Chapter 120: I have a brother~
On the breakfast table this morning…..
Ji Yunqi was a bit unenthusiastic. The main reason was… changing places still felt a bit uncomfortable, even though her family was by her side.
But after all, it would still lack a bit of its charm, wouldn’t it?
In this regard, Ye Yiling didn’t say anything, only silently stared at the rice in her bowl.
Having just returned to Kyoto, he still had many matters to attend to. Although he had retired, it was still more reliable for him to personally handle matters related to Ji Yunqi.
First, Ji Yunqi’s identity needed to be approved.
That is, make sure it’s impeccable.
What was said before was not a joke. He really wanted outsiders to believe that Ji Yunqi was his granddaughter-in-law. As for Ye Mingkong… since those people were all dead, he no longer had any worries, so it was easy to operate.
“Today, just stay at home. If you want to go out and play, you can. Just be a little careful. Given your personality, I’m not worried about anything happening. Just pay more attention, okay?”
Ji Yunqi nodded: “Got it.”
She originally wanted to ask the old man about his background, but it seemed like that wasn’t possible.
But it didn’t matter. She only needed to know that this family had an astonishingly strong background.
………..
After breakfast…..
As the old man said, he left….. even the mother-in-law left with him. Ji Yunqi looked at the empty house and suddenly felt very bored.
Indeed~
Humans are social creatures, and being alone is truly boring.
But it didn’t matter. Ji Yunqi could entertain herself. She would play around in the house in the morning and go out for a stroll in the afternoon.
Moreover, the old man also said that she could wander around freely here, which made Ji Yunqi very happy.
According to the old man, this place was even the “old manor” mentioned by the male protagonists in novels. Doesn’t that mean the old man was a patriarch from a domineering CEO romance novel?
However…
Ji Yunqi found it really difficult to associate the old man with the image of a powerful, authoritative patriarch from domineering CEO novels…
Weren’t those patriarchs usually very serious?
But her own old man…
Thinking of how he appeared in colorful shorts yesterday, Ji Yunqi couldn’t help but rub her forehead. It was really hard to bear…
Ji Yunqi looked at the vast manor and began to wander around.
There wasn’t much else in the manor, just a lot of flowers and plants.
“I didn’t expect this old bastard to like growing flowers and plants.”
The reason why Ji Yunqi was sure it was Ye Lingyu who planted them and not Jiang Hua was mainly because…
Most of these flowers and plants had no planting pattern, they all relied on wild growth. Ji Yunqi knew how meticulous her mother-in-law was. If her mother-in-law had planted them, they wouldn’t have grown so roughly.
As Ji Yunqi wandered, her gaze was suddenly attracted by several special flowers. Driven by curiosity, Ji Yunqi slowly walked towards them…
However, when Ji Yunqi arrived in front of these flowers, she found a not-so-big tree next to them.
The tree grew quite tall, but it was still in its infancy. Even though Ji Yunqi was small, she could easily hug it.
Ji Yunqi didn’t recognize the species of this tree, but it felt very familiar, especially its material…
Ji Yunqi was very interested in this tree and reached out to touch it.
The touch was smooth, unlike the rough texture of ordinary wild trees. It should be a relatively special tree.
“Hey! Who are you? Who let you touch it?”
Just then, a young man who looked no older than twenty-something walked out from the side.
Ji Yunqi turned her head to look at the person approaching, feeling quite curious. Who was this young man? He must be someone close to the old man to be here.
However, didn’t the old man only have one daughter? Then who was this young man in front of her?
He must be from another branch of the family.
“Who are you?” Ji Yunqi put her hands behind her back, her gaze fixed on the young man in front of her.
“I asked you first. You should answer me first.”
“Heh…” Ji Yunqi didn’t expect this young man to be quite assertive. It was a bit interesting.
“Before asking someone’s identity, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”
The young man was slightly stunned, then said: “My name is Ye Xuan, and you?”
“Ye Xuan? What’s your relationship with the old man here?”
Ye Xuan frowned slightly. He didn’t understand why this woman of unknown identity and origin talked so much?
However, he still patiently explained: “The old man is my great grandfather. Now that I’ve finished, it’s your turn, right?”
Great grandfather?
Ji Yunqi began to think. A so-called great grandfather is usually someone who calls their grandfather’s brother great grandfather.
If that’s the case…
Isn’t this person on the same generation level as her son?
Then should he call his wife… aunt?
Then wouldn’t she become his… uncle-in-law!
So he’s a junior.
Although Ji Yunqi thought so, the identity given to her by the old man was granddaughter-in-law, which meant she and this kid were on the same generation level now.
