She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 569 - 567: Just Go With the Flow

Chapter 569: Chapter 567: Just Go With the Flow

One must always look on the bright side of things, even if it’s a daughter married off and returning to her parental home with her husband, she can’t possibly be stuck to his side all day; more often than not, they’re just like Ah Yan and Yuanfan nowadays, harmonious and warm when together, their deep affection conveyed mostly through exchanged glances.

Yuanfan and his daughter also shared moments of unspoken communication when unobserved; his gaze upon his daughter was as tender as water.

In places where the local rural atmosphere is strong, the New Year is especially lively, with neighbors visiting each other more frequently during the celebration. During these frequent New Year visits, Madam Yin witnessed the scene of young and old from Clear Water Village coming to the second branch of the Qi family to offer their New Year’s greetings.

After nearly three years of management, the industries under Ye Xinyan’s control brought substantial income to the surrounding farmers and laborers. The people who came to the Qi family to offer New Year’s greetings were not only from Clear Water Village but also from nearby villages, which all sent respected and well-regarded individuals to express their sentiments and gratitude to the Qi family.

Consequently, Madam Yin, basking in reflected glory, spent an exceptionally bustling and satisfying New Year, so much so that she felt an indescribable joy, as if she could not tell which era she was in. After nearly forty years of living in the prosperous capital, she found the most celebratory and joyful New Year of her life in a small remote village.

......

By the end of February, Jiang Yifan ultimately failed to wait for Wong Qiao to return; he finished handing over official duties to the new county magistrate, organized his belongings, and prepared to return to the capital to accept a new appointment.

After the New Year, Jiang Yifan was also no stranger to staying at the Qi family’s residence; his room there was hardly ever empty. Every couple of days, after leaving the county government office, he would hurry back to the Qi family, have dinner, chat with Qi Younian, spend the night, and then rush back to the county government office before dawn the next day.

Winter days grew dark early, and Jiang Yifan wasn’t always able to see Ye Xinyan, but he continued this routine for nearly two months.

His departure for the capital wasn’t from Qingyuan County but from the Qi family in Clear Water Village, all because he wanted to stay one more day and say goodbye to Ye Xinyan, rather than parting with the woman he was concerned about a day early and setting out from the county seat with a heavy heart the next day.

Before this, using the excuse of discussing the wooden rail track and various businesses, Jiang Yifan had already offered plenty of advice to Ye Xinyan. However, this did not prevent him from feeling extremely reluctant to leave her.

With Madam Yin, Qi Younian, and Anshun’s Household intentionally making way, as soon as Jiang Yifan approached Ye Xinyan, those around them weirdly dispersed, isolating the two from the crowd.

Ye Xinyan looked in surprise at her family and grandfather who were moving with such unified swiftness, and then at Jiang Yifan. When did this guy manage to work his reverse-strategy so thoroughly?

Were these people her relatives and house servants? Why did it seem like they were more intimate with Jiang Yifan than her? Even Qi Jiaer, the little child, was looking away whimsically, not at her and Jiang Yifan.

Seeing the astonished expression on Ye Xinyan’s face, Jiang Yifan couldn’t help but laugh, "Don’t think too much about it; they all mean well for Ah Yan. Without Ah Yan, I am nothing in their eyes."

Ye Xinyan glanced at him disdainfully and retorted, "Glad you know that." Then looking at the forlorn Shi Yu, her sympathy overflowed, "You should take Shi Yu with you. We have Big Brother Guan here and so many guards; Shi Yu will be more useful at your side."

"It’s better for him to stay. Sometimes my senior brother... ahem, that is, Shi Yu is more meticulous and attentive.

Speaking of my senior brother, he’s been too lax and sometimes needs a push to get going. He doesn’t dislike Zi Ning; it’s his own unreliable nature he worries about—he doesn’t want to let Zi Ning down and feels sorry for her. You should help him make up his mind. As for how, it’s up to you."

Ye Xinyan rolled her eyes at Jiang Yifan, "Don’t I know that he likes Zi Ning? But if he has no confidence in himself, who would dare to entrust a good girl to him? Let him stay single. Tomorrow, I’ll have Qi Jia acknowledge Zi Ning as his sister and find a good family for her to marry into, so he can regret it."

This scumbag, like a hog occupying the sty without doing its business... uh, that doesn’t sound right, you can’t describe someone like that.

Anyway, Guan He is just an irresponsible bastard. Doesn’t he know that a girl’s youth is something you can’t afford to waste?

Guan He, too lazy to come out to see them off, sneezed several times in his room. Surely it was that woman Ye Xinyan bad-mouthing him.

Should he use his skills to listen to what they were saying? If they were talking about Zi Ning, it would be best for him to listen in. At least he’d be prepared and prevent trouble before it occurs, right?

As soon as Jiang Yifan heard Ye Xinyan’s words, he became anxious as well. It had been so difficult for his senior brother to fall for a woman, she couldn’t just marry someone else.

"Absolutely not, Ah Yan. You also want Zi Ning to have a good life in the future, don’t you? My senior brother is one of the top experts in the entire world. If Zi Ning were with him, she would never suffer in this lifetime. Senior brother is just used to wandering and hasn’t come to understand his own feelings yet. Ah Yan, you must be able to think of a way, right? Please help Zi Ning, okay?"

Ye Xinyan looked at Jiang Yifan askance. No wonder her whole family had been persuaded by him, he had such a way with words. So it turned out he was speaking not just on his senior brother’s behalf, but for Zi Ning’s sake as well.

Jiang Yifan chuckled awkwardly, "I’m doing this for my senior brother, but that doesn’t stop Zi Ning from living a happy and secure life, does it? You know how much senior brother likes Zi Ning, right, Ah Yan? I don’t think you would marry Zi Ning off to some unknown person out of spite, letting her end up unhappy, right?"

Jiang Yifan glanced at Ye Xinyan. Seeing that her expression wasn’t too bad, he spoke softly, "Ah Yan, you wouldn’t marry someone else on a whim out of spite either, letting yourself live an unhappy and discontented life afterwards, would you?"

Ye Xinyan had originally planned to follow up on Zi Ning and Guan He’s situation. She didn’t expect that in the midst of this, Jiang Yifan’s smooth talk would suddenly involve her, sending a jolt through her.

Just moments ago, he managed to smoothly transition from talking about Guan He and Zi Ning to her. With such a mind and eloquence, she was somewhat convinced he could eventually become a leading official.

But faced with Jiang Yifan’s sincere eyes and sweet-talk, the idea of immediately flipping the script... she felt like she couldn’t do it.

"Um, isn’t it time to go? Shouldn’t we get moving?"

Jiang Yifan shook his head, amused, and didn’t linger on that topic, instead briefing her on the marriage situation within Wong Qiao, "I was planning to wait for Wong Qiao to return, to discuss it properly with him, but he hasn’t come back yet. When he does, you talk to him, okay? If he listens to his mother and marries his cousin, it would be of no benefit to him or Wong Residence in the long run, and it would needlessly upset Second Miss Zhou."

Listening, Ye Xinyan frowned, "Marrying into Wong Residence is a lifelong commitment. Who could put up with such a mother-in-law?"

Jiang Yifan laughed, "Here we go again. A lifelong matter—how could you act on an impulse? Second Miss Zhou wants to make a living based on her own abilities. Could she find another husband who would let her work outside? The key to the problem lies with Wong Qiao. As long as he sees through Lady Zhao’s short-sighted thoughts, Zhou Biyao won’t suffer in the future. As for the occasional friction... who can expect to live a life that’s always harmonious without any discontent?"