She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 159 - 158: The Decisive Child

Chapter 159: Chapter 158: The Decisive Child

Qi Yourong became increasingly convinced that it made sense.

With a scoff, he glanced at Ye Xinyan, a woman who had been abandoned by her husband’s family, and thought about how much skill could she possibly have? Just wait until she messed up and got questioned for her errors, then see if she would still be so arrogantly pleased with herself.

However... the matter at hand was not something to be taken lightly either; neglecting it would be to his disadvantage.

Qi Yourong pressed his hand down on the plate of crispy chicken in front of him, blocking Nanny Jin from removing the plate, and said casually, "Bring me two paper wraps, wrap up this, and that, and that..."

Pointing at the slippery tenderloin and mushroom pork slices, Qi Yourong continued, "Wrap them all up for me, I want to take them with me. You should know, your family invited me to eat, I can’t leave with an empty stomach and just the reputation of having a meal here."

Ye Xinyan almost laughed out loud. She suppressed the smile in her face and said to Nanny Jin, "Go ahead and pack them. Today, the mistake of inviting guests for a meal was indeed ours, and we should acknowledge our fault. I believe with this lesson learned, such an incident won’t happen again in the future."

As soon as Qi Yourong heard Ye Xinyan admit the fault so readily, he became even more demanding, "Of course it’s your family’s mistake, glad that you understand the reasoning. Also, second brother, I was beaten up in your house, and now my head hurts, and my waist feels weak too. Your family has to give me the money for my medical treatment."

Ye Xinyan did not wait for Qi Younian to speak, but turned to Cheung Wusi and said, "Grandfather Cheung, look, as soon as you arrived, you injured the master of the Qi Family Third Branch. Do you have enough silver with you? Now that the old master says he’s hurt, you should find a doctor to take a look at him."

Cheung Wusi placed his hands on the edge of the table, clenched and unclenched them twice before he slowly said, "Alright, I still have a few coins of travel expenses left, enough not only for the medical treatment but also to return home. However, the Third Master really must be ill; my money must be spent wisely."

Qi Yourong’s face soured. Cheung Wusi had just arrived, so why would he talk about the silver needed to return home? Was he planning to hurt someone again and then leave?

Lost in thought for a moment, Qi Yourong was pushed down from the bed by Qi Yougui, who then said to Qi Younian, "The second brother is right. With the autumn harvest approaching, there is indeed no shortage of work in the fields. If we disperse early, we can get more farm work done."

Then, turning to reprimand Qi Yourong, he said, "What are you still doing here? You tell me, at your age, how can you still be so hopeless? Can’t you act a bit more like an elder?"

Qi Yourong had been hopeless for so many years, and certainly did not become more like an elder just because of Qi Yougui’s few words. In the end, he still took away the three meat dishes he had pointed out earlier.

Although the meal ended on an unpleasant note, out of basic politeness, Qi Younian still escorted Qi Yougui and Qi Yourong out the gate. Cheung Wusi and Wong Qiao followed Qi Younian, only turning back to return to the house after watching the Qi brothers walk away.

Qi Yougui walked a distance then turned back just in time to see Qi Younian and Cheung Wusi returning to the courtyard, and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Genuine brothers faring worse than those not related by blood.

Ye Xinyan did not let Meizi follow Qi Yougui out. The group together reheated the dishes that were removed earlier, and also deep-fried another stewed chicken until crispy, and set it back on the table for Qi Younian and the others to enjoy their meal and chat at ease.

After tidying up the issues at the dinner table, Ye Xinyan packed up some of the ingredients and handed them to Meizi, "The dishes had only just been served when they kicked up a fuss, so I imagine Great Uncle hasn’t eaten properly. And you’ve been busy all day; you also haven’t had a decent meal. Take these back and re-cook them; after all, both Great Uncle and you should have a full meal."

The incident just now was a great relief for Ye Xinyan, as she finally managed to shake off the persistent bother of the Third Branch. But for Qi Younian, seeing the bonds between blood brothers break was enough to fill one with sorrow.

After taking a couple of sips of wine, Qi Younian’s mood slightly eased, and he said to Cheung Wusi at an angle, "Tell me, you’re also of an advanced age, so why do you still handle things in such a way? Even if you have to be cunning, you don’t necessarily have to resort to violence, right?"

When Cheung Wusi was called out on his actions, he didn’t seem embarrassed; he spread his hands and said, "How could I not know my age is advanced? The main issue is your younger brother; he’s really wayward, and ordinary talk has no effect on him. I had no choice but to resort to such a strategy."

Qi Younian stared at him, and for a long while, he said nothing.

Turning back to Wong Qiao, he asked, "How long have you been with your Uncle Four? How can you be so in sync?" Earlier on, only the Second Brother could work seamlessly with the Fourth. And now here was a fine child led astray by the Fourth.

Wong Qiao, after all, had just met Qi Younian, and, taken aback by such a question, he responded with a changed countenance, "I haven’t been with Uncle Four for that long, just over three years. Before that, we only met during the festivals."

Wong Qiao paused and felt it was better to explain to his Great Uncle, "I only didn’t strongly oppose Uncle Four because I saw how the Third Uncle from the Qi family was treating you improperly. I just wanted Uncle Four to scare him a bit, I honestly didn’t expect you to sever ties with him."

Casually tossing a peanut into his mouth, Cheung Wusi said with indifference, "Big brother, not to criticize you, but this is what you’re bad at, always getting hung up on this and that, just taking aggrievement passively, which really makes one anxious. Look at your grandson, Ye Zi; seeing how he dealt with your grandnephew from the Third Branch, without a word, he picked him up and threw him out. Now that’s a decisive kid, very much to Old Zhang’s liking."

Cheung Wusi truly didn’t care. His big brother was still the same as ever, covering for his shortcomings. Even knowing that he had played tricks, he would still take his side and not expose him.

Qi Younian, resting his forehead in his hand, lamented. He guessed that if Old Four was fond of Ye Zi, between the grandfather and grandson duo, coupled with Wong Qiao assisting... How come he felt that his days ahead would be even more tiresome than when dealing with Qi Yourong?

"Come, big brother, let’s drink another round," said Cheung Wusi when he saw Qi Younian with another headache coming on, quickly lifting his cup to change the subject, "Big brother, the letter you sent wasn’t clear. Didn’t you just entertain the idea of starting a construction business? How come it looks like you already have servants at your beck and call at home?"

Cheung Wusi then glanced around the modest dwelling and added, "But looking at where you stay, it doesn’t exactly look like you’ve made it big."

"What ’made it big’," retorted Qi Younian, "I only found the opportunity after the new year, to recognize Ye Zi as my granddaughter, and afterward I adopted a grandson. Now that I have both a grandson and a granddaughter, I figured I should earn a living for the children. Previously I was just scraping by, waiting to die; how could I have made it big?"

Cheung Wusi clapped his hands and remarked, "That’s the spirit. That’s also us getting on in years. Otherwise, with our brotherly talents, we could easily provide a wealthy life for the younger generation."

Waving his hand, Qi Younian lowered his voice by a notch, "This is also because Ye Zi comes from an extraordinary background, and through our small trades, we have met a patron. Without this, in these times, I dare not be the one to stick my neck out."

Extraordinary background of Ye Zi?" Cheung Wusi’s gaze sharpened, and he spoke in a hushed tone, "What’s that? One of those... what do you call it?" A princess or some other important figure cast off into the common world?

"Go away!" Qi Younian immediately understood what Cheung Wusi left unsaid and spat out, "You’ve been listening to too many stories, you dare to dream big!"