The Double-Chapter 437 - 143 Winter Solstice_2

Jiang Li didn’t see Ye Mingyu in the room. When Ye Shijie came alone, she asked, "Why isn’t Uncle here?"

"He had been drinking. Knowing that you were coming, he’s now changing his clothes," Ye Shijie said with a bit of a headache. Listening to the noises of people shouting drinking commands from inside the room, and seeing Ye Shijie’s helpless expression, Jiang Li understood. Ye Mingyu was naturally rough in character, while Ye Shijie was very restrained. Now that Ye Mingyu had brought the whole martial arts world into their residence, it was naturally not something Ye Shijie would be pleased about.

Jiang Li glanced at the back and smiled, "Uncle is broad-minded. You have put up with a lot."

"I know," Ye Shijie replied, "Uncle has always been like this." He looked at Jiang Li. "Why have you come so early?"

"Today is the Winter Solstice. I came to check on you all," Jiang Li had Bai Xue bring out the snacks that had been prepared in advance. "I also brought some cakes for you."

Ye Shijie received them, feeling a strange surge of emotion. Jiang Li’s expression was very gentle, her demeanor very natural, as though she were interacting with her own family members. The phrase ’family members’ echoed in his mind, and Ye Shijie shuddered as if struck by something.

Just as he was somewhat stunned, Ye Mingyu came out in fresh clothes. Thinking back to how he had been merry with his brothers, although he had changed clothes, the smell of alcohol lingered. Fortunately, he was still sober. Seeing Jiang Li, he said, "A-Li, you’re here! Come in and sit?"

"Uncle still has guests; I won’t stay long," Jiang Li smiled too. As a young lady, she was indifferent to being around these burly men, but she was afraid they might feel uneasy around her.

"I brought some things for you all, and I came to see County Magistrate Xue." Jiang Li smiled, "I’ll leave after seeing him."

"How about..." Ye Mingyu wanted to persuade her but was interrupted by Ye Shijie, who said, "Right, it’s indeed not convenient for you to stay today. When the house is free of strangers another day, you can come over then."

He emphasized the words "free of strangers" heavily, glancing at Ye Mingyu.

Ye Mingyu, knowing he was at fault, touched his nose and laughed, "Well then, why don’t you go see County Magistrate Xue now? These past few days, Miss Situ has come to give him a few acupuncture treatments. The old man is much better now, he can eat a full bowl of rice every day, and his spirits are good!"

While speaking, he led Jiang Li to Xue Huaiyuan’s yard.

Xue Huaiyuan was watching a shadow puppet show with rapt attention, perhaps a novelty Ye Mingyu had specially found for him. He was watching with great enthusiasm, occasionally laughing happily. Seeing this, Jiang Li couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

There were no signs of clear consciousness.

Ye Shijie seemed to perceive her thoughts and said, "You don’t have to be too anxious. Miss Situ mentioned that County Magistrate Xue’s illness is difficult to treat and requires a slow approach. Besides, as Uncle said, County Magistrate Xue has improved a lot these days. When he first came from Tongxiang to Yanjing, he was extremely weak. Now, he has almost fully recovered."

Jiang Li finally calmed down and shook her head, "I was too anxious."

"I know," Ye Mingyu scratched his head, "you care more about Old Man Xue than your own father, so of course, you’re concerned about him. How about after Old Man Xue recovers, you acknowledge him as your sworn father? You’ve done so much for him; he won’t refuse. As for your father, you don’t have to worry, I will talk to him!" He then added resentfully, "I still haven’t settled the score with Ji Shuran; that incident from the past was entirely based on Ji Shuran’s words, where does that leave the members of the Ye family?"

Ye Mingyu gritted his teeth when he talked about this.

Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie, of course, found out about Ji Shuran’s incident immediately and, without a doubt, gave Jiang Yuanbai a fierce scolding. If it weren’t for the fact that Ji Shuran had already died, they would have demanded an explanation from the Ji family members. It was finally Jiang Li who came forward and calmed Ye Mingyu down.

However, knowing how much Jiang Li had suffered, Ye Mingyu’s dislike for the Jiang family grew even stronger, even considering the idea of having Jiang Li leave the Jiang family to return to the Ye family. In the end, it was the more rational Ye Shijie who stopped him.

"Sworn father?" Jiang Li’s heart stirred. She had never considered this before, but Ye Mingyu, accustomed to the ways of the martial arts world, often saw people swearing brotherhood or acknowledging godfathers, so he took it as routine. The speaker was unintentional, but the listener took it to heart. Ye Mingyu’s remark was offhand, but Jiang Li took note of it. Her concern for Xue Huaiyuan was deep, and future gossip would be inevitable, yet claiming him as her sworn father seemed to be a solution to all problems.

However, before that, unless Xue Huaiyuan regained his senses, even if the Jiang family members felt guilty for how they had treated her, they would never allow Jiang Li to acknowledge a man without his wits as her sworn father.