Chapter 158: Chapter 143, Arrogant When Successful_1
In the pavilion, Yan Yishuang took over Yan Wenxiu’s poem. The continuity was good, and it won everyone’s applause. Yan Yishuang’s spirits lifted, and she immediately looked towards Xiao Yeyang, who was sitting in the seat of honor, with a smile.
“Little Prince, it’s your turn!”
She never felt that she was inferior to her elder sister in any way, especially when it came to composing poetry. In this respect, she was streets ahead of her elder sister. Today, she was determined to seize the opportunity to showcase her abilities and to make not only her father and others at home but also the Little Prince see that the Yan Family had more than just her elder sister to be proud of.
Xiao Yeyang was somewhat disinterested, and he responded perfunctorily, his gaze frequently drifting outside the pavilion, feeling both angry and helpless in his heart.
That Daohua had actually left him hanging here!
How infuriating!
In the pavilion, Yan Wenkai, who also found the proceedings dull, was thinking of leaving. Had it not been for his eldest brother’s diligent efforts to pep up the atmosphere, he might have already walked out.
“Brother Dong’s verse is really well done, both affectionate and natural. Little Prince, what do you think?”
Hearing his younger sister calling out to the Little Prince again made Yan Wenkai cringe.
Didn’t his third sister have eyes? Couldn’t she see that the Little Prince was already very impatient? Yet, she was still desperately trying to engage him in conversation.
Yan Yishuang continued to clap and cheer, looking expectantly at Xiao Yeyang, as if waiting for his critique.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yeyang didn’t even spare her a glance.
Seeing this, the smile on Yan Yishuang’s face could hardly be maintained. Beside her, Dong Yuanxuan sighed in resignation, feeling obliged to speak up to smooth things over, so as not to let the situation become too awkward.
Meanwhile, he wondered, considering they were both Misses of the Yan Family, why was there such a big difference between them?
When the eldest Miss Yan was present, the atmosphere was joyful, relaxed, and comfortable. Even though her attention was mostly on the Little Prince, she never ignored anyone else. Everything progressed gently and patiently.
But with the third Miss Yan, there was nothing but an overeager attempt to please, followed by a heaping load of awkwardness.
It really made one wonder why Yan Wenxiu had put her forward.
“Little Prince, what do you think of this pot of green winter chrysanthemums?”
Just as Xiao Yeyang’s patience was wearing thin, Yan Yile cheerfully placed a pot of winter chrysanthemums in front of him.
Xiao Yeyang glanced at it without much interest.
However, at that moment, Yan Yile spoke again, “This was personally cultivated by my eldest sister. There are only a few pots like this one; even flower shops don’t sell them.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang then showed some enthusiasm, “Winter chrysanthemums are difficult to keep alive, and the green ones are even rarer. Daohua has good skills in growing flowers.”
Seeing the Little Prince willing to converse with her, Yan Yile’s smile broadened. She started to talk about how her eldest sister grew and grafted plants, pulling Yan Yihuan into the conversation.
Yan Yihuan sat serenely by her side, occasionally adding a sentence or two, while Yan Yile spoke animatedly.
The others originally thought that Xiao Yeyang would be impatient with such topics, but to their surprise, he listened with genuine interest, even exchanging a few words with the two sisters about their gardening insights.
On the side, Yan Yishuang furrowed her brows in disappointment, looking pitifully at Yan Wenxiu.
Yan Wenxiu reassured her with a look, signaling that everything was okay.
…
Xiao Yeyang patiently waited at the Yan Family home for most of the day, but by the afternoon, when Daohua still hadn’t come out to meet him, the Little Prince’s temper flared, and he left with a stern face.
Daohua Pavilion.
Daohua was calculating the accounts for the flower shop.
In the past few months, the business had been good, and they had made a considerable amount of silver.
Thinking about the vegetables that were mostly ripe in the greenhouse, which they couldn’t possibly consume all by themselves, Daohua was considering whether to buy another store just to sell vegetables.
In winter, there were fewer varieties of vegetables, especially green vegetables, and they could definitely fetch a good price.
Moreover, after selling the vegetables, the shop could also be used to sell fruits in the future.
