Chapter 030: Playing, Chatting, Snow

During this period, Yangzhou Prefecture was a major transport hub and salt industry center, with extensive waterways extending in all directions. It served as a hub for many travelers traveling north and south. In the early years, the Fang family often transited through this area on their way between the capital and the Qiongzhou Strait.

Yangzhou Prefecture is divided into the old and new city. The old city is the walled city built when the Zhao Kingdom was first established. As the city prospered and its population grew, expansion began in the middle of the Zhao Kingdom. This is the new city. The newly expanded Yangzhou Prefecture covers an area three times that of the old city.

Ximen Street where the Liu family's residence is located belongs to the old city, while Nanhexia where the Qin family's residence is located belongs to the new city.

The next day after arriving at the Liu family, Qin Xue went to the Liu family again early in the morning, and then took Fang, who had been prepared long ago, and started her journey of eating, drinking and having fun.

She planned to take Fang for a walk around the city walls that day, and when they came across something delicious and fun, they would stop there to eat, drink and have fun.

After seeking Fang's consent, the two women, one old and one young, said goodbye. Liu Zhiyan, who was looking at them with resentment because he was not allowed to play with them today, got on the carriage and set off.

The carriage left Ximen Street. Fang looked at the figure who hadn't left yet, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sourness in her heart. "This brat, he never wanted to hang out with an old woman like me even when I begged him in the past. But today he's eager to follow me. It's true that the young girl is more charming than the old woman."

Although Qin Xue had only spent time with this grandparents and grandchildren yesterday, one day was enough for her to see clearly how they got along.

When they are a good match, they think each other is perfect in every way. But once they start to argue, they find nothing good about each other and have to find fault with each other.

At first, seeing the two grandparents and grandchildren inexplicably "confronting each other", she hurried to appease one side and calm the other side, but in the end she inexplicably became the target of attack by the two grandparents and grandchildren.

So, she understood a truth, that is, she should not get involved in the affairs of these two grandparents and grandchildren.

It's just like when the old lady asked her, when her father and Liu Zhiyan had a conflict, she chose not to help either of them.

So when Qin Xue heard the old lady's disdainful words, she didn't agree with her, but changed the subject, "Grandmother Liu knows Lord Ye, right?"

Fang had already learned from Liu Zhiyan that neither the Qin family nor Qin Xue knew the true identity of their daughter-in-law.

Hearing her mention her daughter-in-law, she was very curious why this girl suddenly mentioned Lord Ye. "Lord Ye is from Suzhou Prefecture. Everyone in Suzhou Prefecture, from the old to the young, knows her."

Qin Xue thought to herself, "Is it because everyone admires her so much and wants to emulate her?"

"Of course." Fang knew the reason why this girl and her daughter-in-law had a relationship. She also knew that it was because she said in front of her daughter-in-law that she admired her daughter-in-law and wanted to learn from her. After chatting with her for a few sentences, her daughter-in-law realized that she had a good talent for dealing with people, so she asked her grandson who was not very willing to teach at a technical college to teach this girl.

Of course, she only heard that from her grandson. Now she really wanted to hear what the person in question had to say. "Why do you ask that? Could it be that Xiaoxue'er also wants to imitate her?"

Hearing her ask this, Qin Xue's face showed piety, "A good person like Master Ye, anyone who knows her should want to learn from her, and I am no exception."

"However, I mentioned her to you now because I wanted to tell you that the end of West Street is the West City Gate, and not far north from the West City Gate is the Slender West Lake. The branch academy established by Lord Ye is not far from the Slender West Lake."

"Next time we go out of town to visit Slender West Lake, we can go for a walk around the branch academy."

"Minxing said you're good at foreign languages. Do you plan to study at a specialized academy in the future?"

"I do." Qin Xue nodded firmly. "I know that even if I get into the branch academy, it will be difficult for me to see Lord Ye, who is always busy with official duties. But I heard that after entering the branch academy, if you perform well and excel in your studies, you have the opportunity to be promoted to the Beijing branch academy."

"Lord Ye occasionally teaches at the Beijing Branch Academy. If you go to the Beijing Academy, you might be able to meet her in person."

When saying this, Qin Xue's face was full of longing, which was an expression that people could only have after they had clearly defined what they were pursuing.

Fang really wanted to see what kind of expression Qin Xue would have when she knew the true identity of the Sister Ye she mentioned. She secretly decided in her heart that she must witness that moment with her daughter-in-law. "You have your own plans, which is good."

"These are the thoughts that came to me after I started to admire Master Ye. Master Ye can be said to be a mentor that I have never met."

Fang has heard similar words many times over the years.

Even so, every time she heard it, she would still feel a sense of pride in her heart. "If Lord Ye knew that she could have such a great influence on a girl he had never met, he would definitely be very happy."

