Chapter 213 Return to Ye Family

During the first month of the lunar year, people would pay New Year's greetings to each other. Starting from the second day of the first month, Ye Jiayao would follow Chunyu or Youshi in and out of the mansions of various wealthy families.

Of the three daughters-in-law, Youshi only brought Ye Jiayao with her. Qiaoshi didn't have any objection, after all, Ye Jiayao was the future mistress of the marquis's mansion. But Liuli was a little angry. In terms of status, she was more noble than those with the surname Ye. She had also learned seriously how to treat people and socialize. Why didn't her mother-in-law bring her and only those with the surname Ye? With Zhoushi's instigation, Liuli felt more and more upset.

Xiaoya advised her: "Princess, don't mind it. You are a princess, and your status is not ordinary. If you go around paying New Year's greetings, wouldn't that lower your status? People will have to kowtow to you when they see you, which is not good."

Liuli thought about it and it made sense.

"Anyway, the Second Young Madam will be gone on the sixth day of the New Year. She will be gone for at least seven or eight days. Then it will be your turn to show your abilities."

Liuli sneered and said, "I heard that Ye Binghuai was impeached. I really want to see how the Ye family will react after the Ye family is finished."

"Princess, it's so boring that the Ye family is finished so soon. It would be fun if they were half dead and caused trouble for the Second Young Lady from time to time!" Xiaoya said.

Liuli narrowed her eyes and smiled with an ambiguous smile: "Xiaoya, you have been with me for several years, and I just realized that you are such a sinister person!"

Xiaoya knelt down in fear and said, "Princess, I am loyal to you and only want to help you achieve your wish. As long as you are happy, I am willing to do anything."

Liuli smiled and said softly, "Why are you so nervous? Get up!"

Ye Jiayao got up early on the sixth day of the New Year. She was extremely happy at the thought that she would soon be able to see her grandparents, aunt and others. The only drawback was that she had to go to the Ye family first.

Xia Chunyu got up even earlier and urged the servants to pack up the gifts before coming back to call her.

The two of them went to say goodbye to the Marquis and Youshi. Youshi told them to be careful on the road and to say hello to their grandparents when they saw them.

The gifts were all prepared by Xia Chunyu, and Ye Jiayao didn't ask about it. But when she got on the boat, she saw that there were so many of them.

"Are you moving?" Ye Jiayao asked in surprise.

Xia Chunyu smiled and said, "It's my first time to your grandparents' house, so we can't be too shabby. We need to bring a gift for everyone, and we can't go to your house empty-handed. Mother has prepared another gift, and there are also things we need for daily use, so it adds up to this much."

"We're just taking a boat. Once we get to Yangzhou, we just need to ship the things we send to your family ashore. It won't be a hassle."

Ye Jiayao felt warmed when she thought of Youshi's thoughtfulness. At first, she was afraid that this snobbish mother-in-law would be difficult to get along with, but she didn't expect that Youshi was such a sensible person.

The boat sailed for a day and a night and docked at dawn. Ye Zhongyuan had been waiting at the dock for a long time. He looked forward to it in the biting cold wind, and his nose was red from the cold.

Ye Jiayao was still in a deep sleep, looking listless. She sat in the carriage and continued to sleep in Chunyu's arms.

"You went to bed early yesterday, and I didn't bother you. Look how sleepy you are." Xia Chunyu couldn't help laughing when he saw her sleeping like a cat.

Ye Jiayao said lazily: "I feel a little seasick."

Uh……

"Then we'll come back by land?"

"Don't bother with that. I'll just take a nap." She didn't like traveling by land as it was more bumpy.

Besides, at least you can lie down and sleep on the boat, but how can you lie down in a carriage?

Soon, Zhongyuan was heard saying outside: "Sister, brother-in-law, we will be home soon."

Xia Chunyu lifted the curtain of the carriage, and a gust of cold wind blew in, making his face feel a little painful. He saw Ye Binghuai and his servants personally greeting him at the gate of the mansion.

Xia Chunyu pushed Ye Jiayao and whispered, "Yaoyao, wake up, we're here."

"Haha, Chunyu, Xuan'er, you are finally here. Did you have a smooth journey?" Ye Binghuai came forward with a smile on his face.

Xia Chunyu cupped his hands and smiled calmly: "It went smoothly, but Yaoyao was a little seasick."

Yaoyao? Ye Binghuai was stunned for a moment, looking at his daughter who looked a little pale, and then realized that Chunyu was talking about Jinxuan. When did Jinxuan have this name? No matter what, maybe this is a nickname between the young couple.

Ye Binghuai immediately showed a concerned look: "Then go in and rest, the room is ready."

After entering the second door, Ye Jiayao's eyes suddenly lit up, and she saw her wet nurse Su standing next to her third sister Jin Yao.

"Mom Su, why...why are you here?" Ye Jiayao was surprised.

Mother Su smiled, her eyes misty, her excitement evident in her words: "The master came to pick me up, saying that the young lady is back." After only saying this, Mother Su's voice choked up: "I thought I would never see the young lady again in this lifetime."

"Mom Su, I'm back, aren't I?" Ye Jiayao was so happy. She had originally thought about taking time to visit Mom Su after coming to Yangzhou, but she didn't expect to see Mom Su as soon as she arrived at the Ye family.

