《My Princess Holds Superpowers》 Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: 1 Stealing the Dragon to Exchange for the Phoenix Chapter 1: 1 Stealing the Dragon to Exchange for the Phoenix Dongyue Country Royal Residence in the Capital City The cold wind of February howled, filling the air with dryness. That night, the main courtyard of the Royal Residence was accompanied by a piercing wail, followed by the crying of a newborn baby. ¡°Nanny, is it a boy or a girl?¡± The woman, who had just gone through childbirth, was pale and weak. Yet she ignored her own condition and immediately asked about the child. The old nanny holding the baby hesitated, her expression grave as she said, ¡°Replying to the Princess Consort, it¡¯s a Commandery Princess!¡± The Princess Consort, who had just given birth, seemed to lose half her life force as she collapsed back onto the bed, murmuring in a daze, ¡°Why is it a Commandery Princess? How could she be a Commandery Princess?¡± The nanny, unable to bear it, glanced outside and leaned in to whisper to the Princess Consort¡¯s ear, ¡°Princess Consort, Madam Mo¡¯s son has been brought over. Do you really¡­ want to switch the Commandery Princess?¡± Looking at the tiny child in her arms and thinking how the dignified Commandery Princess was about to become the daughter of a fifth-rank official, the nanny¡¯s heart ached. The Princess Consort¡¯s eyes also flickered with deep sorrow, but she remained resolute as she said, ¡°Do it, the only thing to blame¡­ is that she should not have been born a girl! Moreover, I am as close as sisters to Zi Yan, and I trust she would treat this child well. Besides, Zi Yan and I had already agreed to swap her son for this child and let the two children marry when they grow up. As for this child, even though she cannot be a Commandery Princess, she will still be the Crown Princess in the future, which won¡¯t confuse the Imperial Family¡¯s lineage.¡± The old nanny looked at the baby in her arms and finally couldn¡¯t bring herself to be heartless. She said, ¡°Princess Consort, it¡¯s still a bond between mother and daughter, won¡¯t you hold the Commandery Princess?¡± With tears in her eyes, the Princess Consort turned her face away, heartbreakingly ordering, ¡°Take her away!¡± She was afraid that if she delayed any longer, it would be even harder to let go. Roar¡­ Thunder boomed, and the rain poured down. In the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan in Dongyue Country, the birth of the eldest son of the fourth prince, the thunderstorm that had shrouded most of Dongyue Country for two years finally relented, the rain falling heavily, signaling the end of the disaster and was seen as a great omen. That very night, a decree from the Imperial Palace arrived, conferring the title of Princely Heir to the eldest son of the prince. At the same time, the one who should have been the esteemed Commandery Princess was secretly placed in a food box and carried out. Continuous heart-wrenching cries came from the box, but they were drowned out by the unceasing thunder in the night. In an alley not far from the Royal Residence, a discreet carriage was parked there. A guard carried the food box with the child inside over to the carriage and then left. But as soon as he reached the quiet corner, someone immediately slit his throat, and his body was silently dragged away. A maid brought the food box into the carriage and reported to the lavishly dressed woman inside, ¡°Madam, what should we do with this child?¡± The woman in the carriage was none other than the Princess Consort¡¯s dear friend, the current Mrs. Mo, Zi Yan. Mrs. Mo opened the food box, looked disdainfully at the crying child inside, and said without mercy, ¡°Force the poison down her throat, then dispose of the body.¡± Mrs. Mo watched as the maid forced the prepared deadly poison into the baby¡¯s mouth, satisfied only when the carriage started to move away. Before leaving, she didn¡¯t forget to instruct, ¡°Make sure to dispose of this dead child cleanly. Don¡¯t let anyone notice anything suspicious.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After Mrs. Mo left, the maid looked at the child in her hands, whose face was turning red from crying, and felt troubled. On this rainy night, how was she supposed to dispose of the child? Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Whose child is that? Chapter 2: Whose child is that? Just then, the midwife waiting to receive her reward saw that the noble lady¡¯s carriage had already left, and she could only direct her intention to the maid, ¡°Sister, look, I brought over that peasant woman¡¯s child to the lady, but now the peasant woman has lost her child for no reason, we ought to give an explanation, right¡­¡± The midwife¡¯s real intention was to ask for more reward money, and as for the peasant woman, to keep the child-stealing unnoticed, she and another midwife had slipped her some knockout drops. So at the moment, the peasant woman was still unconscious, completely unaware that her son had been swapped. Besides, that family was just a bunch of refugees fleeing disaster, and surely they could be brushed off with some minor benefits. Unfortunately, the maid was troubled with where to place the child in her arms, and upon hearing the midwife¡¯s words, she suddenly had an idea and tossed the child into the midwife¡¯s arms, saying, ¡°Return the child to that peasant woman secretly and tell her the child wasn¡¯t healthy, stayed in the womb too long, and was stillborn.¡± The midwife, holding the child in her arms, was clearly unhappy, but the maid could tell what she was thinking and immediately took out a pouch of money and tossed it to her, ¡°As long as the job is done well, you won¡¯t lack your share of benefits.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, this old woman will do as the miss says,¡± the midwife immediately switched to a flattering expression. As the midwife took the child, she discovered the child was not dead yet, and couldn¡¯t help but marvel, this one truly has a strong life force. She was just an ordinary midwife, but not long ago, she had been sought out by someone who asked her to find some pregnant women among the disaster victims who had come to the capital city for refuge. Without needing to be told, she could guess that it must be some noble lady wanting a son; better if she gave birth to a son herself, but if it was a daughter, she¡¯d have to replace the child with someone else¡¯s to deceive her household. She had long heard of the secretive measures of wealthy families, but experiencing it firsthand still shocked her. Look at this cruel heart, they had actually had the resolve to poison their own flesh and blood, showing no mercy at all! However, none of this was her concern, she was just a midwife ¡ª take the money, do the job, and that was that. The midwife held the child and scurried along, looking left and right in a fluster, not noticing at all that the newborn in her arms was struggling to stick a finger into her mouth; newborn as she was, she couldn¡¯t control her own movements, so a simple action took a long time to complete. Fortunately, it seemed even the heavens were helping her. At a street corner, a small figure stained with blood ran frantically and crashed right into the midwife, causing her and the child she was holding to tumble to the ground. Coincidentally, the child¡¯s finger, stretched out for a long time, followed the momentum and poked into her throat, causing retching and a lot of yellowish medicinal fluid to be vomited out. Sikong Mo, who was also injured, fell to the ground but only glanced at the midwife and her wrinkled child before he took off in a fleeing manner. Sikong Mo left in such haste that he didn¡¯t notice a Jade Pendant suddenly falling from his waist, dropping right onto the forehead of the child in the midwife¡¯s arms, then it disappeared into her brow. ¡°Ouch, whose child is this, running around in the pouring rain without watching the road, nearly killed this old woman!¡± The midwife complained as she got up from the ground with the child, and before she had a chance to leave, she saw a group of people following close behind. The midwife¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly hid away. Chapter 3 - Chapter 2: Whose child is that? Chapter 2: Whose child is that? Just then, the midwife waiting to receive her reward saw that the noble lady¡¯s carriage had already left, and she could only direct her intention to the maid, ¡°Sister, look, I brought over that peasant woman¡¯s child to the lady, but now the peasant woman has lost her child for no reason, we ought to give an explanation, right¡­¡± The midwife¡¯s real intention was to ask for more reward money, and as for the peasant woman, to keep the child-stealing unnoticed, she and another midwife had slipped her some knockout drops. So at the moment, the peasant woman was still unconscious, completely unaware that her son had been swapped. Besides, that family was just a bunch of refugees fleeing disaster, and surely they could be brushed off with some minor benefits. Unfortunately, the maid was troubled with where to place the child in her arms, and upon hearing the midwife¡¯s words, she suddenly had an idea and tossed the child into the midwife¡¯s arms, saying, ¡°Return the child to that peasant woman secretly and tell her the child wasn¡¯t healthy, stayed in the womb too long, and was stillborn.¡± The midwife, holding the child in her arms, was clearly unhappy, but the maid could tell what she was thinking and immediately took out a pouch of money and tossed it to her, ¡°As long as the job is done well, you won¡¯t lack your share of benefits.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, this old woman will do as the miss says,¡± the midwife immediately switched to a flattering expression. As the midwife took the child, she discovered the child was not dead yet, and couldn¡¯t help but marvel, this one truly has a strong life force. She was just an ordinary midwife, but not long ago, she had been sought out by someone who asked her to find some pregnant women among the disaster victims who had come to the capital city for refuge. Without needing to be told, she could guess that it must be some noble lady wanting a son; better if she gave birth to a son herself, but if it was a daughter, she¡¯d have to replace the child with someone else¡¯s to deceive her household. She had long heard of the secretive measures of wealthy families, but experiencing it firsthand still shocked her. Look at this cruel heart, they had actually had the resolve to poison their own flesh and blood, showing no mercy at all! However, none of this was her concern, she was just a midwife ¡ª take the money, do the job, and that was that. The midwife held the child and scurried along, looking left and right in a fluster, not noticing at all that the newborn in her arms was struggling to stick a finger into her mouth; newborn as she was, she couldn¡¯t control her own movements, so a simple action took a long time to complete. Fortunately, it seemed even the heavens were helping her. At a street corner, a small figure stained with blood ran frantically and crashed right into the midwife, causing her and the child she was holding to tumble to the ground. Coincidentally, the child¡¯s finger, stretched out for a long time, followed the momentum and poked into her throat, causing retching and a lot of yellowish medicinal fluid to be vomited out. Sikong Mo, who was also injured, fell to the ground but only glanced at the midwife and her wrinkled child before he took off in a fleeing manner. Sikong Mo left in such haste that he didn¡¯t notice a Jade Pendant suddenly falling from his waist, dropping right onto the forehead of the child in the midwife¡¯s arms, then it disappeared into her brow. ¡°Ouch, whose child is this, running around in the pouring rain without watching the road, nearly killed this old woman!¡± The midwife complained as she got up from the ground with the child, and before she had a chance to leave, she saw a group of people following close behind. The midwife¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly hid away. Chapter 4 - Chapter 3: 3 people were hacked to death with a knife. Chapter 3: 3 people were hacked to death with a knife. By the time the flustered midwife finally climbed back into the refugee dwelling through the tattered window at the back, the other midwife saw her and immediately exclaimed in joy, ¡°You¡¯re finally back, how did it go? Did you take care of the matter?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, what about this side? Nothing¡¯s gone wrong, has it?¡± the midwife hurriedly asked as she wiped the raindrops off her face. ¡°No, I fooled the family into thinking she hasn¡¯t given birth yet; the mother¡¯s too exhausted and has fallen asleep. But we can¡¯t keep this up forever. The baby has already been taken by you; where can we find another child to deceive these people?¡± the other midwife said, anxious to the point of clawing at her own heart. What they were doing, secretly swapping babies, was indeed a grievous sin. If they were caught, they¡¯d likely be beaten to death and no one would say a word. However, without sufficient benefit, no one would be willing to do such a thing. It was then that the midwife remembered and unwrapped the layers of clothing around her, revealing the child she was holding and said, ¡°This is probably the daughter that the family swapped out. Their heart is really cruel, giving her poison as soon as she was born. Right now, she isn¡¯t dead yet. Hurry, change the blankets on this child and say the mother delivered a girl. Whether or not this child can survive is no longer our concern as midwives!¡± The two midwives busied themselves, but the child in their arms showed no sign of life¡­ The Ye Family had fled to the capital city over a year ago. Since the family had several sons who found work outside, their living conditions were somewhat better than the other refugees. Old Man Ye¡¯s daughter-in-law, Mrs. He, successfully gave birth to a girl after a year in the capital city. In an era that favored boys over girls, a daughter should not have been well-received. However, Mrs. He already had four sons and was of an age to be a grandmother with two grandsons. Yet now she had given birth to a daughter, so naturally she doted on this only girl immensely. But strangely, from the moment she was born, the little girl had not cried once and barely moved her limbs, which greatly worried old Man Ye and his wife. At dawn, Old Man Ye hurried back from outside. Mrs. He looked around but didn¡¯t see a doctor, so she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Old man, where¡¯s the doctor you went to find?¡± Old Man Ye had a grim expression and said, ¡°Wife, it¡¯s raining now, the drought is over, and the planting season is nearly here. We should pack up and return to our hometown as soon as possible!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why the rush?¡± Mrs. He naturally didn¡¯t want to go; she had just gone through childbirth the day before and hadn¡¯t had a chance to rest for two days before having to hurry back home. The journey would invariably be bumpy for a month or so, and she certainly didn¡¯t want to endure this hardship while still in confinement. Old Man Ye squatted on the ground, his head in his hands, and said, ¡°Those two midwives who came to our house for the delivery yesterday are dead. They were murdered not far from here, by the firewood stack, hacked to death with a knife. The capital is too chaotic, not a place for people like us to stay!¡± Upon hearing this, Mrs. He also shuddered. Everyone wants to enjoy good fortune, but life is the most important thing! Looking at her newborn daughter lying on the bed, Mrs. He said with a pained heart, ¡°It¡¯s one thing for us adults to suffer a bit more, but I feel sorry for the child. She hasn¡¯t had a single good day since I became pregnant with her, and now that she has just been born, without even a chance to see a doctor, she has to undergo bumps and hardships along with us. My heart¡­ aches!¡± Chapter 5 - Chapter 4: Princely Heir Jing, what is this thing? Chapter 4: Princely Heir Jing, what is this thing? Old Man Ye also said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for letting you suffer while you were expecting, otherwise our daughter wouldn¡¯t have been born in poor health. But she is also blessed, born on the same day as the Prince of Jing¡¯s Princely Heir.¡± ¡°The Prince of Jing¡¯s Princely Heir? What¡¯s that?¡± Mrs. He didn¡¯t understand. Old Man Ye immediately covered her mouth, saying, ¡°That¡¯s the eldest son of Prince Jing. You mustn¡¯t speak recklessly. If someone heard that, it could mean death.¡± Hearing how serious it was, Mrs. He didn¡¯t dare to say any more. Following that, Old Man Ye looked at his newborn daughter with sorrow, sighing, ¡°Prince Jing¡¯s eldest son was also born last night. His birth was marked by a downpour, making him seen as a Lucky Star. The Emperor awarded him the title of Crown Prince overnight.¡± Thinking it over, his own daughter was also born last night, but because they were merely refugees seeking shelter, this led to their child being born in poor health, without even a moment to see a doctor. Indeed, how different the fates are between people! Yet, Mrs. He took the words of Old Man Ye to heart. If the birth of the Prince of Jing¡¯s Princely Heir during a heavy rain was seen as a Lucky Star, then their own daughter, also born last night amidst the same downpour, must surely be a Lucky Star too! Mrs. He didn¡¯t understand any grand principles, but she clung stubbornly to this idea, which established Ye Jiu¡¯s unshakable status within the Ye Family. Dongyue, twenty-fourth year of the Kaiyuan Era At the main door of the Ye Family¡¯s house in Wangshan Village, a frail girl knelt on the ground, her body covered in injuries that nearly cost her half her life, accompanied by a sharp voice scolding her. In the inner room, Ye Jiu woke up to the noise outside. When she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar scene. Thatched roof, mud walls, and the earth-bed she was lying on¡ªwithout a doubt, this was her home where she had lived in a daze for nearly ten years. Just as she was thinking, a child suddenly ran inside and turned to shout at the door, ¡°Ma, little aunt is awake¡­¡± Right after that, the scolding outside came to a sudden halt, and a frail old lady hurried in from outside, calling as she entered, ¡°My dear treasure, my darling, you¡¯ve finally awakened. You had your mother worried to death¡­¡± Ye Jiu blankly watched the familiar old lady come rushing toward her and plop down on the earth-bed where she was lying. Then, Mrs. He stretched her wrinkled face close to her own and touched her forehead, murmuring, ¡°Good, good, my dear treasure has finally broken her fever. If something were to happen to you, how could your mother go on living?¡± Mrs. He¡¯s sorrow made Ye Jiu feel helpless and distressed. She instinctively stretched out her soft little hand to touch Mrs. He¡¯s palm, worn by hard work and suffering through the years, trying to offer some words of comfort. ¡®Ma, I¡¯m alright, don¡¯t worry.¡¯ Such a simple phrase¡ªshe filtered it through her mind several times but couldn¡¯t manage to say it out loud. Ye Jiu felt depressed. Since being reborn into this world, she was already ten years old, but due to the poisoning incident years ago, she still couldn¡¯t control her own body. She didn¡¯t know when this kind of life would ever end! At that moment, Mistress Zhang walked in, carrying a bowl and said with pity, ¡°Ma, the medicine for your little niece is ready. Let me help her drink it.¡± ¡°Give me the medicine, I will feed her,¡± Mrs. He said, taking the bowl of medicine from Mistress Zhang¡¯s hands. Mistress Zhang wasn¡¯t idle either, and quickly helped Ye Jiu to sit up. Meanwhile, Mrs. He kept on instructing gently, ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t hurt my dear treasure¡­¡± Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: 6 Reasons for Injury Chapter 6: 6 Reasons for Injury Ye Jiu later surmised that the pregnant Mrs. He must have long been targeted by the Princess Consort, which led to the switching of the dragon for the phoenix, transforming herself into Mrs. He¡¯s daughter. And the child Mrs. He had originally given birth to must have been a son, just quietly replaced by her so-called biological mother. The hardships of her previous life, coupled with the cruelty of her birth mother in this life, left Ye Jiu listless for a long time. However, it was only after seeing Mrs. He¡¯s affection for her that Ye Jiu realized that such an exchange might not be a better life for herself after all. It¡¯s just that, being thousands of miles away from the Capital City, she had no idea how the son Mrs. He gave birth to was faring! But then she thought, as long as that poisonous woman didn¡¯t bear a son, he should be safe; otherwise, he might just be a stumbling block on someone else¡¯s road to success. Speaking of Mrs. He, she could be deemed a success model for rural women. Mrs. He gave birth to four sons and had two grandsons by the time she had a late-in-life daughter, who was treasured as if she might break in their hands, cherished as if she might melt in their mouths. Ye Jiu was in poor health because of the poison, but Mrs. He didn¡¯t know that poisoning was the reason, so she named her Ye Jiu. The old lady was illiterate but just wanted her to live a long and lasting life, choosing an auspicious name. In the days that followed, Ye Jiu truly understood what real maternal love was! Even though the severe poison rendered Ye Jiu mute and her movements sluggish, still appearing helpless at over ten years old, Mrs. He¡¯s affection for her never wavered for a decade. Whenever the household had delicious food, she was always the first to eat, a privilege not even the Ye Family¡¯s eldest grandson received. Speaking of her recent injury, it was because of an Opium Cake that her elder brother bought for her, which led to her being hit in the head by her half-sister Ye Erya from a different mother, nearly causing her hanging-by-a-thread life to come to an abrupt end. Her foster father, Old Man Ye, was just ordinary farmfolk, with the only difference being that, while other poor families were monogamous, he had taken two wives. In the eyes of Mrs. He, Mrs. Lee was the mistress who rose to the top, but to Mrs. He, it was Mrs. Lee and Old Man Ye who had wronged her first. Of course, Ye Jiu only incidentally heard this when Mrs. He was scolding Mrs. Lee and also when Mrs. Lee grumbled in front of her while Mrs. He was away. Initially, Old Man Ye was betrothed to Mrs. He, but Mrs. Lee, who was Old Man Ye¡¯s cousin, colluded with his mother to sneak into Old Man Ye¡¯s bed while he was drunk. Helpless under his mother¡¯s pressure, Old Man Ye had no choice but to break off the engagement with Mrs. He and marry Mrs. Lee. This led to Mrs. He¡¯s subsequent tragedy. No matter the reason, in that era, a woman who had been jilted lost her qualification to marry into a good family. Thus, through delays and postponements, Mrs. He was left to grow old as a spinster. Perhaps as retribution, Mrs. Lee employed schemes to marry Old Man Ye successfully, but then failed to conceive for three years after giving birth to her eldest daughter. In that era, having no sons meant the end of a family line, and even though Old Man Ye¡¯s mother was fond of her niece, she wouldn¡¯t allow her own son to face familial extinction. Left with no choice, as the Ye Family¡¯s circumstances weren¡¯t great and it was not easy to find a bride for the eldest daughter, they once again set their sights on Mrs. He, who had remained unmarried after the broken engagement. Mrs. He had only one condition: she did not want a dowry, she only wanted to be the lawful wife. This was undoubtedly the best outcome for the Ye Family, but for Mrs. Lee, it was a disaster. Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: For a bite to eat, they lift a hand Chapter 7: For a bite to eat, they lift a hand Madam He entered the Ye Family and successively bore four sons, successfully winning over the entire family to her side. Old Man Ye had always favored Madam He, and now his wishes had been fulfilled. After Madam He joined the family, he no longer visited Madam Li¡¯s chambers. Driven to desperation, Madam Li had no choice but to resort to tactics and seduced Old Man Ye. Unexpectantly, this time, she, who had not conceived for many years, found herself with child again. Madam Li thought she saw a glimmer of hope in life, but fate played a cruel joke on her. This child was another girl, the same one who, because she hurt Ye Jiu, was harshly beaten by Madam He and is still kneeling at the doorway¡ªYe Erya. Ye Jiu still remembered, a few years ago, when she was deemed foolish for her slow responses, Madam Li would secretly pinch and twist her behind people¡¯s backs. However, Ye Jiu was no fool; she might not be quick enough to avoid Madam Li¡¯s malice, but she could make sure Madam He saw the bruises on her body. Madam He¡¯s combativeness was nothing to scoff at. Furthermore, all four of the Ye sons were borne by her, which also solidified her unquestionable status in the household. Madam Li and her daughter, who usually could not outdo Madam He, could only secretly torture her in her weakened state. Once Madam He discovered this, they naturally could not expect any good to come of it. Madam He dealt with them decisively, ensuring the mother and daughter dared not harm her covertly again. At most, they would curse at her near her ear, for in their eyes, she was but a dumb mute. This time, it was because Ye Erya took the opportunity, when no one was around, to try and steal the Opium Cake her elder brother bought for her. Ye Jiu was slow but knew to resist. Who would have known that the girl could be so ruthless, almost taking Ye Jiu¡¯s life with a single stone. As she was thinking, Ye Jiu¡¯s headache began to throb again. Seeing Ye Jiu wince with discomfort, Madam He immediately called out, ¡°Is my little Jiu suffering again? Eldest daughter-in-law, why are you still standing there? Can¡¯t you see your sister-in-law is in pain? Go and get someone to fetch the doctor quickly to take another look at Xiaojiu!¡± Watching Ye Jiu¡¯s pained expression, Madam Zhang¡¯s worry was in no way less than Madam He¡¯s. Hearing her mother-in-law¡¯s shout, Madam Zhang immediately responded, ¡°Yes, Mother, I¡¯ll have Wenqing fetch the doctor right away.¡± At this moment, Old Man Ye was still at the humble woodshed¡¯s entrance, with Madam Li clutching at his sleeves and pleading, ¡°Cousin, I beg you, just speak to elder sister on my behalf and let Erya come back. She¡¯s already been beaten to within an inch of her life. If she keeps kneeling in the cold wind, I fear she won¡¯t survive this ordeal¡­¡± Although Erya didn¡¯t hold a high position in the family, she was still his daughter, and Old Man Ye¡¯s heart ached for her, naturally. Just as he was about to soften and agree, he saw Madam Zhang emerge from the main house in a fluster and call out, ¡°Wenqing, hurry and fetch the doctor to have a look, your auntie is in pain again!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Ye Wenqing, the eldest grandson of the Ye family, answered and immediately ran outside. The moment Old Man Ye thought of his wife¡¯s deep concern for his little girl, his heart was no longer with Madam Li and her daughter; he turned around, intending to go see his Xiaojiu. Madam Li clung tightly to Old Man Ye¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Cousin, Erya is your daughter too¡­¡± Old Man Ye¡¯s face betrayed his emotions, ¡°After Doctor Li arrives and sees Xiaojiu, I¡¯ll discuss it with the old lady and ask her to forgive Erya. But this child really lacks discipline, attacking Xiaojiu over mere food. Such a ruthless heart!¡± Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: 8 seemingly thick Golden Fingers Chapter 8: 8 seemingly thick Golden Fingers Although the old man from the Ye Family ultimately compromised, Mrs. Li¡¯s heart was still unbearably pained. Such a cruel heart? If not utterly craving, would Erya have gone as far as to strike someone for a bite to eat? But now, Mrs. Li dared not speak these words, her heart brimming with sorrow. There was no need to even think about consulting Mrs. He; she would surely not agree. Mrs. He would rather see her and her daughter dead. If she had even a shred of compassion, she wouldn¡¯t have beaten them to this state. Not satisfied with simply venting her anger, she even made Erya kneel at the front door in the cold wind, clearly wishing for Erya¡¯s death. But what could she do? If there was to blame, it was her own body for failing to bear a son for the Ye Family. To blame, was Mrs. He¡¯s cruel heart. To blame, was the old man from the Ye Family¡¯s inaction! Over by Ye Jiu, there was another flurry of activity. Her body was not strong to begin with, and this time, having her head struck only added insult to injury. Even the doctor dared not guarantee anything about her health, only suggesting to observe her condition for a few days. After all, the head was no ordinary place; one wrong move could cost a life. The old man from the Ye Family had initially agreed to let the doctor look after Ye Jiu and then plead for Erya, but after hearing from the doctor that Ye Jiu¡¯s condition was not good, he completely forgot the promise he made to Mrs. Li. From within the main house, the intermittent screams of Mrs. He, piercing the heart, mixed now and then with accusations against the old man from the Ye Family, only chilled Mrs. Li¡¯s heart further in the firewood room. Meanwhile, although Ye Jiu had fallen into a coma, she was not entirely unconscious; she simply could not control her waking up. However, hearing Mrs. He¡¯s heart-wrenching screams, Ye Jiu¡¯s heart was equally in anguish. Only by submerging her consciousness into the plane trading space, cutting off the sounds from Mrs. He, could she feel somewhat better. Indeed, not long after Ye Jiu was born, she discovered she possessed a plane trading space within herself. Although in the outside world she was physically impaired and speechless, within this space, there were no restrictions. It was unfortunate that she could only enter the space in a soul body state each time. The space had an area of about two hundred square meters and was two stories high, surrounded by silver-white walls, but Ye Jiu could not discern what material they were made of. On one side of the space¡¯s walls, there was a plane trader. Ye Jiu knew that, using this device, one could connect to many different planes for trade. Unfortunately, Ye Jiu currently had only one friend. Due to her physical condition, she couldn¡¯t obtain anything of value and thus had never conducted any trades. When Ye Jiu first learned she inherently possessed a plane trader, she was initially very excited, but she later realized that although this ¡®Golden Finger¡¯ appeared powerful, paired with her frail body in reality, it was essentially useless. Hanging on the trader¡¯s platform was a Jade Pendant. Ye Jiu learned after inheriting the trader that this Jade Pendant was originally the medium for the trader. However, now that the trader had fully integrated with her body, the Jade Pendant had been isolated and had become an ordinary piece. The bottom of the trader had ten storage compartments, used for storing larger quantities of items. As long as the items were the same, they could be stored indefinitely. Unfortunately for Ye Jiu, this feature was utterly useless. She did not even have a blade of grass in her hands, let alone anything to store. Just as she was thinking, someone suddenly sent a message through the plane trader. Without looking, Ye Jiu knew who it was. Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: 9 Stubborn La Sike Chapter 9: 9 Stubborn La Sike Who would have thought that it¡¯s been a decade since she obtained the Trading Device, yet to this day, it still can¡¯t be upgraded? She has only one friend, and because no trades have been made, she can¡¯t search for other people in different Planes. Ye Jiu opened the message and saw the only text her friend La Sike had sent, ¡°Ye Jiu, Ye Jiu, did you find something to trade with me today?¡± Just like Ye Jiu, La Sike had obtained the Trading Device around the same time, but both were still at the lowest level of existence. If Ye Jiu¡¯s inability to upgrade was due to her physical condition preventing her from trading, then La Sike¡¯s misfortune was purely accidental, having first connected with a friend like herself who couldn¡¯t trade, which resulted in this situation. Another reason for their inability to level up was La Sike¡¯s sheer stubbornness. In contrast, Ye Jiu felt both angry and helpless. La Sike would text messages like this almost every time he had a moment, showing that he, too, was really looking forward to trading. With a helpless sigh, Ye Jiu sent back her reply, ¡°La Sike, you know my physical condition, and besides, I was hit on the head by someone yesterday and am still in a comatose state, utterly powerless to help.¡± La Sike was very disappointed, ¡°Your body still hasn¡¯t been detoxified? The Plane you¡¯re in is way too backward. If you were here, a simple dose of antidote would sort it all out.¡± Ye Jiu: ¡°La Sike, won¡¯t you consider just giving me an antidote, I promise I won¡¯t let you down. As soon as I recover, I will immediately find an item of equivalent value to your antidote to give back to you.¡± The Plane La Sike inhabited was an advanced one, somewhat similar to the Star Plane, where technology and other aspects were highly developed. Furthermore, from what La Sike had said, an antidote was not very valuable to him. Ye Jiu had made this proposal more than once, but La Sike, despite seeming easy to talk to, was actually very stubborn. He was convinced that unless Ye Jiu could offer an item of equivalent value, he would not provide her with any help. Otherwise, the two of them wouldn¡¯t have been at an impasse for years, unable to complete even one trade and consequently stalling their own progress. In Ye Jiu¡¯s view, it was all because La Sike didn¡¯t know how to adapt. However, the items were La Sike¡¯s, and if he didn¡¯t wish to comply, there was nothing Ye Jiu could do about it, even if she wanted to take them! This time, La Sike rejected her as bluntly as ever: ¡°That won¡¯t do, a trade means you definitely have to use your own items in exchange for mine.¡± Although the value of an antidote wasn¡¯t high, La Sike was a principled man and didn¡¯t want to break his own rules for the sake of others. Ye Jiu was resigned; deep down she was angry enough to curse out loud, but with her Trading Device having only this one friend, she figured it was best not to offend him. Who knows when she might need his help! Ye Jiu: ¡°Alright then, if you¡¯re unwilling, let¡¯s leave it at that. To have met across Plane Space is our shared fate. However, this might be my last time entering the Dimensional Space. If you suddenly can¡¯t contact me in the future, don¡¯t panic; it will certainly be because I¡¯m no longer in this world.