Chapter 267: Flattery

 Chapter 267: Flattery

Seeing that Madam Li and the people from the third household were all focused on their own children, Yan Zhiyuan clasped his hands and stepped forward to exchange pleasantries with Li Xingnian. Sun Shi also praised the five children of the Li family.

In the end, it was Yan Wenxiu who reminded Madam Li, causing her to snap out of her reverie and look apologetically at her second brother.

Li Xingnian immediately smiled and said, "We are all parents now, so I completely understand."

As soon as he finished speaking, the strong voice of the Old Madam Yan could be heard calling from afar: "Wenxiu, Wentao, Wenkai, why are you still standing at the door? Come in!"

The three Yan brothers exchanged smiles. They had heard from their youngest sister that the Old Madam Yan had been so worried when they were trapped at Xingyun Prefecture that she had fallen ill. They had been very concerned, but now that they saw her so energetic, they could finally relax.

"Didn’t hear the Old Madam Yan call, go quickly!" Li Xingnian urged with a smile.

Seeing Madam Li nod, Yan Wenxiu and his two younger brothers quickly followed.

"So, this must be Zixuan and Zixin? You’ve grown into young ladies after all these years!"

Madam Li smiled as she took the hands of the Li sisters, looking them over before saying to Li Xingnian, "You’re looking more beautiful as you grow."

She then turned to the three Li brothers, beaming, "Such good children."

Li Xingnian gestured for Li Chenyi and his siblings, "Don’t you want to greet your aunt?"

The Li siblings immediately knelt and bowed, "Aunt."

Madam Li quickly helped them up and then took the hands of the two sisters, "Let’s go inside."

Li Zixuan and Li Zixin obediently followed, occasionally glancing up, both them and the Li brothers showing a bit of surprise on their faces.

Their aunt’s appearance was a bit different from what they remembered.

In their memories, their aunt was gentle and graceful, but now, while still dignified, she carried an aura that made others subconsciously behave more reserved and cautious.

Madam Li didn’t notice the children’s expressions. As they walked, she turned to Li Xingnian, "The master is still at the yamen, busy with some matters, but he should be done soon."

Li Xingnian smiled and said, "The matters at yamen are urgent, let him be, no need to rush home."

Madam Li smiled, "It’s no problem, the master knows what he’s doing."

When Madam Li led the group to the Songhe Courtyard, the Old Madam Yan was already in a good mood, laughing and chatting with Yan Wentao and the others.

"Dear in-laws, I was rude earlier, please don’t take offense!"

As soon as the Old Madam Yan saw Li Xingnian, she immediately apologized.

Li Xingnian stepped forward and returned the greeting, "Please don’t say that, Old Madam Yan, I couldn’t possibly take offense."

After a few words of pleasantries, the Old Madam Yan looked at the Li siblings, "It’s been years since we last met, you’ve all grown up." She then took the prepared gifts from Aunt Sun’s hands.

As she remembered the years of hard work Madam Li had put into the family, the Old Madam Yan had chosen particularly valuable gifts, all from the emperor's previous rewards.

The emperor’s rewards, such as gold, silver, and cloth, were mostly kept by Madam Li, but the Old Madam Yan had selected some rare trinkets to offer as gifts to her mother.

She had noticed that other families’ matriarchs often had many fine things, which they would occasionally gift to their younger relatives. This pleased the elders and also made the younger generation happy.

When the Old Madam Yan saw the jewelry and trinkets, she immediately thought of her hardworking mother.

Except for a few items set aside for his wife and eldest daughter, nearly everything else was sent to the Old Madam Yan.

Because he was often busy with official duties, and his wife had to handle household affairs, he sometimes overlooked things. With these gifts, his family members would surely be more attentive to the Old Madam Yan.

The Old Madam Yan gave Li Zixuan and Li Zixin two silk palace fans, and gave Li Chenyi, Li Chenliang, and Li Chenzhi three inkstones.

When Madam Li saw the gifts, her eyes flashed.

She remembered there were only three palace fans, and only five inkstones.

Madam Li glanced at the Old Madam Yan with gratitude.

She knew that the Old Madam Yan was giving face!

Sitting nearby, Yan Zhiyuan and Sun Shi exchanged glances, and Yan Zhiqiang and Wu Shi were so focused on Yan Wentao that they didn’t pay attention to this.

Li Xingnian was discerning and quickly said, "Old matriarch, please take them back. The children don’t need such fine things. Keep them for the Diao family."

