Chapter 467: Release of the Rankings
Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Ju pursed her lips in disdain. “Eldest Madam and Fourth Madam are too careful, as if they’re afraid that someone will harm Second Young Master.”
Madam Xu did not say anything. The conflict between the East Manor and the West Manor had been going on for a long time. The biggest conflict was when her father-in-law had pushed Qi Xiuyuan out, nearly causing the crime of rebellion to fall upon him. And wasn’t it also Qi Xiuyuan’s fault that her father-in-law had been removed from his position as the clan’s patriarch?
Now, the East and West Manor seemed to be in harmony. Her father-in-law appeared amiable and did not interfere in the West Manor’s matters. Meanwhile, Fourth Brother would come over from time to time to greet her father-in-law. However, everyone knew that this was just peace on the surface. If not for the fact that there were people watching outside, the two sides would have long fallen out.
In the future, there was bound to be disputes over the inheritance of the family assets.
Her father-in-law and mother-in-law planned to let Second Master and Third Master inherit all the Qi family’s assets. Qi Haoran might not mind, but it was not certain if Qi Xiuyuan would let it go. Besides, even if Qi Xiuyuan did not care for this bit of assets, the eldest son of the first wife would still typically inherit the ancestral land.
Moreover, were her father-in-law and mother-in-law really willing to part with the money and assets under Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran?
Even she was tempted to make a move, let alone those two.
Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Haoran were no fools. The assets would definitely not be under their name. When the time came, there would definitely be a huge battle when they split up the family assets. The current peace was just an illusion, and the child was what they relied on.
If one didn’t have a son, it was hard to say who would inherit the family assets in the future.
It was no wonder that Madam Li and Madam Mu were wary of them. This was Madam Xu’s deduction after her request to visit the child was repeatedly turned down.
However, she did not know that Mu Yangling had actually rejected them from seeing the child purely because she wanted to prevent the spread of germs and give the child a good environment to recuperate.
After all, the child was really too weak at that time. In order not to induce other causes of illness, everyone who could come into contact with the child had to change their clothes and wash their hands, faces, and necks. The doors and windows were ventilated, and there was even a net that filtered dust outside. It could be said that Mu Yangling valued the child’s safety and hygiene to an abnormal extent at that time.
It was impossible for her to ask Madam Wu, Madam Xu, and the others to do this. Moreover, they even put on makeup. Considering the fact that their relationship wasn’t especially good, Mu Yangling felt no pressure at all when she rejected them. Who knew that this would result in such a misunderstanding?
After hearing her analysis, Yu Ju immediately did not dare to say anything else. When she sent the things to the Zhaode Hall, she did not even dare to look around.
Li Jinghua thanked Madam Xu for the gift. After accepting it, she asked Wen Cui to bring Yu Ju away.
Mu Yangling opened it and took a look. It was a set complete with a gold longevity lock, gold bracelet, and gold anklet. Mu Yangling liked them very much. Seeing this, Li Jinghua said helplessly, “If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that you were a child.”
Mu Yangling stuck out her tongue and let Wen Mian put the things away. She said, “It’s said that it’s better for children to wear silver, and they look good too.”
The one-month-old gift that Mu Yangling had given Little Treasure was a set of silver jewelry. Li Jinghua had only let him wear a pair of silver bracelets. At this moment, he was lying on the couch with his arms spread out. His eyes darted around before he suddenly turned over to his mother. Trying his best to look up, he saw his mother and was a little confused. Then, he pursed his lips aggrievedly and looked at Mu Yangling.
Li Jinghua and Mu Yangling immediately stopped what they were doing and focused on watching him.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Little Treasure stared at the patterns on the blanket for a long time. In the end, he exerted strength and turned back with a ‘pa’ sound, facing the roof. Only then did he nimbly turn to look at his mother and aunt.
Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua quickly shifted their gaze elsewhere as they pretended to speak. Seeing that they were not looking at him, Little Treasure blinked his black eyes. Then, he looked around and carefully tried to turn over. However, he realized that it was very easy to flip over to his mother’s side, but he could not flip over to his aunt’s side.
Furrowing his little brows tightly, he reached out his tiny hand and patted the bed angrily. He cried out twice before looking up at his mother and aunt.
Mu Yangling and Li Jinghua, who had already turned around to continue observing him, did not react in time and were caught by his gaze. Only then did Little Treasure realize that he had been being watched. His eyes reddened in grievance, and he burst into tears. As he cried, he kicked his legs.
Li Jinghua quickly picked up the child and gently patted his butt. With a smile, she said, “What a silly boy. What are you going to do if I wasn’t watching you?”
Mu Yangling was overjoyed as she carried the child around the house and coaxed him. Looking at the rosy and cute baby, Mu Yangling thought that having a child seemed to be a very blissful thing.
On the 13th of October, the results of the Fall Quarter Examinations were released. Students crowded in front of the entrance of the tribute courtyard to look at the results. Fan Zijin naturally did not have to squeeze in by himself. He sent Yanmo instead. Seeing that it was so crowded, Qi Haoran hurriedly called Fei Bai to help. Their cronies also asked with their necks craned, “Zijin, how confident are you?”
Although he already knew the other party’s answer, he could not help but ask. As expected, Fan Zijin replied disdainfully, “If I can’t even obtain a rank in the Fall Quarter Examinations, how can I have the face to prepare for next year’s Spring Quarter Examinations?”
When the passing students heard this, they couldn’t stand Fan Zijin’s arrogance, especially when they were the children of officials.
There was no such thing as being number one in literature. Fan Zijin didn’t think that there was anything wrong with what he said. After waiting for a while, Yanmo and Fei Bai were still nowhere to be seen. He stood there impatiently and asked Chen Qian to leave his manservant behind to inform Yanmo and Fei Bai of their whereabouts before bringing everyone back to the Fortune Restaurant.
The Fortune Restaurant was bustling with activity since the rankings were released today. In the afternoon, those who were ranked would definitely enter the restaurant to celebrate, and those who failed would also drink to vent. Hence, he had started preparing the day before yesterday. He had to take this opportunity to make the reputation of the Fortune Restaurant even more resounding. Therefore, when Fan Zijin came, he only showed his face at the front and asked about things before leaving.
The group found a private room and sat down. They looked at the pedestrians outside the window. Other than Fan Zijin, no one was in the mood to eat, especially Qi Haoran. He stretched his neck and wished he could rush out personally to take Fei Bai and Yanmo’s place to look at the rankings.
Chen Qian glanced at Fan Zijin, who was drinking tea leisurely, and then at Qi Haoran. He said in amusement, “Those who don’t know better would think that Haoran is the one who took the exam.”
Fan Zijin swirled his teacup and turned to look into his eyes. “Actually, I’m nervous too.”
Not only Chen Qian, but the others were also stunned. Only Qi Haoran didn’t freeze. He turned around and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, you will definitely be able to make the list.”
Fan Zijin nodded. “I know I’ll definitely make the list, but I don’t know what my ranking will be, so I can’t help but feel a little nervous. However, seeing that you guys are more nervous than me, I don’t think I have to be nervous anymore.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone glared at Fan Zijin with envy, jealousy, and hatred. It was better not to say these words. It only made him sound arrogant.
Qi Haoran suddenly pointed down and shouted, “Fei Bai and Yanmo are back!” He leaned out and asked loudly, “Did he make the list?”