She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 140 - 139: A Woman’s Reputation is of Utmost Importance

Chapter 140: Chapter 139: A Woman’s Reputation is of Utmost Importance

Ye Xinyan immediately understood Nanny Jin’s meaning upon seeing the old man’s reaction. She doubted her own intelligence for a moment and foolishly asked again, "What inconvenience?"

Nanny Jin’s expression was serious, "It’s also my neglect, I have been too busy these days, forgetting such an important matter." Ye Xinyan was even more confused. How important could it be? Why did she not know about it?

"Ye Zi, you are now in charge of the cattle farm’s affairs, and with so many men coming and going, you are the only woman there. Speaking of such things, it’s never pleasant to hear. If this continues, by the time you remarry, how can we speak well of you to a good family?"

Ah! A wave of frustration washed over Ye Xinyan. Was she really seen as that desperate to marry off?

Nanny Jin’s words made Qi Younian feel ashamed, and in this matter, he had failed to consider his granddaughter’s situation as an elder should. However, seeing the troubled look on Ye Zi’s face, Qi Younian couldn’t bear it.

Qi Younian quickly changed the subject, admitting his mistake to Nanny Jin, "Nanny is right, this matter has been overlooked by me, I should have thought of it earlier. Alright, let’s do as Nanny suggests, we’ll buy a maid first. After some time, when we calculate the income from building the cattle pens at the farm, we’ll buy a capable old woman servant to accompany her."

Are we forming a united front now? No need for further discussion?

Ye Xinyan blinked, speaking with a trace of embarrassment, "Well, our family isn’t wealthy at the moment, and we still have to build a new house soon. There are many places where Silver Coin will be needed. Buying maids like this seems like an unnecessary expense, we should save where we can. At most, I’ll just be more careful in the future. Besides, grandpa is still at home, isn’t he? It’s not like I’m dealing with outside men on my own."

Qi Younian had not had much to do with grand estates and nobility and didn’t understand the rules for noblewomen very well. After listening to Ye Xinyan, he looked at Nanny Jin, waiting to hear her opinion.

Nanny Jin was resolute, "I cannot follow you now, and there’s only you, a woman, dealing with home and business affairs, surrounded by men coming and going. This will not do; we should still buy a maid." Seeing Ye Xinyan’s indifferent demeanor, she delivered a heavy blow, "Or we could lease out the snack shop, and I’ll come back to stay with you. We can’t let the matter of a woman’s reputation delay your life."

"What do you mean it’s also okay for you to come back? How could that be okay?" Ye Xinyan immediately objected, "Besides, what life do I have left to delay? Hasn’t it already been delayed?"

The snack shop had already gained a certain fame, and she wanted to rely on it for her retirement. If she did well, she might even open a few chain stores in nearby towns, earning plenty of Silver. How could she just lease it out so casually?

Besides, if she just leased out the snack shop, what would all her hard work managing the cattle farm be for?

For the sake of milk sources for the various foods in the snack shop, she had been reluctantly drafted by Jinrong and Mr. Jiang to set up the cattle farm. If she didn’t have the snack shop, then what was the point of raising cattle? It was a dirty and tiring job that she didn’t like in the slightest.

"What are you saying? What do you mean ’your life has already been delayed?’" Nanny Jin was extremely anxious, "Ye Zi, you’re still young and have a bright future ahead of you."

Qi Younian also appeared eager to persuade Ye Xinyan.

Ye Xinyan hastily surrendered with a raise of her hand, "I know, I know, no need to say more, I understand everything."

Nanny Jin stopped her eager speech. Seeing that the young lady was resistant to the topic, it was better to bring it up slowly in the future. She understood that moderation was key. If she said too much and provoked Missy’s temper, that would be troublesome.

Although the daughter of Duke An’s Mansion had changed, the influence that lingered successfully suspended this embarrassing conversation from further unfolding.

"Nanny, don’t give away the snack shop; I really like it," Qi Jia had been listening for quite a while and had stealthily slid down from the heated brick bed earlier. It was only now that he found the chance to chime in.

He was very fond of their family’s rice tofu stall too, but eventually, grandfather gave it to his elder cousin. Fortunately, he also liked his elder cousin very much, so he wasn’t too upset.

This snack shop was different from rice tofu, baked flatbreads, and spread cakes; it had so many delicious things, and he had even kept accounts for the shop. If the snack shop was given away, he would be truly heartbroken.

Nanny Jin was a person worn down by the former mistress Ye Xinyan, and she couldn’t resist the well-behaved and sensible little Qi Jia. Upon hearing him speak, she quickly stroked his little head to comfort him, "Jiajia is good. As long as sister behaves, Nanny won’t give our shop away."

Qi Jia looked pitifully at Ye Xinyan.

Ye Xinyan rolled her eyes. Nanny Jin actually had the nerve to use a child in this manner; truly, traditional values were no longer upheld.

Qi Younian, of course, put Ye Xinyan’s future first, "Then let’s buy a maid. Reputation and virtue are crucial for a woman. As Ye Zi is a widow looking to remarry into a good family, they will surely be very critical. It’s right for us to be cautious."

Ye Xinyan was somewhat dumbfounded. They had formed a united front? Just based on such a far-fetched reason, they were willing to spend money—when funds were tight—to buy a... maid? With that money, it would be better to hire a few more people to work.

On matters of principle, Nanny Jin would not give in. The young mistress now was different from before; she was very understanding and receptive to advice. If Nanny Jin were to compromise with the young mistress now, allowing people to gossip about her, then there was no need for Nanny Jin to continue acting as her personal maidservant.

"Then we’ll follow the old master’s instruction. I’ll contact Steward Yang tomorrow to keep an eye out. If there’s a suitable candidate, we’ll go and see."

Qi Younian made a grand gesture, "Nanny will make the choice. I don’t understand maids and old woman servants," he said, then looked at the bewildered Ye Xinyan, "It seems Ye Zi has never worried about these matters."

Her family had only made a modest business venture, and now they were bringing in a maid; wasn’t grandfather worried about drawing unwanted attention?

Ye Xinyan turned back despondently and pressed the strained curds into a wooden box. She decided to just focus on her tasks. In the face of the rules that women were expected to observe, she had no say whatsoever.

Fortunately, she was quite open-minded and knew how to console herself. What did it matter if it was a maid or something else? If she thought about it positively, it meant an additional person in the household, and having more people to work at home was naturally a good thing.

Who said that a bought maid had to exclusively serve the young lady and young master? If the family grew, then everyone should work together, striving towards prosperity through hard labor.

Right now, the most important thing was to take care of the cows and make the butter and cheese she once loved. As for other matters, like lifelong commitment and remarriage, weren’t they for the future? She would deal with it when "the future" was right before her eyes.

Speaking of butter and cheese, Ye Xinyan had a bit of a headache; she had skimmed thin cream yesterday and today, leaving behind a lot of sour curds, and she seemed... not quite sure how to handle them.

This sort of cheese, far from what she imagined as rich, aromatic, and delicate cheese, was not fulfilling her expectations at all.