Chapter 297: Stubbornness

 Chapter 297: Stubbornness

At the provincial Prefectural dock, the Li family was bidding farewell to the Yan siblings.

Li Xingchang turned to Yan Wenxiu and said, "Your father has just arrived in Ningmen, and he's very busy right now. We won't bother you. Once you’ve settled in, we’ll come to congratulate you."

On the other side, Fan Shi, Jiang Shi, and the sisters Li Zixuan and Li Zixin were also saying their goodbyes to Daohua.

"Who knows when we’ll meet again?"

Seeing Li Zixin looking reluctant, Daohua immediately comforted her, "It won’t be too long. When Zixuan cousin gets married, I’ll definitely come over, even if I have to shamelessly force my way in."

She then smiled and teased Li Zixuan, "Zixuan cousin will be busy with embroidery for the wedding gown, but you don’t need to. Once I’ve tidied up my courtyard, you can come to Ningmen to play."

Li Zixin nodded eagerly, "Okay, okay!"

Fan Shi glanced at her daughter with a smile, "What’s so good about that? Aren’t you afraid of disturbing your aunt and uncle?"

Daohua chuckled, "Zixuan cousin will be with me, so there’s no way we’ll disturb Father and Mother. Don’t worry, Aunt."

Seeing Daohua being close with her daughter, Fan Shi felt a sense of satisfaction.

If it weren’t for worrying about the Yan family’s opinion, she would have wanted her daughter to stay longer with them. Not to mention anything else, just learning some rules and etiquette would benefit her daughter for life.

Last year, when Zixuan and Zixin stayed with the Yan family for a few months, they returned noticeably more composed and reserved.

The upbringing from a scholarly family was definitely better than theirs from a merchant family.

At this moment, Li Zixin suddenly called out in surprise, tugging at Daohua’s sleeve and whispering in her ear, "The young prince and the others are coming."

Daohua turned around and indeed saw Xiao Yeyang and Dong Yuanxuan walking toward them.

"Aunt, Mother, I’ll get on the boat now. I’ll disturb you again some other time."

Fan Shi smiled, "You’re such a child, always saying polite things like disturbing us. Whenever you miss your uncle and aunt, just come over, no need for formalities."

Daohua smiled, nodded, and curtsied to both of them before getting on the boat with Wang Man'er and Gu Yu.

Seeing this, Xiao Yeyang, about ten meters away, paused.

Dong Yuanxuan and Zhou Chengye exchanged amused glances.

It seemed like the young prince had really angered Miss Yan this time.

Li Xingchang and the others saw Xiao Yeyang and the others and immediately walked up with smiles to greet them.

Seeing the young prince's stern face, Yan Wenxiu felt a headache coming on. He turned to glance at the cabin. Good grief, even the windows were shut. How much did his elder sister dislike the young prince?

Xiao Yeyang stared at the boat cabin, taking deep breaths, but still couldn’t calm the agitation in his heart.

It was because of Daohua’s careless words during the kite flying yesterday that he was annoyed, alright?

He had come over voluntarily to make peace, and yet she still dared to give him the cold shoulder! Did she really think he wouldn’t get angry?

Hmph!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He almost wanted to rush onto the boat and argue things out with Daohua, but just as he moved his foot, he retracted it.

It wasn’t his fault, so why should he indulge her? If he did, she might start taking him for granted in the future.

With that thought, he flicked his sleeve and, without greeting anyone else, left with Defu, striding away.

Seeing this, the Li family exchanged confused glances.

Yan Wenxiu, concerned about his uncles and aunts, forced a smile, "It’s nothing, the young prince and my elder sister are just joking around."

With Dong Yuanxuan and the others around, Li Xingchang didn’t feel it was appropriate to say much, so he simply nodded and smiled, "It’s getting late. You should be on your way."

After Yan Wenxiu and Dong Yuanxuan bid their farewells, they boarded the boat.

On the boat, Wang Man’er kept an eye on the situation on the shore. Seeing Xiao Yeyang leave angrily, she immediately turned back and told Daohua, "Miss, the young prince left in anger."

Daohua snorted, "Let him leave. Who cares if he came to say goodbye?"

