She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 167 - 166 The Intentions of the Zhou Family

Chapter 167: Chapter 166 The Intentions of the Zhou Family

Ye Xinyan felt very uncomfortable with her hand being held by someone so unfamiliar and with unclear intentions. She wanted to make another bow to free herself from Zhou Biyao’s clutches. However, before she could act, Second Miss Zhou moved quicker, stepping forward and embracing her arm.

Ye Xinyan really could no longer maintain her composure and said awkwardly, "Miss Zhou, this coarse clothing of mine, if it were to rub and fray the fine silk of your dress, wouldn’t that be regrettable?"

Zhou Biyao, gripping Ye Xinyan’s arm and walking towards the Great Crane House, laughed and said, "Sister is so beautiful. I shall gift you several silk dresses. Once sister wears those, I’m afraid no woman in Yuyuan Prefecture could surpass you in beauty."

This Second Miss of the Zhou family was much more difficult to deal with than Liang Wanqiu of the Liang family, and Ye Xinyan was starting to feel overwhelmed.

Ye Xinyan gestured to Nanny Jin to go back and look after the business. It would be best if Nanny Jin, who managed the small eatery, didn’t get entangled in these matters.

While seemingly casually following Zhou Biyao, she glanced at Nanny Liu. Nanny Liu, with your high status and broad knowledge, it’s best if you handle such a difficult character. My nanny’s status can’t compare to yours, so we can only keep our distance.

Nanny Liu, seeing Ye Xinyan being entangled by someone else, secretly smirked. The Miss Zhou of the Zhou family was quite rare indeed. Who knew what she was thinking, to lower her status so freely to make contact with Lady Qi. Given Lady Qi’s current position, it really wouldn’t do to struggle too much with Second Miss Zhou.

Nanny Liu advanced two steps without drawing attention, positioned herself slightly ahead to the side of Ye Xinyan and Zhou Biyao, and said to Ye Xinyan, "Young Lady, be careful. Miss Zhou’s status is prestigious— the sour juice that splashed on your clothes in the back kitchen of the snack shop, make sure it doesn’t stain Miss Zhou’s dress."

Sour juice? What is that? Zhou Biyao involuntarily loosened her grip.

Ye Xinyan pulled her arm back, sidestepped, and looked at her clothes with frustration, "Look at my crude nature. In my joy at seeing Miss Zhou, I forgot all manners. If it weren’t for Nanny’s reminder, I might have soiled your clothes with kitchen condiments, which would have been an egregious breach of etiquette."

By the time Zhou Biyao reacted, there was already a gap between their arms. This woman clearly repelled her advances, and if she were to throw herself at her now, it would seem rather unsightly.

Ye Xinyan said, "Please forgive me, Second Miss Zhou. I am but a servant following orders, with no control over my whereabouts. The master of the house has urgent matters to attend to, and I dare not delay. If you have any instructions, just command me, and I shall do my utmost to assist. However, I’m afraid there’s no time for idle talk or tea."

Ye Xinyan subtly mentioned Jinrong. The identity of Jinrong must certainly be known to Prefecture Governor Zhou, and if this Miss Zhou also knew, then all the better. She presumed that tasks assigned by Jinrong, even for the Prefectural Magistrate, were not to be neglected or taken lightly.

Zhou Biyao showed a moment of hesitation upon hearing Ye Xinyan’s excuse.

That fleeting hesitation was noticed by both Ye Xinyan and Nanny Liu.

This meant that Second Miss Zhou was aware of Jinrong’s identity, and also knew that Ye Xinyan worked for Jinrong.

Nanny Liu’s mind raced even more.

By this time, they had already reached the entrance of the Great Crane House. Ye Xinyan stopped walking and looked at Zhou Biyao with an inquiring gaze, waiting for Zhou Biyao to decide.

The hesitation that had momentarily crossed Zhou Biyao’s face just now had vanished without leaving a trace.

After thinking it over, she looked around and asked, "Sister is heading home, right? I’ve heard people say that sister’s home is in a village under the jurisdiction of Qingyuan County. How come I haven’t seen any carriage to pick sister up?"

Great, this was an attempt to stick to her.

Ye Xinyan frankly smiled and said, "We from farming families usually walk to the county, unless we’re in a rush. Those in more of a hurry tend to hire a ride—indeed, I was planning to rent a horse carriage in the western part of the city to return home."

Zhou Biyao laughed and said, "Sister is being too polite. I am not busy right now, sister can take my carriage home. This way, I can also get to know sister’s residence, making our future exchanges more convenient."

"All right, then, next time it is," Ye Xinyan promised earnestly.

