Zhu Jiayu stopped, feeling it was inappropriate for an outsider like herself to enter at this time. However, Xiao Wan didn't seem to care at all. She walked forward on her own and, upon entering, noticed that Zhu Jiayu hadn't followed. She turned to her with a smile and asked, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and follow me!"
Helpless, Zhu Jiayu had no choice but to hurry forward and go inside.
At this moment, the woman kneeling in the hall stopped crying, pursed her lips, and said softly, "Since Madam wishes to see guests, I will take my leave now."
Before the woman sitting in the hall could speak, Xiao Wan preemptively said, "There's no need to leave in such a hurry. It's not something shameful. Why don't we settle it all while I'm here, so you won't have to come back again next time? What do you say, A-Fan?"
Before Xiao Wan arrived, Ye Yunfan sat in a chair, pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed. Only when she heard Xiao Wan's voice did she slowly open her eyes and say:
“That makes sense. If you have any grievances or suffering, you can tell me what you can tell Madam Ning. After all, she and I are closer than sisters. As for you, I really don’t want to see you a second time.”
The woman below remained kneeling, her eyes lowered. Even as Xiao Wan and Ye Yunfan spoke, she refused to utter another word, clearly displaying a certain pride and unwilling to lose face in front of outsiders.
However, even though she remained silent, Xiao Wan was unwilling to let her go.
She led Zhu Jiayu to sit down, picked up her teacup, took a sip of the Yun Gen Xue Ya tea served by a servant, and smiled:
“Ayu, you heard what she said just now, didn’t you? No matter what your Aunt Ye and I say, it’s like we’re bullying the weak. But you’re different. You’re still young and have a clear mind. How about this, you decide this matter on behalf of Aunt Ye?”
She put down her teacup, and although her tone was gentle, it carried an unyielding firmness that left no room for refusal.
Zhu Jiayu could only say "yes" naturally.
She pondered for a moment and said, "Although Ayu is still young, she understands that human desires cannot be nurtured."
After she finished speaking, Ye Yunfan's nonchalant expression faded, and she looked seriously at the girl speaking below the hall, then listened as she continued:
"This young lady has sought favor today, and she will surely demand status and honor in the future. Once she gives birth to a child, there will inevitably be a struggle for the family fortune. Even if Aunt Ye has a kind heart, she should know the principle of raising a tiger to cause trouble."
These few words turned the woman's face pale, and her eyes were filled with tears, making her look extremely pitiful.
Ye Yunfan sat up straight, nodded and smiled as she asked the woman kneeling in the hall, "Miss Zhu, did you hear what you said clearly? If Xi Fuchuan truly had any feelings for you, you shouldn't be the one begging me today. Can't you even see that?"
To put it bluntly, Xi Fuchuan didn't want to take her into his family, but he couldn't get rid of her, so he passed this hot potato to Ye Yunfan.
Seeing that the woman below the hall remained unmoved, Ye Yunfan finally lost his patience. He called a maid to drag her away before smiling and saying to Xiao Wan, "Your niece is indeed a beautiful and intelligent girl."
Xiao Wan nodded and smiled lightly: "Who says otherwise?"
She had initially worried that her niece was not up to par, but after everything that happened today, she could finally put her mind at ease. Her beauty and talent were indeed praiseworthy.
After the two laughed, Xiao Wan couldn't help but sigh again: "I told you from the beginning that even if it was an arranged marriage, you should have found someone with good character. Why did you have to pick a playboy like Xi Fuchuan, who only causes you trouble?"
Hearing Xiao Wan say this, Ye Yunfan's expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Zhu Jiayu tug at his friend's sleeve, so he changed his question and asked, "Does Ayu have something to say?"
Zhu Jiayu stood up gracefully, curtsied, and said, "I've heard that Aunt Ye's garden is exquisitely decorated. I'd like to see it for myself, but I don't know if Aunt Ye will allow it?"
Ye Yunfan glanced at Xiao Wan, shook his head and smiled, "Since you are Wan'er's niece, you are naturally my niece too. Now that you're here at my residence, feel at ease as if you're at home. If you want to see something, go ahead and take a look. I'll have a maid take you."
Zhu Jiayu's desire to see the gardens of the Xi family mansion was a pretense; her real intention was not to stay in the hall and listen to Ye Yunfan and Xiao Wan's conversation. The previous gatherings among noble ladies were fine on the surface, lively and bustling, but few people actually spoke their true feelings in private. However, things were different now. Women who were close friends were most likely to open up and share their innermost thoughts when no one was around.
Zhu Jiayu felt that if she stayed in the hall, she would inevitably be forced to hear some secrets, which would not benefit her, and she was afraid that Ye Xiao and the other man would also feel uneasy. It would be better for her to leave on her own initiative and give both parties some peace and quiet.
Xiao Wan and Ye Yunfan understood her intentions perfectly well. Watching her disappear into the distance, Ye Yunfan sighed again, "It's truly remarkable how insightful she is."
Xiao Wan smiled and recounted the scene in the teahouse to her. Finally, she smiled and said, "To be honest, I was a little worried at first about whether it was the right or wrong to bring them to Yujing. But today I can finally put my mind at ease. Ayu is a smart child, and her intelligence lies in her sense of proportion. She is my only niece and the only bloodline heir of the Zhu family. Her intelligence makes all my efforts worthwhile."
"I imagine Old Madam Xiao will be pleased to see her. So please relax and take good care of yourself during your pregnancy," Ye Yunfan said with a smile, knowing what she was thinking.
...
Zhu Jiayu's claim that she wanted to admire the garden of the Xi family mansion was naturally an excuse, but as she walked with her maid through the garden where green vines covered the white walls and red flowers adorned the black tiles, she couldn't help but marvel at the exquisite beauty of the Xi family mansion's garden.
The garden is crisscrossed by winding paths, with patterned brick walls peeking through the sparse and deep bamboo groves, and a babbling stream flowing along the other side of the path. In the spacious courtyard, tall and lush sycamore trees stand; along the winding pond bank, willow branches sway gently in the breeze.
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