Chapter 568: Chapter 566: Taking Care of One’s Own Affairs
“This…” Jiang Yifan glanced towards the direction where Ye Xinyan and Zhou Biyao were seated below the western chamber, troubled, he said, “I do want to hurry things along, but that also requires Ah Yan’s willingness, and my senior brother isn’t willing to give more help.”
Guan He looked around and, seeing no one paying attention to them, spoke in a low voice, “I would like to help, but your wife is so tricky. Why should I provoke her for no good reason? Speaking lightly doesn’t work, speaking harshly is just as useless, and who knows when she might turn hostile. Not only will I miss out on als, but she might also send Zi Ning back at any ti, changing who looks after Qi Jia.”
“Ah Yan would deny you als?” Jiang Yifan didn’t believe it.
“There would still be food,” Guan He spread his hands, “but sohow she knows what I like to eat. Once she’s annoyed, for several days in a row, the als would be rich but all things I can’t stomach. As for matters concerning Ye Xinyan… I won’t get involved, she’s too hot to handle.”
Guan He shook his head repeatedly.
“As for Zi Ning,” Jiang Yifan hesitated for a mont. If his senior brother was really set on marrying Zi Ning, he’d have to be careful with how he addressed her in the future. “What exactly do you an, Senior Brother? Do you like her or not? If you do, why don’t you just marry her and settle down?”
Guan He paused in eating his grilled kidney, then continued to bite into it.
Jiang Yifan, holding the iron tongs on both ends, also bit into a piece of grilled kidney. While chewing, he watched Guan He, waiting for him to speak.
Guan He stopped for a mont, then picked up the wine jug to pour drinks for both of them. He took a sip first and then slowly said, “I haven’t decided yet.”
Jiang Yifan choked, casually glancing around, then said, “Senior Brother, you’d better decide soon, make up your mind earlier rather than later. Otherwise, you might delay Zi Ning, not to ntion, you’ll be the death of .”
Guan He scoffed, “Delay what? The girl doesn’t understand anything, she’s completely clueless. So innocent she could live for two hundred years — the one who’s being delayed is , alright? And as for you, look at yourself, all you think about is yourself. What does Zi Ning’s matter have to do with you?”
Jiang Yifan looked crestfallen as he complained, “Senior Brother, you’ve been a playboy for twenty or thirty years, of course, you don’t care. But Ah Yan is very protective; if you ss things up with Zi Ning, Ah Yan will take it out on .”
Guan He’s expression turned complex. It took him a long ti before he said to Jiang Yifan, “Kid, with my temperant, I’m actually not suited for settling down. If I get married, what am I supposed to do when I can’t stand being at ho one day? Can I really just abandon the girl? Wouldn’t that be too pitiful?”
Jiang Yifan blinked several tis, astonished, and said, “It turns out, Senior Brother, that you should be the one hurrying to get married. It’s quite obvious you have feelings.”
Guan He gave him a cool glance, “I’m asking you a question, don’t change the subject.”
Jiang Yifan said with a smile, “I’m serious. Senior Brother, just think about it: if you don’t marry Zi Ning, so discerning guy might sweep her off her feet. Then, Zi Ning will be soone else’s wife, and you might find it difficult even to get another glance at her.”
“Soone else’s wife? Zi Ning?” Guan He was imdiately stirred, his gaze fell on Zi Ning: Other n? I’d wring their necks!
Jiang Yifan nodded earnestly, “That’s right. Senior Brother, think about it, in the future, only her husband and children can be close to her. You won’t have any place to interfere. Would you really want Zi Ning’s husband to be another man?”
“Don’t talk, let think,” Guan He imdiately felt that even the delicious grilled kidneys lost their usual flavor.
anwhile, Zhou Biyao montarily forgot about Wong Qiao and her pain, watching Guan He and Jiang Yifan from a distance, she asked Ye Xinyan, “Sister Qi, what are they talking about? They look so sneaky, and they keep glancing our way.”
Ye Xinyan shot a glance over and said, “Never mind them. Whatever they’re discussing in private, let’s just pretend we know nothing about it.”
“Big Brother Guan is still watching Zi Ning intently,” said Zhou Biyao.
“Is he?” Ye Xinyan was a bit distracted. Speaking of which, Zi Ning wasn’t so young either, but this girl seed to be a bit clueless about matters between n and won. Not only did she not care much, but it seed she didn’t really have any thoughts on the subject.
Big Brother Guan wasn’t reliable either. If he found her agreeable, wouldn’t it be more reassuring to take her to his house? Then he could look at her whenever he wanted, in any way he desired. If he continued to drag his feet, she really would have to ntion a prospective husband to Zi Ning.
“Sister Qi, do you think Big Brother Guan likes Zi Ning?” Zhou Biyao asked in a low voice.
Ye Xinyan almost choked, “Second Miss Zhou, shouldn’t you get your own affairs in order first?” You really have a big heart.
“Oh,” said Zhou Biyao, pursing her lips. That’s right, her own matters were truly difficult.
Zhou Biyao looked at the roasted at, grilled tofu, and the delicious dipping sauces in front of her and felt the urge to vomit. The feeling of being forced to eat by Sister Qi was truly unpleasant. She was so unfortunate— despite having no appetite, she had to keep stuffing food down to maintain appearances in front of Lady Zhao. She really wanted to throw up.
…
In mid-December, Zhou Bingyi, the Prefect of Yuyuan Prefecture, sent soone to bring his daughter back for the New Year celebrations.
Even though Lady Zhao did not favor Zhou Biyao as a daughter-in-law for the Wong family, she understood the importance of propriety and knew not only to treat the Prefectural Magistrate’s daughter with respect but also not neglect the servants from the Prefectural Magistrate’s Residence. On the few occasions they t, Lady Zhao was ticulously polite and cautious, giving Zhou Biyao great relief.
Ye Xinyan’s words made sense to her. If she married Wong Qiao, with Lady Zhao as her mother-in-law and dissatisfied with the marriage, she was sure to have a hard ti.
However, she still wanted to et Wong Qiao and hear his opinion before making a decision.
A husband like him, who shared her interests and wanted them to work together, was probably soone she wouldn’t find a second ti. Consequently, she was willing to wait—wait for Wong Qiao’s feelings for her to stay unchanged, wait for him to resolve the matter with Lady Zhao.
Therefore, filled with hope and torn by anxiety, Zhou Biyao left Clear Water Village.
With Zhou Biyao’s departure, Lady Zhao too relaxed. Although she explicitly stated that her family did not dare marry the Prefectural Magistrate’s young lady, and afterward, the Second Miss neither pressed her with authority nor gave her any extra favor, hoping she would change her mind, her heart was still uneasy, not knowing when this young lady from the official family might suddenly create trouble.
Fortunately, the young lady did not cause any trouble, and the Prefectural Magistrate’s servants treated her and Xiuqin normally, smoothly taking the young lady away.
Thinking about it, without the marriage arrangent with Ah Qiao, this young lady probably wouldn’t co back for the New Year, would she?
They say daughters from great families are well-mannered and proper, but Second Miss Zhou really had no manners, chasing after a man without knowing when to stop. Despite Second Miss Zhou’s good family background, this behavior alone was enough for her to look down on her.
…
Although Jiang Yifan spent the New Year with the Qi family, Madam Yin did not see any heartwarming scenes between the two young people.
But Madam Yin took it in stride. After all, they were unmarried n and won, and they had previously faced a life-and-death separation as ex-husband and ex-wife. It was already good that they were treating each other with due respect. In such a situation, the most important thing was for the two children to get along. With ti, the affection would naturally develop.
Reviews
All reviews (0)