Chapter 47: Chapter 40, Contrast l
Translator: 549690339
“Daohua’s cooking skills are really beyond words. I’ve had Laba congee every year, but this year’s is the tastiest.” Yan Zhiyuan praised Daohua without any reservation.
The old lady of the Yan Family loved hearing others complimenting Daohua; upon hearing her second son’s words, the smile on her face deepened.
Seeing this, Yan Zhiyuan immediately offered a few more praises, eliciting continuous laughter from the old lady.
Meanwhile, Daohua sat obediently beside Madam Li, her face displaying a smile that was proper and polite. She glanced at her third uncle, who was earnestly enjoying the Laba congee, and at her stepfather, who was maintaining a restrained mood and feigned authority, and thought to herself.
“This uncle of mine, a commoner, can make a place for himself in the County Governor’s Office. His insight and eloquence are indeed not to be underestimated.”
Through their interactions over these days, she had also found out that this uncle of hers was a smiling tiger, able to say one thing to one person and another to a ghost, extremely slick in dealing with others.
Knowing that her grandmother favored her, he would always find ways to praise her while not forgetting to mention others—a truly all-encompassing approach.
While Daohua was thinking about this, she felt a nudge on her arm. Turning her head, she saw her fourth brother, Yan Wenkai, looking at her with a grin, “Big sis, you’ll have to cook more in the future. I absolutely love the food you make.”
Before Daohua could reply, Madam Li said, “Don’t bother your sister; she has to study and learn needlework. Haven’t you seen how she has pricked her hands?” At these words, everyone looked toward Daohua’s hands.
Seeing the dense red pinpricks on her fair and delicate fingers, they were all momentarily stunned.
Daohua smiled faintly, “I’m a bit clumsy with needlework. Yishuang and the other sisters can already embroider large pieces, and I can’t even embroider a purse properly.”
No sooner had she spoken than her hand was grabbed by Yan Wenkai.
Yan Wenkai touched her fingers gently, his face full of concern, and blew on her fingers before looking up to ask, “Does it hurt?”
Daohua shook her head absently.
But Yan Wenkai was becoming indignant, “What’s the matter with that Master Qin? With big sis’s hand like this, why does he still insist on her embroidering that dratted purse? If he doesn’t know how to teach, should we get someone else?”
If it had been a normal day, Yan Zhigao would have definitely scolded Yan Wenkai at this time, but seeing his eldest daughter’s hand, he too was filled with anger.
Daohua had been in a rush to make the Laba congee earlier, so he hadn’t seen her hands clearly, but now that Wenkai was holding them up, the sight of the pinpricks made him feel somewhat numb.
Although his eldest daughter hadn’t been raised by his side, he still cherished her, and seeing her hands pricked like this, he instinctively felt that Master Qin had neglected her.
Yan Wenkai was still speaking, “Mom, why don’t you find a new teacher for big sis? I don’t think Master Qin has much of a scholarship, does he?”
Upon hearing this, Daohua couldn’t help wanting to clap her hands.
She had been diligently practicing her needlework but hadn’t intended to elicit sympathy from everyone, yet if it meant getting a new teacher as a result, she would be pleased.
Daohua took a careful look at her foster fourth brother; if not for the genuine concern on his face, she would have thought he was deliberately setting a trap for Master Qin.
He really was an honest child.
Who knew that the next second, she would hear Yan Wenkai say, “My big sis’s hands are made for cooking. If they get ruined by needles, who will make us delicious food in the future?”
Upon hearing this, Daohua’s touched feeling immediately withdrew, and she quickly pulled back her hand, glaring at her foster fourth brother, “So it turns out I’m just someone who cooks? I’ll stop cooking in the future. If you want to eat, make it yourself.”
“No, don’t!” Yan Wenkai immediately let out a wail, “Good sis, I was wrong, you can’t stop making food. Otherwise, how am I to survive in the future?”
