She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 103 - 102: I’m rooting for you

Chapter 103: Chapter 102: I’m rooting for you

Ye Xinyan was in the partition, stirring the semi-frozen milk paste while inwardly grumbling about Jinrong’s debauchery.

At this time, shouldn’t breakfast be over? Prince Yu had said he wanted apple pie, but did Nanny Jin dare to serve his lordship only a few apple pies? He’d casually mentioned it, and so early in the morning, Yun Niang had to put aside what she was doing and make food for this honored guest.

Jinrong and Qi Younian exchanged a few pleasantries before getting down to business. "Is your granddaughter busy with something? Our visit today isn’t just to patronize your small eatery, but to discuss the matter of the cattle farm business with her."

Qi Younian hastily bowed and replied, "Ye Zi is making ice cream, but I can take care of those matters. Sixth Master and Lord Jiang, since you have business, I will call her out immediately. Please wait a moment."

Jinrong waved his hand dismissively, "Go on then. Old man, there’s no need for such formalities every time; we’ll be dealing with your family often from now on. If we spend all our time on courtesies, it will delay our business."

Watching Qi Younian leave, Jinrong suddenly remembered that Jiang Yifan had once met Ye Xinyan on the official road and couldn’t help but tease him in a low voice with a smirk, "By the way, didn’t Lady Qi borrow one hundred taels of silver from you? When do you plan to take it back?"

Jiang Yifan became alert upon hearing this and said gravely, "We can joke in private, but if you bring me up in front of that woman, from now on, it will be as if we were sovereign and official—I wouldn’t dare be presumptuous in front of His Highness."

Jinrong touched his nose in annoyance and grumbled, "Since when did you become such a spoil-sport, unable to take a joke?"

Jiang Yifan retorted with a huff, "That depends on the joke."

When Ye Xinyan came out, she saw the two of them in the middle of their mutual disdain.

She stopped a few steps away from them, bowed first, and then asked, "I’ve seen the Sixth Master and Lord Jiang. May I know what orders the Sixth Master has for the young woman?"

Ye Xinyan initially didn’t want to drag Jiang Yifan into the conversation, but she didn’t know the intentions of the two, Jinrong, and after all, Jiang Yifan was the magistrate of Qingyuan County. It seemed improper to leave him out, so she reluctantly included him.

Ye Xinyan initially didn’t want to drag Jiang Yifan into the conversation, but she didn’t know the intentions of the two, Jinrong, and after all, Jiang Yifan was the magistrate of Qingyuan County. It seemed improper to leave him out, so she reluctantly included him.

However, Jiang Yifan was unaware of Ye Xinyan’s thoughts. The moment she uttered Lord Jiang’s name, he felt a tightness in his back and overall discomfort.

Even if Ye Xinyan was different from the past, to him, she still represented a dark history best left undiscussed. Just hearing her speak could make him uncomfortable. For the sake of his future peace and comfort, he needed to quickly find a steward to manage the cattle affairs of Qingyuan County.

Ye Xinyan watched Jiang Yifan’s look of disgust and her face fell as well.

Anyone could put on a face—who couldn’t? Even if she had fled from Duke An’s Mansion and fallen to her current state, she was still Duke An’s legitimate granddaughter. Maybe the Duke’s Mansion wanted her dead, didn’t want her to embarrass them—those were the Duke’s Mansion’s concerns, but it was not up to others to look down on her.

Even if Ye Xinyan was unlucky, not only did she transverse time to arrive here, but she also transversed into a disgraceful woman. But she had her pride; she was educated and knew the importance of self-respect and self-reliance. Why should she just meekly bow to the faces of these powerful elites? If she couldn’t provoke them, couldn’t she at least avoid them?

She had seriously considered setting up a dairy farm; it would benefit the people and the country, and good livestock breeding could boost agriculture. Yet, this Jiang kid made things unpleasant for her. Without provocation, who was he to show her contempt?

Her only difficulty was the milk supply. Once the small store had been running for two months, she could buy more dairy cows with the income from the store combined with the silver settled from the Great Crane House. If raising cows seemed too troublesome, she could use loans to have the villagers of Clear Water Village raise the cows. First, she would lend reliable villagers the silver to buy the cows and then use the produced milk to pay back the loans. With this plan, she wouldn’t need to worry too much.

As for Jiang Yifan and Jinrong... they can go where it’s cool and rest there!

What they wanted were political achievements and the prosperity of Yuyuan Prefecture, but were such things so easily obtained? Even if their cause was beneficial to the country and the people, it should be the concern of those who fed on the court’s official salary to fret over— not hers. Moreover, she lacked experience and assurance; to her, it was an undertaking with little reward and great effort.

With these thoughts, Ye Xinyan grew even less cordial. She only wanted to earn a modest sum for herself, live a comfortably modest life; she never intended to serve these nobles!

Ye Xinyan asked politely, "If the honored guests crave some snacks or small dishes, please just give the order. The store will carefully prepare them for you." As for anything else, let’s not talk about that, shall we?

Jinrong, seeing Ye Xinyan’s poor complexion and her obvious attempts at evasion, smiled and made a gesture towards an adjacent table, saying, "Lady Qi, please have a seat. We came today to discuss the dairy farm with you. It’s a topic that can’t be covered in a moment and it’s surely not proper to have Lady Qi standing while we talk, right?"

"A dairy farm, huh." Ye Xinyan remained unappreciative and with a cold tone, turned her gaze away, "Sixth Master surely knows of my background; a big operation like a dairy farm isn’t something I can handle. I won’t delay the two of you any longer. You can find someone skilled in raising livestock to negotiate, as that would be more reliable."

The tone was off.

Jinrong raised an eyebrow, speaking unhurriedly, "Indeed, I am aware of Lady Qi’s background, but the Lady Qi I know shouldn’t be able to run a business like rice tofu and snack shops either."

This was a sore spot for Ye Xinyan, the private matter she least wanted to be reminded of, and her frown deepened. She knew, however, that avoidance wasn’t the solution.

After composing herself for a good while, Ye Xinyan looked back at Jinrong, annoyed, "Sixth Master, driven by necessity, I had to find every possible way to make a living. Such small businesses don’t need much worry, and it doesn’t matter if they do well or not. But the dairy farm you speak of is different; raising living creatures has always been a troublesome matter, and I really can’t do it."

Not a bit swayed by Ye Xinyan’s words, Jinrong continued in his calm voice, "How do you know if you can’t do it without trying, right? Since Lady Qi managed to successfully run food businesses she had never done before, she surely can also try setting up a dairy farm. I, Sixth Master, and Lord Jiang have plenty of silver to support your attempt, and we are confident you can manage the dairy farm." Saying this, he again gestured towards the neighboring table’s chair, "Sit down, let’s talk."

Confident, my ass! You think your confidence is enough? Watch your back, brother, lest your sister runs off with your silver! Ye Xinyan cursed inwardly, extremely reluctant as she sat in the chair at the neighboring table.

They were princes, and she was but a runaway girl, an imposter at that; aside from keeping her tail tucked and living humbly, it seemed she had no other choice but to listen to what they had to say.