She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 637 - 635 Agreed

Chapter 637: Chapter 635 Agreed

Ye Xinyan looked surprised at Song Ping’s Household Member, who was still standing with her eyes downcast. Only after a moment did she remember the current situation. There was no trace of coy shyness, only full-hearted irritation.

Damn, being an ancient woman really wasn’t easy. Her true nature and the expected behavior of a woman of ancient times didn’t match at all.

Jiang Yifan obviously knew what Song Ping’s Household Member was hinting at, and also felt awkward. Fortunately, he still had enough composure to maintain a semblance of calm and self-possession.

"That..." Jiang Yifan couldn’t help but adopt Ye Xinyan’s style of speaking, and continued, "I am going out of town tomorrow to pick up my mother. I had mentioned in a letter home that you, I and Sixth Master are going into business together, and I think my mother will be happy to hear that we can still be together."

Ye Xinyan didn’t know what he was trying to say, so she just glanced at the dish of green plums in front of her, quietly waiting for him to continue.

Song Ping’s Household Member was also anxious. Lord Jiang had always been composed and calm when speaking and acting, so what was wrong with him today? He had been inside for a while now and still hadn’t gotten to the point. How long was he going to stutter here?

Jiang Yifan naturally knew that Ye Xinyan would not engage in a back-and-forth with him, "What I mean is, since New Year’s is approaching, do you think we should have my mother commission a matchmaker to propose marriage before the New Year so we can set the matter, or should we talk about it after the New Year?"

Song Ping’s Household Member had been waiting eagerly for a long time, only to be met with this question from Jiang Yifan. She almost choked on her breath and had to force it back down her throat. Were these words appropriate for young men and women to say? Moreover, with only a few days left until the New Year, would there be enough time?

"Ah?" Ye Xinyan was stunned.

Was he talking about... their marital affairs?

Wasn’t this kind of thing usually decided by the elders at home? At least it should be mentioned through the elders first, right?

It took her a while to respond, "It is already the end of the year, and every household is busy. Your mother..." recalling that ’your mother’ didn’t sound very respectful, "... my aunt must be tired from her long journey in the cold winter. By the time she has had a few days to rest and recuperate, it will probably be the New Year. Besides, there’s no need to rush, right?"

Upon hearing her words, Jiang Yifan was ecstatic. In his heart, this was the real answer that Ah Yan had given him. Ah Yan had personally agreed, right in front of him, in her own words! She even took the initiative to call his mother ’Aunt’.

"Ah Yan, listen to me. During New Year’s, there are various gatherings of family members from noble and prestigious households and officials, right? If we get engaged, you could avoid a lot of hassle during that time. Otherwise, at those gatherings, many female relatives will secretly observe and evaluate you."

"There are such conveniences?" If she could enjoy these benefits just a few days earlier, Ye Xinyan immediately felt tempted.

At the same time, Jiang Yifan could see that Ah Yan’s eyes brightened, clearly tempted.

"Yes," Jiang Yifan pressed on, "Also, during the New Year, we can interact as an engaged couple. On the night of the Lantern Festival, I can invite you out, and we can watch the lanterns together." However, saying these words, Jiang Yifan was somewhat sheepish; this was just his own wishful thinking.

Ye Xinyan looked up at him again, and hearing this, she felt a lot less discomfort. She could tell that this usually arrogant fellow now seemed quite embarrassed.

And come to think of it, this was like a date, right? Perhaps for Jiang Yifan, this was also an unprecedented first.

In her memory, during the years when Jiang Yifan and Ye Xinyan were married, there were New Year’s celebrations, and both occasions of going out to watch the lanterns during the Lantern Festival seemed to end in disappointment. Rarely did Jiang Yifan have such enthusiasm to bring up watching the lanterns again.

Lantern Festival or not, having less trouble is always better.

After struggling for quite a while, Ye Xinyan finally said, "Then, let’s settle it before the New Year, having less trouble is also good."

After she said the latter half of the sentence, Ye Xinyan immediately regretted it. What was she doing? Why couldn’t she just speak properly? She really did have a contrarian personality. Facing a man who had skipped courting entirely and had gone straight to discussing marriage, it was understandable for her to feel slightly uneasy, right?

Song Ping’s Household secretly blamed their young lady for being inarticulate. She glanced up furtively at Jiang Yifan and breathed a sigh of relief, thank goodness, it seemed that Lord Jiang had only heard the first half and was looking quite pleased with himself.

Jiang Yifan, of course, heard everything Ye Xinyan had said. He was surprised yet pleasantly so by her awkwardness and the words she managed to utter.

There was nothing more reassuring than her agreeing in person. You see, it wasn’t just about agreeing to discuss marriage; it also included spending the New Year together and the invitation to meet and play during the Lantern Festival.

He often reminisced about that moment when he and Ye Xinyan were alone in the wilderness, a time when his wishes seemed so far away. And now, going out with Ah Yan during the Lantern Festival meant they would be as an engaged couple.

This kind of happiness... although he was prepared for it, it still felt like it had come too suddenly.

Such a wonderful prospect, and just a tiny bit of awkwardness from Ah Yan, was something he was more than happy to understand and accept.

"That’s great, that’s great, uh... Ah Yan, I’ve already found a matchmaker. After I pick up my mother tomorrow and explain to her, we’ll have the matchmaker come and propose," Jiang Yifan said, barely finishing before he started feeling restless, "It won’t be troublesome, I’ve made all the preparations beforehand."

Oh, he had prepared in advance? Ye Xinyan was astonished.

Yes, upon receiving a letter from home, Jiang Yifan had begun to arrange the marriage negotiations.

Jiang Yifan was so elated that he completely failed to notice the shocked expressions on the faces of Ye Xinyan and the Song Ping family. He stood up, feeling it was inappropriate, then sat down again, took another glance at Song Ping’s Household, and whispered to Ye Xinyan, "Ah Yan, you remember right? The eighth day in the capital is also lively, with all sorts of street performances, acrobatics, and magic shows outside. I’ll come to pick you up, and we’ll go out to enjoy the festivities together."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "We could take Brother Jia and Sanshun with us, as well as my elder martial brother and Zi Ning. It’s about time to settle my elder martial brother’s affairs too. If we all go out together, it will be very lively."

Watching an excited Jiang Yifan, Ye Xinyan suddenly thought, if there had been no talk of engagement, no previous Ye Xinyan, with her and Jiang Yifan’s status, they would also be considered well-matched. Then, after confessions, dating, and outings during festivals, they should naturally progress to marriage, right?

Inviting a girl you fancy out for fun with a couple of friends, or perhaps sharing a meal together, isn’t that the epitome of dating? Isn’t that somewhat better than the blunt matchmaking and courtship of modern times, right up until deciding to start a relationship?

Ye Xinyan secretly curled her lips in contemplation; things that should flow naturally were made complex with all these rules, bringing two strangers together. It was fortunate that in this era, a woman was an attachment to a man; otherwise, wouldn’t the divorce rate be extraordinarily high?

Jiang Yifan’s next words felt even more proper to Ye Xinyan, "If Ah Yan is not ready mentally, we can spend some time like this, and then decide on the wedding date later."

"That would be best," Ye Xinyan quickly agreed with a smiling face.

"Mmhmm," Jiang Yifan acknowledged her conflicted expression. In his heart, rather than forcing Ah Yan to marry him prematurely and having to make amends later, it was better to spend time with her until she felt ready to accept him and then proceed with the marriage.