Ye Xinyan reflected on the past that seemed so distant, though she had only been here for a little over a year, it felt as if she had truly lived here for twenty years, her past experiences were like a previous life.
It was such a wonderful era, that even after a break-up, there was a place for her to vent her frustrations.
At that time, she sang all night long by herself, and then went to work as usual the next day. A few months later, for some unknown reason, her boyfriend actually came back to her, and her heart indeed fluctuated, but strangely, she had no desire to rekindle the old relationship.
It wasn’t because of reason, but in her heart, that matter had been removed from her life. She had given herself a three-day deadline, just to end the pain as quickly as possible, otherwise she didn’t know how long it would take to forget the pain and stop reminiscing.
But in such a place, where could she cry out to her heart’s content and vent the frustration and suffocation in her heart?
Ye Xinyan stood on the land of another world, her mind a tangled mess. She was oblivious to Anshun’s maids and servants returning behind her, her brows slightly furrowed as she paced a small area, occasionally stopping to look at the end of the barren gravel land, where memories of various years swarmed in.
It was similar to, if she made the cattle ranch mobile, moving it after a long period of time, would the land previously occupied by the cowsheds and pens be improved in quality from the nourishment of cow dung and hay, at least enough to grow some crops? Even if the yield was lower.
Then her thoughts shifted again, thinking about Zhou Bingyi’s peace of mind in sending Zhou Biyao to her home, he probably never imagined that his precious daughter would fall for Wong Qiao. Even though he admired Wong Qiao’s talents and abilities, he probably couldn’t accept a commoner marrying his daughter.
And to think, she had minded Wong Qiao, such a grounded, diligent man, gentle and meticulous - the very model of an economical bachelor, and yet she watched as he fell for another family. Hadn’t she failed as a person? She wondered what methods Zhou Biyao used, for she managed to communicate her feelings with Wong Qiao in such a short time, showcasing the ancient sisters’ prowess in pursuing men.
Ye Xinyan aimlessly thought about everything that had happened to Wong Qiao since he arrived here.
On the first day Cheung Wusi and Wong Qiao arrived, Cheung Wusi beat up Qi Yourong. And at that time, the young and agile Wong Qiao sat beside Cheung Wusi, surprisingly not intervening. Thinking back to that scene, could it be that Wong Qiao also found the people of the third branch displeasing, gentle as he was, but not the indecisive pushover that Qi Yougui was?
Then there were the bits and pieces of their work together, no matter how much work he had unfinished, whenever she was in need, Wong Qiao always managed to find time to help. Whenever she was overwhelmed with business, she could breathe a sigh of relief as soon as Wong Qiao returned. Could she ever experience this kind of friendship formed through work again in the future?
Without Wong Qiao, where could she find another man who was almost at her beck and call? If she married Wong Qiao, would he ever argue with his wife? And the lucky wife would probably be Zhou Biyao.
Sigh... people really should be young, for youth grants the capital and the vigor to seize opportunities and command the elements. And she had grown old; in this era, at her age from two lifetimes, she would probably be considering marital prospects for her daughter by now.
Ye Xinyan hesitated as she looked toward the distant Qi Family Courtyard, dreading that upon returning, she would have to suppress her emotions and pretend to deal with the people in the courtyard as if nothing had happened, hating this backward system and era with no privacy.
But it was not possible not to go back; her lingering in this area had already drawn gazes from the people at the courtyard’s entrance.
Ye Xinyan, wearing an expressionless face, turned around and said to the three people behind her, "Don’t mention my conversation with Wong Qiao to anyone. Do not speak of it to Nanny Jin or Grandfather either." She specifically glanced at Anshun’s Household, "Nanny Qiao, remember to restrain these two." Fortunately, the ones accompanying her today were Jiu Yue and Jiu Mei, not involving Prince Yu’s Mansion.
At times , Ye Xinyan realized how inconvenient it was to always have attendants around, and even more so when those people belonged to another household. When Jinrong had sent people over, she hadn’t minded, thinking she had nothing to do behind people’s backs, and she wasn’t afraid of anyone watching her.
Sigh, what else can be done, let’s go back. In this era, an originally common person could feel a sense of achievement beyond others, but she missed the days of the past even more—those inconspicuous, yet very solid days lost in the crowd.
After seeing the servant from Anshun’s Household and the two maids agree cautiously, Ye Xinyan collected her scattered thoughts and started walking back.
Just as she took steps toward her own courtyard, someone from the Qi Family Courtyard came out, leading a horse, and headed straight in her direction.
"Lord Jiang?" Ye Xinyan stopped in her tracks and asked Anshun’s Household.
Someone from Anshun’s Household stepped half a pace forward and bent slightly to reply, "Indeed, it is Lord Jiang."
Ye Xinyan looked at the sky and muttered to herself, "It’s already late morning, what is he doing leading the horse out? Wasn’t he injured?"
Seeing that his mistress was talking to herself, the servant from Anshun’s Household didn’t chime in. He also secretly wondered what Lord Jiang was doing coming out alone with a horse, and if he was heading toward them.
Thinking this, the servant from Anshun’s Household couldn’t help but worry. Lord Jiang paid close attention to his mistress’s whereabouts. Had he just seen his mistress talking to Third Master Wong alone? If his mistress had a future, it would be best for her to be with Lord Jiang. A reconciled couple was always better than remarrying into another family. Moreover, Lord Jiang seemed quite decent overall, with good character, talent, and knowledge. Now he was also very close with His Highness Prince Yu, and was entirely a suitable match in terms of status.
Ye Xinyan had just paused to ask a question and then continued on her way back. Whatever Jiang Yifan was up to, he had his own servants to handle it. If they couldn’t manage, there were still Guan He and Jinrong, and it had nothing to do with her. She still needed to muster the energy to deal with her family and the various people stationed in her house—it was draining.
Her dispirited pace was slow, but Jiang Yifan’s strides were large, and he quickly blocked Ye Xinyan’s path.
With no one else around and given their estranged relationship, Ye Xinyan couldn’t be bothered to perform the usual courtesies and without greeting him, she simply glanced at the man and horse blocking her path and asked, "Does Lord Jiang plan to take a leisurely ride? Then please hurry on, don’t stand in the way. I’m quite vexed at the moment."
Jiang Yifan seemed even less inclined to deal with her, not offering a single word in response. Instead, he nodded to the servant from Anshun’s Household and said, "Nanny Qiao, I have a few words to say to the young mistress. Could you lead everyone away to give us some privacy?"
Hm? Surprise was unmistakable in Ye Xinyan’s eyes. She had just said the same to Anshun’s Household. She wanted to determine Wong Qiao’s feelings toward Zhou Biyao or herself. What about Jiang Yifan; what was he planning to say?