The girl who called herself Ruan Xinyue thanked the Yang couple for saving her life, saying that she could never repay the kindness of a meal they had just met by chance and was ashamed to continue to accept other people's favors, so she said goodbye and left.
Seeing that she was a lonely woman with no relatives, the Yang family could not bear to see her leave like this. Mrs. Yang, a vegetarian and a devout Buddhist, tried to persuade her to stay, saying, "If something happens to you after you leave, I will have to live with regret for the rest of my life."
The Yang couple kept Ruan Xinyue and let her recuperate in the Yang family for a while. They could also help her find out about her maternal grandfather, so they would feel relieved when she found him.
Ruan Xinyue stayed at the Yang family, feeling she had received a great favor from the family and volunteered to serve them as a maid, serving them tea and water to repay their kindness. However, the Yang couple, seeing her well-educated, gentle, and dignified, assumed she must be a daughter of a wealthy family, and their family was financially sound. They didn't treat her like a servant, but rather as their own daughter, and the Yang family's daughter, in turn, treated her like a sister.
The Yang family also actively searched for Ruan Xinyue's relatives. They went to look for the family according to the name and address provided by Ruan Xinyue. They found out that there was indeed such a family in Yongyu County, but they had moved away fifteen years ago and there was no news about them now.
Ruan Xinyue asked many times if there was any news about her maternal grandparents, but Yang Yong couldn't bear to tell her that there was no news for the time being. As the number of times went by increased, Ruan Xinyue became less and less hopeful of finding her relatives. Several times when she asked Yang Yong for news, she cried and almost fainted in his arms.
Yang Yong could only persuade him gently, and Ruan Xinyue was moved. She often brought him hot tea and made small items such as purses, shoes, socks, and clothes. After discovering that Yang Yong loved poetry, Ruan Xinyue accompanied him in chatting about poetry and songs. Her thoughts resonated with Yang Yong, and Yang Yong immediately regarded her as a close friend.
Yang Yong was originally a scholar, but he failed the Lü exam and was forced to return home to take over the family business. His parents arranged for him to marry Miss Wang, also a merchant. They had children and a loving family, but unfortunately, Miss Yang lacked poetic talent, and their relationship was unable to resonate harmoniously, a constant regret for Yang Yong.
He never thought that now that he is in middle age, he would actually meet a confidant. Different feelings surged in him, but looking at Ruan Xinyue, who was as delicate as a flower and the same age as his daughter, he could only restrain himself.
Yang Yong thought that if he could not find Ruan Xinyue's maternal grandfather, he would find a suitable marriage for her himself, which would also be considered as fulfilling their friendship. However, his plan was interrupted by the return of Yang Xue, the son of the Yang family.
Yang Xue was a brilliant student, his teachers and classmates all boasting of his promising future and his ability to pass the imperial examinations. He had been studying at an academy for years. While not the top-tier Tushan Academy, it was still a top-tier academy in Yongyu County. This time, during spring break, he had a month to spend at home with his parents.
After returning home, Yang Xue fell in love with Ruan Xinyue at first sight. He neither went out to visit teachers or classmates, nor did he go out to study. He just chased Ruan Xinyue every day. One day he invited her to appreciate flowers, the next day he asked her to go boating on the lake, and he also gave her gorgeous clothes, brocade, pearls and jade jewelry, like a lovestruck young man.
Mrs. Yang was happy to see this. After all, it was time for Young Master Yang Xue to get married. Although Ruan Xinyue came from a poor family, she was well-educated, well-mannered and beautiful. She really liked Ruan Xinyue during her time in the Yang family. It would be great if Ruan Xinyue could be her daughter-in-law.
But Yang Yong felt...smiling on his face but crying in his heart. The closer the relationship between his son and Ruan Xinyue, the more painful he felt, and he suppressed his emotions every day.
If things could be stable, Yang Xue and Ruan Xinyue would get married and go out to study, perhaps Yang Yong's feelings would fade, and the family would continue to live happily.
Unfortunately, Ruan Xinyue didn’t like Yang Xue, but Yang Yong!
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