Chương 44

Ye Mingze murmured twice, “It’s not…”

Ye Chutang looked puzzled, “Have you moved?”

Then, as if she remembered something, she smiled knowingly, “Oh right, second uncle has now been promoted to a higher position, so naturally, their residence needs to be changed as well. I just wonder where you are living now?”

Ye Mingze’s forehead was covered in cold sweat; those few words got stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t manage to say anything.

After a long while, he managed to say with difficulty, “We’re… in Liuwan Alley…”

Upon hearing this, Ye Jingyan looked up, surprised and delighted, “So that means you’re on the same street as our family? That’s great; it will be much more convenient for us to meet from now on.”

Ye Mingze swallowed his saliva, not knowing how to continue.

He frantically signaled to a servant beside him, “You, go back first! Report to father and mother, and say… say that my cousin and the others have returned to the capital!”

The servant, who had never met Ye Chutang and the others before, though found his master’s reaction a bit strange, didn’t dare to ask more questions and immediately replied, “Yes!”

However, just as he turned to leave, he heard a clear and gentle female voice behind him.

“Mingze, why such a hurry?”

Ye Chutang’s lips held a faint smile as she said softly, “We’ve been on a long journey, covered in dust. How could we not tidy up and wash up before sending a servant to inform the elders? Those who don’t know might think that our Ye family lacks manners and understanding of proprieties.”

Ye Mingze felt as if a slap had been slapped across his face.

Wasn’t she implying that he was utterly ignorant of etiquette?!

The servant turned back, looking hesitant.

It seemed that this woman was indeed from the Ye family; in terms of seniority, his master still had to address her respectfully as “cousin”. So, who’s orders should be followed in the end?

Ye Mingze forced a smile and said, “I just wanted the family to know about your return as soon as possible so they could be happy too… I—”

Ye Chutang interrupted him calmly, “Three years have passed; it doesn’t matter by a moment or two.”

Her tone was peaceful and gentle, her eyes even carried a hint of smile, yet her words carried an undeniable authority.

Ye Mingze’s hands, hanging by his side, clenched and then relaxed again; his heart was in a complete mess.

He pressed his lips together as he looked at Ye Chutang, suddenly feeling incredibly unfamiliar to her.

Three years was neither a long nor a short time.

The cousin in his memories, who was frail and quiet, no longer had the youthful naivety and timidity in her eyes; instead, there was a calm and composed demeanor, like a deep, still pond.

Her facial features were clearly familiar, but her elegance and grace were completely different from before.

If Ye Chutang in the past was like a pearl covered in dust, beautiful indeed, but her softness and quietness made her rather inconspicuous.

But now, Ye Chutang was like a pearl that had been cleaned of its impurities, gradually radiating her own brilliant light, impossible to ignore.

Ye Mingze could only suppress the annoyance in his heart and sent the servant back to wait beside him for Ye Chutang and the others to finish their meal.

This scene was indeed extremely unusual, attracting the attention of many people around them.

From time to time, people would whisper among themselves:

“Is that woman really Ye Mingze’s cousin? When did such a relative appear in his family?”

“Perhaps they came from their ancestral home to seek ties of kinship? After all, Master Ye has now become very successful!”

“She doesn’t seem like someone from a common family… Even the two young gentlemen beside her have a certain grace, and that little girl is sensible and well-behaved. She doesn’t seem shy at all in such a place; she certainly doesn’t come from a humble background…”

“Wait! I remember now! Master Ye used to have an elder brother who also served as an official in the capital, and he seemed to hold a higher position than him! His name was… Ye Jing, right?”

“That’s right! I remember him too! Back then, Ye Jing was a promising young man with a bright future; they said he had a great chance of becoming the youngest Vice Minister of Justice. Unfortunately, he angered someone high-up and was demoted from the capital. Not long after, there were reports of an accident on the way, and the whole family perished… I never thought that some of his descendants would still be alive…”

Most of the people who came to Lan Yue Lou were wealthy or noble. Even if they weren’t very familiar with Ye Jing’s name, they all understood what it meant to come one step short of becoming a Vice Minister of Justice.

Moreover, this person was actually a blood relative of Ye Heng, who was currently very influential.

For a moment, the looks people cast at Ye Chutang and the others changed slightly.

Someone whispered, “What a pity… Without a father or brother to protect them, what can a frail woman do with her young siblings?”

