Chapter 317 Do you like me?
Sister Ye Jiner was chatting with Shen Manman in the Golden Flower Room.
Xiaoyan was also there, and several maids were chatting with her while helping her with embroidery.
At this time, Yinhua came in through the curtain: "Big sister."
Shen Manman smiled and said, “Hey, Yinhua, I haven’t seen you for a long time!”
Yinhua smiled shyly, this was the first time she saw Shen Manman again since she stopped going to school.
We used to be close classmates, but after just one month of not seeing each other, I felt a sense of strangeness and awkwardness.
Shen Manman asked, “Why does Yinhua seem to be darker?”
Yinhua sat down next to Jinhua: "It's been very hot these past few days... and I've been quite busy."
Shen Manman smiled and said, “Actually, whether you are studying or working, as long as you are happy, that’s fine.”
Yinhua smiled and nodded.
"Oh, didn't I give you a bracelet last time? Did you receive it?"
"Bracelet?"
Jinhua exclaimed, "Oh, I forgot."
Last time, Shen Manman gave two bracelets to Jinhua and asked her to bring them back.
But when she got home, Jinhua was so busy with the shop affairs that she forgot about it.
After Jinhua finished speaking, she hurried to the dressing table, opened the drawer, and took out two pearl bracelets: "This is Yinhua's, and this is Xiaoyan's."
Xiaoyan took it and put it on her hand immediately: "It looks good. Thank you Manman."
"Thank you, Sister Man." Yinhua also put it on her hand, but the fluorescent white pearl bracelet looked a little abrupt on her slightly dark wrist.
Shen Manman smiled and said, "Is the embroidery shop going to open the day after tomorrow? I will go there to sell things then. I have never sold anything before!"
Ye Jiner: "Sister Man can just be a guest and drive consumption."
The maids chatted about the embroidery shop and their classes, it was very lively.
Yinhua, however, was unable to get a word in. She sat awkwardly aside, trying hard to maintain a smile.
At this time, Guixiang walked in and said, "Miss, Madam Ye is calling for dinner."
Ye Jin'er jumped on the long Luohan bed: "Great, I've been hungry for a long time."
The sisters went out together laughing and joking.
Yinhua breathed a sigh of relief, and Jinhua quickly stepped forward to pull her: "Let's go!"
Yinhua nodded.
The two sisters walked at the back. Jinhua sighed, "Yinhua, relax a little and stop thinking about random things."
Yinhua smiled and said, "I will."
That's what she said, but with her personality like that, how can she let go and change?
Soon, they arrived at Ye Caiping's house.
After Ye Jiner and the others came back, they petted the dog. Their hands got dirty, so they ran to the kitchen to wash their hands.
Yinhua stood listlessly in the east wing corridor.
As soon as Ye Caiping came out of the room, she saw Yinhua and walked over to her: "Yinhua, what are you doing standing here?"
"Little aunt." Yinhua lowered her head. "Nothing. I'm just waiting for Jinhua and Jin'er. Them."
Ye Caiping asked: "Then why don't you go?"
"Well... I didn't touch the dog, so I won't go."
Ye Caiping looked at her: "Why, you don't fit in?"
Yinhua was startled and lowered her head uncomfortably: "I will change for the better and be more relaxed in the future."
Ye Caiping shook her head: "There's nothing to change. You're an introvert and like quietness, so do something you like. If you feel uncomfortable staying with Jin'er and the others, then leave. There's no need to put yourself in a difficult position and put on a smiling face."
“Since introverts cannot become extroverts, and since you prefer quietness to crowds, then just do your own thing quietly. Being lively has its advantages, and being quiet has its advantages.”
"Just remember one thing, don't let yourself down."
Yinhua was slightly startled, then nodded as if she understood.
At this time, Jin'er and the others also came back. Ye Huan'er smiled and said, "Mom, let's go and take a seat."
Ye Caiping smiled and said, "Okay, you girls sit together."
…
Ye Caiping went out of the door with a few maids.
Eight women, including Ye Caiping, Old Lady Ye, Mrs. Du, the headman's wife, and Second Aunt Ye, sat at the same table.
Ye Jiner and six other girls sat at one table, and with Hu Xiuxiu, that was enough.
At this time, a well-maintained woman in her early forties came over with a pretty girl of about seventeen or eighteen.
The woman smiled and said, "Jin'er, can Auntie and your sister Hongying sit here?"
Ye Jiner smiled and nodded: "Aunt Rong, please sit down."
Aunt Rong’s husband is Ye Rong, who is Ye Lizheng’s nephew.
Ye Fu, who had taken the examination for the status of a student with Ye Xuan before, was Ye Rong's son.
Ye Rong is an old student who has long stopped taking the imperial examinations. He works as an accountant in a jewelry shop, and Aunt Rong is the owner of the shop.
Before Ye Caiping came back, their family was the richest and most respectable family in the village.
Of course, it’s considered decent now.
Aunt Rong smiled and said, "Then we'll sit here."
