Chapter 91: Chapter 78, Reception_l
“Second sister, should we catch up with them?”
Watching Daohua and others already walking out of the courtyard gate, Yan Yile glanced at the red-eyed Yan Yishuang, hesitatingly looking toward Yan Yihuan.
Yan Yihuan thought about the indifference Zhou Jingwan and her companions had shown them; she felt somewhat daunted. However, remembering her mother’s urging a few days prior to befriend these officials’ daughters, she steeled herself and said, “There are so many people, elder sister must be too busy by herself, we should go over and help.”
Yan Yile, who enjoyed lively scenes and wished to meet those missies dressed more elegantly than themselves, immediately smiled in agreement, took Yan Yihuan by the hand, and was about to go after them.
Yan Yihuan did not forget to pull along Yan Yishuang, who stood to one side with reddening eyes, comforting her, “Third younger sister, our home is hosting guests right now, it wouldn’t look good for others to see you like this.”
Yan Yile took over the conversation, “Exactly, third sister, you need to change this habit of crying at the drop of a hat.”
The moment these words were uttered, more tears filled Yan Yishuang’s eyes, and she looked on the verge of weeping, extremely pitiful.
Yan Yihuan felt a headache coming on and gave Yan Yile a stern look.
Yan Yile pursed her lips. Back in Linyi County, their granduncle held the highest authority, even if the third sister was a concubine’s daughter, most visiting missies would still revolve around the third sister.
But now, in Xingzhou City, there were many more powerful figures than their granduncle, and those ladies from noble families never paid any attention to the third sister. Yet, the third sister, lacking self-awareness, insisted on pushing herself forward.
Just yesterday, their aunt had repeatedly emphasized that they should follow the eldest sister’s arrangements in receiving the missies from various families today. However, the third sister wanted to stand out, and here she was, having taken a blow to her pride!
Seeing the tears about to fall from Yan Yishuang’s eyes, fearing she might cry in the main courtyard, Yan Yihuan hurriedly pulled one sister with each hand and quickly exited the courtyard gate.
In the living room, the interaction among the young ladies did not escape the eyes of the matrons from various families; they naturally noticed the seemingly bullied Yan Yishuang.
Madam Li was infuriated internally. To prevent the Xingzhou families from looking down on the Yan Family, she had made extensive preparations beforehand, and now Yan Yishuang had ruined it all in an instant.
The girl’s small-minded and unsophisticated manner could not stand public scrutiny; God knows how these ladies from official families might mock her and the Yan Family behind her back.
“I’ve given the ladies here cause for laughter!” Madam Li’s smile was somewhat forced.
The matrons from various families casually shook their heads to show it didn’t matter to them. Then, with Madam Tongzhi stepping up to liven up the atmosphere, conversation quickly returned to other topics.
Daohua Pavilion.
Daohua led the young ladies into the courtyard and directly brought them to the pergola corridor.
At this moment, although the climbing roses were not yet blooming, the green vines had already covered the pergola; the cascading green tendrils from the gaps in the framework added a charming touch.
“Miss Yan, your pergola is beautifully constructed, and the vine growth on top is just splendid,” said Bi Lan from the Tongzhi family, a flower enthusiast, who couldn’t help approaching the pergola to have a closer look.
“The pergola was only recently completed. For now, you can only see green leaves, but when the roses bloom, the sight will be truly beautiful,” Daohua explained while leading the group of ladies to a long table in the corridor. “When they bloom, I’ll send you invitations to come and admire the flowers.”
Bi Lan clapped her hands in delight, smiling warmly at Daohua, “That’s a wonderful idea, I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Her father was the Tongzhi, and Miss Yan’s father was her father’s direct superior. Before she left the house, her parents had given her detailed instructions to get along well with the eldest Miss Yan.
Daohua smiled, “I will definitely invite you.”
Zhou Jingwan felt ignored and, somewhat dissatisfied, approached the long table on the corridor, picked up a vine-woven hand basket, and said disdainfully, “What have you brought us here for, to weave baskets?”
Daohua quickly approached the table, picked up an exquisitely small floral basket, and smiled, “Of course not. Weaving baskets is too troublesome. Instead, we’re here to arrange flowers.” She then waved Wang Manman over, who stood waiting nearby.
