Chapter 56: Asking After Someone's Well-being

  Zhi Xia followed behind, watching Ye Qingning and Ye Qinglan chatting and laughing all the way, secretly finding it strange in her heart.

  As a personal maid, no one knew Ye Qingning's various bad temperaments better than her. When receiving guests or visiting other mansions, she would try to restrain herself. However, in daily life, she was both cold and arrogant, making it very difficult to serve her.

  It is unknown what method Miss Ye used to coax Ye Qingning into a good mood, but after leaving the Ring Cui Pavilion, the two of them put their heads together and chatted endlessly.

  They will soon arrive at Rakumon-in.

  Zheng was having breakfast when he saw Ye Qingning and Ye Qinglan approaching together, and naturally smiled and invited them to sit down and have breakfast together.

  Ye Qingning sat down without hesitation, seeing Ye Qinglan hadn't moved, guessing she was about to start speaking a bunch of insincere polite words again. Without giving her a chance to speak, he pulled her down to sit as well: "Alright alright, don't say any more polite nonsense, let's just sit down and eat together quickly, or the food will get cold."

  Yè Qīnglán could only laugh and sit down, saying with a smile: "I've already had breakfast, I'm not hungry at all."

  Ye Qingning smiled and said, "Even if you've eaten already, you can still have a little more. The chef in Luomei Courtyard makes pretty good pastries." As she spoke, she picked up a delicate date cake and placed it in front of Ye Qinglan.

  The hospitality was hard to refuse, Ye Qinglan smiled and took a bite, immediately conquered by the strong date flavor, couldn't help but praise: "Indeed delicious."

  Ye Qingning saw her eating deliciously, and also picked up a piece to try. She was very particular about food, but only felt that the date paste cake in her mouth tasted ordinary, and smiled casually: "Is this considered delicious? Another day I'll invite you to taste the pastry made by the chef of Huancui Pavilion, it's much more delicious than this."

  Ye Qinglan smiled and replied.

  Zheng watched from the side, secretly surprised in her heart. Yesterday, Ye Qingning had just been scolded by herself, and with Ye Qingning's temperament, she would at least be sulking for a few days and refusing to talk to anyone. Unexpectedly, early this morning, she came over as if nothing was wrong, leading Ye Qinglan, and the two of them were still quite affectionate.

  Ye Qingning didn't even have such patience with her own sisters.

  Zheng's eyes fell on Ye Qinglan for the first time.

  Her appearance is elegant and refined, her demeanor is gentle and quiet. Although her complexion is slightly pale and not rosy, those smiling eyes are exceptionally clear and bright. She is not very old, but she has an inexplicable air of calmness about her.

  This calm and steady demeanor even made Zheng's eyes widen in surprise.

  Ye Qinglan calmly knew that Zheng was scrutinizing her with sharp eyes, but she didn't flinch at all. She ate half a block of date paste cake and put down her chopsticks - actually, she really wanted to finish it in one breath. However, she hadn't forgotten that she was now a "patient". After all, she couldn't appear too hungry or able to eat too much.

  At this moment, Cui Wan arrived. Behind her were two maids and a young woman with clear eyebrows and eyes, holding a little girl in her arms, who was none other than Cui Wan and Ye Yuanwei's daughter Qiao Jie'er.

  Qiao Jie is less than a year old this year. She was born with a lovely and delicate appearance, but unfortunately, she has a weak physique and often falls ill.

  Zheng saw his granddaughter and liked her very much, holding her in his arms and teasing her for a while. Ye Qingning was not very enthusiastic about his only niece and did not go over to join them.

  Ye Qinglan, however, had a special fondness for pretty little kids. She would smile and walk over to them, planting a kiss on Qiao Jie's soft and smooth face. Qiao Jie opened her bright, black-and-white eyes, looking absolutely adorable.

  "Eldest Sister-in-law, can I hold Xiao Jie for a bit?" Ye Qinglan asked with a tinge of longing.

  Cui Wan smiled and responded, glancing at Ye Qinglan's slender figure and couldn't help but add another sentence: "Can you carry it?" Looking at her weak and sickly appearance, where did she have the strength?

  Yè Qīnglán batted her eyelashes: "Don't worry, I just ate a piece of date paste cake from Auntie's place, I have plenty of energy." Her words made everyone laugh.

  Ye Qinglan carefully picked up Qiao Jie. Qiao Jie was thin and small, and it didn't take much effort to hold her in her arms, feeling light as a feather.

  The little sister can't speak yet, with her small mouth open, making "ya ya" sounds, really cute.

  Cui Wan couldn't help but laugh and say, "Tenth sister's relationships are really good! Even Qiao Jie likes you." Qiao Jie was a bit shy on ordinary days, if strangers held her, she would cry and make a fuss. But now she was quietly lying in Ye Qinglan's arms, not crying or making a fuss.

  Ye Qinglan smiled slightly and said, "Does this still need to be said? Her affinity index has always been very high."

  Ye Qingning also looked a bit envious, and came over to hug Qiao Jie as well. Ye Qinglan didn't fight with her for it, and smilingly handed Qiao Jie over to her.

  Ye Qingning had never held a child before, and was somewhat clumsy, unsure if she had accidentally hurt Qiao Jie. Just then, Qiao Jie pouted her small mouth and suddenly burst into tears.

  This is really too much!

  Ye Qingning's face turned black. She bowed her head and cooed a few words, but Qiao Jie still wailed loudly, so she had no choice but to hand Qiao Jie over to Cui Wan.

  Cui was heartbroken, but she couldn't say anything to her younger sister either. She took Qiao Jie aside and comforted her for a long time before Qiao Jie's crying gradually subsided.

