Qi Sanshun’s words left Ye Xinyan dumbstruck, and she reacted instantly—was she being looked down upon by this brat?
Ye Xinyan was about to step forward and give him another lesson to see just how much better he could be than a woman, but she was pulled back by Qi Jiaer tugging at her sleeve. He whispered, "Sister, I want to go too when I’m grown up."
"..." Ye Xinyan looked down at Qi Jiaer’s envious and longing gaze, then lifted her eyes to see more than a dozen figures sitting on horses outside the courtyard in the night, ready to leave. The sound of hooves, together with the occasional snorts of the horses, added a restlessness to the already vague silhouettes of the riders.
Was this the difference between men and women? Would their perspectives on matters always diverge? Even someone as young as Qi Jia was filled with an admiration for such masculine vigor?
Jinrong and Jiang Yifan exchanged glances, and Jiang Yifan pulled on the reins. His mount let out a long, echoing neigh, and before the sound had fully faded, Jiang Yifan called out, "It’s getting late, let’s set off now."
Guan He directly summoned Wong Qiao, "Ah Qiao, let’s go."
Wong Qiao responded, mounted his horse, and waved to those seeing them off.
Jinrong and Jiang Yifan, Guan He, Wong Qiao, as well as the servants of Jinrong and Jiang Yifan, and the guards gathered at the last minute, made up the hunting party of more than ten people. As they all spurred their horses at once, the earth flew beneath thundering hooves, sending up mud and dust, and gradually, the party disappeared into the dim light of dawn.
When Jinrong and the others were around, Ye Xinyan found the house and courtyard too bustling with people coming in and out, and greeting and entertaining guests consumed much of her time, making everywhere inconvenient.
But with seven or eight people suddenly gone, the courtyard became eerily quiet. Without Guan He’s frequent sour face around, both Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer seemed withered.
The quiet in the courtyard gave Ye Xinyan time to attend to tasks. She had been busy for over half a year, and in retrospect, both the cattle farm and the dairy products store had been established in haste. According to Xie Chun and Fan Zhengyuan, the management was already very meticulous, but to Ye Xinyan, there were many oversights.
Although there were no instruments to measure temperature or humidity at this time, there should be records for each workshop’s material transactions, processing procedures, including feeding and inspection records of the cattle farm.
Now, the cattle farm and the dairy product shop operated based on the memory and conscientiousness of the workers and the supervision of the managers. If there were records, many issues would be traceable, and the employees and managers would have something to reference, making operations more standardized.
With a complete set of management rules and various ledgers and record formats, even if several branches were opened later, this entire system could be moved over so that the same model could be continued.
Time flew by when she had work to do. Jinrong and others said they would be gone for three days, and in the blink of an eye, that time had come. On the afternoon of the eighth day, Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer spent it in eager anticipation until the courtyard began to resound with noise as evening fell.
Ye Xinyan was working in the back yard when she heard the sounds of carriages and horses. News had already been brought in by Song Ping’s household that it was not Sixth Master Rong returning, but Second Miss Zhou from Yuyuan City.
Ah? Ye Xinyan was momentarily stunned. The important annual festival wasn’t even over— it was just the eighth day, and Zhou Biyao had already arrived at her home. When did Second Miss Zhou leave her home?
Nanny Jin reminded her from the side, "Ye Zi, you should go out to welcome her. Miss Zhou has come to visit us during the new year; we mustn’t be impolite."
"Correct," Ye Xinyan nodded, put down the pen in her hand, and stood up, "I just didn’t expect Second Miss Zhou to visit at this time. Nanny Jin, when do you think she must have left her home? Prefecture Governor Zhou didn’t stop her either. The New Year hasn’t even ended yet, and I’m afraid there aren’t many people on the road."
