CHAPTER 813: CHAPTER 811: VERY STRANGE

Duke An’s words left Ye Xinyan speechless. A gentleman ten times better? As if you could truly find one. And such a handsome gentleman, how can you be so confident?

If finding a gentleman ten times better than Jiang Yifan were so easy, she might not even be interested in him. Cough cough... this sounds a bit too arrogant and heartless.

Well, she did actually admire Jiang Yifan as a person. Yes, that’s right, it was Jiang Yifan who moved her, so she agreed to the marriage.

... Why does the more she explains, the more awkward it sounds?

"Uh-huh, grandfather, you have a point. But even if it’s just for show, we still need to ask the groom’s opinion, don’t we?"

Duke An probably also realized it wouldn’t be easy to find a man ten times better than Jiang Yifan, so he nodded in agreement, "Then you need to hurry up, you’re at an age where you really can’t delay any longer."

Ye Xinyan rolled her eyes and gave Duke An a furious glare. The way he spoke made it seem like she was already old and wrinkled. She was getting remarried, wasn’t she? Being a bit older was quite normal, right?

......

Upon returning from her long journey, she definitely needed to visit her grandfather’s house.

The next day, Qi Jiaer and Qi Sanshun went to school, and since Ye Xinyan had promised yesterday to take Ye Yuan out to play, she brought Ye Yuan along to Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion.

In the past, whenever Madam Yin saw Ye Yuan, she always felt a pang in her heart. But after returning to Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, her mood gradually brightened, and seeing the carefree little one who never stopped smiling at her, her heart steadily softened.

During the months when Ye Xinyan was away, Qi Jiaer and Qi Sanshun would visit Madam Yin at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, sometimes taking the liberty of bringing Ye Yuan along.

Duke An and Maternal Aunt Zhao naturally welcomed this and even encouraged it behind the scenes. In Duke An’s view, the children at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion were all accomplished, and if Ye Yuan could play with them, it was certainly a good thing.

After a few more visits, if a long time passed without seeing the little one, Madam Yin would even actively inquire about his well-being.

Ye Yuan played and teased with Ye Xinyan for a while on the carriage, then peered through the window, wide-eyed, watching the people and carriages outside. Upon seeing new sights, he would incessantly babble to himself.

Upon arriving at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, Ye Xinyan took Ye Yuan to greet the elders of the mansion, meeting relatives of the same and younger generations, before settling Ye Yuan down to play with the grandson of her second uncle’s family.

She intended to have a heart-to-heart talk with her mother, but when she entered Madam Yin’s room, her joyful heart took a harsh blow.

Yesterday, she had secretly praised her mother for being understanding and not pushing her into marriage—at least not in such haste. But she underestimated the fervor of female elders regarding such matters.

After her round of greetings and settling Ye Yuan, upon entering Madam Yin’s room, she was startled by the number of people present.

Ye Xinyan barely sat down, the tea offered by the maid yet to reach her hands, when an unrelenting offensive began.

"Xinyan, you can’t delay matters any longer. Look at your cousin, she’s two years younger than you and already has two sons. You need to pay attention." Since her niece was already married, Madam Sun, being straightforward, spoke directly.

Ye Xinyan stared wide-eyed at Madam Sun, her heart swelling with endless melancholy. Two sons? Just what kind of expectations was her aunt placing upon her?

"Indeed, Xinyan. You’re your mother’s only daughter. If you marry early, your mother’s heart can settle sooner. If you have children, your mother’s heart will be even more at ease." Madam Cao, seated squarely in the middle of the kang, addressed Ye Xinyan.

Such classic marriage-pushing talk—it seems that even a millennium later, this approach still holds sway.

Madam Yin timely remarked, "Why even bother asking Yuanfan? There’s no need. Ah Yan, don’t you remember how eager Yuanfan was during his proposal before the New Year? If you tell him you’ll marry him tomorrow, he’ll be overjoyed."

Ye Xinyan glared accusingly at Madam Yin. So her own mother was the most unreliable of all. Could you not spare your daughter some dignity? Marry him tomorrow? How’s that any different from eloping?

Thankfully, Madam Sun was more composed, gently scolding Madam Yin, "Yingnan, look at you, how can you speak like that to the child? Our daughter is a proper young lady; how can it be ’marry him tomorrow’? Even if they are reconciling as a couple, they should choose a good date and make it splendid."

Second Aunt-in-law Lady Wei quickly chimed in, "Indeed, our Xinyan is different from other girls. Whichever family is fortunate enough to marry Xinyan, their lineage will have deep roots. The marriage shouldn’t be rushed; it must be grand and lively."

Then, quite peculiarly, the four elders excluded Ye Xinyan and began discussing whom to invite, how grand the ceremony should be, the size of the dowry, the style of the wedding dress, even what quality pearls to sew onto the veil.

The more Ye Xinyan listened, the more alarmed she became. After an hour, she almost felt as if everything had been decided, and she was merely waiting to be married the next day.

Goodness, the ancient elders’ marriage push is terrifying. Fortunately, the elders were so absorbed in their discussion that they overlooked many things, allowing Ye Xinyan to slip away unnoticed.

She went to her second uncle’s courtyard to find her cousin Yin Yuanfang, finally sitting quietly for a while and catching her breath. After all, her cousin was still young, unlikely to speak so drastically about marriage.

It seems that in the future, she’d have to pick the best days to visit Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, never on such idle and uneventful days. Like today, where the whole mansion had nothing better to do—if she came, it was essentially stepping into an obvious trap.

......

Although, for modern person Ye Xinyan, discussing wedding plans and dates with her fiancé seems normal, faced with such a difficult decision, her immediate instinct was to delay further.

Handling the two waves of marriage urging from Duke An’s Mansion and Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion on the first and second days back.

On the third day, she used the excuse of going to work at Guangsha Construction to leave the mansion right after breakfast.

Having been busy outside for so long, going to work immediately wasn’t feasible. Besides, the construction projects at Guangsha were wrapping up, leaving little to do.

Not only did she not work at the construction industry herself, but she also pulled Zhou Biyao, who was working there, away.

Sitting in the carriage, Ye Xinyan promised Zhou Biyao, "It’s just about replicating the blueprints, categorizing, and archiving. Don’t worry, in a few days I’ll help you, and it’ll be done quickly."

Zhou Biyao was a bit confused, saying, "Sister Qi, currently Chang Garden still has some finishing touches being handled. Wouldn’t it be better to visit once the garden is completely finished? It’ll only take a few days to complete." To her, visiting a perfect garden was more ideal.