She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 671 - 669: Her Reserve

Chapter 671: Chapter 669: Her Reserve

Further down were a pair of crystal-clear glazed glass cups, a small exceptionally polished bronze mirror, and a beautifully textured peach pit bracelet.

Nanny Huang picked up the bracelet, looking puzzled, "Isn’t this from our Peach Grove?"

Madam Yin took the bracelet and examined it carefully, saying, "Indeed, it must be. How many peach pits must have been selected to match this bracelet with such uniform texture and size."

Nanny Huang added, "What’s more, it’s dainty and pretty. Look, each peach pit is only the size of a girl’s little fingertip, and they are all perfectly round, with such clear and neat patterning."

Ye Xinyan leaned in for a closer look, and found the bracelet... truly nice, very pleasing indeed.

Alright, it was she who was very fond of it. Just like Nanny Huang said, the texture was beautiful, and looking at it, it appeared like the kind that had been worn for a long time, already having a shiny and soft patina.

Clearly, Madam Yin had also noticed, she leaned closer to Nanny Huang and whispered, "Based on this smooth luster, could it be that Yuanfan often played with it in his hand, that’s why it’s so polished?"

Nanny Huang also whispered back, "I think so too. It must be something the son-in-law polished himself; he would never give Miss Ye something that had been worn by others for a long time."

Thinking of Jiang Yifan constantly fiddling with the petite bracelet, Ye Xinyan’s face finally showed embarrassment, and she glanced at Song Ping’s household, retreating two steps back.

These two were really something—inspecting her items even more meticulously than their own possessions, completely absorbed, and forgetting entirely who the rightful owner was.

Finally, Madam Yin took out a wooden box made of rosewood from the bottom of the trunk, and as the box opened, a bi-green jade bracelet with a soft luster appeared in Madam Yin’s hand, the lustrous green intermingled with strands of vibrant fuchsia.

Madam Yin and Nanny Huang exchanged glances. Of all the items, this was probably what Jiang Yifan valued the most.

"Ah Yan," Madam Yin finally remembered Ye Xinyan, "cough cough, Nanny Huang and I were just taking a quick look. Mother’s eyesight was indeed not wrong, take a look at these items. They must have been saved by Yuanfan for a long time, just waiting to be given to you at this moment. Yuanfan has been very thoughtful towards you."

Ye Xinyan’s face turned a bit red, looking at Madam Yin speechlessly. So, the two of you just went ahead and examined every single item a bachelorette received in detail?

"Ah Yan, what I mean is, this jade bracelet is the most important piece of all the items Yuanfan gave you. You should wear it right now," said Madam Yin, coming over to take Ye Xinyan’s hand.

Ye Xinyan immediately felt a headache coming on, and didn’t dare to dodge too hastily. The bracelet looked very expensive, and she couldn’t afford to damage it.

"Mother, look at me, how can I wear such a costly bracelet? It would be bad if I accidentally knocked or bumped it. You should just put it back in the box, and we’ll cherish it," she said.

"True, it really isn’t suitable for you to wear; you might damage it. Then let’s put it away for now, and we’ll find the right occasion to wear it," replied Madam Yin.

Madam Yin hesitated only briefly before yielding and carefully placing the jade bracelet back in the box. Her daughter really wasn’t suited to wearing a jade bracelet all the time. The ones she wore in the past, if they got damaged, they got damaged, and she would just replace them with another. But this was different; this was the first real gift from a young man and it demanded respect.

Although Ye Xinyan had no desire to wear it, what did her mother mean by her words? What did she mean by ’not suitable for her to wear’?

It must be said that relationships between people all follow the principle of give and take. Now faced with her precious daughter’s expression, Madam Yin was able to remain completely composed both internally and externally. Although Ye Xinyan looked embarrassed, Madam Yin seemed to completely ignore it.

After thinking for a moment, Madam Yin took out the peach pit bracelet and said, "Yuanfan insisted on getting engaged before the New Year so he could give you a gift during the festival. This must also be an important reason. Who knows how long these things have been in his possession, he must hope that you’ll like them after receiving. This is Yuanfan’s infatuation for you. Wear this, let Yuanfan know you understand his feelings."

Infatuation my ass? A few words turned Ye Xinyan beet red. Even if you want me to wear it, can’t you be more subtle? Isn’t ancient times supposed to be very reserved about feelings between men and women? Saying this kind of thing to an ancient young lady, aren’t you afraid of infuriating her with embarrassment?

Ye Xinyan quickly glanced around the room, damn it, everyone must have heard! She saw that those accompanying her from Song Ping’s household and Jiu Yue all maintained an oblivious demeanor, lost in their own thoughts. The maids serving Madam Yin were also staring fixedly at one spot, as if deeply contemplating life.

In the entire room, only Madam Yin and Nanny Huang seemed to have a normal demeanor.

Madam Yin looked at Ye Xinyan as if it was the most natural thing, holding the bracelet in her hand, waiting for her to take it. Nanny Huang, meanwhile, watched her with a beaming smile, a joy on her face that, in Ye Xinyan’s memory, was comparable only to Nanny Huang’s delight at successfully adding a grandson to the family.

Ye Xinyan’s two eyebrows couldn’t stay at the same height; one went up and the other down as she mulled it over for a while. Faced with their persistence, she had no choice but to accept defeat and took the bracelet from Madam Yin to wear on her wrist.

There, this is really uncomfortable, okay? There go my two lifetimes’ worth of pride!

......

The matter of Ye Xinyan and Jiang Yifan’s renewed engagement was kept low-profile, but it still quickly spread among the official and noble families in the capital.

Several years ago, the young and talented Imperial Top Scholar was disgracefully ousted from the capital. Yet, not even three years later, here he was, Jiang Yifan, returning with three years of outstanding performance evaluations, and having risen two ranks. You see, being reassigned from a remote county to the capital and maintaining the same rank is already considered a promotion.

But Jiang Yifan had actually been promoted two ranks, which was effectively the same as a triple promotion.

Such a still ambitious and spirited young official could have remarried a woman from a prestigious family. However, Jiang Yifan reconciled with his ex-wife, the very same Miss Ye of the Duke’s Mansion who, years before, Jiang Yifan had insisted on divorcing at the cost of demotion and destroying his career.

Clearly, aside from some families with ulterior motives, people with a penchant for melodrama preferred to witness a grand, steadfast love story.

Because of this melodrama, Jiang Yifan faced surprisingly little public pressure. When people looked at him, they mostly gleamed with excitement for gossip, and unexpectedly, there was not much disdain.

The notoriety of Miss Ye from years past, and the scandal at Duke An’s birthday banquet, were all mitigated by such melodramatic plot twists. What was being circulated was that even a woman could turn over a new leaf. Miss Ye was said to have made a fresh start and reformed her ways.

It has to be said that people were quite forgiving; many were willing to forgive a young lady who acknowledged her mistakes and sought to change. Whether forgiveness was needed or not was aside the point, it was the fact that people really did forgive that was key.

Moreover, she and her ex-husband had reconciled, making for a beautiful tale found only in storybooks.

On the day officials took a break for the New Year, as per tradition, many lower-ranked colleague officials would drink a little, relax, and then each return home to enjoy the once-a-year holiday.

As an official in the Ministry of Revenue accustomed to this practice, it was fine to openly dismiss Jiang Yifan, whom His Majesty the Emperor had personally assigned, so Jiang Yifan was included in today’s wine-drinking lot.