She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 270 - 269 Children

Chapter 270: Chapter 269 Children

Upon hearing Ye Xinyan’s ready-made excuses, Jinrong was also helpless. Ye Zi and Nanny Jin went to Miyi County following a merchant convoy; with the constant coming and going of so many people on the road, it seemed only reasonable that they couldn’t remember everyone clearly.

Ye Xinyan asked, "Does Sixth Master want to continue looking around here, or shall we go back now?"

Jinrong replied, "Let’s look at the other dairy product workshops a bit more. This is the first time I’ve come here since we started the business. If cheese and butter products become high-quality ingredients in the future, it will be useful for the proprietor to know more. If someone asks, I’ll be able to explain a thing or two."

Looking at the sky, Jiang Yifan noticed that Si Hour had only just passed, he said, "Sixth Master is inspecting the workshops, and I had promised Brother Jia that I would help him hunt rabbits earlier. It’s still early, I’ll go find Brother Jia, and if we can catch a few more, we can roast rabbit for lunch."

She was going to eat at her house again? Ye Xinyan’s eyes widened as she looked at Jiang Yifan and Jinrong. It would be understandable if they were short on time, but at this moment, there was plenty of it after the inspection to return to the city and their own home in time.

Jiang Yifan simply nodded at Ye Xinyan, then cupped his hands towards Jinrong and turned to leave with Shi Yu. He needed to calm his mind.

Away from the dairy product workshop area, Jiang Yifan asked a young laborer from the construction industry about the whereabouts of Qi Jia and the other children, and then followed his directions to find them.

In a corner outside the construction site, a dozen children of various sizes were running around frantically, catching and shouting at each other while laughing and screaming. That girl named Zi Ning was still standing at a distance, watching without stepping forward to help Qi Jiajia, who was constantly getting caught and then rescued by others.

Jiang Yifan watched as Qi Jiajia was caught again and stood frozen in place. Qi Jia, likewise, saw Jiang Yifan; he moved his feet a little, then stopped, appearing very conflicted. Should he come over to greet Magistrate Sir, or should he keep to the rules of the game and remain standing still?

Jiang Yifan stopped not far from Qi Jiajia, waiting for the children to finish their round of play. He thought if it wasn’t for Ye Xinyan and Nanny Jin, Qi Jia wouldn’t be having such happy times. Moreover, the way Ye Xinyan taught children was unlike any family or social class, whether grand family clans or ordinary households. Nobody taught children that way, but Ye Xinyan did, and Qi Jia was both happy and sensible.

She had never raised children; she had never even liked them. During the three years that he had been married to her, he had never seen her show any affection towards children of the poor or servants, not to even mention small animals... And now, her daily conduct naturally exhibited these qualities. Could it be that a single difficult escape from home endowed her with all these, including many profound experiences?

Such a Ye Xinyan was certainly adorable and gave one peace of mind, yet for him, there was also confusion regarding prior memories.

When the other children saw the two adults approach, those who recognized Jiang Yifan knew he was the County Magistrate and a very high-ranking official. Both the chasing and the running children slowed down, and in a short while, the round of play came to an end.

Once the children’s game ended, Qi Jiajia and Qi Sanshun came forward, with the rest straggling behind them.

Standing close by, Qi Jiajia deeply bowed to Jiang Yifan and said in his youthful voice, "Qi Jiaer greets Magistrate Sir."

Qi Sanshun and the other children followed suit, bowing their heads in quick succession. For a moment, Jiang Yifan found himself surrounded by a group of children of different heights all bending down and repeating Qi Jiajia’s speech, causing quite some confusion for a while.

Jiang Yifan watched them with a smile and said with a laugh, "Alright, alright, rise, all of you." With that, he reached out his hand and pulled Qi Jiaer and Qi Sanshun to their feet first.

Qi Jiaer, holding Jiang Yifan’s hand, looked up and asked, "Is Lord Jiang off duty today?"

Jiang Yifan laughed and said, "Yes, I am off duty today because I remembered that I had promised Brother Jia to hunt wild rabbits and eat roasted rabbit meat, so I came to find you. How about you? Do you have time now?"

Jiang Yifan asked formally, and Qi Jiaer nodded seriously, "Yes, I have time. But does Lord Jiang really have time? Grandfather said that Lord Jiang is very busy and that we should not bother you to play. Grandfather has already taken me hunting for wild rabbits once, and all of us shared a whole roasted rabbit." In truth, a whole roasted wild rabbit was not much; each of them could only have a little bit.

As Qi Jiaer spoke, he swallowed with a lingering hunger. The children behind Qi Jiaer also looked eagerly at Jiang Yifan, wondering if the wild rabbit hunting expedition could really take place.

Jiang Yifan said with a smile, "Days off are for resting and playing. Hunting wild rabbits on the wasteland is also a way for adults to relax. It all depends on whether Brother Jia and your friends are free. If you are, then we can go right away."

"We’re free, we are all free," Qi Sanshun nodded eagerly, his eyes filled with excited anticipation, he asked, "Sir, are you saying that all of us can join Qi Jiaer and follow you to hunt wild rabbits?"

Jiang Yifan smiled in response, "You can, but you must be obedient and listen to my instructions, as well as this brother’s," he said, pointing to Shi Yu who was standing behind him.

"Yes, yes, we will be obedient, we are all obedient children," the children immediately jumped for joy. That’s the County Magistrate, who must be very skilled and might be able to catch several wild rabbits. When the time comes, can we roast them all to eat?

Jiang Yifan clapped his hands towards the children, "Alright, let’s go now. You have to take me to where the wild rabbits are most frequently seen."

Qi Sanshun raised his hand high, "I know where there are more, let’s go now, I will lead the way." With that, he walked ahead.

Xiao Si quickly followed and tugged at Qi Sanshun, whispering, "That place is too far, Sister Zi Ning doesn’t let us run that far. Last time we didn’t listen to Sister Zi Ning, and Sister Ye Zi made us stand as punishment against the wall for a long time; my legs were shaking."

Qi Sanshun glanced back at Jiang Yifan and also lowered his voice, "This time it’s different; this time the County Magistrate is here. You know, the County Magistrate is the biggest official around here, even our eldest cousin has to listen to the County Magistrate, otherwise she could be spanked."

As Xiao Si followed, he expressed his doubts, "Really? It seems to me that around this area, Sister Ye Zi is the most formidable. I don’t think the County Magistrate dares to spank Sister Ye Zi."

That’s true, Qi Sanshun scratched his head and glanced at Jiang Yifan again, saying, "It’s okay, look, we’ve already walked so far, more than a dozen steps, and Sister Zi Ning hasn’t come to stop us. Besides, if we can enjoy a good meal of roasted rabbit meat this time, standing as punishment is worth it, I’m all in."

Xiao Si immediately felt relieved, "Right, standing as punishment is nothing to be scared of. For a good feast of roasted rabbit meat, it’s worth it."