The old man said that as long as their family knew their identities behind closed doors, but did this family refer to just their immediate family or the entire clan?
To be on the safe side, Ji Yunqi decided to treat this young man as an outsider.
After all, she wasn’t familiar with this young man yet.
“How should I put it?”
“Me? Hehe, I won’t tell you~” After saying that, Ji Yunqi ran off elsewhere.
It wasn’t that she was unwilling to say it, but she realized that she was younger than Ye Xuan. If she really said it, wouldn’t she immediately be half a generation lower than this junior?
This kid was in his twenties, and she was only eighteen. Her wife was also only 18. Wouldn’t they become younger brother and sister-in-law?
So she’d better leave first. She wasn’t willing to talk about these things at this time…
“Hey! Don’t run, you haven’t clarified who you are yet?”
Ye Xuan wouldn’t let someone of unknown identity like Ji Yunqi stay in the manor. What if she was a strange person? It wouldn’t be good. Both Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother lived here.
As his grandson, he had an obligation to protect them.
Moreover…
His own curiosity was also piqued. Although he knew that anyone who appeared here must have been approved by Great Grandfather, his curiosity was piqued, so he naturally had to ask properly.
………..
Within five minutes, Ji Yunqi was caught by Ye Xuan…
“Brat, why are you catching me?”
Ji Yunqi protested, because she was really caught!
Facing Ji Yunqi’s struggles, Ye Xuan was afraid that Ji Yunqi would run away again, and on the other hand, he had not interacted much with girls and didn’t know how to restrain the other party when there was physical contact.
He could only grab Ji Yunqi’s back collar with one hand…
The two of them looked like children being caught by adults, which also made Ji Yunqi very annoyed.
Why is it that up to now, every guy she has encountered is a head taller than her?
She always has to look up, it’s so annoying!
“You still haven’t revealed your identity.”
“Uh… I have a brother!”
“What brother?”
Ji Yunqi grinned. Now she had to use her son as a shield!
“His name is Ji Chengyun!”
Ji Yunqi felt that she hadn’t said anything wrong. After all, to outsiders, she was the old man’s granddaughter-in-law. This so-called “grandson” of his would be Ye Mingkong. To outsiders, wouldn’t they have to call Ji Chengyun brother?
She was Ye Mingkong’s wife and also called him brother. Was there a problem?
Not at all. As for what this kid would think, it didn’t matter.
“Huh?!”
Ye Xuan naturally knew the name Ji Chengyun, or rather, most of the Ye family knew it. After all, he was Great Grandfather’s only grandson!
Although he had never seen him in person, he knew this person. After all, in terms of relationship, he still had to call him cousin.
But when did his cousin get a sister?
How come he didn’t know?
Whatever, it must be, right… Otherwise, who is this person?
Ye Xuan also let go of the hand holding Ji Yunqi. However, as soon as he let go, Ji Yunqi put some distance between them.
“Uh… sorry, my bad. In that case, you… are my sister then?”
Ji Yunqi didn’t reply, just calmly looked at Ye Xuan in front of her.
He looked quite energetic, but it was a shame he wasn’t as handsome as her son.
Seeing Ji Yunqi’s still somewhat angry look, Ye Xuan knew he had to show some sincerity.
“As an apology, I’ll treat you to a meal, okay?”
“Eat what?” When it came to this, Ji Yunqi got excited~
She really didn’t know what good food Kyoto had to offer. However, looking at this guy who looked like a young master, couldn’t she extort him severely?
At this time, she didn’t need to put on an air of seniority.
Who’s the senior?
Isn’t she an 18-year-old girl now?
Oh, no, an 18-year-old pregnant woman~
“What do you want to eat?” Since Ye Xuan wanted to apologize to Ji Yunqi, he naturally had to ask for her opinion.
“Let me think.”
When it came to what to eat, Ji Yunqi really had no idea. What good places to eat were there in Kyoto?
She had never been there, and she had always had someone cook for her during this period.
“You decide. I’m new to Kyoto and don’t know.”
Ye Xuan pondered for a moment and then agreed.
Since she didn’t know what to eat, he should go to their own restaurant to eat. It was suitable in any aspect.
“Okay, it’s about time to leave now.”
………..
Ye Xuan returned alone, so if they wanted to go out, they could only rely on themselves.
After much fussing, Ji Yunqi finally arrived at the destination with Ye Xuan.
“Why the hell did you choose such a far place?” Ji Yunqi’s eyes were full of resentment. It was just a meal, and they had almost gone from the east of the city to the west.
