She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 114 - 113: Grandfather’s Thoughts

Chapter 114: Chapter 113: Grandfather’s Thoughts

Qi Younian thought back on his early experiences and still felt his heart flutter, but he was not a coward, and his state of mind was far from the despondence of those days. He had granddaughters and grandsons; he wanted them to live a good life.

"Working with you in business these days has warmed up my once chilly heart. You are still young, and Jiajia is just a child, especially since you’re a different kind of child. It would be a pity if you had to live a life of submission like the ordinary women."

"While Sixth Master and Lord Jiang are in Yuyuan Prefecture, we should first stabilize the business situation. Once we have enough power and foundation, even if someone wants to scheme against us in the future, they will have to think twice about the consequences. At the very least, we should have a few reliable people who can pass on information to us."

Ye Xinyan agreed with what Qi Younian had said, but the construction industry was not like others, historically fraught with frequent accidents. With Qi Younian’s age taken into account, it was inevitable that there might be times when his strength fell short. What would they do if an accident occurred?

Qi Younian knew Ye Xinyan’s worries and reassured her, "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. When I led people in work in the past, I didn’t handle everything myself but directed the capable ones under me. Now that I’m of age and taking up my old trade again, I’m even more inclined to rely on the old ways."

"Well... alright," Ye Xinyan reluctantly agreed. When the time came, she would just have to make more time to check in, to prevent the old man from overexerting himself out of stubbornness.

In light of this, Ye Xinyan had to change her original plans.

The situation now was that not only could she not stay at the snack shop, but Qi Younian couldn’t be there to oversee it either, so they would need to find someone to help Nanny Jin in the shop.

Ye Xinyan felt a headache coming on, "I was thinking of running the cattle farm myself, with you and Nanny Jin handling the snack shop while we get Meizi from Great Uncle’s house to help in the kitchen. Now you’ve gone and thrown a wrench in our plans out of the blue."

"Thinking of getting Meizi’s help?" As soon as hiring help came up, Qi Younian first thought of Qi Yourong, and instantly felt his head swell. Faced with the relentless pestering of a brother he hadn’t seen in decades, Qi Younian felt that his brain was inadequate.

Nanny Jin also chimed in, "With you and the young master planning to take on so much, it’s a must to find help for the snack shop. But if we only get Meizi, how will we explain it to the Third Master?

"Indeed, if your second aunt wanted to work in the shop as well, how would you refuse her?" Qi Younian was most troubled by the complications among close relatives.

Ye Xinyan had already thought this through and said with a smile, "Grandfather, how about... I deal with them this time? I’ll straight up tell them that I don’t like the look of them and can’t get along with them. What more could he do? When our family hires people to work together, we naturally want those who appeal to us and get along with us. We can’t just put up with people we don’t like the closer they get, right?"

Qi Younian, hearing Ye Xinyan’s brazen words, felt helpless and laughed, "It’s not so easy to get along with people, you know. As the saying goes, a big forest houses all kinds of birds. When there’s a crowd, you’ll find all sorts of people. You can’t expect things to be as simple as you say, nor are there so many people with whom you are compatible. Even if what you said isn’t wrong, you can’t just say it outright."

Nanny Jin, too, being an indigenous ancient resident, didn’t offer Ye Xinyan an escape but instead agreed with Qi Younian, "Ye Zi, the old master is right. Scholars often say, ’A stream too clear has no fish, and a person too scrutinizing has no friends.’ If you always act this way, how will you deal with people in the future?"

Ye Xinyan blinked; was this another rebuke, or was she overthinking it?

It was all the fault of the original host, that erratic, brainless troublemaker, who had left her with no ground to argue. Indeed, if Nanny Jin had shown even a slight temper, faced with a master like the original host, it would have been benevolent enough for Nanny Jin not to trample her when in trouble, let alone travel thousands of miles to accompany her in flight.