The two of them bantered back and forth, quickly reigniting the lively atmosphere at the dining table.
The others’ eyes flickered; everyone in the Yan Family was aware of the relationship between Master Qin and Aunt Lin, and if Master Qin couldn’t curry favor, Aunt Lin would also be embarrassed.
Yan Zhiyuan glanced at the Sun Family, and Madam Sun immediately diverted the topic with a smile.
Seeing this, Yan Yishuang and Yan Wenbin both let out a sigh of relief. Before, they had dared to pass discreet messages to their father, Yan Zhigao, at the dinner table, suggesting that it must be lonely for Aunt Lin to eat alone. But now, they quietly sipped their Laba porridge.
Madam Li noticed everyone’s expressions at the table and glanced at Yan Zhigao, whose expression was slightly collected. She smiled and added half a bowl of Laba porridge for him.
Seeing this, Yan Zhigao also smiled and picked up a piece of vegetable with his chopsticks for Madam Li.
Next to him, Yan Yishuang and Yan Wenbin saw that Yan Zhigao truly didn’t mention Aunt Lin again, and they felt somewhat dejected as they hung their heads.
Indeed, Aunt Lin had not come to Songhe Courtyard for the meal.
This was a rule set by the Yan Family’s matriarch, stating that no concubine should dine with the masters of the family.
Just now, seeing his family happily drinking Laba porridge together, Yan Zhigao thought of Aunt Lin eating alone and felt pity. He was about to invite her to join them when his son, Yan Wenkai, disrupted his plan.
Now, because the family tutor, Master Qin, had caused his eldest daughter such distress with the embroidery, he was also a bit angry and dropped the idea.
While Songhe Courtyard was filled with laughter and joy, at this moment in Shuangxin Courtyard, Aunt Lin sat alone at the dining table, her face full of loneliness.
Having married the master for so many years, this was her first time spending a festival alone.
Her child, her husband, were now accompanying others; they were the family, while she… was just a concubine, one who couldn’t even sit at the dining table.
Never before had she realized so clearly her identity and status within the Yan Family as she did at this moment.
Regretful?
Her father was a scholar, and so was her brother. With her family’s status, she could have easily married someone else as the principal wife.
But she had no choice!
The Lin Family had gone into debt to support her father’s education, selling off their property. When it was her brother’s turn to study, there was no spare silver left. Yet her brother was so intelligent, all the village tutors praised him and said he was destined to succeed. How could she bear to see her brother unable to study due to a lack of silver, leading to an unremarkable life?
So, when Yan Zhigao visited the countryside on an inspection, she deliberately approached the man who was praised by all as a clean and upright official.
She was quite attractive and had learned to read and write from her father, which set her apart from ordinary women.
After several encounters, with her intentional and occasional contacts, the master indeed became smitten with her.
Later, she successfully became his concubine.
With the support of the County Magistrate, her family’s situation gradually improved. Her brother started his studies and, a few years later, passed the scholar examinations. He stayed by the master’s side and, with the help of his brother-in-law, his future prospects were undoubtedly secure.
She also lived comfortably in the inner courtyard.
Madam Li of the Yan Family was of merchant stock, and though she was the principal wife, in terms of family background, she was not comparable to herself, and she did not feel inferior to her.
Moreover, she knew the master’s mind well; she knew he looked down on merchants, a sentiment apparent from how he received Madam’s several brothers.
Madam Li was aware of this too, so her confidence within the Yan Family was not strong, and she often yielded to her, the favored one.
She thought she could live out her life in such stability, occasionally composing poetry and having discussions with the master or raising her children. But then the matriarch arrived, and so did the eldest daughter.
These two could hardly be described as subtle or discreet.
From the outset, they spoke their minds, laying the most embarrassing matters right on the table. No matter how many schemes she had, they were of no avail.
Now, when the whole family was joyously celebrating the festival, the master allowed her to eat alone.. What about the future? Would her place in the family diminish even further?