Chapter 980: Chapter 998: Early Plans
Ye Xinyi knew herself that no matter how much glory she had in the past, it was given to her by Duke An’s Mansion. What the Ji Family prized was not her, but the power of Duke An’s Mansion. Once Duke An’s Mansion stopped supporting her, she would be nothing in the Ji Family.
But Jiang Yifan truly prized Ye Xinyan.
Not just Jiang Yifan, many people, even such high and mighty figures as Duke An and Prince Yu, were also eagerly pursuing Ye Xinyan.
Whether she admitted it or not, Ye Xinyan’s glory was earned by her own efforts.
To be honest, Ye Xinyi really wanted to go to the Jiang Family to see what kind of life Ye Xinyan was living now, and whether it was better than when she was with the Ji Family.
She had no other intentions, just wanted to see what the woman whom she and her mother once toyed with was now like.
After paying respects to the Duchess, she did not leave immediately but lingered briefly and casually asked, “How is my sister’s health now? Is the pregnancy going well?”
Upon hearing this, the Duchess seemed to face an imminent danger and immediately interrupted her, saying, “There’s no need for you to worry about your sister, just stay at home peacefully. When things calm down after a few years, your grandfather and grandmother will naturally make arrangements for you.”
The Duchess’s meaning was clear: Duke An’s Mansion had finally settled down, and could not afford any more trouble, especially since her son Ye Hongyang might foolishly stand up for Ye Xinyi if she caused any further issues.
Listening to the Duchess’s words and sensing the intentional or unintentional glances from the maids and old woman servants in the room, Ye Xinyi couldn’t help but feel intensely ashamed and angry.
Was the Duchess warning her? Warning her to behave and not to cause trouble, hoping that after everything settled, her grandparents might find someone else for her to marry.
Thinking of this, Ye Xinyi felt not only ashamed and angry but also deeply terrified.
She thought of her Brother Sheng; could she really remarry? If Brother Sheng had a mother who remarried, would he be unable to hold his head high and refuse to acknowledge her as his mother?
At this point, Ye Xinyi couldn’t help but question whether the path her aunt chose for her was really the right one.
Her aunt wanted to groom her into a lady, a talented woman. But what’s the use of that?
Whereas, Ye Xinyan and Zhou Biyao, who stayed close to Ye Xinyan, could both independently earn money and support themselves, even if not married. They could even gain the attention and favor of important figures like Prince Yu and Duke An.
Unlike her, without a husband or son, unable to attend banquets at other mansions, she was left to her own devices in the back courtyard, feeling as though she might become moldy, like a bird caged in a coop.
In Ye Xinyi’s envious and resentful thoughts, it didn’t take long before she saw Ye Xinyan, and it was at the side room of Duke An’s Mansion’s Buddha Hall during the final moments of Maternal Aunt Liu.
Since determining Ye Xinyan’s pregnancy, she had been watched by many people, obediently resting at home.
Three months later, when Imperial Doctor Hu came again to check her pulse and confirmed that the fetus was stable, Ye Xinyan began traveling between Guangsha Construction under the dual protection arranged by Jiang Yifan and Duke An to complete year-end tasks.
Due to the high efficiency of the equipment used by Guangsha Construction and its streamlined working schedule, many cumbersome formalities were eliminated. Thus, under the same labor conditions, the projects completed by Guangsha Construction were both fast and excellent.
While construction businesses elsewhere halted work during the winter, with craftsmen idling at home and relying on savings, waiting for the new year to start working and earning money to support their families.
Guangsha Construction was different; after receiving orders for the second year, it began drafting engineering plans and documents.
Various materials, stone and wood carvings, and mortise and tenon structures could all be pre-assembled in the workshops according to engineering codes.
Therefore, during winter, the craftsmen and laborers at Guangsha Construction still had work and earned wages.
By the end of the twelfth lunar month, when the actual suspension of work occurred, everyone at Guangsha Construction received not only their monthly wages but also the unique year-end bonus of Guangsha Construction, with even outstanding apprentices receiving rewards.
Last year, Guangsha Construction established a relatively large base through the railway engineering and two gardens.
This year, starting with Lang Garden, the leasing operation style enabled Guangsha Construction’s creativity and project quality to be quickly recognized by many people.
The subsequent projects were highly praised by employers.
Coupled with the stable benefits of Guangsha Construction over two consecutive years, the craftsmanship sector frequently talked about the firm, boosting its fame.
In the dormant craftsmanship sector during the year-end, many craftsmen pondered whether they could secure a job with Guangsha Construction next year. With such momentum, ordinary skilled craftsmen might not even catch their eye.
By this time, Guangsha Construction had already initially achieved Ye Xinyan’s first step of planning back in Clear Water Village.
Her initial thought was to start from the Qi Family Construction Business, improving craftsmen’s treatment, attracting the top craftsmen from all over to work for Qi Family Construction Business.
With top-notch craftsmen, Qi Family Construction Business would possess top-tier strength, and subsequently becoming a leading construction merchant would be a natural progression.
This had happened many years earlier than Ye Xinyan’s plan. At that time, she didn’t anticipate that Duke An would suddenly change his attitude towards her, forcefully bringing her back, and help her forge a path in the capital with the strong backing of Duke An’s Mansion.
Looking back over the year’s affairs, Guangsha Construction had outstanding achievements.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, after resting at home for two days, Lian Gui came to the Jiang Mansion seeking Ye Xinyan for a decision on an issue.
Lian Gui came to inform about Liu Auntie’s situation.
Confined in the Duke’s Mansion Buddha Hall, Liu Auntie seemed unable to hold on for a few days more.
Perhaps the previous days had been too comfortable, too proud. Falling suddenly from the heights to the mud made Liu Auntie unable to accept the reality, causing her constant sorrow.
About half a year ago, Liu Auntie began losing appetite and suffering insomnia. Duke An’s Mansion naturally didn’t mind spending some silver for medical treatment, nor wanted to gain the reputation of mistreating a fallen auntie.
Upon hearing reports from the old woman servant, Duke An instructed the Duchess to have the imperial doctor diagnose and treat her well.
Although several imperial doctors came and countless medicines were consumed, Liu Auntie still showed no improvement.
Liu Auntie imprudently ruined the splendid future she planned for her son. Her daughter was just the concubine-born daughter; she originally thought that with the strong backing of Duke An’s Mansion, even the scholarly Ji Family would regard her daughter differently.
However, who would have thought that Ye Hongyang’s position as Princely Heir suddenly became impossible. After Liu Auntie was confined, Ye Hongyang’s love for her disappeared in an instant.
The phrase “Misfortunes never come singly” found complete agreement in Liu Auntie’s heart.