Chapter 20: Chapter 18, Gather Together_l

Translator: 549690339

“I could hear Grandmother’s hearty voice from afar, so why has it gone silent now that I’m here?”

The playful tone mixed with laughter in the young girl’s voice was like a pebble thrown into a clear spring, which upon hearing, one couldn’t help but smile.

As soon as Daohua entered the room, the eyes of Mrs. Yan had not left her, and neither had the eyes of everyone else.

Hearing her granddaughter’s teasing, Mrs. Yan’s face was instantly covered with a smile as bright as chrysanthemums, and she quickly waved her hand, signaling Daohua to come closer.

Without any hesitation, Daohua walked over and naturally sat on the couch, affectionately wrapping her arms around Mrs. Yan’s arm.

Mrs. Yan held onto Daohua’s hand and examined her carefully, growing more satisfied by the moment, “Good, good, this is how the rightful eldest daughter of the Yan family should look.”

Upon hearing this, Daohua didn’t feign shyness but laughed brightly, “Grandmother, Mother prepared these clothes for me. Do they look nice?”

Mrs. Yan nodded incessantly, “Beautiful, my Daohua looks beautiful in anything.”

Daohua agreed wholeheartedly, “I also think they look extremely nice, and most importantly, they fit perfectly.” As she said this, she stood up and gave a deep bow to Mrs. Li, “Thank you for your efforts, Mother. Your daughter loves them very much.”

“As long as you like them!”

Mrs. Li, somewhat excited, stepped forward and took Daohua’s hands, trembling as she touched her daughter’s cheek.

After so many years, her daughter had grown so tall and graceful.

Mrs. Yan let the mother and daughter have a moment of closeness until Mrs. Li had calmed down, then chided Daohua with a smile, “You silly girl, what are you standing around for? Go and see your father.”

Instantly snapping back to reality, Mrs. Li said, “Look at me, holding onto you without letting go. Quick, go pay your respects to your father.”

Daohua turned her head to look at the scholarly middle-aged man sitting on Mrs. Yan’s right side, walking over with a grin. Thinking of what her mother had just told her, she thought for a moment, then slowly knelt down, “Your daughter pays respect to you, Father.”

“Good!”

Yan Zhigao looked at his eldest daughter with a satisfied face.

Since his eldest daughter had entered the room, he had been watching her closely.

To be honest, he had been somewhat worried that since his eldest daughter grew up in the countryside, she would turn out to be rude and unrefined.

But upon seeing her today, he was completely reassured.

Mother has raised Daohua well—he could not help but praise that. She had an aura about her, even he had to commend it.

All the young ladies of the Yan family were very well-bred. If the youngest Yishuang was clever, his brother’s eldest Yihuan was serene, and the second daughter Yile was cute, then his own eldest daughter was indeed graceful.

Her glancing eyes were extraordinarily spirited; her friendly and pretty face radiated with vigor and vitality.

Now he believed what his mother and younger brother had said—that as long as his eldest daughter was with them, Mrs. Yan wouldn’t be unhappy.

Even someone as composed as he could not help but feel joy in his heart seeing such an eldest daughter.

Yan Zhigao personally helped Daohua to stand up and patted her head with a smile, “These years, I’m thankful to have you at Mrs. Yan’s side, showing filial piety.” Saying this, he unfastened the jade pendant he wore at his waist and personally tied it to the belt around Daohua’s waist.

To this, Daohua was quite happy inside, but after a moment’s thought, she felt it was nothing out of the ordinary. It was completely normal for a father to give a gift to his daughter, so she calmly allowed her father to attach the jade pendant.

But the others in the room weren’t so calm.

Mrs. Li and the rest knew that jade pendant was Yan Zhigao’s favorite, given to him by his teacher when he had topped the imperial examination, and he had always worn it ever since.

The twins born to Aunt Lin, because of their favor with him, had often asked Yan Zhigao for that jade pendant, but he had always refused. Yet today, he gave it to Daohua.

