Chapter 21: Chapter 19, Harmony_l
Translator: 549690339
In the Yan Family, men and women were ranked separately according to their order of birth.
Among the grandsons.
Yan Wenxiu was the eldest, naturally intelligent and quick-witted, graceful as jade. Now only 14 years old, he had already earned the title of Scholar. Yan Zhigao and Madam Li held high expectations for him.
Yan Wenjie, second in line, was now 13 and a half years old, inheriting the good looks from Yan Zhiyuan and the Sun Family. He was quite striking, if only average in scholarly pursuits, good at conversation, and somewhat clever.
YanWentao, ranking third, was now 13, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, tall and sturdy. Raised in the countryside, he had a natural affinity for the fields, knew how to read, but was not well-versed in literature and poetry.
Yan Wenkai, fourth in line, was now 12, straightforward and enthusiastic, handsome and tall, not fond of reading, a bit too restless.
Yan Wenbin, fifth, was now 8 years old. As a twin, he was somewhat frail, with delicate features, bright and clever.
Yan Wenhui, sixth, was now 6, tiger-headed and tiger-brained, lively and likable.
Among the granddaughters.
Yan Yiyi, also known as Daohua, was the eldest, now 9 years old, with a beautiful, elegant and graceful bearing.
Yan Yihuan, second in line, was now 8 and a half, beautiful and graceful, tranquil and gentle.
Yan Yishuang, third, was now 8 years old, delicate in appearance, quick and eager to learn, her talent in poetry and literature made her dearly loved by Yan Zhigao.
Yan Yile, fourth in line, was now 7, articulate and cheerful.
Daohua took a moment to look over her siblings, then got up and went forward to greet them.
“Big brother.”
“Big sister.”
Daohua first bowed to Yan Wenxiu, who stood and returned the gesture with a courtesy.
Yan Wenxiu smiled at his younger sister, “Father and mother have been eagerly awaiting grandmother and your arrival. Now, at last, our family is reunited. If you encounter any trouble in the future, feel free to come to your big brother.” He had a soft spot for his sister who was raised in the countryside.
Daohua blinked her eyes and playfully smiled, “Can I only come to big brother when there’s trouble?”
Yan Wenxiu, dazzled by his sister’s charming big eyes, was taken aback for a few seconds before smiling, “You can come to me anytime.”
Daohua nodded seriously, “Big brother, you said it yourself. Don’t get annoyed with me in the future.”
Yan Wenxiu smiled and nodded.
As the eldest grandson of the Yan Family, he was always moderate and responsible, a role model for his younger brothers and sisters, not prone to show his emotions, but he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his endearing sister speaking so affectionately.
Then, Daohua turned to Yan Wenjie.
“Second brother!”
After exchanging formalities, Yan Wenjie laughed, “With big sister’s arrival, our home has become more lively.”
Daohua nodded, then walked towards Yan Wentao.
Being very familiar with Yan Wentao, the two simply greeted each other, exchanged a smile, and skipped the formal niceties.
“Little brother!”
Daohua approached Yan Wenkai, who hadn’t even greeted her yet when he, grinning, stretched out a mischievous hand and pinched Daohua’s somewhat chubby cheeks, “Finally got to pinch them.”
He had wanted to do this since his big sister walked in.
Big sister’s face was so soft and smooth.
Now he finally had a sister whose face he could pinch, in front of those friends who boasted about their sisters.
“Smack!”
The handle of the fan in Yan Wenxiu’shand slapped down on Wenkai’s “devil’s claw,” and he said sternly, “You are her brother, mind your behavior.”
Yan Wenkai pouted and muttered, “What’s with the seriousness? I’m just happy,” and then his face broke into a cheerful grin as he casually took Daohua’s hand.
“As expected of my sister, she is indeed beautiful.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Yan Wenjie jumped in, “Fourth brother, what you’re saying isn’t right. Aren’t all the girls here your sisters?”
“They are all my sisters, but only Daohua is my full sister,” said Yan Wenkai unabashedly and matter-of-factly.
He then ignored Yan Wenjie, fumbled about his person for a moment, and pulled out a green silk flower, “I knew you were coming, sister, so I picked out this silk flower especially for you,” and without further ado, he put it into Daohua’s hand.
Looking at the silk flower now crumpled in her hand, Daohua was torn between laughter and tears, yet she felt a warm feeling in her heart.
“How is it? Do you like it?” Yan Wenkai asked eagerly.
Daohua smiled and nodded, “I love it, thank you, little brother.”
Not quite satisfied with how she addressed him, Yan Wenkai quickly corrected her, “You should call me fourth brother. Didn’t you just call them big brother, second brother, and third brother? Why does it become little brother when it gets tome?”