¡± La Sike: ¡°With the Plane Trading Space in existence, aren¡¯t the toxins in your body not life-threatening? Why do you say that you won¡¯t be in this world?¡± Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: Acting pitiful for sale Chapter 10: Acting pitiful for sale Ye Jiu: ¡°This time, it¡¯s not just because of the toxins, I also got hit in the head. Even the doctor said I might be in greater danger than luck this time, so¡­ incidents like this might happen many more times in the future. Who knows, maybe one day I¡¯ll just get smashed to death!¡± Ye Jiu admitted that she was playing the pity card to exploit La Sike¡¯s sympathy to get the antidote for herself, but she wasn¡¯t sure whether it would be successful. However, Ye Jiu was lucky. Although La Sike was stubborn, he wasn¡¯t heartless. As soon as he heard that Ye Jiu might lose her life, he immediately took the matter seriously. La Sike hesitated for a long time before he finally spoke, ¡°Alright, Ye Jiu, I can give you the antidote first. But don¡¯t forget your promise. Once you are healthy, you must immediately find something of equal value to give back to me.¡± Although La Sike said this, he actually didn¡¯t hold much hope. After all, his world was full of deceit and trickery. From a young age, his parents had told him never to trust anyone easily. However, looking at the girl across from him who had been with him since he was just a few years old, La Sike showed rare compassion. Ye Jiu: ¡°Really, La Sike? You are willing to give me the antidote first? Thank you so much. I will definitely find a corresponding item to give back to you in the future.¡± As she was speaking, Ye Jiu suddenly saw on the screen that the item was being sent. Following that, a compartment under the plane trading device lit up. La Sike: ¡°This is the antidote. Just open it and drink it up. It will also help repair some of your external injuries, but the effect might not be very good.¡± Ye Jiu: ¡°Okay, thank you, La Sike.¡± For Ye Jiu, just being able to detoxify was already a luxury. As for her injuries, with proper care, they would eventually heal. La Sike: ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Go ahead and detoxify. I need to get back to my studies.¡± Ye Jiu knew that La Sike lived in a higher Plane, but his studies were equally demanding, hardly leaving him any time to rest. When the screen of the trader darkened, Ye Jiu opened the storage compartment below it and held the antidote in her hand, smiling contently. She opened the bottle and was just about to drink it but suddenly remembered that she was still in a Soul Body state! Helplessly, Ye Jiu placed the antidote aside and then focused her consciousness into her body, trying to wake up as quickly as possible. When Ye Jiu woke up, it was already evening. Through the moonlight shining through the window, Ye Jiu could see that He¡¯s eyes were severely swollen from sleep. Ye Jiu felt guilty. She had experienced the greatness of the motherly love she had always longed for, but she was afraid. If one day He found out she was not her own daughter and had caused her biological parent and child to be worlds apart, would she hate her! Ye Jiu did not know what would happen in the future, but she knew that no matter whether He would hate her later, she would always consider her as her own mother. Taking the antidote out from the space, Ye Jiu raised her hand slowly with great difficulty and finally managed to drink the antidote. Ye Jiu was drenched in sweat. Ye Jiu wondered whether the colorless and odorless antidote could really detoxify the poison that even the doctor couldn¡¯t detect. Speaking of which, over the years everyone thought she was clumsy just because they thought she was a fool. Even Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t believe that she was actually poisoned unless she had personally experienced the poisoning. Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: 11 Detox, Recover Chapter 11: 11 Detox, Recover ¡°` After waiting for a long time, there was still no feeling, just that her head remained dizzy. Until Ye Jiu felt her eyelids growing heavier and finally drifted into dreams. Before falling asleep, Ye Jiu was still thinking, La Sike actually lied to her, what antidote, it had no effect at all! In the morning, Ye Jiu was awakened by He¡¯s screams. At that time, she instinctively sat up, ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± He originally had a frightened expression that instantly turned into touched, looking at Ye Jiu lovingly, ¡°My dear, you¡­ you can talk?¡± As she spoke, He held Ye Jiu¡¯s hand excitedly, ¡°The movement when you just sat up was quite agile too, quickly, try again, see if you can move?¡± Likewise, it wasn¡¯t just He who was excited, but also Ye Jiu, who hadn¡¯t been able to speak or move well for years. Moving her hands and feet a little, she discovered that although not as light as a swallow, she was no longer as heavy-handed and footed as before. ¡°I¡¯m better¡­ Mom, I¡¯m better¡­¡± Ye Jiu was so excited that she immediately turned around and hugged He beside her. This action she had imagined in her heart for so long, but she could never manage to bring herself to embrace her, now, her body was truly healed, really wonderful. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re better, my dear is finally better!¡± He wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes. After quite a while, once the excitement faded, Ye Jiu noticed she was covered in a sour stench! Fortunately, He truly loved her, so she didn¡¯t disdain her. Pushing He away, Ye Jiu felt a bit embarrassed, ¡°Mom, I want to take a bath first.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, you wait here, I¡¯ll have someone boil water for you,¡± He said, heading outside, completely ignoring the strong stench she¡¯d gotten from Ye Jiu. ¡°Li, hurry to the kitchen and boil water for me, delay my dear¡¯s bath and just watch your skin¡­¡± Ye Jiu was still immersed in the joy of her body already being healed when suddenly He¡¯s loud voice came from outside. Speaking of the Ye Family¡¯s matters, it was truly quite complicated. Old Ye married two wives in his life, He and Li. Li gave birth to two daughters, Da Ya and Erya. Speaking of this, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh that she was fortunate her name wasn¡¯t given according to the same ranking, otherwise, she would be the third girl in the Ye Family! Da Ya was the oldest sister in the Ye Family and had long married and given birth. Her children were even older than the two young aunts of the Ye Family. As for Erya, born later to Li, she was ranked sixth in the Ye Family, but since girls ultimately belonged to their in-laws, she wasn¡¯t included in the ranking; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be called Erya. The rest were He¡¯s children. Ye Jiu had four older brothers, and her eldest nephew was even two years older than her, so although Ye Jiu was seen as a fool in the eyes of outsiders, she was extremely precious in the Ye Family. The reason was that all four sons of the Ye Family came from He. But having many sons didn¡¯t make them precious, He, at the age already being a grandmother, gave birth to Ye Jiu, though she was a girl, she was protected as if she were an eyeball, even the few older sons couldn¡¯t surpass her. Whatever food and clothing the family had was prioritized for Ye Jiu, and she was never despised for her previous physical condition. The early winter wind was already blowing fiercely, the courtyard of the Ye Family filled with He¡¯s cursing and making trouble on purpose, yet the tormented Li didn¡¯t dare to say a word. ¡°` Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: 12 grams sold out Chapter 12: 12 grams sold out Because Erya had hit Ye Jiu¡¯s head, she had already anticipated that Mrs. He would definitely not let her and her mother off the hook during this time! However, not only did she need to boil water, but she also had to cook. With a large family depending on Mrs. Li alone, it was not easy to serve them all. Erya had been beaten so severely that she had passed out in the middle of the night yesterday. It was only then that Old Man Ye decided to let Mrs. Li bring her back. At this moment, Ye Erya was still lying on the wooden bed; all the household chores had accumulated on her alone. Moreover, wearing thin clothes and the cold wind blowing on her body made it almost unbearable for Mrs. Li. Inside the house, Ye Jiu listened to Mrs. He¡¯s scolding and sighed helplessly. She didn¡¯t really sympathize with Mrs. Li; when her own hands and feet were not nimble, Mrs. Li and her daughter had not spared her their cruelty. It was only later that Mrs. He watched Ye Jiu very closely, which prevented Mrs. Li and her daughter from getting a chance to lay hands on her. However, there were other families living near the Ye family, and Mrs. He¡¯s daily fault-finding had already become a public spectacle. Ye Jiu still did not want others to make fun of her family. So, Ye Jiu called out, ¡°Mother, come in and help me find some clothes.¡± Ye Jiu, who was ten years old this year, had always been dressed by Mrs. He. As Mrs. He was getting older and sometimes lacked the strength, she had no choice but to let her eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zhang, take care of Ye Jiu. Thus, hearing Ye Jiu calling her, Mrs. He hurriedly ran into the house, ¡°Coming, coming, Mother is coming to find clothes for my darling.¡± Just as Ye Jiu had put on her clothes and stepped down from the kang, Old Man Ye returned from a walk outside and was stunned to see Ye Jiu walking and jumping around in the room. ¡°Xiaojiu, you¡­you are¡­?¡± Mrs. He, rarely in a good mood, pulled Old Man Ye and dusted off his clothes, ¡°Our Xiaojiu is better now. I¡¯ve always said that my daughter is blessed. Perhaps her previous unintelligence was due to someone jinxing her!¡± Mrs. He glanced at Erya¡¯s sleeping sheds while saying this. Originally, she had mentioned it casually, but after thinking it over, she felt there was some truth to her words. Erya, that cursed girl, had always been as robust as a bull ever since she was little. Even if her food and clothes were poor, it didn¡¯t affect her health at all. In contrast, her own daughter¡ªdespite getting all the best things at home¡ªdidn¡¯t show any improvement in health. But this time, just as Erya had been beaten down by her, her own Xiaojiu had recovered. Could it really be that this cursed girl had been jinxing her daughter? The more Mrs. He thought about it, the more she was convinced that it must be so. That cursed girl must have stolen her daughter¡¯s health; otherwise, it was all too coincidental. Otherwise, why would her daughter get better exactly when she fell ill? Old Man Ye was initially very excited, but he felt awkward after hearing what Mrs. He said. Erya was also his daughter. Although she was not very likable and they lived under the same roof, it was impossible not to have any affection for her. But he knew Mrs. He¡¯s temper, so he generally did not want to provoke her, and thus, Old Man Ye did not respond, and Mrs. He quieted down. However, this atmosphere did not last long. Soon, Mrs. He went energetically to the kitchen to order Mrs. Li around. Hearing Mrs. He¡¯s vigorous voice outside, Old Man Ye sighed helplessly and simply took his old smoking pipe to sit at the doorway, puffing smoke rings. Outside the door, Mrs. Zhang saw that her mother-in-law was busy bossing Mrs. Li around and not paying attention to this side, so she secretly came in. Seeing Ye Jiu standing on the ground, she joyfully said, ¡°Her¡­her little aunt, are you really better?¡± Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: Contradiction Caused by 13 Eggs Chapter 13: Contradiction Caused by 13 Eggs Ye Jiu turned his head to look at Zhang and, enduring a headache, stepped forward to embrace her, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve recovered, sister-in-law. I¡¯ve troubled you all these years due to my poor health. You have worked hard.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hard, not hard at all. As long as you¡¯re healthy, your sister-in-law is happy,¡± Zhang immediately replied. When He gave birth, she was quite old and, moreover, lacking nutrition due to fleeing from calamity at that time. After giving birth, it was as though she had lost half her life. The journey back was hurried and left her with no breast milk at all. At that time, Ye Jiu¡¯s sisters-in-law, Zhang and Zhao, each had babies not over two years old. Children in the countryside didn¡¯t grow well thus they weaned late. Therefore, He set her sights on her two daughters-in-law. Originally, to allow Ye Jiu to eat more, He had arranged for the two to take turns feeding him. However, times were tough, and Zhao was reluctant in her heart, and only fed Ye Jiu perfunctorily when it was her turn. Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t get enough to eat, and over time, He noticed the signs, grew increasingly displeased with Zhao, and ultimately let only the reasonably kind sister-in-law, Zhang, feed him. Ye Jiu was lucky. That year, a severe drought afflicted half the country, yet miraculously, a heavy downpour occurred on the day Ye Jiu was born. Coupled with what Ye¡¯s old father had said at that time, He always believed that her daughter, like the Princely Heir, was a Lucky Star granted by the heavens. Otherwise, for a child who faced such a disaster right after birth and had poor health, surviving would not have been easy. During breakfast, other than Ye Gaoshan and Ye Gaoshi, who were busy working in the town during the slack farming season, and Ye Gaoyun, who had married into another family, all the other members of the Ye family from the fourth household were present. At the same time, the news of Ye Jiu¡¯s recovery was known to the whole family. Originally, Ye Jiu was supposed to eat inside due to his unhealed injury, but after living in a daze in the past years, once he recovered, he couldn¡¯t wait to see his family members and insisted on joining them at the table despite not being strong enough. The news of Ye Jiu¡¯s recovery, however, brought joy to some and worries to others. These, however, were unimportant; with He present to keep things under control, everyone with objections had to keep it to themselves. Just as they sat down at the table, He placed two boiled eggs into Ye Jiu¡¯s bowl with her hand, ¡°My dear boy, your body has just recovered, and you¡¯ve suffered a lot these past few days. Hurry up and eat two eggs to properly nourish yourself. At noon, mom will make you some delicious food.¡± ¡°Gulp¡­¡± The sound of swallowing made Ye Jiu¡¯s hand, holding the egg, stiffen. Looking up, the three children from his eldest brother were all significantly older; Ye Wenqing was thirteen, his daughter Ye Qinghua was twelve, and his youngest son Ye Wenhao was nearly nine, all old enough to understand not to covet the egg in Ye Jiu¡¯s hand. As for the children from his second brother, Ye Wenyu was also twelve, and Ye Wenxuan was eight, with only their youngest sister Ye Qingzhi being the smallest in the family at six years old. At the moment, it was Ye Wenxuan and Ye Qingzhi who were looking at the egg in Ye Jiu¡¯s hand with eyes full of longing. As for Ye Gaoyun, he had already married into another family and only returned during festivals. And then there was Ye Gaoshi, only sixteen and not yet married. The Li mother and daughter had the lowest status in this family; during meals, they could only fill their bowls halfway with thin porridge and eat apart from the table, without the qualification to join the others. Seeing his two younger nephews and niece from his second brother¡¯s family, Ye Jiu truly couldn¡¯t bear to eat while they just watched. Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: 14 minutes to eat Chapter 14: 14 minutes to eat Ye Jiu¡¯s hand had just risen, and before he could utter his polite refusal, he heard Mrs. He bluntly say to the two of them, ¡°What are you looking at? Those eggs are for your younger auntie to nourish her body. Surely you don¡¯t intend to snatch them away to eat, do you?¡± Ye Jiu clearly saw the two children quiver in fear at Mrs. He¡¯s words, and his sister-in-law Zhao¡¯s face instantly fell. However, due to Mrs. He¡¯s authority, though Zhao knew speaking up would do no good, she could only hold it in. In fact, such situations had occurred countless times since Ye Jiu was born, but previously, because of his physical coordination issues and inability to speak, many things could only be pondered in his heart but not enacted. But now it was different, his health had already recovered significantly. In such a situation, he truly couldn¡¯t bring himself to selfishly enjoy alone while two younger ones, who called him uncle, watched. Under the longing gazes of Ye Wenxuan and Ye Qingzhi, Ye Jiu directly peeled one of the eggs, split it into two halves, and placed one half in each of their bowls, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve already recovered quite a bit, let Wenxuan and Qingzhi share this.¡± Mrs. He was about to say something when Ye Jiu interrupted her by picking up the other egg, and said, ¡°Mother, I have been a burden for so many years because of my poor health, this egg is for you and father. When your daughter has money later on, she will buy other good things for you.¡± ¡°Good, good, my dear treasure has grown up and become sensible, knowing to respect her mother. However, you are still weak and need to nourish yourself, so you should eat this egg. Later, when you grow up, your mother will wait for your filial piety!¡± Mrs. He placed the egg back in Ye Jiu¡¯s bowl with a satisfied heart, and old man Ye felt the same. Only, as a man, it wasn¡¯t suitable for him to express everything outwardly like Mrs. He. After praising Ye Jiu, thinking of Zhao¡¯s recent action, Mrs. He couldn¡¯t help but sarcastically say, ¡°My Xiaojiu is sensible, not like some rotten-hearted people who only care about their own small families, having good things and sharing with their own parents but never caring about their in-laws¡¯ well-being and life!¡± Zhao immediately grimaced and said, ¡°Mother, what you said isn¡¯t right. You¡¯re the one managing the family and the money is all in your hands. Even if we wanted to, we are powerless, aren¡¯t we? If you really want filial piety money, why not separate our households sooner? When we have money in our hands, we can properly respect you.¡± This comment obviously struck a nerve with Mrs. He, ¡°Tsk, Zhao, you rotten-hearted creature, you think such beautiful thoughts. Go and see which family¡¯s younger brother is still unmarried, and whose younger sister is still not wedded, and the elder sister-in-law promotes splitting the family? I have put so much effort into raising my son, marrying him off, and bearing his children. You have raised the grandchildren to over ten years old. You want good, moving out for a better life, while leaving the eldest and youngest unattended at home with no one to care for or even ask about¡­¡± The customs of Wangshan Village were still relatively good; there wasn¡¯t a custom that parents shouldn¡¯t split their households. However, because people of this era were especially prolific breeders with large age gaps between children, often the eldest son would get married, but the younger children were still not grown-up while the parents were already aged. Thus, even if most families split up, it was only after all the children in the household were settled. Then the elderly often chose to live with the eldest son, while the other children paid some filial money each year. It was just that this method seemed somewhat unfair to the elder children. Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: The theory of valuing males over females Chapter 15: The theory of valuing males over females After all, as parents get older, their ability to do work is limited, so they had to exert extra effort to help their younger son with his marriage. This also led to the situation during the division of family property where the eldest son and the main branch typically received the larger share. As for daughters, there wasn¡¯t so much concern, with the family being poor and favoring sons over daughters, most girls were merely given a couple of pieces of clothing when they married, and only slightly better-off families would provide some dowry. Take Madam Zhao, for example, her marriage was practically a half-sale by her family. Madam Zhao¡¯s betrothal gifts were not insubstantial, amounting to a full five taels of silver, yet when she came to the marriage, she brought only two old pieces of clothing, filled with patches and barely wearable. Had it been a weaker woman, this alone would have left her without any status in her husband¡¯s family, but Madam Zhao was different. She did not have the temper of Madam He, who would throw tantrums at a moment¡¯s notice, nor would she cry and wail over a few harsh words from others. She never cared about others¡¯ gaze and lived her life as she pleased, which is why, aside from some trivial family squabbles, her years passed quite comfortably. Seeing Madam He growing more and more agitated, and whereas Madam Zhao took advantage of the moment to bury her head and eat strenuously, Ye Jiu, fearing that Madam He would upset herself, hurriedly reassured her, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s eat. Don¡¯t upset yourself over this, it¡¯s not worth it.¡± Watching Madam Zhao¡¯s intense focus on eating silenced Madam He¡¯s scathing words. The daughter was right, a woman like Madam Zhao wouldn¡¯t care no matter how much she was scolded. With nothing but a cabbage and radish stew on the table in the dead of winter, Madam He supposed that if she continued to scold, all the food would just end up in that woman¡¯s mouth. Because, while she was scolding, everyone else at the table was just watching, only Madam Zhao shamelessly gorged herself, not forgetting to serve her two sons, while six-year-old Qingzhi was neglected by everyone. Feeling suffocated with frustration, Madam He picked up her chopsticks and snapped, ¡°What are you all waiting for? Eat, or do you want the food to go to the pigs and end up drinking the cold north wind?¡± Even Madam He¡¯s sarcasm did not stop Madam Zhao from eating. Ye Jiu could not say much about a person like Madam Zhao, but he did not approve of her behavior. Even if Madam He had a bad temper, she was still her elder, yet Madam Zhao never knew respect. Moreover, Madam Zhao had one major flaw, which was pilfering from her own family. It¡¯s not that she shouldn¡¯t help her natal family, but Madam Zhao¡¯s pilfering was without boundaries. Last year, the harvest was decent, and during the new year, Madam He made new clothes for all the boys in the family, yet the children of the second branch wore tattered clothes on New Year¡¯s Day. Later it was discovered that Madam Zhao had taken her two sons¡¯ new clothes to her natal home for her nephews to wear, which sparked a major conflict within the family. Knowing she was in the wrong, Madam Zhao behaved for only two months. Then, taking advantage of Madam He forgetting to lock the cupboard, she took several jin of fine flour back to her natal home. This incident truly enraged Madam He; that flour was hardly obtained by her in exchange for coarse grains, intended to nourish Ye Jiu¡¯s body. Unfortunately, her own daughter hadn¡¯t even tasted it before Madam Zhao sneakily made off with it. If she had taken these things for her children to eat, Madam He would not have been so furious, but Madam Zhao did not keep any of it, taking the entire bag straight back to her natal family! When Ye Gaoshi learned about the incident, he dragged Madam Zhao back and severely chastised her, but it was only a band-aid solution; afterward, Madam Zhao simply became more secretive in her actions. Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: The War Caused by One Egg Chapter 16: The War Caused by One Egg It¡¯s no wonder He¡¯s wife finds Zhao¡¯s wife disagreeable. Everyone was eating; they thought this matter would just pass, but when Ye Qingzhi had just picked up half an egg from her bowl with her hand, Zhao¡¯s wife suddenly hit it with her chopsticks and said, ¡°A mere girl, who will belong to another family when grown up, how dare you eat precious things like eggs?¡± As she spoke, Zhao¡¯s wife took the egg from Ye Qingzhi¡¯s bowl and put it in her eldest son Ye Wenyu¡¯s bowl, saying, ¡°Give the egg to your brother. If your brother is well-fed and grows strong, he can support you after you marry.¡± Ye Jiu had heard this reasoning not just once from Zhao¡¯s wife. In the past, because of Ye Jiu¡¯s physical coordination problems and speech impairment, even though she disapproved of many things, she could only bear it and was powerless to act. But now, her health had improved, so many things could no longer be let go meekly as before. At that moment, Ye Jiu put down her chopsticks and said, ¡°Sister-in-law, the egg was for Qingzhi. If you have an objection, just give it back!¡± Probably not expecting Ye Jiu to speak up, Zhao¡¯s wife was taken aback for a moment. By the time she reacted, Ye Wenyu was already blushing with shame and said to Zhao¡¯s wife, ¡°Mom, the egg was a gift from Aunt to Qingzhi, let Qingzhi eat it. I¡¯m already so big; how can I snatch my sister¡¯s food?¡± Ye Wenyu¡¯s response couldn¡¯t help but garner some admiration from Ye Jiu. The half egg was not important; what mattered was that he had not been influenced by Zhao¡¯s wife¡¯s discriminatory thoughts towards girls, which would have led him to oppress his own sister. Originally, no matter who was supposed to eat the egg, He¡¯s wife had no intention of intervening, as her heart leaned more towards her grandson than a costly granddaughter. However, not to mention these grandchildren¡ª even if her own sons were to come back, they could not surpass Ye Jiu¡¯s place in her heart. Hence, with Ye Jiu speaking up, He¡¯s wife naturally supported her. He¡¯s wife looked at Zhao¡¯s wife with obvious disdain and said, ¡°Younger daughter-in-law, if you don¡¯t want to eat, just go out and gather some firewood right now. With the eldest and second brother not at home, we¡¯re running out of firewood. Here you only know how to shirk work and scheme all day, not caring for the Gu Family, now even trying to snatch things from the children. You¡¯ve really learned some tricks, haven¡¯t you? Perhaps one day you¡¯ll even start snatching things from your mother-in-law too?¡± Following He¡¯s wife¡¯s fierce bombardment, although Zhao¡¯s wife was reluctant, she still put the half egg she had picked up back down, but she couldn¡¯t help but lash out at Ye Qingzhi, ¡°Eat, eat, eat, you costly and useless girl, why don¡¯t you eat yourself to death!¡± Watching this, Ye Jiu suddenly regretted having shared the egg. Especially with a mother like Zhao¡¯s wife, it might have been better for Ye Qingzhi not to eat the egg at all. Scolded by Zhao¡¯s wife, even though the egg was already in her bowl, Ye Qingzhi dared not pick it up to eat. A six-year-old child, being scolded by her own mother over half an egg, sobbing pitifully was truly heart-wrenching. Eventually, Old Man Ye could not stand it anymore, put down his chopsticks, and muttered gruffly, ¡°Zhao¡¯s wife, are you intent on spoiling this meal for the whole family?¡± Although the daily decisions in the house were usually made by He¡¯s wife, Old Man Ye was still the head of the household, and Zhao¡¯s wife dared not challenge him. She immediately fell silent and no longer dared to scold the child. The meal was eaten amidst noise and quarrels, truly quite lively. Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: 17 There is much right and wrong in the small farm family Chapter 17: 17 There is much right and wrong in the small farm family After breakfast, Ye Jiu was forcibly kept in bed by Mrs. He, who insisted she should lie down and nurture her body, then stuffed that leftover egg into her hand, saying, ¡°My sweet child, Zhao¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong¡ªeggs are indeed precious items. Those kids are all robust, they don¡¯t need eggs to nourish their bodies. But you, you¡¯ve been frail since you were little; you¡¯re the one who really needs to nourish yourself. Listen to mother, from now on you must not give the eggs mother saved for you to those kids!¡± Ye Jiu knew Mrs. He¡¯s personality, that she held deepest affection for her, and would surely persist to persuade if Ye Jiu refused. Helplessly, Ye Jiu could only nod, ¡°Mother, I understand.¡± It all came down to the fact that the household was too poor. They needn¡¯t own mountains of gold and silver; even a bit of wealth would mean that they wouldn¡¯t have ended up quarreling over an egg. As they were talking, suddenly the heart-wrenching sobs of Ye Qingzhi came from outside. Along with it resounded Zhao¡¯s angry scolding, ¡°What an impertinent girl, eating half an egg and forgetting one¡¯s place, fancying yourself as a rich young lady from town that can wear gold and silver, and indulge in delicacies? Today, it¡¯s our branch¡¯s turn to do the chores. If you don¡¯t hurry up and wash the dishes, are you waiting for your old mother to serve you?¡± The incessant scolding made Ye Jiu¡¯s head throb with pain. And the ultimate reason why Ye Qingzhi was being scolded was, when it came down to it, because of that half an egg! Ye Jiu now truly regretted her meddling; Ye Qingzhi would not have died of hunger had she not eaten that half an egg, but now, she was resented and scolded by her own mother, Zhao, because of it. The situation was after all triggered by her own meddling, and Ye Jiu wanted to get up and go outside to intervene, but Mrs. He held her back. ¡°Mother, if it weren¡¯t for my meddling, Qingzhi wouldn¡¯t be getting scolded. I can¡¯t just stand by and do nothing,¡± said Ye Jiu. ¡°My dear child, mother knows you¡¯re kind-hearted, but Qingzhi is Zhao¡¯s daughter. It doesn¡¯t matter that Zhao is just scolding her and ordering her to do some chores today; even if she sold her tomorrow, outsiders have no right to utter a single word.¡± Patting Ye Jiu¡¯s arm and looking at her lovingly, Mrs. He advised further, ¡°And you¡¯re not to blame for this. It¡¯s Zhao who values sons over daughters and doesn¡¯t treat her daughter like a person. Even without today¡¯s egg incident, if Zhao were in a foul mood, she¡¯d still take it out on that girl.¡± Ye Jiu believed what Mrs. He said because in the past, Ye Qingzhi really hadn¡¯t been spared from being Zhao¡¯s outlet for venting her frustration. Ye Jiu lay on the bed in despair. Ye Qingzhi was Zhao¡¯s daughter, and ultimately, she, Ye Jiu, was merely a younger aunt, hardly entitled to meddle in her brother¡¯s household affairs. Mrs. He tucked in Ye Jiu¡¯s blankets, using the opportunity to teach her, ¡°Dear child, in the future, just eat what mother gives you. Even though you have good intentions in sharing with those kids, it can easily lead to conflict. Take today¡¯s situation as an example. Zhao¡¯s children might be young, but they¡¯re not Zhang¡¯s children. By giving an egg to the second branch, the main branch can only watch in envy; wouldn¡¯t your sister-in-law harbor ill feelings? Because Qingzhi ate the egg, Zhao resents her. Whereas Wenqing and the others, even though they are older, could still hold a grudge because they didn¡¯t get a share. So you see, it¡¯s better to eat the egg yourself and avoid all these troubles!¡± When Ye Jiu gave away the egg, she thought only of how they were the youngest, believing the youngest children should receive some extra care. But she hadn¡¯t foreseen that even within such a humble farming family, there would be so many conflicts and grievances. Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: 18 Whoever is sensible knows at a glance Chapter 18: 18 Whoever is sensible knows at a glance Ye Jiu rubbed his slightly swollen head, and Mrs. He immediately asked with concern, ¡°Is your head hurting again? Shall we have the doctor take another look?¡± Mrs. He said this and got up to go outside, but Ye Jiu stopped her right away, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that the noise made my head swell a bit. Let me sleep for a while, and there¡¯s no need to have the doctor make another trip.¡± Ye Jiu knew that the Ye Family¡¯s situation was not good, and the doctor wasn¡¯t from their own village. Although the local doctor was much cheaper than the ones in town, a visit still required its fee, and since he had already been consulted, there was no need to waste more money. ¡°Alright, then you should go to sleep quickly. I will ask them to keep their voices down, so they won¡¯t disturb you anymore,¡± Mrs. He said. Ye Jiu had just closed his eyes when he heard the footsteps of Mrs. He leaving the room. But in just a moment, the louder voice of Mrs. He, which even surpassed that of Mrs. Zhao, could be heard outside, ¡°Mrs. Zhao, you heartless thing, don¡¯t you know your sister-in-law injured her head and needs rest? Why do you keep making such a fuss? Are you intentionally trying to harm your sister-in-law, or do you want to harm me just so you can take over the household?¡± Sure enough, as soon as Mrs. He spoke out, Mrs. Zhao instantly fell silent, and it quickly became peaceful outside, allowing Ye Jiu to gradually fall deep asleep. Their household was poor, so there were only two meals a day, with nothing to eat at noon, which even Ye Lao Han and Mrs. He didn¡¯t eat. But Ye Jiu was injured and was also the precious darling of the old lady Mrs. He, so she was given extra meals without anyone daring to object. With just a simple bowl of noodle soup in her belly, in this cold weather, Ye Jiu, cuddled under the blankets, felt completely warm. Mrs. Zhang took away the bowls and utensils after Ye Jiu had finished eating and said, ¡°Niece, don¡¯t sleep yet. There will be a bowl of medicinal soup for you later. When it¡¯s ready, I¡¯ll have Wenxuan bring it to you. Drink the medicine, and then you can sleep.¡± ¡°I know, thank you, sister-in-law,¡± Ye Jiu responded. When Ye Wenhao brought the medicine, Ye Jiu bravely swallowed it down in spite of the bitter taste. Handing the empty medicine bowl to Ye Wenhao, Ye Jiu then looked seriously at this little nephew. Ye Wenhao was in fact only nine years old, and thinking back to how she distributed the eggs this morning, she realized that she had overlooked him, primarily because he hadn¡¯t shown any wishful expression. Ye Jiu suddenly felt a bit guilty. It¡¯s said that a crying baby gets the milk, but those well-behaved children should not be the ones to be overlooked. Reaching out, she touched the remaining egg that still retained warmth due to being near the heated kang. Ye Jiu took out the egg and handed it to Ye Wenhao, saying, ¡°Wenhao, I forgot about you when I was dividing the eggs this morning, and that was my mistake. This is the last one left; you take it and eat it.¡± Ye Wenhao, touching the back of his head with an embarrassed smile, said, ¡°Aunt, you¡¯re not well; keep the egg for yourself to regain strength, I am very healthy, I don¡¯t need to supplement.