Chapter 410 - 409: As If in a Dream
Duke An and two others left the room, and Madam Yin glanced at the Duchess sitting at the upper seat, reproaching Ye Xinyan in a low voice, "Child, you are too honest, how could you ask such a question? Since the Duke said Hai Hour, of course, it meant the early Hai Hour."
Qi Jiajia and Qi Sanshun were reluctant to leave, with Qi Jiajia clinging to Ye Xinyan’s neck unwilling to let go, making it difficult for the old woman servant summoned to take them away. The Duchess, surrounded by attendants and ready to leave, stopped and looked over.
Ye Xinyan kept soothing Qi Jiajia and, seeing the Duchess looking over, quickly said apologetically, "I’ve caused you trouble, Duchess. These two are young and feel uneasy coming to such a grand mansion for the first time. Please, go ahead. I’ll steady them slowly. Once there are fewer people around, they’ll feel safer and be easier to persuade."
The Duchess understood, thinking it’s quite normal for country children to feel uneasy when they first arrive in a strange place. It’s already a big deal that the children had adapted this well. But, why did her granddaughter’s reference to her sound so distant?
She gave careful instructions to the old woman servants stationed in Ye Xinyan’s courtyard to take good care of the Young Lady and her brother, leaving two other old woman servants in the main hall to wait for further orders, before leading Nanny Qian and a group of maidens and old woman servants back to her own courtyard.
Ye Xinyan, seeing the unease in Qi Sanshun’s and Qi Jiajia’s eyes, felt a pang of heartache. For two country children coming to such an imposing mansion for the first time, it was natural to feel apprehensive when their only source of support was being punished by kneeling, and now they were being asked to separate and stay in different places.
With no one else around, Qi Sanshun quietly asked Ye Xinyan, "We got along so well with Sixth Master, why didn’t we go to his place instead of coming to Duke An’s Mansion? These people aren’t nice to Sister at all."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yin immediately became tense and said to Qi Sanshun, "Good child, this is your sister’s home. How can we neglect our own home and go to someone else’s instead? It doesn’t matter if they’re not nice to us. After today, we’ll go back to our courtyard and can do as we please without having to worry about their opinions."