Chapter 206: Chapter 188, The Bun Face Gets Pinched_1
Entering July, the watermelons and grapes in the estates began to ripen one after another.
With last year’s harvest laid out, this year, Madam Li instructed Yan Zhiqiang to plant more than half of the Yan Family’s estates and fields with watermelons.
Currently, watermelons were still quite scarce, and with two older brothers providing sales channels, they could be sold at a good price. She had to seize the opportunity to save a sum of money for the family.
Before August even arrived, both the Yan Family and the Li Family had earned a tidy profit.
Taking advantage of having silver in hand, Madam Li added several more estates and some fields to the family’s holdings—and following behind her, Daohua also bought herself another estate.
By now, Daohua had five estates and three shops in her possession, truly a little rich woman.
Daohua Pavilion.
Daohua sat in the study, flipping through the accounts that had been submitted. Finding that they were recorded in great detail, she called for Wang Manman, “Brother Xiaoliu has been bustling about, running here and there, especially in such hot weather; he has indeed worked hard. Later, you take ten taels of silver over to him.”
Wang Manman nodded with a smile: “Brother Xiaoliu is really fortunate to have met our young lady in his previous life. Not only has he learned a skill, but he has also earned silver.”
Daohua smiled slightly: “That’s also because he is clever and sharp, diligent and capable. If he were a blockhead, I would not dare to employ him either.”
Afterward, Wang Manman cheerily took the silver to find Xiaoliu.
Inside the room, Guyu and Lixia watched with envious expressions.
They had been at the young lady’s courtyard for several months, originally thinking that the young lady, who dared to talk back to even the master, must be a difficult one to serve. Yet, they didn’t expect to find, after arriving, that among the four young ladies of the family, the eldest was the easiest to serve.
As long as they followed the rules and didn’t cause trouble, painstakingly completing the tasks assigned to them, the eldest young lady hardly ever scowled at them or scolded them without cause.
Sometimes, they could even share jokes and laughter.
Having been at Daohua Pavilion for so long, they had been living a relaxed and comfortable life.
The sisters who had been bought at the same time as them and assigned to the other three young ladies were not so lucky.
The second young lady was still okay, a gentle and serene person who rarely punished anyone, but her temperament was too quiet, and the maids by her side often didn’t even dare to speak too loudly;
The third young lady was more doted upon by the master and was somewhat spoiled. Whenever something was not to her liking, she was quick to throw a temper, and her maids had to be careful attending to her every day.
The fourth young lady was the most unrestrained, loved to play and make noise, and lacked a sense of propriety—either getting herself hurt or breaking things, and her maids were always on tenterhooks.
Compared to them, they really were much more fortunate.
Moreover, the eldest young lady was very generous in giving rewards, something the other three young ladies definitely couldn’t match. Look, Xiaoliu completed his task well, and she rewarded him with ten taels outright—that’s nearly as much as two years of their monthly allowance.
It wasn’t long before Wang Manman returned with a smile: “Young lady, I happened to pass by the main courtyard just now, and I ran into Sister Ping Tong. She said that the eldest young master has sent a letter, saying he would return home at the end of the month.”
Daohua’s face brightened with joy: “Really?”
Ever since the start of the year, aside from a visit at the end of February, the three Yan brothers hadn’t been back home, and everyone at home missed them.
“I thought we’d have to wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival to see the three brothers.”
Wang Manman smiled and said: “The first day of August is the young lady’s birthday, and it would be perfect for the three young masters to come back to celebrate it with you.”
Daohua smiled, her eyes curving: “What birthday celebration? Just eating a bowl of longevity noodles together is good enough,” she said, resting her chin in her hand and sighing, “I’m about to turn eleven.”
…
On the twenty-ninth of July, Yan Wenxiu and his two brothers returned to the Yan Residence, and with them were Xiao Yeyang, Dong Yuanxuan, and Su Hongxin and several others.
To this, Daohua couldn’t say she was surprised, but she still asked politely, “Why have you come as well?”
Xiao Yeyang was fanning himself, tilting his chin upward as he asked, “What, you’re not welcoming us?”
Daohua slung a charming, reproachful look at him, and with a sideward tilt of her body, she gave a curtsy, laughing, “Your coming brings honor to our home. How could we not welcome you?”
Xiao Yeyang smiled and fanned himself, looking Daohua up and down, she seemed to have grown taller after a few months of not seeing her; her cheeks also looked puffier.
Had she been eating too well, getting fat?
Looking at Daohua’s fair and rosy puffy cheeks, just like the steamed buns she typically ate, Xiao Yeyang suddenly felt an itch in his hands.
He really wanted to pinch them!
“What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?” Daohua said when she noticed Xiao Yeyang staring at her face, and immediately touched her cheeks.
Xiao Yeyang quickly shifted his gaze away from Daohua’s face and fanned himself a few times rapidly, “You should eat less from now on, look how fat you’ve gotten.”
Upon hearing this, Daohua’s eyes widened; she touched her face with both hands and quickly asked Yan Wenkai and the others, “Have I gotten fat? Could it be from eating too much watermelon and grapes this month?”
Yan Wenkai leaned in and took a good look at Daohua, “I think it’s fine, and being a bit plumper is cuter,” he said as his hands darted out swiftly, pinching Daohua’s cheeks simultaneously.
“Ouch, so soft! Big sister, you should eat more; it feels even more comfortable to pinch!” He then pinched her cheeks again with both hands.
Daohua: “….”
Xiao Yeyang: “…”
Both of them stared at Yan Wenkai with wide-open eyes.
Then.
“Slap!”
“Slap!”
One from each, they both reached out and slapped him.
“Ouch!”
“What are you doing? Why are you hitting me?” Yan Wenkai grimaced in pain, rubbing the back of his hand. Big sister’s slap was still bearable and not too heavy, but the Little Prince’s slap really hurt.
Daohua glared angrily, rubbing her cheeks, and said indignantly, “Serves you right, and that was still too light.”
Xiao Yeyang gave Yan Wenkai a sidelong glance, thinking viciously to himself that even he had not yet laid hands on her, yet this guy went ahead and did what he wanted to do but felt was inappropriate.
He should have slapped him more!
“Oh no, miss, stop rubbing, your face is all red,” Wang Manman hurriedly said.
Daohua covered her face, “Right, it’s red, isn’t it? I knew it hurt for a reason,” she said before giving Yan Wenkai an accusatory look, “Fourth Brother, you’re really annoying.”
Seeing indeed two red marks on Daohua’s cheeks, Yan Wenkai shrank his neck and muttered, “How was I supposed to know you’d bruise so easily!”
“Bang!”
Finding his chance, Xiao Yeyang swung his fan and quickly landed it on his shoulder, “Do you think a lady’s skin is as rough and tough as yours?”
Yan Wenxiu also looked over unhappily, “You practice martial arts, and your strength is naturally greater than others. Big Sister’s face is delicate, and you don’t even know how to be gentle.”
Seeing everyone look at Yan Wenkai with accusing faces, Daohua’s mood improved.
At that moment, Madam Li came over with a smile with her servants, about to greet Xiao Yeyang and the others, but when she saw her daughter’s cheeks were flaming red, she quickly went to her: “What happened, why is your face so red?”
Upon hearing this, Yan Wenkai immediately hid behind everyone else.
Daohua glanced at her quail-like fourth brother and pouted, “Fourth Brother pinched them.”
Hearing this, Madam Li became enraged; had it not been for the presence of others, she would have been ready to roll up her sleeves and lash out.