……

Ye Chutang ignored the surrounding glances and discussions and finished her meal calmly.

Ye Mingze, on the other hand, was growing increasingly anxious, but he didn’t dare to rush them. Finally, after they had all finished eating, he couldn’t wait to ask, “Can we leave now? I’ll send for a carriage right away!”

Ye Chutang wiped the corners of Xiao Wu’s mouth with a handkerchief, then held her in her arms before turning around and politely declining his offer with a smile.

“Thank you, but there’s no need. We already have a carriage outside. Since we’re all staying in Liu Wan Alley, why don’t you come back with us? That would save us some trouble, wouldn’t that be convenient?”

Ye Mingze was very reluctant but was just about to find a way to refuse when he saw Ye Jingyan calling over the waiter to settle the bill.

He immediately said, “Let me pay for this meal!”

Ye Jingyan looked at Ye Chutang hesitantly. Ye Chutang shook her head to decline, but then Ye Mingze added, “Ah… Cousin, you’ve come back with such difficulty; how could we let you pay for this meal? I often come to Lan Yue Lou; just record it on my account!”

Mentioning money seemed to give Ye Mingze a bit more confidence.

He hadn’t noticed before, but now he realized that Ye Chutang and the others were dressed quite simply.

Đúng là vậy, không còn sự che chở của cha mẹ, những năm qua họ chắc hẳn đã phải sống trong cảnh nghèo khó và vất vả biết bao!

Điều này khiến trong lòng Ye Mingze nảy sinh ra một cảm giác ưu việt mạnh mẽ, và cảm giác sợ hãi, bực bội mà trước đây anh ta từng có khi nhìn thấy Ye Chutang và những người khác cũng dần tan biến đi phần nào.

Đúng vậy!

Chẳng qua chỉ là vài kẻ không nơi nương tựa, sao lại đáng sợ đến thế chứ!?

Ye Mingze tiếp tục nói: “Các cậu không biết đâu, nhà hàng Luan Yue Lou bây giờ giá cả đã tăng lên rất nhiều, một bữa ăn cũng tốn không ít tiền đâu.”

Ý anh ta là, Ye Chutang và những người kia không đủ khả năng chi trả.

Lông mi của Ye Chutang hơi rung động, có vẻ như cô ấy không nhận ra sự châm biếm trong lời nói của anh ta, cô ấy cười và đáp lại: “Vậy thì cảm ơn nhé.”

Ye Jingyan lập tức thu lại chiếc túi tiền mà vốn dĩ chưa hề mở ra, cũng cảm ơn Ye Mingze: “Anh họ thật là chu đáo, cảm ơn rất nhiều.”

“Ừm~”

Tiểu Ngũ, đang nằm trong vòng tay của Ye Chutang, bỗng nhiên ợ một tiếng; khuôn mặt tròn trịa của nó lướt qua một nét buồn bã.

– Lẽ ra phải nói sớm hơn chứ! Lẽ ra cô ấy nên gọi thêm vài món ăn nữa mà!

……

Một lát sau, chiếc xe ngựa rẽ vào con hẻm nhỏ, dừng lại trước một biệt thự.

Trước cửa có hai con sư tử bằng đá, trang nghiêm và hùng vĩ; tấm biển hiệu trên cửa viết bằng chữ vàng với nét chữ mạnh mẽ: “Nhà họ Ye.”

Ye Yunfeng nhìn thấy cánh cửa quen thuộc này, tâm trạng đã kìm nén bao lâu nay bỗng nhiên trào dâng, anh quay đầu và hét lên với niềm vui: “Chị gái! Chúng ta đã về đến nhà rồi!”

Nói xong, anh ta lao xuống khỏi xe ngựa và muốn bước tới.

Tuy nhiên, đúng vào lúc đó, cánh cửa vốn đóng chặt bỗng nhiên được mở ra từ bên trong.

Một người trông giống như quản gia nhô đầu ra ngoài.

Ye Yunfeng đứng sững tại chỗ, vô cùng ngạc nhiên – sao nhà họ mình lại có người lạ?

Ngay sau đó, anh ta nghe thấy người đó vội vàng hét với Ye Mingze đứng phía sau mình: “Ôi trời! Cậu út ơi! Tại sao cậu mới về đây? Chủ nhà đã chờ cậu nửa tiếng đồng hồ rồi!”