Chapter 83: Chapter 70, Don’t Stir Trouble but Not Afraid of It_l
“Greetings to Lord Prefecture Governor!”
As soon as Yan Zhigao and his entourage reached the gate of Linyi County, the county magistrate came forward to greet them, accompanied by a host of local gentry and rich families, all smiling as if at a festival.
“Hmph!”
From inside the carriage, Yan Wenkai snorted coldly.
Yan Wenxiu immediately glared at him, “How many times have I said to mind your behavior when we’re in public? We can’t help father right now, but we can’t cause him trouble either.”
“Father may have been promoted, but that only means more people are watching him. The competition in the official circles is fierce, and since our Yan Family has a weak foundation, we must be even more cautious and prudent to avoid offending others.”
Yan Wenkai looked unconvinced but still grunted, “I know.”
Daohua heard their conversation, took another glance at those fawning over their stepfather, let down the carriage curtain, sat next to Yan Wenkai, and whispered, “Fourth Brother, who irritated you?”
Yan Wenkai glanced at Yan Wenxiu, and seeing he wasn’t paying attention, whispered, “Among the group outside coming to congratulate our father is the head of the Sun Family. You may not know them, but they have lived in Linyi County generation after generation, and can be considered a longstanding aristocratic family.”
“When father first came here to take office, the Sun Family made things difficult for him. Later, in the county school, I saw the Sun Family head’s grandson bullying other students, so I intervened. In a fit of anger, I ended up fighting them.”
“At that time, father was about to undertake water conservancy construction in the county and needed the support of the Sun Family. In the end, to calm the waters, he took me to the Sun Family to apologize.”
“I wouldn’t have minded apologizing since I was the one who fought, but father himself went to their doorstep, and yet the Sun Family made us wait for over two hours before the head deigned to meet us.”
“Big sister, tell me, isn’t the Sun Family infuriating?”
Daohua nodded solemnly, “Not just infuriating, but also incredibly arrogant.” Making the head of a county wait, the Sun Family sure doesn’t regard others highly.
Seeing Daohua agreeing with his view, Yan Wenkai felt much better. He scanned the scene outside the carriage and disdainfully said, “Now that they see father has been promoted, the Sun Family head is eagerly cozying up, acting like a fawning dog. It’s truly irritating to see.”
“Are you getting more and more excited as you talk?” Yan Wenxiu suddenly spoke up. He knew his fourth brother couldn’t hold his tongue, so he hadn’t stopped him just now. But this guy didn’t know the meaning of restraint, and if he didn’t intervene, he would go on forever.
Yan Wenkai pursed his lips, turned his head, and ignored Yan Wenxiu.
It was then that Daohua spoke, “Big Brother, I think Fourth Brother isn’t wrong. People like the Sun Family are indeed irritating.”
Yan Wenxiu knew it would end this way, replying helplessly, “There are some things we know and that’s enough; there’s no need to speak them aloud.”
Daohua: “But emotions need to be vented, right? It’s painful to bottle them up inside. Besides, Fourth Brother knows where to draw the line, doesn’t he? Isn’t he only saying it in front of us?”
Hearing this, Yan Wenkai immediately nodded vigorously.
He hadn’t said anything outside, so couldn’t he speak his mind with his own family?
Daohua smiled and continued, “I think we should not provoke trouble, but we mustn’t fear it either. Constantly conceding, not only does it bend our own spirit, but it also encourages the wrong behavior.”
“Now that father is the Prefectural Governor, we should also display the demeanor fitting for the sons of a Prefectural Governor. Not to bully the weak, but not to be bullied either.”
She felt that her eldest brother was overly cautious.
It was not a bad thing, but if one’s back is bent too often, it might not straighten again.
Yan Wenkai nodded repeatedly, “Right, we don’t bully others, but we also can’t allow others to bully us.”
Yan Wenxiu’s heart trembled, and upon reflecting on his own actions, he realized he had indeed been overly cautious and hesitant, considering the consequences from all sides. A bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he said no more.
