She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 639 - 637 Just Missing by a Tiny Bit

Chapter 639: Chapter 637 Just Missing by a Tiny Bit

Breakfast time was upon them, and even in ancient times, it was understood that a bad mood at mealtime affected the appetite, so Lady Qin and Jiang Yifan refrained from mentioning yesterday’s discussion about Jiang Yifan remarrying Ye Xinyan.

Mother and son exchanged a few idle remarks, and Jiang Yiyuan also came over to pay his respects to Lady Qin. Seeing that everyone had arrived, Nanny Hong asked Lady Qin if it was time to serve the meal and, upon receiving confirmation, turned to instruct the maids to bring in breakfast.

Nanny Hong had served the Jiang Family for many years, and she was both capable and attuned to the temperaments and dietary preferences of each family member.

She had made a trip to the kitchen yesterday and had clearly planned out the next day’s meal. This morning’s breakfast was prepared according to the tastes of Lady Qin and the two sons. Although the portions were not large, there was a variety of dishes.

Jiang Yifan, looking at a bowl of steaming chicken soup noodles before him, smiled at Nanny Hong and said, "I’ve been away from home for so many years, Nanny still remembers my taste, I haven’t eaten this well in a long time."

Although Jiang Yifan had his own food preferences, he was not particularly fussy and didn’t rack his brains every day thinking about what to eat, so as long as the food was decent, it sufficed. Seeing his favorite noodle soup and side dishes before him, he was naturally pleased.

However, Lady Qin felt a pang of distress upon hearing this. Her son was already twenty-six years old and, although he had taken a wife before, she was a woman who lacked understanding, causing servants to either die or leave. Over these past seven or eight years, there wasn’t anyone capable of taking proper care of him.

Thinking this way, she grew even less fond of the Ye Family girl, but seeing her son enjoying a satisfying meal, she was not about to spoil the moment with unpleasant talk and simply told Nanny Hong, "Move those two side dishes closer to Yuanfan."

Nanny Hong looked at the two dishes already in front of Jiang Yifan, but said nothing further, smiling as she instructed the head maid to serve Jiang Yifan the two side dishes, saying, "Serving the lady and the young masters is this servant’s duty, Eldest Son must not treat me as an outsider. Come, Eldest Son, try this pickled bamboo shoot and the spicy and fragrant snow vegetables, these are brought from our own home."

Jiang Yifan quickly responded accordingly.

Jiang Yiyuan spoke with a laugh, "When we were young, it was alright for Nanny to take care of us. But now, we dare not trouble Nanny, who is by our mother’s side. How could we casually call on her?"

With a smile, Nanny Hong replied, "Listen to what Second Son is saying. If it weren’t for our young masters being so good-natured, I might think that you no longer need my services."

Lady Qin also scolded jokingly, "Really now, look at you, just getting your energy back and you’re up to mischief again. On our journey here, you hardly said anything witty to cheer us up. Now that we’ve had a good night’s sleep and are well-rested, you’re full of vim and vigor again."

Jiang Yiyuan swallowed a spoonful of porridge, "Traveling is hard work, I was just tired. I don’t have the good fortune like big brother to be favored by a hermit, who would not only instruct me in knowledge and martial arts from a young age but also lead me to wander the world. If I had such an opportunity, not to mention walking a bit of the way, roaming the world would be no problem at all."

As Jiang Yiyuan spoke, he even provocatively raised his eyebrows at Jiang Yifan. He had always been envious of his older brother’s good luck and did not lack envy or resentment. With such great fortune, why shouldn’t he express his feelings more openly?

Jiang Yifan laughed, "You’ve been saying this since you were a child, and it never seems to tire you. After all these years, can’t you come up with something new?"

Jiang Yiyuan snorted and said, "The point is, after all these years, no reclusive master has taken me as a disciple. Of course, I have to keep on saying it."

Lady Qin scolded with a laugh, "Look at the small amount of ambition you have. Your brother was favored by our master because they hit it off. Do you think every child in the world can have a hermit expert as a master? You are already luckier than others for being able to catch a glimpse of such a master thanks to your brother’s good fortune."

Jiang Yifan said with a smile, "In summary, it’s just that you’re not very lucky, and nobody can be blamed for that. It’s all because you were born at the wrong time. If you were born seven or eight years earlier, perhaps this good fortune could have been yours."

Nanny Hong said with a comforting smile, "Second Son, don’t be so distressed. Although you missed such an opportunity, you are still a bright young lad. Next year, you will be participating in the imperial examination at the county level."

When this was mentioned, Jiang Yiyuan became even more vexed and said with indignation, "At my age, my brother is already preparing to go to the capital for the imperial examination, and I am just about to take part in the county level exam. Is that something worth mentioning? My brother has someone to teach him martial arts, and I don’t."

Then, fuming, he stretched out his arm for Lady Qin to see, "Mother, look at my arms. Can such arms bring down a horse?"

Lady Qin laughed and said, "What are you talking about now, bringing up throwing down a horse again?"

Jiang Yifan also raised an eyebrow at him, not knowing what he was getting at.

Jiang Yiyuan curled his lip and said, "When I was little, I saw a horse get scared in the street. Nobody knew what to do, they were yelling and running all over the place, but brother rushed forward, grabbed the horse’s reins with one hand and the horse’s back with the other, and then the horse fell over. It was a tall and mighty horse!"

Jiang Yifan was first surprised by the mention, as he hadn’t heard about this before. When had this happened? He didn’t even remember it himself, yet this youngster brought it up now.

Then he looked at him with disdain and said, "Don’t talk about this here. If you want to strengthen your body, I’ll send you to the Qi family tomorrow. The two sons of the Qi family practice boxing and kicking with the senior disciple every morning. Try it out and see if you can stick to it."

Jiang Yiyuan, thinking of that man who was sometimes cold and sometimes forthright, recalled his impressive skills, and his feelings of resentment instantly vanished. He lowered his head to gulp down a large mouthful of porridge, then grabbed a bun and bit off more than half of it, chewing quietly without making another peep.

Jiang Yifan hummed a laugh and said, "You are the very picture of one who only sees the thief enjoying the meat and not the thief getting beaten."

When Lady Qin heard Jiang Yifan mention Guan He, she quickly asked, "Did Righteous Guan accompany you to the capital? He’s not at home? How come I didn’t see him yesterday?"

Then, remembering Jiang Yifan’s mention of taking his brothers to the Qi family, she said, "Oh, right, you were talking about the Qi family’s sons earlier. Is Righteous Guan teaching in the capital now? Invite Righteous Guan over to our home someday; we should treat him to a meal."

Jiang Yifan responded, "I’ve already mentioned to my senior that Mother will be coming to the capital soon, and he said he wants to come and pay his respects."

Jiang Yifan paused, then continued, "There’s another thing. The Qi family has a girl who has been taking care of the little boys since she was young, and she has caught the senior disciple’s eye. He probably likes her a lot, but with his personality, he’s very reluctant to be tied down to one place. I told senior to marry her, but he always finds excuses to delay. When he comes to pay his respects, you should talk to him, Mother. Since you are considered his elder, you can handle the marriage arrangements for him."

Upon hearing this, Lady Qin felt somewhat troubled. In her eyes, the master of Jiang Yifan was a mysterious and enigmatic person, and Guan He was just a step behind in mystery. How could she dare to act as an elder to such a person, and even more, how could she presume to meddle and forcefully arrange his marriage?