She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 590 - 588: The Little Guy’s Drool

Chapter 590: Chapter 588: The Little Guy’s Drool

Ye Xinyan rose to her feet, looking at Ye Hongyang’s barely concealed fury and couldn’t help but snicker inwardly.

Is this all it takes to rattle him to such an extent?

It was nothing but a neglected and mistreated wife, who had lived in another place for over a year with her daughter. Wait until your wife truly leaves you and seeks another good man, that will be the time for you to lose face.

At that time, let’s all watch with wide eyes to see what kind of woman the sad heir of Duke An, who’s as pitiable as mud, can marry.

She then glanced at Maternal Aunt Zhao standing by. Even if he wants to promote his concubine, he has to care for his decent concubine first. As for his devoted Maternal Aunt Liu, she should just wait.

Duke An glanced at his squabbling son and daughter-in-law, granddaughter, but didn’t take it too seriously. Now that he had a grandson, whether his son made something of himself or not was no longer within his concerns.

"Why haven’t I seen Brother Jia and Brother Shun?" Just as Ye Xinyan sat down, Duke An asked.

Ye Xinyan blinked. Were the people around her all so delightful? In contrast, she, as a granddaughter and a daughter, could always be outshone by others.

Ye Xinyan answered with a helpless face, "This is Grandfather Qi’s first time in the capital, and I was afraid he would not be accustomed to it, so I let the Qi Jia brothers accompany Grandfather back to the Qi Family Mansion first. They will come over tomorrow with him to pay respects to grandfather."

Duke An, hearing Ye Xinyan’s affectionate address for Old Man Qi, felt somewhat sour in his heart. His granddaughter truly lacked gratitude; the Duke’s Mansion had raised her for so many years, and aside from Madam Yin, she hadn’t been so affectionate with anyone else.

She just halfway recognized an old man and truly treated him as a grandfather with such heartfelt devotion.

"It was me who instructed Yuanfan to purchase a mansion nearby for the Qi family. The purpose was to facilitate your and Old Man Qi’s interaction," Duke An said while earnestly gazing at Ye Xinyan. He had already made conscientious plans for his granddaughter, hadn’t he?

Uh, Ye Xinyan was somewhat speechless.

Could that even be considered an accomplishment? Wasn’t the reason for your action because you took a liking to Sanshun and Qi Jiaer, and wanted to make it easier to coax someone else’s grandson and grandnephew away?

Elder Master Ye really was getting old and starting to have the mentality of a child.

With a smile plastered on her face, Ye Xinyan said, "Grandfather has been very thoughtful. I think Grandfather Qi will definitely be grateful once he knows of grandfather’s intentions." She paused, then added, "It will also make it much more convenient for me to discuss matters concerning the Construction Industry in the future. I thank grandfather for his thoughtful arrangements."

Indeed, upon hearing her response, Duke An immediately beamed with a smile, "During the days you were away from home, it was thanks to Old Master Qi’s care. Grandfather simply moved with a little thought; we are after all family, there’s no need for thanks."

Speaking of which, it did take him some effort to buy those three courtyards in the alley behind the Duke’s Mansion. If not for him sending people to handle it, acquiring those courtyards would have been difficult.

The Duchess, probably feeling that her husband was making a bit of a fool of himself, coughed lightly and interjected, "Dinner is ready. Hongyang’s wife and Xinyan, go freshen up briefly, and let’s have dinner together. Tomorrow, when Grandfather Qi comes over, we will have a reunion meal to welcome you two and a few members of the Qi family."

Turning to Madam Yin, she said, "Brother Yuan just left; the child cannot stand to be hungry, and he was just fussing about it. The wet nurse took Brother Yuan down to eat something. You should see the child too in a bit, after all, you are his mother."

Madam Yin responded noncommittally. She had no desire whatsoever to help Ye Hongyang raise a son. She was willing to meet the child, but if he was really to be counted as her own, she wanted no part of it. She was content with having a good daughter.

Although she only had one daughter, she felt her fate was better than that of Duchess An. Her daughter was worth more than a hundred sons like Ye Hongyang.

When Duke An mentioned Ye Yuan, Ye Xinyan immediately looked up, directing her gaze to Maternal Aunt Zhao, curious to see her reaction to what the Duke had said.

Maternal Aunt Zhao’s momentary melancholy swiftly vanished, replaced by composure, and her look towards Madam Yin seemed to harbor a faint expectation.

Ye Xinyan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. Maternal Aunt Zhao was indeed a clever woman, knowing how to care for her child. It appeared that despite her reluctance, she was eager to have her child registered under Madam Yin’s name for the sake of the child’s future.

Being registered under Madam Yin’s name, a child she raised, would mean he was a legitimate heir, the primary candidate for inheriting the title.

Duke An, seeing Madam Yin’s aloof demeanor, felt rather helpless. But who could blame him when his own son had been so disgraceful, cooling Madam Yin’s heart thoroughly over the years?

From the sidelines, Ye Xinyan tried to smooth things over, "My granddaughter learned from the letters that Brother Yuan is extremely intelligent and lively. It’s a perfect opportunity to meet him in a little while to see if he is as adorable as I imagine."

Only then did Duke An smile and say, "Go ahead, go ahead. Come back later and meet your little brother. The little fellow is indeed lively and smart." Even though the little fellow wasn’t within reach, Duke An’s affection was unmistakable.

"Grandfather and Grandmother, we shall take our leave for now to wash up and change. Afterwards, we’ll return to dine with you for supper."

The meal was lackluster; Ye Xinyan and Madam Yin were both exhausted from the journey, and with Ye Hongyang sitting there with a sullen face, the mood was indeed dreary.

Fortunately, the food was good. Ye Xinyan focused on eating her meal. It seemed the kitchen knew they had been traveling and prepared hot and soupy dishes that were very comforting to eat.

The little Ye Yuan they met after the meal, however, was a delight. The chubby, lively little fellow babbled away, occasionally uttering a few words, and was incredibly adorable.

Probably because he was raised in Duchess An’s rooms and spoiled by both Duke An and his Duchess, the little guy wasn’t shy at all. When the wet nurse brought him out, there was a room full of people, but the little fellow didn’t care for anyone else and immediately reached out for Duke An, calling out "ah ah".

There’s always been a saying that grandfathers favor their grandchildren over their children, and Duke An exemplified this, happily reaching out to take Ye Yuan into his arms, handling him with the ease of someone used to holding babies.

While amusing the little one, Duke An beckoned Ye Xinyan over, saying, "Xinyan, come and see your little brother. He’s a fine little fellow."

By now, Ye Yuan must have been a little over a year old. Though he wriggled as he sat in Duke An’s arms, his little spine was ramrod straight, and he appeared quite sturdy.

Ye Xinyan stood up and approached Duke An.

Taking the cue, Duke An handed the child over to Ye Xinyan, who promptly took him and then shamelessly rolled her eyes at Duke An. Couldn’t he have given her a heads up? What if the child had fallen, being so little?

Whether it was because the little one was closely related by blood to his kin or he was naturally unafraid of strangers, as soon as Ye Xinyan took hold of him, he instantly grinned at her, babbling as he tried to express something while happily drooling.

Ye Xinyan, however, knew how to hold a child, at least more professionally than Duke An. Holding Ye Yuan with one hand and pulling out a handkerchief with the other, she wiped his mouth while saying disapprovingly, "Look at all this drool you’re making. It’s so gross."