Chapter 152: The Poor Kid

 Chapter 152: The Poor Kid

"Xiao Yeyang, when are you heading back to the capital?"

After eating most of the roasted meat, Daohua asked as she continued grilling.

Xiao Yeyang paused for a moment, his hand holding the meat. "Who said I’m leaving?"

Daohua was surprised. "Not going back? What about the New Year? Who will you spend it with?"

Xiao Yeyang rolled his eyes at her. "Do you think I don’t have a place to go for the New Year?" His tone was light, but his speed of eating slowed down.

Daohua glanced at him, suddenly recalling the first time she had seen Xiao Yeyang.

Logically, as a noble young prince, he should have had plenty of people around him. There was no way he could have ended up kidnapped by human traffickers.

But he was indeed abducted!

Could there have been some conspiracy behind this?

Thinking about the "Divorce Record" she had read earlier and Xiao Yeyang's explosive reaction, Daohua's heart skipped a beat.

Could the "Divorce Record" actually be about Xiao Yeyang's family?

With this thought, Daohua couldn’t help but look at Xiao Yeyang with a hint of sympathy in her eyes.

Poor kid!

If her guess was correct, didn’t this mean he was the child abandoned by the matriarch of the family?

In an ordinary family, if a husband was abandoned by his wife, there would be embarrassment and anger, but this was the royal family.

Xiao Yeyang’s father was a prince, accustomed to prestige. Being slapped in the face like that, the anger in his heart was unimaginable, so Xiao Yeyang became the outlet for that frustration.

First, he was abducted, and now, as the New Year approached, he couldn’t even return home!

Daohua’s sympathy for him deepened, and Xiao Yeyang felt uncomfortable under her gaze, a bit annoyed. "What are you staring at? Never seen a handsome young man before?"

Daohua’s emotional buildup was interrupted by his words. She looked at him speechlessly. "When did you become a matchmaker, selling melons?"

Xiao Yeyang retorted, "You call yourself a beautiful young girl. What’s wrong with me being a handsome young man?"

Upon hearing this, Daohua’s face immediately darkened.

"Ha!"

Nearby, Zhou Jingwan couldn’t hold back her laughter and chuckled. When Xiao Yeyang and Daohua both turned to look at her, she quickly pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. However, after a moment of trying, she couldn’t help but lean forward on the table, giving in completely.

A handsome young man and a beautiful young girl... She hadn’t expected Xiao Yeyang and Daohua to be so narcissistic. Oh, this was too funny!

Seeing Zhou Jingwan’s shoulders shaking with laughter, Daohua was speechless. What was so funny? She had a really low sense of humor.

Xiao Yeyang, on the other hand, had already averted his gaze and was idly flipping the meat on the grill.

Daohua shifted her attention back to the grill and, after a moment of hesitation, cautiously asked, "How about you spend the New Year at my house?"

It must be so lonely spending the holiday alone.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Daohua. When he saw the concern in her eyes, he froze for a moment. After a long pause, he smiled and replied, "No, it’s the New Year. How could I spend it at someone else’s house?"

"But you’ll be alone."

Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang finally understood where Daohua’s concern was coming from. He chuckled and explained, "Of course I’m not alone. This year, I’ll be spending the New Year with my uncle."

Daohua’s eyes lit up as she remembered Xiao Yeyang’s uncle, Governor Gu. "That’s good!" She paused for a moment and then asked, "Is it just your uncle? What about your aunt?"

Xiao Yeyang replied, "My aunt has to stay in the capital to manage the household and take care of my grandfather."

Daohua asked, "So it’s just the two of you? Who’s going to prepare your New Year meals?"

Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua, amused at how thorough she was in caring for him, but he still patiently answered, "Naturally, there are people below who will take care of it."

Daohua nodded, thinking for a moment. "I still have plenty of vegetables in the warming room at my house. When you leave, I’ll pack some for you, so you and your uncle can have a better meal during the New Year."

Xiao Yeyang didn't refuse. Although the palace also bought vegetables, they certainly wouldn't be as good as the ones from Daohua's home.

"Hey, don’t just eat meat, have some vegetables too."

Seeing that Xiao Yeyang's plate was filled only with venison and beef, Daohua quickly picked up a piece of grilled vegetables and added it to his plate.

Looking at the vegetables, Xiao Yeyang’s expression darkened. Could he say he didn’t like them?

But when he saw that Daohua had also placed some on Zhou Jingwan’s plate and was staring at her until she ate it before looking away, Xiao Yeyang picked up his chopsticks and, in a few quick bites, swallowed the vegetables.

He really didn’t want to hear Daohua lecture about balancing meat and vegetables again.

As the year-end approached, after finishing the roasted meat, Xiao Yeyang said he would leave.

Daohua didn’t persuade him to stay. The end of the year was a busy time, with many gatherings, and these people, in particular, were all invited by various families in Xingzhou City.

"Wait a moment, my family’s estate grows vegetables, and my mother said she would send some for you to try."

Dong Yuanxuan immediately expressed his thanks: "Thank you very much, Uncle Yan! We won’t be polite." He had always wanted to bring some of the Yan family’s vegetables back to his parents and sister because they tasted much better than those in the market, but he never had the courage to ask.

While waiting, Daohua saw that Xiao Yeyang was talking with her third and fourth brothers, so she thought for a moment and walked over to Dong Yuanxuan.

Seeing Daohua standing beside him, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated, Dong Yuanxuan found it amusing. "Miss Yan, do you have something to say?" 

Daohua looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, then whispered, "Brother Dong, do you know anything about Xiao Yeyang’s mother?"

This was a sensitive topic for Xiao Yeyang, so she had to be careful not to accidentally bring it up in a way that might upset him.

Dong Yuanxuan had been closest to Xiao Yeyang for the longest, and he knew the most about him, so it was better to ask him directly.

Upon hearing this, Dong Yuanxuan was startled, looking at Daohua with wide eyes, surprised by her question.

Xiao Yeyang had actually talked about his mother to her?

The former Princess Consort was a thorn in Xiao Yeyang’s heart—any mention of her would make him furious. Dong Yuanxuan hadn’t expected Xiao Yeyang to bring her up with Miss Yan.

Dong Yuanxuan couldn’t help but take a closer look at Daohua.

Unlike other young ladies who were delicate and reserved, Daohua was confident and radiant, her bright almond eyes full of energy, and her soft smile seemed to warm the hearts of everyone around her.

For a moment, Dong Yuanxuan found himself lost in thought.

"Brother Dong, what’s wrong?" Daohua asked, noticing that he was staring at her without moving.

Dong Yuanxuan snapped out of his daze and saw Daohua blinking at him, confused. His hand instinctively lifted the fan and lightly tapped her on the forehead.

Daohua was taken aback.

After the tap, Dong Yuanxuan realized he had acted inappropriately. He quickly looked around to make sure no one had seen, then sighed in relief. Turning back to Daohua, who was still staring at him, he smiled and said, "If you want to know, Miss Yan, just ask His Highness yourself."

With that, he walked away to speak with others. 

Daohua stood there speechless, watching him slowly walk away. She rubbed her forehead, thinking, Why do people in ancient times love to tap others on the head?

(End of Chapter)