Chapter 158: A Visit to Uncle’s House

 Chapter 158: A Visit to Uncle’s House

“Haha, I won!”

Taking advantage of Xiao Yeyang’s momentary distraction, Daohua quickly moved his piece and placed her own on the board, clapping her hands and exclaiming happily.

Xiao Yeyang snapped back to his senses, glanced at the chessboard, and immediately looked speechless.

This person couldn’t even make a simple move correctly, he had spotted the change in her piece right away.

He had just thought she was clever, but it seemed he had overestimated her.

Daohua saw Xiao Yeyang staring at her and immediately felt guilty, hastily messing up the pieces in an attempt to cover her tracks.  

At this, even Yan Wenxiu, who had been sitting off to the side, couldn’t bear to watch.

Was this not the equivalent of trying to hide the truth and failing miserably?

“I won!” Daohua declared again, insisting on her victory.

Xiao Yeyang gave a helpless look at the stubborn Daohua, who refused to admit defeat, and sighed. He then said in a nonchalant tone, “You won.”

Daohua was a bit dissatisfied: “Why does it sound like you’re not sincere at all?”

Xiao Yeyang raised an eyebrow, “Then what do you think I should do to show sincerity? Should I give you a reward?”

Daohua’s eyes lit up at the mention of a reward.

Seeing her reaction, Xiao Yeyang huffed in annoyance, “You’ve beaten by me so many times, and I haven’t seen you give me anything, yet now you want mine?”

Daohua smiled awkwardly and muttered, “You asked for it.” 

At that moment, Defu entered with a smile. “Master, dinner is ready.”

Xiao Yeyang stood up and, noticing Daohua was still sitting, smiled. “You really do want a reward, huh? Well, think carefully about what you want, and let me know once you’ve decided. Now, let’s go eat.”

Daohua shook her head. “Forget it, I’m not that thick-skinned. If I get a reward for beating you once, I’d have to return even more. I’ll pass.” With that, she walked out of the study.

Xiao Yeyang looked at Yan Wenxiu, shaking his head with a smile. “Your sister is always thinking of new things.” Without waiting for a reply, he hurried after her.

Left behind, Yan Wenxiu silently glanced at Defu, then helplessly followed.

After dinner, the group gathered in the living room for conversation.

Li Xingnian, who had traveled all over and was well-read, told one story after another, keeping Daohua and the others entertained.

It wasn’t until the hour of Hai (9 PM) that everyone, still somewhat reluctant, returned to their rooms to rest.

In the side hall.

Both nephews had already undressed and were ready for bed, but Li Xingnian, still excited, couldn’t fall asleep.

“Uncle, hurry and sleep. We have to travel again tomorrow,” Yan Wenkai mumbled, then wrapped himself in the blanket and fell into a deep sleep.

Yan Wenxiu watched his uncle, who was still full of energy despite spending the whole day touring the palace. He couldn’t help but feel tired just looking at him.

Li Xingnian noticed Yan Wenxiu sitting there waiting for him and immediately said, “You go ahead and sleep. I’ll sit for a while longer and take a good look at this palace. This might be the only time in my life staying in a palace, I need to enjoy it.”

Hearing this, Yan Wenxiu, too tired to argue, didn’t stay up and silently retreated to bed.

Daohua, in another side hall, was also exhausted. She quickly fell into a deep sleep as soon as she lay down.

The next morning, she woke up to the sound of conversation between Wang Man’er and the others.

“Man’er, who was that just now?” Daohua asked as she got dressed and saw Wang Man’er coming in with a bright red feathered satin cloak.

“It was Defu Gonggong. He brought this cloak and said it’s for you to keep warm,” Wang Man’er explained, handing the cloak to Daohua.

Daohua ran her fingers along the satin fabric and the soft white fur trim, frowning. “Why is Xiao Yeyang sending me something again? It makes me feel embarrassed.”

Although she always reciprocated with gifts, she still felt a bit uncomfortable accepting them.

Wang Man’er thought Daohua might not want to accept the gift, and quickly explained, “I tried to refuse, but Defu Gonggong insisted. I couldn’t argue with him.”

Daohua thought for a moment. Since the cloak wasn’t something particularly expensive, and it was a common custom for families to send such items, she didn’t dwell on it. “Let’s wash up.”

As she left her room, she glanced at the cloak and then decided to wear it. Knowing Xiao Yeyang’s temperament, if she didn’t wear it, he would likely be displeased.

Sure enough, when she arrived at the main hall and Xiao Yeyang saw her wearing the cloak he had sent, the corner of his mouth immediately curved into a smile.

Yan Wenkai's eyes lit up. "Big sister, I’ve never seen you wear this cloak before, it looks really nice."

Daohua smiled. "I think it's nice too, and it's warm."