There was a good reason behind the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." She couldn’t impose the values of a thousand years later on Grandfather and Nanny Jin.

No choice then but to surrender.

"I was wrong," Ye Xinyan admitted her mistake decisively, "Grandfather and Nanny Jin are right; I was thinking too simply about handling matters. We should plan the handling of Great Uncle’s affairs more carefully."

Ye Xinyan raised both hands in surrender before speaking seriously, "Grandfather, Qi family from Clear Water Village is not a major household, and you are not an authority within the Qi family either. Previously, I also oversaw things and didn’t think long term. Strictly speaking, for our family business or the people you might need for your projects in the future, it’s not advisable to employ relatives, especially not at the beginning. People often say, after being in charge for three years even dogs would disdain you; those who manage and those who are managed will always have conflicts. Even though we intend well, trying to promote our relatives, in the end, it might only result in losing good relations."

Qi Younian agreed with Ye Xinyan’s reasoning but was aware of the difficulties of dealing with human sentiments, "Ye Zi makes a valid point. However, if we were to do business profitably and leave out friends and family, I’m afraid it may lead to gossip, and people could say that before we even become wealthy, we have started to ignore our own kin."

Ye Xinyan shook her head, "Even if we employ relatives and fellow villagers, it doesn’t guarantee everything will end well. It is better to earn money and then support our relatives, and during the festivals, give some rice and noodles to the families in the village who cannot get by and to the homes of the elderly and infirm, so people can remember us kindly."

"Hmm?" As Qi Younian heard Ye Xinyan’s suggestion, he felt as if a light had dawned upon him. "That’s a good idea."

"What about the staffing of the small eatery?" Nanny Jin said. "It’s not only about finding someone to help now; you need people to watch over the shop as well as do miscellaneous chores like cooking and cleaning."

Ye Xinyan replied, "Why don’t we recruit from outside? People recruited from outside are easier to manage. We can hire clever young lads as waiters to look after the shopfront. As for miscellaneous help in the kitchen, it’s even easier to find—wives, old woman servants, and young girls can all do the job."

After pondering for a moment, Nanny Jin knew that Lord Jiang and the Young Miss intended to settle down in Clear Water Village, and working in the town could be profitable. It seemed wrong to exclude relatives and friends. However, she did not want to go against Ye Xinyan’s wishes, so she thought about delaying the matter for a while.

"Now that Sixth Master Rong has not yet decided on how to manage a cattle farm, why don’t we wait a bit longer regarding hiring people?" Nanny Jin said diplomatically.

Ye Xinyan blinked in surprise. Is there a need to wait further? It seemed that Nanny Jin did not quite agree with her idea.

Then, let’s wait and see.

After dinner, Qi Jiaer practiced writing the numbers one to ten under the oil lamp and also familiarized herself with the names of various dishes at the small eatery.

Ye Xinyan spread out sheets of paper, planning what needed to be prepared for the cattle farm.

Since Hongzhi specially returned to solve the small eatery’s problems, with the excuse of quickly producing a charter for the cattle farm, she naturally shouldn’t drag her feet any longer. Moreover, both her grandfather and nanny were right—if leveraging influence was the only way to ensure a comfortable life, then she would sincerely work for His Highness Prince Yu. In this way, leveraging his influence would be more justified.

Nanny Jin was sewing while chatting with Qi Younian sporadically, discussing the layout and arrangement of the new house.

As the night grew deeper, the family members each washed up and went to rest.

Ye Xinyan had long pondered over cattle raising or cattle farm management, and given her experience in drafting numerous business plans, she managed to sketch out an approximate plan for the cattle farm in just one night.

......

One could tell from Hongzhi’s attitude when facing Young Miss of the Liang Family today that the Liang family did not have deep roots, so the Qi family no longer considered the Liang family’s threats, naturally sleeping soundly.

Meanwhile, the Liang family, though they did not take her small shop seriously, continued to be restless.