Chapter 169: Chapter 169: 152, Poor Kid_1

“Xiao Yeyang, when are you starting your journey back to Beijing?”

The barbecue was almost done, and while grilling the meat, Daohua asked Xiao Yeyang.

Xiao Yeyang’s hand paused as he was picking up some meat, “…Who said I was going back?”

Daohua looked surprised, “Not going back? Then what will you do for the New Year? Who will you spend it with?”

Xiao Yeyang rolled his eyes at Daohua, “If I want to celebrate the New Year, can’t I find a place to go?” His tone was light-hearted, but the speed at which he ate the meat had slowed down.

Daohua glanced at Xiao Yeyang and suddenly remembered the first time she saw him.

Logically speaking, as a distinguished Little Prince, he surely had many people attending to him and couldn’t possibly fall into the hands of human traffickers, right?

Yet, he was kidnapped!

Could there be some conspiracy?

Connecting this to the time when she watched “The Record of Divorce” and Xiao Yeyang’s prickly reaction, Daohua felt a sudden pang in her heart.

“The Record of Divorce” couldn’t possibly be about Xiao Yeyang’s family matters, could it?

Thinking of this, Daohua’s gaze towards Xiao Yeyang unintentionally carried a hint of sympathy.

Poor kid!

If her guess was correct, this guy must be the child who was abandoned by the head of the family at the husband’s house, right?

In ordinary families, a husband would be raging with anger if abandoned by his wife, let alone in the Imperial Family.

Xiao Yeyang’s father was a Prince, a person accustomed to prestige. Imagine the fury in his heart when faced with such humiliation; thus, Xiao Yeyang became the object of venting.

First, he was kidnapped, and now, during New Year’s, he couldn’t even return home!

The sympathy in Daohua’s eyes grew stronger, and Xiao Yeyang, feeling uneasy under her gaze, got a bit annoyed, “What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a handsome young man before?”

Uh…

Daohua’s brewing emotions were abruptly interrupted, and she looked at Xiao Yeyang somewhat at a loss for words, “Handsome young man… Since when did you become an old lady peddling her wares?”

Xiao Yeyang retorted, “If you can call yourself a beautiful young girl, why can’t I be a handsome young man?”

Upon hearing this, Daohua was instantly covered in metaphorical black lines.

“Pfft~”

Next to them, Zhou Jingwan couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. When she saw the Little Prince and Daohua silently looking at her, she pursed her lips and tried to restrain herself. After a while, still unable to hold back, she simply laid on the table, not looking at the two of them anymore.

Handsome young man, beautiful young girl—she hadn’t expected the Little Prince and Daohua to be so narcissistic. Oh, it was killing her with laughter!

Watching Zhou Jingwan’s shoulders shaking uncontrollably, Daohua was speechless. What was so funny, with such a low threshold for humor?

Xiao Yeyang had long since averted his gaze and was idly flipping the meat in front of him.

Daohua also shifted her attention back, glanced at Xiao Yeyang, hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively asked, “How about you come to my house for the New Year?”

Spending the New Year alone must be so lonely and desolate, right?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang raised his eyebrows, turned his head to look at Daohua, and when he saw the look of care in her eyes, he was a bit stunned. After a while, he laughed, “No thanks, what kind of thing would that be, spending the New Year at someone else’s house?”

“But you alone…”

After hearing this, Xiao Yeyang finally understood where Daohua’s concern came from and said with amusement, “Of course I’m not alone. This year, my uncle and I will be staying up together on New Year’s Eve.”

Daohua only then remembered Xiao Yeyang’s Uncle Governor Guo coming, “That’s good!” She paused, “Is it just your uncle? What about your aunt?”

Xiao Yeyang: “My aunt needs to manage the household and show filial respect to my maternal grandparents in Beijing.”

Daohua: “It’s just the two of you, then. Who will make your New Year’s food arrangements?”

Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua, who seemed quite nosy, but still patiently said, “Naturally, there are people below who will handle it.”

Daohua nodded and thought for a moment, “There are still plenty of vegetables in my greenhouse. When you leave, I’ll prepare some extra for you. That way, you can enjoy the New Year with some comforting food.”

Xiao Yeyang did not refuse. Although the imperial lodge would also purchase vegetables, they were certainly not as good as those from Daohua’s family.

“Hey, don’t just focus on eating meat, have some greens too.”

Seeing that Xiao Yeyang’s plate only had deer and beef, Daohua immediately added a chopstick-full of roasted vegetables to his plate.

Looking at the vegetables, Xiao Yeyang felt a profound distaste. Could he admit he didn’t like them?

But after noticing that Daohua had also put some vegetables on Zhou Jingwan’s plate and was watching until she ate them before he looked away, Xiao Yeyang quickly picked up his chopsticks and gulped down the vegetables.

He really didn’t want to hear Daohua lecture about the need to balance meat and vegetables again.

As it was close to the end of the year, Xiao Yeyang said he had to leave after finishing the roast meat.

Daohua didn’t insist he stay. At year’s end, there were many gatherings, and everyone was busy, especially these individuals, who were sought after by every family in Xingzhou City.

“Wait a moment, we have grown vegetables in my family’s estate. My mother said to bring some back for everyone to try.”

Dong Yuanxuan immediately thanked her, “Thank you, Mrs. Yan. We won’t be polite then.” The Yan Family’s vegetables really were tastier than those on the market. He had wanted to take some back for his parents and sister to try for a long time, but had been too embarrassed to ask.

While waiting, Daohua saw Xiao Yeyang talking with his third and fourth brothers and, after a moment’s thought, approached Dong Yuanxuan.

Seeing Daohua standing beside him, looking hesitant to speak, Dong Yuanxuan found it somewhat amusing, “Big Sister Yan… do you have something you want to say to me?”

Daohua looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, asked in a low voice, “Big Brother Dong, do you know about Xiao Yeyang’s mother?”

This was a sensitive topic for Xiao Yeyang, and she needed to tread carefully to avoid inadvertently saying something that might upset him next time.

Dong Yuanxuan had been with Xiao Yeyang the longest and knew the most about his affairs. It was better to inquire a bit.

Upon hearing the question, Dong Yuanxuan was shocked, staring at the young girl with wide, curious eyes in front of him.

The Little Prince had even talked about the former Princess Consort with her?

To know that the former Princess Consort was a thorn in the side of the Little Prince, one to avoid mentioning lest he becomes irate. He did not expect that he would have opted to tell Big Sister Yan himself.

Dong Yuanxuan couldn’t help but take another careful look at the eldest Miss Yan.

Unlike other delicate and reserved young ladies, the girl before him was forthright and radiant, with bright, clear, almond-shaped eyes full of liveliness, and her gentle smile seemed to warm the heart with the warmth that shone in her eyes.

For a moment, Dong Yuanxuan was taken aback.

“Big Brother Dong, what’s wrong?”

Seeing Dong Yuanxuan staring motionlessly at her, Daohua had to wave her hand in front of his eyes a few times.

Dong Yuanxuan came to his senses and, seeing Daohua blinking at him with a puzzled look, felt a surge of emotion. His fan, unbidden, lifted and he gently tapped it on her forehead.

Now it was Daohua’s turn to be stunned.

After tapping her, Dong Yuanxuan realized this action was somewhat inappropriate and hastily scanned the surroundings. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he let out a sigh of relief. Smiling at the stupefied Daohua, he said, “If Big Sister Yan wants to know, just ask the Little Prince yourself.” With that, he walked away to talk with others, still smiling.

Daohua watched him walk away, speechless, and rubbed her forehead, internally exclaiming, why did everyone in ancient times like to knock on other people’s heads?