  Ye Qingning grumbled in a low voice: "Why do kids love crying so much, it's really annoying."

  Ye Qinglan couldn't help but laugh, and those who knew what was going on didn't dare to say more. Otherwise, Miss Ye Liu would really become angry and humiliated.

  Zheng said as he stood up, "It's getting late, we should also go to Changhe Hall." Cui Wan followed closely behind him with Qiao Jie in her arms, and Ye Qingning and Ye Qinglan also went along.

  From Rakumon-in to Jōkō-dō, it took about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

  Ye Qinglan had been to Changhe Hall several times, but this was her first time entering the inner chamber. She couldn't help but take a closer look around and secretly clicked her tongue in amazement. Even the most ordinary tables and chairs were made of high-quality red wood, which was truly extravagant.

  Grandfather Ye Sheng has gone to attend the early morning court, and Grandmother Jiang is smiling and chatting with Second Daughter-in-law Li in the side hall. Sisters Ye Qingru and Ye Qingyu have also arrived.

  Li smiled and stood up to greet her: "Sister-in-law, you've come quite early today."

  Zheng's lips twitched: "Brother and sister, you're laughing at me. I'm not as early as you every day." Li was best at offering thoughtful little courtesies, but she had always looked down on this sort of thing and didn't bother with it.

  The two sisters-in-law exchanged a silent glance.

  Ye Qinglan accompanied Ye Qingning to pay respects to the Jiang family.

  Jiang was very amiable, smiling as he ordered the two to rise, and had someone bring up some pastries and tea. Ye Qinglan wasn't hungry at all, and randomly ate a few bites before stopping.

  Jiang's gaze lingered on Ye Qinglan's face for a moment before he smiled and asked, "Lan sister, your father and mother have returned to Zhengzhou, leaving you alone here. If you lack anything to eat or use in the future, just speak up to me, or tell your aunt, it's all the same."

  "Yes, Grandmother."

  Jiang was very satisfied with her obedience and reminded her to take good care of herself. Then she looked at Zheng and said, "Qiao will be one year old in two months, let's have a big celebration then."

  Zheng smiled and replied.

  Cui Wan's heart was delighted, but then she heard Jiang Shi say in a neither light nor heavy tone: "Wan Niang, you've been married for five years now, right? Xiaojie naturally has someone to take care of her, what's most important right now is that we need you to have children for the Ye family."

  Cui Wan's smile paused for a moment, and she responded in a low voice, but it was unclear what she was feeling inside.

  Jiang patted a few words and then smiled at Ye Qingning: "Sister Ning is not young anymore, it's time to worry about lifelong events."

  Mrs. Li smiled and said, "Don't worry about Ning's marriage, Mother-in-law. I think Eldest Sister has already set her sights on someone." She gave Zheng a meaningful glance.

  Zheng's family quietly took over the conversation: "Indeed, there is a satisfactory one. Although they haven't formally come to propose yet, it should be soon, just a matter of these few months."

  Jiang's interest was piqued: "Oh? Such good news, why didn't you say it earlier. Quickly tell me, whose son is it?"

  "Ah, you've met him before," Li said hastily. "He's Zheng Junyan, the nephew of your sister-in-law."

  As soon as Zheng Junyan was mentioned, Ye Qingning and Ye Qingrou's faces both showed some abnormality. Ye Qingrou felt both envy and admiration, while Ye Qingning didn't show any joyful emotions, unlike a maiden who is about to get married would when mentioning her beloved.

  Zheng glanced at Ye Qingning with a hint of warning, and Ye Qingning had to lower her head and pretend to be shy, her lips pursed tightly, but in her heart, she felt a wave of annoyance.

  Chiang had a good impression of Zheng Junyan and smiled, saying: "If this marriage can really be settled, it would be a good thing."

  Zheng's eyes flashed, and she smiled and nodded slightly.

  Although the letter received yesterday was not very pleasant, Zheng's family is still very confident about this marriage.

  Marriage of children is all arranged by parents' orders and matchmakers' words. Where can they be so willful?

  Ye Qinglan knew that Ye Qingning was in a bad mood and didn't go to disturb her, but instead perked up her ears to listen to what Jiang Shi and the others were saying. Their topic of conversation still revolved around Ye Qingning and Zheng Junyan's marriage. Everyone had a smile on their face, but upon closer inspection, subtle differences could be detected.

  Zheng's smile was genuine, but Li's had a hint of unspoken bitterness. Jiang's expression was even more intriguing. Seemingly warm and friendly, upon closer inspection, her concern only scratched the surface. Rather than being genuinely interested in Ye Qingning's marriage, it seemed more like a polite inquiry.

  As a grandmother, how can you be so careless about your granddaughter's lifelong major event?

  Moreover, the attitude of Jiang and Zheng when speaking was also somewhat strange. Seemingly casual, but actually distant and polite. It was completely different with Li, whose attitude was obviously much more intimate.

  There must be something she doesn't know about...

  Ye Qinglan was secretly pondering, when suddenly a maid brought in a thin invitation. The maid didn't make a sound and quietly handed the invitation to Dongyan.

  The winter goose glanced over and smiled as she walked forward to report: "Madam, the Dingguo Duke's residence has sent over an invitation."

  Dingguo Gongfu?

  Ye Qinglan and Ye Qingning simultaneously looked up at the invitation letter.

  Zheng's family was also somewhat surprised. It wasn't a holiday or special occasion, and they hadn't heard that the Dingguo Duke's estate had any good news, so why were they suddenly sending out invitations?