As soon as Daohua saw the falcon, she guessed it belonged to Xiao Yeyang, and sure enough, the next day, he came looking for it with Defu.
It was 11:00 AM when the two men arrived, both with sweat soaking through the clothes on their backs.
âWhy have you come at this time? Arenât you afraid of getting sunstroke under this blazing sun?â
Old Lady Gu looked at Xiao Yeyang with a face full of reproach.
Gu Jian also gave him a displeased glance.
Xiao Yeyang smiled, âDonât worry, Granny, Iâm in good health, itâs not a big deal.â
Old Lady Gu said unhappily, âEven if you are in good health, that doesnât mean you should abuse it like this.â
Xiao Yeyang smiled sheepishly, unable to talk back to the elderly coupleâs concerns and could only listen.
Daohua sat on the side watching, and seeing him sweating profusely, she stood up to pour him a cup of cool tea, âHave a sip of tea to cool down first!â
Xiao Yeyangâs gaze stuck to Daohua, staring at her straight on; he smiled as he took the tea but didnât drink it.
Seeing he wasnât drinking, Daohua was puzzled, âArenât you thirsty?â
âOh!â
Xiao Yeyang snapped back to reality and then gulped down the tea in his hands.
Seeing him drink so hastily, Daohua quickly said, âSlow down, do you want another cup?â
Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua and nodded, âYes, please.â
Daohua filled his cup again, and seeing beads of sweat still dripping down his cheeks, she shook her head, set down the teapot, and turned to go to the kitchen.
Xiao Yeyang hurriedly straightened up, âWhere are you going?â
Daohua didnât turn her head back, âIâm going to fetch you some hot water to wash your face.â
Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang sat back down, silently sipping the tea in his hands.
On the side, Defu saw his master like this and somehow felt he was acting a bit foolish.
Daohua quickly came back with hot water and handed a wet towel to Xiao Yeyang.
Xiao Yeyang took a look at Daohua before he began to wipe himself with the towel.
After Xiao Yeyang had finished wiping his face and hands, Daohua said, âIâve asked Manman to heat some water; you and Defu go take a bath first, then come to eat.â
Xiao Yeyang put the towel back in the basin and nodded, âAlright.â
After that, Xiao Yeyang excused himself from Old Lady Gu and Gu Jian, then turned to go to his room to wash and change.
Indeed, Xiao Yeyang had his own room at Taohua Temple; ever since he had stayed over for a period while the road was being repaired, Old Lady Gu insisted that room was always there for him whenever he wanted to stay.
Within the time it took to drink two cups of tea, Xiao Yeyang returned to the dining room, freshly dressed. By that time, Daohua had already set the meal on the table.
Old Lady Gu quickly waved Xiao Yeyang over, âCome and sit down for the meal. Youâve timed it well today; Yiyi has made lots of delicious food.â
Xiao Yeyang took his seat, looking at the dishes on the table, noting many were his favorites; he couldnât help smiling at Daohua, who was serving soup to Old Lady Gu and Gu Jian.
Feeling Xiao Yeyangâs gaze, Daohua glanced sideways at him, signaling him to eat properly.
Xiao Yeyang silently smiled and began to dig into his meal.
âGranny, try this.â
âMaster Gu, hereâs your favorite boiled pork slices.â
Xiao Yeyang ate his meal, and occasionally, he would use the serving chopsticks to place food onto the plates of the two elders.
When it came to serving Daohua, he was a bit more casual, not bothering to switch chopsticks, using his own instead to serve her.
This went unnoticed by Daohua, but the old couple saw it all.
Seeing the two getting along so well, Old Lady Gu was pleased in her heart. Gu Jian glanced at Xiao Yeyang but didnât expose his little scheme.
After lunch, Daohua assisted Old Grandma Gu in taking a short stroll in the courtyard. Once Grandma Gu retired to her room for a midday nap, Daohua also felt drowsy and made her way toward her room.