As a pregnant woman, she did need some exercise, but it wasn’t necessary to go this far, was it?
“Ahaha, sorry, I forgot it was a bit far. Since we’re already here~ hehe……”
“Sigh…”
Ji Yunqi didn’t want to say anything more. Why should she bicker with a junior?
It was good enough to have something to eat. What more could she demand?
Ji Yunqi took a step forward and looked up.
“Zijinquan?”
“What is this place?”
Ji Yunqi had never heard of this place before. However, seeing the luxurious decoration around, it seemed like a relatively luxurious restaurant.
Logically, such luxurious restaurants should be very famous, like that… Michelin!
“This is one of our Ye family’s businesses. It’s exclusive to Kyoto. Important figures in Kyoto usually hold formal banquets and such here.”
“What? So awesome?”
A Ye family business?
Such a luxurious restaurant is a Ye family business, and important figures in Kyoto come here?
Then the value of the Ye family is still rising!
“This… it’s so luxurious, is it okay for you to bring me to eat this?”
Seeing Ji Yunqi’s reserved demeanor, Ye Xuan found this sister very interesting.
“It’s nothing. Since we are family, consider it a casual meal. Don’t take it to heart.”
Since Ye Xuan said so, Ji Yunqi also put her mind at ease. However, she still planned to inform the old man about this matter.
[Yun: Old man…..]
Recall…..
[Yun: Dad, the person named Ye Xuan brought me to eat at Zijinquan, is that okay?]
[Blossoming Wealth: It’s fine. As long as you get along well, you can eat whatever you want at Zijinquan. I’ll give you a card later.]
[Yun: Oh yeah, thanks Dad!]
[Blossoming Wealth: Go ahead~]
Having received Ye Lingyu’s consent, Ji Yunqi could now enter with Ye Xuan without any reservations.
“Let’s go, let’s go~”
“Young Master Ye, this way, please~”
As soon as the two entered, a greeter in a qipao came forward to welcome them.
As a staff member of Zijinquan, Ye Xuan, a regular customer, was naturally recognized by everyone. Seeing him arrive, they naturally prioritized his reception.
As for Ji Yunqi beside him…
She was instinctively treated as someone Ye Xuan brought along, and they only needed to communicate with Ye Xuan.
“Do you want to go to a private room or stay in the main hall?”
Ji Yunqi looked back at the various people in the main hall and refused the private room.
In such a restaurant, eating in the main hall had a better atmosphere. She didn’t like eating alone in a private room, what fun would that be?
It was better to eat in a place with many people, it was a bit more lively.
“Two, this way please~”
As they walked, Ji Yunqi was observing. Most of the customers here were wealthy people, which Ji Yunqi could tell.
However, it wasn’t only wealthy people who came here. Relatively speaking, it wasn’t just for the elite class.
She also noticed some ordinary families eating here. It seemed that the so-called Zijinquan should not only cater to the elite class.
And when they were seated, Ji Yunqi’s perusal of the menu confirmed this. The dishes were rich and indeed there were dishes suitable for ordinary families to choose from.
Ji Yunqi looked at the rather complicated menu in her hand, her mind was racing, and she was too lazy to order. She simply handed everything over to Ye Xuan and just waited to eat.
“Just order a few of the signature dishes.”
Ye Xuan, who was clearly familiar with the place, solved the problem of ordering in a few words.
“Zijinquan is a Ye family business. It has a corresponding set of dishes for each class, so it’s not just a luxurious restaurant as you imagine~”
Ji Yunqi understood this. She had to say that the environment and service here were very thoughtful, and it was no wonder the business was so good.
“I just came back. Can you tell me what kind of family the Ye family is?”
This was what Ji Yunqi was most curious about. The old man didn’t tell her, and she hadn’t found out herself. Now, with a junior from the family here, she could ask.
“You’re back, wouldn’t you know? Didn’t Great Grandfather tell you?”
Ye Xuan was also confused. Since Ji Yunqi had returned to the family, how could she not know what kind of family it was?
However, he was too lazy to think about these things.
As Ye Xuan explained to Ji Yunqi, she had a general understanding of what kind of family the Ye family was…
The Ye family is a prominent family in Kyoto. Their ancestors have always been noble families, and they even produced a founding general. However, because each generation of the Ye family head adhered to a low-profile approach, there was no visible presence of the Ye family in Kyoto.
Furthermore, the Ye family, like other traditional elite families, had the advantage of restraining its members. The disciples of the Ye family were not all gentle and educated.