¡± Ye Jiu smiled, feeling touched. Ye Wenhao was only a year older than Ye Wenxuan, and while Ye Wenhao thought of her ill health and declined the egg, Ye Wenxuan accepted it as a matter of course. It¡¯s really true that not until a comparison is made do you realize who is more sensible. ¡°Aunt, the doctor said you need to rest well to recover. I¡¯m going out now, so I won¡¯t bother you anymore. You should go back to sleep,¡± said Ye Jiu, still wanting to give the egg to him, but saw Ye Wenhao leave with the empty bowl in hand. Ye Jiu watched with a smile, holding the egg that hadn¡¯t been given away, and as she looked up, she saw Mrs. Zhao standing at the door, looking at her. Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: 19 cant be shallow Chapter 19: 19 can¡¯t be shallow ¡°Auntie, if you don¡¯t want to eat this egg, you can give it to Wenyu. Times have been hard at home lately, and our food quality has dropped quite a bit. Wenyu has lost weight!¡± Zhao said as she walked over, reaching out to take the egg from Ye Jiu¡¯s hand, but Ye Jiu retracted her hand, leaving Zhao grasping at air. Zhao¡¯s smile held a trace of embarrassment, ¡°Auntie, what are you doing?¡± Ye Jiu gazed steadily at Zhao, suddenly curling her lips into a mocking smile. The plump face, nurtured by He Shi, displayed a derisive grin, ¡°Sister-in-law, I¡¯m willing to give things to Wenxuan and Qingzhi because, after all, they call me ¡®auntie¡¯ and are younger. So, please do not take my affection as something you are entitled to, nor shamelessly feel at peace about it!¡± Zhao¡¯s face darkened instantly, ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t be fooled by Wenhao. He¡¯s being insincere with you, intentionally not taking your egg, pretending to care about you, all to gain more favors from you in the future. I, your sister-in-law, am straightforward and wouldn¡¯t stoop to such hypocritical flattery, but my feelings for you are genuine.¡± Zhao¡¯s small eyes narrowed, her face filled with disdain as she tried to justify herself while looking at Ye Jiu. If it weren¡¯t for this girl being the favorite of He Shi, would she need to ingratiate herself with her? Absolutely dreamlike. If Ye Jiu had truly been a ten-year-old child, then she might indeed have been deceived. Regrettably, with the additional eighteen years of experience from her past life, she wasn¡¯t the type to naively believe that the whole world was filled with good people. Especially having been almost abandoned by her parents and raised solely by her grandmother, Ye Jiu understood better than anyone the ugliness and selfishness of certain aspects of human nature. ¡°Even if it is an act, at least someone is willing to put on the act. Unlike sister-in-law, who knows the wound on my head hasn¡¯t healed yet, but could still ask so directly for the nourishing items Mother gave me to recover. That straightforwardness is indeed a bit much,¡± Ye Jiu said. Zhao frowned. Previously, this auntie could neither speak nor was she healthy, practically akin to a useless person. Usually, it was either He Shi taking personal care of her or the servants from the main room lending a hand. Zhao really couldn¡¯t be bothered to interact with her. Now, having barely recovered, she was so sharp-tongued; she really did resemble He Shi¡¯s own daughter. Just as unsentimental, just as annoying. Perhaps knowing she wouldn¡¯t get anywhere with Ye Jiu, Zhao huffed coldly and turned to leave. When Ye Wenhao returned to the main room, he was all smiles. Zhang, unavoidably curious, asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, being so happy about delivering medicine to your auntie?¡± Ye Wenhao, sitting on the bed-stove, replied, ¡°Mother, just now auntie gave me an egg to eat and even apologized for overlooking me when distributing eggs this morning.¡± ¡°Did you eat the egg your auntie gave you?¡± Zhang hastily inquired. ¡°No, auntie is injured. How could I accept the nourishing item that¡¯s meant for her recovery?¡± Ye Wenhao responded. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s very good,¡± Zhang patted her chest, addressing her children, ¡°The person your grandma loves the most is your auntie. You must not covet her things with shallow intentions, or else, once your father returns from town, there will certainly be a commotion.¡± ¡°Mother, you¡¯re just too cautious. Even my second aunt isn¡¯t afraid. Sometimes, I feel as if auntie is your real daughter, and I¡¯m simply picked up from somewhere,¡± Ye Qinghua said discontentedly. She was two years older than Ye Jiu. Back then, because He Shi was older and had no milk, and Zhao refused to nurse someone else¡¯s child, Ye Jiu was breastfed by Zhang from birth, while the two-year-old Ye Qinghua was forced to wean early. Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: 20 is all about being poor and causing trouble Chapter 20: 20 is all about being poor and causing trouble Furthermore, before Ye Qingzhi was born, Ye Qinghua was the only girl in the third generation of the Ye Family. Originally, receiving slightly unequal treatment didn¡¯t bother her much, since, after all, she was a girl and naturally couldn¡¯t compare to the boys in the family. However, Mrs. He, who was already a grandmother, gave birth to another little girl; her treatment utterly surpassed everyone else in the Ye Family, stepping them underfoot. This contrast made it even more apparent that Ye Qinghua was undervalued, so naturally, she was quite upset. Fortunately, at that time, Ye Erya¡¯s status was even lower. Compared to that, her standing wasn¡¯t too bad. But later, another addition, Ye Qingzhi, arrived in the second branch of the family, with an aunt who favored boys over girls, Ye Qingzhi¡¯s position in the Ye Family was just a bit better than Ye Erya¡¯s. As the number of girls in the family kept increasing, a hierarchy among them emerged. Although she wasn¡¯t the best off, she also wasn¡¯t the worst, which made her gradually less resentful. Still, when speaking about it, she couldn¡¯t help but complain occasionally. Mrs. Zhang hurried to check the doorway after hearing Ye Qinghua¡¯s words, and seeing no one outside, she felt relieved. Then she reached out and tapped Ye Qinghua, scolding, ¡°You girl, how dare you say everything out loud? What if your grandmother hears this, you¡¯ll definitely stir up trouble.¡± Because of breastfeeding, Mrs. He was already wary of Ye Jiu treating Mrs. Zhang, her sister-in-law, as a mother figure, so she didn¡¯t allow Mrs. Zhang to get close to Ye Jiu. If Mrs. He had heard what Ye Qinghua said, their entire main branch of the family would suffer. ¡°What I said is the truth.¡± Ye Qinghua stubbornly retorted. Mrs. Zhang sighed, ¡°Your aunt, she seems shrewder than anyone else, but on some things, she just can¡¯t see through it all. Don¡¯t believe me? Just wait and see. Wenxuan and Qingzhi ate your aunt¡¯s eggs, your grandmother hasn¡¯t made a scene about it yet, but wait till your uncle returns from town, then your aunt will definitely be in for a scolding.¡± ¡­ While a few members in the main branch were whispering among themselves, Mrs. He had finished patrolling the family¡¯s chickens and pigs and had also lectured Mrs. Li and her daughter, before finally returning to her room. Ye Jiu lay on the bed, staring with wide eyes, pondering life. Upon seeing Mrs. He returning, Ye Jiu blinked and asked, ¡°Mom, why doesn¡¯t our family separate?¡± Mrs. He frowned, ¡°My dear child, did Mrs. Zhao say something to you? Don¡¯t take her words seriously; Mrs. Zhao is the worst kind of person. She surely wants to split the family to have a better life on her own. Since she couldn¡¯t get her way with me and your dad, she is trying to manipulate you.¡± ¡°My sister-in-law didn¡¯t tell me about splitting the family.¡± Although she also didn¡¯t like Mrs. Zhao, Mrs. Zhao hadn¡¯t taken any advantage of her, so she wasn¡¯t going to slander Mrs. Zhao, ¡°I just think having so many people living together inevitably leads to constant quarrelling. With all the quarrelling, family affection is lost, isn¡¯t it better for each to have their own peace after splitting up?¡± Mrs. He sighed, ¡°Splitting the family isn¡¯t so simple; your fourth brother isn¡¯t married yet, you haven¡¯t gotten married, the family¡¯s financial situation isn¡¯t that great. With everything under my control, they can scheme all they want but can¡¯t do much. But once we split, everyone would go their separate ways, living their good lives, what would happen to your fourth brother¡¯s marriage? How would we manage, with the very old and very young among us?¡± Ye Jiu understood, it all came down to money troubles! In winter, with no work available, even two meals a day were hard to sustain. Everyone would finish their chores and then huddle on the heated brick bed, not moving; otherwise, moving around would only make them burn energy even faster. Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: 21 Star Plane Chapter 21: 21 Star Plane He Shi was already not young, and she had wanted to rest on the heated brick bed for a while, but she ended up falling asleep as she lay there. Ye Jiu had slept for an entire afternoon, and now she really wasn¡¯t sleepy. She played with the leftover egg in her hand but no longer felt the desire to eat it. Because of the body defects caused by years of poisoning, which had finally healed, she felt somewhat unreal. Lying on the bed swaying her hands and feet, she was always afraid that all of this was a dream and that when she woke up, she would revert to her former self. Right, her recovery was thanks to La Sike¡¯s antidote. She had promised him that once her body recovered, she would immediately find something to exchange with him. But now, the wound on her head pained her whenever she moved, and she couldn¡¯t move freely. Although she couldn¡¯t seek out something to exchange, it was only right for her to at least say thank you. Ye Jiu sunk her consciousness into the Plane trading space. The trade interface resembled WeChat from her previous life. At this moment, La Sike¡¯s avatar was dim, indicating he wasn¡¯t online. Ye Jiu first sent a message of thanks, then looked down at the egg in her hand, decisively stored it in the storage compartment, and clicked to send it. They say that it¡¯s the thought that counts, not the gift. Although an egg wasn¡¯t worth much and was even less valuable than La Sike¡¯s precious antidote, her body hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, and this was the only thing she could give him for now. Ye Jiu thought that once she was fully healed, she would have to hurry up and find a way to make money. At the very least, she needed to be able to afford something of equal value to give back to La Sike. After waiting a little while longer, La Sike still hadn¡¯t come online, so Ye Jiu went out. Since there was no lunch to eat, the Ye Family¡¯s practice was to eat breakfast late and dinner early, trying to get everyone to hold out a bit longer. Ye Jiu didn¡¯t go out for dinner. The scene at the breakfast table that morning had been too upsetting, and she didn¡¯t want to experience it again. After all, she was still injured and was entitled to eat on the heated brick bed. Dinner was nothing special, just cabbages and radishes that were still edible in the deep winter, plus a small dish of salty pickles. Each adult got two pieces of cornbread, while the children all uniformly got one. Ye Jiu ate alone, and with He Shi running the house, her bowl of porridge was a bit thicker. As for the others, their porridge was so thin it could probably reflect a mirror. After dinner, Ye Jiu still lay on the heated brick bed. He Shi told her not to sleep yet, but Ye Jiu didn¡¯t know what she meant by that. However, she wasn¡¯t sleepy at the moment anyway. The waiting time was boring, so Ye Jiu thought about it, and the Plane trade interface appeared in her mind. Looking at the messages behind La Sike¡¯s avatar, there were as many as a dozen. Ye Jiu was surprised. La Sike didn¡¯t seem to be the type of person who would ramble on, right? She opened the messages and read through them, only then discovering that he had sent so many because of the egg she had sent him. The Plane that La Sike was from was a Star Plane with highly developed technology, yet Ye Jiu had never imagined that every person there relied on Nutrient Solution to supplement their nutrition. It wasn¡¯t because they didn¡¯t enjoy eating food, but rather because the advancement in technology had led to all animals mutating, with nearly all of them evolving into monsters. The meat had a sour and bitter texture and contained lethal poison. As for plants, they had evolved into mutated plants with offensive capabilities. Only a very few were still edible, and their value went without saying; they simply weren¡¯t something ordinary people could afford. Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: The 22nd strategy: Sowing discord Chapter 22: The 22nd strategy: Sowing discord Although plants were scarce, at least those with money and power could still enjoy them, but meat had become completely inedible, not to mention eggs. La Sike said that this tiny egg was worth ten bottles of antidote to him, but since he didn¡¯t have that much of anything, he had to substitute it with something else. Knowing that Ye Jiu had sustained a head injury and that the medical facilities in her Plane were relatively backward, La Sike sent her several bottles of repair liquid in place of the antidote, which could quickly heal the wound on her head without leaving any scars. Ye Jiu could guess that there was a great exaggeration in La Sike¡¯s statement that one egg was worth ten bottles of antidote. After all, he himself had said that almost all the edible meat in the Star Plane had gone extinct, and he had also mentioned that the antidote was not considered valuable in his place. So, how could something that had gone extinct possibly be worth only a few bottles of something that wasn¡¯t treasured? However, Ye Jiu knew that some things shouldn¡¯t be taken too seriously. Just as an egg was a common item to her, it became a precious extinct species in La Sike¡¯s hands. She clicked to collect the items sent by La Sike, a total of five bottles of repair liquid. Ye Jiu kept one bottle for herself and stored the remaining four bottles in the storage compartment below. As soon as Ye Jiu regained her consciousness, He¡¯s wife brought over a bowl, ¡°My precious, I made you two poached eggs and added some brown sugar, eat them quickly.¡± The eggs from the morning had been divided amongst the two young children of the second wife¡¯s household, and He¡¯s wife had kept that in mind. Her daughter, a Ye Family girl, had no reason to be neglected. He¡¯s wife was concerned about Ye Jiu, but Ye Jiu would not eat alone. She insisted that He¡¯s wife have some too, and after much persuading, He¡¯s wife finally ate half an egg and then refused to eat any more. Ye Jiu didn¡¯t mind, she ate the remaining half and then drank some brown sugar water; no matter how much He¡¯s wife coaxed, she refused to eat the other egg. When Old Man Ye returned, Ye Jiu acted coquettishly and fed the other egg to him, which sweetened his heart deeply. The affectionate harmony between the main household¡¯s old couple and their daughter made Li¡¯s wife outside the door grind her teeth in envy. Being daughters of the Ye Family, He¡¯s wife¡¯s daughter could lie in bed eating eggs and enjoying family happiness, while her own Erya had to endure, with a body battered by cane beatings, stubbornly holding on without even seeing a doctor. Thinking about it, it was all because of her own unimpressive womb. If Li¡¯s wife could have had a son, what affairs of the household could He¡¯s wife have possibly been involved in! Li¡¯s wife was filled with resentment, yet besides watching on, she was powerless to do anything. The door of the second wife¡¯s room creaked open, and Zhao¡¯s wife came out. Li¡¯s wife turned her head and a scheme formed in her mind. Sneaking up to Zhao¡¯s wife, Li¡¯s wife initiated conversation, ¡°Second brother¡¯s wife, are the poached eggs finished? Where is the bowl? I¡¯ll wash it, it¡¯s very cold today, so you should take the children to bed quickly.¡± ¡°Poached eggs? What poached eggs?¡± Zhao¡¯s wife was a bit confused. ¡°I just saw sister-in-law cooking several poached eggs in the kitchen, with brown sugar too. What, didn¡¯t your household of the second wife get any?¡± Li¡¯s wife said awkwardly. ¡°What¡¯s it to you whether we ate or not? Just go do your own work. Look at your own status; is it your place to concern yourself with the affairs of our second household?¡± Zhao¡¯s wife snapped back angrily, then turned around and went back into her room. Li¡¯s wife laughed behind her back. No matter how Zhao¡¯s wife acted, Li¡¯s wife knew that she would definitely remember this incident. Li¡¯s wife was right; Zhao¡¯s wife knew full well that the poached eggs cooked by the mother-in-law were certainly intended for that little sister-in-law, Ye Jiu, but she dared not confront it. Instead, she vented her anger on Ye Qingzhi upon returning to her room. Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: The Power of 23 Repair Liquid Chapter 23: The Power of 23 Repair Liquid Madame Li¡¯s mood suddenly improved upon hearing Zhao¡¯s cursing coming from the second branch of the household, dragging her exhausted self to finish her tasks quickly and go back to rest. But as she turned her head, she saw Madame Zhang standing at the door, watching her with an indiscernible expression. In an instant, Madame Li became panicked. Madame Zhang was not as easy to deal with as Madame Zhao. Despite her silence all day long, her heart was with that good-for-nothing Ye Jiu! ¡°El¡­ eldest daughter-in-law, what are you¡­¡± Madame Li didn¡¯t know whether Madame Zhang had heard her inciting Madame Zhao, but feeling guilty, she spoke with a stutter and dared not meet Madame Zhang¡¯s eyes. ¡°Young lady, although your mother and daughter¡¯s status in the household isn¡¯t high, the Ye Family has given you a place to live after all. You should be clear about the consequences if Mother-in-law learns of what you just said!¡± After advising her with merely a sentence, Madame Zhang turned her head and went back to her room. Madame Li stood outside for a long while, filled with unease, but after seeing that Madame Zhang had no intention of going to the main house to tattle to Madame He, she cautiously continued with her chores. Early the next day, while Madame Zhang was delivering medicine to Ye Jiu, she suddenly mentioned, ¡°Little Aunt, you must be careful of Madame Li in the future.¡± ¡°Big sister-in-law, I¡¯m different now from before, and with the lesson I learned this time, I won¡¯t let them sneakily bully me in the future,¡± Ye Jiu thought that Madame Zhang was referring to the incident where Ye Erya had hit her on the head. What she didn¡¯t realize was that Madame Zhang was worried that Madame Li would find some way to harm Ye Jiu, especially since Madame Li¡¯s words instigating Madame Zhao yesterday were quite clear. Madame Zhang hesitated for a moment but said no more. The mother-in-law didn¡¯t like her getting too close to her little niece; if she were to speak out, it might even make the mother-in-law suspect her of stirring up trouble. Thinking it over, Madame Zhang figured that it was best to just keep a closer watch in the future and not let Madame Li succeed. As for Madame Zhao, Madame Zhang believed that at most, she would just make minor trouble and not dare to move against the highly esteemed little niece of Madame He. After taking the medicine, when no one was around, Ye Jiu unwrapped the bandage on her forehead and took out the bottle of repair liquid. She opened the bottle, poured some directly onto her wound with her hand, and then rewrapped the bandage. Unlike the antidote, after applying the repair liquid, Ye Jiu immediately felt an itchiness at the wound on her forehead. There were no mirrors at home, and Ye Jiu had no idea what the condition of her forehead was. Out of curiosity, Ye Jiu touched the wound through the bandage with her hand. Ye Jiu could feel that the wound, which was painful to the touch initially, was now beginning to scab over and was no longer painful. Ye Jiu was shocked; this repair liquid was truly extraordinary. Although it didn¡¯t achieve instant repair, at this rate, the scar on her forehead could be completely healed within three days at most. Moreover, she had only used a third of the small bottle of repair liquid. Ye Jiu felt once again that the Plane Trade Space was indeed a good thing. Only, the effect of the repair liquid was too powerful. If it could be a bit weaker, she might be able to exchange it for money. It wasn¡¯t that Ye Jiu was too pragmatic; the household was simply too poor, lacking even the guarantee of three meals a day. However, if the repair liquid was diluted, could it possibly reduce its healing effects? Ye Jiu decided she must experiment to find out, striving to escape the dire poverty at home. Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: How to sell 24 is a problem Chapter 24: How to sell 24 is a problem By the time He Shi came back, Ye Jiu was whining to her, ¡°Mom, can you boil another egg for me?¡± ¡°You little rascal, you refused to eat it yesterday when I gave you one, so why do you want to eat it today?¡± He Shi said, annoyed. Thinking about the one and a half eggs she and the old man had eaten yesterday, she felt a pang of distress; those could have fetched a good two or three coins at the market. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Ye Jiu laughed sheepishly. Yesterday, she had reluctantly tried to let He Shi and Ye Lao Han have something good out of concern for them. But the egg she had given to La Sike yesterday, originally as interest for repaying her debt of gratitude for the antidote, turned out to be incredibly valuable in the Star Plane, even earning her several bottles of repair liquid from La Sike. Nonetheless, Ye Jiu was a person of integrity. Although trading the egg for an antidote and repair liquid was more than a fair exchange, she could not forget the debt of gratitude for La Sike¡¯s antidote. So, Ye Jiu felt that she should at least give La Sike another egg. Of course, with her current means, except for eggs, there wasn¡¯t much else she could offer. Even getting that one egg had required her to coax He Shi. Ye Jiu was He Shi¡¯s precious treasure, and that was no understatement; there might be many things He Shi couldn¡¯t afford, but she was quite willing to satisfy Ye Jiu¡¯s wish for another egg. Ye Jiu secretly stored the egg He Shi gave her into Planar Space, and only after sending it to La Sike did she breathe a sigh of relief. The debt of gratitude was paid off, and from now on, their relationship would just involve normal trading. However, she would still remember La Sike¡¯s kindness, and if there ever came a day when he needed help and she was capable, she would certainly do her utmost. Suddenly, Ye Jiu found her thoughts rather amusing. La Sike¡¯s plane was much more advanced than her ancient plane; probably, other than providing him with some food, she couldn¡¯t be of much help in other areas. Half a month later, the wound on Ye Jiu¡¯s forehead had completely healed. He Shi stared at Ye Jiu¡¯s forehead for a long time before saying contentedly, ¡°I¡¯m glad my dear child¡¯s forehead doesn¡¯t have a scar, otherwise even if Ye Erya paid with her life, it wouldn¡¯t match a single hair on my Jiujiu¡¯s head!¡± Ye Jiu just smiled and did not respond. Ye Lao Han also felt awkward beside them but didn¡¯t dare to contradict He Shi. Two days later, Ye Jiu was worrying over the several glass bottles in her hands. After experimenting several times with the repair liquid, she finally adjusted it to a quantity she felt was adequate; it would definitely perform better than common healing ointments and yet not attract too much attention. However, she had managed to prepare the liquid, deciding how to sell it was really a problem! And let¡¯s not even talk about strangers; even her own family members might not believe she possessed such a substance. As Ye Jiu sat reflecting at the doorway, she suddenly felt the sunlight in front of her blocked. Looking up, Ye Jiu saw Ye Erya standing before her, with a large half-bucket of well-cooked pig feed next to her. It was this person who, for a piece of Opium Cake, had hit her with a stone. Ye Jiu was certain that if it weren¡¯t for the Planar Space, her situation would have been fraught with more peril than fortune. Enemies on sight, eyes blazing with resentment. Ye Jiu stood up from the ground, and before she could speak, she saw He Shi coming over in a small run. ¡°You wretched girl, didn¡¯t you learn your lesson last time, did you? I warn you, if you dare to hurt my Jiujiu again, I will sell you to a brothel to be a lowly whore for the rest of your life¡­¡± He Shi yanked Ye Erya away and then shielded Ye Jiu in her arms. Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: She was trampled underfoot. Chapter 25: She was trampled underfoot. As soon as Mrs. He¡¯s voice fell, Ye Erya¡¯s body shuddered. Last time, after she had hit Ye Jiu, Mrs. He had beaten her with a rattan cane until she was half-dead. Unlike Ye Jiu, who could trade for medicine using his ¡°Plane Space,¡± she had no choice but to endure, and just when she could barely get on her feet, she was forced to do household chores. Now, the wounds on her body had not even fully healed, especially at the sound of Mrs. He¡¯s piercing voice, she felt her wounds throbbing with pain. Seeing Ye Erya almost shrinking into herself, Ye Jiu found it hard to imagine how she had mustered the courage to throw that stone at him before. Ye Jiu tugged at Mrs. He, worried that she would get too agitated and upset, and quickly comforted her, ¡°Mother, no one can hurt me anymore, rest assured, I¡¯m alright.¡± Mrs. He turned back and looked closely at Ye Jiu, convinced that she was really unharmed, she finally relaxed and then turned to yell at Ye Erya, ¡°What are you staring at? Aren¡¯t you going to feed the pigs? Hurry up and go feed them, if they lose even a bit of weight, I¡¯ll slaughter you for the New Year!¡± Ye Jiu noticed that in this family, if she could overlook Mrs. He¡¯s selfishness and ignorance towards Mrs. Zhao, her treatment of Mrs. Li and her daughter was simply unbearable; even if there was nothing to criticize, she would scold them just to feel better about her meals. He was helpless about this. It was no wonder that Ye Erya had lashed out at him; being oppressed by Mrs. He for so long without any chance for retribution, they naturally took their anger out on him, Mrs. He¡¯s only daughter. Moreover, the former him had been weak and unable to speak up, not to mention seek revenge; he couldn¡¯t even tattle. Ye Jiu understood their hatred but did not agree with it, for after all, people are selfish by nature, and he was the one being wrongfully retaliated against. Bringing Mrs. He back into the house, Ye Jiu soothed her while saying, ¡°Mother, if you find Mrs. Li and her daughter so disagreeable, why not just drive them out?¡± It was always Mrs. Li and her daughter who were bullied, yet after Mrs. He scolded them, he himself would also be left fuming; this was not only hurting others but also doing no good for himself. Why continue this way? But Mrs. He snorted coldly, ¡°Drive them out, wishful thinking. Mrs. Li schemed to marry your father back then, causing me to be the laughingstock among your aunts and the subject of ridicule. I want to trample her underfoot and make sure she never rises again!¡± Mrs. He was a vindictive woman; this was evident from the fact that she forgave Ye Jiu¡¯s father without a dowry to remarry. Initially, she didn¡¯t have much affection for Ye Jiu¡¯s father, certainly not enough to consider none but him to marry, but the cancelled engagement left her stuck in an awkward position, and she ended up an old maid. Especially during those years encountering slanderous gossip, she was nearly driven mad, all because Mrs. Li shamelessly climbed into Ye Jiu¡¯s father¡¯s bed. Now that she had the chance to trample on Mrs. Li and seek revenge, Mrs. He would certainly not let that opportunity slip by easily! Seeing Mrs. He get so agitated when speaking of this matter, Ye Jiu found it difficult to continue persuading her. He thought that Mrs. He¡¯s current happiness versus Mrs. Li¡¯s misery was already a stark contrast, and there was simply no need to discomfort herself by having such a person around, but alas, Mrs. He thought differently. She felt that only by trampling Mrs. Li underfoot in front of her could she prove that, despite all Mrs. Li¡¯s scheming, she would never be a match for her. Only by tormenting Mrs. Li could she feel that the hardships she had endured were not in vain. Chapter 26 - Chapter 26: 26 eggs were sold in exchange for salt. Chapter 26: 26 eggs were sold in exchange for salt. Ye Jiu initially thought that He Shi would be upset about bringing up the events of the past, but in just a while, He Shi went out again with high spirits, ordering around Li Shi to do chores. Well, she really couldn¡¯t understand He Shi¡¯s mindset of having to keep her love rival under close scrutiny by herself and her man, what¡¯s rare is that Old Man Ye tolerated it. However, Ye Jiu had a deep understanding of this over the years. Li Shi and her daughter appeared to be pitiful little white flowers, but in reality, their pitifulness was merely a facade when facing the domineering He Shi. In private, they bullied Ye Jiu, who was controlled by the toxin, seeking revenge on her whenever they got the chance. Over the years, Ye Jiu had not suffered little from their hands, so she felt no sympathy for them, seeing He Shi grinding them down. Ye Jiu knew all too well some people¡¯s ugly nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong because she, who had been abandoned by her parents in her previous life, had also suffered a lot of violence from others. At first, she didn¡¯t dare to fight back, which led to them becoming more and more outrageous. Latter on, Ye Jiu began to retaliate. If she couldn¡¯t beat them openly, she¡¯d do it secretly, and if she couldn¡¯t beat them together, she¡¯d take revenge when they were alone, until no one dared to bully her anymore. Unfortunately, bad luck is bad luck, no matter how you slice it. Just when she finally grew up and was capable of taking care of herself, she contracted a terminal disease that made it impossible to want to live anymore. Luckily, the heavens still favored her, otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been reborn. Although He Shi and Old Man Ye were not related to her by blood, in Ye Jiu¡¯s heart, they were her parents, more so than her biological ones! Ye Jiu believed that with the Plane Space as her backing, her future achievements would surely be boundless. One day, she would have He Shi wear gold and silver, enjoy delicious foods, and no longer have to live like now, unwilling even to eat a chicken egg. In the dead of winter, with the rare sunshine and no chores to do, Old Man Ye took a stool and sat in the courtyard to bask in the sun. The third generation children of the Ye family, the older ones went out to play mahjong together while the younger ones squatted on the ground nearby, playing by themselves. He Shi was in the house fussing over a basket for storing chicken eggs, counting them carefully one by one. Before long, He Shi came out of the house and stood at the door, shouting to the fourth son, Ye Gaosheng, ¡°Fourth, get up early tomorrow morning. Take the eggs to town to sell, then buy some salt to bring back.¡± ¡°Alright, I got it, mother,¡± Ye Gaosheng replied with a loud voice. After pondering for a long time, Old Man Ye said, ¡°Old lady, in a month, it¡¯ll be New Year¡¯s, and by then the price of meat will surely go up. Give Gaosheng some copper coins to buy some pork to salt and preserve. It won¡¯t spoil in this cold weather.¡± He Shi¡¯s face darkened immediately, ¡°Where am I going to get copper coins from? You know how much money we have in the house. The money the two eldest sons brought back last time has already been spent on the doctor, where am I going to get the money for your meat! Xiaojiu has suffered so much this time, if I had the money, wouldn¡¯t I give her something to nourish her health?¡± While speaking, He Shi kept complaining, ¡°It¡¯s so cold, even the chickens don¡¯t want to lay eggs anymore. We used to get at least one a day, or at least one egg every two days from a hen, but now they are all just eating without laying eggs!¡± Old Man Ye understood the situation at home, but how could they not have meat for New Year¡¯s? ¡°Don¡¯t we have two roosters at home? Sell one and exchange it for pork,¡± Old Man Ye suggested. Once a year, during New Year¡¯s, was the only time they got to eat a piece of meat, and compared to chicken, pork was more fragrant and fatty. ¡°So we won¡¯t have chicken for New Year¡¯s?¡± He Shi hesitated somewhat. Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: 27 wants to go to the town Chapter 27: 27 wants to go to the town The two large roosters had been specifically kept, one for breeding in the spring, and the other to be slaughtered for meat during the New Year. Selling one now meant that there would certainly be no chicken to eat during the New Year. ¡°Let¡¯s sell one and then talk about buying some pork,¡± Old Man Ye thought about slaughtering a hen if it came down to it, but the thought of Mrs. He¡¯s tight watch over the chickens made him hesitate. ¡°Then let¡¯s sell it. Have the fourth child take it tomorrow, along with those eggs, to sell them together,¡± Mrs. He agreed with a nod. Sitting at the door, Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. The fourth brother was going to the town, what a great opportunity! ¡°Mom, Mom, I want to go to the town with fourth brother as well,¡± Ye Jiu immediately stood up, excited. Mrs. He walked over and looked at her with concern, saying, ¡°My dear child, if there¡¯s something you want, just ask your fourth brother to bring it back for you. It¡¯s freezing cold outside and far from the town. With your tiny arms and legs, you¡¯d be exhausted for sure. Be good and listen, we won¡¯t suffer that plight, okay?¡± Ye Jiu still wanted to sell the ¡°repair liquid¡± she had prepared herself. Without going to the town, staying at home all day, what opportunities could there be? Moreover, it was not often that someone in the family left the house; if she did not go this time, who knew how long she would have to wait for another chance? Instantly, Ye Jiu pouted and then started shaking and pulling on Mrs. He¡¯s arm, ¡°Mom¡­Mom¡­ please let me go. I¡¯ve grown up so much and haven¡¯t seen what the town looks like. I promise I will keep up with fourth brother and won¡¯t hold him back.¡± Ye Jiu was the little treasure of Old Man Ye and his wife, and their sons were also educated to care for their sister even if they neglected their own children. Therefore, seeing Ye Jiu looking so pitiful, Mrs. He had not yet had the chance to speak when Ye Gaosheng began to feel sorry for her, ¡°Mom, since little sister wants to go, let her. If she gets tired, I will carry her; she won¡¯t get exhausted.