Chapter 15: Reactions from Various Parties

Daohua followed the maid and looked at the layout of the county government's backyard calmly.

The backyard of the county government office is not as luxurious as imagined. It is not very large and there are not many courtyards. However, it has everything it should have, including pavilions, rockery and gardens.

Every time she passed a place, Daohua's gaze only paused for a moment. Although she was curious and interested in the ancient courtyard architecture, she did not dare to ask any questions.

Don't think she didn't see it. Many people are secretly looking at her now.

At this time, she must not give people the impression that she is a country bumpkin coming to the city.

Next to them, Ping Tong, who was leading the way, was also secretly looking at the new girl.

Although the little girl is young, she is very steady. Unlike other little girls, she does not chatter and ask questions all the time when she arrives in a new environment.

At the same time, he did not show any timidity or restraint. His calm and composed appearance did not at all resemble a child who grew up in the countryside.

Before, the lady was worried that the eldest daughter would be outdone by the second daughter and the others, but now it seems that her worries were in vain.

"Miss, we'll be arriving at the main courtyard soon."

Daohua glanced at Pingtong. This maid was dressed better than the others. She thought she must be the head maidservant of her mother.

"Do Dad and Mom live in the main courtyard?"

Ping Tong smiled and nodded: "Yes, the master and his wife live in the main courtyard, the second master and his wife live in Chunhua Courtyard, the third master and his wife live in Qiushi Courtyard, and the old lady lives in Songhe Courtyard."

At this moment, Daohua had already stepped into the main courtyard gate: "I just saw that there are more than four courtyards in the backyard. Are there no people living in the other courtyards?"

Pingtong's eyes flashed, and she hesitated for a moment before saying, "The other courtyards are all occupied. The eldest master and the fourth master live in Zhegui Courtyard, and Aunt Lin lives in Shuangxin Courtyard with the sixth master and the third lady." After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but look up. She wanted to see how the new young lady would react.

Unfortunately, she was disappointed.

The new girl just smiled slightly, then passed by without saying anything.

For some reason, seeing her like this, Pingtong suddenly felt a strong feeling in his heart.

This new girl seems to be a little unusual!

After entering the main courtyard, Pingtong took Daohua to the left wing and said, "Madam said that the young lady will live here in the future. Everything in the room was arranged by Madam herself. If you need anything, please tell me and I will report it to Madam so that I can add more for you."

Daohua glanced at the room without saying anything, and turned her gaze directly to the bath water and clothes that had been prepared in the room.

Seeing this, she put away the serious expression on her face and showed a relieved expression.

Finally, she could have a good wash. She almost suffocated these days.

Seeing that Pingtong didn't leave and was even ready to help her take a bath, Daohua said hurriedly, "Sister, go down and do your thing. I'll take a bath myself."

Ping Tong was a little unsure of the new girl's temperament, so she didn't try to keep her. She smiled and said, "I'll be waiting outside. If you need anything, just call me."

Daohua nodded: "Okay."

Soon, Pingtong left the room and carefully closed the door.

As soon as she left, Daohua immediately breathed a sigh of relief and began to undress quickly.

She couldn't wait to dive into the water and soak in some bubbles.

——

At the same time, everyone in each courtyard was talking about the people they had just met today.

Shuangxinyuan.

Aunt Lin was a little uneasy. She looked at Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang with a frown. She knew that they had offended the old lady badly today.

On the side, Lin Cailiang was also walking back and forth anxiously. He was thinking about how to change Old Lady Yan's bad impression of his sister and nephew and niece.

Yan Wenbin was dizzy from being turned around: "Uncle, please stop walking around. It makes me dizzy."

Lin Cailiang was a little angry: "You are still dizzy, do you know that you have offended Old Madam Yan to death today?"

Yan Wenbin shrank his neck. A month ago, when his father confirmed that his grandmother was coming, he told them to respect her well. Just now, they treated her like a beggar, which seemed a little wrong.

I wonder if my father would punish them if he knew about this?

Although he knew he was wrong, Yan Wenbin still said stubbornly, "We didn't do it on purpose. Who knew my grandmother would be a beggar?"

