Chapter 75: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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Chapter 75: The Separate Courtyard
"Miss, will we be living in this courtyard alone from now on? It's so big!"
Wang Man'er followed behind Daohua, eagerly admiring the new home.
Daohua Xuan was spaciously built, with three main rooms on the north side—one bright room and two darker ones. The left and right ends each had side rooms, and the west side featured three auxiliary rooms. The south side had several rooms for servants, and on the east side, there was a flower pavilion corridor, with a small cultivated flowerbed next to it.
Daohua looked around with interest. As expected, this would be her home for the next three years or even longer. Hearing Wang Man'er 's comment, she thought for a moment and said, "Now that father is the Prefect Magistrate of Xingzhou, once mother finishes her work, the household will probably need to hire some more servants."
Wang Man'er asked, "So will there be more people around you then?"
Daohua shook her head. "I don’t know, it depends on mother’s arrangements." She had privately calculated the Yan family's income and expenditures. Currently, the Yan family couldn't afford to hire too many servants. Even if Madam Li wanted to hire more, she would likely prioritize those who often went out for social engagements.
"Alright, enough about that. Let's think about how to arrange the courtyard," Daohua said.
For the next period of time, the Yan family was busy with various tasks.
Yan Zhigao was occupied with transitioning his duties as the new Prefect Magistrate, meeting officials in Xingzhou; Madam Li was busy managing the household, careful not to cause any embarrassment for her husband.
Other members of the family worked on settling into the courtyard and organizing the various belongings.
After half a month, Yan Zhigao had become familiar with the state office’s staff and affairs, while the Yan family also began adjusting to life in Xingzhou.
During this time, Daohua had rearranged her courtyard. The main rooms were designated for receiving guests and resting. The west wing was turned into a study and embroidery room, while the side rooms were left for the maidservants.
She also planted things in the flower pavilion. Originally, she wanted to plant vegetables and fruits there, but after Madam Li's suggestion, she decided to plant flowers and greenery instead.
She had forgotten that as an official’s daughter, she had to engage in social activities. If other young ladies of official families visited her and saw her garden full of vegetables, they might not comment directly, but would definitely gossip behind her back.
Not only could her courtyard not have vegetables, but even the old lady’s courtyard couldn’t.
This caused some displeasure in the old lady, but to avoid embarrassing her son, she suppressed the urge to plant them.
"Grandmother, don’t be upset. Once I buy the estate, we’ll plant everything there," Daohua comforted her.
Hearing this, the old lady agreed, and immediately called for Madam Li, asking her to make sure to buy a small estate when she was looking for one.
Thus, Daohua’s plan to purchase an estate was settled.
"Miss!"
Wang Man'er came running into the courtyard, holding a flowerpot, looking urgent.
Daohua took the pot from her and asked, "What’s the matter? You seem so anxious?"
Wang Man'er spoke quickly, "Miss, you need to go to the main house and have a look. Your Father is there."
Daohua was puzzled. "Isn’t it normal for father to go to the main house? What’s wrong? Has something happened at Shuangxin Courtyard?"
Wang Man'er immediately nodded. "I heard from Ping Xiao, the maid at the main house, that the third miss wants her own separate courtyard. Concubine Lin asked father for permission, and today he went to the main house, probably to discuss this matter."
Upon hearing this, Daohua didn’t seem too concerned. "Let them talk about it. It’s always mother who manages the family matters. Even if father favors Shuangxin Courtyard, he still needs to ask for her opinion."
Madam Li, being in charge of the household, had always been fair and just. Even Sun Shi, who was good at calculating, had never dared to say anything against her.
While the Yan family’s estate had more courtyards than the county office, there were not enough for each child to have one.
Madam Li would allow Daohua to have a separate courtyard for specific reasons. As the eldest granddaughter and the daughter of the family’s pillar, she was entitled to it. Even if some of the family members might feel uncomfortable, they would never express it openly.
But as for Yan Yishuang wanting her own courtyard—what made her think she was entitled to it?
Was it because her mother was a concubine?
In the main house, after entering, Yan Zhigao drank two cups of tea.
It wasn’t because he was thirsty, but because the tea in his wife’s room was brewed by their eldest daughter. It was just ordinary jasmine tea, but it tasted much better than any tea bought from the market.
The only people in the family who could regularly enjoy the things sent by their eldest daughter were the old lady and Madam Li.
He wasn’t sure if his daughter did this intentionally, but every time she sent something, it was never too much. If he wanted to enjoy it, he would have to visit the main house or the old lady’s courtyard often.
Once he finished drinking the tea, Madam Li had Ping Tong bring over some jujube cakes, smiling as she said, "Master, try this. The old lady wanted something sweet, and Daohua made these."
Yan Zhigao looked at the plate of cakes. He didn’t like sweet things, but the fragrance of the jujubes was so tempting that he couldn’t resist taking a piece. After chewing for a moment, he picked up another and nodded. "It tastes good."
Madam Li smiled. "Then you should eat more. By the way, master, is there something you wanted to discuss?"
Yan Zhigao replied, "It’s nothing really. I just wanted to ask, there are still some empty courtyards in the back, right? If no one is using them, can we give one to Yishuang? She’s eight now and should have her own courtyard."
Madam Li’s smile remained unchanged. "I’ve been thinking about the vacant courtyards as well. When we first moved here, everyone was busy, so I just assigned them the way we did at the county office."
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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
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"Now that you mention the empty courtyards, I’ll share my thoughts."
Yan Zhigao nodded and reached for another jujube cake.
Madam Li continued, "As for the younger children, they’re all getting older, so it’s time for them to move out of their parents’ courtyards. Wenxiu is the eldest son and grandson, so he should definitely have his own courtyard."
Yan Zhigao agreed with a nod.
Madam Li went on, "And Daohua, as the eldest granddaughter of the Yan family, it’s reasonable for her to have her own courtyard as well."
Yan Zhigao nodded again. In large families, it was common to give some preferential treatment to the eldest children. Though his family wasn’t a noble family, he still had a desire to restore the family’s prosperity, so he agreed with the idea of following this rule.
Madam Li relaxed, seeing that her husband had no objections. "After that, we have Wenjie, Wentao, Wenkai, Wenbin, Yihuan, Yishuang, and Yile. Wenhui is still young, so he should stay with the third branch. The remaining four courtyards are to be divided among them."
"One of the courtyards should be kept aside for the teacher to set up a school and teach the girls proper etiquette. So, there are only three courtyards left to be allocated."
After finishing, Madam Li smiled at Yan Zhigao. "What do you think of this arrangement?"
Yan Zhigao thought for a moment and, finding no reason to disagree, nodded. "Let’s go with this."
(End of Chapter)
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