Chapter 151: Roasted Venison

 Chapter 151: Roasted Venison 

In the pavilion, Xiao Yeyang carefully applied medicine while Daohua occasionally chimed in with a comment. The atmosphere between them grew increasingly harmonious.

Outside the pavilion, the onlookers watched Xiao Yeyang’s mood improve, and when he eventually started chatting and laughing with Daohua, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s so cold! Let’s hurry back inside to warm up!” 

Dong Yuanxuan spoke with a smile. With so many people standing there, it indeed felt awkward.

Yan Wenxiu snapped out of his daze and immediately ushered everyone back indoors. However, he himself lingered for a moment, quietly taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Thankfully, his eldest sister had intercepted the Young Prince. If the Young Prince had stormed off in anger, their family would have faced significant criticism.

The last time during Old Master Zhou’s birthday celebration, the Young Prince left in a huff, causing a flurry of gossip in Xingzhou City. Even the Zhou family couldn’t avoid it, let alone their family.

Thinking of the second branch’s fourth sister, Yan Wenxiu’s face flushed with embarrassment.

He truly didn’t understand where his fourth sister found the courage to directly demand benefits from the Young Prince in front of so many people.

His eldest sister and the Young Prince had a life-saving bond. Even when she helped secure slots for him and his third and fourth brothers to study at Wangyue Academy, she did so discreetly.

Glancing at Dong Yuanxuan, Zhou Chengye, and Su Hongxin, Yan Wenxiu sighed inwardly. This time, they had thoroughly embarrassed themselves.

At the forefront, Yan Zhigao’s face was tightly strained.

He hadn’t expected the second branch’s fourth girl to be so tactless, nearly dragging the entire Yan family down.  

If his eldest daughter hadn’t stepped forward, not only would they have failed to maintain a good relationship with the Young Prince, but they might even have invited disaster.

Yan Wenxiu worried only about criticism, but Yan Zhigao thought deeper.

The political arena was always fraught with danger. As Xingzhou’s Prefect Magistrate, he was constantly under scrutiny. Any misstep could provide others the chance to pull him down and take his place. 

His career had not been smooth, and he had only recently begun to see some prospects. This was no time to falter.

The second branch...
It seemed he needed to properly discipline that family in the future!

Inside the matriarch’s room,

Yan Zhiyuan’s family waited anxiously. When the Young Prince stormed off angrily earlier, not one of them dared to chase after him to apologize.

Grandmother Yan sat sternly on the kang, coldly eyeing the second branch.

“This family should have been split after the third branch’s marriage,” she declared.

Yan Zhiyuan and his wife, Sun Shi, paled instantly. 

Yan Zhiyuan dropped to his knees in panic. “Mother, what are you saying? While our parents are still alive, we cannot separate! Are you saying you no longer want your son?”

Grandmother Yan snorted coldly. “Your elder brother never mentioned splitting the family out of respect for me. Second son, search your conscience and tell me—how have your elder brother and sister-in-law treated your family over the years?”

“And yet look at how you repay them!” She glanced at Yan Yile, who was still sobbing. “A perfectly fine young girl, raised by you to be like this! Instead of learning the good, she’s learned only envy and comparison!”

Her intentions weren’t hard to guess—she probably thought that just because Xiao Yang had been kind to her, she was on par with Daohua. If Daohua could request study slots for her three brothers, so could she.

“You two had better put away your petty schemes and stop being so envious!”

Yan Zhiyuan lowered his head.

If he had been hopeful before, when the Young Prince cast him a cold glance and left with a flick of his sleeve, all hope had turned to ash.

How could he dare hope for the Young Prince to help him achieve officialdom?

At that moment, they heard movement from the courtyard.

Yan Zhiyuan immediately stood and rushed out. Seeing Dong Yuanxuan and the others return, he excitedly turned to Yan Zhigao. “Elder brother, the Young Prince hasn’t left, has he?”

Yan Zhigao snorted coldly at his urgency but nodded.

The group slowly entered the room.

Upon seeing Yan Wenxiu, Yan Yile burst into tears and rushed over. “Big brother, did I say something wrong that angered the Young Prince? Where is he now? I’ll go apologize.”

Dong Yuanxuan’s eyelids twitched at her words.

Absolutely not!

"Absolutely not! Young lady, calm down. He just wants to go home and enjoy the New Year peacefully." 

Yan Yile’s tearful gaze softened Yan Wenxiu’s expression momentarily, but his brows soon furrowed again. "Enough, Fourth Sister. You don’t need to apologize to the Young Prince."

"But—"

"No buts!" Yan Wenxiu gave her a firm look and motioned her to return to their parents.

In the pavilion, Xiao Yeyang finished applying medicine to Daohua’s hand. The two fell silent until Defu arrived with a hand warmer wrapped in snowy white fur.

"Is the charcoal inside?"

Defu bowed slightly. "Yes, it’s been added."

Xiao Yeyang took the hand warmer, tested its temperature, and handed it to Daohua. "Your hands are so cold. Take this to warm them."

Daohua accepted it with a cheerful grin and stroked the soft, flawless white fur. "It’s so pretty! Is this rabbit fur?"

Xiao Yeyang twitched his lips. "Fox fur. Snow fox, to be exact."

Startled, Daohua hesitated, looking at the warmer. "Fox fur... that must be quite rare, right?"