¡± Mrs. He tugged at Ye Jiu affectionately. She wasn¡¯t worried about her daughter slowing them down. It was just that Ye Jiu had been confined to her sight from a young age due to her physical condition, and the thought of letting her go this far all of a sudden unsettled her. In fact, if she wasn¡¯t too old to travel, seeing her adorable daughter, she would have loved to personally take her to the town for a good time. In the end, Old Man Ye made the decision, ¡°Wife, if our daughter wants to go then let her. The fourth child will look after her and nothing will happen. If you¡¯re really worried, tell Wenqing from the eldest¡¯s family to go with them. Have him do nothing but make sure he keeps his eye on his little aunt and doesn¡¯t lose her.¡± Ye Jiu was dumbfounded. Having her great nephew look after her, so she wouldn¡¯t get lost, sounded so awkward! However, since Wenqing was three years older than her, it seemed reasonable for Old Man Ye to ask him to keep an eye on her. In the end, Mrs. He agreed, but she waited until Wenqing came back, and then she gave a lengthy reminder to both Ye Gaosheng and Ye Wenqing. The gist was that nothing mattered more than her precious daughter, and, as long as they took good care of her, everything else could be put aside. Then, after numerous promises from Ye Gaosheng and Ye Wenqing, Mrs. He finally finished her long-winded instructions. At night, Ye Jiu carefully counted the small bottles in her hand. She had used a third of one bottle of ¡°repair liquid.¡± With the rest, she filled four bottles. Ye Jiu had even tested it on a small cut on her body; not only did it accelerate the healing process, but it also left no scars at all. Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: 28 looks a bit like it was picked up from outside. Chapter 28: 28 looks a bit like it was picked up from outside. Just this alone was enough to fetch a good price for the diluted repair liquid. Looking at the glass bottle in her hand, Ye Jiu smiled brilliantly. Of course, she couldn¡¯t have obtained these small bottles by herself. It was only after she mentioned to La Sike that she wanted to trade something for money that La Sike, knowing her lack of resources, gifted her some of these small bottles to hold the diluted liquid. Early in the morning, before it was even light, Ye Jiu excitedly climbed out of bed. Old Man Ye¡¯s voice jokingly rang out from the other side, ¡°You sly girl, the moment your fourth brother opens the door, your eyes snap open. Are you afraid he might sneak off without you?¡± Ye Jiu chuckled, indeed she was worried about that. After all, going to town was no easy feat. Ye Jiu hurriedly got dressed, wrapping herself up tightly. Her slightly plump body from afar looked like a moving ball. Of course, Ye Jiu herself didn¡¯t feel any of this. Before leaving, Mrs. He watched Ye Jiu eat the egg she had toasted in the bed crevice before feeling reassured. Reluctantly pulling out five copper coins from her bosom, she handed them to Ye Jiu, instructing, ¡°Dear child, keep these copper coins in your pocket. If you come across a bullock cart on the road, let Wenqing take you on the cart to avoid tiring out your little legs. Don¡¯t rush around once you two get to town, just wait at the town entrance for your fourth brother. It¡¯s no trouble for a young man like him to carry things for a stretch, there¡¯s no need to waste money on fares.¡± Holding the few copper coins in her hand, Ye Jiu¡¯s heart grew heavier. ¡°Mother, I will definitely earn a lot of money to give you the best life,¡± Ye Jiu sincerely promised Mrs. He. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. My dear child is always the most caring,¡± Mrs. He immediately beamed with joy. Old Man Ye purposely put on a disappointed face at the side, ¡°Poor me, no one cares for this old man!¡± Ye Jiu went over and grabbed Old Man Ye¡¯s arm, ¡°Dad, stop being jealous of mom. I will also give you the best life.¡± At that moment, Old Man Ye and Mrs. He merely thought these were childish words of their daughter, never imagining that Ye Jiu¡¯s future would achieve so much, and that even the entire Ye Family would rise to prominence because of her. Ye Jiu did not refuse the few copper coins Mrs. He gave her, not because she couldn¡¯t endure hardship or wanted to take advantage, but because she had no money at all at the moment. Even in her past life, when she was at her poorest, she had never been as poor as she was now, so the fact that she didn¡¯t have a single coin made her somewhat uneasy. Once Ye Jiu had finally gotten herself ready, Mrs. He dug out two more eggs from the crevice by the bed and tucked them into Ye Jiu¡¯s pockets, and didn¡¯t forget to instruct, ¡°Dear child, keep these two eggs in your pockets; if you get hungry while walking, eat them to fill your stomach. Don¡¯t foolishly share the eggs with your fourth brother and Wenqing. Those boys are full of energy, they¡¯ll survive even if they miss a meal, but it¡¯s different for you, my darling. If something were to happen to you because you went hungry, mom would be heartbroken!¡± Ye Jiu felt ashamed. If one didn¡¯t know better, they might think the fourth brother was picked up from outside, and Wenqing too¡ªthat boy is the eldest grandson of the Ye Family¡¯s main branch. In other families, a younger son and the eldest grandson would be treasured, but in the Ye Family, it seemed as if they were picked up from the outside. However, speaking of the Ye Family¡¯s situation, it seemed that apart from herself, be it the Ye Family¡¯s sons, grandsons, or granddaughters, everyone appeared as if picked up from outside. Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: Arrived in town on the 29th Chapter 29: Arrived in town on the 29th And her status within the Ye Family was all thanks to Mrs. He¡¯s support. Sometimes, even Ye Jiu herself didn¡¯t understand what Mrs. He was thinking, favoring her, the younger daughter, to such an extent and not showing much affection to her own son. Fearing that Ye Jiu might not know anything for her first trip out, Mrs. He pulled Ye Gaosheng aside and reiterated the instructions to him. After Ye Gaosheng promised repeatedly, the three of them finally set off. On the road, Ye Gaosheng carried a basket on his back, filled with chicken eggs and a chicken, while Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing walked quickly beside him. From the dim light of dawn until it was fully bright, Ye Jiu felt like her legs, which had never really been exercised, were almost not her own anymore. Perhaps she was just unlucky; even though her pockets were filled with money prepared by Mrs. He, they didn¡¯t encounter a single ox cart on the road, so they had to keep walking on their own two legs. Halfway through, Ye Gaosheng handed the basket over to Ye Wenqing to carry. Ye Jiu thought he was tired, so she took turns with Ye Wenqing carrying the basket, but she didn¡¯t expect that after Ye Gaosheng handed it back, he squatted in front of Ye Jiu and asked caringly, ¡°Little sister, are you tired? Come on, let your fourth brother carry you for a while so you can rest your feet.¡± Ye Jiu was so moved she could hardly speak, ¡°Fourth brother, I¡¯m not tired yet¡­¡± Before she could finish, Ye Gaosheng grabbed her arm, looped it around his neck, then supported her legs with his hands and stood up, ¡°Your legs are too short; if we continue like this, the market might be over by the time we get to the town. It¡¯s better if I carry you so we can go faster, alright, let¡¯s get there early and sell our goods to head back home.¡± Ye Jiu: Truly a pointless bout of being moved. Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but sadly look down at her somewhat warm little legs. Although she was already 10 years old, she rarely walked around, and perhaps because of her slow development, her stature among her peers was¡­ indeed quite short. Furthermore, her body, nourished by Mrs. He¡¯s care, made her already not very tall figure seem even shorter. But being short was one thing; being subtly looked down upon by Ye Gaosheng was another matter entirely. Regardless, even though she was now lying on Ye Gaosheng¡¯s back, Ye Jiu really felt quite sad and indignant in her heart. However, once Ye Gaosheng carried Ye Jiu, they indeed moved much faster. It was also then that Ye Jiu realized the reason they had been walking so slowly at first was purely because Ye Gaosheng and Ye Wenqing had been waiting for her. ¡­ Although Shuangxi Town was small, its scale was not insignificant. The streets were packed with people, bustling enough to be called prosperous. The ultimate reason was that it was the only market town within a radius of ten miles, where everyone came for the market days. By the time Ye Jiu and her companions arrived, the sun was already high in the sky. It wasn¡¯t Ye Gaosheng¡¯s first time here selling eggs, so he knew his way around. He swiftly led the two to Vegetable Market Street, found a vacant spot, took out the chicken eggs and the chicken from the basket, laid them on the ground, then lifted his head and said to Ye Jiu, ¡°Little sister, wait here for a bit. After I sell the goods, I¡¯ll buy you some candy.¡± Turning to Ye Wenqing, Ye Gaosheng instructed, ¡°Wenqing, keep a close eye on your little aunt, make sure she doesn¡¯t get lost. Otherwise, when we get back, Grandma will surely whip us both.¡± Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Just finally got a little freedom at 30 Chapter 30: Just finally got a little freedom at 30 ¡°Understood, Uncle.¡± The seriousness on Ye Gaosheng¡¯s face elicited an exceptionally obedient response from Ye Wenqing. Ye Jiu: ¡°¡­¡± Looking at the earnestness with which these two discussed, how could she, who appeared to be a child on the outside but was already an adult inside, bear it! After all, in everyone¡¯s hearts, Ye Jiu was like a national treasure. With the He family¡¯s influence as well, nobody dared to take her lightly, unless someone who was too comfortable wanted to make their presence felt, just like Ye Erya. Of course, not everyone could bear the consequences, as one could tell by how Ye Erya had had to lie in bed for half a month, still unwell, yet had to stay busy every day without a moment¡¯s rest. As time ticked by second by second, Ye Jiu felt her legs growing sore from crouching on the side. Looking down the entire street, nearly half the peasant families were selling their own chickens¡¯ eggs or radishes and cabbages. It was still uncertain when Ye Gaosheng would manage to sell off his goods. Growing impatient from waiting, Ye Jiu tugged at Ye Gaosheng and said, ¡°Fourth Brother, I¡¯ve never been to the town before. I¡¯d like to take a look around nearby. You and Wenqing keep watch here; I won¡¯t go far and will come back soon.¡± Ye Gaosheng couldn¡¯t agree, ¡°Little sister, the town is crowded; you can¡¯t just walk around alone. What if we can¡¯t find you later?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not going far, just looking around nearby. Besides, I¡¯m not a three-year-old toddler. People my age are already running around on their own. I¡¯ll just take a short walk nearby; how could I possibly get lost!¡± In the past, Ye Jiu always wanted to enjoy being cherished, but now she realized that being loved too fiercely sometimes became a burden. At the very least, she now lacked even basic freedom. Whether at home or outside, everything she did had to be supervised. After Ye Jiu finished speaking, Ye Gaosheng thought for a long while before hesitantly compromising, ¡°Fine, if you really can¡¯t wait, let Wenqing go with you for a stroll. I can manage here by myself; just make sure you two don¡¯t wander off too far.¡± After speaking, Ye Gaosheng, still worried, admonished Ye Wenqing, ¡°Wenqing, you must take good care of your little aunt. Make sure you don¡¯t lose her.¡± Ye Wenqing nodded seriously again, ¡°Uncle, rest assured, I will certainly take good care of my little aunt.¡± Ye Jiu resigned herself to the situation. With Ye Wenqing accompanying her, though it might be less convenient, it was still better than everyone stuck here. Moreover, how could she find a way to market her ¡®repair liquid¡¯ if she didn¡¯t look around! ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± Ye Jiu said, walking ahead, as she couldn¡¯t stand the way these two always treated her like a three-year-old toddler. Seeing Ye Jiu walking ahead quickly, Ye Wenqing hurriedly got up to catch up, ¡°Little aunt, slow down.¡± Ye Wenqing couldn¡¯t afford to be careless. This precious little aunt rarely came out; if anything were to happen to her, both he and his uncle would get in trouble when they got back¡ªa mild beating would be the least of their worries. The scariest part would be Grandma¡¯s concern, which would make their lives difficult afterwards. However, it wasn¡¯t easy for Ye Jiu to finally have some freedom, and she was not in the mood to consider Ye Wenqing¡¯s worries. Ye Jiu walked ahead without looking back, leaving behind the vegetable market street and entering a bustling street. However, after observing for a long time, she couldn¡¯t find a suitable place to sell her merchandise. Behind her, Ye Wenqing was filled with worry, ¡°Little aunt, Uncle said not to go too far. It¡¯s getting late; the eggs might have already been sold. We should head back now?¡± Chapter 31 - Chapter 31: 31 into the medical hall Chapter 31: 31 into the medical hall This street was the busiest in the town, bustling as it was opposite the vegetable market street, and they were almost at the end of this street now. Ye Wenqing was genuinely scared that Ye Jiu would continue walking even further away. Ye Jiu turned back and just caught a glimpse of Ye Wenqing¡¯s longing expression to return. It really hurt her heart! Once, she had envied those children treated like porcelain dolls, but when she actually had it herself, she realized that being constantly watched was not a pleasant feeling at all. Could it be that she was being what they call overly sensitive? Ye Jiu doubted it! Looking again at the bustling street, most of it consisted of shops including everything needed for clothing, food, shelter, and transportation, with various small stalls lined up on both sides of the road. Ye Jiu thought that her ¡°repair liquid¡± could be used to heal wounds, and perhaps she should go directly to a medical hall, rather than wandering aimlessly like she was doing now. Thinking this, Ye Jiu asked Ye Wenqing, ¡°Wenqing, do you know where the biggest medical hall in town is?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere, Little Aunt?¡± Ye Wenqing instantly became anxious. Ye Jiu could only reassure him, ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, not feeling unwell at all; I just want to go and have a look.¡± Ye Wenqing didn¡¯t understand; what was there to see at a medical hall with no illness or disaster? However, since Ye Jiu had asked, being junior, he couldn¡¯t but reply, ¡°The medical hall is on East Street. Just go a bit further along this street and then turn left, and you¡¯ll be there.¡± He hadn¡¯t come to town many times, but Ye Jiu used to be frail and often needed medicine. He had occasionally come with his father, so he knew the exact location of the medical hall. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry then.¡± As soon as Ye Jiu thought about the silver she was about to earn, she became excited and somewhat impatient. Watching Ye Jiu run ahead happily, Ye Wenqing could only quickly stride to keep up. Jiren Tang, Ye Jiu stood at the bustling entrance of the medical hall, silently mouthing the characters on the sign above. Although the traditional characters of ancient times differed greatly from the simplified characters of the modern era, she still managed to guess these three characters. Ye Jiu thought she should find an opportunity to learn to read properly. After all, in her previous life, she had been a high school student, not very highly educated, but she couldn¡¯t let herself slip into illiteracy in this life! Ye Wenqing stood silently behind Ye Jiu. He really couldn¡¯t understand why his Little Aunt was standing motionless at the entrance of the medical hall. What was she thinking? Of course, he didn¡¯t know that Ye Jiu was considering how to market her ¡°repair liquid¡± once inside. Since they didn¡¯t know each other, anyone with a slight sense of crisis probably wouldn¡¯t trust her. Still, after thinking for a long time and not finding an appropriate approach, Ye Jiu decided to just go in and see what happened. If it came down to it, she could take the drastic action of injuring herself to demonstrate her product on the spot. In the past, in order to earn more money, Ye Jiu even considered selling her blood, but her grandmother found out and stopped her before she could go through with it. However, to earn her tuition and living expenses, she had suffered quite a bit in those years. Now, if a single wound could make money, that didn¡¯t seem like a big deal to Ye Jiu. As Ye Jiu moved to step forward, Ye Wenqing immediately grabbed her, ¡°Little Aunt, the medical hall is not a place for fun. We¡¯ve had our look; let¡¯s head back quickly.¡± ¡°Wenqing, don¡¯t be so rigid. Let¡¯s just go in and have a look; looking doesn¡¯t cost money.¡± Ye Jiu brushed off Ye Wenqing¡¯s hand, then stepped forward and walked in. Chapter 32 - Chapter 32: 32 is blasted out Chapter 32: 32 is blasted out Ye Wenqing was worried behind, but also afraid that Ye Jiu might suffer a disadvantage by going in, so he could only follow. Jiren Tang was the largest medical establishment in town, and the doctors there were extraordinarily proud, always using their chins to judge people as if they were superior. He genuinely feared that his young aunt would be treated unfairly and looked down upon if she went in. In Ye Wenqing¡¯s eyes, Ye Jiu had never left home and was unacquainted with the malice of outsiders, which was why he and Ye Gaosheng treated Ye Jiu as if she were a three-year-old child. What they didn¡¯t know, however, was that Ye Jiu had also been bullied by Li¡¯s mother and daughter over the years, even within the Ye Family. But Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t express it herself, and Li¡¯s mother and daughter always acted obsequiously. Plus, their bullying of Ye Jiu always happened when no one was around, leaving no trace. Who could imagine, that such a seemingly honest and easily bullied mother and daughter could be so cruel toward a girl who was completely defenseless? Upon entering the medical hall, the first thing you¡¯d notice was the long queue inside. It was evident that, regardless of the attitude of the staff inside, their medical skills must be excellent; otherwise, there would not be so many patients lining up here. Yet, this was the norm in this world. Nowadays, there¡¯s no notion of the customer being king. Those attendants were haughty when facing the poor, but were just as obsequious when dealing with the rich and noble, weren¡¯t they? Ye Jiu looked around for a while, and since no one came to tend to her, she was about to step forward but felt Ye Wenqing, who was inseparably close to her. Turning her head, Ye Jiu said to Ye Wenqing, ¡°No matter what I do or say later, you must not interrupt or stop me.¡± A sense of foreboding rose within Ye Wenqing, ¡°Little Aunt, what exactly are you here to do at Jiren Tang?¡± What to do¡­ that was something Ye Jiu truly found hard to explain. However, seeing Ye Wenqing¡¯s determined stance, it seemed she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave unless she made clear her intentions. With no choice, Ye Jiu had to use Grandma He to deal with him, ¡°All you need to do is watch what I do, but don¡¯t interfere, otherwise¡­ I¡¯ll tell grandma that you¡¯re bullying me.¡± Ye Wenqing¡¯s face turned grim. If Grandma learned that he was bullying his little aunt, with her temperament, it would be a serious matter. Grandma wouldn¡¯t care if the little aunt was telling the truth or not; as long as it could make her happy, even if she knew it was a lie, would she need a reason to discipline her grandson? Seeing that Ye Wenqing finally behaved, Ye Jiu felt satisfied and didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with using Grandma He as a threat. Ye Wenqing, despite his young age, was just too stubborn. If words didn¡¯t persuade him, she had to resort to threats. Fortunately, Grandma He¡¯s authority was unsurpassed in the household, and Ye Wenqing didn¡¯t even dare to think of resisting. Ye Wenqing obediently followed behind Ye Jiu, who, without looking back, walked toward the attendants in the pharmacy with a hint of a smile¡­ ¡­ Shortly afterward, Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing were chased out by an attendant. ¡°The medicine I have is really good for treating external injuries¡ªI¡¯ve said that if I could just see your shopkeeper, I could demonstrate its effects right on the spot. If you miss out on the medicine I have, you will certainly regret it!¡± Ye Jiu was still struggling desperately. The attendant was full of disdain, ¡°Our Jiren Tang is the largest pharmacy in town, all the medicinal materials are from designated suppliers. You expect to dupe money with water that I don¡¯t know where you brought from, pretending it¡¯s medicine? If I introduce your water to the shopkeeper, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll regret it, but being cursed to death by the shopkeeper is definite!¡± Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: 33 is crazy about money Chapter 33: 33 is crazy about money ¡°Tch, a couple of country bumpkins have gone mad for money, using plain water as medicine¡ªit¡¯s simply insane,¡± said the attendant, turning away and striding off. Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing stood at the entrance of the clinic while people pointed and labelled them as fraudsters, among them many who openly called them swindlers. Ye Wenqing¡¯s face almost touched the ground with embarrassment as he tugged at Ye Jiu¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Sister, let¡¯s just leave quickly.¡± He hadn¡¯t expected that Ye Jiu would actually bring a small bottle of water and insist it was medicine, asking others to help introduce them to a pharmacy shopkeeper to sell it. Actually, Ye Wenqing thought, selling the bottle in Ye Jiu¡¯s hand might be more profitable than selling medicine, even though it was small. It was the first time he had seen a transparent bottle, and it was probably still worth a few copper coins. Looking at the people around, Ye Wenqing had never felt so humiliated in his life, but he couldn¡¯t just abandon Ye Jiu, so he had no choice but to tough it out and pull her along. Ye Jiu truly felt unjust, it was clear they couldn¡¯t recognize a good thing, accusing her of selling water as medicine! Unfortunately, she was guarding a treasure, yet no one recognized its value. ¡°Move aside¡­ everyone out of the way¡­¡± Just then, two men in black tight-fitting clothes, brandishing long swords and covered in blood, rushed over, supporting another injured man between them. The supported man, both in terms of attire and status, seemed superior to the other two, but at that moment, the blood pulsing from his chest could not be contained even with his hands, clearly indicating he was seriously hurt and causing onlookers to feel frightened. However, the face of the injured man bore a chillingly composed expression, showing no hint of agony, as if the one suffering was not him. The only oddity was that excessive blood loss made his complexion excessively pale. Upon first seeing him, Ye Jiu thought, This man really is incredibly handsome! His ink-black hair was tied up high, the remainder spilling behind, barely concealing the sharpness in his eyes which, when they looked over, engulfed one in despair nearly lethal. His prominent nose, thin lips, imperious and merciless like an emperor, made one instinctively want to cower at his feet in trembling submission. Even in this moment of disarray from the injury, his striking presence was not diminished. When Ye Jiu looked over, she caught his bloodthirsty gaze, causing her legs to weaken, nearly making her fall to the ground. Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t truly a ten-year-old girl; otherwise, today would have been utterly disgraceful. ¡°Make way ahead¡­¡± The three of them finally entered the clinic. ¡°Doctor, Doctor, where are you? Hurry up and treat my Family Head!¡± The crowd initially drawn by Ye Jiu had now shifted their focus entirely onto the man within the clinic hall. The doctor, brought forth by Si Nan, nervously examined him and promptly applied some medicinal powder and bandages, but after a short while, the bleeding still hadn¡¯t stopped. Si Bei, however, became anxious, drew his sword in a flash, and held it at the doctor¡¯s neck, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if you save my Family Head, no one within Fengyang City will dare to touch your clinic. If you fail, your clinic might as well cease to exist!¡± ¡°Hero, please spare my life,¡± the doctor immediately fell to his knees, crying and sobbing, ¡°It¡¯s not that I won¡¯t save him, but my medical skills are limited. The injuries on this nobleman are just too severe. I truly can¡¯t stop the bleeding!¡± Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: 34 refuses to treat my Family Heads injury? Chapter 34: 34 refuses to treat my Family Head¡¯s injury? ¡°Since it cannot be stopped, your medical hall is no longer necessary to exist!¡± At that moment, the injured noble man spoke. Right after the man¡¯s words fell, Si Bei slightly moved the long sword in his hand, and the doctor fainted from fright. ¡°Useless indeed.¡± Si Bei kicked with his foot in frustration, turned his head, and clasped his fist to the man, ¡°Sir, this is the only decent medical hall in this town, and there are only two doctors. If they are really killed, there would be no one left to treat injuries!¡± The man slightly closed his eyes to hide the bloodthirsty storm within, tacitly agreeing to Si Bei¡¯s words. In the dead of winter, a bowl of cold water was mercilessly splashed on the doctor¡¯s face, startling him awake with a cry. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if you save my Family Head, you will enjoy endless wealth and honor. But if you fail to treat him, then everyone in your medical hall will be buried with him!¡± After Si Bei finished his sentence, he mercilessly chopped the table and chairs nearby with his long sword, releasing a powerful wave of Inner Strength that split the furniture into pieces. This intimidation was very effective¡ªthe cowardly already had disgusting liquid flowing between their legs. Outside, those who originally wanted to watch the spectacle could no longer stay. Fortunately, the guard only stopped people inside the medical hall from leaving, but did not manage those outside, thus giving them the chance to disperse completely. These people were not to be trifled with. Although Ye Jiu wanted to make money, he did not wish to risk his life for it. Therefore, Ye Jiu tugged at the sleeve of the stunned Ye Wenqing and whispered, ¡°These people are very dangerous. Let¡¯s leave quickly to avoid trouble.¡± Just as Ye Jiu was about to leave, an attendant inside the door suddenly looked up at her, then pointed his finger at Ye Jiu and said, ¡°That girl has medicine; she said her medicine could quickly heal wounds!¡± The attendant had not believed that Ye Jiu actually had medicine, otherwise he would not have expelled her earlier, but now, he was pointing her out with the mindset of dragging someone down even in death. Go to ????????????????????.co It wasn¡¯t far, and with the area around being utterly silent, Ye Jiu clearly heard the attendant¡¯s words. Cursing internally, Ye Jiu grabbed Ye Wenqing and was about to run. The main function of the repair liquid was to heal scars; although it could also treat wounds, the wound on her forehead was minor, while the man¡¯s injuries looked much more complicated¡ªwho knew if it could be as effectively healed as hers had been? If it failed to meet the expectations, seeing the actions of these people, who clearly appeared as merciless killers, Ye Jiu had not lived enough and did not want to accompany anyone in death. Ye Jiu had intended to run first, but in the blink of an eye, the guard used Qinggong and appeared right in front of her. Before Ye Jiu could even speak, a long sword was already pressing tightly against her neck. Ye Jiu froze immediately, instinctively let go of Ye Wenqing¡¯s sleeve, and then raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Hero, spare my life; I am not a doctor,¡± Ye Jiu pleaded, and added at the end, ¡°I am still a child¡­¡± This was the only thing Ye Jiu was thankful for after having lived so many years; she did not know if using the excuse of being a child could save her life! Si Nan originally wore an expression of indifference, but when Ye Jiu said she was still a child, his face finally showed some emotion, but his voice remained as cold as before, ¡°Are you unwilling to treat my Family Head¡¯s injuries?¡± Chapter 35 - Chapter 35: 35 saw the Grim Reaper beckoning Chapter 35: 35 saw the Grim Reaper beckoning Although the question was asked, Ye Jiu had the feeling that if she said she was unwilling, the person before her could immediately slit her throat! Therefore, Ye Jiu caved in, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling, I have a kind of medicine that can restore wounds, but your Family Head¡¯s injuries are too severe, I don¡¯t know if I can save him.¡± Si Nan pondered for a moment, glanced at his master sitting in the main hall of the medical hall, then the long sword at Ye Jiu¡¯s neck pressed closer by two fractions, he said coldly, ¡°Go back, if you can¡¯t heal him, everyone will be buried with him!¡± Ye Jiu¡¯s legs went weak again, as if she already saw the Grim Reaper beckoning to her. Damn it, her life in these two incarnations has been so cursed. Especially in this life, just after the poison in her body had been cleared and she had returned to normal, she encountered such an incident while trying to make some money. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll treat him!¡± Ye Jiu gritted her teeth and answered, then the long sword at her neck was swiftly withdrawn. Ye Jiu turned her head and saw Ye Wenqing, who was already petrified with fright, and she vigorously signaled him with her eyes, urging him to leave quickly. Damn it, not to mention whether there was a reward for healing, but failing to do so meant burial with the deceased. At the very least, she should be called ¡®little aunt.¡¯ By urging Ye Wenqing to leave now, she could save his life. If she really couldn¡¯t heal the injury later, and the murderous demon lost his temper, it would be more reasonable for one to die than for both to perish. Ye Wenqing finally came back to his senses and understood Ye Jiu¡¯s look. His heart was instantly touched, but his sense of justice told him that since his little aunt was thinking of him, he shouldn¡¯t abandon her and run for his own life. After some thought, Ye Wenqing said tremblingly, ¡°Little¡­ little aunt, I can¡¯t leave, I can¡¯t abandon you here alone. If it really can¡¯t be healed later, then¡­ just let them take me to be buried with the deceased!¡± If she weren¡¯t being coerced at that moment, Ye Jiu really wanted to slap him twice to wake him up properly. Go to ????????????????????.co Who the hell decided at that time who would be buried as sacrifice? If they killed one person, could they really leave the other alive? Ye Jiu, who has been rather clever in her previous life, wondered how she could have such a foolish nephew in this life. While they were talking, Si Nan was already very impatient, ¡°Are you not hurrying back to treat the wound? If we wait any longer, if something happens to my Family Head, none of you will survive!¡± Ye Jiu knew that there was no point in saying anything else at this time, and Ye Wenqing probably couldn¡¯t leave now even if he wanted to, as they would not let him. Resigned, Ye Jiu stopped concerning herself about Ye Wenqing and turned back into the medical hall. At this time, all she could do was pray that the repair liquid would work wonders, not to mention repairing the wound, at least it should stop the bleeding to spare her own life. Ye Jiu walked step by step towards the injured person, but when she was still three steps away, she felt a cold aura enveloping her, making her stop in her tracks. Looking up, the man might have turned paler due to the excessive bleeding from the wounds, but his eyes were still emitting a chilling light, accompanied by a deep loathing as if Ye Jiu by taking another step closer, would be facing the fate of lying dead in the streets that day. Ye Jiu felt helpless. What had she done to be stared at with such repulsion? Ye Jiu was very scared, but with someone pushing her from behind, she had to control her urge to run away. It was evident that the person didn¡¯t want her to come closer because as soon as she attempted to move, the coldness surrounding her intensified. In the dead of winter, Ye Jiu was forced to break out in a cold sweat. Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: 36, difficult to protect the nine families/clans Chapter 36: 36, difficult to protect the nine families/clans ¡°If I don¡¯t get close, how am I supposed to apply the medicine to you? I think it¡¯s better this way, since you don¡¯t want me to get close. Why don¡¯t I just take out the medicine and let someone else apply it for you?¡± Ye Jiu carefully asked, although inside, she couldn¡¯t help wanting to curse. Indeed, some people are truly pretentious. He¡¯s already injured to such a degree, but instead of thinking about saving his life quickly, he¡¯s fussy about who applies the medicine! Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but complain because when she suggested taking the medicine out for someone else to apply, there was a sudden drop in the cold aura from her body, which indicated a clear intention. Fearing that if she delayed any longer, the injured person before her might actually die and she would be implicated, Ye Jiu quickly took out an undiluted bottle of repair liquid from her Dimensional Space while using her cotton-padded coat for cover and handed it to the man behind her who was compelling her with a sword. Si Nan didn¡¯t waste words. Instead, he sheathed his long sword, took the bottle from Ye Jiu¡¯s hand, but after looking at it for a long time, he couldn¡¯t find the mouth of the bottle. Si Nan turned his gaze to Ye Jiu with a questioning look. Ye Jiu instantly understood, took the bottle back, removed the aluminum seal at the bottle mouth, opened the rubber stopper, and then handed it over once again. During these movements, Ye Jiu inevitably got closer to the injured person, and each time she approached, a killing intent rushed toward her, scaring her so much that Ye Jiu felt frightened and anxious. Fortunately, as she returned to her original spot three steps away, the killing intent retracted. Only then did Ye Jiu realize that this killing intent was indeed targeted at her. Ye Jiu cursed in her heart. Could it be that she was carrying a virus, which made people detest her so? How utterly bizarre! After Si Nan uncorked the bottle, he didn¡¯t immediately apply the medicine on Sikong Mo but instead sniffed it below his nose and frowned deeply. Looking at the disheveled doctor beside him, Si Nan gestured to him, and as the doctor approached, Si Nan handed over the bottle of medicine, ¡°Do you recognize what this medicine is?