Chapter 113, changed
"master!"
Mrs. Li had already expected Yan Zhigao to come to the main courtyard tonight. She calmly went up to him to change his coat, and then served him tea with a smile.
"Don't be busy, I have something to say."
Madam Li walked over to the seat opposite Yan Zhigao and sat down, smiling, "Master, go ahead."
Yan Zhigao glanced at Madam Li, took a sip of the tea in his hand, put it down, and said, "Take Yishuang with you on the Double Ninth Festival."
Madam Li's expression remained unchanged: "Master, have you ever thought about why I didn't take Yishuang and Yile with me?"
Yan Zhigao looked at Madam Li without saying anything.
"Master, do you think I'm taking this opportunity to suppress the Lin family?" Madam Li smiled bitterly. "So, in Master's mind, I am actually like this."
Yan Zhigao's expression changed: "I don't think so, don't worry about it."
Madam Li was not one to rush into a show, so she said directly, "Well, since Master doesn't think so, I will tell him what I think."
"Whenever there's a gathering of women, except for families with particularly strict rules or those of particularly noble status, there will always be some kind of incident during the banquet."
"This time, the Zhou family invited the women from each family to go boating and mountain climbing. If you're not careful, accidents can happen during these two activities."
"To be honest, the girls in our family are still relatively inexperienced. They've never met the girls from wealthy families before. They're full of tricks. If you're not careful, you'll fall into their traps. At best, you'll be ridiculed, and at worst, you'll get into arguments."
"Master, do you think Yishuang and Yile can handle it given their personalities?"
Yan Zhigao thought for a moment and said, "Isn't there Daohua here? I think she gets along well with the young ladies from various families."
Madam Li almost rolled her eyes in response: "Master, don't forget, our Daohua just turned ten. A ten-year-old girl, can you really expect her to take care of three younger sisters at the same time?"
"The last time we hosted a banquet for everyone, that girl took every possible aspect into consideration in order to avoid any problems. Even so, Yishuang still made a fool of herself in front of the ladies and daughters of the other families that day. You know about this."
"Besides, I'm not saying anything behind your back, but Yishuang and the other two may not treat Daohua as their elder sister. When Teacher Zhu's daughter injured her foot in our house, did anyone stand up and say a word for Daohua?"
Since it concerned her daughter, Mrs. Li was a little uneasy and her words were a little harsh.
Yan Zhigao looked a little embarrassed: "Why are you bringing up old grudges again?"
Mrs. Li calmed herself down and said, "Isn't this what the master asked?" Daohua was slapped in the face, and she still feels upset about it.
Yan Zhiduan raised the teacup and stopped looking at Madam Li's expression.
Madam Li didn't continue to argue and continued, "Besides, our family's foundation is weaker than others, and we don't have any good friends in Xingzhou City. If nothing goes wrong, it's fine. But if something unexpected happens, we'll most likely be pushed out and made the scapegoat."
"Tell me, under such circumstances, do I dare to take all the girls out of the house?"
Yan Zhigao pondered for a moment and nodded.
"Master, there are some things I might say that might offend you, but I have to say them. Otherwise, you might think I'm an intolerant person."
"You should know that Yishuang cries easily when something happens. When a girl from the Yan family goes out to visit guests, she represents the reputation of the Yan family. Do you think she can be taken out to meet people like this?"
"As for Yile, I've already told my second sister-in-law to take care of her bad habit of speaking without thinking. Who knows if the conflict between children will escalate to adults?"
"As for Daohua and Yihuan, I'm not bragging, but when Daohua goes out to entertain guests, the master shouldn't be able to say no, right?"
Yan Zhigao nodded: "Daohua is a good one."
Seeing Yan Zhigao agree with what she said, Madam Li smiled more and softened her tone, "It's not that I don't want to take the other two with me, but it's really inconvenient this time. If something unexpected happens, I won't be able to explain it to you."
