Chapter 390: Chapter 390 - 366, Don’t Care_1

Yan Residence.

When Yan Wenbin heard that Yan Yishuang had returned alone, he immediately went to her courtyard.

“Big sister and the others haven’t come back yet, how come you’re back alone?”

As soon as Yan Wenbin entered the room and asked, he saw that Yan Yishuang didn’t speak, and upon closer look, he noticed her nose and eyes were red, clearly showing she had been crying, which immediately made him frown.

“What have you done now?”

Yan Yishuang burst into anger when she heard these accusatory words, “Fifth brother, are you so blind that you can’t see I’ve been bullied?” Having said that, she laid down on the table and started to sob.

Yan Wenbin silently watched and didn’t speak to comfort her until Yan Yishuang gradually calmed down, then he spoke softly.

“I’ve known big sister’s temperament over the years, she’s not someone who can’t tolerate others, especially since Miss Dong and Miss Su from outside the family were present this time. Unless you did something, she wouldn’t humiliate the Yan family’s face in front of outsiders.”

Yan Yishuang’s expression stalled, and she choked up without speaking.

Seeing she did not rebut, Yan Wenbin confirmed his guess and turned his head to look at Yan Yishuang’s Senior Maid Chaqian, “What exactly happened today?”

Chaqian looked at Yan Yishuang, and seeing she wasn’t stopping her, spoke in a low voice, recounting everything that had happened on the street.

After hearing the account, Yan Wenbin raised his hand to rub his swollen forehead, looking at Yan Yishuang with some frustration, he took a few deep breaths, and at last, he couldn’t help but chide.

“You tell me, I’ve repeatedly warned you not to compare yourself with big sister, why don’t you ever listen?”@@novelbin@@

By now, Yan Yishuang also felt some regret and said weakly, “I just couldn’t stand it.”

Yan Wenbin felt helpless, “What is there for you to be upset about? Big sister is friends with the young misses from the Dong and Su families, how does that inconvenience you? You’re good friends with the misses from the Zhu and Wang families, has big sister ever made you feel uncomfortable?”

As he spoke, he sighed deeply, hesitated for a while, but still decided to voice his thoughts.

“In the future… you better stop acting pitiful for sympathy, such lowly behavior doesn’t suit you.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Yishuang froze, “Fifth brother, what are you talking about?”

Yan Wenbin was silent for a moment, then steeled himself to say, “That is a tactic used by concubines to curry favor, you are a legitimate young lady of the Yan family, you shouldn’t mimic such behavior.”

Yan Yishuang stared blankly at Yan Wenbin.

This statement from the fifth brother not only negated her but also negated their mother, Aunt Lin.

Because in front of their father, Aunt Lin was always so meek and submissive.

Seeing Yan Yishuang in a daze, Yan Wenbin sighed and spoke earnestly, “Yishuang, our family is getting better and better, you will certainly be able to marry into a good family as the main wife in the future. Aunt Lin’s tactics are not suitable for you.”

“Although our father doesn’t cherish us as much as before, he still cares about us. Today is big sister’s birthday, and he knew that big sister didn’t want to take you out, but father still spoke up at the dinner table. His purpose was to let you follow big sister and learn from her demeanor. Yishuang, you must not let down father’s good intentions.”

Yan Yishuang was stunned once more, uncertain, “Father… does father still love us? It’s been a long time since he supervised my learning.”

Yan Wenbin nodded, “Of course, father has always loved us. It’s just that he has been getting busier and busier, his free time is less, which is why he’s paid us less attention.”

Yan Yishuang’s eyes began to redden again, “Fifth brother, I miss mother.”

Yan Wenbin: “…It’s Aunt Lin, don’t call it wrong in the future.”

Yan Yishuang’s tears silently fell as she pursed her lips and remained silent.

Seeing this, Yan Wenbin felt extremely uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do; as children born out of wedlock, they could only refer to their birth mother as Aunt Lin.

As their father’s official position rose, he met more and more children from aristocratic families, and Yan Wenbin felt more acutely the huge difference between legitimate and illegitimate offspring.