The Old Madam Yan playfully shot him a glance, "These are gifts for the children, they have nothing to do with you." She smiled at Li Chenyi and the others, "Good children, hurry up and take them."

Li Chenyi and the others hesitated and looked at Li Xingnian.

At that moment, Daohua stood up, smiling, and took the palace fans, handing them to her two cousins. She then passed the inkstones to the three cousins.

"Don’t stand on ceremony, cousins. My grandmother just wants to be a kind elder. You must let her fulfill this wish."

The Old Madam Yan gave Daohua a sidelong glance and turned to Li Xingnian, "No wonder I like this girl the most, she understands my heart more than anyone else in the family."

Li Xingnian smiled, "Daohua grew up under the Old Madam Yan’s care, so of course she’s closest to you."

The Old Madam Yan enjoyed hearing that, immediately smiling broadly. When Daohua returned to her side, the Old Madam Yan scolded jokingly, "This girl is good at everything, except she likes to stir things up."

Li Xingnian immediately followed, "That’s why she needs your ‘Five-Finger Mountain’ to keep her in check."

Daohua hooked her arm around the Old Madam Yan’s, pouting, "Second uncle, how can you say that? You should be advising grandmother to treat me better."

The Old Madam Yan immediately shot her a sideways glance, "What, am I too harsh on you? You even went to complain to your uncle!"

Daohua quickly soothed, "Grandmother is the best, the best person in the world."

The Old Madam Yan nodded and patted Daohua’s head, "You just like to cause trouble."

Daohua covered her sleeve and chuckled softly, smiling as she leaned against the Old Madam Yan's shoulder.

Before long, the Yan sisters—Yan Yihuan, Yan Yishuang, and Yan Yile—along with Yan Wenjie and Yan Wenbin, arrived.

After exchanging greetings, everyone sat together, chatting and laughing.

When the Li sisters, Li Zixuan and Li Zixin, held the silk palace fans, Yan Yihuan, Yan Yishuang, and Yan Yile couldn’t help but feel envious, and at the same time, they felt a little uncomfortable.

Their grandmother had given such precious items to outsiders but not to them!

Yan Zhigao didn't finish his work until evening. After returning to the courtyard, he first looked over Daohua and the three Yan brothers. Seeing that the four were safe and sound, he clasped his hands and walked toward Li Xingnian.

At the start of the dog hour (around 7 p.m.), everyone enjoyed a joyful dinner together.

After dinner, Daohua took her two cousins to her courtyard, while Li Chenyi and his brothers were led away by Yan Wenxiu. The rest of the guests chatted for a while before dispersing.

In the second courtyard.

As soon as Yan Yile returned, she threw a tantrum, voicing her displeasure to Yan Zhiyuan and Sun Shi. "Father, Mother, is Grandmother still our real grandmother? It's bad enough that she favors Eldest Sister, but now she’s treating the children of merchant families better than us! I feel like she’s not close to us at all."

"Quiet!"

Yan Zhiyuan snapped at her sternly, glaring at Yan Yile. "Where’s your respect and manners? How can you speak about your grandmother like that?"

Yan Yile shrank back, frightened, and hid behind Sun Shi.

Sun Shi tapped Yan Yile's head. "When are you going to learn to control your mouth? If you can't, you might as well keep quiet like your sister and say nothing."

Yan Yihuan, overhearing, quickly glanced at her parents and sister before lowering her eyes.

Yan Wenjie, sitting nearby, saw that Yan Zhiyuan's anger had lessened and spoke up, "Fourth sister didn’t say anything wrong. The things the emperor rewarded, besides Aunt, the Old Madam Yan has the most, but we haven't seen her give us anything."

Yan Zhiyuan shot a glare at his son. "You don’t visit to pay respects. Why should your grandmother give you any of the good things she has?"

Sun Shi nodded in agreement. "I’ve finally understood today. Your uncle’s meaning is very clear—whoever can win the Old Madam Yan's favor will get the best things she has."

She sighed.

"I've told you three before, when you have free time, go visit the Old Madam Yan more. Over time, you'll naturally build a relationship with her."

"Why does Daohua get so much favor from the Old Madam Yan? Isn’t it because of the deep bond since childhood?"

"Old people like their children to stay close. If you can make the Old Madam Yan happy, the benefits will come naturally."

"Anyway, remember this—if you want something, you need to put in effort first. Daohua is right—there’s no such thing as gaining without effort in this world."

(End of chapter)