¡± When it came to using something on his Family Head, Si Nan couldn¡¯t be careless. Moreover, the liquid medicine was indeed strange, its color almost indistinguishable from clear water. Most critically, it hardly had a medicinal scent, but rather a faint, unidentifiable fragrance. Go to ????????????????????.co The doctor took it and examined it seriously. With an almost tearful expression, he said, ¡°Hero, spare my life, I¡¯m limited in knowledge and truly can¡¯t recognize what kind of medicine this is!¡± To the doctor, this seemed nothing more than fragrant water. But thinking of the consequences of voicing such a statement¡ªthat everyone would be doomed¡ªhe truly didn¡¯t dare to speak it out loud. Si Nan looked at Ye Jiu again, ¡°Girl, are you sure this is medicine? You¡¯d better think carefully before you answer. If there¡¯s any problem after applying it, your entire Ye Family will not be spared!¡± Ye Jiu¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Will not be spared¡ªcould it be that this man was from the Imperial Family? Gazing into Sikong Mo¡¯s cold and bloodthirsty eyes, Ye Jiu nodded resolutely, ¡°I used this medicine when I got injured on my forehead a while ago. It¡¯s safe.¡± If there was really an issue, it would be a problem with his body. But Ye Jiu could only pray that there would be no problem. No matter who this person was, she wasn¡¯t hoping for anything. Being the daughter of the Ye Family was already more than enough for her in this life. ¡°Apply the medicine,¡± Sikong Mo said to Si Nan, but his gaze was firmly fixed on Ye Jiu. His icy demeanor pressed heavily on Ye Jiu¡¯s heart. As the Family Head had given an order, Si Nan naturally didn¡¯t dare to delay any further, especially since Sikong Mo had already lost a lot of blood. The injury indeed could not be neglected any longer. Chapter 37 - Chapter 37: 37 stopped bleeding Chapter 37: 37 stopped bleeding Not long after the medicine was sprinkled over the wound, Si Nan, who had previously maintained a cold demeanor, immediately showed an excited expression, ¡°Master, the bleeding has stopped.¡± At the same time, everyone in the clinic, including Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing, felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, Ye Jiu was grateful that he didn¡¯t have a heart condition; otherwise, with such shocks, he might have met King Yan by now. At this moment, Ye Wenqing also breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Sirs, since the bleeding has stopped, may we leave now?¡± With these people being so terrifying, he felt more at ease keeping his distance and escaping as soon as possible. At the same time, the people in the clinic were also eagerly looking at Sikong Mo and his companions, thinking at this moment, who wouldn¡¯t want to run if not a fool. Now that Sikong Mo¡¯s bleeding had stopped, Si Nan and Si Bei, of course, had to align with their master¡¯s will. However, Sikong Mo just looked up briefly at everyone with a gaze that seemed lofty, as if all the people in front of him were mere ants. Sikong Mo did not respond; with just a glance, Si Nan understood his intentions and turned to the crowd, ¡°If anyone dares to leak today¡¯s events, everyone will be executed without mercy!¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t dare, we wouldn¡¯t dare¡­¡± the crowd quickly asserted. ¡°You may leave,¡± Si Nan said dismissively. Immediately, everyone scattered, including the shopkeeper of the pharmacy who didn¡¯t dare to say another word, and he didn¡¯t even bother to look after the pharmacy as he ran out. Although Ye Jiu had come with the intention of selling medicine, once it involved life, money naturally was not as important as living. Go to ????????????????????.co Just as Ye Jiu turned to pull Ye Wenqing¡¯s sleeve, they heard a cool voice from behind, ¡°You two, stop right there!¡± Ye Jiu froze in his steps, not daring to move any further. ¡°Turn around.¡± Despite his severe injury, Sikong Mo¡¯s voice still held a power that made people dare not disobey. Ye Jiu slowly turned around, but inwardly he thought this was bad. She just stood there, not daring to move or speak, fearing that any slight misstep might provoke him to take her life. After a long while, Sikong Mo suddenly stood up, walked up to Ye Jiu and scrutinized her for a long time, a hint of rare doubt appearing in his eyes, which quickly returned to normal as he swiftly moved away from Ye Jiu, his thin lips uttering a merciless yet relieving sentence for Ye Jiu, ¡°Si Nan, pay them and let them leave.¡± Immediately, Si Nan pulled out a silver note from his bosom. Without even looking at it, Ye Jiu grabbed it along with Ye Wenqing and ran, not stopping until they were far, far away. Ye Jiu ran very fast, not looking back, nor daring to see the shock in Si Nan¡¯s and Si Bei¡¯s eyes. Although their prince was young, he excelled in everything he touched, inheriting the throne at eleven and renowned as the youngest War God King of Dongyue by sixteen. Now, at only twenty, even the current emperor had to tread cautiously around him. The only flaw was his extreme aversion to women, to the extent that seeing one made him want to kill them. Normally, within three steps of him, no female creature could appear without triggering his rage, which would result in the indiscriminate killing of innocents. However, today, their lofty prince had unexpectedly stopped a young girl and even observed her closely for a long time, which was enough to shock everyone speechless. Out of surprise, Si Nan stepped forward and asked with a bow, ¡°My lord, should we check that girl?¡± Thinking about it, considering the girl¡¯s and the boy¡¯s attire, they must be just ordinary peasants, yet they possessed such effective medicine that even the doctors could not discern anything unusual, which indeed was quite strange. Chapter 38 - Chapter 38: 38 So next time there wont be anyone left to take revenge on, right? Chapter 38: 38 So next time there won¡¯t be anyone left to take revenge on, right? ¡°` ¡°No need,¡± said Sikong Mo, frowning at the mention of Ye Jiu. He didn¡¯t know why but just as that girl had turned around, a sudden and inexplicable feeling of familiarity and closeness had surfaced in his heart. Sikong Mo stared at Ye Jiu for a long while, certain that he did not know this girl. Sikong Mo disliked the feeling that his intuition was somewhat uncontrollable, which was why he was so eager for Ye Jiu to leave. Closing his eyes, Sikong Mo felt that his wounds were healing unusually quickly this time. He had clawed his way through battles and numerous injuries, acquiring considerable experience with wounds and had some understanding of the healing process. Although the medicine had been applied for only a short time, and it appeared to others that the bleeding had merely stopped, no one understood better than Sikong Mo that, in just this short while, the healing speed of his wounds had already matched what would normally take a whole day. Of course, this was also because Ye Jiu, afraid that the diluted repair liquid would not be strong enough to stop his bleeding, had taken out the undiluted repair liquid from the Plane Space. Opening his eyes again, the clarity had returned to them. His voice, cool and dispassionate, rang out, ¡°Si Nan, send a message to Si Rong, those forces involved in this assassination attempt will be eradicated completely, without exception!¡± Sikong Mo had ascended to the throne at the age of eleven and was hailed as the War God of Dongyue by the age of sixteen. He was never the type to swallow an injustice without retaliation. Having the courage to strike at him meant they must also have the courage to face the consequences. ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Si Nan immediately bowed with a fist, then hesitated a moment, ¡°My lord, what about the old Princess Consort¡­¡± Go to ????????????????????.co It was perhaps unbelievable that when the old Prince went to battle, by custom, the Princess Consort and the Princely Heir Sikong Mo were brought to the capital city, ostensibly for care but in reality as hostages. Later, when the old Prince died on the battlefield, the Princess Consort failed to protect her son, who was still the Princely Heir at the time; instead, she did everything in her power to trip him up. If it weren¡¯t for the many people the old Prince had left behind before his death, whether the eleven-year-old Sikong Mo could have ascended to the throne was still up for debate. And as his birth mother, the old Princess Consort had on more than one occasion set her hand against him after he ascended to the throne, repeatedly conspiring with outsiders to assassinate him. Naturally, even this time when Sikong Mo was injured, the old Princess Consort¡¯s involvement was suspected; hence Si Nan¡¯s hesitation; after all, as a subordinate, he was not in a position to deal with the old Princess Consort. Somehow, when the nauseating woman was mentioned again, Sikong Mo found that he could remain indifferent. Ha! It¡¯s really unclear whether it¡¯s something to be grateful for or to grieve over! ¡°The prince certainly will not stoop to matricide!¡± Just when Si Nan thought he might have to let the old Princess Consort off the hook for this reason, Sikong Mo¡¯s icy and merciless voice rang out again, accompanied by a bloodthirsty sneer, ¡°Isn¡¯t she always most affectionate towards that child of the Rong Family? Then it¡¯s not too much to let Rong Che suffer on her behalf.¡± Having said that, Sikong Mo didn¡¯t forget to instruct, ¡°Tell Si Rong to be careful when taking action; he only needs to inflict a wound as serious as mine, but be sure not to kill him. Otherwise, who would there be to take revenge on next time?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Si Nan bowed his head in acknowledgment, silently lighting a candle for Rong Che, the poor soul of the Rong Family. But he didn¡¯t feel pity for him; over the years, the Rong Family had taken their fair share of advantages thanks to the old Princess Consort. Now, it was only right for them to pay some price. ¡°` Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: 39 talks without even blinking an eye Chapter 39: 39 talks without even blinking an eye ¡°Let¡¯s go. This place isn¡¯t suitable for a long stay. We¡¯ve made quite a commotion, and the assassins will soon be upon us. We need to find a safe place first,¡± Sikong Mo said. ¡°But what about your wound¡­¡± Si Bei couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. My life isn¡¯t so easily taken!¡± Sikong Mo, clutching his wound, despite seeming very weak, still looked like someone only the most esteemed could look up to, ¡°Si Nan and I will look for a place, Si Bei, you go and contact the rest.¡± Sikong Mo was not arrogant. Even now, had it not been for the severe poison he¡¯d previously encountered and the ambush, his injuries wouldn¡¯t have been this severe. ¡­ Ye Jiu pulled Ye Wenqing along as they ran a great distance, only stopping when they couldn¡¯t run any further. Reaching a quiet corner on the street, Ye Jiu, no longer caring about his appearance, just sat down on the ground, then held his chest as he gasped for air. Ye Wenqing wasn¡¯t in much better shape either, standing woodenly, unable to recover for quite some time. After a while, Ye Jiu felt as if his soul, which had flown beyond the skies, finally returned to him, and he intended to stand up and quickly leave, but seeing Wenqing still dazed, Ye Jiu stopped in his tracks. ¡°Wenqing, what happened today, when we return home, you mustn¡¯t tell Grandma or anyone else in the house, including your younger uncle, you understand?¡± Ye Jiu, propping up his plump body, squinted his eyes and said. Ye Wenqing was brought back to his senses by these words, but his emotions were quite complicated. Ye Jiu seldom went out, and ostensibly, she shouldn¡¯t have had such effective medicine for treating wounds, yet now she not only had some but its effectiveness was also incredibly good. Especially everything that happened today, it was too much of a shock for Wenqing. Go to ????????????????????.co Some things don¡¯t stand up to scrutiny. Reflecting on them, Ye Jiu had roamed around town as soon as she arrived, and even inquired about a doctor¡¯s office from him, clearly premeditated in wanting to sell the medicine. What happened later was too sudden, unexpected by anyone. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you, did you hear me?¡± Ye Wenqing hadn¡¯t responded for a while, and Ye Jiu, dissatisfied, pressed for an answer. Almost losing her life today, if the He family found out, it would be difficult for her to go out again in the future. Moreover, the origin of the medication she had was also difficult to explain. As for Wenqing, if she could have gotten rid of him, she wouldn¡¯t have let him know. However, in Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes, Wenqing was just a simple young man, and she was confident about managing him. Being pressed by Ye Jiu again, Wenqing felt a bit flustered, and looking at Ye Jiu, he hesitantly asked, ¡°Little Aunt, is it really okay to keep this from Grandma?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? If we tell Grandma about today¡¯s events, she would certainly be distressed for me, and she might end up blaming you and Fourth Brother for not protecting me. It might even cause trouble for everyone in your main family branch, do you want all your sisters-in-law to suffer too?¡± Ye Jiu half persuaded, half threatened. Wenqing immediately shook his head, ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Then, a bit hesitantly, he voiced his own doubt, ¡°Little Aunt, you deliberately went to town today to look for a doctor¡¯s office to sell medicine, right? Where did that medicine come from?¡± Ye Jiu had already prepared for Wenqing¡¯s questions, filtering them in her mind more than once, and so she lied without blinking an eye. Chapter 40 - Chapter 40: Life is tough in the 40 families Chapter 40: Life is tough in the 40 families ¡°A few days ago, an old man came to our doorstep begging for food. I felt sorry for him, so I gave him one of the eggs Grandma cooked for me. When he saw the wound on my forehead, he gave me this medicine, saying it could heal the injury. Look, is there any scar left on my forehead?¡± Ye Jiu said as he brushed his hair from his forehead to show Ye Wenqing. Ye Wenqing nodded, but he was very pleased inside. They say good deeds are rewarded, and this saying is really true. If Wenqing hadn¡¯t kindly given that old man an egg, considering what the doctor said a while ago, scarring would have been certain. A girl with a scar on her face would definitely face difficulties in getting married. No family wants to end up with an old maid who can¡¯t be married off, which is one thing, but it also sounds bad when spoken of. Seeing that Ye Wenqing believed him, Ye Jiu was very satisfied. Thinking of how Ye Lao Han had been frowning and looking distressed these past few days, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but want to speak up for him, ¡°Actually, I know that although you don¡¯t say it, you all blame your grandparents for being too stingy and not willing to feed you enough, right?¡± ¡°No, no¡­¡± Ye Wenqing shook his head in fear, knowing that if Mrs. He heard this, their entire main house would probably have no peace in the future. However, Ye Jiu wasn¡¯t wrong in guessing; who would want to live each day without enough food? There were indeed silent blames, but they were usually suppressed too strictly by Mrs. He, so no one dared to speak up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone these words. There¡¯s no need to rush to object. After all, who would want to live in hunger?¡± Ye Jiu reassured Ye Wenqing, then sighed, ¡°Your grandfather has been sighing these past days. Everyone knows the family is in trouble, and though the grain is right there, if your grandmother wouldn¡¯t scheme around letting you eat freely, could our family have made it until the next harvest? You¡¯re all part of the Ye family; if there were a way, why would you be left hungry?¡± Usually, Mrs. He would just strictly control them without explaining the family¡¯s situation. They only knew that during the busy farming season, they might not eat well but at least they got enough. Especially in the winter, not only were meals twice a day, but also rationed. It¡¯s tough being a parent when a half-grown child can eat you out of house and home. However, as Ye Wenqing listened to Ye Jiu¡¯s words, he felt increasingly guilty. Go to ????????????????????.co As the younger generation, they hadn¡¯t had enough to eat, but when he thought about it, during those two meals a day, their elderly grandparents didn¡¯t have extra meals either and ate the same thin porridge and cornbread as them. So, what right did they have to feel resentful? As for Ye Jiu, she was a unique presence in the Ye family. From birth till now, all her food, clothing, and shelter were managed by Mrs. He. One could say her living conditions were above everyone else in the Ye family. But everyone knew Ye Jiu was in poor health, so Mrs. He had reasons for nourishing her, and no one could object to that. Thinking this over, Ye Wenqing felt even more guilty, ¡°Wenqing, we thought wrong before. When I go back, I¡¯ll definitely teach my younger siblings to properly honor our grandparents. Now I understand that managing such a large family isn¡¯t easy for our grandparents. Although our family days are not the best, compared to families who sell their children, at least we are still together. Come spring, I¡¯ll work harder and earn more money, to improve our family¡¯s life!¡± Hearing Ye Wenqing speak like this, Ye Jiu felt reassured, ¡°It¡¯s good that you think this way. As for working in the future, it needs to be done in moderation. No matter what, you mustn¡¯t wear yourself out. Otherwise, no amount of money would be of any use.¡± Chapter 41 - Chapter 41: Last life died of poverty Chapter 41: Last life died of poverty Ye Jiu said this, and Ye Wenqing¡¯s heart was even more touched. Elders are elders after all. Even though his younger aunt was three years younger than him, she was far better at being a person. Ye Wenqing made a decision in his heart, he must learn from his younger aunt in the future. When facing issues, he needed to learn to think from others¡¯ perspectives and not just blame others all the time, grumbling against the world. Seeing that the preamble was set, Ye Jiu continued to express his purpose, ¡°I didn¡¯t use all the medicine that old man gave. Life at home is tough, especially in the winter. My elder and second brothers can only earn money by working in town, so I thought to sell the leftover medicine at the pharmacy, in hopes of exchanging it for some coin to help with family expenses. But I didn¡¯t expect¡­ to run into this kind of trouble, nearly losing our lives in the process!¡± Talking about this, whether it was Ye Jiu or Ye Wenqing, they both were still frightened. At the same time, this was also the first time they felt what power really meant! The injured nobleman looked extraordinary, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have brought two guards with him and could attack without any mercy, repeatedly threatening to exterminate someone¡¯s entire clan. If one¡¯s family had no background, which family would even consider such arrogance and despotism without thinking thrice about offending others? ¡°Younger aunt, it has already passed,¡± Ye Wenqing said blandly. ¡°Right, it has already passed.¡± It was only now that Ye Jiu remembered, she didn¡¯t even know where she got the courage from just before running away, she still remembered to snatch the silver note from that person¡¯s hand. Thinking about it now, it was actually quite funny. Truly as someone who died poor in a past life, even close to losing their life in this one, she still didn¡¯t forget to take the money! Ye Jiu clenched the silver note in her hand tightly and put it in front of her, the three characters ¡°One Hundred Taels¡± glaring aggressively at her eyes. Considering current prices, an egg cost one coin, and the Ye Family¡¯s entire annual expenses were not more than a few taels of Silver. This hundred taels would be enough for the Ye Family to save for over ten years without eating or drinking, and even then, it might not be enough. Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°Younger aunt, you say¡­ this is 100 taels of silver? Could it be that you saw it wrong?¡± Hearing this amount, even Ye Wenqing swallowed hard, his heart full of disbelief. Hearing Ye Wenqing say this, Ye Jiu remembered that in the eyes of the Ye Family, she was illiterate! So, Ye Jiu laughed awkwardly, ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not too clear on that.¡± ¡°How about we go to the money exchange to ask? I heard that the smallest denomination for silver notes is also fifty taels, so this shouldn¡¯t be less than fifty taels, right?¡± Although fifty taels seemed less shocking than one hundred, such an amount of money was still exciting, Ye Wenqing thought. After saying this, Ye Wenqing hesitated a bit, ¡°It¡¯s just that the money exchange is a bit far, and there¡¯s Uncle¡­¡± Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes rolled, ¡°I have an idea, come with me.¡± Ye Jiu pulled Ye Wenqing into a nearby cloth store. The New Year was nearly upon them, and Mrs. He¡¯s clothes were several years old, patched so much that they were unsightly to look at, and Ye Jiu felt pity for the old lady. Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing¡¯s clothes were not good, making it obvious that they were from a common farming family, so no one came up to serve them. Ye Jiu didn¡¯t care, instead carefully picking from the ordinary fabrics. Although they now had money, flaunting it due to their family situation wasn¡¯t good, so Ye Jiu didn¡¯t plan to buy too expensive a fabric. After picking for a long time, Ye Jiu called over an attendant, and had several yards of dark blue fine cotton cloth cut according to Old Man Ye and Mrs. He¡¯s sizes. The elderly shouldn¡¯t wear bright colors, which wouldn¡¯t be appropriate, but this kind of dark color suited both the old couple. Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: 42 is too tempted by the free air Chapter 42: 42 is too tempted by the free air In fact, people at home all wear coarse cloth, which is too rough and not very comfortable to wear, whereas cotton cloth is a bit softer and more comfortable, but the wealthy wear silk and look down on cotton, so it costs only slightly more than coarse cloth. Though Mrs. He was not tall, the amount of fabric the two of them pulled off amounted to over four hundred coins, enough to show that clothing was genuinely a money-burning item in this era. When it was time to pay, Ye Jiu handed the shopkeeper the silver note worth a hundred taels, which still had some faint bloodstains on it. Moreover, the sight of a child holding such a large silver note inevitably made the shopkeeper take a few more glances at them. Ye Jiu could tell what the shopkeeper was thinking with just one look, but how the shopkeeper thought was of no concern to him, so Ye Jiu didn¡¯t plan to explain. After the shopkeeper made change, he gave back one fifty-tael silver note and two twenty-tael silver ingots, along with nine additional taels in loose silver and over five hundred copper coins. Even after leaving the cloth shop, Ye Wenqing was still trembling all over, filled with incredulity. This¡­ this silver note was really worth a hundred taels, so, did this count as a blessing in disguise? They had been scared but ended up with a hundred taels of silver, how could this feel so unbelievable? In contrast, Ye Jiu had calmed down a lot at this moment. He had received a hundred taels of silver, but that person had received a life, so they were not at a loss. However, coming up with an excuse to take the money home was indeed a big issue. When Ye Jiu had come to town today, he had intended to try his hand; he hadn¡¯t discussed anything with his family. Suddenly bringing home so much silver out of the blue, he wondered if it might scare the family terribly. After much thought, Ye Jiu took out a tael of silver and handed it to Ye Wenqing, ¡°Wenqing, you¡¯ve also had quite a scare today. Take this tael of silver, and see if there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to buy for yourself.¡± Go to ????????????????????.co Ye Wenqing, holding the money in his hand, suddenly felt it burn, for he had never held more than a few coins during the New Year¡¯s festivities, so this tael of silver was undoubtedly a fortune to him. ¡°Little aunt, I¡­ I don¡¯t have anything to buy, you should keep the money!¡± said Ye Wenqing, trying to refuse. But Ye Jiu wouldn¡¯t take it back, ¡°If I tell you to hold onto it, then hold onto it. Since you have nothing to buy, then just keep the silver for yourself. In a couple of years, you¡¯ll be of age to discuss marriage, and there surely won¡¯t be a shortage of places to spend the silver.¡± Ye Wenqing blushed and shakily put the money back into his own bosom. The little aunt had a point; having silver surely meant not lacking places to spend it. It was just last year after the New Year that their family visited their grandmother¡¯s house, but because their mother was reluctant to give gifts, they got quite a few disdainful looks from their aunts upon returning. If they had this money, at least their mother would have some confidence when going back to her parental home. Thanks to the thickness of his clothes, Ye Jiu was able to slip the rest of the silver, through his clothing, into the Dimensional Space, only leaving a few hundred copper coins and, refreshed, continued to stroll around. After a while, Ye Wenqing hesitated, ¡°Little aunt, we should stop wandering around. So much time has passed; we¡¯d better hurry and find my uncle, otherwise he¡¯ll surely be worried sick if he can¡¯t find us.¡± As Ye Wenqing said this, Ye Jiu remembered; she had been so enticed by the free air that she had completely forgotten about her fourth brother. Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: 43 could skin me alive No content Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: 44 making excuses to act alone No content Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: 45 fat white buns No content Chapter 46 - Chapter 46: 46 was complained about a lot No content Chapter 47 - Chapter 47: Money moves peoples hearts No content Chapter 48 - Chapter 48: 48-year-old Yes selfishness No content Chapter 49 - Chapter 49: 49 Earn more and more money Chapter 49: 49 Earn more and more money In all fairness, apart from this recent issue with the silver, Ye Gaosheng had always treated Ye Jiu sincerely well in the past; everything of value at home was given to Ye Jiu, and he had never complained about Mrs. Ye¡¯s partiality toward Ye Jiu. Ye Jiu believed that this time too, Ye Gaosheng was genuinely worried about the family¡¯s hard times, which was why he thought of using this silver. When Ye Jiu said this, it made Ye Gaosheng feel even more remorseful. He patted Ye Jiu¡¯s chubby hands, repeatedly saying, ¡°Good¡­¡± Although Ye Jiu had agreed about the silver, Mrs. Ye still felt uneasy in her heart. She had always been protective, and it was clear her daughter was at a disadvantage, so it was no wonder her demeanor was far from pleasant. Ye Jiu was earning money to make their family¡¯s life better, not to upset her parents. Seeing Mrs. Ye like this, she had no choice but to continue appeasing her, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s just fifty taels of silver, not even worth fussing over. In the future, your daughter will earn much more money to honor you.¡± ¡°Oh, my daughter is the most sensible, far better than those ungrateful types,¡± Mrs. Ye said, her heart swelling with relief. Ye Jiu felt embarrassed; if she didn¡¯t know her brothers were indeed Mrs. Ye¡¯s own children, she might have suspected that Mrs. Ye was actually a stepmother. Yet it was strange to think about: Mrs. Ye¡¯s marriage had been sabotaged by the Li family, and she had only secured her position in this family by having several sons. Under such circumstances, if she were to favor anyone, it should have been her sons. Yet she showed little affection toward her sons and doted excessively on her own daughter, who in others¡¯ eyes, was less valuable. Ye Jiu herself found this matter utterly incredible. Mrs. Ye, cheered up by Ye Jiu¡¯s cajoling, still spoke sternly to Ye Gaosheng, ¡°This time, I¡¯m letting it slide because it¡¯s for the sake of the fourth¡¯s wedding, but let me tell you, Ye, this kind of thing better not happen again.¡± Ye Gaosheng, faced with Mrs. Ye¡¯s remarks, turned ashen and dared not retort. Suddenly, Mrs. Ye shouted to someone outside, ¡°Fourth, come here a minute.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°What¡¯s up, Mother? Is there something you need me to do? Just command me.¡± Ye Gaosheng came in from outside, rubbing his hands from the cold and went to stand beside the stove, but Mrs. Ye slapped his hands away. ¡°Stop your chatter and stand aside; I have something to say.¡± Mrs. Ye still held some affection for this youngest son, but this affection couldn¡¯t compare to what she felt for Ye Jiu. ¡°Yes, yes, as long as you don¡¯t hit me, I¡¯ll stand,¡± Ye Gaosheng obediently stood aside to be scolded. ¡°Fourth, did you know that today your little sister made a hundred taels of silver selling medicine?¡± Mrs. Ye went straight to the point. ¡°What? She made a hundred taels of silver? When did this happen?¡± Ye Gaosheng was so startled by the mention of a hundred taels of silver that he almost jumped up. Afterward, Mrs. Ye recounted everything about Ye Jiu encountering the old man and selling medicine today from beginning to end, then couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°I told you to keep an eye on your sister, yet she made a hundred taels of silver right under your nose and you had no clue. You really are thick-headed.¡± Seeing Ye Gaosheng¡¯s bewildered face, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but speak up for him, ¡°Mother, at that time, fourth brother was selling chickens and eggs. It was Wenqing and I who went to the pharmacy, and I told Wenqing not to mention it.¡± Chapter 50 - Chapter 50: 50 bad-tempered wives are unreasonable Chapter 50: 50 bad-tempered wives are unreasonable ¡°Right, how could I know if I¡¯m out here selling eggs and neither my little sister nor Wenqing tell me anything!¡± Ye Gaosheng also couldn¡¯t help defending himself for a bit. ¡°That¡¯s why I say you¡¯re a fool. You wouldn¡¯t even know if you were being sold. Even your little sister and Wenqing, those two kids, can pull the wool over your eyes,¡± He¡¯s wife said with cutting irony. Ye Gaosheng himself didn¡¯t even know what he had done to offend He¡¯s wife this time, seeing how her words were all laced with thorns. Ye Gaosheng touched his nose innocently and then just stood there, ready to be scolded. He had already run away once, and if he ran away again, he suspected that even his little sister wouldn¡¯t be able to save him later, hence his intuition told him it was better to stay put and take it. Seeing that Ye Gaosheng was behaving, He¡¯s wife finally got to the point, ¡°Fourth, you¡¯re not young anymore, and it¡¯s time to take a wife. It¡¯s our fault for not being able to provide a dowry, which is why we haven¡¯t arranged a match for you. But no matter what, finding a wife for you is your parents¡¯ responsibility, not your little sister¡¯s.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡± Ye Gaosheng knew all too well the family¡¯s circumstances, and having a simple mind, he didn¡¯t dwell on unnecessary fantasies, so he didn¡¯t blame anyone for the family¡¯s inability to afford a wife. ¡°Whether you¡¯re in a hurry or not, we can¡¯t put off the matter of getting you a wife any longer. Before, our family had no money, so it was left unsaid, but today your little sister has made money. She said she¡¯s willing to give it to you, but remember this: your sister giving you money is an act of kindness. You must remember this favor and take good care of her later on,¡± He¡¯s wife continued. ¡°Mom, look at what you¡¯re saying. Whether there¡¯s money or not, she¡¯s still my sister, no matter what happens. If I¡¯m not going to take care of her, who else would I take care of!¡± Ye Gaosheng was already deeply affectionate towards Ye Jiu under He¡¯s wife¡¯s influence, and upon hearing her words, his feelings toward Ye Jiu surged to the extent that he wished he could give his heart and soul. ¡°As long as you understand, that¡¯s good. Now, if there¡¯s nothing else, you can go. I¡¯ll find time tomorrow to go out and arrange your marriage sooner rather than later,¡± He¡¯s wife said dismissively as she shooed him away. After Ye Gaosheng left, Ye Jiu finally said to He¡¯s wife, ¡°Mom, I wasn¡¯t planning on revealing the matter of the silver I earned, why did you tell Fourth Brother everything?¡± He¡¯s wife stiffened her face, ¡°Why not say it? After taking so much silver, you got the short end of the stick; people must remember your kindness, or else what was the loss for?¡± Ye Lao Han felt uncomfortable, ¡°Look at you, it¡¯s all family here, why make such a clear distinction, talking about who¡¯s losing out? If the Ye Family does well, our daughter, once she leaves for her husband¡¯s family, will stand firm, right?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Pah, you aren¡¯t ashamed of those words!¡± He¡¯s wife immediately retorted, her eyes tearfully red which saddened Ye Jiu briefly, but it was only a moment before the domineering old lady regained her annoying demeanor, turning to urge Ye Jiu, ¡°Girl, don¡¯t listen to your dad¡¯s nonsense. Your mom will save up a sizeable dowry for you, so you can stand firm in your husband¡¯s family. As long as you have money, you won¡¯t be afraid of anyone bullying you.¡± ¡°You¡­ you darned unreasonable woman!¡± Ye Lao Han couldn¡¯t bear to hear He¡¯s wife¡¯s words and simply stood up, turned his back, and left. The daughter had said the fifty taels of silver were for him to spend. Ten taels for the young son¡¯s marriage should be more than enough; he would have to think carefully about how to use the rest. Chapter 51 - Chapter 51: With economic power in hand, there is nothing to fear. Chapter 51: With economic power in hand, there is nothing to fear. With so much Silver suddenly at hand, excitement truly stirred in people¡¯s hearts, and even Ye Old Man¡¯s stride seemed to catch a breeze. After Ye Old Man had left, Ye Jiu urged Madam He, ¡°Mother, if you keep confronting Father like this, and he gets snared away by the Li family¡¯s woman, you might regret it when the time comes.