She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 139 - 138: Is This Compensating?

Chapter 139: Chapter 138: Is This Compensating?

Qi Yougui saw Qi Dagen somewhat at a loss and took over the conversation, saying, "Alright, what your second uncle said is right, we are all family here; let’s not talk like strangers. You two brothers go on, attend to your own matters, and we old folks will chat about family affairs."

After Qi Dazhu and his brother left, Qi Yougui sighed and said, "Alas, second brother, regarding today’s matter, it truly was Dagen’s wife’s fault. Speaking those unpleasant words in front of the child, especially when Qi Jiajia is in such a condition, if the child really thinks that the family members despise him for being troublesome, wouldn’t that make him feel insecure and unsettled? Alas."

Qi Younian was silent for a moment before speaking up, "Elder brother, elder sister-in-law, my visit today is actually about this matter. Ye Zi is too straightforward, and she should not have spoken to the elders like that. However, she is protective of the child, and even if it makes her uncomfortable, she cannot stand to see Jiajia wronged. My visit today is firstly to apologize on behalf of Ye Zi to elder brother and elder sister-in-law..."

Lady Wang hurriedly said, "Oh, how could Ye Zi be at fault? It’s all because of Dagen’s dim-witted wife, a woman who doesn’t know her place...."

Qi Yougui interrupted Lady Wang, "Let second brother finish."

Qi Younian gave Qi Yougui a smile and continued, "Actually, I don’t have anything particularly urgent to say. Speaking of which, we’ve always had a good relationship. Since we’ve returned, elder brother’s family has been a great help to us. We want to maintain a long-term relationship in the future, my purpose is to ensure that both our families can continue to get along well and share a lasting bond..." He seemed to struggle a bit at this point.

"Elder brother and sister-in-law know that my life has been full of ups and downs, I’ve grown old, and only recently have I had these two beloved children. I truly do not want them to suffer unjustly over something trivial. Dagen’s wife... I really don’t know what’s going on with her. Whenever it comes to Ye Zi or the Second Branch family, she either makes snide remarks or shows a long face, and more than once in front of Ye Zi, she could say that Ye Zi is someone else’s Abandoned Wife... Sometimes, I just cannot overlook it."

"I am here today, to offer an apology to elder brother and elder sister-in-law on behalf of Ye Zi."

Lady Wang looked at Qi Younian somewhat dumbfounded. Is this supposed to be an apology? Wasn’t it supposed to be about standing up for her own child?

Thinking this, Lady Wang felt rather upset. Ershun had been downcast all day. How precious was that cream cake? As an old woman servant, she tasted just a little yesterday and almost swallowed her tongue with delight, the children must like it even more. Yet Ershun couldn’t bring himself to eat it.

Other people’s children have someone to dote on and keep them from being wronged, but her own child... Sigh, as a mother, what can she do if she is not assertive enough?

Lady Wang gathered her spirits and spoke, "Second brother, it is completely our fault, both mine and Dagen’s dim-witted wife’s. I failed to discipline her early on and am truly at fault for that. However, she and Dagen have been married for more than a decade and is now the mother of three children... Today, I have already told Dagen and his wife that from now on, I will be in charge of Dagen’s three children; they will not be making decisions for them. After this, Lady Han will have no more chances to cause trouble."

Qi Younian was stunned upon hearing this. He came to his elder brother’s place indeed intending to stand up for Ye Zi and Qi Jiajia, but he did not expect his elder sister-in-law to be so decisive, just like that taking custody of the three children under her name, including the adult Shunzi.

If that’s the case, Lady Han’s position in the Qi family’s main branch would be precarious. A mother who lacks even the right to discipline her children could be said to have no status at all.

Lady Wang cautiously observed Qi Younian’s expression and ventured, "We can’t let Ye Zi or Jiajia suffer injustices in vain. Tomorrow, I will bring Lady Han over to apologize to Ye Zi."

Upon hearing this, Qi Younian quickly objected, "That won’t do, Dagen’s wife is still an elder after all, no matter what, she shouldn’t be apologizing to the younger generation. Besides, Ye Zi is obstinate..." He glanced at Lady Wang and Qi Yougui, at this point, Ye Zi probably wouldn’t even deign to give Lady Han a glance, let alone accept her apology in a superficially agreeable manner.

Lady Wang felt a chill in her heart. Was this to say that Ye Zi had no intention of forgiving Lady Han at all? That she wouldn’t even listen to her apology?

"Indeed, Lady Han is quite detestable, and Ye Zi has her reasons for not wanting to see her. It’s just a pity for Ershun, the child; Ershun is a good kid. The child must be feeling uneasy all day." Lady Wang rallied her spirits to probe further, looking for a way to salvage Ershun’s prospects.

Qi Younian nodded, "I am aware of this, and Nanny Jin is also very fond of the child. The same sentiment holds, the affairs of adults should not affect the children. As long as the child is good, people will like him everywhere. Brother and Sister-in-law, rest easy."

The most valuable thing Qi Younian said all evening was this "Brother and Sister-in-law, rest easy." The most nebulous thing was also this "Brother and Sister-in-law, rest easy."

Even after the main branch’s old couple saw Qi Younian out the door, they did not truly feel at ease.

......

After Qi Younian brought home Qi Jia, who had finished playing, Nanny Jin was discussing with Ye Xinyan... the matter of buying a maid...

It was Nanny Jin who brought up the idea of buying a maid, and Ye Xinyan was extremely surprised by her proposal.

"Wait, wait. Nanny, why would we buy a maid? We don’t have that much wealth yet, do we?" Although they now had a small amount of silver coin, they had only just begun to see a surplus after a few days. It doesn’t seem sustainable to squander money, does it?

Does her nanny already want to return to the days of luxury? That seems impossible, doesn’t it?

However, Nanny Jin was considering the fact that Qi Jiaer needed care, and having a maid to watch over him would spare the family’s adults from having to frequently search for someone to take care of the child.

At the same time, Nanny Jin was also concerned about Ye Xinyan’s original status. The hard times of the past were tolerable, but now the situation was different. Life at home had become more comfortable, with increasing income, enough to support another person.

More importantly, Ye Xinyan was now managing a large cattle farm in the capacity of a young married woman, and the cattle farm was entirely staffed by rough men. This had a considerable impact on the reputation of woman like Ye Xinyan.

Hearing Ye Xinyan’s question, Nanny Jin glanced at her disapprovingly, with the air of a young lady who placed no importance on the rules of the past and really didn’t plan to remember her noble status.

"It’s precisely because we have no family wealth that we should buy a maid. If we had wealth, I’d think about buying two more capable old woman servants to accompany you," Nanny Jin said.

"Why?" Ye Xinyan was astonished. What was this situation? Nanny seemed to be quite unhappy?

It was at this moment that Qi Younian and Qi Jiaer returned.

As Qi Younian entered, he caught the tail end of the conversation between Nanny Jin and Ye Xinyan. He sized up the two of them and while walking in, he asked, "What are you talking about? Why does Nanny seem unhappy?"

Nanny Jin forced a smile, "Unhappy? Our household is busy, and I was thinking of buying a maid to help take care of Jiajia. Moreover, now that I’m working outside, with only Ye Zi as the woman of the house, things are quite inconvenient."

Before Ye Xinyan had time to think of where the inconvenience lay, Qi Younian, a true man of ancient times, had already figured it out. The master subconsciously nodded his head, lifted Qi Jia onto the kang bed, and then sat down himself.