Chapter 293: Flying Kites

 Chapter 293: Flying Kites

"Daohua!"

A cheerful voice called out. Daohua turned around and saw Zhou Jingwan running over, pulling along a graceful and charming young woman.

"Jingwan!"

Daohua immediately waved and ran toward her.

In the process, she accidentally let her pig-head kite, which had just taken flight, drop from the sky. Coincidentally, it knocked down Dong Yuanyao's kite as well.

Dong Yuanyao stomped her foot in frustration and shouted, "Yan Yiyi! If you don't want to admit defeat, just say so. Why are you knocking down my kite?"

Daohua stopped, shrugged, and spread her hands. "An accident. Purely unintentional."

"Just you wait!"

Dong Yuanyao huffed, then turned to retrieve her kite.

By this time, Zhou Jingwan had arrived.

"Well, well, the moment I leave you, you find new playmates!" Zhou Jingwan said, looking at Daohua with a mock-betrayed expression. "Come on, be honest—did you forget all about me because you have Sister Dong now?"

Daohua grinned and walked up to Zhou Jingwan, taking her hand. "Even if I forget myself, I wouldn’t dare forget our dear Miss Zhou!"

Zhou Jingwan's expression softened, but she still huffed. "Then why didn’t you tell me you’d be attending the Flower Goddess Festival today?"

Daohua replied innocently, "How was I supposed to know you'd be in the provincial capital?" She glanced at the young woman beside Zhou Jingwan and smiled. Shaking Zhou Jingwan's arm, she asked, "Who’s this lovely sister? Aren’t you going to introduce us?"

Zhou Jingwan glared at her but let it go, taking the other woman’s hand. "This is Sister Zhang from the Censorate’s family." Then, in a quieter voice, she added, "My future sister-in-law."

Hearing this, Daohua’s eyes lit up. She gave Sister Zhang a once-over before curtseying politely. "Hello, Sister Zhang."

Zhang Nanyan smiled at Daohua’s sparkling enthusiasm, finding her just as lively as Zhou Jingwan had described. She returned the courtesy. "Hello, Sister Yan."

"Sister Zhang!"

Dong Yuanyao returned with her kite just then.

Zhang Nanyan greeted her with a smile. "Sister Dong."

Dong Yuanyao, still slightly annoyed, handed the pig-head kite back to Daohua before asking, "Sister Zhang, it’s been a while since we last saw you. What have you been up to?"

Zhang Nanyan, feeling shy, lowered her gaze and hesitated.

Since her engagement, she had been focused on embroidering her wedding garments. But how could she say that out loud?

Fortunately, Zhou Jingwan, her perceptive future sister-in-law, quickly stepped in to help. "Sister Zhang has been learning how to manage a household."

Dong Yuanyao gave Zhou Jingwan a knowing look, then smiled meaningfully at Zhang Nanyan. "Oh, I completely forgot about Sister Zhang’s engagement. How careless of me!" She lightly slapped her own cheek in mock punishment.

Zhang Nanyan’s face flushed red at Dong Yuanyao’s teasing.

Zhou Jingwan immediately jumped to her defense. "Sister Dong, don’t bully my sister-in-law!"

Dong Yuanyao laughed. "Oh my, already being so protective?"

Daohua tugged at Dong Yuanyao and playfully said, "Careful now! Someone might come to settle accounts with you." She pointed in the direction where Xiao Yeyang and the others were standing.

Dong Yuanyao followed Daohua’s gesture and saw Zhou Chengye looking their way. Pretending to be frightened, she hid behind Daohua. "Yiyi, save me!"

Daohua joined in the joke. "You’re asking the wrong person. You should be begging Sister Zhang instead. Brother Zhou will only listen to her."

Hearing this, Zhang Nanyan stomped her foot and pointed at Dong Yuanyao. "Sister Dong, you’re so mean! You’re teasing me! Watch out—I’m going to catch you!" She lunged toward Dong Yuanyao.

Dong Yuanyao immediately grabbed Daohua and dodged. Daohua, of course, helped her fend off the attack.

Zhou Jingwan laughed. "Alright, you two! Bullying my sister-in-law like this—I’ll help her!" With that, she joined in the playful chase.

While the four of them were messing around, Su Shiyu approached with her maid in tow.

Seeing his sister, Su Hongxin hurriedly brought over the butterfly kite he had saved for her and personally led her to Daohua and the others.

"Sister Su!"

"Shiyu!"

"Sister Su!"

The four greeted her warmly as soon as she arrived.

