She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 591 - 589

Chapter 591: 589

Ye Xinyan played with the little one and then turned to stand beside Madam Yin, smiling at her and saying, "Mother, just look at this little baby, so amusing, and not shy at all." Then, teasing Ye Yuan, she added, "Look, this is Mother, this is my mom, you know."

Ye Yuan was not giving Ye Xinyan any face; following her coaxing, he just glanced once at Madam Yin and then decisively turned his head back, clinging tightly to Ye Xinyan’s neck, presenting the back of his head to Madam Yin.

Maternal Aunt Zhao grew tense as she saw drool dribble down Ye Yuan’s mouth, and when she heard Ye Xinyan’s comment while wiping the drool, she was even more afraid the young mistress would truly find fault and subsequently never spare her son another glance.

Seeing Ye Xinyan casually put the drool-wiped handkerchief into her sleeve, Maternal Aunt Zhao’s heart sank with relief. The young mistress didn’t mind, and with her fondness, the matter of her son being raised in the heir apparent’s wife’s room was halfway to success.

Just as her heart had eased, she saw her son unwilling to get close to the wife of the heir apparent. Her heart was lifted again with anxiety. How could this child behave this way? The wife of the heir apparent would be his mother in the future; how could he act like this? With such behavior, how could the wife of the heir apparent grow fond of him?

Madam Yin didn’t really mind Ye Yuan’s attitude towards her. Even though Duke An and the Duchess had been talking incessantly about having the child born to Maternal Aunt Zhao registered under her name, she had no intention of agreeing to it from the start.

But since her daughter liked the little fellow, she certainly wouldn’t dislike him. Moreover, seeing the child naturally gravitate toward her daughter, being so affectionate during their first meeting, she felt relieved.

However, Madam Yin thought that it just proved how good her daughter was. People say that babies born not long ago are very perceptive, and it must be because her daughter is so kind and gentle that the baby felt so close and trusting towards her.

Thus, when Ye Xinyan turned around, bringing Ye Yuan who was clutching at her neck to face Madam Yin, and playfully said, "What’s this? Take a look, this lady here is very fond of children, see how endearing she is."

Madam Yin actually stood up, reached out her finger, and with a smiling face, gently touched Ye Yuan’s little cheek.

This time, not only did Maternal Aunt Zhao breathe a sigh of relief, but Duke An, too, wore a smile on his face. His granddaughter was reliable in handling matters; look how well she honored him.

......

The next day, Duke An specially stayed in the mansion, awaiting the visit of Qi Younian.

Ye Xinyan had a good night’s sleep and the next day, she sought Lian Gui early, having him send someone to lead her to the Qi Family Mansion.

She thought she had arrived quite early but found that Jiang Yifan was already there ahead of her, standing in the Courtyard of the Qi family’s outer court, smiling at her.

Meeting Jiang Yifan’s smile for the first time in so long, Ye Xinyan was taken aback, her mind somewhat in a daze before she asked a rather dim-witted question, "Lord Jiang, you’re up so early. Don’t you have to attend the court session?"

Jiang Yifan smiled and said, "At my rank, I’m not qualified to attend court."

Ye Xinyan was startled again and then felt somewhat annoyed, damn it, her intelligence must be temporarily out of service.

Jiang Yifan saw Ye Xinyan’s expression of chagrin and quickly added, "The elder only arrived in the capital last night and isn’t accustomed to many things, so I took leave today to keep him company."

Ye Xinyan, still looking embarrassed, changed the subject and asked, "What about my grandfather? Have you met him?"

Jiang Yifan replied with a smile, "The elder has already finished washing up and is in the room with Wong Qiao, waiting to have breakfast. I thought Ah Yan would probably come over early, so I came out to greet you."

Seeing Ye Xinyan’s puzzled face, he explained further, "I stayed temporarily in your guest room last night."

Ye Xinyan shot Jiang Yifan a sidelong glance. This guy never treated himself as an outsider. Back in Qingyuan County, he always claimed the town was too far and frequently stayed at her house. Now they were in the capital, with his family all in the city, and he still acted this way.

But... what was there to say to someone like that?

She nodded slightly and gestured for the person leading the way to continue inward as she spoke, "Oh, I’m going to check on Grandpa, I’m not sure if the old gentleman was comfortable with his accommodations last night."

Jiang Yifan stepped forward to lead the way, saying, "He’s fine, I saw that the old gentleman is in good spirits today."

Before Ye Xinyan even entered the door, she heard Qi Jiaer’s voice from behind calling out, "Sister."

"Why are you up so early too? As a child, you should sleep more, especially after traveling these past few days." Ye Xinyan turned around, watching Qi Jiaer run over, followed by Nanny Jin and Qi Sanshun.

The closely following Nanny Jin said with a smile, "How could he sleep? Last night before bed, he kept on talking about the young miss and the wife of the heir apparent, and he couldn’t sleep even before dawn. He even went to see Master Guan to practice horse stance for a while before coming here."

Ye Xinyan patted Qi Jiaer’s head, laughing as she said, "Didn’t you say you had grown up? To be this disheartened, you started missing me just because I was away for just one night?"

Qi Jiaer pouted and muttered, "Sister, you’re now with Duke An’s Mansion, but Grandpa and I belong to the Qi family. Will you not stay with us anymore?"

"How could that be?" Ye Xinyan said with a smile, "Look, Sister didn’t even take a carriage but walked over here. We live close by, and we’re still family. Grandpa has just arrived in the capital, he’s less familiar with it than you are, so Sister just wanted you to stay with Grandpa and help him get to know the capital."

"Yes, that’s right," Qi Jiaer nodded vigorously, "Brother Sanshun, Uncle Guan, and I know the capital well."

Ye Xinyan shook her head with a smile. This guy really thought he knew the capital now. If he stayed here for ten years and grew up, he probably wouldn’t dare say he knew the capital well.

It was Qi Sanshun who was a bit older and, following Qi Jiaer’s words, said, "The last time we stayed in the capital wasn’t for very long, not as long as Lord Jiang’s returns to the capital."

As they spoke, they had already arrived at the dining hall.

Qi Younian had evidently heard their conversation in the courtyard. As soon as Ye Xinyan entered, he smiled and said, "I’ve been away so many years in my youth, why would I need someone to keep me company? Besides, aren’t Ah Qiao and Lord Jiang here with me? I feel at ease."

Ye Xinyan walked over with Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer, first paying respects to Qi Younian, then greeting Wong Qiao before sitting down and saying, "It’s only the first day, so it’s good for Jiajia and Sanshun to keep you company."

Qi Younian glanced at the two children and said, "In the past, we had no fixed abode in the capital, so it was understandable to stay at the Duke’s Mansion. But now we have our own home. It wouldn’t be proper to keep imposing on Duke An’s Mansion when we can stay in our own place, would it?"

"It’s not that serious," Ye Xinyan laughed, "When I returned yesterday, the first thing my grandfather asked was why Brother Jia and Brother Shun didn’t come. The old man really valued having them stay at the Ye Family."

The old man was hoping to nurture and train Qi Sanshun well, to have Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer set a good example for Ye Yuan, the little one.

After hearing what Ye Xinyan said, Qi Younian just shook his head and did not say much more.

When it was time to serve the meal, Wong Qiao excused himself, saying that Lady Zhao was waiting for him to have breakfast.

On the contrary, Jiang Yifan didn’t act like an outsider at all, he nonchalantly sat down, and waited until breakfast was served. He happily shared the meal at the same table with Ye Xinyan.