Having seen how other illegitimate children were suppressed and ostracized, he was sincerely grateful that he was born in the Yan family.

Although Xiao Yeyang had become less close to him since his return from Jiguang, he had never suppressed him nor had he intended to prevent him from making a name for himself. As long as he was capable, he could still carve out his own niche.

His eldest sister was the same; though not very approachable, she never had a duplicitous attitude towards her younger siblings. She was straightforward—if they behaved, she would not interfere in their affairs. For better or worse, they were left to their own devices.

Unfortunately, his sister had too much pride and had yet to understand this.

Yan Wenbin thought for a moment, then said to Yan Yishuang, “When your eldest sister comes back later, find a private moment to apologize to her.”

Yan Yishuang showed reluctance. “She sent me back in front of so many people, and now I should apologize to her?”

Yan Wenbin said, “The incident today was your fault, and you don’t want to escalate the matter to our father, do you?”

Yan Yishuang fell silent.

Yan Wenbin sighed, “Our aunt is still grounded, and ever since father relieved our uncle of his duties, he has been idle at home. If he passes the court examination this year, all is well. But if he doesn’t… the only people he can rely on are you and me.”

“But if you and I can’t even establish ourselves in the Yan Family, how can we support aunt and uncle? Although father loves us, if we continue to be ignorant and keep causing him trouble, how long can his love last?”

Bowling her head and on the verge of tears, Yan Yishuang said, “I’ll go, I’ll go. Isn’t that enough?”

…

As noon approached, Daohua and her company returned home in a merry chatter.

Madam Li knew about the incident on the street as soon as Yan Yishuang returned, but she did not concern herself with it; such a trivial matter could be handled by her daughter.

After lunch, Xiao Yeyang, along with Yan Wenkai and a few others, left.

Daohua rose to see the guests off and on her way back, she encountered Yan Yishuang dithering about whether to approach. Raising her eyebrow at the sight, she waited for the girl to come closer before asking, “What’s the matter?”

Making eye contact with Daohua, Yan Yishuang said, “…Eldest sister, I was wrong today. Please don’t take it to heart. I was just confused back there, and I didn’t mean anything else.”

Daohua looked at her silently for a while. “Honestly, I don’t care about your actions, and I know you have a lot of complaints about me.”

“I…”

Daohua did not give her a chance to respond and continued, “Sending you home today wasn’t to make you look bad, but to teach you a lesson.”

“Our father is now the Magistrate of Ningmen Prefecture, and as his children, every move we make in public is a reflection on the Yan Family’s reputation. You shouldn’t have let your petty thoughts spill over in public and expose our discord as sisters.”

“It’s only because the Dong Family and Su Family are familiar with ours that it didn’t escalate. Had it been someone else, who knows what kind of jokes would have spread? You wouldn’t want our family to become the laughing stock of others’ gossip, would you?”

Yan Yishuang muttered, “I… don’t have that much of a complaint against you.”

With an indifferent expression, Daohua replied, “Whether you do or not, you know in your heart. There’s no need to act weak in front of me. I don’t ask for much from you. Let’s not pretend to have a deep sisterly bond, but at least in public, we need to maintain appearances, don’t you agree?”

Yan Yishuang pursed her lips and nodded.

Daohua said, “Alright, you can go back now,” and turned to leave.

“Eldest sister…”

Yan Yishuang hastily called out to stop her.

Turning back, Daohua asked, “Is there anything else?”

After hesitating for a moment, Yan Yishuang asked, “…Will you tell father about this?”

With a slight upturn of her mouth, Daohua replied, “Such a minor matter isn’t worth troubling father over, is it!”

Watching Daohua stride away swiftly, Yan Yishuang stood still, dazed for a while, then snorted derisively, “I’ve been working hard, studying, practicing calligraphy, learning needlework, and manners, all with the hope of surpassing you one day to earn father’s and the elders’ recognition. But today, I’ve realized that what I’ve cared about, you’ve never even taken to heart.”

She could tell from her elder sister’s words; she truly didn’t care.