Chapter 147: Chapter 133, Waving a Fan in the Dead of Winter_1
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“How did you get here?” Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang in surprise.
Xiao Yeyang glanced at her and composedly took a seat next to her, only then slowly and leisurely speaking, “Well, if you can come, why can’t I?”
Daohua gave Xiao Yeyang a sidelong glance, only then noticing that the previously bustling stage was now somewhat quieter. Loud laughter had turned into whispering.
“Hello Brother Dong, Brother Zhou, and all the other brothers!”
Not only Xiao Yeyang, but Dong Yuanxuan, her three brothers from the Yan Family, and a few other young gentlemen she had seen on the day of the Climbing Festival had all come.
After greeting these people, Daohua prepared to leave.
She had no choice; earlier, to get a better view of the beauties, and seeing that the audience was sparse, she had taken a seat in this row facing the stage.
Xiao Yeyang was certainly going to take the best seat, and since he had brought quite a few people with him, she would need to give up her place.
“Where are you going?”
As soon as Xiao Yeyang saw Daohua getting ready to leave, he immediately asked.
Daohua nodded towards Dong Yuanxuan and the others with her chin, “There are so many of you, there surely won’t be enough room; I’ll go sit by my grandmother.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang’s face immediately showed displeasure as he frowned.
Zhou Chengye, nearby, hurriedly smiled and said, “Miss Yan, please feel free to stay seated. If there aren’t enough seats, we can simply add a few more chairs and tables, it’s no big deal.” After speaking, he immediately waved to beckon a servant, instructing him to bring more tables and chairs.
Daohua hesitated, glancing at the ladies from various families who kept looking over in this direction, feeling it was somewhat inappropriate for her to sit with Xiao Yeyang and the others.
“It’s better not to, as a girl, sitting among you, it’s not proper!”
Zhou Chengye was taken aback; he had no response for that, as what Daohua said was the truth.
Even though Miss Yan from the Yan Family was only ten years old, after all, there was a distinction between male and female, and matters concerning a woman’s reputation indeed required careful consideration.
But it was clear that the Little Prince wanted to talk with Miss Yan from the Yan Family, what to do?
Just as Zhou Chengye was uncertain how to proceed, Zhou Jingwan arrived with a group of young ladies.
The best places to watch the play were, of course, those directly facing the stage.
So, as soon as Zhou Jingwan arrived, she led her group straight towards Daohua.
“Miss Yan, I was wondering where you’d gone off to; turns out you hid here to enjoy the play. I love watching plays too; you should have called me to join you.”
As soon as everyone arrived, Qian Bilan started speaking to Daohua with a smile.
Daohua replied with a smile, “I just saw you chatting away so enthusiastically with the other young ladies, I didn’t dare to interrupt.”
Qian Bilan choked on her words then laughed it off without continuing the conversation.
Zhou Jingwan took over, “Alright, everyone find a place to sit down and enjoy the play!”
By then, the servants had also brought over tables and chairs, arranging them accordingly.
Everyone found their places to sit down.
Now that so many young ladies had come, Daohua didn’t have to worry about her reputation anymore and went straight back to the seat she had initially chosen.
This seat, after all, was one she had changed several times to find – the best view for admiring the beauties.
Since it wasn’t the very center seat of honor, she had no concerns.
Seeing Daohua sit down beside him, Xiao Yeyang’s face looked much more pleased.
Nearby, Zhou Chengye, seeing that Xiao Yeyang was seated off-center, hesitated about whether to ask him to move to the main seat. However, seeing the smile on his face after Miss Yan from the Yan Family had taken her seat, he decided to stay silent.
“Jingwan, quickly serve some tea and snacks!”
Zhou Jingwan had intended to sit down next to Daohua to rest, but upon hearing her elder brother’s command, she was somewhat reluctant. She had been busy since early in the morning and was very tired!