The third sister Jin Yao was not unhappy because her eldest sister was concentrating on Mother Su and ignored her, because her eyes were completely attracted by this handsome man with a dignified bearing. Is this the eldest brother-in-law? Everyone said how handsome the second brother-in-law was, and how handsome he was, but now that she saw the eldest brother-in-law, she felt that the second brother-in-law was not even as good as the eldest brother-in-law.

I couldn't help but envy my eldest sister. It was a blessing in disguise that she married such a good husband, the son of Marquis Jing'an. It was something I couldn't even imagine. My eldest sister is so blessed.

"Jin Yao, hurry up and call someone." Ye Binghuai reminded.

Jin Yao withdrew her gaze with mixed emotions, stepped forward and called out, "Big sister, big brother-in-law."

Ye Jiayao then took a closer look at the third sister. She was already thirteen after the Chinese New Year. She had grown a lot taller and looked very pretty. Of the three sisters in the Ye family, Jin Yao was the prettiest. She was also quiet. When she was at home, Jin Rong often teased her, but Jin Yao never participated. Therefore, Ye Jiayao had a good impression of the third sister.

"Third sister has grown up! She has become more and more beautiful." Ye Jiayao praised.

Jin Yao lowered her head and smiled shyly.

Ye Binghuai said: "Jinyao, take your elder sister to rest. Your elder sister is seasick and feels a little uncomfortable."

Jin Yao responded: "Big sister, please follow me."

Ye Jiayao was actually not dizzy at all. The so-called seasickness was just because she didn't want to go into the Ye family's house. It was her emotions that made her feel dizzy. Now that she saw Su's mother, she was no longer dizzy. She wanted to support Su's mother because she remembered that Su's mother had bad legs and feet and it was inconvenient for her to walk in winter. But Su's mother wanted to support her instead.

Xia Chunyu originally wanted to wait until Yaoyao felt better before talking to Ye Binghuai, but when he saw Yaoyao happily holding Su's mother's arm, he felt there was nothing to worry about. They, master and servant, had not seen each other for a long time, and they must have a lot to say to each other, so he tactfully avoided her and went to the study with Ye Binghuai.

"Don't you need to go see grandparents first?" Xia Chunyu looked at the furnishings in the study. The books filled the two walls. He wondered if they were just for show, just like his third uncle. After his third uncle passed the imperial examination, he stopped reading books and only cared about being an official, neglecting his studies.

"Don't worry, don't worry. It won't be too late to go after Jinxuan gets better." Ye Binghuai said with a smile.

"It seems a bit rude." Xia Chunyu sneered slightly.

"It's okay. Xuan'er's grandmother loves her the most."

Xia Chunyu sneered in his heart, the one who hurts the most? Just say it! Yaoyao is the most grateful. She would be willing to give her heart to anyone who treats her well. If her grandparents really loved her, Yaoyao would have paid her respects to them long ago.

Since Ye Binghuai said so, Xia Chunyu didn't care. His presence this time was already a great honor to Ye Binghuai.

"The last time Zhongyuan came, he didn't explain things clearly. Father-in-law, what's going on?" Xia Chunyu went straight to the point. He didn't come here to make friends or reminisce about the past.

Ye Binghuai looked embarrassed. He didn't expect Chunyu to ask so directly. He coughed twice and said awkwardly, "This is what happened..."

Ye Jiayao looked at the residence that Ye Binghuai had prepared for her. Yuemingxuan, located in the back garden, was the most exquisite and elegant place in the Ye family. She remembered that Jinrong liked this place very much and wanted to move in, but Ye Binghuai refused. Now he let her live here.

"Sister, I prepared all these. Mother and second sister are not here, and I don't have much experience. I wonder if you like them?" Jin Yao asked in a low voice.

Ye Jiayao nodded: "I'm sorry for the trouble you took. I'm very satisfied."

Jin Yao said, "Big sister, please see if there is anything else you need and just tell the servants."

"Well, I will."

"Then... Big sister, please take a rest first. I'll take my leave now and come back to see you later." Jin Yao knelt down and bowed, then retreated.

Thinking of her elder sister's husband, Jin Yao couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. She felt envy and jealousy, as well as sighs and lamentations. Who could have thought that this unremarkable elder sister would one day rise to the top and become the wife of the prince? Looking at the elder sister's current demeanor and grace, who could associate her with the skinny and timid elder sister back then?
What a twist of fate! The arrogant second sister thought she had married a good husband and would become a wealthy lady in the future. However, her brother-in-law's career was ruined. She was so disgraced that when the eldest sister came, she couldn't even stay at home. Just because the eldest sister said that she didn't want to see her, the second sister had to get out of here.

Ye Jiayao didn't have time to care about what Jin Yao was thinking, her heart was completely on Mother Su.

"Mom Su, are your legs and feet feeling better? Do they still hurt in the rain and snow?" Ye Jiayao asked with concern.

Mother Su smiled and said, "It doesn't hurt anymore. The prince gave me a pair of tiger-skin knee pads. I wear them every day and they keep me warm."

Ye Jiayao was stunned for a moment. When did Chunyu send tiger skin knee pads to Su's mother? Suddenly, she remembered that Song Qi had said that after Chunyu came back from Jinan, he asked Song Qi to visit Su's mother. It must have been sent at that time.

When they were in the mountains, she just wanted to cheat some of his pocket money, and deliberately said that she was saving the money to buy tiger-skin knee pads for Mother Su. However, he kept it in mind and helped her realize this wish, thinking that she was gone.

(End of this chapter)