¡± What Ye Jiu wanted most was to sweep out Mrs. Li or at least have her mother and daughter move out, so they¡¯d stop being an eyesore in the house. However, Madam He disagreed, and in this era where mistresses were legally recognized, Ye Jiu truly felt helpless. But Madam He didn¡¯t take it to heart at all, ¡°If he dares, back when that little wretch Ye Erya was around he swore to me, if he ever gets tricked away by the Li family again, regardless of whose fault it is, they¡¯ll both be thrown out immediately. If he, a Ye, is not afraid to leave and face the cold northwest winds, he can go ahead and get heavily involved with Mrs. Li.¡± Madam He had full control over the Ye Family¡¯s finances, after all, and was not afraid. Madam He took the two large silver ingots in her hand, along with the fifty-tael silver note that Ye Old Man had left on the kang, locked them all in a wooden chest for money, and then placed it in the cupboard and locked it before she felt at ease. Taking the remaining five taels of Silver on the table, Madam He placed them in Ye Jiu¡¯s hand, ¡°My precious child, although you are still young, it¡¯s fine to start learning how to manage your own money. You keep these five taels of Silver along with what you already have on you, and if you want to buy something, have your Fourth Brother buy it for you. Don¡¯t hesitate to spend the money you¡¯ve earned yourself; otherwise, you never know which little brat might end up benefiting from it!¡± ¡°Thank you, Mother.¡± Ye Jiu indeed needed some silver money, and with Madam He willing to give it, she joyfully accepted it. Then, hugging Madam He¡¯s arm, she cooed, ¡°Mother, you are the person who loves me the most in this world, and I will surely love you the most in return.¡± Sweet words cost nothing to say, and filled Madam He¡¯s heart with joy, as if she could almost take out her heart and give it to her precious child. Excluding what they had eaten on the road, there were fifteen steamed buns left in total. Ye Old Man and Madam He each had one meat bun, and since Ye Gaosheng and Ye Wenqing had already eaten at noon, there was none left for them. The remaining three were just enough for the other three grandsons of the Ye Family. However, there were still ten vegetarian buns left, and after everyone had received their share, five were kept by Madam He under the pretense that Ye Jiu had earned the money, and since so much of it had already been used to supplement the household, these buns naturally shouldn¡¯t shortchange Ye Jiu either. Madam He was not someone who did good deeds anonymously. Before dinner even began, she had already announced once more that Ye Jiu had earned money and used it all to contribute to the household expenses, reminding everyone to be grateful for their young aunt¡¯s kindness! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0 Although Ye Jiu felt it was somewhat unnecessary, Madam He insisted, and Ye Jiu didn¡¯t want to disrespect her by challenging the idea over such a trivial matter. Upon further reflection, Ye Jiu thought it was actually good for everyone to know. Over the years, with her poor health, she had not skimped on spending money, whether for food, necessities, or medicine. While the eldest sister-in-law never said anything, no one truly knew what she thought in her heart. As for the second sister-in-law, her feelings were plainly written on her face. She had objections, and not just for a day or two. If it weren¡¯t for Madam He¡¯s control and the second brother¡¯s sentimentality, their second branch would have likely separated and lived their own good life by now. It was better to openly say that the money was earned by her, to prevent them from always feeling that she was taking advantage of the family, which would sour their moods. In the Ye Family¡¯s main house, everyone was having a joyful time with plenty to eat and drink, pushing away any displeasure for the moment. Chapter 52 - Chapter 52: 52 Rooms Thoughts Chapter 52: 52 Rooms¡¯ Thoughts Yet, in the Ye Family¡¯s woodshed, Mrs. Li and Ye Erya were eating cornbread with Chinese cabbage, listening to the sounds of Mrs. He dividing things and the children¡¯s cheers coming from the main house, their eyes filled with suppressed hatred. ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t want to live this life anymore, can we leave the Ye Family?¡± Ye Erya¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears, and if one could ignore the hatred in those eyes, combined with her frail body, she indeed looked rather pitiable and delicate. Mrs. Li patted Ye Erya¡¯s back, a flicker of restraint in her eyes, ¡°We have not a single copper coin between us, mother and daughter. Leaving the Ye Family means having no means to live. Erya, endure a little longer. In another year or two, you¡¯ll be of age to discuss marriage, and once you are married, things will be better!¡± Ye Erya¡¯s face was filled with misery, but she still had to endure and continue eating, not knowing if there would even be a next meal. Mrs. He probably couldn¡¯t wait to grind her and her mother to death sooner. Sometimes Ye Erya also hated; she hated that although she was also a daughter of the Ye Family, why she had to be Mrs. Li¡¯s daughter and not Mrs. He¡¯s. She hated that Mrs. Li had so eagerly married her father, old man Ye, and hated that since she had married into the Ye Family, why couldn¡¯t she bear a son to secure their place successfully in the Ye Family! A legitimate wife turned into a concubine. It would have been bearable if their family were rich, but they were in such poverty they couldn¡¯t even afford meals; truly a loss through and through. The Ye Family¡¯s main branch: After dinner, upon returning to her room, Mrs. Zhang asked her eldest son, ¡°Wenqing, did your aunt really earn a hundred taels of silver today? Why didn¡¯t I hear you mention it when you came home in the afternoon?¡± Ye Jiu had specifically cautioned not to mention the nearly life-threatening incident in town, and Ye Wenqing remembered it well, so he just lightly touched on the excuses that Mrs. He had already mentioned. After casually dealing with it, Ye Wenqing took the tael of silver from his robe and handed it to Mrs. Zhang, saying, ¡°Mother, this is what my aunt gave, it¡¯s better you keep it.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Mrs. Zhang hesitated, then her face filled with panic, ¡°You child, how can you take your aunt¡¯s silver? If your granny finds out, could we still be okay?¡± ¡°Mother, my aunt gave it to me, she said granny doesn¡¯t know about this tael of silver,¡± Ye Wenqing placed the silver into Mrs. Zhang¡¯s hands, remembering Ye Jiu¡¯s words today about his not being young anymore, Ye Wenqing added, ¡°All these years, granny managed the household, and our family hasn¡¯t saved anything, this tael of silver might just come in handy someday!¡± Mrs. Zhang, holding the money in her hand, felt both bitter and sour. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã? Mrs. Zhao wanted to divide the family assets, and how could she not want the same? Who wouldn¡¯t want to be in charge of their own household, who wouldn¡¯t want to have money to bring gifts when visiting their maternal home! Yet, given the situation at home, she knew they couldn¡¯t divide the property, and she didn¡¯t want to earn her mother-in-law¡¯s dislike like Mrs. Zhao. The second branch: Back in her room, Mrs. Zhao¡¯s mind still echoed with Mrs. He¡¯s words, a hundred taels of silver, an amount that selling the whole Ye Family might not even cover. Pity that the silver wasn¡¯t in her hands, Mrs. Zhao felt an itching dissatisfaction. Looking at her two sons who were already preparing to sleep on the kang, Mrs. Zhao schemed, ¡°Wenyu, Wenxuan, did you hear what your grandmother said today, our family has money now, a whole hundred taels of silver!¡± ¡°Granny said, all the money was earned by our aunt.¡± The eight-year-old Ye Wenxuan already knew the value of money, but also knew that in this family, anything under Ye Jiu¡¯s name was untouchable by others. Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: Trade Again at 53 Chapter 53: Trade Again at 53 ¡°What a precious gem your little aunt is to the Ye Family, but even with all her abilities, can she ever split the family¡¯s assets in the future?¡± Mrs. Zhao said with disdain, her tone shifting as she advised, ¡°I¡¯m telling you both, you mustn¡¯t listen to your grandmother; your little aunt will grow up and marry off, becoming part of someone else¡¯s family. Any affection would be in vain.¡± Thirteen-year-old Ye Wenyu was not foolish. Seeing Mrs. Zhao¡¯s demeanor, he knew her intentions, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m telling you, that money isn¡¯t just for my little aunt; it belongs to our Ye Family. You better not be thinking about taking the money back to the Zhao Family because neither grandmother nor father will spare you this time.¡± The last incident of Mrs. Zhao stealing the family¡¯s flour still unsettled Ye Wenyu, yet she didn¡¯t take it seriously, really believing that Mrs. He¡¯s threat to divorce her was just to scare her, especially since she had borne two sons and felt quite secure within the Ye Family. Yet, Mrs. Zhao had never considered what kind of person Mrs. He was! She valued her own daughters over her sons; was she really the type of person who would tolerate Mrs. Zhao just because she had given birth to sons? Unfortunately, Mrs. Zhao either couldn¡¯t see this fact clearly or, having seen it, refused to believe that some people actually valued daughters more than sons. ¡­ The night was cold! Snowflakes suddenly began to drift from the sky. The vast night scene, in just a moment, was covered in a white cosmetic. Inside the plane trading device, Ye Jiu selected two items and then clicked send; La Sike soon received the steamed buns that Ye Jiu had sent over. Ye Jiu: ¡°I went to town today, it was bustling. I sold the repair liquid you gave me and bought some steamed buns. Here, have two to taste.¡± La Sike was online and soon responded, ¡°They¡¯re very tasty, thank you.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã0 Ye Jiu: ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, you basically exchanged them with your own stuff.¡± For Ye Jiu, La Sike wasn¡¯t just a business contact; Ye Jiu treated him as a friend. La Sike: ¡°The steamed buns are delicious, but I don¡¯t know what I can use to exchange with you. If you need something, just tell me and I¡¯ll see if I can get it for you.¡± Ye Jiu certainly wasn¡¯t going to hold back: ¡°If possible, could you help me get some self-defense items? I encountered some bad people today and almost lost my life.¡± Today¡¯s incident had greatly impacted Ye Jiu; it had also made her realize the importance of having money and power. In the eyes of those big shots, ordinary folk like herself were as insignificant as chickens or cats; to kill them was to kill them, causing no real impact. Ye Jiu was still too vulnerable; having some means of self-defense would be ideal. La Sike responded quickly, ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll check the star net in a moment to see if there¡¯s anything suitable that isn¡¯t too conspicuous to get for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ye Jiu sincerely thanked him. Soon, La Sike sent another message, ¡°I need some non-aggressive, edible plants, if you have any.¡± La Sike wasn¡¯t wealthy. Each item he sent to Ye Jiu cost money. Although the eggs and today¡¯s meat buns Ye Jiu had sent were more expensive and valuable, they were too conspicuous to give away. After all, his world hadn¡¯t seen meat for many years; suddenly producing something nobody else had would definitely arouse suspicion. La Sike was smart and knew he had to be cautious. Chapter 54 - Chapter 54: 54 pieces have frozen into ice blocks Chapter 54: 54 pieces have frozen into ice blocks Ye Jiu: ¡°It¡¯s winter here now, and there are very few edible plants. I can only see what we have at home and then get some for you to bring over.¡± La Sike: ¡°That¡¯s no problem.¡± The edible plants on his side were all specially cultivated; God knows how precious they were. Being able to eat was already a luxury, let alone choosing the variety. He really had no room to be picky. Since La Sike wasn¡¯t picky, this made things easier. At night, Ye Jiu secretly climbed down from the heated brick bed. He Shi, who was beside her, hadn¡¯t fallen deeply asleep yet, ¡°Dear child, do you need to use the toilet? There¡¯s a pot underneath; it¡¯s snowing outside, don¡¯t go out.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll put on a jacket. It¡¯s not cold. And I also want to see how thick the snow outside is,¡± Ye Jiu said as she grabbed her cotton jacket and ran out. What a joke, Ye Jiu wasn¡¯t really a child. Old Man Ye was still lying at the head of the bed. Even if she really wanted to use the toilet, she couldn¡¯t do it inside the house. This was also due to the lack of rooms in the house. Her fourth brother was still squeezing in with a few nephews. She could forget about getting a room of her own. Thinking of this, Ye Jiu became somewhat worried. If her fourth brother was to talk about marriage, not having a separate room wouldn¡¯t do. After all, they couldn¡¯t continue to squeeze with the nephews once married, right? It seemed, urgent action was needed regarding making money. The snow fell quickly. When Ye Jiu went out, it had already accumulated into a thick layer, crunching under her feet. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Bent over, Ye Jiu ran all the way to the vegetable cellar, fumbling to open its entrance, and then¡­ faced with pitch darkness, she dared not go down! After what felt like forever, driven by the prospect of money, Ye Jiu finally mustered the courage to descend into the cellar in the dark. It wasn¡¯t too dark above the ground since the white snow reflected some light, but below in the cellar, it was pitch black and nothing could be seen. Ye Jiu could see nothing; she had to feel her way forward slowly with her hands. Luckily, after no more than a couple of steps, she touched a big cabbage and, without a second thought, stashed it into the Dimensional Space. There wasn¡¯t just cabbage in the cellar but also stored white radishes. Ye Jiu just took two of each, not daring to take more, since everything owned by the Ye Family was accounted for. He Shi, who was fond of her, would not blame her for such a trifle, but Ye Jiu still couldn¡¯t explain where the items had gone, so it was better to keep it a secret from her family. It was truly dark at night. When Ye Jiu came up, she even stumbled and fell, but luckily, she was wearing thick clothes, which prevented any injuries. After covering the cellar again, Ye Jiu hurried back to the house, undressed, and climbed onto the brick bed. Outside was deathly cold, but the brick bed was warm. He Shi knew outside must be extremely cold, so when she felt Ye Jiu climbing up, she hugged her tight, ¡°Oh dear, I told you to stay inside but you had to go out. Look how frozen you are, like a block of ice.¡± Although He Shi said that, her hands tightened the embrace around Ye Jiu. The warmth of He Shi¡¯s embrace warmed Ye Jiu¡¯s heart. After He Shi had fallen asleep again, Ye Jiu went back to the Plane Space and cleaned up the rotten leaves of the two cabbages she had just stolen from the cellar, then sent them over with the radishes. La Sike had just made the purchase, so he certainly hadn¡¯t gotten the goods so quickly. But he had also sent over two pictures, one of a steel knife that looked very sharp at first glance, and an electric gun for self-defense. It was only the size of a finger and could only be used twice when fully charged. Importantly, it was solar-powered and had immense power ¨C one shot could kill an adult man. La Sike: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t have much money, so I could only buy these small items.¡± Chapter 55 - Chapter 55: Search for other planes 55 Chapter 55: Search for other planes 55 ¡°It¡¯s okay, I understand,¡± Ye Jiu replied. These were already good enough for Ye Jiu, after all, what she gave La Sike were also trivial to her. We are all poor, so we understand each other. After the trade was completed, Ye Jiu intended to leave. But when she looked down, she saw a red health bar at the bottom of the Trading Device reached its limit, alongside a display that said, ¡°Trade requirements met, other planes available for search, please click if you want to search.¡± Ye Jiu almost didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately clicked on the word ¡°search.¡± After a while, a plane appeared on the display of the Trading Device, showing the Ancient Plane. Ye Jiu reached out and opened the Ancient Plane, then sent a friend request. The other side quickly accepted it, but also sent a video call request along with it. Ye Jiu hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should accept the video call or not. Ever since she knew La Sike was from a technology plane, Ye Jiu developed a sense of self-protection; even if they couldn¡¯t trade in the past, they merely chatted, she never thought about seeing the other person. Now, faced with a stranger as a friend, Ye Jiu was not sure whether she should accept the video call or not. However, that hesitation lasted only a moment before Ye Jiu clicked accept. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï Ye Jiu thought, since it was the Ancient Plane, it surely wouldn¡¯t be as wondrous as the technology plane, so the danger should be minimal. It wasn¡¯t that Ye Jiu was overly cautious, but years of television had left a deep impression on her; the 21st century could send humans into space, who knew whether La Sike could traverse time and space? Ye Jiu didn¡¯t want her world to be occupied by a bunch of aliens one day. Once the video call connected, Ye Jiu soon saw the person on the other side. He was a man with long hair and a beard, dressed in what seemed to be the skins of wild beasts, and necklaces that likely were made of wild beast teeth hung around his neck. Upon seeing Ye Jiu, the man was first startled, then a look of terror appeared in his eyes. Ye Jiu was puzzled; she was slightly overweight due to years of being poisoned, and her face had many faint black spots, plus she was just a child in her early teens, not exactly beautiful, but not scary enough to frighten someone either? But, she truly saw a frightened expression in his eyes, it was indeed strange! After seeing his wild appearance, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but mutter to herself that he looked like a wild man and wasn¡¯t scared himself, yet he was scared of her, what was that all about! While Ye Jiu was thinking over it, the man suddenly let out a series of strange, burbling cries at her. Ye Jiu was embarrassed; La Sike also spoke Chinese, so she hadn¡¯t encountered a language barrier before. Ye Jiu thought about it and figured that the inventors of Plane Space wouldn¡¯t have overlooked such a communication barrier as language given they had developed something as marvelous as Plane Space. At the top of the Trading Device¡¯s panel, Ye Jiu found the words ¡°language translation.¡± After clicking on language translation, the words spoken by the person on the other side were immediately transmitted to her in an understandable manner, ¡°Deity, please spare my life, it was not my intention to startle the deity, please spare my life¡­¡± Now Ye Jiu understood; the other person had just accessed Plane Space and hadn¡¯t realized what it was about, merely mistaking her for a deity when he saw her. Chapter 56 - Chapter 56: 56 comes from the Ancient Plane search Chapter 56: 56 comes from the Ancient Plane search Ye Jiu had a hard time explaining to the person on the other side what a plane trade was, and he also found out that the other side was not just the Ancient Plane, but also a Beastman¡¯s world. He went by the name Cha, a wandering Beastman without a tribe, who got injured while hunting prey. He accidentally dripped blood onto a beautiful stone he¡¯d picked up, then a trading interface appeared before him. By a twist of fate, he tapped on a video request and was startled to see Ye Jiu, even mistaking him for a deity. Because Cha was quite naive, Ye Jiu easily got him talking. Cha¡¯s plane trading device was different from Ye Jiu¡¯s, which existed within his mind¡ªif there had to be a carrier, then it was himself. Cha¡¯s device, however, existed within a stone; only by wearing the stone could he control the plane trading device. That is to say, if Cha carelessly lost this stone, then he would likewise lose the plane trading device. Ye Jiu felt quite relieved, thinking that having it in his mind was better. Others couldn¡¯t see or touch it, so naturally, he wasn¡¯t afraid of losing it. Moreover, his trading device had a large space for storing items in addition to the storage compartments, which Cha didn¡¯t have. He could only store things in the storage compartments. It was Ye Jiu¡¯s first time learning that each person¡¯s plane trading device was different! Ye Jiu spent half a day teaching Cha how to use the plane trading device and, in turn, gained his gratitude. Actually, this information was all introduced on the plane trading device itself, but Cha couldn¡¯t read, and being inexperienced, he revered this high-tech object like something divine, hence his confusion about how to operate it. Since the video had been activated, the two could communicate through conversation. Cha shyly scratched his head and asked Ye Jiu, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything right now, just a wild beast I just caught. I don¡¯t know what I can exchange with you?¡± A wild beast? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã? That meant meat, which piqued Ye Jiu¡¯s interest. Although he had bought meat and bones today, the meat was intended to be cured for the New Year¡¯s feast, and as for the bones, since there were steamed buns to eat tonight, Mrs. He had ordered that they be eaten tomorrow. At this moment, thinking of the taste of meat, Ye Jiu felt his mouth starting to water. Pondering, Ye Jiu figured that since it was the Ancient Beastman Plane and based on his experience from novels he had once read, the people of this plane likely lived by hunting, meaning meat was plentiful. Since there were many wild animals, plants must also be abundant. Conversely, as the Ancient Plane hadn¡¯t begun to develop, their quality of life¡ªincluding clothing, housing, and transportation, as well as items like weapons¡ªprobably wasn¡¯t great. He could consider trading in these areas. After some thought, Ye Jiu said, ¡°I have many items that you probably have never seen before. Since you hunt, you must not be short of food. I have clothes, weapons, and even medicine that can treat injuries.¡± When Ye Jiu mentioned clothes and weapons, Cha didn¡¯t react much, but as soon as he mentioned medicine, he noticed a glint in Cha¡¯s eyes. Then, looking at Ye Jiu excitedly, he asked, ¡°You¡­ are you a witch doctor?¡± Ye Jiu took a moment to understand what he meant by witch doctor. However, Ye Jiu didn¡¯t rush to refute, but instead said, ¡°I¡¯m not a witch doctor, just someone with medicine that can heal wounds and sickness.¡± Seeing the injury on Cha¡¯s body, Ye Jiu understood why he was so excited. A wandering Beastman was probably one not accepted by a tribe. Though Ye Jiu didn¡¯t understand why he wasn¡¯t accepted, it was undeniable that people are social creatures, and being alone would surely be difficult for him. Chapter 57 - Chapter 57: Become someone everyone envies Chapter 57: Become someone everyone envies Ye Jiu had nothing to exchange, but he immediately sent over a bottle of pure, undiluted repair liquid from his storage compartment. ¡°This can heal wounds. I see you¡¯re quite badly hurt, so it¡¯s best to stop the bleeding first.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Cha did not refuse, squeezed the bottle¡¯s cap with force, shattering it, and without a second thought, poured the liquid over his wound. The effect of the repair liquid was obvious. As soon as he applied it, the bleeding on Cha¡¯s body stopped, and the pain was noticeably alleviated, making him hum comfortably. A moment later, Cha asked excitedly, ¡°Ye Jiu, your medicine works much better than the witch doctor¡¯s. However, I don¡¯t have any precious items to give you, just a wild beast I¡¯ve just hunted.¡± Saying this, Cha sent the wild beast over to her using the method Ye Jiu had taught him. Ye Jiu released the wild beast from the storage compartment, and a fully grown leopard with amber spots suddenly appeared before her, giving her quite the scare. Covering her pounding little heart, excitement was unmistakable in Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes. Ye Jiu might have been greedy, but she was not so deceitful as to disregard another¡¯s life, especially knowing that Cha had been injured by this very tiger. She couldn¡¯t selfishly keep the sustenance that someone had almost traded their life for. Therefore, Ye Jiu sent the leopard with amber spots back to Cha, ¡°You obtained this prey at the cost of injury, and your wounds will definitely need several days to heal. I¡¯ll just take the skin, and you should keep the meat for yourself to eat.¡± Cha was extremely grateful to Ye Jiu, ¡°Ye Jiu, thank you so much. I¡¯ll skin it for you later. Once I¡¯ve healed, I¡¯ll definitely catch more prey to repay you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not only interested in prey,¡± Ye Jiu said. ¡°You can exchange wild fruit from the trees, and some edible crops as well.¡± After leaving the Plane Space, Ye Jiu yawned, then wrapped an arm around Mrs. He¡¯s waist and fell asleep shortly after. Early the next morning, the snow had stopped, but a thick silver layer covered the ground, lively with the sounds of children having snowball fights and building snowmen outside. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï In the Ye Family yard, Ye Gaosheng was on the rooftop clearing snow, Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Zhao were tidying the courtyard, Mrs. Li and her daughter were cooking in the kitchen, and periodically, Mrs. He¡¯s curses could be heard. After eating, Ye Jiu stood at the kitchen door and saw Mrs. Zhang preparing to cure the piece of meat she had bought the day before. Suddenly, an idea popped into Ye Jiu¡¯s head. In her previous life, Ye Jiu loved reading novels. Even when she was busy with work and school, she would sneak a few glances before bedtime. Because she envied the heroines in those stories, who always managed to turn their lives around successfully and live in a way that made everyone envious. Ye Jiu remembered that many stories featured heroines quickly establishing a fortune through soap making, with lard being one of the main ingredients. However, she never understood how such greasy lard could be an ingredient in soap, which was meant for cleaning hands. Out of curiosity, Ye Jiu had even specifically searched on Baidu and found out that lard could indeed be used to make soap. Ye Jiu thought, since she couldn¡¯t reveal the Plane Space, maybe she could use this method to improve her family¡¯s livelihood. Watching Mrs. Zhang smear a small amount of salt on the pork, Ye Jiu turned around and went looking for Ye Gaosheng. Ye Gaosheng hadn¡¯t married yet, and he was currently living in a room with his nephews from the first and second branch of the family. When Ye Jiu arrived, all three were inside. Chapter 58 - Chapter 58: Just tell me whether you will inform me or not. Chapter 58: Just tell me whether you will inform me or not. ¡°Ye Jiu, come out for a moment, I have something to tell you,¡± Ye Jiu said. Ye Gaosheng hurriedly got up and walked clumsily to Ye Jiu, asking to please her, ¡°Little sister, what do you need from your fourth brother?¡± ¡°Fourth brother, do you know where I can buy caustic soda?¡± Ye Jiu asked. This was another very important ingredient for making soap; only caustic soda could oxidize the lard successfully to create soap. Without it, not to mention washing hands or faces, it would only be greasier. Ye Jiu had just finished speaking when Ye Gaosheng jumped in shock, ¡°Little sister, why do you ask about this? Caustic soda is dangerous, you can¡¯t just play with it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t play around, I need it for a serious matter,¡± Ye Jiu responded. ¡°What matter?¡± Ye Gaosheng asked. ¡°It¡¯s about whether our family will live a good life or continue to struggle,¡± Ye Jiu teased, saying, ¡°Just tell me where to buy it.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. Unless you tell me what it¡¯s for, I can¡¯t tell you. If you mess up, Mother will definitely flay my skin,¡± Ye Gaosheng shook his head. Seeing Ye Gaosheng¡¯s caution, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but despise him, ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll just tell Mother that you bullied me, and she will flay your skin just the same.¡± ¡°Little sister, when have I ever bullied you? I¡¯m just worried about you, you can¡¯t treat your fourth brother like this,¡± Ye Gaosheng pleaded immediately. Mrs. He wouldn¡¯t care whether Ye Jiu was telling the truth or not; as long as she believed it, no one else could do anything about it. Ye Jiu was only trying to scare him; besides, she wasn¡¯t the type to frivolously make complaints without a reason. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï Looking at Ye Gaosheng, Ye Jiu spoke soothingly, ¡°Fourth brother, I need caustic soda for a serious matter, I promise I won¡¯t misuse it, just tell me, will you?¡± ¡°No way, unless you tell me what you need it for, I won¡¯t say,¡± Ye Gaosheng stubbornly refused. Left with no choice, Ye Jiu said, ¡°I want to make money, a lot of money so that Mother and Father can eat meat every day and not worry about having enough food until the next harvest. I also want to build a house, a big and beautiful house where everyone in our family can have their own courtyard, so Mother won¡¯t have to worry about you not having a place to live once you get married.¡± Looking into Ye Jiu¡¯s round, earnest eyes, Ye Gaosheng guiltily rubbed her head, ¡°Little sister, earning money to support the family is a man¡¯s job, you¡¯re just a girl, you should just grow up carefree and protected at home, Fourth brother is getting older, and after this year, I¡¯ll go to town with your older brothers to work and earn more money for your future.¡± Ye Gaosheng knew their family¡¯s situation was tough, but he had never taken it to heart because compared to others, their situation wasn¡¯t the worst. However, seeing even Ye Jiu, a girl, worrying about money, made him feel that he couldn¡¯t be so carefree anymore. Ye Gaosheng¡¯s words made Ye Jiu roll her eyes instantly, ¡°Older brothers are in town except during the busy season, and over these years, they¡¯ve never saved money. Do you think you are smarter than them or stronger than them?¡± Ye Gaosheng¡¯s face flushed, and he glared at Ye Jiu, ¡°Little sister, I¡¯m your elder brother, is it right to belittle your own brother like this?¡± ¡°Enough of this nonsense,¡± Ye Jiu cut straight to the point, her tone now full of threat, ¡°I¡¯ve thought of a plan these past few days. We could make something and sell it in town, but caustic soda is an essential ingredient. Now, tell me, will you or won¡¯t you?¡± Chapter 59 - Chapter 59: Sell things for 59, I need it Chapter 59: Sell things for 59, I need it ¡°` Ye Gaosheng said weakly, ¡°That thing can only be bought in the town.¡± Ye Jiu, without a second thought, pulled out two taels of silver from his bosom and handed them to Ye Gaosheng, ¡°Fourth Brother, hurry to the town now and buy me some caustic soda, and with the rest of the money, purchase all the lard.¡± Ye Gaosheng hesitated a bit and asked, ¡°Are you sure Mother won¡¯t beat me if I bring these items back?¡± Two taels of silver, goodness, even the wealthy wouldn¡¯t spend like this! ¡°I¡¯ve got your back with Mother; you just need to get the job done quickly,¡± Ye Jiu said. Only then did Ye Gaosheng make up his mind, taking the silver, ¡°Alright, you win, I¡¯m going now. But let¡¯s be clear, when I come back, I¡¯m handling whatever it is you¡¯re planning to do. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, and Mother finds out that I bought you this dangerous stuff, she¡¯ll surely flay me alive.¡± ¡°Understood, understood, now go. Once we make some money, you¡¯ll be the first one to get a beautiful wife.¡± Embarrassed by what Ye Jiu intentionally said, Ye Gaosheng hurriedly left. This Fourth Brother is good in all aspects, just afraid of Mother. But this is also good since if he wasn¡¯t afraid, Ye Jiu wouldn¡¯t be able to handle him. Watching Ye Gaosheng about to step out of the main gate, Ye Jiu caught up to him and handed him a few copper coins, enjoining, ¡°Fourth Brother, take a bullock cart if you encounter one on the road, come back faster.¡± Seeing the urgency in Ye Jiu, Ye Gaosheng took it more to heart. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À?.§ã¦Ï Back inside, Madame He asked Ye Jiu, ¡°What did you send your Fourth Brother to do?¡± From the crack of the door, one could see Ye Jiu and Ye Gaosheng standing aside and murmuring to each other for quite some time before Ye Gaosheng ran off, which prompted Madame He to ask. ¡°I sent Fourth Brother to buy something for me, I need it,¡± Ye Jiu replied. Madame He did not press further. She felt that Ye Jiu, being a child, could not possibly have any important matters and figured that even if Ye Gaosheng went to buy something, it would only be a matter of a few coins. Madame He had just received ninety taels of silver from Ye Jiu yesterday, and the thrill hadn¡¯t faded yet, not to mention when Ye Jiu wanted to spend money, Madame He, who always doted on her daughter, naturally had no objections. After asking idly a few questions, Madame He went back to fussing over the two pieces of cloth Ye Jiu had bought the day before. Madame He, being older, didn¡¯t have great vision anymore, and the fine cotton Ye Jiu had bought her was particularly pleasing, causing her to hesitate for a long time, unsure of where to begin, for fear of ruining the fine fabric and her daughter¡¯s good intentions. Ye Jiu, sitting aside watching, began to feel a twinge of regret. Buying the fabric seemed cost-effective at the time, but she had overlooked the fact that Madame He was no longer young. Making clothes was no longer as easy for her as it had been when she was younger. Ye Jiu took the scissors from Madame He¡¯s hands and under her puzzled look, spoke up, ¡°Mother, if your eyesight isn¡¯t serving you well, don¡¯t bother with it. Eldest Sister-in-law is quite good at needlework. Let her make it for you, and you can wear it once it¡¯s done.¡± Immediately, Madame He¡¯s complexion changed, and she said, ¡°This is the fabric my daughter bought for me, and I won¡¯t let anyone else touch it.