After more than two hours, Han Li followed Qin Yan out of the secret chamber, his appearance once again changed. Upon returning to the main hall, the head of the Qin family immediately gave orders in front of Third Madam, having the servants prepare a clean living space in the rear residence for this young nephew Han to stay in the Qin manor for a long time.
The surface reason was impeccable: Master Qin wanted to properly cultivate this junior as repayment for the great kindness his ancestors had shown him back in the day.
Third Madam opened her mouth upon hearing this, but ultimately did not voice any objection! Her shrewd mind understood clearly that Qin Yan had already made up his mind and would not tolerate anyone's dissent. Moreover, from her intuition, this nephew Han and her husband surely had some hidden dealings between them.
But since Qin Yan had not revealed the details to her, she naturally would not do anything to make herself disliked and fall out of favor.
However, she harbored some fanciful speculations: could it be that her husband was so ceremonious toward this nephew Han because he was an illegitimate child left behind from some youthful indiscretion? Otherwise, why would he be so shaken when reading the letter, and later so enthusiastic?
The overly imaginative Third Madam felt increasingly that this must be the case, and felt somewhat unhappy. Yet on her face she maintained an expression of nonchalance, 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 have him check whether the living quarters were satisfactory.
This time Qin Ping's expression was no longer the stiff look from before, but a face full of smiles, and he addressed Han Li as "Young Master Han" ceaselessly! He had completely selectively forgotten his previous cold treatment of Han Li.
And although Han Li put on a flattered expression on his face, he silently sighed that these mortal servants truly had godlike skill at reading the wind and steering the course. Such a dramatic reversal from aloofness to deference, yet not a trace of embarrassment showed on his face. That was the way of life for such people.
Afterwards, Qin Ping led Han Li along a winding path through the rear residence, and they arrived before a secluded three-sided courtyard.
The environment here was elegant and refined, exceptionally quiet, which made Han Li silently nod in approval. He found it very much to his liking.
It seemed that Qin Yan had indeed put thought into picking a good living place for him.
"Young Master Han, this is your residence! This is the finest courtyard in the entire Qin manor. Normally, unless Master holds a distinguished guest in high regard, he would never allow anyone to stay here!" After leading Han Li into the courtyard, Qin Ping explained with a fawning tone.
Han Li scratched his head, grinning foolishly in a simple-minded manner, seeming not to know what to say.
Qin Ping tactfully skipped over this topic and changed the subject:
"Young Master Han must not have eaten dinner yet, right? This servant will go have the kitchen send food over immediately, please wait a moment!"
After saying this, Qin Ping respectfully backed out of the courtyard, then turned and left.
Han Li watched the man gradually depart before smiling faintly, turning around and pushing open the door.
The furnishings of these rooms were worthy of their surrounding environment, equally refined and elegant.
After looking around, Han Li felt even more satisfied. He couldn't help wondering who had arranged this place.
That Qin Ping was truly swift in his work! In no time at all, a servant woman arrived carrying a large bamboo box to deliver the meal.
Smelling the fragrant food, Han Li, who had been fasting from grain for several years, truly felt some cravings. Without standing on ceremony, he swept clean several plates of delicate side dishes and a bowl of rice.
When Qin Ping returned later and saw the empty dishes, he naturally found it somewhat amusing. But outwardly, he maintained a respectful expression and asked Han Li to return to the main hall once more. The Master of the Qin family wished to introduce the members of the Qin household to Han Li.
...
When Han Li entered the main hall for the second time, it was no longer just Qin Yan and Third Madam. There were now twenty to thirty men and women, both standing and seated.
When Qin Yan warmly beckoned Han Li to sit beside him, the older members of the hall were somewhat surprised but showed no extreme reactions. However, those younger Qin family young ladies and masters could not keep their composure. Immediately, one of the more favored young masters stood up and asked with some dissatisfaction:
"Grandfather, who is this gentleman? We siblings have never seen him before. Could it be that you gathered us all just for this person?"
Qin Yan naturally detected his young grandson's displeasure, but he gave him no favorable expression. Instead, he glared at him, his face turning cold as he said in a stern voice:
"Step back! Is this a place for you to speak? What 'this person' and 'that person'! This is Han Li—Nephew Han. His ancestors showed our Qin family a life-saving grace. You are not to be disrespectful toward him!"
