Chapter 17, Knock
Songheyuan.
With the help of Mrs. Li, Old Lady Yan had finished washing up and was now leaning leisurely on the couch, looking at all the children and grandchildren in the room with joy.
Normally, even a middle-aged person would be very tired after traveling for such a long time, but the old lady did not look tired at all and seemed to be in good spirits.
In the room, Yan Zhigao was held by the old lady's hand and sat on the couch nearby.
The others sat on both sides.
Everyone in the room was talking and laughing, surrounding the old lady and chatting about family matters.
Yan Zhigao looked at his mother's rosy face and bright eyes, and was very surprised.
When the old lady was young, she worked so hard to raise four brothers and sisters that her body was exhausted. When he returned to her hometown a few years ago, the old lady was still gasping for breath. But now, she seems to be in better health than him.
Not only was he surprised, but Mrs. Li and Sun were also very surprised.
When they married into the Yan family, the old lady's health was already a little poor. Although she would mention in letters over the years that her health had improved a lot, they didn't really believe it and just thought that she was trying to comfort them.
But now I see that my health has indeed improved a lot.
Sun smiled and complimented, "Mother, I've noticed that you're getting younger and younger."
Old Madam Yan laughed heartily, then looked at Madam Li kindly: "I am able to recover from my broken body thanks to you giving birth to a wonderful daughter for our Yan family. If it weren't for Daohua seeking the precious medicine for me, and if it weren't for you staying by my side to entertain me and make me laugh all these years, I wouldn't have recovered so quickly."
The old lady mentioned in a letter home that Daohua went to the temple to seek medicine, and the Yan family knew about it.
Everyone thought that the old lady was just praising Daohua for her filial piety and didn't take it seriously.
Now that the old lady mentioned it again, I had more thoughts in my mind.
Old Madam Yan praised Daohua in front of everyone in the Yan family. Madam Li was very happy in her heart, but she said modestly, "Mother, you are too kind. Daohua is just a little girl. What does she know? It is because you are so blessed that you have recovered so quickly."
Yan Zhigao also spoke up at the right time: "Yes, what can a little girl like her do? I think it's my third brother and his wife who are taking good care of Mom."
When Wu heard Yan Zhigao mention their family, she immediately said, "Brother, we dare not take credit for it. Back home, as long as Daohua is around, Mom is always happy. My third uncle in the clan said that if you are cheerful, your physical illness will naturally heal."
Yan Zhigao looked a little surprised and looked at Old Lady Yan: "When I took office, I didn't promise Third Uncle to bring his son out. Didn't he become estranged from us?"
Old Lady Yan smiled and said, "Your daughter wanted to learn to read, so she wandered around the village and finally fell in love with the white-haired Third Uncle. He said he was a man of great wisdom, and that she would benefit from his enlightenment for the rest of her life."
"Gao'er, you don't know, the rice flowers were only this high back then." Old Madam Yan gestured with her hands. "A little kid of five or six years old, commenting on your Third Uncle in such an air of sophistication, it really made me, an old woman, laugh to death."
As soon as these words were spoken, Wu and Yan Wentao, who knew about this, also laughed.
When the other people in the room saw the old lady laughing so hard that she leaned back a little, they became more and more curious about Daohua, whom they had never met formally.
Old Madam Yan smiled for a while before looking at Yan Zhigao and Madam Li, saying with a doting face, "That girl is quite clever. You'll know in the future."
Below, Yan Wenxiu and other grandchildren, seeing how much Grandma Yan loved rice flowers, became more curious about her, but also felt a little sad.
They had just been trying to please the old lady, but except for the eldest grandson Yan Wenxiu who received praise from the old lady, the others only said a few words.
Yan Yishuang watched as her father smiled more and more as Old Lady Yan explained, and seemed to like his elder sister more and more, which made her extremely jealous.
She is her father's most beloved daughter!
Yan Yile, who was standing by, saw Yan Yishuang's face becoming more and more wrinkled. She rolled her eyes and whispered, "Third sister, now that uncle has a big sister, will he still like you in the future?"
Yan Yi raised her eyebrows: "Of course, my father likes me the most."
The sound was a bit loud, attracting the attention of others.
