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Songhe Courtyard.
Under the care of Madam Li, the venerable Mrs. Yan had already completed her washing and was now leisurely reclined on the bedstead, her heart brimming with joy as she watched the multitude of descendants in the room.
In theory, after such a long journey, even a person in the prime of life would be quite weary, but Mrs. Yan's face showed little sign of fatigue and she appeared to be in remarkably good spirits.
In the room, Yan Zhigao sat close by Mrs. Yan, his hand held by her as he sat on the bedstead.
While others were seated on both sides.
The room was filled with cheerful chatter, everyone gathered around Mrs. Yan, talking about family matters.
Yan Zhigao was amazed at the sight of his mother's rosy complexion and bright eyes.
In her youth, Mrs. Yan had toiled tirelessly to raise their four siblings, exhausting herself to the point of depleting her health. The last time he had returned home, Mrs. Yan could barely catch her breath after moving a few steps, but now, to his surprise, she seemed even healthier than him.
Not only was he surprised, but Madam Li and the Sun Family were also astonished.
When they had married into the Yan Family, Mrs. Yan's health was already in decline. Although throughout the years, in correspondence, she had mentioned that her health was much improved, they were skeptical, believing she was just comforting them.
But now, seeing her in person, they realized her health had truly greatly improved.
The Sun Family smiled and flattered, "Mother, I have noticed that you seem to be growing younger by the day."
Mrs. Yan laughed heartily, then said affectionately to Madam Li, "The only reason this broken body of mine has recovered is largely thanks to the fine daughter you bore our Yan Family. If it weren't for Daohua seeking the precious medicine for me and cheering me up over the years, I wouldn't have recovered so quickly."
Mrs. Yan had mentioned Daohua's temple visit to seek medicine in her letters, and the Yan Family was aware of it.
To this, everyone assumed it was Mrs. Yan's way of praising Daohua's filial piety and didn't take it too seriously.
Now, with Mrs. Yan mentioning it again, they gave it more thought.
Madam Li was very pleased with the praise for Daohua in front of the entire Yan Family, but she humbly replied, "Mother, you are too kind. How much can such a little child understand? It is your great fortune that has healed you so quickly."
Yan Zhigao also chimed in at the right moment, "Yes, what could a little child do? I think it's the younger brother and sister who have taken good care of Mother."
Upon hearing Yan Zhigao mention their branch of the family, Madam Wu instantly responded, "Big brother, we dare not take the credit. In our hometown, as long as Daohua was around, Mother never lacked joy. The third uncle from the clan once said that a contented heart naturally leads to better health."
Yan Zhigao seemed surprised and looked toward Mrs. Yan, "When I took office, didn't I fail to fulfill the third uncle's desire to bring his son along, and consequently, didn't he become estranged from us?"
Smiling broadly Mrs. Yan said, "Your daughter wanted to learn to read and would wander around the village until she took a liking to the white-haired third uncle. She said he possessed great wisdom and by being educated by him, she would benefit for life."
"Gao, you wouldn't know, but at the time, Daohua was only this tall," Mrs. Yan illustrated with her hand, "A 5 or 6-year-old child earnestly critiquing your third uncle with such an old-fashioned air, that amused me to no end," she beamed.
With that, Madam Wu and Yan Wentao, who were aware of the incident, began to laugh along.
The rest of the room, seeing Mrs. Yan laughing to the point of almost leaning back, became even more curious about Daohua, whom they had yet to meet properly.
After laughing for a while, Mrs. Yan turned to Yan Zhigao and Madam Li, her face full of doting affection, "That girl is quite spirited. You'll know in time."
Below, Yan Wenxiu and other grandchildren, seeing how much Mrs. Yan adored Daohua, felt a growing curiosity about her, along with a hint of envy.
They had just gone through great lengths to court favor and act obediently, but apart from Yan Wenxiu, the eldest grandchild who received praise from Mrs. Yan, the others merely had a few words said to them.
Yan Yishuang watched as her father's smile widened under Mrs. Yan's narration and seemed to grow fonder of his eldest daughter, and jealousy began to eat away at her.
She was her father's most cherished daughter!
Yan Yile, who was sitting nearby, saw Yan Yishuang's face growing more wrinkled and, with a twirl of her eyes, whispered, "Third sister, with Father now having eldest sister, will he still love you in the future?"
