She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 212 - 211 Misstatement

Chapter 212: Chapter 211 Misstatement

Zhou Biyao didn’t care about Ye Xinyan’s motion and mildly chastised her, "Sister, you’re always treating me like an outsider. With so many nannies and servant women in your household, how can you allow a guest to be bumped into?" As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at the servant from Anshun’s household next to Nanny Liu and asked, "How come your household has even more family members than a few days ago?" And they all have the air of servants from distinguished families. So many servants... Can the Qi family really accommodate them all?"

Ye Xinyan looked at the servant women of the household and was also helpless. Her home really couldn’t fit so many people, but after all, they were powerful and had the authority over life and death. She was just a runaway girl, struggling to survive with her family between various forces. Whether or not she needed so many people, she didn’t have a say.

"Well, it is indeed a bit more, haha. They are hereditary servants of wealthy families, but they’re just here to lend a hand for a few days. Once the job’s done, they will return. By then, there will be fewer people in my family."

Zhou Biyao immediately had other thoughts when she heard ’wealthy families’, "Is Sister Qi referring to Sixth Master Rong’s Mansion?" she asked cautiously, glancing at Nanny Liu and Anshun’s household servant, her voice slightly lowered, "Are they sent by Sixth Master to serve Sister?"

Zhou Biyao thought that, with already so many people serving the Qi family, if His Highness Prince Yu were to send more servants, Qi Ye must be really extraordinary. Thinking this, Zhou Biyao looked at Ye Xinyan with a hint of insinuation in her eyes.

The servant from Anshun’s household frowned upon hearing Zhou Biyao’s words. What did this Zhou family girl mean by looking and asking questions like that? Was a little daughter of a local official allowed to rudely guess about the masters of Duke An’s Mansion?

The expression of the servant from Anshun’s household grew stern as she spoke indifferently, "I arrived late, and do not know which household Second Miss Zhou comes from. Has the household never hired a nanny for the young ladies of the family? How can you speak and act without any decorum?"

Zhou Biyao had yet to reply when her companion, Nanny Zhong, indignantly spoke up for her mistress, bending her knee to Anshun’s household servant and saying, "This nanny might be new and doesn’t know the affection between my Second Miss and Lady Qi. My Second Miss has a good relationship with Lady Qi and her words are of admiration and closeness to her sister, with no other intention."

Does this old woman servant mean to say that, as a servant, she shouldn’t interrupt when the masters are talking? The face of the servant from Anshun’s household darkened even more. No matter what, matters of Duke An’s Mansion and its masters were not open to question by a servant of a local official.

Ye Xinyan was acutely aware of her own status; being of a farmer’s status, naturally, she didn’t dare to say much, so she looked at Nanny Liu for guidance.

Nanny Liu understood and stepped forward with a smile, first saying to Anshun’s household servant with a smile, "Nanny Qiao, our farmer’s family usually doesn’t have so many rules. Second Miss Zhou is also in very good terms with the Young Lady, which is why she was so casual."

When Anshun’s household servant raised her eyes and caught Nanny Liu’s look, she suddenly remembered that the current mistress was the farmer’s wife, Qi Ye; for the Prefectural Magistrate’s daughter to come here and get along so warmly with an abandoned wife was already lowering her status.

Nanny Liu then smilingly said to Nanny Zhong, "Nanny, the Second Miss must be tired from the journey from the county town; perhaps she would like to rest on the heated brick bed. Today, we’ve especially cleaned up both inside and outside the house, making it very tidy."

Ye Xinyan also hurriedly cooperated, politely ushering Zhou Biyao to the brick bed, "Second Miss Zhou, please take a seat." Nanny Liu wasn’t wrong; although our home is a farmer’s dwelling, we indeed cleaned it up to the standard of hosting the Emperor’s son today, enough to receive the family member of a prefectural magistrate.

Zhou Biyao just gave Anshun’s household servant a couple of extra looks, but her mood was undisturbed and she didn’t follow Ye Xinyan’s suggestion to sit on the brick bed. Instead, she moved closer to Ye Xinyan affectionately, "Sister Qi, the last time I was here, your courtyard didn’t have that lovely latticed wooden cabin. In such a short time, you’ve already built one. Did Sister Qi also help make this happen?"

"No, no," Ye Xinyan hurriedly waved her hand in denial, "I have nothing to do with this log cabin, it was built by my grandfather and great-uncle. At that time, I was at the dairy product workshop watching others work, I wasn’t even at home."

"That’s right, Sister wasn’t home, Brother Sanshun and I saw it while we were playing. It was all done by Grandfather, great-uncle, and Third Uncle Wong, mainly by my Third Uncle Wong, he is really amazing. We wanted to come and help, but Nanny Liu and Sister Zi Ning wouldn’t let us," Qi Jia said, having slipped in from the doorway without anyone noticing, and addressed Zhou Biyao with a face turned up.

Upon seeing Qi Jia, Zhou Biyao immediately waved him over, "Brother Jia, come here, did your Third Uncle Wong also draw a picture? The picture of this log cabin, could you bring it here for Sister to see? Let Sister see if your Third Uncle Wong is as awesome as Brother Jia says. Sister will give Brother Jia some candy too."

Ye Xinyan looked at her with disdain, how shameless to lie to a child in front of so many people.

Yet, it turned out the child was not so easy to deceive. Qi Jia cocked his head and said to Zhou Biyao, "I don’t eat candy, Sister says if you eat too much candy, it will ruin your teeth, and if your teeth are bad, you won’t grow up handsome, and then no pretty girls will like you."

Ye Xinyan wanted to cover Qi Jia’s mouth but was a step too late. The little fellow was quick with words, and just as she sensed something was amiss, the little buddy had finished speaking.

Ye Xinyan’s hand stretched out only to be interrupted by Zhou Biyao’s loud laughter, awkwardly suspended in mid-air, which was very uncomfortable.

Nanny Liu stood with a frozen expression on one side, too lazy to say anything more. As the steward nanny who accompanied Qi Ye every day, seeing the Young Lady act this way was very embarrassing for her.

Those from Anshun’s Household were wide-eyed, their gaze shifting between Qi Jia and Ye Xinyan; indeed, this was their young lady, still so unreliable, only the way she was unreliable had changed.

On the contrary, Zi Ning, who was charged with watching Qi Jia, remained very calm, her expression barely changing. Nanny Liu took another look at her, figuring that the Young Lady must often teach Brother Jia in this manner for Zi Ning to be so composed.

Ye Xinyan gave an awkward smile and withdrew her hand that was stuck midway, "Well, Second Miss, please have a seat, it’s not good to keep standing, right?"

Qi Jia didn’t understand why, after he spoke, everyone’s expressions suddenly changed, and this beautifully dressed Sister even laughed in that way.

He asked, "Sister Zhou, did Brother Jia say something wrong, is that why Sister is laughing at Jia?"

Zhou Biyao forcefully pulled back the smile from the corner of her lips and put down the handkerchief she was holding to her mouth, feigning seriousness she said, "No, Sister thinks that what Brother Jia said is very right, that’s why she was so happy."

Nanny Liu coughed, and Nanny Zhong quickly tugged at Zhou Biyao, saying, "Second Miss, the young master is outside entertaining the Magistrate Sir, and I’m afraid he can’t leave for a while. You had quite a few things you wanted to discuss with Lady Qi, didn’t you? Better to go sit on the heated brick bed first to talk."