However, at the very least, they understood basic etiquette, rarely offended people, and did not arbitrarily bully others based on their status.
The Ye family’s businesses in Kyoto spanned almost all industries, and they held significant influence within their respective fields.
Because they had produced a founding general, even the current political leaders showed great respect for the Ye family.
In a sense, in Kyoto, the Ye family could be considered to have a hand in covering the sky.
However, due to the Ye family’s good family tradition, the Ye family was considered a clear stream among the powerful and influential in Kyoto. It was also because of the Ye family that most of the powerful and influential in Kyoto dared not act recklessly.
Therefore, what Ye Lingyu had said that Ji Yunqi could move around freely in Kyoto was too understated…
Knowing all this, Ji Yunqi suddenly felt a chill down her spine!
How could she be worthy of marrying a daughter of such a family!
Ji Yunqi was truly fortunate that her father-in-law had only given her a symbolic beating back then. At this level, if he had truly beaten her to death, no one would have cried out for justice for her, right?
“Is our Ye family that powerful?” Ji Yunqi’s fingertips trembled slightly as she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
“Heh, of course. No one in Kyoto dares to bully our Ye family yet. Oh, right, why are you trembling?”
“Ah? You’re mistaken…”
At this moment, Ji Yunqi’s mentality had changed. If the Ye family were just ordinary powerful figures, she wouldn’t have reacted much.
But now… isn’t this status too high?
Ji Yunqi was self-aware. She was just an ordinary person. She didn’t have much ability or background…
Was she really worthy of her wife?
It was like this before, and it’s like this now…
To be honest, Ji Yunqi couldn’t even imagine why Ye Mingkong was willing to suffer hardship with her back then. At that time, he could have enjoyed the best things in the world, but he stayed with her…
It’s like this now too…
Ye Lingyu was willing to continue to acknowledge her. She could now be a young master, and she was still nothing like before.
She… doesn’t seem to be worthy of him…
At some point, a tear trickled down Ji Yunqi’s eye. She almost instinctively wiped it away.
At the same time, Ji Yunqi also felt confused. What was wrong with her?
Why had her emotions changed so much during this time, and… so sensitive? After all, she had experienced decades of life, why was she still like a child, so emotional?
“Come, try this. This is a signature dish.”
While Ji Yunqi was spacing out, Ye Xuan had already placed a piece of abalone in Ji Yunqi’s bowl.
The rich fragrance successfully aroused Ji Yunqi’s appetite. She took a light bite…
“Mmm~ It’s delicious!”
“I told you, you can come and eat later. Great Grandfather will probably give you a card. Our Ye family members can come here and eat freely.”
Ji Yunqi remained silent, only nodding…
Perhaps… she should go and talk to her father-in-law.
At this moment… two other figures appeared here…
“Yunzhi, what are you looking at?”
Faced with her best friend’s question, Gu Yunzhi did not reply, but stared intently at the small figure that cast a shadow over her.
She didn’t understand why Ji Yunqi was here… and why she was with Ye Xuan!
She hadn’t actively cared about where Ji Yunqi went after leaving home that day. Her father hadn’t mentioned it when he returned home, but she just felt more and more displeased with her own increasing strength.
It made her afraid to speak.
Logically speaking, shouldn’t Ji Yunqi be at the Xia family preparing for the upcoming wedding?
Why was she eating here with Ye Xuan, and Ye Xuan looked so concerned about her!
This was a major discovery. Should she tell her father?
Perhaps it was because Gu Yunzhi’s gaze lingered on Ji Yunqi for too long, which made Ji Yunqi notice her as well.
The moment she saw Gu Yunzhi, Ji Yunqi was also a bit stunned, but this was followed by a mysterious confidence.
Facing her wife, father-in-law, and even Ye Xuan in front of her, she would instinctively feel inferior, but she never felt this way when facing Gu Yunzhi.
Because she had already learned from Xia Zijie that Gu Yunzhi was not the Gu family’s daughter, which was as she had guessed before.
She had fallen into a real and fake princess drama.
However… this fake daughter was a bit weak… and she wasn’t very willing to mess around with them.
Looking at Gu Yunzhi, Ji Yunqi wanted to bully her. Ji Yunqi raised her eyebrows at Gu Yunzhi and then made a throat-slitting gesture with her hand.
As expected, Gu Yunzhi suddenly shivered, then averted her gaze and stopped looking at Ji Yunqi.
A quiet child is bound to be up to no good.
Ji Yunqi knew that encountering Gu Yunzhi here probably meant that Gu Ming would make some moves later, and she needed to be prepared.
…………………
