As for Ada and the others, they had already had someone come over and explain that each courtyard was equipped with a small kitchen, so they were able to take care of their meals on their own in the courtyard.
When it was time to eat, Qingyue insisted on not joining the table, but Ye Jiu firmly pulled her over to sit down.
Madam He also noticed that Ye Jiu treated Qingyue differently, so she held her in higher regard.
After the children who attended school returned home, the house instantly became livelier, and only then did she realize why Ye Wenyu had changed so much.
Madam He also showed favoritism, mostly towards her own children, but the difference between her sons wasn’t significant, so it wasn’t apparent.
However, Qingzhi’s elder brother and his wife, who had previously even abused Qingzhi, now treated their younger son with warmth and praise upon his return, while they ignored their elder son, constantly making him do more work to help his younger brother.
The chaos in the family was always something that had troubled Ye Jiu, especially with the second branch, which was a complete mess, yet somehow, the couple had good instincts.
Getting too involved would make it seem like she, a younger sister-in-law, was overreaching. Staying out of it, she couldn’t bear to watch her nephews and nieces being ruined by their own parents.
At dinner, when the family was chatting, the main topic was why Ye Gaosheng hadn’t returned from the capital city for so long.
Ye Jiu did not mention the matter of the soap. Both the first and second branches had their own selfish motives, and the fourth brother felt too guilty about the situation. She hadn’t yet figured out how to bring it up without making the fourth brother the target of everyone’s criticism and without adding to the pressure he faced from the family.
Ye Jiu interjected a few times to change the subject. Seeing that the focus was no longer on that topic, she then called the youngsters to her own courtyard.
Upon entering the courtyard, Qingyue said, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to my room now. Just call me if you need me, Miss."
Ye Jiu, helpless, responded, "Sister Qingyue, if you keep treating yourself as a servant, I really can’t keep you here."
"This is..." Qingyue was troubled.
After all, she wasn’t born a legitimate daughter, and even though her upbringing wasn’t poor, she still couldn’t truly see herself as the mistress.
A moment later, Qingyue finally understood, "If that’s the case, then I thank Miss Ye greatly."
Now as the sister of a young master, she definitely couldn’t be bound by an indenture contract, and those who served closely at the lady’s side must hold onto their indenture contracts tightly for safety—that was something she hadn’t fully considered at the start.
"I’ve already called you Sister Qingyue; you don’t need to be so formal. From now on, calling me Ye Jiu or Xiaojiu is fine," Ye Jiu finally satisfied.
Qingyue returned to her room, and Lin Songhan naturally stayed in Ye Gaosheng’s courtyard, having already gone over.
When Ye Jiu entered her room, she saw that the bedding had already been laid out. The furniture in the room wasn’t very luxurious, but in this small village, it was already considered very good.
Ye Qingzhi tightly clung to Ye Jiu’s clothes and spoke considerately, "Little aunt, Mom and I come over every few days to air out the blankets and clean the room, so everything’s ready for you when you come back."
Ye Jiu was touched and complimented Ye Qingzhi, "Qingzhi, you’re so good."
Ye Qingzhi, rarely proud, responded, "I’ve learned a lot of characters these days. I’ll show them to you tomorrow, little aunt."
Ye Jiu subconsciously glanced at Ye Wenyu, who still wore that indifferent expression, making it hard to tell if he was happy or sad.
Ye Jiu felt helpless inside, hoping her return wasn’t too late and that she could still steer the boy back on track.
Otherwise, if things continued this way, the fine child that was Ye Wenyu would surely be ruined!