Nanny Jin had just traveled between Clear Water Village and Yuyuan City before the New Year and naturally knew the time needed for the journey. "The roads are fairly easy to travel at this time. If you hurry, it can take three days to arrive. Second Miss Zhou probably left in the early morning of the sixth day," Nanny Jin took another look at Bi Ning and Jiu Yue helping Ye Xinyan tidy her clothes and said vaguely, "The Young Lady and Lord Jiang get along very well. Lord Zhou would definitely like his daughter to be on good terms with the Young Lady."
Ye Xinyan understood what Nanny Jin meant, and she had guessed as much herself. The problem was that Zhou Biyao had seen Jinrong and Jiang Yifan last time and showed no interest in either of them, just absent-mindedly watching the equipment on the construction site bubbling up with pink bubbles. If Zhou Bingyi was thinking of Zhou Biyao actively throwing herself at Jinrong, it was likely wishful thinking.
Waiting until Jiu Yue had smoothed out the hem of her clothes, she said it was fine. Only then did Ye Xinyan step outside to greet Zhou Biyao.
By the time Ye Xinyan turned to leave, three green cloth-covered carriages had already stopped steadily in the courtyard. Nanny Zhong and Qian Yue were outstretching their hands, waiting to help Zhou Biyao out of the carriage.
Meanwhile, Nanny Liu and the people from Anshun’s Household were also present, dutifully fulfilling their roles in welcoming the guest.
The moment Zhou Biyao poked her head out, she saw Ye Xinyan coming from the back yard, her smile beaming immediately. She didn’t even take the hand of her maid or the old woman servant, and instead, lifted her skirt and hopped down from the carriage without even stepping on the stool.
Nanny Zhong hastily came forward to assist her, "Be careful, Second Miss. What if you twist your ankle? We must still mind our manners and etiquette."
Zhou Biyao released her skirt but still held a clump of it, shaking it out flat, and said, "How could I? Sister Qi has always gotten in and out of the carriage without assistance and has never twisted her ankle."
The people from Anshun’s Household immediately had a bizarre look on their faces. This blame shifting by Second Miss Zhou, had the eldest young lady agreed to it? When the eldest young lady was in the capital, she would remember to take the hand of Nanny Jin or the maid when convenient; at other times, even in front of a large audience, she would jump down from the carriage by herself. She had been doing so for over a decade, and no young lady had learned to do the same. You’ve only been in contact with the eldest young lady for a short while, and you’ve picked up this habit so quickly, can it really be because of the eldest young lady?
Nanny Zhong noticed the expression of the people from Anshun’s Household and hastily gave an embarrassed smile to apologize. Their young mistress wasn’t elsewhere; she was truly a dignified and proper official family young mistress, it’s just that she acted differently after coming here.
No matter what, Ye Xinyan and Zhou Biyao had lived together for a while, and Zhou Biyao had come from afar during the festive season. Ye Xinyan hastened to meet her, smiling and saying, "I didn’t know Second Miss Zhou would come, and I’m late in my welcome. I ask Second Miss Zhou to forgive me."
Zhou Biyao, who was far away, slightly bent her knees, and then quickly stepped forward, scolding, "Sister Qi, you’re being distant with me again. We lived in the same courtyard for so long, and I thought you had already considered me a sister of your own. It turns out you haven’t. Sister, you’ve hurt my feelings."
Zhou Biyao held a presumedly aggrieved expression and took a few steps forward, without another word, grabbed Ye Xinyan’s sleeve.
Qi Sanshun and Qi Jia, who were waiting for Guan He, Jinrong, and others to return, naturally witnessed this scene.
Qi Jia’s eyes lingered on Ye Xinyan’s sleeve for a moment, then moved to Ye Xinyan’s face. Sure enough, the corners of her sister’s mouth were twitching slightly.
Qi Jia felt uncomfortable with this sight. That was his sister, and moreover, his sister did not wish to be tugged at by Sister Zhou. He had just taken a step forward, intending to extricate his own sister from the situation, when he was stopped by Qi Sanshun.