Outside, Yan Zhigao had also finished exchanging pleasantries with everyone and boarded the carriage, ready to return to the County Governor’s Office.
In the backyard of the County Governor’s Office.
Madam Li, who had received the news beforehand, was already waiting at the backyard entrance with the people from the second and third branches of the family, and even Old Madam Yan insisted on waiting there.
Before long, everyone saw Yan Zhigao, followed by Yan Wenxiu and a few younger ones, striding from the front courtyard.
“Son pays his respects to mother, I’ve worried you!”
The moment Yan Zhigao returned, he immediately knelt down before Old Madam Yan.
Old Madam Yan quickly pulled Yan Zhigao up, holding his hand with an extremely agitated expression, her eyes reddening and her lips quivering. Seeing the Old Madam so excited she couldn’t even speak, Daohua immediately ran over. She knew that old people were wary of extreme joy or sorrow, and she couldn’t let something happen because of too much happiness.
With a “bang,” Daohua embraced the Old Madam: “Grandmother, how come you only saw my father and not me? And here I’ve been, missing you every day!”
Distracted by Daohua’s interruption, the rush of blood to Old Madam Yan’s head cooled down, and her expression gradually returned to calm. She nodded Daohua’s head: “Old lady might forget anyone, but I could never forget you, my little debt collector!”
Daohua glared with wide eyes, feigning anger: “What debt collector? I’m clearly the joy-bringer!”
Old Madam Yan laughed: “Yes, yes, you are our joy-bringer!” saying this, she pulled Daohua off of her, looked her up and down, and then said with dissatisfaction, “How have you lost weight? Did they not feed you well while you were away?”
Daohua nodded with a pitiful look: “Isn’t that the case? It’s afternoon now, and we haven’t even had our lunch yet.”
Hearing this, Old Madam Yan didn’t care about Yan Zhigao anymore and pulled Daohua towards the Songhe Courtyard: “You’re a capable girl, aren’t you? How come you can’t even manage to get yourself some food? You’re still growing, it’s not good to skip meals like this. What if you end up short? Come on, grandmother will go make you some noodles.
“Alright, I love eating the noodles you make the most.”
Watching the old and the young leave the others behind as they went their way, those who remained exchanged confused glances.
Yan Wenkai looked at his older brother with sympathy: “Big brother, as the eldest grandson, your status with Grandmother seems to be much lower than that of the eldest granddaughter!”
Yan Wenxiu reached out and gave Yan Wenkai a noogie: “Look at you, jealous of your own sister!” Okay, he felt a bit sour inside too, but seeing Dad likewise abandoned by Grandmother made him feel a bit better.
Madam Li approached the stunned Yan Zhigao with a smile: “Ever since we received Wenxiu’s letter, Mother has been silent. Now that she has seen the old master return, she’s finally back to normal.”
Yan Zhigao came to his senses and looked towards Madam Li: “You’ve had a hard time, Madam.” He felt Old Madam Yan’s excitement as clearly as she did; her reaction just now had truly worried him that something might happen. Luckily, his eldest daughter was there.
After their father’s death, they had faced some unpleasantness back at their ancestral home. He knew that for years Old Madam Yan had been harboring a frustration, wishing for him to stand out, but also afraid of putting too much pressure on him, keeping it all inside without saying a word.
Now that he had been promoted to a Fifth-rank Prefectural Governor, Old Madam Yan had seen her wishes fulfilled, and the pent-up frustration had been released upon seeing him, causing her to become overly excited.
Madam Li: “The old master has had the harder struggle, fighting outside. What do I have to struggle with? You must be tired from the journey. Come, let’s go back to the main courtyard so you can rest and freshen up.”
Yan Zhigao nodded, greeted the people from the second and third branches, and went back to the main courtyard with Madam Li.
From behind the crowd, Aunt Lin saw that Yan Zhigao didn’t even glance in the direction of her and her three children, leaving her feeling a complex mix of
emotions..