This immediately resulted in mixed emotions, with some rejoicing and some worrying.

Aunt Lin, still kneeling on the ground, was in great turmoil. She had not expected the daughter born to Mrs. Li to grow up so beautiful—far from having any countryside coarseness, she was instead strikingly graceful.

Yishuang, standing to the side, felt a bit overshadowed.

At that moment, she really started to feel panicky.

Madam Li, on the other hand, was overjoyed.

She had been worried that her daughter, having not been raised by her side for so long, wouldn’t be deeply loved by her husband. Now that she saw him giving his favorite Jade Pendant to their daughter, she was completely reassured.

Madam Li, with a smile, walked over and led Daohua to Sun Family’s Madam: “Good child, come and pay your respects to your second auntie.”

Daohua smiled demurely: “Daohua pays her respects to second auntie.”

Sun Family’s Madam swiftly lifted Daohua up, holding her hand, and said with a laugh, “No wonder the grandmother likes you so much. Eldest sister-in-law, I’m now tempted to snatch your daughter for myself.”

Madam Li chuckled: “Aren’t Yihuan and Yile enough to keep you happy?”

Sun Family’s Madam: “With such an outstanding daughter, I could never have too many.”

After exchanging a few light-hearted remarks, Madam Li then brought Daohua to the Wu Family’s Madam. This time, Daohua’s smile was much broader. As she was about to pay her respects, Wu Family’s Madam steadied her with a hand.

Wu Family’s Madam, with affection, held onto Daohua: “You have finally come home. Look at this little face; you’ve gotten thinner.”

Daohua laughed: “Third auntie, skinnier means prettier.”

“Nonsense.”

Yan Family’s grandmother, who had been watching them with amusement, glanced at Daohua sternly: “What do you know, girl? A bit of chubbiness signifies a life of fortune. You’re as skinny as a dried monkey, how could that be attractive?”

After that, the grandmother turned to Yan Zhigao and Madam Li: “From now on, you two had better keep a close eye on this girl, don’t let her run wild all the time.”

Madam Li replied with a laugh: “We will need mother to keep watching her, too.”

Yan Family’s grandmother nodded unabashedly: “If you can’t handle her, just come to me. I’ll take care of her discipline; that bamboo stick is always ready.”

Madam Li was taken aback: “What bamboo stick?”

Yan Family’s grandmother, looking at Daohua whose face had fallen, said with a twinkle in her eye: “The bamboo stick for stir-frying pork.”

As soon as she said this, everyone immediately understood.

It was the stick used for beating!

At this, the grandchildren’s fear of Yan Family’s grandmother grew even more.

Even Yan Zhigao, recalling the scenes of being whipped by the grandmother’s bamboo stick as a child, couldn’t help but shiver.

Madam Li, imagining her daughter being severely beaten with the bamboo stick by the grandmother, turned somewhat pale.

Seeing the change in her expression, Daohua quickly stepped forward, smiling as she tugged at her sleeve.

Madam Li then came back to her senses and, seeing the worry in her daughter’s eyes, quickly steadied her mind and held her daughter’s hand tightly, as if to say, don’t worry, with mother here, you won’t be beaten in the future.

“Come, meet your brothers and sisters.”

Only then did Daohua turn her gaze to the young men and women in the room.

The Yan Family’s grandmother had a total of three sons and one daughter. Apart from the daughter who had married out, all three sons currently lived together.

The Yan Family’s eldest branch, which was Yan Zhigao’s household, consisted of three sons and two daughters.

Yan Wenxiu, Yan Wenkai, and Yan Yiyi (aka Daohua) were the children of his principal wife, Madam Li; Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang were born to his concubine, Aunty Lin.

The Yan Family’s second branch, Yan Zhiyuan had one son and two daughters, Yan Wenjie, Yan Yihuan, and Yan Yile, all born to Sun Family’s Madam.

The Yan Family’s third branch had two sons, Yan Wentao and Yan Wenhui.

With so many offspring, they could certainly be considered a prosperous family.