Chapter 226: Chapter 208, Flourishing and Magnificent_1
The Dong Family’s pleasure boat was large, with the first-floor cabin divided by screens into two parts, one side was for men to drink tea and chat, the other for the ladies to joke and have fun.
Going out for fun, the point was to be happy, and since everyone present was from acquainted families, people were less restrained than usual, making the whole cabin lively and bustling.
On the deck, Dong Jiancheng watched his eldest son come over with a group of spirited young men and said with a smile to Yan Zhigao beside him, “Youth really is wonderful, carefree and without worries, truly a joyful thing.”
Yan Zhigao smiled and nodded, “Indeed, the times of youth are always nostalgic.”
Dong Jiancheng’s gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on the ‘young man’ leading the Ferghana horse, his eyes twinkling quickly.
The Little Prince really treated the Yan Family differently.
Ferghana horses are rare, not something money can necessarily buy, and yet one was just given to a young girl.
In the cabin, everyone also noticed the group of young men approaching them, with the ladies from various families starting to whisper and inquire about the origins of these young men, and the girls began to discuss quietly among themselves.
“Isn’t that Miss Dong? Why is she dressed as a man again?”
“She’s leading a horse, she must be going horseback riding.”
“The black horse she’s leading is so pretty, and the white horse and the chestnut horse being led by the two beside her, you can tell at a glance that they’re top-notch horses.”
“I heard there’s a racecourse behind the manor, are they going there to ride?”
“Isn’t that area restricted to outsiders?”
“Don’t you know? Brother Dong and Brother Su are the Little Prince’s study companions, they must have been taken there by the Little Prince.”
“Look quickly, aren’t the two young masters walking beside Brother Dong the ones who helped clear the boats at the port before?”
“Really, I wonder which family they’re from?”
…
“Brother Xiaoliu, take care of Daohua. After he gets on the boat, if he feels uncomfortable, feed him some grass,” said Zhou Jingwan, passing the horse reins to Qin Xiaoliu as she prepared to go meet the elders of the families on the neighboring Dong Family’s pleasure boat with Dong Yuanxuan and the others.
Qin Xiaoliu affectionately patted Daohua’s back and said with a smile, “Miss, don’t worry, I’ll make sure Daohua is well taken care of.” A Ferghana horse, after all, a splendid horse like this, he had to look after it carefully.
It was all because he followed the young lady; otherwise, he feared he might never see such a prized horse in his life, much less come into such close contact and take care of one.
Zhou Jingwan also handed her horse reins to the servants.
“Let’s go!”
Seeing that the two had finished their preparations, Dong Yuanxuan smiled and led the group to his family’s pleasure boat.
After boarding the boat, Dong Yuanxuan and the others first paid their respects to the male elders of the various families, with Zhou Jingwan following behind the older ones to perform the courtesies.
After the greetings, the elders began to examine Dong Yuanxuan and the others on their studies.
Dong Yuanyao found it boring, so she took Zhou Jingwan and another through the screens to the ladies’ side.
The moment the three entered, they were greeted with curious looks from the madams and misses of the various families.
“My, where did these three handsome young lads come from?”
Madam Dong, seated in the place of honor, looked at the three with a smiling expression.
“Madam Dong, you’re teasing again!”
Zhou Jingwan had visited the Dong Residence and knew Madam Dong, so she immediately joined in with a smile. Upon seeing her mother, Madam Zhou, she showed surprise, “Mother, what are you doing here?”
Madam Zhou looked at her daughter with exasperation, “Why, you can come out to play, but your mother can’t?”
Zhou Jingwan immediately went over and cuddled up to Madam Zhou, shaking her gently, “Daughter didn’t mean that.”
Madam Zhou didn’t respond, but instead smiled and waved at Daohua. When Daohua came near, she smiled and said to the other ladies, “You may not know, but this handsome young lad is actually the apple of Prefectural Governor Yan’s eye from Xingzhou City.”
As she stood up, she brought Daohua over to Madam Dong, “This is Madam Dong.”
Daohua promptly bowed, “Madam Dong, I hope you are well.”
Indeed, it was no surprise that she was the mother who had raised a daughter like Dong Yuanyao. One could tell at a glance that Madam Dong was a forthright and open-minded person.
Madam Dong smiled, took Daohua’s hand, looked her up and down, and said with a smile, “I have long heard that Prefectural Governor Yan’s household has a daughter as pure and graceful as an orchid, and today I finally meet her.” As she spoke, she slipped off a string of blue pearl bracelets from her wrist, intending to put it on Daohua’s.
Daohua quickly tried to decline, but Madam Dong spoke first, “This pearl bracelet should be worn on the wrists of young ladies like you; it looks good that way. We, on the other hand, are old!”
Madam Zhou laughed and joined in the conversation, “Well, compared with these young ladies, aren’t we indeed old?”
Seeing Madam Zhou’s gesture for her to accept, Daohua didn’t hesitate any longer and thanked her graciously, “The bracelet is so beautiful, thank you, Madam Dong.”
Madam Dong, seeing Daohua’s proper and generous behavior, smiled and nodded in approval.
The other ladies present, seeing Madam Dong present such a valuable gift to the Yan Family’s eldest daughter upon their first meeting, all began to assess the situation in their own minds.
Afterward, Madam Zhou continued to introduce Daohua to other ladies.
“This is Madam Su, the mother of your elder brother Su.”
Daohua bowed, “Madam Su, I hope you are well.”
The Su Family was a Scholar Family from Zhongzhou, with generations of officials, boasting scholars and top graduates among them, truly a distinguished lineage.
In contrast to Madam Dong’s straightforward warmth, Madam Su was much more genteel and dignified. She feigned support for Daohua as she said, “Come on, get up. There’s no need to be so formal when you’re away from home.” Saying so, she gave Daohua a piece of jadeite jade pendant.
After greeting each lady, Daohua had received quite a few gifts.
Back with Zhou Jingwan and Dong Yuanyao, Dong Yuanyao began to introduce Daohua to the various young ladies.
After recognizing a whole cabin’s worth of people, Daohua felt somewhat dizzy.
“Daohua, this is the younger sister of your elder brother Su, Su Shiyu.”
It wasn’t until after meeting everyone that Zhou Jingwan brought Su Shiyu over.
With picturesque eyebrows and an orchid-like demeanor, she was truly a gently flowing, tender-hearted young lady.
As Su Shiyu approached, Daohua was instantly captivated. Zhou Jingwan waved her hand in front of Daohua’s eyes a few times before she came back to her senses and hurriedly bowed, “Sister Su.”
Su Shiyu looked at Daohua curiously. She had often heard her elder brother mention the Yan Family’s eldest daughter, saying she had the same temperament as Yuanyao, loving to play and make merry. But at this moment, she appeared quite demure and replied with a bow, “Sister Yan.”
Just then, Dong Yuanxuan’s voice came from the other side of the screen.
“Mother, I’ve brought some classmates over to greet the ladies.
Madam Dong smiled and said to the ladies, “That’s proper etiquette. Since everyone present is an elder, they should come over to pay respects.”
Madam Zhou immediately chimed in, “We are all families familiar with each other, and we’ve watched these children grow up. There’s no need to be too formal.”
All the ladies nodded in agreement.
Having just glanced at them, they had seen it was a group of blossoming young men. It was a good opportunity to take a closer look, as one of them might be a future son-in-law.
Madam Dong gestured towards the other side of the screen, “Come on over.”