However, considering it was the birthday of her beloved grandfather, her duty was to ensure all guests had a good time and not to bring shame to the Zhou Family. She sighed resignedly and stood up to prepare the tea and snacks.
Daohua looked at Zhou Jingwan with sympathy, “Jingwan must not have slept well last night!”
Xiao Yeyang immediately followed up, “How do you know? Are you staying with the Zhou Family?”
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Daohua said irritably, “Just by looking at Jingwan’s somewhat mottled eyes, one would know!”
Xiao Yeyang thought about it and felt a bit embarrassed; he shook the fan in his hand.
Seeing him like this, Daohua struggled to withhold her laughter.
Xiao Yeyang, puzzled, asked, “What are you laughing at?”
Daohua didn’t hold back and replied directly, “In the middle of winter, what are you fanning yourself for? Are you trying to affect an air of elegance?”
At that remark, the hand Xiao Yeyang used to shake his fan seemed to hit an abrupt pause button and just stopped mid-air.
Not only him, but others around who had fans, such as Dong Yuanxuan and Yan Wenxiu, also had synchronized pauses in expression and awkwardly put away their fans.
“Big sister, you don’t understand. Brother Dong and the others fan themselves in the dead of winter because they fancy themselves as scholarly and refined gentry; that’s just their thing.”
Yan Wenkai’s loud voice rang out.
Daohua tilted her head and looked at Xiao Yeyang and the others, who seemed a bit uncomfortable, and smiled playfully. However, she thought better of continuing to tease them: “Then second brother, why don’t you have a fan?”
Yan Wenkai said, “Big sister, didn’t you just say it? It’s the dead of winter, and with the weather so cold, I’d have to be sick in the head to be fanning myself right now!”
Uh…
Daohua was taken aback. Could she say that she actually wanted her fourth brother to change the subject?
She hadn’t expected her fourth brother’s words to be even more ruthless than hers!
To have a fan in the dead of winter… one must be sick in the head…
His words made so much sense that she found herself unable to argue.
“Yan Wenkai!”
Everyone who had a fan, including Xiao Yeyang, turned their gaze toward Yan Wenkai in unison, and if looks could kill, Yan Wenkai would have been executed by the crowd several times over.
Feeling the danger, Yan Wenkai shrank his neck and muttered, “What I said isn’t wrong!”
“Pfft~”
Their commotion was quite loud, and many young ladies heard him; some couldn’t hold it in any longer and began to laugh.
Daohua looked around and saw many of the ladies’ shoulders shaking, and she too couldn’t help but be amused.
“Hmph!”
Xiao Yeyang snorted coldly, pinched his favorite fan, suddenly finding it less appealing, and handed it over to De Fu, who was waiting on the side.
De Fu caught it with both hands, carefully holding it to his chest, then looked at the eldest miss of the Yan Family with a face full of wistfulness.
This miss dared to say just about anything!
Look at that, she scared his master off from fanning himself.
Seeing Xiao Yeyang’s reaction, Daohua was even more amused. She felt incredibly happy and turned her attention back to the stage, where the actors suddenly seemed even more beautiful.
Watching Daohua swinging her legs in good spirits, Xiao Yeyang felt a bit gloomy and asked, “What are you watching? What’s so interesting?”
“Beautiful people!” Daohua said gleefully, pointing out the most attractive actor to Xiao Yeyang, “Don’t you think they’re beautiful? Look at their features, their figures…”
“Cough cough~”
A severe cough sounded, interrupting Daohua from continuing.
Turning her head, Daohua saw Xiao Yeyang’s unusual expression and her eldest brother glaring at her. Puzzled, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yan Wenxiu took a deep breath, trying to soften his tone, “I will speak to mother about you. Ask her to keep an eye on you, so you don’t read too many idle books.”
Listen to what big sister is saying?
Beautiful people, features, and figures—is this what a girl of the boudoir should speak of?
Daohua opened her mouth, somewhat unable to respond. She was just watching the play, what did that have to do with idle books? But she was perceptive enough not to speak.