Hearing this, Lin Cailiang looked remorseful: "Blame me, blame me for not explaining it clearly to you."

Aunt Lin shook her head: "It has nothing to do with you. It's me. I didn't stop Wenbin and Yishuang in time."

Seeing his mother and uncle blaming themselves, Yan Wenbin stood up and said nonchalantly, "Mom, uncle, there's no need to be so sad. What's the big deal? When we see father later, we can explain it to him, right?"

Seeing that her son still hadn't realized the seriousness of the problem, Aunt Lin flew into a rage. With a slap, she slapped him on the forehead: "What's the big deal? If you offend the old lady, the three of us, mother and son, will never have a good life again."

Seeing that the situation between mother and uncle was getting more and more serious, Yan Yishuang became anxious: "Mom, will grandma punish us? Father loves us so much, he won't let the old lady bully us, right?"

Seeing her daughter's pleading eyes, Aunt Lin rubbed her temples with a headache: "The old lady is your father's biological mother. Do you think your father will intervene? Does he dare to intervene?"

Yan Yishuang: "Then what should we do? Grandma won't be like Old Madam Xu from Keke's family who likes to set rules for others, right? Also, will Father dislike me and my brother because of this?"

Seeing his niece was so anxious that she was about to cry, Lin Cailiang hurriedly comforted her, "It's okay. The old lady is a sensible person and won't bother with you little kids. But later, when you go to see the old lady, you must behave well."

"Wenbin and Yishuang are so cute, they will definitely please the old lady. As long as the old lady likes you, your father will like you more than before."

Yan Yishuang and Yan Wenbin looked at each other and nodded silently.

The two now knew that the most important person in the family was no longer their father, but the newly arrived grandmother. From now on, they would have to please this grandmother.

Aunt Lin thought for a moment and pulled Yan Yishuang to her side. "Before, in this backyard of the county government office, you were the county magistrate's only daughter. Everyone would give you anything good. But now, your eldest sister is here, and no matter if it's from Madam or sent by outsiders, everyone will give it to her first. If you see this, you must not fight for it or lose your temper, understand?"

Yan Yishuang's face immediately fell: "I don't want it. My father loves me the most. Why should I give in to that little beggar?"

Aunt Lin's face darkened: "Shut up, what little beggar, that's your eldest sister."

"mother"

Seeing Aunt Lin's angry face, Yan Yishuang felt scared and wronged, and tears immediately came to her eyes.

Because she and her brother are twins, she was born later and is a little weak. From childhood to adulthood, her mother rarely spoke harsh words to her, let alone yelled at her. Now she is so mean to her.

Looking at his sobbing niece, Lin Cailiang felt extremely distressed. He quickly hugged her in his arms and looked at Aunt Lin unhappily: "Sister, you are so mean. Can't you just talk it out nicely? Look how scared Yishuang is."

As soon as her daughter cried, Aunt Lin regretted her decision and did not say a word even when her brother scolded her.

While comforting Yan Yishuang, Lin Cailiang said softly, "Your mother shouldn't be so mean to you, but you did do something wrong too."

Tears hung on Yan Yishuang's face as she looked at her uncle in confusion.

Lin Cailiang wiped the tears from her face and said, "Yishuang, you must remember that no matter how much you dislike something, you must not say it out loud."

Yan Yishuang: "Why?"

Lin Cailiang: "Because it will displease your father and other people. You don't want others to dislike you, right?"

Yan Yishuang buried her head in Lin Cailiang's arms and said in a muffled voice, "I don't like that elder sister, little uncle. Do you think father will only like her and not me in the future?"

Lin Cailiang scratched Yan Yishuang's nose and said lovingly, "Our Yishuang is so smart and talented. She can compose poems at the age of eight. If adults love talents, how could they not like you?"

Hearing this, Aunt Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

In her haste, she forgot that the master liked talented people. How could that girl who grew up in the countryside compare to her Yishuang in knowledge and bearing?

Chunhuayuan.

"Rice Flower? Why is this name so earthy? I don't even want to say it out loud." Yan Yile, a seven-year-old girl with a cute appearance, was complaining to her older brothers and sisters with a smile.