Wang Manman, receiving the signal, promptly brought over bunches of colorful flowers already prepared.
“What flowers are these? They’re so pretty!” Bi Lan immediately rushed over.
The other young ladies also gathered around eagerly.
Daohua smiled, “They’re all wildflowers.” Now that it was April, many wildflowers in the mountains were blooming. To pick these flowers, her third uncle had been making frequent trips to the mountains outside the city.
Of course, she had added quite a few wildflowers picked from her space to the mix.
Zhou Jingwan pursed her lips, “You’re just fobbing us off with some wildflowers?” Though her face showed disdain, her hands couldn’t help but flip through them.
Her family also cultivated many flowers, but those were rather expensive and her grandpa’s beloved possessions, only to be seen and not touched. Touch them and grandpa would puff out his beard and glare at her.
The ones before her were merely wildflowers, yet each was vibrant and beautiful. At first glance, they were no less splendid than those her grandpa cherished.
Daohua simply ignored Zhou Jingwan’s insincere remark and said to the others, “I know that everyone has expensive ornamental flowers at home, but those are too precious for us to practice with. These wildflowers might not look like much, but they can only be found in the mountains. Arranging them into flower baskets and placing them in a room can also bring a unique kind of enjoyment.”
Qian Bilan nodded repeatedly, “That’s a great idea.”
All the young girls, with no exceptions, liked flowers and plants, and they all nodded in agreement.
Daohua continued, “So, let’s learn flower arrangement in the morning, and in the afternoon, we can compete to see whose flower basket looks the best, shall we?”
Zhou Jingwan saw Daohua look at her as if seeking her opinion and haughtily nodded, “Fine, we’ve had enough of composing poems and all that, we’ll play your flower arranging game this time.”
Having said this, she became excited and started a lively discussion with the sisters she was familiar with, discussing how to match flowers and colors.
Daohua was astounded by how quickly she changed her tune.
The other young girls were also eager to try, reaching out for the wildflowers on the table and enthusiastically picking up flower baskets, contemplating how to make them even prettier.
Seeing that the attention of the young girls was fully captured, Daohua finally let out a sigh of relief. Turning around, she saw Yan Yihuan and the others step into the courtyard.
“Big sister!”
Daohua glanced at the three of them, pausing as her gaze landed on Yan Yishuang, whose eyes were still a bit red. She frowned, “What have you been doing? You look as though someone has bullied you.”
Yan Yishuang bit her lip and didn’t speak.
Daohua rubbed her forehead, truly not wishing to converse with a young girl who was both overly sensitive and spoiled. She quickly looked at Yan Yihuan, “Second sister, if you want toplay with arranging flower baskets, just go over there openly. But, you need to keep an eye on third and fourth sister.”
Yan Yishuang and Yan Yile both loved to stand out, and Daohua did not want their much-anticipated flower arranging event to get ruined.
Yan Yihuan nodded quickly, “Big sister, I will.”
Daohua looked at the three sisters again, “I’m going to make tea now, so behave yourselves.” Having said that, she turned and went back to her room.
In the room, Wang Manman had already brewed a pot of jasmine tea.
Daohua, “Take this pot of tea and the few plates of date paste cakes and pea cakes on the table to my big brother. Tell him to use these to entertain the guests.”
“Alright!” Wang Manman took the teapot and carried away the cakes.
Once she left, Daohua personally brewed another pot of jasmine tea, then took it out to the young girls in the corridor.
Zhou Jingwan, “What tea is this? It smells so good!”
Daohua filled tea for everyone while smiling, “It’s just ordinary jasmine tea.”
Zhou Jingwan, “Really? But it tastes even better than the tea we have at home.”
Daohua looked at her with a smile, “If you like it, I’ll pack some for you later.” She then turned to the other young girls, “The same goes for you all, if you like it, I’ll pack some for each of you.”
Qian Bilan smiled, “Thanks, we won’t stand on ceremony then!”
Meanwhile, in the outer courtyard.
Seeing all the young masters quite satisfied with the tea and cakes, Yan Wenxiu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and engaged in conversation with the guests more freely.