Chapter 209: Chapter 191, Heart-to-Heart Talk_1
The sight of Madam Li busily tending to matters, and concubine Lin reaping the benefits without lifting a finger, left Daohua feeling downhearted. She sat listlessly in the pavilion, absentmindedly fiddling with the chess pieces.
“I was wondering where you had gone off to, turns out you’ve come here to find some quiet,” Xiao Yeyang approached with a comfortable gait.
Daohua glanced at him, surprised, “Weren’t you playing cards with the third brother and the others? How come you’re out here?”
Xiao Yeyang sat down across from Daohua and, waving his fan, said, “That card game was a bit interesting at the start, but once you get the rules down and can remember the cards, winning every time is no fun.”
Daohua was speechless. So, he was complaining about it being too simple, “You could choose not to remember the cards.”
Xiao Yeyang gave a shrug, “That’s beyond my control, once I see them, they’re memorized.”
Daohua pouted, “Here you are showing off to me.”
“I’m just telling it like it is,” Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua, puzzled. She had been all smiles when he left, so why had she become unhappy in such a short time?
“Who has upset you?”
As Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang, she wanted to vent her frustrations, but when she thought about him being a bona fide ancient, raised with the convention of having multiple wives and concubines and unlikely to understand her feelings, she lowered her head, “No one has upset me, I’ve just made myself unhappy.”
Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua, then glanced at the chessboard, and suggested with a smile, “How about a few games? It’ll be nice to see if your skills have improved.”
Daohua initially had no enthusiasm, but seeing that Xiao Yeyang simply wanted to cheer her up, she nodded, “Alright, but you’ll have to go easy on me. Otherwise, I’ll stop playing.”
Xiao Yeyang was momentarily speechless. When had he ever had to be threatened before playing a game of chess?
Oh well, considering today was this fellow’s birthday, he decided not to take it to heart.
The two of them began to play.
Xiao Yeyang saw that the white pieces Daohua held were played haphazardly, and she seemed distracted. He couldn’t help but correct her moves as they played.
“What’s really wrong with you? You’re like frostbitten eggplant, not at all like yourself.”
Daohua looked up and asked curiously, “Not like me? Then how do you think I should be?”
Xiao Yeyang paused, then actually cast down his eyes in thought.
What was Daohua like?
Funny, bold, not quite like the other demure or delicate ladies, she radiated a unique vitality.
Her expressive eyes always seemed to warm one’s heart when she smiled, like a burst of sunshine piercing through to the soul.
And her infectious laughter, upon hearing it, involuntary joy would follow.
Somewhat willful, a bit indulgent, with a manly carefreeness.
When she was quiet, she could be so graceful, like a delicate flower under the moonlight, charming and heart-stirring…
Seeing Xiao Yeyang become lost in thought before her, Daohua had to shake her hand in front of his face, “Hey, what are you daydreaming about?”
Xiao Yeyang came back to reality. Daohua’s perplexed face came into his view, and for a moment, his breath caught, feeling a slight discomfort upon recalling the image of Daohua that had popped into his mind just moments before.
“Ahem~”
He quickly fanned himself with his folding fan, averted his gaze, and said, “Anyway, it’s not the frown you have now. You should be smiling every day.”
Daohua scoffed, “How could I possibly smile every day? Now, let me ask you, you’re the privileged Little Prince, do you stay happy every day?”
Before giving Xiao Yeyang a chance to respond, she went on, “Even someone like you has moments of unhappiness, let alone me.”
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua, her brows knit with gloom, and asked again, “What exactly is wrong? Tell me, and I’ll go avenge you.”
Hearing this, Daohua smiled faintly, “It’s really nothing. I was just upset when I saw my father taking food to his concubine.”
Xiao Yeyang immediately relaxed, dismissively saying, “I thought it was something serious. Is this trivial matter worth sulking over here?”
Hearing Xiao Yeyang’s indifferent tone, Daohua’s brows furrowed, “Shouldn’t I be angry? My mother works tirelessly managing our home, and yet my father directs his attention and love to a concubine who has contributed nothing. By doing this, where does he leave my mother?”
Xiao Yeyang’s expression stiffened, seemingly reminded of something, and his visage slowly darkened.