Aunt Rong pulled her daughter Ye Hongying to sit down.
Hu Xiuxiu was just about to sit here, but when she saw that the table was full, she had to squeeze to the table with Ye Caiping and Old Lady Ye.
The Shen Zhiyan brothers, Prefect Qin, County Magistrate He, and Zhu Sinong all sat in the outer hall.
Ye Caiping and Ye Jiner's seats were set up in the inner courtyard.
With the sound of firecrackers, the banquet officially began.
Eight meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, roasted whole chicken, eight-treasure duck, braised pork elbow... and some things that the villagers have never seen before.
Upon asking, I found out that the dish was the legendary Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which contains abalone!
When the villagers heard this, many of them rushed to eat it.
The kids who couldn’t get the tickets were crying loudly, it was quite lively.
Sister Ye Jin'er and Jinhua were all worldly-wise people, and they ate elegantly and beautifully. Not to mention Shen Manman, who didn't even like to eat meat.
Aunt Rong smiled and said, "I heard that Jin'er and Huan'er are both studying at Miss Shen's house, right?"
Ye Jiner nodded: "Yes."
Aunt Rong looked at Shen Manman: “Miss Shen’s family is really amazing, they even run a girls’ school.”
Shen Manman didn't want to explain too much, so she just nodded: "Yes."
Aunt Rong was even happier when she saw that Shen Manman was easy to talk to: "Well, my Hongying also wants to go to class, Miss Shen, do you think it's okay?"
As he said this, he gently pushed Ye Hongying who was beside him.
Ye Hongying was gnawing on abalone. She was already very restrained, but she still ate one small piece after another. She ate most of the whole bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
He was pushed and quickly gulped down the abalone.
Ye Hongying wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and looked at Shen Manman expectantly.
Shen Manman was a little repulsive: “I can’t make the decision on this matter… I have to ask my father.”
Speaking of Shen Zhiyan, Aunt Rong became even more enthusiastic: “Yes, yes, Miss Shen, please introduce me later.”
Shen Manman: I don’t want to make an introduction.
But considering that she is a relative of Ye Jiner's family, it is not good to offend her.
Aunt Rong looked at Shen Manman and smiled: "I heard that Miss Shen's uncle is a Shangshu, which is amazing. Is your family from the capital?"
Shen Manman: “…”
"Why did you move here from the capital? I've seen you come to our village several times, and I've also met Mr. Shen twice."
Shen Manman: “…”
"Your uncle is here today, right? He really brings honor to our village."
Shen Manman: “…”
"You and your daughter are here, but why is your mother not here?"
Shen Manman was about to explode, she hated people asking her questions!
She hates it even more when people talk about her biological mother!
If she hadn't given Ye Caiping face, she would have wanted to overturn the table.
Ye Jin'er said with a sullen face: "Aunt Rong, everyone is eating, so stop chatting."
Ye Caiping, who was not far away, also noticed this. She stood up coldly and said, "Manman, come and sit at the same table with your aunt."
Shen Manman was very upset, but after hearing Ye Caiping's words, her mood improved a little. She picked up her chopsticks and bowl and went to Ye Caiping's table.
The village head's wife said, "I'll go over there!"
As he said that, he brought the bowl to Ye Jin'er's table and glared at Aunt Rong: "Good food and delicious dishes can't stop you from talking?"
Aunt Rong was extremely embarrassed and smiled awkwardly.
Ye Caiping picked up a piece of meat and fried fresh bamboo shoots for Shen Manman with chopsticks: "Eat it quickly."
Shen Manman pouted: “Thank you, auntie.”
But while eating, he kept muttering, "I hate it most when people talk about her."
Mrs. Du and others all knew that the "she" Shen Manman was referring to was Manman's biological mother.
They all knew that Manmanniang had divorced Mr. Shen.
I don’t know what’s wrong with Manman Niang. She is willing to leave such a good person like Mr. Shen.
Old Mrs. Ye felt sympathy but also felt fortunate. If Manman's mother hadn't run away, her daughter would have had no chance.
When the banquet was almost over, Shanzi suddenly walked up to Ye Caiping and whispered, "Madam Ye."
Ye Caiping put down her chopsticks: "What's wrong?"
Shanzi slipped a note to Ye Caiping: "Here."
"Huh?" Ye Caiping was puzzled and secretly opened the note. She saw a small fish drawn on it and two question marks.
Ye Caiping was stunned for a moment, with the corners of her lips slightly curled.
Shanzi quickly took out a charcoal pencil from his sleeve.
Ye Caiping took it, ticked a box on it, and returned it to Shanzi.
Old Lady Ye was chatting with Madam Du and turned around to ask, "What's wrong?"
Ye Caiping picked up the chopsticks again and picked up a piece of fish: "Nothing."
After the banquet, Ye Caiping saw off all the important guests and then left in a carriage.
…
Dashu Town, by the river.
