Chapter 120: Chapter 106: Not That Important_1
Daohua Pavilion.
Zhou Jingwan leisurely sat under the flower arbor, admiring the garden’s blooming flowers while enjoying some tea snacks.
“Daohua, your family’s pastries are really delicious. Where did you buy them?” After getting to know each other, Zhou Jingwan started to address Daohua by her nickname.
The two girls were about the same age, so they didn’t use sisterly titles.
Wang Manman replied with a smile, “The pastries were made by my lady herself. Knowing that Miss Zhou was coming, she prepared them in advance.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingwan looked at Daohua in surprise, “Really?”
Daohua smiled, “My grandmother loves soft and sticky sweets, so whenever I have some free time, I make some.”
Zhou Jingwan, full of admiration, “Daohua, you’re really amazing. No one can top your cooking skills.”
Daohua, “It’s not as exaggerated as that. It’s just practice makes perfect.” Her cooking really wasn’t anything special; it was mainly because of the high-quality ingredients from her space.
Zhou Jingwan quickly finished the osmanthus cake in her hands, wiped her mouth, and then, pointing at the remaining treats on the table, asked, “Daohua, are all of these meant for me to eat?”
Daohua nodded.
Zhou Jingwan’s face lit up with joy, “Then I won’t eat them now. When I leave later, please pack up the leftovers for me to take back. I want my mother to try them too, as she loves sweets.”
Daohua gave Zhou Jingwan a playful look, “You’re not being shy, are you?”
Zhou Jingwan replied with a flirtatious gaze, “Who’s standing on ceremony with whom here?”
Seeing this, Daohua couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Compared to those young ladies who never speak their minds or hide various meanings in a single sentence, waiting for others to guess their thoughts, Zhou Jingwan’s straightforwardness was something Daohua truly liked.
“Eat up!” Daohua pushed the sweets on the table closer to Zhou Jingwan, “The treats for your aunt can’t be the ones you’ve left over.”
Wang Manman continued with a smile, “My lady prepared another portion of pastries and some specially made mooncakes for Miss Zhou to take home.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingwan’s eyes curved in delight, and without any reservation, she joyfully continued to eat.
As Daohua saw her eating happily, she too started to eat and, while eating, thought of her three brothers returning home tomorrow. She asked, “Are your brothers coming back tomorrow too?”
Zhou Jingwan shook her head, “No, they’re not. The newly appointed Governor Guo has invited the officials of Zhongzhou Province for the Mid-Autumn Festival. My grandfather is also going. At such events, my oldest brother, as the direct grandson of the Zhou family, usually needs to accompany him.” She paused, then tilted her head and asked, “Isn’t Uncle Yan going?”
Daohua was taken aback. She had done some research on the officials of Daxia and knew that the Governor was a second-rank official, even higher in rank than the Provincial Governor who managed civilian affairs for a province. A Governor was generally someone the Emperor deeply trusted.
“My father is just a fifth-rank Prefectural Governor. He probably can’t attend the banquet of the esteemed Governor, right?”
Hearing this, Zhou Jingwan nodded, “That’s true. My mother said that those going are high-ranking and influential officials of Zhongzhou Province. That’s why my elder brother is taken along to gain some experience. But…”
Zhou Jingwan hesitated, glancing at Daohua.
Daohua laughed, “What? Is there something you can’t say?”
Zhou Jingwan put down the pastry she was holding, “It’s not that I can’t say it, it’s just that I find it strange. Doesn’t your family have a relationship with the Little Prince? With that connection, one would think that Uncle Yan should have been invited.”
“We’re not that familiar with the Little Prince.” Daohua first clarified, then asked, “Why would knowing the Little Prince mean getting an invitation?”
Zhou Jingwan: “Governor Guo is the Little Prince’s uncle, you know? Didn’t you know this?”
Daohua shook her head.
At this moment, the profound background of the aristocratic families was revealed; their access to information was so extensive that very few things could be kept from them.
As for this Governor Guo, she had heard of him for the first time; perhaps, even her adoptive father was unaware.
Seeing that she really didn’t know anything, Zhou Jingwan continued, “I heard from my grandfather that initially when Prince Rui returned to the capital to report on his mission, the Little Prince was also going to go back with him. However, after Governor Guo was appointed as governor, the Little Prince stayed at Wangyue Academy to study.”
Daohua listened attentively; the Yan Family, with its weak foundation and limited connections, had no way of obtaining such high-level information.
However, Zhou Jingwan didn’t know much either, and most of what she knew was still just gossip. After all, even if the big families valued the cultivation of their children, they wouldn’t discuss serious matters with them.
After chatting for a while longer, Zhou Jingwan left with the return gifts Daohua had prepared.
After seeing her off, Daohua went to the old madam’s courtyard. Upon entering, she found that her adoptive father had come back from the Prefectural Governor’s Office earlier than usual, but he seemed to be in a bad mood.
Madam Li asked with a smile: “Has Miss Zhou from the Zhou Family left?”
Daohua nodded.
Because Yan Zhigao’s expression was somber, dinner was eaten in silence, and quickly concluded.
On the way back to the main residence with Madam Li, Daohua couldn’t help but ask, “Mother, what’s wrong with father?”
Madam Li’s lips curled into a bitter smile: “He heard some idle gossip and it made him uncomfortable.”
Daohua: “Is it because of the Governor’s banquet for Zhongzhou officials?”
Madam Li showed a look of surprise: “You know?”
Daohua nodded: “Zhou Jingwan just told me, but what’s so uncomfortable about that? The Governor holds such a high position, isn’t it normal for him not to invite father?”
Madam Li moved her lips and finally let out a long sigh, “Human beings should not hold too high expectations. Once exceeded, disappointment inevitably follows, and with disappointment comes discomfort.”
Daohua’s eyes spun around: “Father couldn’t be thinking that, since we know Xiao Yeyang, the Governor should have invited him, could he?”
Madam Li patted the back of Daohua’s hand. “Everyone has some unrealistic expectations, and your father is no exception.”
Daohua furrowed her brows.
Seeing this, Madam Li smiled, “Don’t worry, your father is a man of self-awareness. He’s just a little downhearted after hearing some gossip. He’ll adjust soon.”
If the master’s mentality had been poor, being repressed in the position of County Magistrate for so long, he wouldn’t have been able to endure.
Daohua thought for a while and then said, “Mother, Xiao Yeyang…the gap between our statuses is too large. In my view, the debt of saving a life, he has long since repaid.”
“So, unless he comes to us, we have no right to seek him out. Expecting him to continue helping us, to look after us, it’s best not to harbor such thoughts.”
For someone as high and mighty as he, the Yan Family was not that important.
Madam Li tapped Daohua’s forehead, laughing, “Your mother can’t be less clear-headed than you, can she? Your father is also aware, which is why he did not retaliate against anyone from the Prefectural Governor’s Office after the Little Prince stayed at our house.”
“After all, one’s standing in the world depends on one’s own abilities.”