Chapter 125: A Good Omen

 Chapter 125: A Good Omen 

"That's the problem with going out—there's no way to know the exact time. For someone like me, who can only tell morning, afternoon, and evening by the sky, it's easy to lose track of time."

Daohua and Zhou Jingwan were walking side by side toward the foot of the mountain.

Zhou Jingwan said, "But there are servants, and among them, some must know how to read the sky."

Daohua shook her head. "It’s still others reading the sky, not me. It’s just more convenient when I can do it myself." The ancient times were inconvenient in this way—no watches to rely on. She had to guess the time entirely.

Hearing their conversation, Xiao Yeyang turned his head to look at Daohua, his eyes flickering for a moment.

By the time Daohua’s group arrived back at the temple at the foot of the mountain, it was already around the time of the You hour. It wasn’t too late; many of the madams and young ladies were still outside, enjoying the chrysanthemums and the scenery.

When Madam Zhou saw they had returned, she instructed the servants to call the other madams, preparing to leave the mountain. 

"Once the other madams and young ladies are gathered, it’ll take a while. It’ll be boring waiting here at the temple. How about we head down the mountain first?" Xiao Yeyang suggested, looking at Daohua.

Daohua thought for a moment and agreed. "I should go tell my mother."

At that moment, Zhou Chengye walked over with a smile. "No need. I’ve already spoken with Mother and Madam Li. They know and have agreed for us to go down first."

Xiao Yeyang immediately said, "Since that’s the case, let’s go."

Daohua shrugged nonchalantly and, taking Zhou Jingwan's hand, followed along.

The descent was quick, and Xiao Yeyang led them to their boat.

"It didn’t feel like much when we were walking, but now that we’ve stopped, my legs are so sore!" Daohua complained as she sat down on a bench, patting her legs.

Zhou Jingwan was doing the same.

Yan Wenkai teased, "Big sister, what are you two complaining about? When we first started doing horse stance, that was truly miserable. We couldn’t even walk properly after that."

Daohua rolled her eyes. "Fourth brother, that’s not the point. Don’t compare us with that!"

Yan Wenkai was speechless.

The others around them laughed without restraint.

While they were chatting, Madam Zhou, along with the other madams and young ladies, came down the mountain.

"Jingwan, let’s go. It’s our turn to board the boat." Daohua noticed the other madams and young ladies were already boarding, so she quickly stood up and smiled at Dong Yuanxuan and the others. "Thank you all for taking care of us today. If you ever get the chance, please come visit my family. Daohua will be happy to welcome you."

Dong Yuanxuan smiled, "Don’t mention it, Miss Yan. The barbecue you made today was delicious, though… it was a bit small in portion. Next time, you must make more!"

Daohua smiled and nodded before turning to Xiao Yeyang. "Prince Xiao, please take care!"

Xiao Yeyang’s face darkened. "What’s this? You invite them to your house as guests, but all you say to me is ‘take care’?"

Daohua tilted her head and smiled. "That’s because you can come to our house anytime, but if Brother Dong and the others aren’t invited, I’m afraid they might feel awkward about visiting."

Seeing that there was no coldness in her tone, Xiao Yeyang’s lips curled up slightly. But then he quickly turned serious. "Are you saying my face is thicker than theirs, and I can just show up uninvited?"

Daohua shrugged and playfully replied, "If you think your face is thick enough, I wouldn’t mind."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into quiet laughter.

Xiao Yeyang gave Daohua a stare. Although his face was stern, there was no sign of displeasure.

Daohua tugged Zhou Jingwan's hand. "Alright, we really should leave now. You should hurry back to the academy." With that, the two girls started walking down the boat.

"I'll walk them out!" Zhou Chengye said.

"Wait!"

Xiao Yeyang called out to Zhou Chengye.

Zhou Chengye turned, "Your Highness, do you need something?"

Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua and Zhou Jingwan, who had already walked off the boat. "They won the mountain climbing competition, right? I haven't given them their reward yet."

Upon hearing this, Dong Yuanxuan and the others looked over.

