Chapter 140: Family Letter

 Chapter 140: Family Letter 

“Master, Madam, the fourth young master's letter!”       

In the dining hall, the members of the Yan family were having their meal when Aunt Sun hurriedly entered holding a letter.  

Yan Zhigao looked displeased. “We’re eating. If there’s something, wait until we’re done.”

Madam Li put down her chopsticks. “Wen Kai has never written home before. This is strange. Quickly, give me the letter. I hope there’s nothing wrong.”

Aunt Sun quickly bent and handed the letter to Madam Li, then said, “If it were a letter from someone else, I wouldn’t dare disturb you while eating, but this letter was sent by the guards of the young prince.”

At this, everyone at the table froze.

Yan Zhigao quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks, looking toward Madam Li.

Normally, Madam Li would have handed the letter to Yan Zhigao first, but this time, she ignored him completely.

Their daughter was still living on the estate!

Yan Zhigao saw that Madam Li did not give him the letter and moved his lips but hesitated. He thought about the recent events and didn't dare speak out.

Yan Zhiyuan looked at Yan Zhigao, then smiled at Madam Li. “Sister-in-law, what does Wen Kai say in the letter?”

Madam Li glanced up at him, then lowered her eyes without saying a word.

Seeing that Madam Li, who was usually very understanding, ignored him, Yan Zhiyuan felt somewhat embarrassed. 

He knew that his suggestion to punish Daohua and administer a beating had upset his sister-in-law greatly, so he helplessly looked at Yan Zhigao, signaling that he was powerless.

Sun Shi was about to speak, but seeing that the head of the family was rebuffed by his sister-in-law, she wisely refrained.

As for Yan Zhiqiang and Wu Shi, they hadn’t thought of speaking at all; they just looked at Madam Li, waiting for her to read the contents of the letter.

Yan Zhigao noticed that Madam Li’s lips were turning upwards, which meant that the letter wasn’t bad news, so he relaxed and wasn’t in a hurry.

Madam Li finished reading the letter. Seeing that everyone was watching her, she casually handed the letter to Yan Zhigao.

Yan Zhigao quickly glanced at the letter, reading it in a few lines.

Compared to Madam Li’s smile, Yan Zhigao’s face had an awkward expression, which made everyone even more curious.

Yan Zhiyuan couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Big Brother, what does the letter say?”

Yan Zhigao looked at Madam Li and awkwardly replied, “Wen Kai says that the young prince asked him to explain to us. That when he left the Zhou family that day, it had nothing to do with Daohua. He also said that he scared her and asked for an apology.”

At this moment, the most awkward person in the Yan family was Yan Zhiyuan.

He had been the loudest one advocating to punish Daohua that day.

Sun Shi quickly seized the opportunity to ease the tension, saying, “As long as the young prince isn’t angry, that’s good. We still have a backing.”

“Bang!”

Madam Li suddenly slammed her chopsticks on the table, looking at Sun Shi with a forced smile. “A backing? Second sister-in-law, explain to me, what makes the young prince want to support us?”

Sun Shi was caught off guard by Madam Li’s sudden rebuke. Always quick-witted, she found herself at a loss for words. 

Madam Li gave her a cold glance. “Can our family bring any benefits to the young prince or help him in any way?”

“Stop talking about ‘backing.’ If anyone hears that, they might say we have no sense of propriety.”

The incident at Old Master Zhou’s birthday had greatly harmed their daughter’s reputation. Even though the Zhou family and the young prince had stepped forward to clarify, could they go around explaining the situation to everyone else?

Madam Li didn’t care about how others might feel; she only wanted her family to know that the young prince was close to the Yan family because of their daughter. They had no right to blame her.

“I’ve finished eating, you all continue.” 

Looking at Madam Li as she left the room, Yan Zhiyuan opened his mouth, then glanced at the uncomfortable Yan Zhigao. “Big Brother, is Sister-in-law angry with me?”

Yan Zhigao glanced at him and picked up his chopsticks. He stirred the food on his plate a few times before setting them down again. “Don’t take it to heart. Your sister-in-law is just concerned about Daohua. When mother and Daohua come back from the estate, everything will be fine.”

Danlin Village

Daohua had just brought Wang Man’er out of the flower room and the warm room when she saw a carriage from the manor parked at the entrance of the estate. Her face immediately fell.

“Miss, someone from the manor has come. I’m afraid we’ll have to go back,” Wang Man’er said with some frustration. 

Both Old Madam Yan and the young miss weren't overly strict about rules, and in the estate, as long as things weren’t too chaotic, it was far more comfortable than being in the manor.

Daohua sighed. “I thought we’d at least stay until the twelfth month before we had to go back. We’ve only been here for less than ten days, and now it’s already over.”

When Daohua and Wang Man’er returned to the house, she was surprised to find that it was actually Aunt Sun who had come in person.

When Old Madam Yan saw Daohua come back, she immediately called her over and handed her a warming pot. “Quick, warm your hands, don’t catch a cold.”

Daohua smiled as she took the warming pot. “Grandmother, I was just in the flower room and the warm room. It’s not that cold.”

The old lady smiled and asked, “The flowers in the flower room haven’t withered, have they?” If the flowers had wilted, her granddaughter’s flower shop would have to close.

Daohua smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, Grandmother. They’re blooming beautifully!”

The old lady then asked, “What about the vegetables in the warm room?”

When the warm room was first built, she didn’t think much of it. Although Xingzhou was in the northernmost part of the country, it was still cold in winter, and many vegetables wouldn’t survive.

To her surprise, her granddaughter had managed to grow quite a few vegetables in the warm room.

“They’re doing well, doing well! Don’t worry, Grandmother. There will definitely be plenty of vegetables for you this winter,” Daohua assured, nodding repeatedly.

On the side, Aunt Sun sat silently. Though she was anxious, she didn’t dare interrupt, let alone urge them to hurry.

As for Old Madam Yan, she was the family matriarch, and even adults had to show respect for her.

As for the young miss, she didn’t dare offend her either. After all, she was someone who dared to go against the master of the house himself.

After talking with Daohua for a while, Old Madam Yan finally took the letter from the table and handed it to her.

“A letter? Whose letter is it?” Daohua asked curiously, taking the letter and opening it quickly. After reading it, she snorted coldly.

The old lady took the letter from her granddaughter’s hand, neatly folded it, and put it back into its envelope. She said slowly, “Pack up, prepare to go back to the manor.”

Daohua pouted, reluctant.

Seeing this, Old Madam Yan waved to Aunt Sun to leave. Once he was gone, she spoke again. “Your father has already sent someone to fetch you. What more do you want? Do you want him to come personally and apologize to you?”

With that, she gave Daohua a slight tap on the head. “One must know when to stop. Don’t push things too far, or everyone will end up in an awkward position.”

Hearing this, Daohua felt dejected.

Clearly, she was the one who had been wronged, yet because she was younger, she had to let it go so easily.

She understood that even in modern times, fathers rarely apologized to their children, let alone in the patriarchal society of the past.

(End of Chapter)