Chapter 70: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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Chapter 70: Not Seeking Trouble, But Not Afraid of It
"Welcome, Sir Prefect Magistrate!"
As soon as the group of Yan Zhigao arrived at the city gate of Linyi County, the county magistrate led the officials from the county office to greet them, followed by a large crowd of local gentry and wealthy people, all wearing smiles as if it were a festival.
"Hmph!"
Inside the carriage, Yan Wenkai snorted coldly.
Yan Wenxiu immediately glared at him. "How many times have I told you to mind your manners when we're out? We may not be able to help father much right now, but we certainly can't cause him trouble."
"Although father has been promoted, the people watching him have increased, and the competition in the officialdom is fierce. The Yan family’s foundation is still weak, so we need to be even more cautious and respectful. We can’t afford to offend others easily."
Yan Wenkai seemed dissatisfied, but muttered, "I got it."
Hearing their conversation, Daohua glanced out at the people offering congratulations to her father and then lowered the carriage curtain. She moved closer to Yan Wenkai and whispered, "Fourth Brother, what’s bothering you?"
Yan Wenkai glanced at Yan Wenxiu, saw that he wasn’t paying attention, and whispered, "Among the people here to congratulate father, there’s the head of the Sun family. You might not know them, but the Sun family has been living in Linyi County for generations. They are one of the oldest families here."
"When father first came to this post, the Sun family caused some trouble for him. Later, at the county school, I saw the Sun family’s grandson bullying other students, so I stepped in to stop it. I ended up fighting with them."
"At that time, father needed the Sun family’s support for the construction of water conservancy projects in the county. To smooth things over, he had me apologize to the Sun family."
"It wasn’t such a big deal that I hit someone, but when father went to apologize in person, the Sun family left us waiting for over two hours before the head of the family finally came to see us."
"Don’t you think that was frustrating?"
Daohua nodded seriously. "Not only frustrating, but also incredibly arrogant. Making a county head wait is a clear sign they don’t respect him."
Seeing that Daohua agreed with his point, Yan Wenkai felt much better. He glanced outside the carriage and said with disdain, "Now that father has been promoted, the head of the Sun family is coming around, acting like a lapdog. It’s really annoying."
"Are you going to keep going on?" Yan Wenxiu suddenly spoke up. He knew his fourth brother couldn’t hold his tongue, so he hadn’t stopped him earlier. But now it seemed like Yan Wenkai wouldn’t stop unless someone intervened.
Yan Wenkai pouted and turned his head, not responding.
At this point, Daohua spoke up. "Big Brother, I think Fourth Brother is right. People like the Sun family are really annoying."
Yan Wenxiu sighed in resignation. "Some things are better kept to ourselves. There’s no need to voice everything."
Daohua replied, "But everyone needs to vent their feelings sometimes. Keeping everything bottled up is hard. Besides, Fourth Brother knows when to hold back. He’s only saying this in front of us."
Hearing this, Yan Wenkai nodded vigorously.
"I haven’t said anything outside, why can’t I speak here?"
Daohua smiled and continued, "I think we shouldn’t seek trouble, but we also shouldn’t be afraid of it. Always retreating won’t just hurt our morale, it also encourages bad influences."
"Now that Father is a Prefect Magistrate, we need to carry ourselves with the dignity of a Prefect Magistrate’s family. We shouldn’t bully others, but we also can’t let ourselves be bullied."
She thought her eldest brother was being overly cautious.
While caution wasn’t a bad thing, if a person bows too much, it’s hard to stand tall again.
Yan Wenkai nodded repeatedly. "Yes, we shouldn’t bully others, but we can’t let others bully us either."
Yan Wenxiu was moved by her words. After reflecting on his own behavior, he realized he had been overly cautious and afraid of offending people. He smiled bitterly and didn’t say more.
Outside, Yan Zhigao had finished exchanging pleasantries with the guests and got back into the carriage, heading to the county office.
In the county office's rear courtyard.
Upon receiving the news, Madam Li had already brought the second and third branches of the family to wait at the courtyard door, and even the old matriarch insisted on waiting there.
It wasn’t long before they saw Yan Zhigao walking from the front yard, followed by Yan Wenxiu and the younger ones.
"Son pays his respects to Mother. I’ve worried you!"
As soon as Yan Zhigao arrived, he immediately knelt before the old matriarch.
The old matriarch quickly pulled him up, holding his hands with emotion, her eyes red, and her lips trembling.
Daohua, seeing the old matriarch’s emotional state, rushed over. The elderly should avoid being overly joyful or sorrowful, and she couldn’t let her get too excited.
With a thud, Daohua threw herself at the old matriarch. "Grandmother, how come you only saw Father and not me? I’ve been thinking of you every day!"
Her words distracted the old matriarch, and the rush of emotions subsided. Her expression slowly returned to calm as she patted Daohua on the head. "Even if I forget everyone, I can’t forget this little troublemaker!"
Daohua widened her eyes in mock anger. "What troublemaker? I’m obviously the little happy bean!"
The old matriarch laughed. "Yes, yes, you are the little happy bean!" After saying this, she pulled Daohua away, inspecting her with a frown. "You’ve gotten thinner. Have you not been eating well outside?"
Daohua nodded pitifully. "Isn’t that the case? It’s already afternoon, and we haven’t had lunch yet."
Upon hearing this, the old matriarch didn’t even care about Yan Zhigao. She grabbed Daohua and headed toward the Songhe Courtyard. "You’re supposed to be good at everything, but how come you can’t even bring food for yourself? You’re still growing. If you keep skipping meals, you’ll turn into a shorty. Come on, Grandma will make something for you."
"Great! I love the noodles you make, Grandma!"
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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
....
Watching the elderly woman and the young girl leave the rest of the family behind, the others exchanged glances.
Yan Wenkai looked at his elder brother sympathetically. "Big Brother, it looks like as the eldest grandson, you’re not as important as the eldest granddaughter in Grandmother’s eyes!"
Yan Wenxiu raised his hand and gave Yan Wenkai a playful tap on the head. "What are you complaining about? Are you jealous of your own sister?" Well, he also felt a bit sour, but seeing that their father was also dismissed by the old matriarch, he felt a little better.
Madam Li walked up to the still stunned Yan Zhigao, smiling. "Since I received Wenxiu’s letter, I’ve been silent. Now that you’ve come back, it’s finally back to normal."
Yan Zhigao snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Madam Li. "You’ve worked hard, my dear." He hadn’t felt the old matriarch’s excitement, but seeing her earlier, he feared something might happen. Luckily, his eldest daughter was there to handle it.
After their father’s death, they had suffered many hardships in their hometown. He knew that all these years, the old matriarch had been holding back her feelings, wanting him to rise in status but also fearing that the pressure would be too much. Now that he had been promoted to Prefect Magistrate, she had finally seen her wish fulfilled, and the emotion had overwhelmed her.
Madam Li smiled. "It’s the hardship of the Lord that counts. What have I suffered? The journey was tiring, you should go wash up and rest."
Yan Zhigao nodded. After greeting the second and third branches of the family, he went back to the main courtyard with Madam Li.
Behind them, Concubine Lin watched as Yan Zhigao didn’t even glance in their direction. She couldn’t help but feel a bit displeased.
(End of Chapter)
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