Rebirth: The Courtyard Bride Is Cool and Radiant

Chapter 301: Chapter 301 Mom, You Seem Off Tonight

Yunyi hadn’t expected Shi Jingfang to know about her engagement with the Qin Family. She quickly explained, ”I’ve already canceled the engagement with the Qin Family; my partner is someone else.”

Ye Wenhui looked at her mother, then at Yunyi, obviously very interested in what they were discussing.

Still frowning, Shi Jingfang asked, ”Was it your decision to break off the engagement with the Qin Family, or did they propose it?”

Yunyi didn’t hide anything. ”Ever since my parents passed away, the Qin Family had begun to voice subtle complaints. However, out of respect for my grandfather, they never formally raised the issue. But the warmth between our families had long since faded. Besides, Qin Jianghui never liked me to begin with. He was seeing someone else behind my back, which I only found out about by chance. Before I left for the countryside, the Qin Family summoned me, and we straightforwardly broke off the engagement. It was a relief for everyone involved.”

She then recalled something. ”Old Master Qin felt he owed the Chu Family and also compensated me. Qin Jianghui and I mutually disliked each other, so it was better that neither of us held the other back. It worked out well.”

Shi Jingfang listened to Yunyi’s light and breezy tone, but her heart ached fiercely for her.

She knew about the Qin Family, especially Qin Jianghui’s materialistic mother. She would have likely faced a lot of hardship marrying into that family, so perhaps this outcome was for the best.

With Yunyi’s looks, she could have her pick of anyone.

Remembering Yunyi had mentioned she had a partner, Shi Jingfang continued to ask, ”You just said your partner is...?”

Yunyi raked some firewood out of the stove and took down the steamed cured meat and stewed rabbit with potatoes from the steamer. ”His name is Huo Jingrui, and he’s a soldier. We only confirmed our relationship a short while ago.”

Upon hearing he was a soldier, Shi Jingfang grew concerned. ”Yunyi, being a Military Wife is hard; you should understand that. Aunt Jingfang hopes you’ll think it through carefully.”

As far as Yunyi is concerned, I’m just a stranger, Shi Jingfang thought. If I say too much, I’m afraid the girl will take offense. But if I don’t offer at least a word of caution, I won’t be able to ease my own conscience.

After all, not every Military Wife has the qualifications to live with her husband’s unit. Living apart for long periods can be difficult, with no one to rely on when problems arise at home.

Yunyi smiled. ”Aunt Jingfang, I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry. He’s already a battalion commander, so he has the qualifications for me to accompany him.”

But her words only made Shi Jingfang more anxious. ”Battalion commander? Then how old is he now?”

She was very worried. This girl couldn’t have been deceived, could she? If he’s already a battalion commander, he must not be very young.

Yunyi laughed outright. ”He hasn’t been married before, but he is indeed a few years older than I am.”

Ye Wenhui then interjected, ”Exactly how much older is he?”

Yunyi passed her the plate of cured meat. ”He’s seven years older than me.”

Upon hearing seven years, both mother and daughter breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, thank goodness, it’s not too outrageous.

The three of them went back into the house, moved the table to the middle of the room, and set out the dishes. ”Aunt Jingfang, Sister Wenhui, please try my cooking.”

Shi Jingfang tasted a piece of potato. ”Well, I must say, your cooking skills are quite good, much better than Wenhui’s.”

Ye Wenhui swallowed the rabbit meat in her mouth and gave Yunyi a big thumbs up. ”Indeed, it’s excellent. This time, I won’t argue with what my mom said.”

All three of them laughed.

Staring at Yunyi’s face, Shi Jingfang’s suspicion grew stronger. Her features... so much like her husband’s younger sister... Even the dimple on her right side was the same. She couldn’t make sense of it.

But there were some things she really couldn’t bring herself to ask, especially since Yunyi was the daughter of a dear friend. She felt very conflicted.

Yunyi used the serving chopsticks to place more meat into their bowls. ”Please, eat more. Don’t be polite with me.”

Shi Jingfang returned to her senses. ”Now that you two have met, you should visit each other more often in the future.”

The two exchanged a glance and both nodded.

Over the meal, they talked a lot. This allowed Yunyi to gain a general understanding of the Ye Family’s situation, and she also learned that Ye Wenhui’s and Ye Wenjuan’s grandfathers were brothers.

When Shi Jingfang and her daughter left, they made plans with Yunyi to go to the state-owned restaurant for lunch together the following day.

Yunyi watched the two of them walk into the distance before she closed the courtyard gate.

As they walked away, Ye Wenhui nudged Shi Jingfang with her elbow. ”Mom, you were a bit off tonight. Why were you staring at Yunyi the whole evening?”