Yan Yishuang's eyebrows shot up, "Of course, Father loves me the most."
Her voice was a bit loud, drawing looks from everyone around.
Yan Zhigao, seeing the smile on Mrs. Yan's face fade slightly, reprimanded Yan Yishuang with displeasure, "Yishuang, how can you raise your voice in front of your elders?"
Feeling everyone's gaze upon her, Yan Yishuang grew timid but then thought of the beggar-like eldest sister who had attracted everyone's attention upon arrival. Without thinking, the words slipped out, "Grandmother and third brother have been ready for quite some time now, why hasn't eldest sister arrived yet? To make Grandmother, Father, and Mother wait for her is terribly rude, isn't it?"
"Bang!"
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As soon as the words were uttered, the old Madam Yan's hand struck the table in the settee with a slap, her face, previously full of smiles, now entirely engulfed in fury.
"Mother!"
No one had anticipated that the old madam would become so angry. They were so frightened that they all stood up.
Yan Zhigao hurriedly came forward to support the old madam, "Mother, don't be angry. Yishuang is still young; children speak without thinking. Please don't take it to heart."
At this moment, Auntie Lin also quickly came out from below and knelt on the ground, "Old Madam, Yishuang just really wanted to meet the eldest Miss. She meant nothing else, please forgive her."
The old madam became even more sullen when Auntie Lin appeared, immediately reminded of the incident at the entrance of the County Governor's Office.
"Good, good, good!"
Ignoring Auntie Lin, Old Madam Yan looked at Yan Zhigao with a face full of annoyance, "Ever since you became the County Magistrate, I've stopped interfering in your affairs. I hoped you would restrain yourself and become a good official who cares for the people, but today, you have greatly disappointed me!"
"Bullying government officials, arrogant and impolite concubine-born daughters, Yan Zhigao, you've really outdone yourself!"
"Mother!"
Yan Zhigao was so anxious that he immediately knelt down, and Madam Li followed suit.
The Sun and Wu families were somewhat at a loss. With the elder brother and sister-in-law kneeling, should they also kneel?
With the adults in a state of panic, the children were even more clueless about what to do, shrinking their necks and squeezing into the corners.
Yan Zhigao's face was full of urgency, "Mother, it is all my fault. You can hit or scold me. Please just don't be angry with yourself."
Madam Li also hurriedly admitted her mistake, "Mother, it's all my daughter-in-law's fault, I failed to manage the household properly."
Old Madam Yan glanced at Yan Zhigao and helped Madam Li to her feet, "What faults do you have? I know your character, Madam. It's just that some people think they're above others since they became an official, they're out of touch with reality."
Knowing that his mother was speaking about him, Yan Zhigao inwardly smiled bitterly, not daring to retort at all.
Madam Li, unsure of how to continue the conversation, could only help the old madam to sit down.
After a while, the anger on the old madam's face subsided somewhat, and she gave Yan Zhigao a cold snort.
Seeing that his mother's temper had cooled, Yan Zhigao smiled and stood up.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Li said, "Mother, it has been some time since we sent for Daohua. Shall I send someone to see why she hasn't arrived yet?"
"Don't you dare!"
Old Madam Yan sternly stopped her, giving Yan Zhigao a cold look.
"My Daohua has had a hard time during this period. If not for her, I would have starved to death on the road. Now that we're finally settled, wouldn't she be allowed to rest properly?"
Yan Zhigao immediately spoke up, "Daohua is still young, after traveling such a long distance, let her rest for a while first."
Only then did Old Madam Yan's expression improve somewhat, as she turned to Madam Li, "Don't you disturb her, too. That girl must be exhausted. Meeting with the family or whatever, since she's already here, it makes no difference when she meets everyone. There's no need to rush this moment."
Madam Li could only nod in agreement.
Because of this commotion, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat tense; Yan Zhigao had to be careful with his words, and the younger ones dared not speak much more.
Just then, the voice of a maid came from outside the door.
"Master, Madam, the eldest Miss has arrived!"
No sooner had the words fallen, than the door curtain was lifted.
Immediately, everyone saw a young lady in green, backlit by light, walk in with a gentle smile.
As the curtain fell, everyone clearly saw the girl's face, and their eyes lit up.
The young lady smiled radiantly, and in that instant, the formerly tense atmosphere in the room seemed to dissipate with her smile.