However, as soon as she stepped out of the main house, she spotted Xiao Yeyang standing under the porch.
âWith the weather being so hot, why arenât you staying indoors instead of standing outside?â
Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua and, after a moment of silence, stepped forward, âAre you avoiding me?â
Daohua was startled at first, then laughed without words, âWhy would I avoid you?â
Xiao Yeyang: âThen why didnât you talk to me the last time I visited your house?â
Daohua spread her hands, âIt was my motherâs order. She said that now Iâm getting older by the day and canât play and romp around with you like when we were kids.â
Xiao Yeyang frowned, âWhy would Madam Li say such a thing?â
Daohuaâs face showed displeasure, âDonât speak ill of my mother. Sheâs doing it for my good.â
Xiao Yeyang quickly said, âI didnât speak ill of Madam Li. Donât misunderstand me.â
Daohua pouted and did not continue, âArenât you undergoing military training in the camp? What are you doing here?â
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua, thinking to himself that it was all because of her.
Having been unable to talk to her alone during the last visit to the Yan Family and feeling listless afterward in the army camp, there were several close calls during sparring where he almost got kicked off the stage and made a fool of himself.
âIâm here to check on Grandma Gu and Master Gu.â
Daohua glanced sidelong at him and pointed to the hawk perched on the peach tree in the yard, âWhy did you leave your goshawk here?â
Xiao Yeyangâs expression stalled, and he stiffly replied, âTo entertain Grandma Gu and Master Gu.â
Daohua was speechless, âReally, using a scouting falcon meant for delivering messages to provide amusement.â
Seeing his cover blown, Xiao Yeyang was a bit embarrassed, but he quickly regained his composure, âI canât help it. Iâm just that unique.â
Daohua clicked her tongue while looking at Xiao Yeyang, âXiao Yeyang, when did your skin get so thick?â
Xiao Yeyang shamelessly lifted his chin, âThick? I think it still isnât thick enough, I need to keep working on it.â
Now Daohua had nothing to say, and with a push of her hand, she nudged him aside, âMove, Iâm going to take a nap.â With that said, she walked past him to her own room.
Xiao Yeyang wanted to follow, but he immediately dismissed the idea and could only watch helplessly as Daohua entered her room and closed the door. After a while, he silently turned and went back to his own room.
âMaster, this is the watermelon juice that Manman brought over just now. She said Miss Yan specially ordered it to be prepared, chilled with well water.â
Seeing Xiao Yeyang return to his room, De Fu immediately brought the watermelon juice up to him.
Xiao Yeyang immediately smiled broadly, taking several big gulps, but as he had eaten quite a bit at noon, he couldnât finish it.
Looking at the remaining watermelon juice, thinking that Daohua had made it with her own hands, Xiao Yeyang didnât have the heart to throw it away and told De Fu, âPut it back on ice, Iâll drink it when I wake up.â
This time he had come over on horseback.
Riding from Ningmen Pass to Taohua Mountain took about two hours, and even though he was in good physical condition, he was quite tired and drowsy after being roasted under the scorching sun for so long.
Barely hitting the bed, Xiao Yeyang fell asleep.
By the time he woke up, an hour had already passed.
Not seeing Daohua in the courtyard, Xiao Yeyang immediately asked De Fu, âWhere is Daohua?â
De Fu: âMiss Yan has gone down the mountain.â
Xiao Yeyang strode towards the yardâs exit, âWhy didnât you call me?â
De Fu laughed, âMiss Yan asked me not to. She said the master had been riding half the day and needed to rest well so as not to harm his health.â
On hearing this, Xiao Yeyang felt pleased, but he retorted, âShe really likes to interfere.â
De Fu continued with a smile, âI just had a chat with Manman, and she said that Miss Yan knew you were coming today, so she specially made a table of dishes you like.â
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang instantly felt that the sweltering heat was somehow more bearable.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!