Chapter 71: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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Chapter 71: Clearing the Name
"Mother, why does Father not even look at us?" Yan Yishuang followed Concubine Lin and Yan Wenbin back to Shuangxin Courtyard, her mood downcast.
She had been eagerly waiting for her father’s return. In the past, every time he went out, he would bring her gifts, and she would always be the first to hug him when he came back. But this time, even though he had returned, he didn’t glance in her direction once.
This made her feel lost and as though her father no longer loved her.
Concubine Lin’s expression was somewhat dim, but she forced a smile and said, “Your father has been promoted and has many matters to deal with. He didn’t pay attention to us right away because he’s busy. Once he finishes his work, he will come see us.”
Yan Yishuang looked doubtful. “Really?”
Yan Wenbin also glanced over with uncertainty in his eyes.
Concubine Lin looked at her son and daughter, who were staring at her with concern, and felt a pang in her heart. No matter how favored or respected she was on a regular day, as a concubine, she could never participate in the important family events. Only the main wife could always be by her husband’s side.
Recalling how the master and his wife had left together just now, Concubine Lin felt a tightness in her chest.
"Mother, are you alright?"
Seeing that Concubine Lin’s face was not well, Yan Yishuang and Yan Wenbin immediately grew anxious. Despite their cleverness, they were still children and easily panicked when something happened.
Yan Wenbin, in his anxiety, said, “Mother, wait here. I will go find Father in the main courtyard.”
Concubine Lin wanted to stop him, but Yan Wenbin ran off too quickly, disappearing from sight. After a moment of silence, she decided not to send a maid to follow him.
Yan Yishuang helped Concubine Lin sit down. "Mother, hold on. Father knows you're sick and will come to see you soon."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Lin's eyes flickered, and her expression seemed uncertain. Will he? she wondered. He probably would. She could feel that her husband genuinely cared for her.
Meanwhile, Yan Wenbin first went to the main courtyard, but finding no sign of Yan Zhigao there, he hurried to Songhe Courtyard. By the time he arrived, Old Madam Yan had just finished preparing some noodles, and Yan Zhigao and the others were about to eat.
"Father, you should go see Mother. She’s sick!"
Normally, Yan Yishuang and Yan Wenbin addressed Concubine Lin as "Concubine Mother," as was customary in the family, though the rules were not strict. However, today, after seeing their father ignore them and noticing Concubine Lin's bad mood, Yan Wenbin, in his fear and urgency, used the private term “Mother.”
The once joyful room fell into a brief silence because of Yan Wenbin's sudden entrance, and his choice of words caused an uncomfortable atmosphere.
"What nonsense are you talking?" Yan Zhigao was somewhat displeased with Yan Wenbin’s intrusion and improper address, but seeing his son’s anxious face, he refrained from reprimanding him.
"Apologize to your mother!"
Yan Wenbin, realizing his mistake upon seeing Yan Zhigao’s hint, immediately knelt before Madam Li. "Mother, forgive me. I was just worried and got confused."
Madam Li gave a faint smile and motioned for Yan Wenbin to get up without saying anything else.
Yan Zhigao admonished, "Don’t do this again!"
Meanwhile, Daohua, calmly eating her noodles, noticed how lenient their father was with the matter and turned to Yan Wenxiu, smiling as she spoke, "Big Brother, I’ve been thinking, and I believe what you said before is right."
Yan Wenxiu, slightly confused, didn’t understand why Daohua suddenly brought this up.
Yan Wenkai immediately followed up with, "What did Big Brother say?"
Daohua, giving Yan Wenkai a silent thumbs-up for jumping in, continued, "Big Brother said we should always be careful with our words and actions to avoid causing trouble for Father."
Yan Wenkai nodded. "Big Brother did say that."
Daohua turned her gaze back to Yan Wenxiu with a smile. "Big Brother, when you said that, only I, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother were there. Now you need to remind the others of your words."
Yan Wenkai chuckled, "Little sister, you already said everything. What else does Big Brother need to say?"
Daohua smiled sweetly and added, "It’s for Big Brother to analyze further, to give examples. Like earlier, when Fifth Brother called Mother by her name, if someone with ill intentions heard it, they might think Father is showing favoritism to his concubine!"
Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang had both called Concubine Lin "Mother" on multiple occasions, and it had been heard several times.
Daohua’s words were aimed at reminding their father that neglecting the status of the main wife, letting the concubine's position be undermined, could reflect poorly on his ability to manage both his household and official affairs.
The room fell into a deep silence once again after Daohua’s remark.
Yan Zhigao’s hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly. He understood that his eldest daughter’s words were partly in defense of his wife, but she wasn’t wrong either.
The matter of the back courtyard was not trivial. How could one trust a man who couldn’t manage his own household to handle matters in the officialdom?
Madam Li, her eyes red, blinked rapidly to hold back her tears, and smiled at Daohua as she scolded, "What nonsense are you talking?"
For many years, everyone in the family had known about Yan Yishuang and Yan Wenbin’s habitual addresses to Concubine Lin. This open display of the family’s internal discord was a slap in the face to Madam Li.
However, due to Yan Zhigao’s neglect or tolerance, the family had grown accustomed to it over time. She had been silently enduring this.
Now, however, her daughter had so bluntly pointed it out.
Indeed, her daughter was her best ally.
Daohua grinned. "I just remembered Big Brother’s advice and thought I’d share it with the younger ones."
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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
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She then looked at Yan Zhigao and teasingly asked, "Father, don't you think you should go check on Concubine Lin? I saw her earlier, and she looked perfectly fine. But now, it seems she’s suddenly very ill. From the way Fifth Brother is acting, it must be a serious illness, right?"
Yan Zhigao sensed the sarcasm in his daughter’s tone, and his face stiffened.
He suddenly realized that having too clever children wasn’t always a good thing.
Old Madam Yan gave Daohua a playful tap on the forehead. "You can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?"
With a hint of amusement, Daohua smiled, while the others chuckled at her wit.
Madam Li walked over to Daohua and patted her head. "Eat, your noodles are almost cold!"
Daohua nodded and took a few large bites. After a while, she suddenly pulled out the jade pendant from her waist and handed it to Madam Li. "Mother, you should keep this jade pendant for me."
Old Madam Yan looked over at it and asked, "Is this the one that Ye Yang gave you?"
Daohua nodded. "Yes! Grandmother, do you think it’s worth a lot? If we ever run out of money, we can sell it!"
Yan Wenkai immediately interjected, "Little sister, didn’t you say we can’t sell it? Ye Yang might get upset if he finds out."
Daohua sighed like an adult. "I doubt we’ll get the chance later. Our family’s situation and Ye Yang’s are too far apart."
(End of chapter)
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