All Hail Cousin Brother

214 To not admit that one has received a benefit

However, not only did Old Madam Yu not interact much with the Yang Residence, but she also did not allow Yu Youyao to get close to them. Even when the people from the Yang Residence came to visit, Yu Youyao had to avoid them.

This was really a slap to her face.

Old Madam Yu couldn’t be bothered to say anything else. “It’s been a long day. We will quickly go back and rest!” She didn’t want to stay here any longer. She would have an eyesore and would feel unhappy.

Yang Shuwan looked annoyed as she led Yu Jianjia out of the door.

After walking for a while, Yu Jianjia pursed her lips. “I wonder if Eldest Sister will invite Fourth Sister to her birthday.” At this point, she sighed faintly. “Fourth Sister is really pitiful. She’s been trapped in the courtyard to learn the rules for so long. I wonder when it’ll end. If Eldest Sister invites Fourth Sister, Fourth Sister can also take the opportunity to come out and relax.”

When Yang Shuwan heard this, her eyes narrowed.

Not long after, Yu Youyao received a set of headgear that Yang Shuwan had asked Mu Jin to send over. She opened it and saw that it was a set of pure gold peony headgear. It looked very expensive and exquisite, but it was just an ordinary set. It was not considered fashionable.

She pursed her lips and let Dong Mei put it away in the box.

Everyone in the family knew that it was Eldest Miss’s tenth birthday, so they did not dare to be careless. After a few days, it would be April 18th.

Early in the morning, Old Madam Yu asked Qing Xiu to invite Yu Youyao to An Shou Hall.

When Yu Youyao passed by the lotus lake, she saw that the begonia was blooming beautifully. She picked up her dress, plucked a few and happily carried them to An Shou Hall.

Old Madam Yu looked at her granddaughter, who had just turned ten years old, carrying the flowers into the house. The delicate flowers were not as beautiful as the young lady’s face and her straight back.

Although the young lady’s face and figure were not fully developed, she was still very beautiful. She was getting more beautiful by the day. If one was not careful, they would be mesmerized by this flower. Only by rubbing their eyes and looking carefully would they know which flower was truly fragrant. Not only did a rich family have to look at etiquette, but also looks.

Old Madam Yu suddenly realized that Yao Yao had really grown up. Not only did she have a delicate face, but she also had a strong personality. Her eyes welled up with tears. Thinking that it was her granddaughter’s birthday today and it was inauspicious for her to cry, she pinched her handkerchief and rubbed her eyes.

“Grandmother, our begonia flowers are blooming beautifully. I’ve brought some over to arrange the flowers for you. Grandmother’s house is too quiet. The begonia flowers are bright red, and they look lively too.” After Yu Youyao finished speaking, she handed the flowers to Qing Xiu and asked her to change the magnolia in the vase.

Qing Xiu smiled and agreed.

Old Madam Yu smiled and waved. “Come to me quickly.”

Yu Youyao lifted her skirt and sat beside her grandmother, leaning against her. She saw an exquisite sandalwood box on the small table in front of her grandmother.

Old Madam Yu picked up the box and stuffed it into her hand. “Open it quickly.”

Yu Youyao had already guessed what it was. She stroked the cloud patterns on the sandalwood box, and her eyes welled up with tears.

When Old Madam Yu saw this, she hurriedly said, “It’s your birthday today. It’s a good day. You can’t cry and ruin your luck.”

Yu Youyao sniffed and tried her best to hold back the tears in her eyes. She carefully opened the box. There was indeed a longevity lock inside.

This time, the lock was in the shape of a koi fish’s mouth. There were two koi fishes on each side. In the fish’s mouth was a lock. The scales on the fish were made of red and yellow jade. They looked exquisite and beautiful.

“This embedding technique is really beautiful.” Yu Youyao liked it the moment she saw it. This was the second longevity lock that her mother had given her. Unfortunately, the previous one was broken!

She flipped the longevity lock over. On the back, there was a engraving that said, “Long life and wealth, good fortune comes from the east!”

Old Madam Yu first undid the longevity lock that her granddaughter had been wearing for a year. Then, she took the longevity lock that Yu Youyao loved so much that she couldn’t bear to part with it. She held it in her hand and looked at it carefully. “There’s a special rule about giving longevity locks. It’s only a suitable gift from ancestors, not parents. Therefore, your mother made 15 longevity locks and handed them to me to keep. She asked me to help you wear them on your birthday every year. It’s also considered a gift from me.”

Yu Youyao felt a lump in her throat and nodded vigorously.

Old Madam Yu placed the longevity lock on Yu Youyao’s neck and hugged her granddaughter. “You have to be good. I look forward to seeing you grow up well for the rest of my life.”

Yu Youyao threw herself into her grandmother’s arms and called out softly, “Grandmother.”

Her voice was as tender as a swallow’s, and Old Madam Yu’s heart melted. “You’ll be a big girl in the future. You can’t always be in Grandmother’s arms.”

Yu Youyao did not agree. “Even if I’m a big girl, I’ll always be Grandmother’s granddaughter. Why wouldn’t I crawl into Grandmother’s arms? Grandmother won’t dote on me anymore.”

Old Madam Yu’s sadness immediately dissipated.

Yu Youyao raised her head from her grandmother’s arms and looked at her anxiously. “Grandmother, where’s my birthday gift? You can’t forget it.”

Old Madam Yu glanced at her angrily and said, “Isn’t it on your wrist?”

Yu Youyao puffed up her cheeks. “Grandmother, Grandmother, you promised to give me a birthday gift.” As she spoke, she raised her wrist and revealed the blood beeswax prayer beads on it. “This doesn’t count. You can’t go back on your word.”

Old Madam Yu poked her forehead lightly. “I’m afraid of you. If I don’t give it to you, I’m afraid you won’t stop asking today.”

As she spoke, she called out to Nanny Liu to bring over the gift she had prepared early in the morning.

Yu Youyao finally understood that it wasn’t that her grandmother didn’t want to give a gift to her. She was clearly teasing her on purpose. She was furious. “Grandmother, you’re just making fun of me.”

Old Madam Yu laughed. She took the box from Nanny Liu and stuffed it into her granddaughter’s arms. “Take it!”

After receiving the gift, Yu Youyao couldn’t care less about being angry. She hugged the box and smiled. “But Grandmother gave it to me yourself. I didn’t ask you for it.”

When Old Madam Yu heard this, she glared at her. “You’re still pretending after receiving such a benefit.”

Yu Youyao spat out a laugh and quickly opened the box to take a look. There was a small crown of pearls inside. On the crown, there were various kinds of gems, pearls, and jade. There were tassels on all four sides, and they were all covered in light gold and shiny shark pearls. Each of them was the size of a peanut. They were plump, bright, round and noble.

The shark pearl was also a type of pearl. It was a faint golden color and shone brightly under the light. It was even more dazzling than pure gold. It was much rarer and more precious than the southern and eastern pearls.

It was obvious that her grandmother had already prepared this small crown in advance.