Xiao Yeyang rolled his eyes. "I told you, it’s leftover material. Just take it already!"

Defu’s lips twitched at his master’s peculiar way of gifting items.

Seeing Xiao Yeyang’s expression, Daohua’s eyes sparkled with mischief. "Didn’t you say you wanted a herbal bath recipe last time? I’ll prepare the herbal bath packets for you to take with you when you leave."

Xiao Yeyang glanced at her. From their interactions, he had realized that whenever he gave her something, she always reciprocated. Was this her way of avoiding a sense of indebtedness?

Forget it. Let her be.

A strange gurgling sound suddenly broke the silence in the pavilion.

Xiao Yeyang’s ears turned red instantly.

"You’re hungry?" Daohua teased.

Xiao Yeyang huffed and didn’t respond.

Daohua laughed. "I saw you and my fourth sister eagerly serving each other dishes at the table. What, still not full?"

Recalling his childish behavior at dinner, Xiao Yeyang felt embarrassed. He abruptly stood up as if to leave.

Daohua quickly grabbed his arm. "Alright, alright, I won’t tease anymore. Didn’t you say you wanted roasted venison? Where’s the deer? Bring it out! I’ve never had venison before."

Xiao Yeyang’s expression softened slightly. He signaled Defu, who hurried off to make preparations.

Daohua then called for Wang Man’er. "Go to the Zhou residence and let Jingwan know we’re having roasted venison. Ask if she wants to join us."

"Got it!"

Relieved that her mistress had reconciled with the Young Prince, Wang Man’er ran off happily.

After everyone left, Daohua turned to Xiao Yeyang. "Did you bring enough deer? Don’t tell me there won’t be enough to go around."

Xiao Yeyang gave her a helpless look. "You’ve already invited people and are asking now? Isn’t that a bit backward?"

"...There’s plenty. I brought several."

Zhou Jingwan arrived shortly after.

"Where’s the venison? This time, I want to eat more. Last time’s barbecue wasn’t nearly satisfying enough." Jingwan grinned, gesturing to her maid carrying a large beef leg. "I didn’t come empty-handed. I brought ingredients too."

Daohua was delighted to see the beef leg. In ancient times, cattle weren’t slaughtered casually, so beef was quite a rare treat.

"Afraid we wouldn’t have enough, so you brought something over?" Daohua teased.

Jingwan didn’t deny it. "I just love eating." She handed the beef leg to her brother. "Brother, slice this up and get it roasting."

Zhou Chengye smiled indulgently. "You can only boss your brother around like this."

In the pavilion, the charcoal fire burned brightly, and the grill was set up. Everyone worked together, and soon pieces of meat were being roasted over the flames.

When Xiao Yeyang saw Daohua with her bandaged hand attempting to cut venison, he quickly snatched the knife from her. "Which part do you want? I’ll cut it for you."

Daohua pointed at the venison, hesitated for a moment, and finally settled on the leg. "Let’s go with the leg; the meat there should be tastier."

Zhou Jingwan, sitting nearby, heard this and immediately held out her plate. "Young Prince, cut me a piece too."

Xiao Yeyang glanced at her. Seeing all her attention focused on the barbecue, he said nothing and quickly cut off a large piece of venison for her.

Watching this, Zhou Chengye quietly sighed in relief. Thankfully, although his sister was a foodie, she wasn’t obnoxious about it. "Young Prince, let me take over cutting."

Seeing that there was already a decent pile of venison in front of Daohua, Xiao Yeyang handed the knife over and sat down beside her.

"Try this. I just grilled it," Daohua said, placing a piece of freshly cooked venison on Xiao Yeyang’s plate. The fragrant, crispy meat looked so inviting that she couldn’t help but dig in herself.

Once she started eating, she couldn’t stop.

As she grilled and ate, Daohua noticed Xiao Yeyang’s plate was empty. She was about to put another piece of meat on it when Zhou Jingwan swooped in.

"Daohua, your cooking smells amazing! I want some too!" Jingwan declared.

The piece of venison meant for Xiao Yeyang ended up on Zhou Jingwan’s plate instead.

Seeing this, Xiao Yeyang widened his eyes and stared at Zhou Jingwan as if he wanted to snatch the meat back from her plate.

Daohua caught sight of his expression and burst out laughing. "Don’t worry, it’s your turn next!"

With one person grilling and three eating, the pace naturally couldn’t keep up. The pavilion was soon filled with the sounds of playful bickering over food.

Meanwhile, the others tactfully stayed away.

Yan Wenkai wanted to join but was firmly held back by Dong Yuanxuan, who wouldn’t give him a chance to go over. He could only watch enviously as the trio across the pavilion enjoyed themselves.

In the distance, Yan Zhigao saw the lively scene in the pavilion and finally relaxed. After observing for a while, he noted his eldest daughter and the Young Prince chatting and laughing together and decided to head back. 

"What are you doing standing here?" he asked, frowning when he saw his second brother and sister-in-law lingering at the courtyard gate with Yihuan and Yile.

Yan Zhiyuan hesitated. "Eldest Brother, I was thinking of having Yile apologize to the Young Prince."

"Don’t!" Yan Zhigao immediately raised his hand to stop him. "The Young Prince has finally been pacified. Don’t stir up more trouble. It’s cold; take Yihuan and Yile back to their rooms to rest." With that, he turned and walked away.

(End of chapter)