Chapter 415: Chapter 391, Visitor from the Yan Family_1
After lunch, Xiao Yeyang was punished by Gu Jian to wash the dishes.
Watching Xiao Yeyang dutifully clean up the dining table, Daohua stood to the side, secretly amused. However, her joy was short-lived as she noticed her master staring at her and she immediately offered an embarrassed smile.
Gu Jian snorted and said, “It takes two hands to clap. He made mistakes, but you are at fault too. Go to the kitchen and help stoke the fire.”
Daohua: “…Yes.”
Defu and Wang Manman wanted to follow and help, but they were both intimidated by Gu Jian’s sharp gaze and backed away.
In the kitchen, after Daohua had prepared the hot water for washing the dishes, Xiao Yeyang finished tidying up the dining table.
Looking at the stacked bowls, chopsticks, and plates, Xiao Yeyang felt at a loss as to where to begin. He had become quite skilled at stoking the fire, but this was his first attempt at washing dishes.
Looking at Daohua, who was sitting behind the stove, he asked, “How should I wash these?”
Daohua: “You can wash them one by one, or put them all in together to wash.”
Xiao Yeyang fell silent for a moment, “Let’s wash them all together, it’s faster that way.” Having said that, he dumped all the dishes, chopsticks, and plates into the hot water at once.
Not having a good grasp of the weight, he soon got his sleeves wet.
Daohua watched with disbelief: “At least roll up your sleeves.”
Xiao Yeyang raised his arm to roll up his sleeves but realized his hands were covered in grease, so he stretched his hands out to Daohua: “You do it for me.”
Daohua stood up with a look of distaste, quickly walked over to him, and rolled up his sleeves in no time. Seeing his robe stained with water spots, she said helplessly, “Be gentler with your movements. If someone knows you’re washing dishes, fine, but if they don’t, they might think you’re taking a bath.”
Xiao Yeyang: “You think I want it this way? It’s just that I have no experience since it’s my first time. It’ll be better next time.”
Hearing this, Daohua couldn’t help but smile, “Then you’ll have to work hard. Next time we eat here, you’ll be the one washing the dishes.” With that, she turned to sit back behind the stove. However, she had scarcely taken a step when she heard a loud ‘clang’ sound.
Turning back, she saw several plates shattered on the ground.
Xiao Yeyang looked innocently at Daohua: “I didn’t do it on purpose, my hands just slipped. I’ll clean it up now.” Saying this, he crouched down to start picking up the pieces.
“Hey, be careful not to cut your fingers. I…”
Daohua hadn’t finished speaking when she saw a smear of crimson on Xiao Yeyang’s hand. She hurried over, pulled him up, and although she wanted to scold him, seeing him looking expectantly at her, all her words turned into a sigh. She promptly led him out of the kitchen.
“Come on, I’ll put some medicine on for you.”
Old Lady Gu and Gu Jian, hearing the commotion, came out of the hall. Seeing Daohua leading Xiao Yeyang to the pharmacy and then returning to the house, they went back inside.
Gu Jian: “I’ve said it before, these two tykes are just fooling around; you worried yourself over nothing.”
Old Lady Gu gave him a sidelong glance: “How could I not worry? Yeyang doesn’t have any elders by his side. If something happens, he doesn’t even know who to ask for help. We really need to keep a closer eye on him.”
Gu Jian fell silent for a moment: “I can guess a thing or two about what’s on that girl Daohua’s mind. She’s keeping her distance from Yeyang, probably because she feels her status isn’t enough.”
Old Lady Gu: “…Let the two children interact naturally. They’re still clueless right now, but if they truly take a fancy to each other in the future, I may not match that person, but I can still help these two children achieve their happiness.”
Gu Jian looked at Granny Gu with surprise.
Granny Gu gave a bitter smile, having not been able to see her two sons marry, she was thankful that the heavens had sent her grandson Yeyang to her side. As his grandmother, she naturally hoped that his marriage could proceed as he wished.
In the pharmacy, Daohua first used a handkerchief to wipe the grease off Xiao Yeyang’s hand, then began to apply medicine to his wound, scolding as she worked, “Really, how could you be so careless? Applying the ointment might sting a bit, so bear with it.”
Watching Daohua apply the medicine with meticulous care, her brows knitting with concern, Xiao Yeyang couldn’t help but smile. It was just a small cut, after all, which to him felt no more than an ant’s bite.
However, he enjoyed seeing Daohua fret over him, so the moment the ointment touched his skin, he hissed sharply and said through his breath, “It hurts a bit, can you blow on it for me?”
Daohua, unsuspecting, pulled Xiao Yeyang’s hand closer and blew on it while continuing her work, “Just bear with it, it will be over soon.”
Xiao Yeyang had a smile in his eyes, “No worries, take your time.”
…
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Ningmen Prefecture City, several carriages slowly entered the city gate.
Sitting in the middle carriage, Yan Yunxi lifted a corner of the curtain and curiously surveyed everything in the city, “Brother, didn’t Brother Wenxiu say that under Uncle Yan’s rule, Ningmen Prefecture was very poor? This place seems even more prosperous and bustling than our Fengbai Prefecture.”
Yan Wenqi, the Eldest Son of Yan Clan Leader, chuckled, “That’s just Brother Wenxiu being modest, you can’t take it seriously.”
Yan Yunxi dropped the curtain, “Brother, Uncle Yan is now a fourth-rank official. Do you think, once we get there, Daohua will look down on us? Back in the village, she was so proud and wouldn’t play with us.”
Yan Wenqi glared at his sister, “Yunxi, do not call her Daohua anymore, the major households care a lot about face, and now that Sister Yiyi has grown up, it’s really not appropriate to refer to her by her childhood nickname anymore.”
Yan Yunxi pouted, “I know, I definitely won’t call her by her childhood name to her face.”
Yan Wenqi smiled faintly, with age, his sister had become much more sensible and didn’t need his worry, “I’m not so worried about Sister Yiyi, she’s easygoing. After arriving at the Yan Residence, it’s the other three young ladies you need to be careful around.”
“We are guests at the Yan Residence, so you need to keep your temper in check and can’t act as willful as you do at home, understand?”
Yan Yunxi showed impatience, “I know, I know, our parents have reminded me countless times before we left, my ears are calloused from hearing it.”
“It’s just that Uncle Yan’s house is the pillar of the Yan Clan, and we have to show respect and not offend. Don’t worry, I’m aware of all that.”
Yan Wenqi thought for a moment and then said, “If you feel uncomfortable at the Yan Residence, you can just stay with Yunyan. After all, we won’t be staying long.”
Yan Yunxi nodded, indicating her understanding.
The same conversation was taking place in another carriage as well.
Hearing the hustle and bustle of the street, Yan Yunyan wanted to lift the curtain for a look but refrained for fear of impropriety, holding herself back, “Big brother, do you think Daohua… I mean Yiyi still remembers us?”
Yan Wenge shifted his gaze from his book and fell silent for a moment, “She probably does.”
“Of course she does!”
Yan Wenyi took up the conversation, “Yiyi used to come to our house a lot as a child to study with grandfather; she couldn’t possibly forget that. I just wonder if she still remembers us catching wild rabbits up in the hills together?”
Yan Yunyan smiled subtly, “Second brother, you can’t say that anymore. Now that Yiyi is a young lady of a major household, her behavior must be very different from when she was in the village.”