao and Advisor Xiao didn’t look much better, clearly having had a poor night’s sleep as well.
As breakfast neared its end, Yan Zhigao said, "Later, I’ll be visiting some officials. You younger ones must stay in the post station and not wander off. Once I’m done, I’ll take you to the Li residence to visit your uncle."
Yan Wenxiu put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Don’t worry, Father. I’ll look after my younger siblings."
Yan Zhigao nodded in approval. He trusted his steady eldest son.
After breakfast, Yan Zhigao left. Not long after, Advisor Xiao also went out to visit friends, leaving only the four younger ones in the courtyard.
Yan Wenkai was the first to grow restless. "Are we just going to stay cooped up in this yard?"
Yan Wentao replied, "Uncle told us not to wander around. I think we should stay put."
Yan Wenxiu also shot Yan Wenkai a warning look. "Father came here for official business. We can’t help him much, but we shouldn’t make things harder for him either."
Seeing his two brothers opposed to going out, Yan Wenkai slumped dejectedly and went to find Daohua.
Daohua was busy arranging potted plants to be gifted to their uncles.
The flowers bloomed in vibrant colors. Though none of them were particularly rare, they were lush and lively, adding a cheerful touch.
The sight of the colorful pots lifted Yan Wenkai’s mood. He squatted down to help Daohua tend to them.
“Bang!”
Suddenly, a cuju ball fell from the sky and smashed a flowerpot containing crabapple flowers.
The sudden turn of events startled Daohua and Yan Wenkai. Hearing the commotion, Yan Wenxiu and Yan Wentao also ran out of the room.
As soon as the two came out, they saw a richly dressed young man running into their small courtyard, surrounded by a group of servants.
Yan Wenxiu frowned and questioned, "Who are you? Why are you trespassing in our courtyard unprovoked?"
The young man in fine clothes glanced at Yan Wenxiu with disdain and ignored him, his gaze wantonly sweeping over everything in the courtyard.
Seeing this, the faces of Yan Wenxiu and the others darkened.
Soon, a servant behind the young man stepped forward and said, "Our young master's cuju ball landed in your courtyard. Hand it over immediately!"
Yan Wenkai shouted angrily, "So it was you who broke our flowerpot! How dare you storm into our courtyard so arrogantly—do you have no sense of propriety?"
The richly dressed young man sneered, "Propriety?" He sized up Yan Wenkai and the others dismissively before sneering, "Living in such a shabby courtyard, you must not be the family of any important official. How dare you lecture me about propriety!"
The servant beside the young master added arrogantly, "Whose servants are you? Hurry and bow before the son of the prefect!"
Daohua frowned deeply, restraining the enraged Yan Wenkai, then kicked the cuju ball at her feet toward them. "Here’s your ball. Take it and leave!"
The other party held a higher official rank than their father, so it wasn’t wise to provoke them.
Though Daohua chose to de-escalate, the prefect's son wasn’t willing to let them off so easily, especially after noticing the blooming flowers in their courtyard.
"These potted plants look nice. Take them as compensation for offending me!" he ordered arrogantly.
Such blatant robbery enraged everyone. Even Daohua, Yan Wenxiu, and Yan Wentao couldn’t suppress their anger.
When the prefect's servants rushed forward to take the plants, the siblings stepped up to stop them without hesitation.
The prefect's son had brought seven or eight servants with him, making it impossible for the four siblings to hold them back. Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai were even struck a few times.
Amid the chaos, the prefect's son grabbed the most vibrant red plum blossom pot and walked out of the courtyard first.
"My flowerpot!" Daohua, fuming, chased after him, followed closely by Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao.
Yan Wenxiu, equally furious, couldn’t stand by. Although older and more aware of the dark sides of officialdom, he never imagined someone could act so brazenly. Watching his siblings run off, he quickly instructed a servant, "Go fetch my father and Advisor Xiao right away."
After giving his orders, Yan Wenxiu also hurried to catch up.
"Give me back my flowerpot!"
Daohua, being quick, circled around and blocked the prefect’s son, her face full of anger. "Even if your father is the prefect, you can’t abuse your power to bully others and rob their belongings! If you don’t return the flowerpot today, I’ll go to the Provincial Administration Office to file a complaint!"
Hearing this, the prefect’s son showed no fear and instead sneered. "Go ahead and report me. I’d like to see if you can bring my father down or if I’ll face any punishment."
He waved his hand, signaling his servants to pull Daohua aside.
Daohua wouldn’t let them drag her away, and with Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao arriving to help, a scuffle broke out immediately.
....
This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
....
Meanwhile, not far away on a covered walkway, a group of people approached. At the front was a young man, his noble aura commanding respect from everyone who saw him, causing them to bow instinctively.
"What’s causing such a ruckus over there?" The young man frowned deeply, his mood evidently sour.
One of the finely dressed young men accompanying him stepped forward cautiously. "Please don’t be upset, my lord. I’ll have someone drive them away immediately."
The young man neither agreed nor objected, continuing forward. However, just as he was about to pass the corner of the walkway, he suddenly heard a familiar voice and turned to look toward the commotion.
To the shock of those around him, he quickly ran toward the source of the noise.
"Stop this at once!"
As the prefect's son raised a stick to strike Daohua, she closed her eyes and braced for the blow. However, the expected pain never came.
Daohua slowly opened her eyes and saw a hand tightly gripping the stick mid-air.
Following the hand, her gaze landed on the person holding it. The moment she recognized him, her eyes lit up with astonishment and joy. "Jinxed one!"
Xiao Yeyang frowned but, seeing the unrestrained happiness in Daohua’s eyes, suppressed his displeasure at the nickname and retorted, "Country bumpkin!"
(End of Chapter)
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