She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 93 - 92 Take it one step at a time

Chapter 93: Chapter 92 Take it one step at a time

Unbeknownst to Ye Xinyan, Jinrong had no awareness of her indignation. Once finished with the instructions, they stood up immediately, "That settles it then. I will send an official in charge as soon as possible to discuss the details with Lady Qi. Lady Qi should start preparing as soon as possible to see what needs to be done and how much silver tael will be required."

Jiang Yifan, who had maintained an inscrutable expression without revealing his stance, silently stood up. The two of them left just like that, not only failing to carry away a single cloud but not even bothering to bid farewell.

Was this a direct order without room for negotiation?

Ye Xinyan stood there, dumbfounded, with no intention of seeing them off. Qi Younian, though preoccupied with concerns, was still aware of social hierarchies and hastily escorted the two men and their retinue out.

After seeing them off, Qi Younian turned back, but before he had a chance to consult with Ye Xinyan on their strategy, a steward who served young masters their meals approached courteously and asked, "May I inquire, elder, were the gentlemen who just left acquainted with your family?"

At this, Qi Younian hurriedly gave a respectful hand gesture in response, "Oh, if the guest is asking about that. We run a small business; how could we be familiar with people of high status? It’s just that one of the masters is a regular customer of our small establishment."

The steward-like figure quickly returned the gesture, "I have learned a lot, thank you."

Yet inwardly, he pondered the true status of Sixth Master Rong. His own uncle was a prefect and showed utmost respect towards Sixth Master Rong, even to the extent of reverence, indicating a significant status. This small establishment was capable of serving such a person, hinting at a background not to be taken lightly. Regardless of whether the regular customer of this shop was Sixth Master Rong or Lord Jiang, both men were of prominent status, not mere commoners of low standing.

Upon returning today, he would inform his master so that he could investigate thoroughly before planning on the ice cream recipe. Although ice cream is a rare delicacy, if it led to offending someone who should not be offended because of a rare treat, it would not be worth it.

Qi Younian was still unaware that His Highness Prince Yu’s concessions could still avert a disaster for his family. He was preoccupied with worry for his granddaughter, wondering whether she had or lacked confidence in Prince Yu’s intentions.

The Qi family’s fast-food shop... One downside of a fast-food shop is that it never closes during the day, and customers can arrive at any hour. Although it is often not very busy, the flow of guests never stops.

Caught in uncertainty, Qi Younian could not discuss his disagreement with Sixth Master in front of guests and Ye Xinyan; thus, he had to temporarily suppress his doubts.

Fortunately, the shop closed early every day, shutting doors at the You Hour (5 pm), and after tidying everything up, the grandfather and grandchildren trio spent five wen to ride an ox cart home.

During the short moment of closing the shop and securing the door, Qi Younian asked Ye Xinyan, how they should handle the task assigned by His Highness Prince Yu?

As Ye Xinyan handed over the door plank to Qi Younian, she shared her troubles, "When I suggested setting up a dairy farm at the time, I was only thinking of securing a steady supply of cow’s milk for our use. Naturally, my rhetoric aimed to steer towards their interests. Who would have imagined that scoundrel to be so sly and shameless, to even exploit a woman."

"Hush, hush," Qi Younian quickly looked around to ensure no one was nearby before feeling slightly relieved.

His granddaughter indeed had an audacious spirit; every time she mentioned Prince Yu, she would speak her mind without any restraint. If someone with ill intent overheard this and it reached the royal family, they could easily be accused of a grave disrespect. Such people were not to be trifled with by the likes of their poor commoner family.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Qi Younian asked.

Speaking of what to do, Ye Xinyan felt troubled, "Since it was decided by Sixth Master, it seems difficult to shirk this hot potato. Naturally, if he wants me to be the official in charge of the cattle farm, it would be handy to use our own people. But we’ve just returned, and apart from my Great Uncle and Uncle, there are hardly any trustworthy people. If we use the Sixth Master’s people... the servants of his manor are so imposing, we might not be able to employ them effectively, and gathering a work force will be problematic."

As she spoke, she sighed, "Alas, let’s take one step at a time, there will naturally be a solution when we truly start running the place. Maybe after Lord Jiang persuades him, Sixth Master Rong won’t need us, and they’ll handle it themselves." That Jiang fellow, she had seen him throughout, and throughout he had been full of reluctance.

Yet Qi Younian sighed inwardly, this child was too easygoing, such a big responsibility looming over her, and she was still waiting until the last moment to think of a solution.

"Alas," Qi Younian sighed, "then let’s first let go of the breakfast stall. With the stall handed over to your Great Uncle, Nanny Jin can come back sooner. With Nanny Jin nearby, there are extra hands at home for work, and Jiajia will have someone to take care of her. If Sixth Master Rong insists that you organize the cattle farm, you can be ready to focus on the task at any time."

When it came to crunch time, he wasn’t worried anymore about Ye Xinyan starting the cattle farm; she typically wouldn’t mention anything if she didn’t have confidence. And since the Sixth Prince was determined to have Ye Xinyan, a young woman, manage the cattle farm, he inevitably had to prepare for taking risks.

However, when it came to transferring the rice tofu stall, Qi Younian couldn’t help but want to sigh. When outside, all he thought about was returning and reuniting with his brothers and relatives. But once back, he had to face all sorts of worries and troubles in family affairs.

Whenever he thought of his third younger brother and envisioned Qi Yourong’s reaction after giving the rice tofu stall to his elder brother, his worry intensified. Although the third brother’s family was rather unscrupulous and not worth associating with, the feelings of kinship after many years of longing weren’t something he could easily let go of.

From Qi Younian’s daily complaints, Ye Xinyan knew why grandfather was worried, and she advised, "Grandfather, the transfer of the stall is actually quite simple, you don’t have to worry too much. The Uncle is not a fool; he just pretends not to understand. In the past, there was the issue with Qi Jia, and after our return, it has always been Great Uncle’s family taking care of us. You just have to make things clear, and Uncle naturally can’t be too demanding of us."

"Let’s give it a try," Qi Younian doubted whether his third brother really understood the situation.

The trio settled the little shop and rode a bullock cart outside the county gates, headed for Clear Water Village. The bullock cart had many passengers, with familiar faces from the days of traveling, and they chatted idly on the way back.

The three alighted from the bullock cart at the crossroads on the main road, then walked back to the village. By the time they got home, Nanny Jin had already started preparing dinner, and all the small stall’s equipment and other items were neatly tidied and stacked in a basket in the corner of the room.

"Go on in and take a rest. I’ve brewed some herbal tea; it’s on the stove in the house. Have a sip first; dinner will be ready in no time," Nanny Jin called out to the trio, and with sympathy, she pulled Qi Jia closer, "Did you keep the accounts today? Are you tired?"

Qi Jia felt a great sense of achievement filling in numbers in the shop’s ledger, and upon hearing Nanny Jin’s question, he cheerfully said, "Nanny, I kept accounts today, didn’t miss a single entry, sister even praised me."

What Ye Xinyan had prepared for Qi Jia was a simple ledger. At the beginning of the chart, each food item from the snack shop was represented by an easy drawing, accompanied by its name, followed by a row of ten boxes; every time an item was sold, the little fellow added a mark. After ten marks, a new sheet was used.

The little fellow was doing well; he had gotten used to counting up to ten over these days. Ye Xinyan planned that by next spring, she would send him to school to begin his education. For now, she wanted him to get used to the environment of recognizing words, so that he would have some foundation later on.