Yan Wenkai said, "You really plan to give them a reward? Your Highness, don't bother. If it weren't for Daohua cheating, you would have won at the last moment."

Xiao Yeyang replied seriously, "A man must accept defeat gracefully. If I said I would give them a reward, I can't go back on my word." He turned to Zhou Chengye. "I’ve already asked Defu to get it. Later, you can deliver it to them."

Zhou Chengye smiled. "Then I’ll thank His Highness on behalf of the two young ladies."

Yan Wenkai's expression immediately soured. "Then what about me? I only have a few hundred coins on me."

Dong Yuanxuan also chuckled. "We don’t have anything that could be considered a reward either."

Xiao Yeyang waved his hand. "I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to worry about it."

Upon hearing this, no one said anything further. They knew their resources didn’t compare to the prince’s.

Soon, Defu appeared holding two delicate jewelry boxes.

Xiao Yeyang frowned. "Why did it take you so long?" He had originally planned to give the gift directly to Daohua, but now he was hesitant to go to the other boat, so he had to have Zhou Chengye deliver it instead.

Defu bowed. "There were too many items, and the master wanted gifts for the ladies, so I had to search for a while."

After all, His Highness valued the eldest daughter of the Yan family, so he couldn't just grab any gift and send her away with it.

Xiao Yeyang didn't say anything more and pointed at Zhou Chengye with his fan. "Give them the gifts."

Zhou Chengye hesitated and said, "These are too precious."

"It's not for you, is it? Am I supposed to wear them myself?" Xiao Yeyang interrupted him. These gifts were from his uncle, Prince Rui, who had instructed him to use them for rewarding others.

Only then did Zhou Chengye take the jewelry boxes and leave.

After he left, Xiao Yeyang thought for a moment and summoned Yan Wentao. He whispered a few words in his ear, and soon Yan Wentao hurried off.

Defu, observing all of this, couldn't help but shed a few tears of frustration.

The prince had already given the treasured qilin jade pendant, which the emperor had gifted him, to the eldest daughter of the Yan family. Now, he was giving away the pocket watch, a tribute from a foreign kingdom, which he had always worn.

Could he be any more extravagant?

Meanwhile, Daohua was unaware of what had just transpired. Once she boarded the Zhou family's boat, she was greeted warmly by the other madams and young ladies.

At that moment, she was so busy responding to them that she barely had time to breathe!

It wasn’t until Zhou Chengye arrived with the jewelry boxes that the attention was diverted, allowing the two girls a chance to escape the uncomfortable situation.

Without saying a word, Zhou Jingwan took Daohua’s hand and led her to the third floor of the boat to hide.

Luckily, they managed to slip away just in time. Otherwise, when Zhou Chengye mentioned that the jewelry boxes were a reward from the prince, everyone would have insisted on making them open the boxes right there.

Madam Zhou took the gifts and, although the other madams were curious about what was inside, they were swiftly dismissed by her with a few words.

Soon, the boat began to move slowly.

By the time the boat reached Xingzhou dock, the sky was already dark.

The two jewelry boxes were identical, and Madam Zhou, still smiling, gestured for Madam Li to pick first.

Madam Li quickly declined, her face showing hesitation.

Before her marriage, she had always been around her older brothers and had seen many fine things. The jewelry boxes before her were exquisitely carved, with fine materials, and clearly very expensive.

For the prince to give such a gift to a girl, she really felt it was too much.

Madam Zhou, who was adept at reading people’s expressions, saw the hesitation on Madam Li's face and immediately handed her the box. "Take it, don’t worry. The prince himself said it’s a reward from the competition. By the way, my Jingwan has benefited from your Daohua."

Madam Li smiled and shook her head. "Zhou girl is charming and lovely, who wouldn’t like her? It’s my crazy girl who’s benefiting."

The two mothers exchanged compliments about their daughters until Daohua and Zhou Jingwan disembarked from the boat.

Seeing that the two girls looked a little weary, they didn’t say much more. After bidding each other farewell, each lady took a jewelry box and boarded her carriage.

(The End of the Chapter)