Seeing his serious expression, Daohua didn’t play around and obediently nodded her head.
“What a good girl!”
With that, he pinched Daohua’s cheek again.
To this, Daohua’s face was full of black lines.
However, she didn’t dislike such closeness.
After greeting her four older brothers, Daohua naturally turned around and returned to Old Madam Yan’s side.
For those older than her, she took the initiative to greet them;
but for those younger than her, it was their turn to take the initiative to greet her.
This was a rule she had made a point of asking her grand-uncle in the clan about before arriving.
Actually, she wasn’t really fixated on this, but she dared not underestimate the children of ancient times, especially those who grew up in large households, whose scheming she might not be able to outmatch.
If she took the initiative to get close to them, on the surface they might say she was kind, but privately they’d think she didn’t understand the rules, that she was easy to bully.
To avoid trouble in the future, it was better for everyone to follow the rules at their first meeting.
When the others in the room saw Daohua sit back down next to the old lady, they didn’t say anything about getting to know the younger siblings, but their expressions were somewhat varied.
Madam Sun’s eyes turned as she smiled and spoke, “Daohua, you yet to meet your younger brothers and sisters.”
Leaning on Old Madam Yan, Daohua smiled towards Madam Sun, “Second Aunt, the sage has said, ‘there’s an order to seniority among siblings.’ It’s not that I haven’t met my younger brothers and sisters, but rather they haven’t come to greet me. What, is that not the rule in our family?”
Having said this, she looked towards Yan Zhigao and Madam Li with a seeking confirmation.
Both were taken aback by their eldest daughter’s words, momentarily stunned.
The Yan Family’s rules were only established under Yan Zhigao’s leadership, and although they were more numerous than those of ordinary families, they were somewhat perfunctory, with many aspects not really applied in practice.
Otherwise, Aunt Lin’s brother wouldn’t be running to the County Governor’s Office’s backyard every other day.
At this point, the old lady spoke up, “Daohua is right, since ancient times, it has always been customary for the younger siblings to greet their older siblings first.”
Madam Sun’s expression became somewhat embarrassed, “We’re all family, why be so particular?”
Daohua smiled again, saying, “Second Aunt, the grand-uncle in the clan told me, ‘to cultivate oneself, put family in order, govern the state, and bring peace to the world,’ the rules of the household must not be disturbed. Only when the family is in good order can it thrive and prosper.”
Yan Zhigao looked at Daohua in astonishment, “Did the grand-uncle teach you all this?”
Daohua nodded, “Dad, do you think grand-uncle is right?”
Yan Zhigao nodded, “Of course, grand-uncle is very right. Back in the day, grand-uncle’s knowledge was well-known throughout the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun immediately signaled Yan Yihuan and Yan Yile with her eyes.
After receiving their mother’s hint, the two sisters immediately stood up and approached.
As they stood up, Daohua also rose, and the three sisters bowed to each other in respect.
“Eldest Sister!”
“Second Younger Sister, Fourth Younger Sister!”
After meeting each other, Yan Yile cuddled up to Daohua with a smile on her face, “Eldest Sister, you’re even prettier than Third Sister.”
The innocent words brought silence to the room.
Daohua’s heart skipped a beat.
It was only the first day, was the domestic rivalry starting already?
Madam Sun came over and teased, “You little girl, how old are you to know what looks good and what doesn’t? In my opinion, not one of the Yan Family’s young ladies is anything less than beautiful.”
With a beaming smile, Daohua looked at the fourth sister, whose face was innocently cheerful, and said nothing. After greeting Yan Wenbin, Yan Yishuang, and Yan Wenhui, she took her place back beside Old Madam Yan.
Old Madam Yan held Daohua’s hand and smiled, “Alright, now that everyone has met, we should all get along harmoniously in the future.” She looked towards Yan Wenxiu and others, “Daohua and Wentao have just arrived, you must all take good care of them.”
Yan Wenkai stood out, “Grandmother, rest assured. After Daohua and the others have had some rest, I’ll show them around, and it won’t be long before they are familiar with everything here.”
Daohua immediately joined in the conversation, “Fourth Brother, you have to keep your word and give us a proper tour of the county town.”
“No problem.”
After that, the atmosphere in the room remained pleasant due to the repartee between Daohua and Yan Wenkai.
Observing the harmonious scene in the room, Daohua felt a brief sense of trance.
This was the family in this life.
Having transmigrated to ancient times nine years ago, her memories of her previous life were getting more and more blurred, and it had been a long time since she had recalled the past life.
Let it be, she thought, just live this life well.