33 Xu Family's Young Masters

ust married But… Isn’t Ye Ying really ill I haven't seen her show off at home for days."Hua Tianxiang raised an eyebrow and said smilingly, "But she needs the right credentials to do that. If Li Wang...The Capital City Ode Chapter 33 - Young Masters of the Xu Family

Chapter 33: Young Masters of the Xu Family

In front of the Ye Residence’s main gate, two handsome young men alighted from a carriage. The youth in front glanced at the butler waiting to greet them and showed a hint of dissatisfaction before he tsked and turned back towards the carriage, smiling and saying, "Looks like Brother-in-law's reputation isn't enough for anyone to come welcome us." The slightly older youth who followed him out of the carriage gave him an indifferent glance. "Did Big Brother have you follow along just to show off" The younger man made a face at his brother and said nonchalantly, “Who cares! I’m here to see Sister Li.”

“Xu Qingyan, mind your manners,” someone in the carriage spoke coolly.

Xu Qingyan winked at his brother and grumbled quietly, "Second Brother is even more strict than Big Brother."

Xu Qingbai rolled his eyes. If he was so strict, why did you still provoke him

The Ye Residence's steward looked helplessly at the two young masters of the Xu Family who were talking to each other freely, apparently not hearing a word that had been said in invitation to enter. Not only would they not go inside, but also those sitting quietly in the carriage hadn't even seen them yet. Just as he was wondering whether or not to approach again, a voice from behind the main gate sounded excitedly, "Fourth cousin and fifth brother"

Xu Qingbai turned his body to look at the green-robed maiden who briskly walked out of the residence. The initial unfamiliarity in his eyes gradually softened into warmth as Ye Li drew nearer. "Li'er, I am your fourth brother," he smiled warmly. "Do you remember"

Ye Li nodded slightly. Xu Qingbai was the fifth son among the Xu family who was closest to her age; he was only a year older than her. Thus, they were also the ones she had been closest with when she lived in the Xu residence, and would read books together and play.

“Fourth Brother…”

"Heh heh, I’m Qingyan," Xu Qingyan jumped in without delay.

Ye Li looked at the handsome youth before her and smiled wryly. "Fifth brother has grown up; you really look like your aunt now. Back when we left the capital city, you were just a little kid." Xu Qingyan instantly pouted with his pretty face falling. "Sister Li’s bullying me."

"Elder Brother, Second Brother, and... Third Brother"

The curtains of the carriage behind her were suddenly pulled up. Xu Qingfeng jumped down from the carriage with a smile on his face: "Fortunately, Li still remembers her Third Brother; otherwise, I might get jealous."

Two young men casually stepped out of the carriage. They were none other than Xu Qichen, the eldest son of the Xu family and號稱天下第一少年狀元 (the狀元 who was renowned as the best youth in the land), and Xu Qingze, the second son of the Xu family.

"Li," said Xu Qichen, dressed in a white robe. His handsome face softened slightly when he saw Ye Li. Unlike Xu Qichen’s graceful appearance, nineteen-year-old Xu Qingze exuded an air of strictness and solemnity, which might make others feel distant and cold; however, Ye Li could sense the warmth in his gaze.

"Elder Brother, Second Brother," Ye Li softly called out. She felt a strange ache in her eyes for some reason. A bewildering sensation overwhelmed Ye Li, who usually felt at ease in any situation. Even though she had many sisters in the Ye family, she always felt like she was alone. But now that so many brothers were suddenly around her, it was as if they had returned to a time before her mother passed away and her maternal uncle and grandfather left the capital. It also reminded her of her previous life’s big, warm family, which was constantly filled with bickering.

Xu Qichen gently brushed Ye Li's hair behind her ear and sighed softly: "Has Li endured much hardship over these years"

Ye Li shook her head repeatedly but couldn’t utter a single word; it felt like something was blocking her throat.

"Third Sister, having the cousins stand outside is impolite. We should invite them inside quickly," said Ye Ying as she gracefully stepped forward and spoke softly to Ye Li. Then, she gave Xu Qichen a respectful bow: "Ying greets Cousin Qingchen." Meanwhile, Xu Qingfeng rubbed his nose and stood behind his second brother. He had visited the Ye family many times before, but the haughty Ye Ying had never been so courteous to him.

Ye Ying’s face changed slightly as she forced a smile. Ye Li quickly calmed her emotions and smiled at Xu Qichen: "It is my fault for being impolite, Elder Brother. Shall we go inside Father and Grandmother are waiting for the cousins and Fifth Brother." Xu Qichen nodded, and Xu Qingze gestured to their servants who were standing by. The Xu family’s attendants retrieved the gifts from the carriages and followed closely behind their masters as they headed toward the Ye residence.

Following beside Xu Qichen and Xu Qingze, Ye Li softly asked: "Elder Brother, how are Uncle and Aunt doing

Xu Qingchen nodded and smiled, saying, "Mother stayed in Yunzhou, while Father only felt a bit tired from the journey. He'll be fine after some rest."

