Chapter 127: Father

 Chapter 127: Father

It was already late, and after spending the whole day outside, Madam Li briefly recounted the events on Xiangxia Mountain before showing signs of exhaustion. 

Though the others still wanted to hear more, it was inappropriate to ask too many questions at this time.

The old lady spoke up, "Alright, it’s getting late. Everyone go rest, and we’ll talk more tomorrow."

Soon, everyone left the old lady’s courtyard.

Yan Zhigao and Madam Li returned to the main courtyard together.

Behind them, Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang were a bit disappointed to see that their father hadn’t gone to the Shuangxin Courtyard.

Yan Yishuang looked a bit frustrated. "Father has been spending so much less time with Mother lately."

Hearing this, Yan Wenbin quickly looked around to make sure no one was near enough to overhear. When he confirmed they were alone, he let out a sigh of relief before reproaching his younger sister, "Sister, be careful with your words in the future."

Yan Yishuang was taken aback, then looked at Yan Wenbin angrily. "What, are you going to be like everyone else now? What’s wrong with calling my own mother ‘Mother’?"

Yan Wenbin was both anxious and upset. "This kind of talk will only bring trouble to our mother. Don’t you remember what happened last time when we used the wrong terms? Grandmother blamed our mother, and Father didn’t even defend her." 

"It’s clear that Father doesn’t think we should use such terms either."

Yan Yishuang’s anger flared up. "Rules, rules, everything’s about rules! During lessons, Teacher Shen kept repeating about the rules, and now you’re going on about them too."

"When have we ever cared about rules? Father always loved us, didn’t he? Why has everything changed just because we’re in Xingzhou City?"

Yan Wenbin remained silent for a while before replying, "Sister, we need to recognize the situation. Uncle is right. Now that Big Brother and Eldest Sister have achieved so much, Father’s attention has shifted towards them. If you keep acting like this, Father will only like us less and less."

Yan Yishuang froze, murmuring, "Really? But Father has always said that I’m his favorite daughter!"

Yan Wenbin sounded weary. "Father still loves us, but his affection is now divided between Big Brother, Eldest Sister, and us. So, Sister, we need to work harder. Not just for our mother’s sake, but for our own, we have to strive."

Yan Yishuang sniffed and bit her lip, silent for a long time. Finally, her voice trembled as she said, "I will try."

After returning to the main courtyard, Madam Li and Yan Zhigao washed up before lying down on the bed.

While lying there, Madam Li carefully recounted the day’s events to her husband.

Upon hearing that His Highness the Prince had given Daohua a pocket watch, Yan Zhigao, who had been resting against the pillow, immediately sat up in surprise. "Isn’t the Prince being too generous with our Daohua?"

He had only heard of pocket watches but had never seen one himself. Even when he went to the capital for official duties, he hadn’t seen any high-ranking officials with one.

Such precious foreign items were rarely seen, and only royal family members or important ministers who were highly favored by the Emperor would possess one.

Yan Zhigao felt a pang of bitterness, thinking that he had worked so hard and yet had never come across such an item, while his eldest daughter had received it first.

Madam Li hesitated for a moment before replying, "I suppose His Highness finds Daohua’s temperament pleasant and easy to get along with?"

Yan Zhigao looked skeptical.

Among the four girls, if anyone had a good temperament, he would say it was Yan Yihuan or Yan Yishuang. Daohua, on the other hand, had a straightforward and stubborn personality. Even he, her father, could be contradicted by her—was that what he called a good temperament?

Seeing Yan Zhigao’s disbelief, Madam Li quickly explained, "In human interactions, the initial connection often comes from a sense of attraction. After that, it’s about one’s character. Our Daohua—though I’m not boasting—compared to the other girls, even Miss Zhou from the Zhou family, I think she stands out."

"If Daohua hadn’t been there today, would Miss Zhou have received a full set of pearl headpieces?"

Yan Zhigao wasn’t entirely convinced. "Daohua hasn’t learned the proper etiquette well. She even tried to cheat His Highness during the contest. Fortunately, the Prince didn’t hold it against her. Otherwise, it would’ve been awkward and might even have affected the image of Winxui and the others in the Prince’s eyes."

"You need to talk to her more about these things. She can’t be so stubborn, especially in front of the Prince. He's someone everyone is trying to please. She should know when to lower her head. Just because he saved her, she can't act as if she’s invincible."

"You should understand that gratitude can wear out over time."

Seeing that Madam Li hadn’t responded, Yan Zhigao glanced over and saw her yawning, looking uninterested.

"Hey, did you hear what I said?"

Madam Li nodded while still yawning. "I heard you, my dear. I think you’re overthinking it. Children interact differently, and you can’t measure their behavior with adult standards."

"But the Prince is no ordinary child, is he?" Yan Zhigao was dissatisfied with Madam Li’s attitude and decided he would talk to their eldest son later and ask him to keep an eye on their eldest daughter.

Seeing how exhausted Madam Li was, he didn’t press the issue further, and called for a maid to extinguish the lights. The couple went to sleep.

---

Second Room

As soon as Yan Yihuan finished recounting the day’s events, Sun Shi immediately tapped her on the head.

"You little thing, didn’t I tell you to stick closely to your eldest sister before we left? How did you manage to mess up at the most critical moment? If you had stayed with your eldest sister and met the Prince, you might have received an entire set of pearl headpieces!"

Sun Shi looked at Yan Yihuan with frustration.

Normally, Yan Yihuan would quietly accept her parents' scolding, but this time, something about the outing seemed to have changed her perspective. She mustered up the courage to meet Sun Shi’s gaze.

"Mother, even if I had stayed with Eldest Sister, I wouldn’t have received the headpieces because I couldn’t even make it to the top of Xiangxia Mountain. Besides, if I just followed her everywhere, I would be no better than her shadow."

"This time, I don’t regret not going to meet the Prince with Eldest Sister. I had a lot of fun on my own, and I made some new friends. I had meaningful conversations with them, and I learned a lot."

Sun Shi was stunned. She had never expected her usually obedient daughter to speak back to her.

Yan Zhiyuan also looked over at them.

After a moment, Sun Shi, frustrated, said, "Making friends with a few girls can’t compare to getting close to the Prince, can it?"

Yan Yihuan replied, "But even if I were in front of the Prince, what difference would it make? Last time the Prince visited our house, aside from Eldest Sister, did you see him pay any attention to the rest of us?"

"You..." Sun Shi was at a loss for words. She had never thought her eldest daughter could argue so effectively. "Even so, you should have found a chance to talk to the Prince."

Yan Yihuan furrowed her brows. "Why force a conversation when it would make things uncomfortable for both sides? What's the point of that?" She felt that Eldest Sister was right—true friendships should come naturally, not through forced interactions.

At this, Sun Shi had no more arguments. She shot a dissatisfied look at her daughter.

Meanwhile, Yan Zhiyuan smiled. Compared to the silent, passive eldest daughter of the past, he preferred this new version who could stand up for herself.

"Alright, Yihuan is right. How she interacts with the other girls is her own business. Why are you meddling?"

Hearing her father’s approval, Yan Yihuan’s eyes brightened, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

This was the first time her father had openly acknowledged her!

Sun Shi glared at Yan Zhiyuan. "Who am I doing this for?" she muttered. Once the old lady was no longer around, this family would eventually split, and she had to think about the long-term future for the second room.

(End of Chapter)