She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 491 - 489 Neither Kin nor Kith

Chapter 491: Chapter 489 Neither Kin nor Kith

As Madam Yin’s words of thanks had just trailed off, the villagers started to chime in, one after another. Their words were a chaotic hum, all speaking of the Qi family and the Ye family’s care for their fellow villagers.

Though their words were jumbled together and not entirely clear, one could still glean the gist from those who were nearby. These words left Madam Yin, Nanny Huang, and the others bewildered as they exchanged confused looks. Wasn’t the eldest miss supposed to be making money from her business? Why did it seem like she was being praised for doing good deeds?

It was He Quantai who stepped forward, paid his respects to Madam Yin, and said, "Madam is too polite. We wouldn’t dare to claim that we took care of Lady Qi. It is Lady Qi and the Second Branch family head who have looked after us. There are few in our village who haven’t benefitted from the cattle farm and the Qi family’s generosity. It is we who should thank you, Madam, for raising such a good daughter who has given our farming families something to look forward to."

Once again, the crowd erupted in echoing agreement.

Madam Yin was perplexed, but she could only suppress her doubts for the time being. After expressing her gratitude to the crowd once more and delivering a slight bow, she was escorted back to the courtyard by her maidservants and old woman servants.

Madam Yin surveyed the Second Branch of the Qi family’s courtyards and houses. Compared to the peasant homes she had seen along the way, the courtyard of the Qi family’s Second Branch was quite nice indeed.

Ye Xinyan led Madam Yin to the reception room, with Qi Younian and others following behind. They all entered together, leaving Nanny Liu, Nanny Jin, and Zhao Gang, among others, outside to gently disperse the villagers who had gathered to watch.

Once seated at the head of the reception room, with Ye Xinyan standing behind her, everyone paid their formal respects and made their introductions.

During the casual exchange of pleasantries, Madam Yin expressed her gratitude for the many kindnesses that Qi Younian and his wife, Qi Yougui, and others had shown her daughter. Particularly mentioning Qi Younian, she reflected that if Ah Yan had not met him, the subsequent journey to Qingyuan County would never have happened. Without Jiang Yifan, without Prince Yu, without the railway carriage, her daughter would still be of an unknown fate.

Seeing them exchange pleasantries, Jiang Yifan, thinking of Ye Xinyan and her entourage’s fatigue from their journey, took advantage of a lull in the conversation to stand up and say, "The wife of the heir apparent has had a long and arduous journey. It is best to rest early. Xiao Ke will take my leave now and visit the lady another day."

As Jiang Yifan spoke, the couple, Qi Yougui and his wife, also rose to take their leave.

Madam Yin glanced at the time and noted that it was indeed getting late. She stood up as well and said, "I appreciate Lord Jiang’s consideration; it is indeed time to disperse. Brother Shun is only young and has been away from home for such a long time; he should spend time with his family. I will not keep you all any longer." Madam Yin said as she walked over to Lady Wang, taking her hand, "We will return to our respective homes for today and tomorrow I will have a good talk with Lady Qi."

Lady Wang was overwhelmed by Madam Yin’s affection and hurriedly replied, "Madam has had a weary journey and should rest properly. Whenever Madam wishes, just let someone know and I will come over at once to follow your orders."

Madam Yin smiled and agreed, then turned to Jiang Yifan and said, "Lord Jiang, could you please wait a moment? I have some questions I’d like to ask you."

Jiang Yifan bowed in assent, though he felt somewhat puzzled. As he stepped aside, he glanced at Anshun’s Household at the door and saw that he was composed, which put him at ease. Although he was still unsure about what Madam Yin wanted to discuss, the expression of Anshun’s Household reassured him that the matter was not bad.

After everyone had taken their leave, Qi Younian also left, taking Qi Jiaer with him, while assisting Zhao Gang and the rest of the retinue.

Madam Yin said to Ye Xinyan, who was still in the room, "Ah Yan, you should also go rest. Your mother and Lord Jiang have matters to discuss. After the conversation, Nanny Jin will lead you to the backyard."

Ye Xinyan’s gaze circled between Madam Yin and Jiang Yifan. Her mother wouldn’t be discussing reconciling with Jiang Yifan at this time, would she? She certainly had no such intention, although she had already mentioned it to Madam Yin in the capital, but in this era, parents, especially of daughters, were very likely to overlook the opinions of their children, especially since the original host had already missed the opportunity once.

Ye Xinyan hesitated for a moment, then tugging at Madam Yin’s sleeve, she said, "Mother, Lord Jiang is busy with official duties, it’s not good to keep him here all the time. With the sky getting darker, if Lord Jiang leaves now, it won’t be early. Besides, you must be tired too. Can we talk about it later?"

A trace of amusement flickered in Jiang Yifan’s eyes. It seemed that since Ah Yan had returned to the capital, she had got along very well with her mother and even had a hint of coquetry in her tone when she spoke. Since leaving the capital, he hadn’t heard her speak with such a tone or inflection.

Madam Yin coaxed, "Mother is just asking about some matters of the county town and their official circles, nothing else. Ah Yan, go rest for now. Weren’t you just complaining about how stuffy it was inside the railway carriage? Go for a walk in the courtyard, and by the way, see where Brother Jia is so that you won’t come back frantically looking for someone. Mother is concerned; this village is so remote, don’t lose the child."

While speaking, she made a sign to Nanny Jin with her eyes.

Taking a step forward, Nanny Jin said to Ye Xinyan, "Young Miss, you have been away for so long and haven’t had a proper conversation with Grandfather. Grandfather only has you and Brother Jia as grandchildren; having not seen them for such a long time, he must miss them dearly. Brother Jia is surely with Grandfather; don’t you want to see him too?" She spoke earnestly, looking expectantly at her, waiting for her to agree.

All of them, one after another, were trying to dispatch her so they could act according to their own wishes, weren’t they?

Ye Xinyan glared fiercely at Jiang Yifan. The Ye Family had no relation to him, and they were perfectly capable of finding their own way; why did he have to come to lead the way? Hadn’t she just returned that day? Couldn’t they give her a moment of peace?

Fine, fine, you win. As long as it related to the matter of her remarriage, everyone was immediately as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Nanny Jin was right; visiting Grandfather was indeed the proper thing to do. The old man hadn’t seen his grandchildren for more than two months. Moreover, she and Qi Jiaer were different from other children; they had no blood relation to their grandfather. Had the old man been worried these days that they would turn into ingrates and never look back?

Entering the main hall, Ye Xinyan indeed saw Qi Jiaer nestled in Qi Younian’s embrace, smiling and vividly describing the novelties of the capital city to him through words and gestures.

On either side of Qi Younian sat Cheung Wusi and Wong Qiao, listening with relish.

As Ye Xinyan entered the room, Cheung Wusi and Wong Qiao seemed to have the intention of standing to greet her. Ye Xinyan, taking a few quick steps, stopped them, saying, "We have been acquainted for so long. We can’t let a trip to the capital create a distance between us. If that were the case, wouldn’t I have no place in this household? "

Upon hearing this, Cheung Wusi and Wong Qiao promptly sat back down. Cheung, being a hearty man, laughed and said after sitting, "It’s mainly because you come from Duke An’s Mansion, which is of such high status. With your return, you have truly attained a status, which is far removed from us poor common folk. It makes one unavoidably cautious."

"How could that be?" Ye Xinyan laughed, "I’m still the same person; there’s no difference. Grandfather Cheung, you’re overthinking it." This casual address of ’Grandfather Cheung’ was much more effective than any pleasantries, immediately putting Cheung Wusi at ease.