The shadows of bamboos danced as Shen Zhiyan calmly sat in his old position fishing. His elegant face was calm and composed, but every once in a while, he would move the fishing line.
After a long while, Ye Caiping finally arrived with fishing gear.
Ye Caiping sat down next to him and started to bait: "Why did you suddenly ask me to come fishing?"
Shen Zhiyan glanced at her and said, "I just suddenly wanted to go fishing with you. Thank you for eating just now."
"About Manman? Oh, come to think of it, I should apologize to you for offending Manman." As he said that, he threw the fishing rod away.
Shen Zhiyan looked at the fishing rods lined up side by side: “You are not curious about Manman’s biological mother at all.”
Ye Caiping turned around and smiled: "I had no interest at all before, but now I am a little interested."
Shen Zhiyan said: "Then I'll tell you."
Ye Caiping was silent for a moment: "Are you just going to... do it forcefully?"
Shen Zhiyan coughed dryly: "...what else?"
Ye Caiping was also a little embarrassed: "Oh, then you tell me."
Shen Zhiyan said calmly: “You should also know something about my family’s situation.”
Ye Caiping nodded.
Shen Zhiyan continued:
"I was born in the Dingguo Marquis's Mansion, a famous military family in the capital. My mother married into the family as a princess. My elder brother followed our father to fight on the battlefield since he was young. My eldest sister became the empress at the age of fifteen."
Ye Caiping was stunned and said, "Oh, your family is a military family? Why don't you become a general?"
Shen Zhiyan said helplessly: "I thought about it when I was a child, but there are too many famous generals in my family, so I can't continue. My father asked me to study."
"Five or six years ago, my brother also handed over his military power and became a civil servant."
Ye Caiping understood that the Shen family was afraid that the emperor would be wary of them, so they let Shen Zhiyan take the literary path.
Ye Caiping said: "Fortunately you are good at studying."
Shen Zhiyan was silent for a while before saying, “In fact, it’s better not to study well. After all, no matter how good you are, you are destined not to be able to show your skills in the court.”
Ye Caiping was stunned for a moment, then understood instantly.
At that time, the Shen family was in power. The elder brother held the military power and the eldest sister was the queen. In the capital, no one dared to claim to be the first if they were second to each other in power.
If Shen Zhiyan were to serve as an official in the court again, the two brothers, one civil and one military, would be powerful enough to dominate the court.
In this way, the Shen family will only become a thorn in the emperor's side.
In order to reduce the emperor's suspicion, Shen Zhiyan was destined not to serve as an official in the court.
After learning both literary and martial arts, he sold them to the imperial family.
As a young top scholar, he is full of ambition and ambition. Who wouldn’t want to do something great?
But for the sake of his family, he had to give up his ambitions and settle for the next best thing, becoming a teacher at the Imperial Academy.
Shen Zhiyan said: "Now it seems that that move was the right one."
"When I was 18, my mother arranged for me to get married, and Manman was born a year later."
"Manmanniang comes from a prominent family and is also a famous talented woman in the capital. She is a perfect match for me. We had a good relationship after marriage, but after a while, we found that we couldn't talk to each other. She likes poetry, songs, calligraphy and painting."
Ye Caiping was stunned: "That's perfect, one of you is a talented man, the other is a talented woman, you are a perfect match, how come you can't talk anymore."
Shen Zhiyan frowned: "Talent, there are many kinds of things. She is the kind of romantic, although I understand, but I don't like it. I like to study."
Ye Caiping understood.
Studying is actually about discussing current affairs and government affairs, but it is taught to one's students.
He is a pragmatist, while his ex-wife is a romantic dreamer.
"Because of this, you're getting divorced?"
"What are you thinking? How is that possible?" Shen Zhiyan looked at her as if he had seen a ghost.
"For a couple, harmony is fate. There is no way to be inharmonious. It is not difficult to respect each other. If you can't talk, then talk less and see each other less. Anyway, there are many yards at home."
Ye Caiping asked: "Then why divorce?"
She actually guessed a little bit. The last time she measured furniture for Shen Zhiyan, Shen Zhiyan briefly told Wang Shuantou and his son about it. She was listening.
Shen Zhiyan said: "My eldest sister has two sons. The eldest son was named the crown prince when he was born. Unfortunately, he died of illness six years ago. The second son was born when my eldest sister was over thirty years old and risked her life to give birth to him."
"Because the crown prince passed away and the second son was just born, the situation of my eldest sister and our Shen family has become increasingly difficult and dangerous."
"At this time, the third prince was suddenly poisoned. All the evidence points to the eldest sister and our Shen family."
"The late emperor was furious. Although he had not yet convicted us, he ordered a large number of troops to surround our Shen family."
"My wife Lin Yaxian, um, her name is Lin Yaxian. But now she wants to divorce me and cut off all ties with our Shen family."
Shen Zhiyan paused and said, "She wants to live, I don't blame her. But Manman... is the person I cherish most. I told her that divorce is fine, but she must take Manman away and give Manman a way to live."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