Yan Zhigao was silent for a while, then said, "I really don't understand the affairs of the backyard. I haven't considered many aspects. I was rash. Let's follow Madam's arrangements."
Madam Li smiled and said, "As long as our family successfully establishes a foothold in Xingzhou City, there will be no worries about not having banquets to attend. My second brother's wife and Mrs. Lin are just too impatient."
A trace of discomfort crossed Yan Zhigao's face. He was also anxious. After listening to the crying of Lin's mother and daughter, he came to see his wife without much thought.
Fortunately, his wife was a virtuous woman and explained everything to him clearly.
That night, Yan Zhigao rested in the main courtyard and went to the provincial government office early the next morning.
Aunt Lin waited for most of the night, slept for only a short while, and was still waiting for Yan Zhigao's reply before dawn.
Unfortunately, Yan Zhigao didn't send anyone to look for her until noon.
"Mom, can I go out with my elder sister and the others on the Double Ninth Festival?" Yan Yishuang looked at Aunt Lin expectantly.
Aunt Lin looked at her daughter with a bitter expression, unable to utter the word "can't".
The master has changed. Since he was promoted to prefect, he has not been as kind to her as before.
If it were a few years ago, as long as she hinted at this matter, the master would satisfy her even if the lady was unhappy.
But now, not only did he come to her hospital less often, but if she had any problems, he would not come exactly as she wished.
In the blink of an eye, the Double Ninth Festival is here.
Early in the morning, Daohua went to the old lady's yard and delivered the cakes she had prepared in advance. "Grandma, if the scenery of Xiangxia Mountain is good, let's go there alone sometime."
She knew that the old lady had very good legs and feet, and climbing a mountain would be no problem at all. But this time, when the Zhou family invited her, it was not convenient to bring the old lady along.
Old Mrs. Yan touched Daohua's head with a smile and said, "Don't worry about my affairs. How can I keep myself quiet?" Although she said so, she felt very happy in her heart.
If she hadn't said it, in the whole family, only Daohua would always care about whether she was bored. For things like going out for fun, her sons and daughters-in-law probably never thought of taking her out alone!
Rice Flower smiled and nodded: "Grandma's flowers are now better than mine."
Crops cannot be grown in the yard, but since she opened the flower shop, the old lady has become obsessed with growing flowers. Now the flowers and plants in the old lady's yard are no less than hers.
The old lady glanced at her sideways and said somewhat complacently, "I, an old woman, have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice. How can I lose to a little girl like you in growing flowers? Well, stop hanging around me and go find your mother quickly. Don't waste time."
Daohua kept looking back and said in a funny way, "Grandma, please don't miss me!"
The old lady waved her hand impatiently: "Go away quickly, no one wants you, crazy girl!"
Only then did the rice flowers jump away.
After she could no longer see anyone, the old lady looked at Sun Ma with a smile and said, "This girl is so thoughtful."
Grandma Sun smiled and continued, "After all, you were raised by me, so who else should I kiss if not you?"
At the backyard gate, when the rice flowers arrived, Wang Maner was still loading things into the car.
Madam Li glared at Daohua and said, "What did you bring? I saw Man'er put a lot of things into the carriage."
Rice Flower: "Aren't we going to climb up to see the distant view? After we reach the top of the mountain, we must rest. I brought some food with me, it will be delicious when we get there."
Madam Li laughed and scolded, "You never forget to eat wherever you go."
Daohua shook her head and said, "Eating is the most important thing in life, how can I forget it?" After that, she called Yan Yihan who was waiting on the side to get on the carriage.
Mrs. Li prepared two carriages. She took Daohua and Yan Yihan in one, and the maids and servants in the other. Soon, the carriages started.
"The Zhou family's carriage is at the city gate. Let's go and meet them first."
When the Yan family arrived, there were already many carriages waiting at the city gate.
Madam Li lifted the curtain and took a look. She scanned the plaques of various families on the carriage and turned to the two girls in her family and said, "In Xingzhou City, only the Zhou family can afford to invite so many people."
(End of this chapter)
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