¡± Ye Jiu knew that because she had been nursed by Madame Zhang as an infant, she had developed a closer bond with her, not realizing the implications at the time; this had upset their own household¡¯s matriach. To this day, Ye Jiu seldom interacted with Madame Zhang, and Madame He still couldn¡¯t let go of this grudge, feeling as if Madame Zhang was trying to snatch her away. In reality, Madame He was really overthinking it; Madame Zhang had her own daughter Qinghua, and even if she was somewhat kinder to Ye Jiu, she could not possibly surpass her affections for her own daughter. ¡°` Chapter 60 - Chapter 60: Made 60 clothes Chapter 60: Made 60 clothes Ye Jiu wasn¡¯t foolish and knew that in this family, only Mrs. He truly cherished her as a precious daughter despite others seeing her as dull and stupid, and only Mrs. He was absolutely genuine with her. Considering this, Ye Jiu changed the tone of her voice, ¡°I also made a mistake yesterday thinking about buying fabric since it might be cheaper, but I overlooked the fact that making clothes would tire mother out. However mother, seeing you so tired really breaks my heart. I actually know that you are afraid that I might become closer to my sister-in-law over you. But in my heart, I clearly understand that in this family, only you are the best person to me. Even if my sister-in-law shows me some concern, it is only because she hopes to win your favor through me, wanting her own life to be a bit easier. Daughter knows clearly who her closest person is, so you don¡¯t have to worry about my sister-in-law taking me away, as she has her own daughter, and I have my own mother. No matter what happens, I will never be closer to anyone more than I am to you.¡± Hearing these words, Mrs. He turned and asked, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh at Mrs. He¡¯s serious expression, ¡°Mother, you are the most loving and closest person to me in this world, I could deceive anyone but definitely not you!¡± Mrs. He also laughed and put the fabric she was holding onto the kang table, ¡°Then take the fabric to your sister-in-law. Now that I am a mother-in-law, there¡¯s a daughter-in-law there, I see no reason to labor unnecessarily.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ye Jiu said while folding the fabric on the kang table, ¡°When I have earned more money in the future, let¡¯s not buy fabric anymore, we¡¯ll also purchase ready-made clothes to see if they are gold-plated, they are so expensive!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Ye Jiu said this to tease Mrs. He, but in these times where manual labor was everything, the price of ready-made garments was indeed not cheap, being at least fifty percent more expensive than the fabric itself, and that was just for ordinary material; one could only imagine that more expensive materials would be even more exorbitant. ¡°Alright alright, my daughter is so filial, I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Mrs. He said with a face full of smiles. Mrs. Zhang was a diligent woman, an absolute expert in managing household affairs. When Ye Jiu entered, she and Ye Qinghua were sitting on the kang doing needlework. Seeing Ye Jiu, Ye Qinghua politely greeted her, ¡°Little Auntie.¡± Ye Jiu smiled and nodded, then greeted Mrs. Zhang, ¡°Is my sister-in-law teaching Qinghua needlework?¡± ¡°Yes, this child is also not young anymore, another few years and it will be time to discuss her marriage. By practicing needlework at home these years, we can avoid her being disliked by her in-laws later,¡± Mrs. Zhang said, making Ye Qinghua bow her head in embarrassment and mutter, ¡°Mother, why do you say these things?¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll say no more,¡± Mrs. Zhang laughed, then, seeing the fabric in Ye Jiu¡¯s hand, remembered to ask her, ¡°Little Auntie, did you come for something?¡± Ye Jiu placed the fabric on the kang and said, ¡°It¡¯s been several years since father and mother updated their wardrobe, so yesterday when I went to town, I bought two pieces of fabric for them. Sister-in-law, you know I was young back then and wasn¡¯t in a condition to learn needlework, and mother is getting older and her eyesight is not what it used to be, so since your needlework is good, I thought I¡¯d bring the fabric over. Please help make two pieces of clothing for father and mother when you have time.¡± Chapter 61 - Chapter 61: 61 will not agree to a separation. Chapter 61: 61 will not agree to a separation. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s not much to do in the dead of winter anyway. I¡¯ll get started in a little bit; it should only take two days to finish,¡± Mrs. Zhang said with a smile beaming across her face. The Ye Family¡¯s third son had married into his wife¡¯s family, and the fourth son had yet to marry, so there were only two daughters-in-law in the household, Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Zhao. In this era, it was not just a mark of favor but also an affirmation of Mrs. Zhang¡¯s sewing skills that the mother-in-law had entrusted her with making clothes instead of to Mrs. Zhao. Therefore, Mrs. Zhang was naturally happy. Ye Jiu casually picked up a handkerchief that Mrs. Zhang had half finished embroidering. It was decorated with an orchid, and the embroidery was quite good, though it was a shame that the material was only ordinary fine cotton cloth. In her previous life, even when she was very poor, Ye Jiu had seen many different types of fabrics in the twenty-first century. To people in this era, especially the destitute, this fine cotton cloth might still be considered acceptable. However, in the eyes of the wealthy, countless precious silks and brocades existed, and this kind of fabric wouldn¡¯t even get a second glance. Ye Jiu spoke up, ¡°Sister-in-law¡¯s embroidery is really beautiful.¡± Mr. Zhang was carefully chosen by the mother-in-law herself, and her needlework was one of the best in the village. Now being praised by Ye Jiu, her smile grew even wider, ¡°It¡¯s just because there isn¡¯t much to do in wintertime, so I thought to embroider some more to exchange for money in town, hoping to help out with the household expenses a bit.¡± Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t understand where Mrs. Zhang¡¯s smile was coming from. To be honest, Mrs. Zhao always felt that her husband was the main labor force in the family¡¯s farm work, so she tended to think that others were taking advantage of them. Yet when compared with Mrs. Zhang, she got married two years later than Mrs. Zhang, and her husband, the second brother, was also two years younger than the eldest brother. If it really came down to discussing who was at a loss, it should be the eldest brother¡¯s household that was most disadvantaged. However, the eldest sister-in-law never complained about her household being at a disadvantage, for whether she spoke about it or not, reality was there for all to see. As long as the fourth brother remained unmarried, this family could not be divided. The household owned only so much land, and was not wealthy to begin with. If they divided the household, the eldest and second households would definitely need to take some portion away. And the parents were not young anymore; the fourth brother would be seventeen after the new year. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.?¦Ï As it was, the entire family¡¯s efforts were concentrated together. The fourth brother had already reached an age later than when the eldest and second brothers had married. If she had not brought home one hundred taels of silver yesterday, mother would still be lacking confidence in arranging a marriage for the fourth brother. If they had split the family early, as Mrs. Zhao had suggested, the eldest and second households might have had easier lives, but if she were just an ordinary girl unable to help out financially, then her fourth brother would face never being able to marry a wife. Hence, before Ye Gaosheng married, neither the old lady nor Old Man Ye would agree to divide the house. As for what would happen after the fourth brother married, that was something no one knew. After sitting in the eldest brother¡¯s house for a while, Ye Jiu got up to say goodbye and returned to the main house. There were still a few leftover buns from the previous day, and the old lady had already warmed two of them on the kang bed. As soon as Ye Jiu came back, the old lady took out the buns and handed them to Ye Jiu, ¡°My dear child, quickly eat some buns to fill your stomach, and then take a noon nap. Those two big bone sticks from yesterday haven¡¯t been eaten yet. I¡¯ll stew them for you this evening. It¡¯s not anything fancy, but at least it has a bit of meat flavor to satisfy a craving.¡± ¡°I understand, thank you, mother,¡± Ye Jiu took just one, biting into it, ¡°I have a small appetite, one is enough for me. You eat, too.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± the old lady replied, but as soon as Ye Jiu turned her head, she stashed the bun away. Chapter 62 - Chapter 62: 62 Weapons and Fruits Chapter 62: 62 Weapons and Fruits She was already of a great age, eating or not made no difference, she wouldn¡¯t grow from it anyway, and eating was just a waste; she¡¯d rather save it for when her daughter was hungry to fill her stomach. The bun wasn¡¯t cheap, and it was filling, but Ye Jiu ate quickly. After she finished, she remembered and said, ¡°Mom, there are still buns, right? Heat one up for Dad so he can fill his belly when he gets back.¡± Mrs. He paused, didn¡¯t argue but casually said, ¡°Got it, you go take a nap quickly, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Ye Jiu didn¡¯t notice the indifference on Mrs. He¡¯s face as she finished the bun, rinsed her mouth, and lay down on the kang. Mrs. He, looking through the window, saw Old Man Ye coming out from the firewood room, bending his back with a face full of worry. Mrs. He didn¡¯t say a word, unusually didn¡¯t go out to cause trouble but sat back by the kang, her eyes gently fixed on Ye Jiu, filled with love. Old Man Ye had gone to the Li family. Would Mrs. He be heartbroken? No, she wouldn¡¯t. Since the year he had called off the engagement with the He family to marry Miss Li, Mrs. He¡¯s heart had died. Even though Ye Cheng later changed his mind and Mrs. He successfully took hold of the Ye family, the wounds she suffered from these two people would never heal. Mrs. He knew she was seen as a heartless old woman in the eyes of her grandson and granddaughter, always scheming, but Mrs. He had no regrets; everything Miss Li was facing now was her own deserved punishment. The path she had chosen was her own; the path forced upon her was theirs. If today, the one who had the upper hand in this home were Miss Li, Mrs. He could say without hesitation that her situation would not be better than that of Miss Li now. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï Mrs. He looked at the carelessly stretched daughter on the kang, who didn¡¯t look like her at all, yet she was the child she had carried for ten months. Men, sons¡ªMs. He understood; no one was reliable. If one wanted to live well, they had to be able to stand firm by themselves. Mrs. He could be heartless toward anyone, but she gave all the warmth she had in this life to Ye Jiu, her own daughter, like another version of herself. Ms. He had thought more than once that if even a bit of tolerance had been shown by her family after Ye Cheng broke off their engagement, she might not have agreed to marry into the Ye family when Ye Cheng showed a slight change of heart afterward. Ye Jiu did not fall asleep so quickly; Mrs. He¡¯s gaze was too evident, not allowing her to ignore it even with her eyes closed. Fortunately, Mrs. He didn¡¯t look too long before shifting her gaze, relaxing Ye Jiu¡¯s mind. After hearing Mrs. He¡¯s departing footsteps, Ye Jiu finally felt at ease as her consciousness sunk into the Plane Space. Opening the Trading Device, two clear messages popped up in Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes. La Sike¡¯s purchased items had arrived, and he sent them to Ye Jiu, a forearm-length folding steel knife with a very sharp blade that was also compact and easy to carry. There was also an electric gun; Ye Jiu tested it once. Although there was no object for her to shoot, the obvious sparks on the electric gun were not to be overlooked. The items were good but not needed for now. After putting the items away, Ye Jiu then proceeded to collect the goods sent from the Ancient Plane. Opening the storage box, a piece of fresh Spotted Tiger Skin appeared before her eyes, alongside a piece of meat that Ye Jiu cherished. It was a pity that this meat could not be taken out; otherwise, she really would have liked to have a good meal. Cha sent more than just these two items; Ye Jiu had said the day before that any edible fruits and plants could be taken for exchange, but Cha still couldn¡¯t discern exactly what Ye Jiu needed, so he picked a little of each for Ye Jiu to see if there was anything she needed. Chapter 63 - Chapter 63: How come you dont give me some money? Chapter 63: How come you don¡¯t give me some money? Ye Jiu opened the storage compartment for the fruits, and a huge pile of fruits suddenly appeared on the vacant ground behind him. There were peaches, apples, and also bananas and oranges, plus there were several types of fruits that Ye Jiu did not recognize, but presumably, they were also fruits from the Ancient Plane. Since arriving in this world, apart from the sour wild fruits on the mountain, Ye Jiu had never eaten any fruits. He hadn¡¯t noticed it earlier, but now seeing them made his mouth water almost uncontrollably. Ye Jiu grabbed an apple, and if there was one difference between the fruits from the Ancient Plane and those he had seen before, it was their size! It wasn¡¯t just a little bigger, Ye Jiu, following the same, took an apple that was nearly the size of half his head, and the other fruits were not small either, looking as if they had undergone genetic mutations. The fruits looked appealing, making Ye Jiu very satisfied, though he didn¡¯t know how they tasted. If the taste could match up, that would be perfect. These items were so pleasing to Ye Jiu that he couldn¡¯t let go of them. In his excitement, he sent the small steel knife and electric gun he had just exchanged with La Sike to Zha, and also taught him how to use them. Having given away the weapons to Zha, Ye Jiu no longer had any means of defense for himself. However, La Sike wasn¡¯t online at the moment, so Ye Jiu didn¡¯t randomly exchange the items with him. She planned to wait until La Sike came online so that they could set the trade quantity and value before proceeding with the transaction. Otherwise, sending items haphazardly like now could eventually lead to an unsustainable trade between them. The Plane trading space had a preservation function, so there was no need to worry about spoilage. Glancing reluctantly at the fruits on the ground one last time, Ye Jiu left the trading space. It was a pity it was winter. Still, she thought even if it were autumn, she wouldn¡¯t be able to bring out the items because they were simply too large; clearly not looking like wild items from the mountains, and there would be no way to explain them had she brought them out. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã? As soon as Ye Jiu regained his senses, he heard Old Man Ye coaxing He Shi, ¡°Old woman, I just came out of that house. It¡¯s so cold, and the blankets on Li Shi and Erya are both ragged and stiff. Erya is my daughter after all, she¡¯s going to leave home in just a couple of years, you see¡­¡± There was silence for a long while. Old Man Ye intended to make a proposal, but He Shi was unwilling to engage in his conversation, tending to her own sewing of shoe soles. Old Man Ye grew a bit anxious, simply stating his purpose directly, ¡°I was thinking of getting a new quilt for the mother and daughter, what do you think?¡± ¡±You¡¯re the head of the family, whatever you decide to do, you don¡¯t need to run it by me,¡± said He Shi sternly. ¡°So, does that mean you agree?¡± Old Man Ye brightened with a smile. He Shi didn¡¯t respond, but Old Man Ye didn¡¯t mind. Considering he was in the wrong, the mere acceptance by his wife was already fortunate, ¡°Well then, since you probably wouldn¡¯t want to bother, just give me the money, and I¡¯ll let them handle the purchase themselves.¡± He Shi, with a stern face, threw the half-finished shoe sole she was working on onto the bed and looked up sarcastically at Old Man Ye, ¡°Money? Do you, surnamed Ye, actually have an idea of how much money you can make? It¡¯s yet uncertain about the fourth son¡¯s marriage matters, I¡¯m already worried about money, and you claim to be so capable. Why don¡¯t you give me some money?¡± Old Man Ye¡¯s face turned slightly awkward, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it agreed that we would use Jiujiu¡¯s ten taels of silver for the fourth son¡¯s wife? Besides, Jiujiu gave you quite a bit of money yesterday. It wouldn¡¯t take much to make an extra bed quilt.¡± Chapter 64 - Chapter 64: 64 cant stir up much of a storm Chapter 64: 64 can¡¯t stir up much of a storm Mrs. He looked at Old Man Ye and, without a word, stood up and walked out. The already frail door of the woodshed made a loud bang as Mrs. He kicked it open, knocking the two door panels to the ground. With the door no longer blocking the way, a cold wind suddenly rushed in, making the two people inside shiver. Mrs. He went straight in. Before Mrs. Li could react, Mrs. He had already slapped her hard on the face. Not giving Mrs. Li any time to argue or plead, Mrs. He¡¯s curses had already slipped out, ¡°Look at you, you heartless old hag, do you even see what you are? You dare to scheme for my daughter¡¯s money, but do you have the skills?! If you don¡¯t want to live a good life, today I will beat the life out of both of you wretches. I tell you, as long as I, Mrs. He, am alive, you won¡¯t take the slightest advantage from my daughter. You don¡¯t even know what you are but still dream of spending my daughter¡¯s hard-earned money¡­¡± When Old Man Ye rushed over to stop her, Mrs. Li¡¯s cheeks had already swollen up. Old Man Ye hurriedly grabbed Mrs. He, ¡°Wife, let¡¯s talk this out, I made that quilt because I felt sorry for Erya, it wasn¡¯t Mrs. Li¡¯s idea.¡± Mrs. He had already hit them, and half of her anger had diminished. Hearing Old Man Ye say this, she immediately brushed off his hand, ¡°If you care so much for these wretches, then you stay here and care for them!¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time Old Man Ye had seen Mrs. He angry, but he was still panicked. Old Man Ye wanted to go after her to explain, but Mrs. Li suddenly sat down on the ground, sobbing, ¡°I was wrong, I truly was¡­ Cousin, I know you hate me for once ruining things with you and Mrs. He and for causing her to be blamed by everyone, but you know how I¡¯ve lived these years. Even if I was wrong, I have long since been punished¡­ ¡°Since Auntie died, Erya and I have been slaving away at home. I deserve it, it¡¯s my own doing, but Erya is innocent¡­ ¡°She¡¯s a Ye daughter too, and though she can¡¯t compare to Jiujiu in status, she shouldn¡¯t be living like this, unable to get enough to eat, her hands rougher than the old lady¡¯s feet¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Erya is already fourteen, and in two years she will be a young woman. Other people¡¯s daughters are already being well cared for to make a good marriage, but look at Erya¡¯s skinny appearance, how will she ever make a good match¡­¡± Sobbing¡­ Mrs. Li¡¯s crying deepened the gloom in Old Man Ye¡¯s heart. In the main room, Ye Jiu had also heard Mrs. Li¡¯s wails, and opened her eyes, looking anxiously at Mrs. He¡¯s gloomy face. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Ye Jiu had long been frustrated by Mrs. Li¡¯s presence, and at that moment, she thought that if Old Man Ye dared to be swayed by Mrs. Li¡¯s cries even once, she would just take Mrs. He and move out to live on their own. Mrs. He seeing the worry in Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes, soothingly stroked her head, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, my darling, as long as I¡¯m here today, that woman can¡¯t stir up any trouble. That girl she bore is not even worthy to carry shoes for my Jiujiu, yet she dares to compare herself with my good child!¡± Mrs. He¡¯s face was adorned with a mocking smile. If not for Ye Jiu being by her side, Mrs. Li would have surely faced another round of harsh scolding. Recently, her daughter¡¯s health had improved, which had put Mrs. He in a better mood and slightly lessened her harshness, allowing these unworthy things to start getting presumptuous. Chapter 65 - Chapter 65: 65s requirements are not high Chapter 65: 65¡¯s requirements are not high Although Mrs. He had never suffered significantly in the family wars, Ye Jiu always had an intuition that Mrs. He¡¯s heart was actually filled with hatred and resentment. She shouldn¡¯t have been such a harsh person originally. Including the fact that Mrs. He least liked the eldest brother and the second brother. Even the third brother who married into another family could make her feel a bit of pity, but only the eldest and the second brother, her own flesh and blood, were never cherished by Mrs. He in her heart. Moreover, Mrs. He was even kinder to Zhang¡¯s wife than to her own eldest son. As for Zhao¡¯s, Ye Jiu thought that her status in the family was purely her own doing. It¡¯s not terrible to rely on one¡¯s parental home, after all, the grace of parental upbringing is greater than heaven, and it is also a form of filial piety. But what is terrible is preferring to let her own children go hungry rather than to stop depending on her family. A daughter-in-law like Zhao¡¯s, no matter in which family, would not be liked. Ye Jiu got up and hugged Mrs. He, ¡°Mother, you are the most formidable and best mother in Jiujiu¡¯s heart. If Dad ever treats you slightly poorly in the future, then we, mother and daughter, will move out to live by ourselves. Jiujiu isn¡¯t foolish anymore; I¡¯ll definitely make lots and lots of money in the future, and then, after I¡¯ve made money, I¡¯ll buy two maids to serve you and let Mother live as a wealthy matron.¡± ¡°Good, good!¡± Mrs. He was amused by Ye Jiu and her eyes brightened with smiles. Half a day later, Ye Acheng returned, and Mrs. He immediately let go of Ye Jiu, ¡°My dear child, go sit in your sister-in-law¡¯s room for a while.¡± Ye Jiu didn¡¯t want to go, but since Mrs. He insisted, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t force a stay. However, out of fear that Ye Acheng might truly be persuaded by Lady Li, and that Mother might suffer, Ye Jiu didn¡¯t dare to leave. As soon as she stepped out, she quietly hid beneath the window, ready to secretly eavesdrop. Ye Jiu had just crouched down when someone patted her back. Turning around, she saw Ye Qinghua also crouched behind her, asking, ¡°Cousin, what are you doing crouched by the window?¡± ¡°Shush¡­¡± Ye Jiu immediately made a silence gesture to Ye Qinghua, following which Ye Acheng¡¯s voice began to emanate from the room. ¡°Old woman, it was Lady Li who caused us to break off our engagement back then, making you scorned at your parental home and suffer for several years, and you almost ended up hanging yourself. But she has also faced retribution over these years. No matter what, Erya is still my flesh and blood. She¡¯s grown up so much and won¡¯t be able to stay at home for more than two years now. Even if you can¡¯t cherish her like Jiujiu, at least let her have enough food and clothing!¡± Others envied them for having a harmonious polygamous family, but no one would know the difficulty unless it fell upon them, especially for a peasant with little to offer, like him. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Ye Acheng¡¯s voice was full of bitterness and pleading. ¡°Ye Cheng, so you still remember. Because she shamelessly climbed onto the bed of her cousin, who was already betrothed, causing this innocent one to suffer an unwarranted broken engagement and unable to marry out, being tormented for years back in her parental home. So, you still remember you wronged me first, huh?¡± Mrs. He scoffed coldly. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for today¡¯s drama, I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d long forgotten!¡± Ye Acheng¡¯s face turned awkward, ¡°This¡­ This has been so many years ago, even though there were some difficulties then, didn¡¯t we still end up as husband and wife? Moreover, Lady Li has long known her mistake, to forgive when possible, and moreover, their mother and daughter aren¡¯t asking for much¡­¡± Bang! Ye Acheng¡¯s conciliatory words were cut in half when Mrs. He suddenly swept everything off the kang head onto the floor, creating a clattering sound, which also represented the fury in her heart. Chapter 66 - Chapter 66: Acting pitiful, whos stronger at it? Chapter 66: Acting pitiful, who¡¯s stronger at it? ¡°Demanding too little?¡± Mrs. He spared no sarcasm. ¡°You don¡¯t even look at the state of our family. Still claiming we have modest needs while being well-fed and clothed. My own grandchildren haven¡¯t even achieved a life of food and warmth, yet that old hag actually has the gall to say it out loud.¡± Mrs. He unleashed a tirade of curses and sarcasm, then turned her guns on Old Man Ye. ¡°Ye Cheng, do you even know your own capabilities? It¡¯s hard enough to put food on the table at home. The fourth child hasn¡¯t even managed to marry off a daughter-in-law yet. If it weren¡¯t for the daughter¡¯s ability to earn some money, I wouldn¡¯t have the courage to even look for marriage prospects.¡± ¡°Do you think a hundred taels of silver is a lot? But don¡¯t forget, that¡¯s the money the girl earned herself. She¡¯s only ten years old. How shameless are you to take all of a child¡¯s money into your own hands?¡± ¡°Wenqing from the eldest son¡¯s family and Wenyu from the second son¡¯s family are the same age, thirteen years old, half-grown lads. The matter of their betrothals can hold off for a few more years, but Qinghua is already twelve. Won¡¯t she need a dowry when the time comes?¡± ¡°By the time the grandchildren are of marrying age, we won¡¯t have the troubles anymore, but for years now, the money earned by the eldest and the second sons¡¯ families has gone to support the household. Even if we were to split the family assets, as a grandfather, could you really be so heartless as to watch the two grandsons remain bachelors?¡± ¡°Now look, the moment Li Shi cries a tear, you¡¯re moved to pity. Have you even noticed if I¡¯ve ever spared myself to make a new cotton quilt in all these years?¡± Mrs. He¡¯s grievances turned Old Man Ye¡¯s face both purple and green with embarrassment. Although Mrs. He made sense, her words indeed sounded harsh, making herself seem incompetent as the head of the household, unable to come up with the money to find wives for the children. Old Man Ye, looking sheepish, could only muster, ¡°I was indeed misguided in this matter, blinded by pity for Erya¡¯s frostbitten hands, therefore overlooking our family¡¯s situation.¡± Old Man Ye¡¯s concession made Mrs. He¡¯s face lighten somewhat, and her eyes reddened, but her nature prevented her from crying. After all, they were a couple who had spent more than half their lives together. The Old Lady¡¯s tears, which were about to fall yet forcefully held back, tugged at Old Man Ye¡¯s heartstrings. ¡°Old man, I know Li Shi is your cousin. If it were only the things she did to me, I could have let them slide, but she should never have wronged my children!¡± If Mrs. He were just a typical overbearing matriarch who knew only how to be difficult and blustering, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to successfully hold Old Man Ye¡¯s heart in her grasp, keeping the entire Ye Family under her control with Li Shi, that old white lotus, around. It¡¯s just that she never shows her vulnerable side in front of the younger generation. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã? Isn¡¯t Li Shi just good at putting on an act, at playing the victim? If Mrs. He wanted to, Li Shi would amount to nothing. Sitting by the kang bed, Mrs. He¡¯s face easily morphed into one of resentment, ¡°Back when Li Shi could not bear children, I entered the family and successively gave birth to the eldest and second sons. Sons are the flesh of a mother¡¯s heart, yet Li Shi charmed the mother-in-law into taking away my two children. How hard were those days for me? The mother-in-law favored Li Shi, her niece by marriage, and set me to work every day. I couldn¡¯t even see the faces of the eldest and the second sons. How bitter was my heart? At that time, I was genuinely afraid to fall pregnant, for fear that any child I bore would still be taken away, and I, their biological mother, wouldn¡¯t even be allowed to hold them. Later, when the third child was born, I didn¡¯t dare look at him. The deeper the love, the harder the separation, so I proactively handed the child to the mother-in-law, forcefully restraining myself from caring for my own flesh and blood.¡± Chapter 67 - Chapter 67: 67 eavesdropping must not be discovered Chapter 67: 67 eavesdropping must not be discovered ¡°You all say that I favor Jiujiu and the fourth child, but what you don¡¯t know is that my heart is filled with hatred!¡± ¡°The third child is the one I feel most sorry for. When he was little, it was me who didn¡¯t want to look after him, I owe him that much. So even when he later wanted to marry into another family, I agreed. I thought to myself, this child never had good days in our household, maybe things would improve if he left.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s different for the eldest and the second child. I breastfed them until they were weaned. To have a chance to glance at them, I got up in the middle of the night to finish all the household chores, just so I could spend time with them during the day. But what I got for daytime was just heavier tasks.¡± ¡°Especially the eldest, my very first child¡ªhow could I not dote on him?¡± ¡°But they recognized Miss Li as their mother, they were taught to say that I was not their mother.¡± ¡°You have no idea how much I hated it when I heard the second child say that. I wanted to flay Miss Li alive¡ªthese are my children whom I carried for ten months, having to feed them with my very flesh and blood!¡± ¡°Miss Li thinks she¡¯s suffered just by doing some household chores, but compared to what I went through back then, can that even be called suffering?¡± ¡°Old lady, it¡¯s me who let you down¡­¡± No one knew the hardships Madam He had endured better than Old Master Ye. He too was pained by those days when she worked all day and still struggled to continue working at night. However, he wasn¡¯t just facing Miss Li, but also his own biological mother, so sometimes he truly had no choice but to compromise. Old Master Ye was moved by the words, but he didn¡¯t see the hidden sarcasm at the corner of Madam He¡¯s mouth. She had been heartbroken and had felt sorry, but after so many years, facing those two ingrates, it wasn¡¯t that she despised them, but she just couldn¡¯t feel the same tenderness for them anymore. All that was left was a bit of blood relation that, in the end, made them somewhat closer than strangers. ¡°I, Madam He, am a straightforward person. I don¡¯t have the scheming, pitiful tricks like Miss Li does. And I¡¯m not afraid to tell you, I absolutely hate her, I wish I could strip her flesh and pull her tendons.¡± ¡°I am not afraid of suffering, at most it¡¯s just about doing some extra work. But because of her instigation, now all three of my children are alienated from me. She¡¯s ruined a large part of my life, just having her to do some chores is far too lenient.¡± Madam He¡¯s words left Old Master Ye without a rebuttal; indeed, Miss Li currently had it much easier compared to Madam He back then. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï However, Old Master Ye ignored the fact that it was winter, and naturally, there wasn¡¯t much work to do. Ye Jiu was only vaguely aware of the hardships Madam He had suffered when she was younger due to Miss Li¡¯s interference, but she had never known the extent of Madam He¡¯s suffering was far beyond what she had imagined. Resentment for stealing her husband and hatred for taking her children, no wonder Madam He insisted on keeping Miss Li under her watchful eye to grind her down. Ye Jiu felt sorry for their family¡¯s old madam. When Ye Jiu turned around, she saw Ye Qinghua¡¯s eyes red and brimming with tears, as if she was about to cry. Since it was eavesdropping to begin with, Ye Jiu, afraid of being discovered by Madam He and Old Master Ye inside, quickly took Qinghua¡¯s hand and ran. Outside the Ye Family¡¯s main gate, Ye Jiu glared at Qinghua with irritation, ¡°Why are you crying for no reason? We were eavesdropping. What if your grandma finds out, do you want to be beaten again?¡± Madam He cared about her reputation. If she knew her grievances had been overheard by the younger generation, she would surely be furious. Given her own position in Madam He¡¯s heart, she might not be in trouble, but Qinghua likely would suffer. Chapter 68 - Chapter 68: 68 energetic old lady Chapter 68: 68 energetic old lady Ye Qinghua¡¯s eyes were still red as she spoke with a choked voice, ¡°Little aunt, I¡¯m sorry, it was all misunderstandings against grandma before. I always thought grandma was biased and never sided with our first or second branches, but I never considered, that grandma had suffered so much when she was young!¡± Mrs. He indeed had suffered a lot, but so many years had passed, and perhaps she would have felt heartache due to her two sons not being close, but now all of that was nonsense. Now, Mrs. He¡¯s heart was filled with contentment just for her daughter, and what did it matter if those ingrates didn¡¯t want to be close to her, wasn¡¯t the money earned each day still handed over to her? Didn¡¯t her wife and children still have to depend on her for a living? Mrs. He really didn¡¯t care about their current thoughts. However, Ye Qinghua didn¡¯t know Mrs. He¡¯s true thoughts, so at that moment, she actually started feeling pity for Mrs. He and even blamed herself for the previous grievances she held against her. Ye Jiu tugged at the corner of his mouth, Mrs. He had always been seen as the domineering matriarch among the younger generation in the family, and now having the chance to clear her name, Ye Jiu was naturally happy. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand your grandma had it tough, but don¡¯t spread this around. Your grandma is prideful, and even if she feels aggrieved, she wouldn¡¯t want others to know,¡± said Ye Jiu, and his words were not without reason. If Mrs. He found out Ye Qinghua shared what happened today, a beating would be the least of consequences. ¡°I understand,¡± Ye Qinghua said as she wiped away her tears. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back,¡± Ye Jiu said. Just as Ye Jiu finished speaking, he heard Mrs. He¡¯s sharp scolding voice again in the courtyard. Ye Jiu and Ye Qinghua exchanged glances, then stepped into the courtyard. Mrs. He was blocking the firewood room and scolding Mrs. Li mercilessly, and after finishing, she added: ¡°All day long you have so many tricks up your sleeve, I think you¡¯re just too idle. Just right, with the weather getting colder this December, we¡¯re running low on firewood for the holidays. Go up the mountain and gather some firewood, by the time you¡¯re tired out, you won¡¯t have so many wild thoughts.