"I’m afraid it won’t be possible this time. The young lady intends to purchase a stone mill and take it back by hitching a ride. That thing is far too heavy; the lady carriage used by young girls of good families like Miss Zhou certainly can’t accommodate such a hefty object."

"A stone mill?" Zhou Biyao looked toward a middle-aged woman beside her.

The middle-aged woman hastily explained, "It’s a kind of agricultural tool made from large blocks of bluestone, truly heavy indeed, I’m afraid an ordinary carriage would hardly be able to carry it."

To Ye Xinyan’s surprise, the Second Miss of the Zhou family didn’t exhibit much curiosity; she did not inquire about the purpose of the stone mill, obviously uninterested in the uses of the agricultural tool made of stone. It was only when she heard that the stone mill was made of large bluestone and very heavy that a clear disappointment flashed across Second Miss Zhou’s face.

The Second Miss Zhou possessed a tenacious and resilient temperament. Not disheartened by her disappointment, she continued with a smile, "Very well, then I won’t delay my sister’s important matters. We have an agreement; when the day comes for me to visit my sister’s home, you must not blame me for being presumptuous."

Watching the carriage of Second Miss Zhou depart, Ye Xinyan turned to Nanny Liu, "The daughter of the Prefectural Magistrate holds no low status; it’s really not necessary for her to lower herself and get cozy with an abandoned wife from a farming family like me, is it?"

"Indeed," Nanny Liu replied perfunctorily. As a servant, what could she say about such matters?

Ye Xinyan gave her a sidelong glance and instructed, "Nanny, you were ordered to do tasks for the Qi family, so you must have a way to contact Sixth Master. Please pass a message to Sixth Master for me, asking him to have someone find out what the Second Miss of the Zhou family is up to."

She paused for a moment, then considerately offered Nanny Liu a reason, "Sixth Master is still counting on me to make silver for him. If I’m targeted and something goes awry, it won’t matter much if someone insignificant like me suffers, but it’ll be a pity if Sixth Master’s efforts were in vain."

Nanny Liu stole a glance at Ye Xinyan, thinking to herself that even if she passed the message to Sixth Master, would he really have the nerve to tell Lady Qi the truth?

"This humble one thinks, perhaps the Zhou family intends to leverage the status of Sixth Master," Nanny Liu said vaguely. Any family with a chance to get close to a prince would certainly wish to establish marriage ties, no matter how humble that connection might be."

"Oh." She could have said so earlier, instead of waiting for me to press for an answer.

Ye Xinyan had glimpsed Miss Zhou’s expression when she mentioned being sent for an errand and had some speculations, but it would still be better to confirm. The women of ancient times were indeed formidable. Bound by such stringent rites and rituals, they still pursued dashing young men with relentless vigor; such courage was truly admirable.

Nanny Liu felt she should make things clearer, "Perhaps this is the will of the Zhou family, and Miss Zhou is merely following the wishes of her elders."

"Perhaps." Ye Xinyan responded noncommittally, dismissing Nanny Liu’s obvious attempt at a cover-up.

Even if it were the arrangement of her family elders, it was clear Miss Zhou had agreed. Throughout the time she was making overtures to me, Miss Zhou did not once look to her maid or nanny for cues. She acted according to her own nature, indicating that Miss Zhou is a woman of determination, acting completely of her own accord. There is nothing left to explain.

"Let’s go have a look at the stone workshop; we need to get a stone mill for the house."

...

Jinrong, thought of by the Zhou family, returned to his lodging and first summoned Liu Qing. He recounted the gist of his dealings with Ye Xinyan and the Dairy Products Store, and then instructed, "Following this line of thought, you and your subordinates should quickly draft a contract, and submit it to Mr. Hu for review. Remember to be swift; the operation manual for the Dairy Products Store was written by Lady Qi herself. If it turns out that you, who have been stewards for years, together can’t match the pace of a single woman, that would be quite embarrassing."

"Yes, I will draft it as soon as possible and present it to Mr. Hu," Liu Qing quickly agreed, though he was inwardly breaking a sweat. That was Lady Qi, not just any woman. How could Sixth Master compare them in such an unequal fashion?

Having dispatched Liu Qing, Hongzhi came in to report, "The guards keeping watch outside mentioned that when Sixth Master and Lady Qi were discussing the contract, Lord Jiang happened to pass by the street where Great Crane House is located."

Jinrong’s hand paused as he opened the letter. Hongzhi continued, "Lord Jiang stopped for a moment at the corner of the street, looked toward Great Crane House, and had a few words with Shi Yu before he rode away on his horse."