Watching her mistress angrily tap her teacup, Wang Man'er and Gu Yu exchanged helpless looks.

Soon, the boat slowly began to move.

Watching it get further away, the Li family prepared to return home, and Dong Yuanxuan and the others also prepared to leave. After exchanging farewells, they each went their separate ways.

In the carriage, Li Zixin whispered to Li Zixuan, "I didn’t expect the Young Miss Yan was right. From what we just saw, the young prince looked pretty upset. It seems like he really angered our cousin."

Fan Shi asked, "What’s going on? Did Daohua offend the young prince?"

Li Zixin shook her head, "It’s not Daohua who offended him, it’s the young prince who offended her."

Li Zixuan thought for a moment and then voiced her concerns, "Aunt, Mother, do you think the young prince is being too kind to cousin?"

Fan Shi and Jiang Shi exchanged a glance.

After a brief pause, Fan Shi spoke, "Don’t mention these things to your cousin. I carefully observed her just now, and she’s too focused on having fun and making money. She hasn’t thought about this yet."

"If you suddenly bring it up to her, she might start thinking about it. People are most afraid of overthinking things. Once she starts caring, it will be hard for her to let go."

Li Zixuan quickly said, "I won’t say anything out of turn." She then looked at Li Zixin.

Li Zixin nodded in agreement, "I won’t say anything either. But isn’t it a good thing that the young prince is kind to Cousin Yi?"

Seeing her daughter’s confused expression, Fan Shi smiled and shook her head, "Daohua is a free-spirited person. Your aunt and uncle will definitely not let her suffer in her marriage. She’s only twelve this year, and it’s still three years until she reaches the age for marriage."

After leaving the provincial dock, Daohua stepped out of the cabin and listlessly looked at the scenery along both banks.

At this moment, Yan Wenxiu walked over.

Seeing her big brother, Daohua didn’t need to guess what he was going to say. She preemptively spoke, "Big Brother, don’t scold me. It was Xiao Yeyang who gave me the cold shoulder first."

She paused and raised her voice a little, "And this is the second time he’s done it in front of everyone. Does he really think I don’t have a temper?"

Yan Wenxiu mentally grumbled, Of course you have a temper, and a big one at that.

He sighed, "Yes, the young prince does have a bad temper. But today, he came specifically to see us off. You didn’t say a word and just walked off in a huff. That was too rude."

Daohua retorted, "I’m just learning from him. Why should he throw a tantrum at me, and I can’t do the same?"

Yan Wenxiu was at a loss for words.

Yan Wenkai, seeing his elder brother at a disadvantage, couldn’t help but feel amused. He walked over, raising his head proudly, and gave Yan Wenxiu a look that seemed to say, See how she handles it.

"Big Sister," Yan Wenkai said, "The young prince really needs a lesson. One time is enough, but he can’t keep disrespecting you like this."

Daohua nodded in agreement, "Exactly!"

Yan Wenkai continued, "But as the sages say, knowing one’s mistake and correcting it is the greatest thing. Why not give the young prince another chance? You can’t just cut him off over something small like this, can you?"

Daohua glared, "What do you mean ‘small thing’? This is a big deal, a matter of principle! Xiao Yeyang constantly gives me the cold shoulder. This shows he never truly respects me or cares about my feelings or the situations I might face."

"At Old Master Zhou’s birthday banquet, he stormed off, and I was the one who had to endure all the gossip."

"This time, luckily there were many people at the Flower God Temple, or I would have been the joke of the whole province again."

"You tell me, what good is a friend like that?"

Yan Wenkai was stumped by the question and turned to look at Yan Wenxiu.

Yan Wenxiu shrugged his shoulders.

Daohua grew angrier as she spoke, "If we stop associating, then so be it. Who in this world can’t live without anyone?"

As she finished speaking, they suddenly heard the sound of a ship’s horn from behind.

Daohua leaned over the ship’s railing, stretching her neck to look behind. She saw a boat chasing after them, and standing on the top deck was none other than Xiao Yeyang!

Seeing Xiao Yeyang chasing after them, Daohua’s anger, which had been boiling inside her, suddenly seemed to break free like a floodgate. Her lips involuntarily curved upward into a smile.

(End of Chapter)