Su Hongxin spoke up. "My little sister is delicate, so please take care of her."

Su Shiyu, feeling embarrassed, said, "Brother, I know how to fly a kite. Go join Young Prince and the others."

Su Hongxin still looked uneasy. His sister wasn’t as sturdy as Yan Yiyi or Dong Yuanyao, and he didn’t want her overexerting herself.

"Where can I get a kite? I want one too!"

Seeing the kites in the hands of Daohua and the others, Zhou Jingwan chimed in.

"You can play with mine!"

Daohua handed her pig-head kite to Zhou Jingwan.

Zhou Jingwan took one look and made a face. "It’s so ugly. I don’t want it."

Daohua huffed. "Fine, your loss." She then looked at Zhang Nanyan.

Zhang Nanyan, not wanting to be as obvious as Zhou Jingwan, could only smile awkwardly.

Now, Daohua understood. She glanced at her pig-head kite and sighed. "Kites, kites. Only I wouldn’t mind you. If you don’t fly the highest, it’s not worth it."

"Stop mumbling!"

Xiao Yeyang and the others walked over, with Zhou Chengye holding two kites, one shaped like a dragonfly and the other like a swallow.

Daohua looked at everyone else’s kites, then glanced at her own. A look of disdain appeared on her face. "I have to say, appearances matter. If it looks bad, it’s hard to show it off!"

"What are you saying?"

Xiao Yeyang gave Daohua a stern look, took the pig-head kite from her hands, and said, "Come on, I’ll fly it for you."

Daohua immediately followed. "Make sure to fly it the highest! I want my pig-head kite to beat all the others."

Xiao Yeyang smirked and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, said, "Don’t worry, your pig-head kite is the best."

Daohua nodded. "Sure, the others’ kites look nice, but beautiful things are often just for show. Mine’s the best."

Meanwhile, Zhou Chengye handed the dragonfly kite to Zhou Jingwan, holding the swallow kite himself. He smiled at Zhang Nanyan. "Hold the string, I’ll help you launch the kite."

Zhang Nanyan, though shy, didn’t refuse.

Today was the Huazhao Festival, so everyone was out enjoying themselves, not following their usual rules.

Seeing her brother walking off with her future sister-in-law, Zhou Jingwan pouted and stood in place.

She actually preferred the swallow kite.

Her sister-in-law hadn’t even married yet, and her brother was already looking out for her. As the biological sister, she felt abandoned.

How annoying!

"Need help?"

A voice suddenly interrupted Zhou Jingwan’s complaints.

She turned around and saw Yan Wentao scratching his head, looking embarrassed. Instantly, she smiled brightly. "Sure!" she said, quickly handing him the kite.

"I’ll fly it the highest, to beat Daohua’s pig-head kite."

After playing around for a while, Dong Yuanyao, exhausted, handed her kite to her brother, Dong Yuanxuan. "Brother, look at this! Quickly help me fly the kite. I want to beat that pig-head kite."

Dong Yuanxuan’s gaze shifted from the happy interaction between Xiao Yeyang and Daohua and wandered, distractedly flying the kite.

Soon, the girls were all flying their kites, leaving only Su Shiyu standing still.

Yan Wenkai looked around, noticing that Su Hongxin was talking excitedly with his elder brother. He shook his head and said to Su Shiyu, "Hongxin’s really not being a good brother. Su Shiyu, come with me, let’s fly your kite."

Without waiting for her response, Yan Wenkai grabbed her kite. Su Shiyu was caught off guard.

Yan Wenkai walked ahead but slowed down after a few steps, waiting for Su Shiyu to catch up. "Su Shiyu, you should exercise more. You look so fragile, I’m worried you’ll get worn out."

Su Shiyu furrowed her brows, wanting to explain that she wasn’t weak. But when she glanced at Yan Wenkai, she swallowed her words.

Hmph, this Fourth Brother Yan is so annoying. Every time he sees her, he either tells her to exercise more or eat more.

If she practiced martial arts, that wouldn’t happen...

Su Shiyu looked up at the pig-head kite in the air and smiled.

Hearing the laughter, Yan Wenkai turned around in surprise, just in time to catch a glimpse of Su Shiyu’s bright smile, which made it hard for him to look away.

Su Shiyu noticed his gaze and immediately stopped smiling, feeling a bit embarrassed, especially since she had just been thinking of turning Yan Wenkai into a pig-head kite.

Seeing her smile vanish, Yan Wenkai felt a bit disappointed, but he didn’t think much of it. Smiling, he continued flying the kite.

(End of chapter)