Not only did Yan Wenjie not stop him, he even nodded along: "It's really old-fashioned."

Yan Yihan frowned and said, "Second brother, Yile, Daohua is our aunt's daughter. Our aunt is usually very nice to us. We shouldn't say such things about Daohua behind her back."

Yan Yile didn't care: "What's wrong with talking about it? She is not the daughter of the Jade Emperor, so she can't even talk about it."

"You damn girl, just shut up."

Sun suddenly walked into the room and glared at her youngest daughter.

"Mom, why are you back?" Yan Wenjie, Yan Yihan and Yan Yile all stood up.

Sun: "Your grandmother is washing up now. I came back quietly to remind you that when you get to Songheyuan, you must get close to your grandmother and also make friends with Daohua, understand?"

Yan Wenjie smiled and said, "Don't worry, mother. We will be very close to grandma. As for Daohua, she's a country girl who hasn't seen much of the world. It won't be easy to get rid of her."

Sun glared at her sons. "Daohua may be a country girl, but she's still your grandmother. Let me tell you, your grandmother is no pushover. Take it easy on her."

"Also, don't say anything about being unfashionable in the future. The name Daohua was chosen by your grandmother herself. Even if you dislike it in your heart, you can't show it to her face."

Yan Yile smiled and ran over to hug Sun: "Mom, your son and daughter are not that stupid, don't worry, we won't conflict with Daohua."

Sun looked at her youngest daughter unhappily and said, "What's the use of 'Douhua'? You should call her 'Big Sister'. She is the eldest daughter of our Yan family. Also, 'Douhua' is just a nickname, used in private. Her real name is Yan Yiyi."

Yan Yile curled her lips and said, "My elder sister is only a few months younger than her, otherwise the eldest daughter of the Yan family would be my elder sister."

Hearing this, Sun sighed and glanced at her eldest daughter Yihuan.

Who said it wasn't? It was just a few months different. Otherwise, her daughter would be the eldest daughter of the Yan family.

In the countryside, no one might care about the identity of the eldest daughter.

But after dealing with those wives of officials, she realized that some large families with a good background and foundation would generally give priority to the eldest daughter of the family when marrying a wife.

Qiushiyuan.

Wu also came back.

The boy took a quick bath, and soon Yan Wentao stood in front of Wu wearing clean underwear.

Mrs. Wu smiled and walked forward, putting her coat on him herself.

"Mom, I can do it myself."

Mrs. Wu slapped Yan Wentao's hand away and insisted on dressing him, which made Yan Wentao feel a little embarrassed.

Seeing him like this, Wu was a little amused: "You were born by your mother, do you need to be shy in front of your mother?"

Yan Wentao chuckled and didn't resist.

As Wu dressed her son, she said, "This place is not like Yanjia Village. You have to be careful with what you say and do. We are new to the Third Branch. You must not act like you did back home."

Yan Wentao nodded. His father had told him the same thing before, and he kept it in mind.

At this time, Mrs. Wu didn't know what she was thinking about and sighed.

Yan Wentao looked over in confusion: "Mom, what's wrong?"

Mrs. Wu: "I'm worried about the rice flowers."

Hearing this, Yan Wentao immediately relaxed: "There's nothing for Daohua to worry about."

Wu: "You don't know, whether it's your uncle's concubine's daughter or the second wife's Yihuan and Yile, they all look and behave like young ladies from wealthy families. I'm afraid of Daohua."

Yan Wentao interrupted and laughed, "Mom, are you still worried that Daohua can't compare to them?"

Wu: "Of course I'm not afraid of your appearance, but I haven't learned such manners and etiquette in the countryside."

Yan Wentao didn't care about this at all: "If you haven't learned it yet, just learn it. With grandma here, who dares to bully Daohua?"

Mrs. Wu shook her head. It was not that easy. They were all the old lady's grandchildren. Even if the old lady favored Daohua more, she couldn't do it too much.

Besides, the old lady can’t take care of everything.

The best thing is that the rice flowers can stand on their own.

(End of this chapter)