"Tell you a secret, she's actually my mentor as well."

Qin Xue covered her mouth and looked at her in disbelief. "Really?" After receiving Fang's confirmation, her eyes were as smiling as a rat that had stolen some fish. "Then wouldn't our relationship as sisters be formal?"

No wonder the daughter-in-law thinks this girl is suitable for dealing with people. She is really good at chatting and making connections.

What lady in her seventies wouldn't be overjoyed to hear a teenage girl say they were her junior sisters?!

Fang was so happy that her eyes widened with surprise. "Now that you mention it, it really is the case."

After receiving her approval, Qin Xue bowed to her in a quirky manner, "Senior Sister, I am honored to be here."

Fang was so amused by her weird behavior that she burst into laughter. She wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and said with a smile from ear to ear, "When I go back later, I will tell Minxing that I have a new junior sister today. So, he should call you Grandmother, hahahaha!"

"..." Oops, I was so excited about the conversation that I forgot the person in front of me was my sweetheart's grandmother. I accidentally let my sweetheart down again.

Woo woo woo, she really didn't mean it, but she found that this family was different from everyone she had ever met.

Neither Sister Ye nor Grandma Liu in front of her acted like an elder when chatting with her.

The most important thing is that no matter what she said, they would always respond with a smile and never think she was being unruly.

Thinking of this, Qin Xue eagerly asked Fang, "Grandma Liu, are all the people in your family so interesting?"

Fang shook her head to deny her words, "Didn't I just say that Lady Ye is also my mentor. What I learned from her, in addition to the survival skills to make myself stand out in the world, is also the open-minded style of dealing with things." The survival skills are all the desserts in Fang's dessert shop.

"As long as a person has an open mind, no matter where he goes or what happens, he can face it calmly."

"I was once a young widow, a peasant woman with two sons and a daughter, all waiting for marriage gifts and dowries. At that time, I felt that life was dark and there was no end in sight. Later, influenced by Lord Ye, I gradually emerged from that difficult state."

"Now, after several decades, I've become more open-minded. Otherwise, how could I let that brat Minxing remain unmarried at such an old age? And how could I accept his marriage to you?"

Qin Xue felt depressed when she learned that Fang lost her husband at a young age.

Since she had never heard Liu Zhiyan mention his grandfather, she knew that his grandfather was probably no longer alive.

But she didn't expect that her grandfather passed away so early.

Under such circumstances, Fang was still able to arrange marriages for her two sons and one daughter. She was truly remarkable. "You and Lord Ye are both remarkable people. Lord Ye cares about the whole family, and you care about your own. You both take good care of your families."

"Also, thank you for agreeing to my marriage with Zhiyan. I will live a good life with him and will not let you down."

Now that the conversation had come to this, Fang felt it was time to discuss some of the details of marriage and life. "Girl, remember, marriage is only the starting point of married life, not the end. From this starting point to the end, there is a long road to go. There will inevitably be some bumps along the way, but as long as you two can think and work together, there will be no obstacles that cannot be overcome."

"So if there's a conflict, as long as the two of you sit down, analyze the cause of the conflict together, and then resolve it together, everything will be fine."

Her father told her that Liu Zhiyan was a little older, but older men knew how to care for others better, and her life would be easier after marriage.

Everything Liu Zhiyan did after she expressed her feelings told her that what her father said made sense.

Qin Xue felt that given Liu Zhiyan's thoughtfulness and tolerance towards her, there would probably not be too many conflicts between them.

However, she listened carefully to what Fang said and kept it in mind, "Okay, I will." In preparation for future emergencies.

"If you really encounter something that you can't solve even if you sit down, just go find your sister Ye. She will definitely be able to help you solve it."

"I think so too." Qin Xue would do it herself without Fang's instructions.

She felt that her sister Ye was very capable and it would be right to turn to her when she had problems.

Although the young girl didn't know that the "Sister Ye" she was referring to was actually the Lord Ye she adored, it didn't stop her from completely trusting her daughter-in-law. Therefore, even if her daughter-in-law didn't hold the prestigious position of the Great Zhao Kingdom's top female official, the charm she exuded was irresistible. "We're all lucky. I once had a good mother-in-law, too."

"This shows that the Liu family has a good family tradition. You have a good mother-in-law, and Sister Ye has a good mother-in-law like you. And I can also have a good mother-in-law like Sister Ye. We are of the same lineage."

Fang liked the way she spoke of her marriage with such ease and grace, "This is indeed a good family tradition. I'll have them write it into the family motto and pass it down from generation to generation. Then our family will always be this good."

"The women who joined the Liu family thanks to this good family tradition must be happy to do so."