She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 182 - 181 Who is She?

Chapter 182: Chapter 181 Who is She?

Qi Younian also picked up a small pastry, bit off half, and savored it carefully. It wasn’t until he had swallowed the pastry that he laughed and said, "The little bit of ingredient obtained from the watery cow’s milk is indeed rare and precious. How can such a thing not taste good when added to a snack? Only Ye Zi could come up with so many fresh ideas."

He then laughed to himself, "This child, struggling for so long over those hard and dry cheese curds, didn’t know how to make use of them. And now, in just a few days, he brought back a stone mill and created such delicious pastries. This cheese powder, mixed in with cake, also adds flavor and fragrance. It’s unexpectedly a good thing."

This pastry was a new snack that Ye Xinyan had tried making with cheese powder. Because it contained cheese powder, it had the distinct flavor and full-bodied aroma of cheese.

Ye Xinyan used the stone mill to grind the dry cheese curds and cheese sticks into cheese powder, then mixed the powder into ordinary small pastries. The resulting snacks tasted unexpectedly good.

When cheese powder is added to water and melted at the proper temperature, it can essentially turn back into cheese. If some butter is added, it becomes cream cheese flavored, which, when sandwiched between biscuits, small pastries, or cakes, is another expensive and sweet delicacy.

After being tasted by the most prestigious among them, Nanny Jin, Nanny Liu, the food-loving Qi Jia, and the rough-around-the-edges Cheung Wusi, the snack received everyone’s approval.

Soon, various exquisite snacks containing cheese powder would be introduced in leisure snack shops and Great Crane House, allowing the milk residue and cheese that had been causing Ye Xinyan such headaches to be put to good use and not be treated as something superfluous and wasted.

...

Jiang Yifan and Jinrong inspected the agricultural affairs of Clear Water Village, making a detour to the north of the village before riding off in a cloud of dust.

The two entered Qingyuan County and agreed to have dinner at Jinrong’s temporary residence before heading back to their respective homes.

After changing his clothes and freshening up in the county government office’s back courtyard, Jiang Yifan, followed by a few servants, made his way leisurely to the Jinrong Residence. When he arrived, it was just in time for dinner.

Outside Jinrong’s courtyard, Jiang Yifan waved his hand at Wan Yan, telling him to go about his business, and made his own way to the side hall where Jinrong usually stayed.

Jinrong heard Hong Wu’s report and came out from the inner room just as Jiang Yifan was stepping into the side hall.

Jiang Yifan, always a stickler for protocol, formally greeted Jinrong with meticulous manners.

Jinrong laughed and said, "Enough already with the formalities. You take so long to change, it’s like waiting for a bride to get on the sedan chair, I’ve been waiting for you half the day."

While speaking, Jinrong ushered Jiang Yifan to the dining table, "Sit down. You’ve had a hard day running about. How many more days will you need as the County Official to finish inspecting the villages under your jurisdiction?"

Jiang Yifan lifted his robes and sat down at the lower end of the table, "It’s not too bad. This time you were involved, which made it take longer. Without your involvement, it wouldn’t take this long. I could have been back by Shen Hour and still had time to deal with some official business."

Jinrong glanced at him and said, "There’s a centralized cattle breeding place in the area under your jurisdiction. As the County Magistrate, you should surely inquire about it. Moreover, you own half of the cattle farm, so you should take a look. For me, I’ve been wanting to see the Qi family’s legendary cattle farm, which is said to be as clean as a living room."

Jiang Yifan scoffed, "Sixth Master, if you want to go, just go. No one is stopping you, and you know the way. How can you blame me for that?"

Hongzhi led two servants, setting out the evening meal one dish at a time.

Jinrong poured a cup of wine for Jiang Yifan first and said slowly, "Qi Ye is, after all, a woman, and given your relationship with her, I must avoid suspicion and cannot simply visit her on my own."

Jiang Yifan had been holding his cup of wine, ready to express his thanks, when Jinrong made such a comment, which immediately made him lose his composure, "What are you talking about? Just mind your own business, what does this have to do with me? Why does everything always seem to get pinned on me?"

Jinrong withdrew the wine jug and started pouring wine into his own cup, without making a sound.

Shi Yu, standing behind Jiang Yifan, scrunched up all his features. "My lord, just say it, why are you in such a hurry? Rushing around with a red and white face claiming it’s not related, how is that at all convincing?"

Jiang Yifan, still not self-aware, continued, "As long as you don’t have any other intentions, that’s fine, but don’t keep dragging me and her into this."

Jinrong set down the wine jug, looked up, and asked, "All I’ve done is avoid a friend’s ex-wife, what other intentions could I possibly have? But now I have to ask you, who is this ’her’ you’re referring to?"

Jiang Yifan paused, his fair face took on a suspicious color for a moment, then turned dark again, yet he remained silent.

Seeing his own master losing face, Shi Yu leaned forward to smooth things over, "My lord doesn’t know, today the father-in-law of the Qi family mentioned Lady Qi, saying her full name is Qi Ye. The Sixth Master was asking about Qi Ye, Lady Qi."

Jiang Yifan absentmindedly made a "Hmm" sound and stroked his wine cup, as if struggling with a certain issue.

Jinrong continued, "I had the servants from the residence go there because the situation was urgent, and I was afraid of an accident happening on the Qi family’s side. If you’re worried, once the Qi Family Courtyard is built, you can choose a few trustworthy people from your own family to go there."

Jiang Yifan’s complexion changed and he was about to speak when Shi Yu coughed behind him, and after holding back a bit, he said, "I spoke too hastily just now, I didn’t mean that. I was just caught off guard by the news of a young man moving into the Qi family’s cramped courtyard, and it disturbed my peace of mind."

"Ye, Qi Ye. Qi Ye’s status is different. When everything is safe, it’s all easy to conceal. But once something unfavorable happens... it will involve too much, not just my career, but it could also cost several lives of the Qi family, and even the Ye Family in the capital wouldn’t be spared."

As Jiang Yifan spoke, he glanced at Jinrong, "I’m afraid even the Sixth Master could get dragged in too."

Jinrong silently listened to Jiang Yifan’s composed explanation and reassured him, "We’ve already sent someone over, haven’t we? With so many people watching, nothing will happen." After finishing, Jinrong tentatively added, "That Qi Ye and Wong Qiao, they have a generation gap, absolutely nothing can happen between them."

Jiang Yifan glared at Jinrong for a long while before snorting, "I don’t know what you’re thinking, but what generations do Qi Ye and Wong Qiao share? They’re just people from three unrelated families, and if the marriage arrangements proceed, even if they really did marry, no one could object."

Jinrong raised an eyebrow and asked, "You mean to say Ye Xinyan can marry someone? Wong Qiao too?"

"How can outsiders control the marriage of unrelated individuals?" Jiang Yifan stalled slightly, his words becoming somewhat vague, "But, let’s wait until my term is over before discussing this, shall we?"

Jinrong looked at Jiang Yifan and his eyebrows nearly flew off his face. Really, once your term is over, you won’t mind who Ye Xinyan marries?

Jiang Yifan, feeling pressured by Jinrong’s gaze, complained, "Not to criticize you, but you, the esteemed Sixth Master, have put some effort into Clear Water Village, yet you couldn’t prevent someone from slipping in and letting a young man move into the Qi family’s place without knowing until after the fact."

"This..." Jinrong coughed lightly, picking up his chopsticks, "Come on, let’s eat."

...