Ye Li whispered with a complaint, "Why didn't you tell me that Uncle Xu and the cousins were here I would have gone to greet them."

Xu Qingfeng laughed heartily as he walked behind her, "It's not my fault. Grandfather sent letters ahead but forbade anyone from going out to meet him. Father only found out later that they had already moved into the villa in the capital and got very angry about it." Ye Li knew her uncle’s personality disliked such formalities and didn’t think much of it, smiling instead, "Then I’ll visit Uncle Xu tomorrow. How are Aunt Lin and Aunt Wei"

"They're all fine," replied Xu Qingze. "Aunt Lin and Aunt Wei are the most loyal to your aunt. Their families also volunteered to accompany you to Duke Ding’s residence, so grandfather allowed their families to follow them."

Ye Li nodded without saying anything polite; she felt even more guilty for her grandfather who had to worry about her despite never having been able to enjoy his company.

Xu Qingchen looked down at her and gently patted her shoulder, "Don’t overthink it. As long as you’re doing well, that’s all your grandfather wants."

"I know," Ye Li replied.

Ye Lin and Ye Shan watched their beautiful sister being escorted away by several handsome men, then looked at the gloomy Ye Ying beside them. They exchanged glances before Ye Lin asked tentatively, "Fourth Sister… those gentlemen are Third Sister’s cousins" Ye Ying raised her head to glare at her viciously, making Ye Lin take a step back in shock and almost bumping into Ye Shan behind her. Ye Ying sneered coldly at her, saying disdainfully, “Give up now. Who would want someone like you even if they were from Xu Family” She then turned around without caring about how Ye Lin looked.

Ye Lin was stunned by Ye Ying’s words and her fair face flushed red instantly as she thought of its meaning. Feeling both ashamed and embarrassed, she shook her head when Ye Shan said, "She's in a bad mood, why did you provoke her Let's go back or grandmother will be unhappy." To her surprise, even the cool-headed Ye Shan showed some concern for her this time. Seeing that others had already gone far ahead, Ye Lin hurriedly followed after.

Glory Hall

"Younger generations, including my younger brothers, pay respects to Grandma and... Uncle." Xu Qingchen took the lead in greeting Ye Laofei and Ye Shangshou. Then, the others followed suit. Ye Laofei looked at the five men standing in the hall. She did not even need to mention Xu Qingchen, who was already famous across the country for his grace and charm; even Xu Qingyan, who was only thirteen years old, had a neat appearance and proper manners. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she couldn’t deny that the Xu family knew how to raise children better than her own family did. Ye Laofei’s eyes flickered, and she quickly said with a smile, "We are all one big family, so let's skip these formalities. Is your father well"

Xu Qingchen stood tall and answered gracefully, “Father is fine, but he couldn't visit due to the journey's fatigue. Please forgive us.”

Although Ye Laofei knew it was just polite talk, she could not say anything else. She merely smiled and said, "The road has been long and arduous; you should rest well. Rong'er, come over and greet your cousin."

Ye Rong stood beside Wang Shi, wanting to speak but noticing his father staring at him sternly. Reluctantly, he stepped forward and said, “Rong’er greets my cousin.” Ye Rong was not a scheming person; in fact, he wasn't even good at putting on appearances. Since he didn’t like Ye Li, it went without saying that he also disliked her cousin. Although his father and grandmother had warned him beforehand, he still couldn’t completely hide his feelings. His actions when greeting were half-hearted and perfunctory, causing the expression of Ye Shangshou to darken.

Xu Qingyan curled his lip but turned away without saying anything. As the youngest, it wasn't his turn to speak anyway. But Xu Qingchen seemed oblivious to Ye Rong’s demeanor; his smile remained warm and polite, even adding an air of friendliness: "Young Master Ye is very courteous. I've heard that Young Master Ye has excellent literary talent. Qingyan and you are not much different in age; he tends to be mischievous. When you have time, why don't we get to know each other better"

Xu Qingyan was inwardly frustrated but dared not refute Xu Qingchen on the surface. He put on a friendly smile obediently: "What Brother says is right. Younger brother will definitely learn from Young Master Ye."

Xu Qingchen was pleased with his younger brother's compliance and then had someone present gifts to Ye Rong and other members of the Ye family. Immediately, Ye Rong felt more favor towards Xu Qingchen than Xu Qingfeng, who always looked down on him and frequently intimidated and belittled him; Xu Qingchen showed no signs of looking down on him at all.

As he was forced to make friends with Ye Rong, Xu Qingyan casually moved beside Xu Qingbai and secretly poked his arm while sending over a puzzled gaze: Why would Brother like this fool

Xu Qingbai had straightforward and fair eyes: Because he is so foolish.

Unless he was that foolish, how could he think their eldest brother really liked anyone else in the Ye family besides his cousin The likelihood of that happening was even lower than Brother not bullying Prince Ding, wasn't itstrange and unfamiliar emotion stirred quietly in his calm eyes. All he saw was that slender silhouette continuously falling then rising."Mo Xiuyao, you're actually mistreating women!" Feng Zhirao's v...