Chapter 61: Birthday. (1/2)

Chu YunShang’s grand wedding took place in WuAn HouFu, which was where Wang AnZhi lived, and due to their mistrust of that place, House Yan had merely prepared and sent a wedding gift to the newly weds while not attending the wedding in person.

And in a certain house, under a brightly lit and festively decorated ceiling, the family sat around a huge table peacefully, even the pregnant Yan Fei was here.

“Today was supposed to be Ah Luan’s special day, to think that the celebratory feast we had in mind had to be cancelled because of such a ‘coincidental’ clash in dates… In that case, we’ll just celebrate and enjoy this day with family.” As the family head, Princess YongKang, who was dressed in her phoenix-themed formal attire, announced happily to everyone around her.

“To think that in a blink of an eye, Ah Luna is already fourteen years old!” Yan Rong nodded cheerfully in agreement, “Here, take this. Father had personally supervised the crafting of this jade locket, may it bless you well.”

The newly recovered Yan Rong was still somewhat pale in the face, but his smile was sincere, and his eyes were of those of a loving father.

Yan Luan smiled gently as she took the crafted wooden box from his hands, the locket was made with the purest white jade she had ever seen, while bordered by pure gold, it was an exquisite piece of art, “Thank you, father.”

She placed the box beside her gently, next to the various land deeds and the personal bodyguard lists her mother had given to her as proof of her undying love towards Yan Luan.

Noticing that it was her turn, Yan Fei made her way towards her sister with a warm smile, unable to hide the glee and happiness within her heart at the fact that Princess YongKang had allowed her to attend this family celebration.

“Here you go, I made this myself, hopefully Ah Luan would not dislike it.” She said softly before placing the box onto Yan Luan’s handmaiden’s outstretched hands.

Inside the box was a pair of handcrafted shoes, pure white with mesmerizing embroideries all around it, most of all, at the head of the shoes were pink cotton balls, and Yan Luan was fully taken by it, “Thank you, Sister Fei, I love it.”

Yan Fei, who had subconsciously held her breath as she waited for her sister’s reply, visibly let out a sigh of relief as soon as her words landed.

Yan Jing, who had been seated right next to Yan Luan the entire time, moved under the lowlight, glanced at his sister with tender eyes as he presented her with a scroll.

“Remember brother’s promise of always gifting you a painting on your birthday?” He smiled gently while urging his sister to view his creation, “Do you like it?”

Yan Luan, who was momentarily stunned by his handsome smile, nodded cheerily as she expanded the scroll, only to hear Princess YongKang sighed in amazement at the painting.

“Yan Jing’s art is beginning to possess quite the demeanor of Master QingWen.”

The painting was of a young lady dressed in pink, in the painting, she was seated under a blooming cherry tree, her head slightly tilted and her eyes slightly closed as she enjoyed the gentle breeze while her silky dress fluttered beautifully like a butterfly.

Feeling a weird sense of familiarity from the picture, Yan Luan pondered over it for a moment before recognizing the scenery.

Wasn’t this the tree she had rested as she daydreamed her day away while enjoying the breezy afternoon? To think that he had been watching…

Yan Jing’s painting was undeniably lifelike, that even though the inks he used were not comparable to modern watercolors, but from the strokes of his brushes, he was able to breath souls into the objects within the painting, even accurately depicting Yan Luan’s delicate and charming appearance.

“Thank you, elder brother!”

“I’m glad that you liked it.”

And under the table, where no one would ever see, two hands were clasped tightly together. Yan Luan’s beautiful eyes were clear and bright, while Yan Jing’s eyes were filled with a tenderness that was reserved only for his beautiful and most loved sister, but if one were to dig deeper into his eyes, one would see the undying love, from one man to another woman.

Naturally, Yan Dao refused to be left behind. He held a beautifully decorated brocade box towards Yan Luan, and as soon as she opened it, the entire dining room shone with a bright light.

Inside the box was eight palm-sized ;night pearls1, it was easy to see that all eight pearls were incomparable in color and texture, and the quality obviously exquisite.

1Night Pearls(夜明珠) – An expensive pearl that is frequently mentioned in stories with ancient settings, where the characters would use it like a flashlight to light up an area (usually a dark corridor / cave). Nobles who have more than enough money to afford these pearls would even use it to light up their rooms.

“Second brother……” She gasped as she remembered her mentioning night pearls jokingly, to think her random words meant so much to him…

Yan Dao’s cold lips were slightly raised, as he answered her unasked question, “You did mention that you want as many as possible, do you like them?”

Yan Luan knew that even though Yan Dao had made it sound like a simple task, but his efforts were obvious in the top-notched quality of the night pearls… What is there to dislike, and how could she not feel touched?