She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 363 - 362 Essentially No Taboos

Chapter 363: Chapter 362 Essentially No Taboos

It was uncertain whether it was because Guan He possessed martial arts skills that other boys envied, or because he was currently teaching Qi Sanshun and Qi Jia the basics of boxing and kicking, but once Guan He spoke, Qi Jiaer’s seemingly confused expression changed.

He furrowed his little brow, thought hard, and answered, "No need, Brother Jia can grow up to be a fine man who can not only stand up for himself but also protect Grandfather and Sister from being bullied."

"That’s the spirit," Guan He said, giving him a thumbs up across the table.

Such childish words might sound fine to others, but when Qi Younian heard them, he almost shed tears. Perhaps because the child had faced hardships since a young age, despite his youth, he had an extraordinary capacity for endurance and was unusually sensible.

Since Qi Younian entered the room, Nanny Liu had been coming in frequently, adding tea, topping up the liquor, and checking several times. After several checks, seeing that Sixth Master and the others were chatting merrily but showed no sign of serving food, Nanny Liu couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Seeing that it was almost Hai Hour, she wondered if they were still going to have their New Year’s Eve dinner.

When Jiang Yifan saw Nanny Liu coming over to pour tea again, he smiled and asked, "Nanny Liu, are you pouring tea so frequently because you’re preparing to serve dinner?" Without waiting for Nanny Liu to respond, he looked at Jinrong, "It’s the New Year, and no one has really eaten much yet, so why don’t we serve dinner and continue talking while eating?"

Jinrong glanced at the water clock, surprised to find that so much time had passed just chatting.

"Alright, let’s serve dinner. Since you all agree, let’s do that. However, Ye Zi, I’m not trying to scold you, but don’t be so timid in the future; it lacks generosity, and it’s unbecoming for both our mansions’ reputations," he commented.

Ye Xinyan, feeling indignant, swept a light glance at Jinrong to show her unwillingness, though she didn’t say anything.

Her upbringing made it impossible for her to perform such generous acts, yet she now held the title of Miss of Duke’s Mansion. If the original Ye Xinyan were faced with such a situation, she would’ve made sure the Second Branch family paid dearly. She had to admit, she hadn’t fulfilled the original Miss’s role.

Nanny Liu finally heard that it was time to serve dinner and hurried into the kitchen to order the dishes to be served, fried, or stewed as needed.

Preparing a meal for His Highness Prince Yu was naturally not as it would be for ordinary families. The servants at the Qi family who were not from Prince Yu’s Mansion had been sent by Duke An’s Mansion and were very familiar with the dietary habits of the Prince and other noble and prestigious. They wouldn’t dare to skimp.

Ever since His Highness listened to Hongzhi’s reply and ordered to wait for Old Master Qi and Miss Ye to return before eating, not only had the serving of hot dishes been paused, but also the food on the table had hardly been touched.

Following the usual practice of Prince Yu’s Mansion and Duke’s Mansion, the table wouldn’t be touched again before the next round of serving. It was left displayed merely so the table wouldn’t look too bare. And just like Master Guan, who, while listening to the conversation, casually picked a bean or two to accompany his drink, some light snacks were always needed.

At this point, Nanny Liu ordered the dishes to be served. Like running water, maids and old woman servants flowed into the dining hall, clearing the table of the previous dishes and replacing them with a completely new spread.

Dining at home with like-minded people, there naturally weren’t that many displeasing matters. Even though Jinrong and Jiang Yifan held different statuses, their long-time interactions had made them quite familiar with each other, allowing them to act without restraint.

Setting aside the matter with Qi Jiaer, the group finally entered the official part of the New Year’s Eve dinner, eating and drinking while chatting away. They shared reflections on the year that was about to pass, discussed plans and hopes for the coming year, as well as exchanged anecdotes they had heard.

Even Ye Xinyan was indulged by Nanny Liu with a cup of liquor to join in the fun, chiming in from time to time with their conversation.

Time passed quickly, and Qi Jiaer had played the entire day. Having gone through those taxing matters in the main house that evening, he was beginning to feel fatigued by this time. As the main meal commenced, and the adults spoke, he could only catch the gist of the conversation; the details were still beyond his understanding, so he mostly focused on eating his fill. After eating, he started to feel sleepy.

Qi Jia would have to carry on the lineage and establish his own household for the Second Branch family of the Qi family. This year was the first time the second branch of the Qi family formally worshipped their ancestors. Despite his tiredness, as the sole heir of the second branch of the Qi family, Qi Jia had to wait until the Zi Hour, after paying respects to the ancestors, before he could go to sleep.

Ye Xinyan, observing Qi Jiaer struggling to stay awake, said, "Is Brother Jia feeling sleepy? Since it’s Chinese New Year’s Eve this year, we still have to wait a while before we can sleep. Can you hold on a little longer?"

Behind her, Nanny Jin spoke softly, "Miss Ye, just focus on your meal. I will take Brother Jia out to stretch his legs so he can rest on the couch for a bit. It won’t delay the ancestor worship."

Eating and drinking, the dinner continued amidst laughter and conversation until it indeed reached the Zi Hour. Here, there was no grand family clan or ancestral hall, so worshipping the ancestors was rather simple. Especially for the few members of the Qi family present, who were away from home, they worshipped before a uniformly set altar and silently offered their prayers. At most, they also faced in the direction of their hometown and bowed, considering it the end of the ceremony.

For Ye Xinyan, this ceremony was extremely straightforward, but the others present treated it with utmost solemnity and seriousness. Even Qi Jiaer, who was hazily woken up, was highly sensitive to the solemn atmosphere. Standing in front of the altar, he quickly became sober and serious.

Guan He was not part of the worshipping group. Like Ye Xinyan, he stood at a distance, silently watching. He was neither dismissive nor reverent.

Ye Xinyan took a look around and moved closer to Guan He, asking, "Doesn’t Big Brother Guan need to worship the ancestors?"

Guan He glanced at her and said, "I don’t even know who my ancestors are, so who am I supposed to worship?"

Ye Xinyan was startled. Did this mean Guan He was actually an orphan? But not knowing who his ancestors were didn’t mean he didn’t have any—this was clearly an excuse.

Ye Xinyan spoke up again, "Actually, Big Brother Guan could worship. Although you don’t know your ancestors, they would definitely sense your offering of incense. I think they would also bless you with a smooth life."

Hearing Ye Xinyan say this, Guan He finally looked at her earnestly, then let out a light laugh, "How come I never noticed that Lady Qi actually has such sincere devotion to her ancestors. Judging by the way Lady Qi has been acting these days, you generally consider nothing taboo, settling mostly for appearances just to scrape by. Could I have been mistaken?"