Qin Yan's words immediately caused a stir among everyone in the hall except Third Madam.
All manner of speculative and curious gazes simultaneously fell upon Han Li. And Han Li appropriately showed an uneasy expression, fidgeting back and forth as if there were nails beneath his seat.
As for that young Qin master, his face alternated between red and white as he silently withdrew.
He had never imagined that Qin Yan, who usually doted on him so much, would speak so harshly today. Before so many of his siblings, he had lost face in a major way!
After this incident, this young master naturally would not harbor any goodwill toward Han Li! Of course, he would not be so foolish as to make any hostile moves toward Han Li after Qin Yan had already given his instructions.
After all, it now appeared that this country bumpkin held an extremely important position in his grandfather's heart, and he did not wish to lose Qin Yan's favor over this.
With this bird that stuck its head out serving as an example, the others naturally would not make any more hostile gestures. Instead, most of them showed friendly expressions after exchanging glances with Han Li.
At this point, Qin Yan smilingly pointed out the people in the room, introducing them to Han Li one by one:
"This is my eldest son, Qin Zhi. He currently manages all of Yuejing's business for me. His mind is quite capable. That is my second son..."
While nodding absentmindedly, Han Li secretly memorized every member of the Qin family that Qin Yan introduced. These were all people he needed to protect!
However, this old Master Qin was truly prolific. He had five sons and three daughters, with quite a few grandchildren as well.
The eldest and second sons both appeared to be in their thirties and already had families of their own. The one who had just spoken up to question was the second son of the eldest.
What was amusing was that Qin Yan's youngest, the fifth son, was only five or six years old—a mere toddler who did nothing but suck his fingers.
The thought of that sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth having to call this snotty-nosed child "Fifth Uncle" struck Han Li as quite comidable.
As for Qin Yan's wives, aside from Third Madam whom he had met that morning, there was a Second Madam in her forties, along with seven or eight younger concubines.
Qin Yan's original wife was not in the hall. According to him, she was currently vegetarian and chanting Buddhist scriptures, seldom coming out to see people anymore.
Additionally, there were two men in their forties—Qin Yan's second and third brothers.
Each of them managed a portion of the Qin family's business and were considered relatively important members of the household. Of course, they too had several children present in the hall, but Han Li only briefly noted their names and couldn't be bothered to pay them further attention.
After all, with limited energy as a single person, he could only focus on protecting the branch of Qin Yan's direct line.
"Eh! Where is Cousin?"
After Qin Yan had introduced everyone in the hall, he suddenly realized one person was still missing and hadn't come. He turned to Third Madam beside him and asked:
"Master, Cousin felt that as a widow, it would be inappropriate for her to meet an outsider, so she did not come! Should I go summon her?" Third Madam said in a low voice upon hearing this, a hint of hesitation on her face.
"That's alright, Nephew Han is no outsider. She should still meet him!" Qin Yan said after a moment of thought.
"I understand, Master!"
"Xiaolian, go quickly and summon Cousin. Tell her it is the Master who requests her presence!"
Third Madam gave the faint instruction to a young maidservant standing behind her.
"Yes, Madam." This little maidservant, who had previously guided Han Li, immediately dashed out nimbly through a side door with quick, light steps.
Only then did Qin Yan turn back and quietly explain to Han Li:
"There's one more who hasn't come. She is a young woman that my original wife rescued from a river channel about seven or eight years ago while on her way home to visit relatives."
"This woman was extremely pitiful. Not only had she lost her memory from striking her head, but her entire body was covered in wounds. My wife, being kind-hearted, healed her, and seeing that she had nowhere to go, had her brother from her maiden family take her in as an adopted daughter, giving her a place to settle."
"But this woman was truly unfortunate. Though a match was arranged through her adoptive father's efforts, just three days after the wedding, her fiancé fell into the river and drowned while drunk. By rights, at her young age she could certainly have chosen another to marry. However, this woman turned out to have a fiercely chaste nature, willingly choosing to remain unmarried forever, mourning the husband she had only lived with for three days. This became a local tale of virtue, bringing considerable honor to my wife's maiden family!"
"Later, her adoptive father passed away from illness. My wife, seeing her living alone in an empty house and finding it truly pitiful, brought her here to be her companion, so as to comfort and cheer her up as well!" Qin Yan spoke with an emotional sigh as he finished.