Seeing that the smile on Old Lady Yan's face had faded a little, Yan Zhigao glared at Yan Yishuang and said unhappily, "Yishuang, how can you make such a loud noise in front of your elders?"
Seeing everyone looking at her, Yan Yishuang felt a little timid. However, when she thought about her beggar-like eldest sister who had attracted the whole family's attention as soon as she arrived, she blurted out, "Grandma and Third Brother have been washing up for most of the day, why hasn't Big Sister come yet? Making Grandma, Father, and Mother wait for her, isn't that too rude?"
"Bang!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Old Lady Yan slapped the table on the bed, and her face, which had been smiling just now, was full of anger.
"mother!"
No one expected the old lady to be so angry, and they all stood up in fright.
Yan Zhigao quickly stepped forward to support the old lady: "Mom, don't be angry, Yishuang is still young, and children don't mean what they say, so don't bother with her."
Aunt Lin also quickly walked out from below and knelt on the ground: "Old lady, Yishuang just wanted to see the eldest lady so much. She didn't mean anything else. Please forgive her."
It would have been fine if she didn't come out. As soon as she came out, Old Lady Yan immediately thought of what happened in front of the county government gate, and her face became even gloomier.
“Okay, okay, okay!”
Old Madam Yan ignored Aunt Lin and looked at Yan Zhigao with an angry look on her face: "Ever since you became the county magistrate, I haven't been in charge of you. I thought you would restrain yourself and become a good official who cares for the people. But today, I am greatly disappointed!"
"You bully the yamen runners by taking advantage of your power, you spoiled and rude concubines, Yan Zhigao, you are truly very good!"
"mother!"
Yan Zhigao was so anxious that he immediately knelt down, and at the same time, Mrs. Li also knelt down.
Sun and Wu were a little at a loss. Their elder brother and sister-in-law had already knelt, so should they kneel as well?
The adults were panicking, and the children didn't know what to do. They all huddled in the corner with their necks tucked in.
Yan Zhigao's face was filled with anxiety: "Mom, it's all my fault. You can beat me or scold me if you want, but don't get angry at yourself."
Mrs. Li also hurriedly admitted her fault: "Mother, it's all my daughter-in-law's fault. I didn't manage the family well."
Old Lady Yan glanced at Yan Zhigao, then bent over and helped Madam Li up. "What's your fault? I know what kind of person you are. Some people think they become arrogant just because they are officials, and they don't know why."
Yan Zhigao knew that his mother was talking about him, and he smiled bitterly in his heart, but he didn't dare to refute her at all.
Mrs. Li didn't know how to respond, so she could only help the old lady sit down.
After a while, the anger on the old lady's face subsided a lot, and she snorted coldly at Yan Zhigao.
Yan Zhigao knew that his mother's anger had subsided, so he stood up with a smile.
Madam Li thought for a moment and said, "Mother, Daohua has been here for a while now. I'll send someone over to see why she hasn't arrived yet."
"Don't go!"
Old Lady Yan stopped him sternly and looked at Yan Zhigao coldly.
"My rice flowers have suffered so much recently. If it weren't for her, I would have starved to death on the road. Now that we're finally home, why don't you let her have a good rest?"
Yan Zhigao immediately said, "Daohua is still young. She has come such a long way, let her rest first."
Old Madam Yan's expression brightened a little as she looked at Madam Li. "You are not allowed to disturb her either. That girl must be exhausted. As for meeting the family, since everyone is here, it doesn't matter when. It won't make much difference if we meet them later."
Mrs. Li could only nod in agreement.
Because of this commotion, the atmosphere in the room became a little tense. Yan Zhigao had to be very careful with his words, and the younger generations were even more afraid to say anything.
At this time, the maid's voice came from outside the door.
"Master, Madam, the eldest girl is here!"
As soon as the words fell, the door curtain was lifted.
Then, everyone saw a girl in green walking in with the light behind her and a faint smile on her face.
The door curtain fell, and everyone saw the girl's appearance clearly, and their eyes lit up.
The girl smiled brightly, and in an instant, the tense atmosphere in the room seemed to be dispersed by this smile.
(End of this chapter)
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