Daohua continued, “Sometimes I wonder how unjust the world is towards women. On one hand, it demands that women bear and raise the next generation, manage the household affairs, while on the other hand, they must not show jealousy.”
“But why? Why should women have to give so much unconditionally, while men can embrace concubinage and enjoy the blessings of many?”
As she spoke, Daohua glanced at Xiao Yeyang, paused, and then said, “Actually, I quite like the play ‘The Tale of Divorcing a Husband.’ If in real life husbands were like the ones described in the play, where a woman could propose a divorce to be rid of her husband, that would truly be a fortunate thing.”
Upon hearing this, Defu immediately became tense, looking at Xiao Yeyang and then back to Daohua, seemingly in a state of desperation.
Xiao Yeyang’s eyes flickered nonstop as if something occurred to him; a struggle crossed his brow, and finally, he looked at Daohua: “But it has always been this way since ancient times!”
No sooner had he said that than Xiao Yeyang saw Daohua’s expression turn cold.
“What, do you also think it’s acceptable for a man to have three wives and four concubines?”
Daohua’s voice was somewhat cold, her lips curled in a faintly discernible sneer.
Xiao Yeyang’s lips moved, wanting to argue a few points, but in the end, he said nothing.
Daohua said sarcastically, “I don’t know about other families, but just take mine for example.”
“Yes, my father indeed worked hard outside to provide a shelter for our family that protects us from the elements. But my mother also contributed much to building this haven.”
“My mother had to honor her in-laws, raise her children, and beyond that, manage the daily necessities of a whole family, control the servants and maids, and still engage in social activities and networking outside the home. Every single task required her mental and physical effort. That surely is not less demanding than what my father does outside, is it?”
“Without my mother’s hard work and maintenance, the so-called haven would merely be loose sand, unable to withstand any storm.”
“If both parties have put in so much effort, shouldn’t the rights they enjoy be equal?”
“But look, in this family, whenever my father has free time, he would visit his concubines to check on their wellbeing. Has he ever thought of my mother who is still toiling for the family during those times?”
“People’s hearts are made of flesh, my mother has given her all, and not only has she not received the slightest bit of care she deserves, but she has to watch her husband and another woman be intimate and raise children together. How much must that hurt her heart?”
Daohua’s words were entirely from the perspective of women, completely different from the notion Xiao Yeyang had been taught and learned since childhood — that women must contribute to the family, must obey, otherwise it would be an unforgivable defiance.
And so, he was stunned!
Suddenly, a long-lost and blurred image emerged in his mind.
In the scene, a woman resolutely stepped out of the Prince Residence, ignoring him as a child, crying, calling out, and chasing after her, not looking back.
From another angle, life had indeed been so unsatisfactory and bitter for that woman.
Was he wrong?
Should he really continue to harbor hatred for that woman?
Daohua sighed, “Our family is still relatively good, my father only has two concubines. In other affluent households, the number of concubines starts at three or four, and sometimes there’s no limit. Those families’ main wives must feel even worse.”
Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua with a complex expression, pondered for a moment, and then said, “But those are your father’s concubines, there’s nothing much you can do to change that, right?”
Daohua: “I may not be able to change anything, but I can protect my mother.”
Xiao Yeyang frowned: “But he’s also your father, you can’t favor one over the other, right?”
Daohua shook her head: “It’s different. My father has concubines, and he has other children besides me. Even if I’m not there, he would still have other children to be dutiful. But for my mother, I’m her only daughter. My elder brother and fourth brother spend all year round at the Academy and she only has me.”
“Moreover, the reason I came into this world is partly because of my father’s effort, but my mother risked her life.”
“It’s like walking through hell’s gate for a woman to give birth to a child. She risked her life to have me, so isn’t it only right that I watch over her a little more?”
At these words, Xiao Yeyang felt a sudden tumult in his chest, a throbbing in his temples.
‘You little guy, you must grow up well. Your mother suffered for three days and nights to bring you into this world, losing almost half her life in the process. When you grow up, you must take good care of her.’
The kind and compassionate voice resonated in his mind, and Xiao Yeyang’s heart suddenly felt extraordinarily heavy.
Seeing that Xiao Yeyang remained unresponsive, Daohua said no more.
Afterward, the two of them were silent, each making a move in the game of chess.
Behind them, Defu and Wang Manman watched with worried expressions.