Chapter 190: Sunflower Seeds

 Chapter 190: Sunflower Seeds

As Yan Wenkai and the parrot exchanged insults, calling each other "fool," everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh.

Old Madam Yan also stared at the parrot in amazement, clicking her tongue in admiration. "This parrot speaks so smoothly."   

At that moment, Wang Man'er entered holding a tray.

"Oh, what's in the tray? I’ve never seen it before," Dong Yuanxuan and the others all looked over, surprised by the contents they didn’t recognize.

Daohua took the tray, smiling as she explained, "These are sunflower seeds."

She had planted the two sunflowers she received from Zhou Jingwan last year in her space, harvesting quite a few sunflower seeds. She had also planted a lot more in the manor. 

At this point, the parrot had stopped arguing with Yan Wenkai and was now staring at the sunflower seeds in Daohua's hands, unmoving, with an expression full of longing.

Daohua teasingly waved the tray in front of the parrot, and wherever she moved the tray, the parrot's shiny black eyes followed it, as if glued to it.

"Identification complete, this is a foodie parrot!"

She then grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and placed them in front of the parrot.

The parrot flapped its wings twice, lowered its head, and began eating. In just a moment, it finished the seeds, and with a contented expression, it said, "Delicious, delicious!" After a pause, it added, "More, more!"

Its begging for more made Old Madam Yan laugh out loud.

"You really know your stuff!"

The sunflower seeds from the space were fragrant and crispy. Daohua often enjoyed nibbling on them herself when she had nothing else to do.

Daohua grinned and waved the tray in front of the parrot again. "Want some more? If you do, say something auspicious."

"Daohua, happy birthday!" 

Daohua shook her head. "I’ve already heard that one."

The parrot paused for a moment, seemingly thinking, or perhaps recalling what it had been taught, before it suddenly said, "Daohua, loved by all, flowers bloom wherever she goes, and cars explode in her presence! Her skin is thicker than the city walls!"

The room fell silent for a few seconds, and then everyone burst into laughter.

Yan Wenkai laughed the hardest, bending over, holding his stomach, unable to straighten up.

Seeing this, Daohua puffed up her cheeks and glared at Xiao Yeyang.

Xiao Yeyang awkwardly scratched his nose and avoided looking at her face.

On Lantern Festival day, he had found Daohua’s self-praise amusing, and while teasing the parrot, he had made a joking remark. He never expected the parrot to remember it.

Daohua pouted and sat next to Old Madam Yan. Old Madam Yan, also laughing so hard she could hardly breathe, knew that if she laughed any more, her granddaughter would get embarrassed. She waved her hand, "Alright, alright, stop laughing. Let’s eat the noodles, or they’ll get soggy."

In fact, the noodles were already a bit soggy, but since it was Daohua's longevity noodles, everyone still sat down to eat.

Outside the room, Yan Zhigao heard the loud laughter coming from the dining hall. He stroked his beard and smiled, saying to Madam Li beside him, "I won’t go in. I don’t want to make the children uncomfortable."

Madam Li nodded with a smile. "Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on things. Nothing like last time will happen again." She was referring to when Yan Yile had lacked discretion and asked the young prince for a spot.

Yan Zhigao trusted Madam Li and left in a lighthearted manner.

When the young prince came to their house, they didn’t need to fawn over him too much; they only needed to make sure he had a good time. His eldest daughter had done a very good job at this.

Just as Daohua and the others finished their noodles, Zhou Chengye arrived with Zhou Jingwan.

"Daohua, happy birthday!"

Even before they entered, Zhou Jingwan’s loud voice could be heard.

Daohua was instructing Wang Man'er to serve the sunflower seeds when she heard Zhou Jingwan’s voice and immediately smiled. "This girl acts like no one knows how loud her voice is." She said this as she walked out to greet them.

As she reached the door, the curtain was lifted.

"Sister Yan, happy birthday!"

Zhou Chengye smiled as he handed her a potted orchid.

"Thank you!"

Seeing the orchid, Daohua’s eyes lit up, her face full of joy as she accepted it.

The Zhou family’s orchids were all very precious, and she had always wanted to get one to cultivate.

Zhou Jingwan immediately leaned in and said, "I had to beg my grandfather for a long time to get this for you. You better thank me properly."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Miss Zhou!" Daohua smiled as she handed the pot to Wang Man'er and then pulled Zhou Jingwan into the house. "You arrived just in time; I was just talking about sunflower seeds with everyone!"

Zhou Jingwan asked, "Sunflower seeds, are these the seeds of sunflowers?"

Daohua nodded. "Yes, they are the seeds of sunflowers."

Zhou Jingwan asked again, "Can these be eaten?"

Daohua replied, "Yes, they are quite tasty." She then grabbed a handful of seeds and handed them to Zhou Jingwan. "Try them."

On the other side, Zhou Chengye also tasted them, his face full of surprise. "I didn't expect sunflower seeds to be edible. They taste pretty good."

Daohua immediately responded, "If you like them, take some home when you leave."

Zhou Jingwan quickly nodded. "Sure, sure! I think these sunflower seeds are perfect for eating while watching a play."

Hearing this, Daohua smiled. Eating sunflower seeds while watching a performance had indeed been a pastime enjoyed throughout history.

The room was full of laughter as everyone chatted and joked. Later, they went to the garden to admire the flowers, drink tea, and write poetry. Yan Wenkai even brought out some playing cards and started a game with Xiao Yeyang and the others.

The entire morning was filled with laughter and fun.

As noon approached, Daohua, along with Wang Man'er, went to the kitchen to check on the preparations for the meal. On the way back, they ran into Steward Sun.

Seeing Steward Sun carrying a food box, Daohua called out, "Steward Sun, where are you headed?"

Steward Sun walked over nervously, bowing with a smile. "Madam Lin asked for something sweet, and the master asked me to bring her some pastries."

Daohua raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What kind of pastries? Let me have a look. If they taste good, I'll have someone bring some for my mother to try." She didn’t expect her father to think of her mother.

Steward Sun showed a bitter expression, silently sighing in his heart about how he had ended up running into the young lady.

Seeing him hesitate, Daohua didn’t rush him and simply stood there, waiting.

Finally, Steward Sun steeled himself and opened the food box.

Inside, the bird’s nest cake caught Daohua's attention. Her face immediately darkened, and her voice turned cold. "Is this meant to be sent to my father to nourish him?"

The bird’s nest was a rare delicacy that Xiao Yeyang had given her. She had made this bird’s nest cake herself, and after preparing it, she only gave some to Old Madam Yan and Madam Li. No one else had received any.

Steward Sun bitterly nodded.

Daohua sneered. "Father is so tenderhearted toward others, yet he has completely wasted my mother's good intentions."

Steward Sun hurriedly explained, "The master only thought that Madam Lin is pregnant, and so..."

Before he could finish, Daohua raised her hand to interrupt him. "Alright, go ahead and deliver your things." She turned and walked away with Wang Man'er.

Seeing this, Steward Sun regretted his actions, slapping himself several times in frustration. Why hadn’t he thought to check if anyone was around before entering the backyard?

After parting with Steward Sun, Daohua’s mood soured, and she didn’t rush back to Old Madam Yan’s courtyard. Instead, she slowly walked along with Wang Man'er.

(End of chapter)