On her estate’s barren hill, she had planted quite a few fruit trees.
Even though the fruit trees would take a year or two to bear fruit, there were still watermelons and grapes in the meantime.
After considering it from all angles, Daohua felt the plan was feasible and began to calculate whether she had enough silver.
Just then, Wang Manman returned from outside.
“Miss, the Little Prince has left.”
Daohua paused for a moment, gave a faint smile, then continued to bury her head in her accounts.
No matter in modern times or ancient times, what could be more important than becoming powerful and independent?
On the evening of that day, Daohua went to the old lady’s house for dinner.
She sensed something was off in the atmosphere the moment she entered the room.
The stepfather’s expression was not very good; when he saw her come in, he glanced at her with displeasure.
The entire second room, on the other hand, was all smiles.
Daohua looked at them in surprise. Had this family found some silver?
As for the third room, they were just as silent as ever.
After thinking for a bit, Daohua gestured for Wang Manman to go out and find out what was going on.
Soon, Wang Manman returned and whispered to Daohua, “Miss, the reason the second master and his wife are so happy is that this afternoon, the Little Prince had a delightful chat with the second and fourth young ladies.”
Daohua raised her eyebrows. No wonder her second uncle and aunt were so pleased.
“What about father, why is he not happy?” It would make sense for him to be happy after treating Xiao Yeyang well.
Wang Manman glanced at Yan Yishuang, who was sitting silently: “The Little Prince did not pay much attention to the third young lady.”
Upon hearing this, Daohua scoffed in her heart.
Indeed, to her stepfather, the distinctions of closeness and distance within the family were still quite clear.
After all, even though they were a family, the face brought by a niece could not compare to that brought by his own daughter.
Seeing her stepfather force a smile, Daohua felt a bit of schadenfreude.
Wasn’t Yan Yishuang the one you liked best? Now she has been outshone. Serves you right for being slapped in the face!
Next to her, the old Madam Yan, seeing her granddaughter’s amused look, struck her hard on the head.
During the meal, Yan Zhiyuan had a few drinks. It was unclear if he was too happy or just using his drunkenness as an excuse to act foolishly, but he started to lecture Daohua again.
“Daohua, it’s not that your second uncle is trying to criticize you, but you really need to change your temper. What kind of person is the Little Prince? When he comes to our house, how can you be so disrespectful as to not even show your face?”
Watching her step-uncle’s triumphant and arrogant demeanor, Daohua held back her temper. Unable to restrain herself, she put down her chopsticks and looked him straight in the eye: “Second uncle, I am indeed acting exactly according to your instructions.”
Yan Zhigao was taken aback: “When did I ever tell you to be so rude?”
Daohua scoffed: “Didn’t you say that offending Xiao Yeyang was the same as bringing disaster upon the entire Yan Family? For the sake of the Yan Family, I should keep my distance from him. Otherwise, what if I inadvertently cause trouble for the whole Yan Family? You would skin me alive then.”
“What are you talking about?” Yan Zhigao grew angry and embarrassed.
Daohua, not the least bit intimidated, met his gaze: “The truth! Second uncle, where exactly have I offended you to make you look at me with such disdain?”
“Contacting Xiao Yeyang brings disaster to the Yan Family; now that I’m avoiding him, you think I’m being disrespectful. Second Uncle, your demands are a bit too harsh.”
“You…”
Yan Zhigao, enraged, slapped his hand hard on the table: “I see you as nothing but an uncultured wild girl.”
Hearing these words, Yan Zhigao and Madam Li both furrowed their brows at the same time.
“Second brother, you’ve had too much to drink!”
Yan Wenxiu said it as an excuse, thinking that no matter what, his daughter was still his and his wife’s responsibility; it was not his brother’s place to lecture her.
“I haven’t…” Yan Zhigao wanted to argue, but unfortunately, Madam Li did not give him the chance and cut off his words, turning to speak to Madam Sun.
“Second sister-in-law, second brother is drunk. You should take him back to his room!” Her tone was cold, leaving no room for negotiation.
At that moment, the authority of the two heads of the family was fully asserted.
