Over an hour later, Han Li followed Qin Yan out of the secret room, once again adopting the image of a country bumpkin.
Upon returning to the reception hall, the Qin family patriarch immediately gave orders in front of the Third Madam to have a clean living quarter prepared in the rear courtyard for this "nephew" Han to stay in the Qin residence for an extended period.
The surface reason was lofty and proper: Master Qin intended to properly cultivate this junior to repay the great kindness his ancestors had shown him in the past.
When the Third Madam heard this, she opened her mouth but ultimately did not voice any objections!
With her cunning mind, she cleverly realized that Qin Yan had already made up his mind, leaving no room for dissent. Moreover, her intuition told her that there was definitely something fishy going on between this nephew Han and her husband.
But since Qin Yan had not revealed the details to her, she naturally would not do anything to be disliked and fall out of favor.
However, she had a somewhat whimsical speculation: her husband being so serious about this nephew Han—could it be that he was an illegitimate son left from an affair in his youth? Otherwise, why would he lose his composure so much while reading the letter, and later show such enthusiasm?
The too-clever Third Madam felt more and more that this was likely the case, and felt somewhat displeased. But she still put on an expression of indifference and became even more cordial toward Han Li.
Thus, under Master Qin's repeated instructions, Han Li once again followed Qin Ping out of the hall to inspect his living quarters and see if he was satisfied.
This time, Qin Ping's expression was no longer the stiff one from before; instead, his face was full of smiles, and he addressed Han Li as "Young Master Han" repeatedly! He had completely chosen to forget how coldly he had treated Han Li earlier.
And although Han Li put on a flattered expression, he secretly sighed that the skill of these mortal servants in reading the wind and steering their sails was truly divine. To go from arrogance to servility without showing the slightest embarrassment—who could say whether it was due to their thick skin or because they were already accustomed to living this way.
Then, Qin Ping led Han Li along a small path through the rear courtyard, turning a few times to arrive before a secluded triple-courtyard house.
The environment here was elegant and exquisite, exceptionally quiet, and when Han Li saw it, he secretly nodded, feeling it was very much to his liking.
It seemed Qin Yan had indeed put some thought into choosing a good residence for him.
"Young Master Han, this is your residence! This is the finest courtyard in the Qin residence. Ordinarily, unless it's a distinguished guest valued by the Master, no one is allowed to stay here!" Qin Ping led Han Li into the courtyard and explained with some fawning.
Han Li scratched his head, smiling foolishly with an air of simplicity, as if he didn't know what to say.
Qin Ping wisely skipped that topic and changed the subject:
"Young Master Han probably hasn't had dinner yet, right? I'll go and have the kitchen send food over. Please wait a moment!"
After saying this, Qin Ping respectfully backed out of the courtyard, then turned and left.
When Han Li saw the man gradually disappear, he let out a faint smile, turned around, and pushed open the door to the house.
The arrangement of these rooms matched the surrounding environment—refined and elegant. After looking around, Han Li was even more satisfied and couldn't help wondering who had arranged this place.
Qin Ping was indeed quick on his feet! Not long afterward, a servant woman came carrying a large bamboo box to deliver food.
Smelling the aroma of the food, Han Li, who had been abstaining from grains for several years, actually felt a bit tempted. Without standing on ceremony, he swept clean several plates of delicate dishes and a bowl of rice.
When Qin Ping returned and saw the leftovers, he naturally found it somewhat amusing. But on the surface, he still respectfully asked Han Li to return to the reception hall, as Master Qin wanted to introduce the people of the Qin residence to Han Li.
...
When Han Li entered the reception hall for the second time, it was no longer just Qin Yan and the Third Madam; there were now a full twenty to thirty men and women, both standing and seated.
When Qin Yan warmly and affectionately greeted Han Li and invited him to sit beside him, the older people in the hall were somewhat astonished but did not have any strong reactions. However, the younger Qin family misses and young masters could not hold back their composure. Immediately, a rather favored young master stood up and asked with some dissatisfaction:
"Grandfather, who is this gentleman? We siblings have never seen him before. Could it that you gathered us all just for him?"
Qin Yan naturally heard his grandson's displeasure, but he did not give him any face. Instead, he glared at him and said with a cold voice:
"Step aside! Do you have any right to speak here? What 'this person' or 'that person'! This is Han Li—Nephew Han. His ancestors showed great kindness to our Qin family, even risking their lives. You must not be rude to him!"
Qin Yan's words immediately caused a stir among everyone in the hall, except for the Third Madam.