Hearing Daohua’s words, Xiao Yeyang became even happier.

Yan Wenxiu glanced at it but didn't say anything.

He knew that previously, Sister had given the Young Prince a prescription for a medicinal bath. The value of that prescription should not be low, and Dong Yuanxuan had asked him about it indirectly.

It was nothing for the Young Prince to return the favor with a cloak.

After breakfast, everyone chatted with Xiao Yeyang for a while before getting up to leave.

"Xiao Yeyang, if the academy is on break and you're bored, you can come to my house and play with my brothers!"

As they were leaving, Daohua said this to Xiao Yeyang.

Xiao Yeyang nodded and instructed Defu to see them off from the palace.

When Defu returned, Xiao Yeyang was looking at another food box Daohua had brought, filled with pastries shaped like various animals.

"So many pastries, is Miss Yan planning for the master to eat them all before the New Year?"

Xiao Yeyang chuckled. "Daohua treats me like a pig." Saying that, he grabbed a pig-shaped date paste cake and popped it into his mouth.

He didn't like sweet foods and had no particular interest in pastries, but he really liked the ones Daohua made.

It was surprising that she had sent him a whole box of them, especially since the maid beside her had trouble carrying it earlier.

"I'm going to read!"

Xiao Yeyang signaled Defu to take the pastries away and headed to the study.

"Uncle, how much longer until we reach the provincial capital?"

Yan Wenkai was getting restless on the boat and kept asking.

Li Xingnian glanced at the sky. "We’ll arrive by noon. Don't wander around too much or you might get seasick."

Daohua smiled and took over the conversation. "Uncle, don’t worry, Fourth Brother is in good health and won’t get seasick."

Li Xingnian glanced at his sturdy nephew and said nothing.

Watching Daohua standing on the deck, looking at the river view with great interest, Li Xingnian sat next to Yan Wenxiu. "That cloak Daohua is wearing seems to have been given by the Young Prince. Is it really fine for her to just take it?"

Yan Wenxiu shook his head. "It's fine. Sister also brought some gifts when she came, didn't she?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xingnian’s mouth twitched.

The two food boxes that his niece had given him?

Well, the exchanges between children shouldn't be as calculating and materialistic as those between adults.

Yan Wenxiu thought for a moment and said to Li Xingnian, "Uncle, we’d better not tell outsiders about staying at the palace this time. Because of our close ties with the Young Prince, we've already attracted a lot of attention. If others find out we stayed at the palace, it might cause trouble."

Li Xingnian nodded, patted Yan Wenxiu’s shoulder, and said with a smile, "You’ve grown up so fast. You're becoming more thoughtful. Don’t worry, I know what to do."

By 2:00 PM, Daohua and the others finally arrived at the Li residence.

"Why did it take so long?"

As soon as Li Xingnian walked in with the others, the two sisters-in-law and several cousins came out to greet them.

"Wenxiu, Wenkai, Daohua, greet your two aunts."

Yan Wenxiu quickly led his siblings in bowing.

The eldest aunt, Fan Shi, immediately helped them up, then took Daohua’s hand and scrutinized her closely. "So this is Yi Yi? Oh my, how come she’s so beautiful? Second sister, come and see this child, isn't she even more beautiful than our younger sister was back in the day?"

A gentle woman walked over, smiling as she examined Daohua. "Indeed, this girl surpasses her mother."

The two aunts of the Li family, one cheerful and outgoing, the other gentle and composed, both looked very well-preserved, appearing to be in their early thirties.

"Alright, alright, do you two aunts usually talk like this? You’re making the child embarrassed."

Li Xingnian chuckled and interrupted. "We’ll talk inside."

Fan Shi immediately smiled and said, "Look at me, I’m so happy I’m losing track of things." Then she took Daohua's hand and signaled her son to invite the brothers inside.

Daohua felt a little overwhelmed by her enthusiastic eldest aunt, so she just went along with whatever she said, being as obedient as could be.

Behind them, the two Li cousins gathered together, quietly eyeing Daohua and the others.

Li Zixin, the cousin from the first household, whispered, "Didn’t Mother often say that though our uncle is an official, his family is poor and their life is quite frugal? But look at Yi Yi, her clothes and accessories are all first-class."

Li Zixuan, from the second household, nodded. "Yes, I’ve seen the cloak Yi Yi is wearing from a distance, the same one I’ve seen Miss Dong wear. It’s said to be a tribute feather satin. And the hairpin she’s wearing is so pretty. I’ve never even seen anything like it in the stores in the city."

Li Zixin looked Daohua up and down again. "Mother always said Yi Yi grew up in the countryside and might be overshadowed by the legitimate daughters of the family. But now look, that was all nonsense."

(End of chapter)