¡± Mrs. Li wore a face of misery, ¡°Sister, it just snowed last night, the snow hasn¡¯t even melted yet, that damp firewood won¡¯t burn even if I bring it back!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Snow hasn¡¯t melted so you can¡¯t gather firewood? Can¡¯t you just bring it back and let it dry at the doorstep? I think you¡¯re just lazy, really thinking you¡¯re that seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl who everyone fusses over with a few tears. A grown woman, still crying and whining all the time, don¡¯t you feel ashamed¡­¡± Mrs. He scolded. Just after entering, Ye Qinghua halted her steps. If it wasn¡¯t for overhearing Mrs. He¡¯s grievances just before, she truly couldn¡¯t believe that the mean old lady before her eyes had once been so cruelly bullied. Ye Jiu twitched his mouth, now she truly believed what Mrs. He said, didn¡¯t she? Her mother was indeed a person who held grudges, indeed, only when avenging herself by scolding Mrs. Li did her energy seem most vigorous. Under Mrs. He¡¯s intimidating gaze, Mrs. Li, trembling in a thin, tattered jacket in the cold wind, left home with a basket on her back to gather firewood on the little hill in front of the village. Mrs. He pulled Ye Jiu back into the room, then took off her shoes and lay down on the kang, ¡°My dear, go ask your elder and second sister-in-law to come over, just tell them mother is ill and needs tending.¡± ¡°Mother~¡± Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The old lady who had been so energetic just now in scolding someone claimed she was sick the next moment and needed tending. Especially with that proud expression on her face, how could it not make her want to laugh? Chapter 69 - Chapter 69: 69 Family Wars, Who Has the Upper Hand? Chapter 69: 69 Family Wars, Who Has the Upper Hand? Watching Ye Jiu¡¯s expression, Mrs. He took the opportunity to instruct him, ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because the old thing obediently went to gather firewood, now he must be trembling down the road, gossiping about me in front of others. I¡¯ve lived through so many hard years, and now, should I let her ruin my reputation? And your father, who can¡¯t think straight, I¡¯ve been in a good mood lately and haven¡¯t tallied scores with them; now each of them is jumping over the moon. If they are not taught a good lesson this time, who knows what kind of chaos will emerge later. Be good, go and call your eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law over, and learn by standing next to me. Watch how your mother handles them properly; once you get married, you will need these skills.¡± In this family war, Mrs. He undoubtedly had the upper hand. Ye Jiu had watched countless TV dramas before, but he still couldn¡¯t guess what Mrs. He would do next. However, Mrs. He certainly instructed her to call Zhang Shi and Zhao Shi over, and Ye Jiu actually went. Ye Jiu called out at the entrance of the main house, ¡°Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, mother can¡¯t get up from the kang, come quickly!¡± ¡°Ah, we¡¯re coming.¡± The voices of Zhang Shi and Zhao Shi came from their respective rooms. Zhang Shi was sitting on the kang embroidering a handkerchief. Hearing that Mrs. He was unwell, she hurriedly got off the kang and put on her shoes. ¡°Just now, when I heard your grandma scolding your aunt, she sounded quite energetic. How is it that in just a moment, she is lying on the kang?¡± Over the years, Mrs. He had always been strong and healthy; even minor sicknesses were quickly cured with just two prescriptions. She had never been in a situation where she couldn¡¯t get up from the kang. But it was just a momentary lapse, and Zhang Shi understood. The reason for this act may not be her poor health; perhaps she wanted to deal with someone again. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? However, the next moment, Zhang Shi changed her mind because Ye Qinghua said, ¡°Grandma might really have been angered today. Just now, my young aunt was eavesdropping under the window while grandpa and grandma were talking. I unknowingly followed her, and I overheard grandma talking about her hardships when she was young. Before, I just thought grandma was too harsh, but I never realized that she had suffered so much when she was young, and Mrs. Li took advantage of great-grandma to keep dad and second uncle from seeing her¡­¡± Hearing Ye Qinghua¡¯s words, Zhang Shi immediately felt uneasy. The Ye Family¡¯s issues were well known by her family when she first married into the family. The matters between Mrs. He and Mrs. Li were quite severe, and outsiders knew quite a bit too. However, at that time, the great-grandmother was still around, so Mrs. He and Mrs. Li maintained equivalent status in the household. However, as later great-grandmother¡¯s health worsened, and the subsequent quarrel over the steward matter escalated, great-grandmother ended up bedridden, Mrs. Li¡¯s status declined step by step, eventually resulting in the current situation following great-grandmother¡¯s departure. Zhang Shi intuitively felt that although Mrs. He had successfully suppressed Mrs. Li today, this matter was not yet over, and the next few days in the household were likely not going to be easy. Zhang Shi and Zhao Shi arrived at the main room together; regardless of what they thought internally, they both looked visibly anxious. ¡°Oh, where are you feeling unwell, mother? Should we quickly find a doctor to come check on you?¡± Zhao Shi said anxiously. Mrs. He, lying on the kang, waved her hand, ¡°See a doctor? Doesn¡¯t seeing a doctor mean spending money? With the current situation at home, even having meals is difficult, where is the money to see a doctor? It¡¯s not easy for this big family to get by, and I am not selfish like some people, unable to afford meals but still wanting new clothes and new quilts, without thinking what right they have? ¡­¡± Chapter 70 - Chapter 70: 70 Hes Schemes Chapter 70: 70 He¡¯s Schemes Madam He¡¯s words made Madam Zhao shudder slightly, but she also thought that Madam Li was going overboard. Even if they wanted to make a new quilt, they didn¡¯t even have a legitimate daughter-in-law in the house. Madam Li, although she was the father-in-law¡¯s woman, was only a concubine and one who ate for free, at that. Yet, there she was, absurdly dreaming about making a new quilt¡ªridiculous! However, this was precisely the time to show loyalty, and Madam Zhao couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. ¡°Oh dear, who can be so selfish? Wanting to make new clothes and new quilts, no daughter-in-law here would think like that. Even though my sister-in-law earned some money, it still shouldn¡¯t be wasted like this. Our family is fortunate enough to have a full meal; we can¡¯t afford such fanciful ideas!¡± Madam He¡¯s eyelids twitched as she lashed out at Madam Zhao, ¡°You, fixated on the sight of money! Even eyeing your own sister-in-law¡¯s earnings¡ªyou must be really fallen into the trap of money, haven¡¯t you? ¡°Let me tell you, the money my daughter earns is hers, and as long as I live one more day, don¡¯t even think about those impossible schemes.¡± Madam Zhao wanted to say something more but was promptly driven out by Madam He, ¡°Get out now! If you can¡¯t speak properly, then shut your foul mouth. I¡¯m sick, and I don¡¯t wish to hear your nonsense.¡± She was only pretending to be sick, but if Madam Zhao kept on talking, she was afraid she might indeed fall ill from frustration. Everyone in the house knew how biased she was. Everyone knew that Jiujiu was her darling. Yet there was Madam Zhao, trying to openly take Jiujiu¡¯s things in front of her, clearly intending to anger her to death. After all, it was about a hundred and some taels of silver¡ªwho wouldn¡¯t be tempted? Madam Zhao did want to argue some more, but the moment she saw Madam He¡¯s ferocious expression, she was so startled that she dared not speak her intended words. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be angry, I¡¯ll go. Isn¡¯t it okay if I leave?¡± While speaking, Madam Zhao hesitantly walked out, still fearful in her heart¡ªwhat if Madam Zhang soothed Madam He, and Madam He gave all the money to the primary family? After Madam Zhao left, Madam Zhang first poured a glass of water, then tenderly fed it to Madam He, while gently patting her chest, ¡°Mother, you need to calm down. We¡¯re all useless, but thankfully, our little sister-in-law is capable. Even at such a young age, she knows to earn money and come back to honor you. Now, our family¡¯s days have finally improved just a bit. If you were to fall ill because of anger, wouldn¡¯t that play right into some people¡¯s hands? Moreover, my younger brother is about to talk about marriage pretty soon. After the New Year, the management of our lands will surely need your attention again!¡± ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ve lived for most of my life, what haven¡¯t I seen or experienced? I know, each of you is just waiting for me to die early so you can split up the household. You really think that managing to have enough food to last until Qiushou is an easy feat? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã0 ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that my youngest son hasn¡¯t married yet, I wouldn¡¯t want to be in charge anymore.¡± Madam He murmured, ¡°I feel sorry for my youngest oh, I had planned to visit your sister-in-law in the Wang Family this afternoon to help look around, to see which family has a suitable daughter. Now I lie here again, and if this gets delayed any longer, my boy will soon turn seventeen!¡± ¡°Mother, do you mean to say¡­¡± Madam Zhang thought she understood Madam He¡¯s intention, but still wasn¡¯t sure, so she dared not speak recklessly. ¡°Blind and inept, if I were truly to die on this kang now, both my youngest and Jiujiu are depending on you all. I fear they might be ground to death!¡± Madam He said, clutching her chest in discomfort. Chapter 71 - Chapter 71: Pretend to be confused while knowing exactly whats going on Chapter 71: Pretend to be confused while knowing exactly what¡¯s going on Mrs. Zhang knelt down on the ground immediately, both sincere and terrified, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be angry, it¡¯s all because your daughter-in-law is too foolish to grasp your meaning. Please, be angry no more.¡± Mrs. Zhang admitted her mistake in time, and Mrs. He was not inclined to argue with her any further, but instead said, ¡°As the saying goes, ¡®the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother.¡¯ Since I¡¯m laid up and can¡¯t get up, you¡¯ll have to take care of the matter concerning Gaosheng yourself.¡± Mrs. He then turned to Ye Jiu, ¡°Jiujiu, take twenty coins from the cabinet and give them to your elder sister-in-law.¡± Once Ye Jiu had taken out the money and handed it to Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. He spoke again, ¡°Talk to Mrs. Wang, tell her to help find a gentle-natured girl with a kind family background. Once Gaosheng¡¯s matter is settled, I¡¯ll buy her a couple of big carp another day.¡± ¡°Alright, I know, Mother. But if Mrs. Wang asks why you didn¡¯t go, I¡¯m not sure how your daughter-in-law should answer,¡± Mrs. Zhang asked respectfully. Mrs. He sneered, ¡°They say family shame should not be spread abroad. Is there anyone here who doesn¡¯t know about our family¡¯s affairs? Since some people have become shameless, I can¡¯t protect our name alone. If outsiders ask, just tell them the truth.¡± After Mrs. Zhang left, Mrs. He suddenly sprang up from the kang and even glanced towards the outside of the door to check that indeed no one was there, then she felt at ease. ¡°Mother, your pretense of sickness is not convincing at all. It¡¯s amazing you could fool your elder sister-in-law.¡± Especially when Mrs. He was scolding Mrs. Zhao, her voice was so strong, nothing like that of a sick person. Mrs. He tapped her on the forehead, annoyed, ¡°Whether your second sister-in-law sees through it or not, I don¡¯t know, but your elder sister-in-law is far too shrewd to be deceived easily. She¡¯s just pretending to be confused, that¡¯s all.¡± Indeed, within the family, Ye Jiu also felt that apart from Mrs. He, the only other person with notable intelligence was Mrs. Zhang. At least she knew how to act appropriately, not offending the family head when she knew resistance was futile, avoiding those thankless tasks that were both unprofitable and unwelcome. Mrs. He had a purpose for putting on the act of sickness today, including sending Mrs. Zhang to speak on behalf of Ye Gaosheng to the Wang Family, all part of her calculated plan. As for the purpose of such actions, of course, Mrs. He would not be plotting without reason. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã0 Mrs. He¡¯s predictions were not the least bit wrong. After Mrs. Li left, I did not hurry to the mountain to gather firewood. Instead, I trembled with each step I took, and the villagers naturally couldn¡¯t help but ask why I was out in such cold weather wearing so little. Thanks to Mrs. Li¡¯s deliberate actions, Mrs. He quickly became an irritable and malicious old lady in the eyes of others. Still, if it does not concern them personally, they¡¯ll stay out of it. At most, they might gossip about Mrs. He, but no one would bother to purposely confront her just to assert their presence. Mrs. Zhao was not one to sit still and be compliant, especially after being driven out by Mrs. He, she naturally felt the need to go outside and find someone to complain to. Mrs. Zhao was quite straightforward and talkative, and she really had a few acquaintances in the village with whom she could speak. No sooner had she gone out and sat down with a few old ladies than Mrs. Zhao couldn¡¯t help but start to vent, ¡°Our mother-in-law at home is so difficult to serve. She fell sick and can¡¯t get up from the kang. We, as daughters-in-law, took care of her, only to be driven out. Can you believe that?¡± ¡°Oh, your aunt has always been in good health, how come she got so sick all of a sudden? And to the point of not being able to rise from the kang, how serious is it?¡± ¡°What else could it be but fury!¡± Mrs. Zhao, who loved to gossip, was spurred on by the response and smacked her thigh hard, ¡°That Concubine Li of my father-in-law¡¯s has been coaxing him into wanting to stuff the blankets. Just think, day by day, we don¡¯t even have enough to eat ¨C the children at home cry from hunger ¨C where would we get the extra money for something like that? Of course, my mother-in-law was unwilling, and she ended up getting so angry over a quarrel at home that she made herself sick!¡± Chapter 72 - Chapter 72: 72 Feng Shui changes in turn Chapter 72: 72 Feng Shui changes in turn ¡°No wonder there was such a fuss at your house today,¡± she remarked. ¡°Just now when Mrs. Li left, she was shaking so violently that she seemed to stagger thrice with each step. People asked her about it, but she just hesitated, looking like she had been greatly wronged. Behind the scenes, everyone was saying how your mother-in-law is too harsh, deliberately making life difficult for Mrs. Li and her daughter. Who would have thought there was such a drama behind it all! But Mrs. Li really doesn¡¯t know any better, does she? Times are tough for every family, who has the spare silver to spend on quilts? At least she still has clothes to wear when she goes out. The children in Wang Laizi¡¯s family from the next village have to share one outfit between them, even in the dead of winter. His teenage daughter still has to sleep naked with her brothers under the same blanket,¡± she said. Mrs. Zhao really didn¡¯t know, and when she heard that Mrs. Li dared to tarnish Mrs. He¡¯s reputation, she was so taken aback that she immediately wanted to rush home to report it. Perhaps she could even gain some favor in her mother-in-law¡¯s eyes. Especially if it meant getting her hands on a few taels of silver from the family funds. At the same time, Mrs. Zhang went to the Wang Family¡¯s sister-in-law, who loved playing matchmaker and had a way with words. There was hardly a time during the farming off-season when she didn¡¯t have visitors. Discussing marriage arrangements is almost always a matter for the mothers while they are still alive, and few would involve an in-law like Mrs. Zhang. When she made an appearance, it was inevitable that people would ask her a few questions. Mrs. Zhang didn¡¯t beat around the bush and told the whole truth about the goings-on at home. Once people heard that Mrs. Li¡¯s desire for a quilt had angered Mrs. He to the point of collapsing on the kang, no one thought she was right! Mrs. Zhang knew that Mrs. He had sent her to discuss marriage proposals only as a secondary motive. Her main purpose was to expose Mrs. Li¡¯s intention of using the incident to ruin Mrs. He¡¯s reputation. So, Mrs. Zhang wasn¡¯t in a hurry despite the gossip. She waited for everyone to finish speaking before asking Wang Family¡¯s sister-in-law to arrange Gaosheng¡¯s marriage proposal. When Mrs. Zhao returned home and relayed everything she had heard outside to Mrs. He, she was met with nothing but an eye-roll from her. After decades of strife, didn¡¯t Mrs. He understand Mrs. Li¡¯s character? Otherwise, why would she bother faking illness? Even the actions of Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Zhang after leaving the house couldn¡¯t escape Mrs. He¡¯s speculation. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.?¦Ï Despite not leaving the house herself, Mrs. He was certain that, thanks to Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Zhao¡¯s trips outside, there was definitely no one in the village who would dare say she was the one being wronged. After all, it was true that every household was having a rough time, and Mrs. Li¡¯s stupidity had indeed made her so angry that she¡¯d ended up lying on the kang. Mrs. He was also pleased with the admiration she received from Ye Jiu. No sooner had Mrs. Zhao left than Ye Jiu looked at Mrs. He with a beaming smile, ¡°Mother, you really are clairvoyant, knowing exactly how Mrs. Li would behave after she went out.¡± Mrs. He had already explained the situation to Ye Jiu while they were alone, including her predictions of how Mrs. Li would act after leaving the house, and everything was spot-on. The admiration in Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes made Mrs. He incredibly proud. ¡°Of course, didn¡¯t she see that back in the day, Mrs. Li, even with a good hand, was outplayed by me? Not to mention now when she¡¯s faded and without any backing!¡± Ye Jiu, holding Mrs. He¡¯s hand, didn¡¯t respond; however, this made Mrs. He feel a bit uneasy. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy all my life, but now it feels somewhat strange to lie down on the kang.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good for you to put your mind at ease and rest up, mother,¡± Ye Jiu consoled her. ¡°Your father is heartless too,¡± complained Mrs. He. ¡°After losing the argument to me, he just ran off, and now he¡¯s nowhere to be seen.¡± Mrs. He wasn¡¯t worried that Old Man Ye had gone to help Mrs. Li with her chores. Perhaps in the past, he might have been swayed by Mrs. Li¡¯s pitiful act, but now, it simply wasn¡¯t possible. After all, when Mrs. He herself had been at her lowest, his mother and Mrs. Li had made sure he kept out of it. Now that the tables had turned, if he dared to assist Mrs. Li, Mrs. He could make sure that no one in the Ye Family would have a day of peace. Chapter 73 - Chapter 73: The Truth About 73 Men Marrying into a Family Chapter 73: The Truth About 73 Men Marrying into a Family Ye Gaosheng returned home in the mid-afternoon, already so cold that he stomped his feet as soon as he entered the house. He handed his things to Ye Jiu and rushed back to his own room. Ye Jiu watched after him, annoyed at the sight of his shoes already soaked through. It was all her own fault for being so focused on trying to make money that she had neglected the icy, snowy weather. Her fourth brother was wearing cloth shoes, and the snow on the road hadn¡¯t melted. After walking for several hours, wouldn¡¯t his cotton shoes be completely soaked, his feet nearly frozen? The bone broth in the kitchen had already been simmering and was flavorful. Mrs. Zhang was tending to the fire. Ye Jiu placed the items Ye Gaosheng had brought back, including the carrying basket, behind the door of the main house when no one was around, then entered the kitchen and said, ¡°Sister-in-law, Fourth Brother is almost frozen solid after coming back from town. Could you help make a bowl of noodles to warm his stomach?¡± Ye Jiu could make noodles in her previous life, but her current body was still small and lacked the strength. She could handle cooking noodles, but rolling them out herself was an impossible feat. Mrs. Zhang wasn¡¯t usually so conscientious, but at this moment, she hesitated. ¡°Little sister, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to make it, but all the flour is locked in the cupboard!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay if you¡¯re willing to make it. I¡¯ll take care of getting it from mother,¡± Ye Jiu said with a smile. ¡°Alright, as long as we have the ingredients, rolling out some noodles doesn¡¯t take much effort,¡± Mrs. Zhang stirred the pot of rich bone broth as she spoke. Ye Jiu went back to the main room and said to Mrs. He, who was idly lying on the kang bed with her eyes open, ¡°Mother, it¡¯s all my oversight that Fourth Brother has been so cold. Give me the key to the cupboard, and I¡¯ll have Sister-in-law make him a bowl of noodles to warm his stomach.¡± ¡°Why make noodles now when it¡¯s not even mealtime? There are still some leftover steamed buns from this morning. Just have your sister-in-law heat up a couple for him,¡± Mrs. He spoke with a pained expression. ¡°He¡¯s already a grown man about to get married, not so precious. We only have so much wheat flour left, and that stuff doesn¡¯t last. We¡¯re saving it for making dumplings during the New Year.¡± Fortunately, it was Ye Jiu who had come with this request. Had it been someone else, they would have already received a torrent of scolding. Ye Jiu felt embarrassed. How cold-hearted Fourth Brother would feel if he heard this! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0 In other families, sons were the treasured ones. Even if daughters were loved, they were never considered more important than sons. After all, sons were essential for continuing the family line and providing for old age. Yet Mrs. He treasured her daughters like jewels and treated her sons like grass. It was a mystery whether some past trauma had caused this. Everyone thought Third Brother had willingly married into his wife¡¯s family because he despised poverty at home, but Ye Jiu knew that before marrying in, Third Brother had come back to secretly ask for their mother¡¯s opinion. At that time, she had said, ¡°We¡¯re poor and can¡¯t give you a good future, so since the Yan Family values you, go ahead.¡± Then, Third Brother left in anger. He came back because he felt that their mother did not love him and deliberately said such things to test his standing in her heart. However, he hadn¡¯t expected her to respond the way she did, prompting him, in a fit of rage, to become a live-in son-in-law in the town for the Yan Family. Perhaps she was too young at that time, and with her health not fully recovered, she spent her days as if in a daze, which is why they didn¡¯t avoid talking in front of Ye Jiu. Third Brother came back once, and perhaps treated her like an emotional dumping ground before he left. It wasn¡¯t easy being a live-in son-in-law, and Third Brother regretted his hasty decision. However, the deed was done, and it wasn¡¯t something he could simply take back. Chapter 74 - Chapter 74: 74 wants to eat a bowl of plain noodles. Chapter 74: 74 wants to eat a bowl of plain noodles. Madam He may not be very good to her sons, but she has never wronged Ye Jiu, so Ye Jiu is the least qualified person to criticize her. The only thing Ye Jiu could do was to try to maintain the affection between her mother and brothers, making sure it never reached a point of rupture. ¡°Mother, Fourth Brother got frostbitten because of me, can you really bear to see me distressed?¡± Ye Jiu cooed while thinking this. Worn down by Ye Jiu¡¯s persistence, Madam He had no choice but to give in under her daughter¡¯s cajoling, ¡°Alright, alright, it¡¯s just that you, girl, are too soft-hearted. When you were still unmarried, it was fine since mother was here to protect you, and no one dared to bully you, but what will you do once you¡¯re married to a husband¡¯s family, eh? With this temperament of yours, won¡¯t you be devoured to the point where not even bones are left!¡± ¡°Mother, you think too far ahead. Besides, I¡¯m not someone who can be bullied by just anyone; I¡¯m only kind to those who are good to me,¡± Ye Jiu said. Moreover, Ye Jiu wasn¡¯t planning on getting married in the future. Now, her only goal was to make a lot of money. In her previous life, her father¡¯s preference for sons over daughters led to the eventual breakdown of the family, and ultimately, Ye Jiu became the unwanted burden her parents disdained. This time, Ye Jiu again became a victim of power, and all of these experiences made her feel that relying on oneself is better than depending on anyone else. She needed money, lots and lots of money, to at least have the capital to not be the one abandoned anymore. With her personality, Ye Jiu was destined to be someone who found it very difficult to trust others, And in this world, even slightly capable men had multiple wives and concubines, appearing as if they hated not being able to gather all women into their arms. Such men, regardless of what achievements Ye Jiu might have in the future, even if she remained a simple farm girl for life, she would not choose to marry this type of man. Even an average farmer, who bows and scrapes to others outside, would come home and lord over his family with arrogance. Such a marriage held no desire for Ye Jiu. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï And how difficult is it to find a man who is truly devoted in this world? So, it¡¯s better to live alone. With the Plane Space at her disposal, once she made money, she could do whatever she wanted. Why would she foolishly impose such a shackle upon herself! These thoughts, however, were only kept in Ye Jiu¡¯s mind, and she wouldn¡¯t speak of them to Madam He now, as mentioning a future without marriage could either scare her or certainly cause her to worry. In the past, Madam He herself had suffered much from her own marriage, and she knew it all too well. She would definitely not let Ye Jiu end up like a spinster as she had. Ye Jiu successfully obtained the key to the cupboard from Madam He, and as she left, Madam He instructed Ye Jiu to have Zhang prepare more noodles, arguing that since Fourth Brother was already eating noodles, adding one more bowl for her daughter wouldn¡¯t matter. As for the others, being well-fed and watered was already a blessing; naturally, they weren¡¯t fortunate enough to afford white noodles. Ye Jiu then returned to the kitchen and opened the cupboard. Inside the cupboard, there were several cloth bags, one of which was a large one containing white flour, while the other smaller bags contained various grains and dried vegetables grown locally. Seeing there was still quite a bit of white flour in the bags and smelling the delicious scent of bones cooking in the pot, an idea suddenly came to Ye Jiu¡¯s mind. When Ye Jiu returned to the main house, she lay on the kang bed with a pleasing look at Madam He, inciting a pang of unease in Madam He¡¯s heart. Madam He asked, ¡°Have you taken enough flour? Did you lock the cupboard?¡± Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: 75 Pig Lard Got Rich Chapter 75: 75 Pig Lard Got Rich ¡°It¡¯s locked,¡± said Ye Jiu. ¡°Good,¡± Mrs. He took the key back and put it away, ¡°Your second sister-in-law has been completely spoiled by her family. If the cabinet isn¡¯t locked tightly, that flour might end up on the Zhao Family¡¯s dinner table by tomorrow.¡± Ye Jiu didn¡¯t comment but just grinned at Mrs. He, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s been such a long time since our family has had a decent meal.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we have bone soup today? Just wait, we¡¯ll stew some Chinese cabbage and radishes with it later. Don¡¯t eat your teeth along with it,¡± Mrs. He joked. Ye Jiu looked straight at Mrs. He, ¡°I told my eldest sister-in-law that the whole family would be eating white flour noodles tonight.¡± Mrs. He paused and turned around, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Oh my white flour!¡± Realizing what that meant, Mrs. He wailed and turned to head outside. ¡°Mom, the flour has already been kneaded into dough, and besides, aren¡¯t you still sick?¡± Ye Jiu grabbed her, her voice growing weaker as she spoke. Coming back to her senses, Mrs. He plopped down on the kang bed, ¡°You girl, what am I to do with you!¡± She herself was reluctant to eat that white flour on a regular basis, and now it looked like all of it was going to be completely wasted. Ye Jiu comforted Mrs. He, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s just some white flour, after all. You¡¯re distressed over this, but what about when our family can afford meat and fish in the future? Won¡¯t you be even more heartbroken then?¡± ¡°I dare not dream of meat and fish. If I can have a full meal, I¡¯m already content as an old lady!¡± Mrs. He said, holding back her sorrow. In her whole life, it was only when she was a maiden, before her brothers had taken wives, and in the recent years after her mother-in-law passed away, that life had gotten a little better. A life with plenty of meat and fish was something she hadn¡¯t even dared to dream of! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?? Ye Jiu got up and walked to the door, then brought over the basket hidden behind it and placed it in front of Mrs. He, ¡°Mom, what do you think this is?¡± Mrs. He fumbled inside the cover, and then revealed the half-basketful of lard hidden beneath the hay. Mrs. He was so shocked that she nearly lost her breath, covering her chest and unable to recover for a long time. Ye Jiu was terrified and quickly helped her to breathe smoothly, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t get too excited. Please, don¡¯t get too excited. Let¡¯s stay calm!¡± If it had been someone else, Mrs. He would have been dying to kick them, but it was Ye Jiu. Even though she also felt the pinch, she couldn¡¯t bear to scold her daughter and could only complain, ¡°You girl, you just can¡¯t keep your hands off money. I didn¡¯t take all the money back yesterday because I wanted to leave some for your personal expenses, but I didn¡¯t expect you to squander it like this! Tell me, what¡¯s the point of buying so much pig lard? Even if it¡¯s for making oil, one piece would be enough. How many years will it take for our family to eat all the oil you¡¯ve rendered?¡± ¡°Mom, this isn¡¯t for our family to eat,¡± Ye Jiu said as she covered the basket again with hay and placed it to the side. ¡°This is for making money. Whether we can live a good life soon and whether you can become a wealthy old lady in the future all depends on this.¡± Mrs. He¡¯s gaze was fixed on the lard, she didn¡¯t even notice the small packet of lye. Hearing Ye Jiu¡¯s words, she replied indignantly, ¡°Well then, I will be watching closely to see how you use this half-basketful of lard to make a fortune!¡± Thinking about becoming a rich old lady, Mrs. He felt like she was nearly knocking at heaven¡¯s door. Faced with such a wasteful daughter, whom she had spoiled herself, what could she do? Ye Jiu did not bother explaining; she knew that once she had created the items, Mrs. He would understand on her own. Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: 76 rarely loses his temper Chapter 76: 76 rarely loses his temper Throughout mealtime, Mistress He was listless and unable to summon any energy, and with her feigned illness earlier today, it suddenly made everyone in the Ye Family wonder if they had been wrong, perhaps Mistress He was truly ill? Otherwise, how could Mistress He, who is always so energetic that not even the sky falling down could crush her spirit, suddenly become so lethargic? Even when the big pot of bone broth with white noodles was served, Mistress He¡¯s face only darkened by two shades, but she unusually refrained from losing her temper and cursing people. Everyone was eating, only Mistress He was glaring at the pot of noodles with a gloomy face, but whether adults or children, they were all hooked by the aroma of the bone broth noodles to the point of forgetting even to glance at Mistress He¡¯s expression. After the meal finally ended and everyone dispersed, Old Man Ye approached Mistress He in alarm and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, old woman? You really look quite ill. Should I have Wenqing hurry to fetch the doctor tonight to take a look at you? Otherwise, if we wait until tomorrow and something happens, that wouldn¡¯t be good.¡± Mistress He glared at him, ¡°How would that not be good? It seems like you¡¯re just waiting for me to die. If I died, wouldn¡¯t Madam Li still be waiting there?¡± Old Man Ye¡¯s face darkened, ¡°You, old woman, have been contrary all day, can¡¯t you just speak nicely for once?¡± ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t be like some people¡ªsweet talkers with knives in their belly,¡± Mistress He spat out each word with a sting. Ye Jiu remained silent, watching the old couple bicker back and forth. Considering Mistress He was not at a disadvantage, he thought it was fine to let her vent and get a few things off her chest rather than bottle up and harm herself. In the darkness of the night below the distant hillside, Madam Li carried a bundle of twigs, staggering along. From the shadows, another figure emerged, forcibly snatching the firewood from Madam Li¡¯s back and being affectionate for a while, regardless of Madam Li¡¯s fear and refusal to let go. Watching that figure, tears suddenly streamed down Madam Li¡¯s face! She didn¡¯t know if all she had endured over the years was worth it. In the icy snow, before Zhang could even lie down, she was called by Ye Jiu, ¡°Sister-in-law, are you asleep?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Not yet, Little Sister, is mother not feeling well?¡± Zhang opened the door. ¡°Mother is fine, I wanted to ask for Sister-in-law¡¯s help,¡± Ye Jiu said. ¡°We¡¯re all family, just speak your mind, Little Sister, no need for any of this ¡®help¡¯ business!¡± Zhang laughed. ¡°Follow me to the kitchen,¡± Ye Jiu said and headed to the kitchen. Arriving at the kitchen, Ye Jiu removed the layer of straw on top of the basket and said, ¡°Sister-in-law, these strips of pork fat were bought by Fourth Brother today. Can you help me render the fat from them?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Zhang was first shocked by the quantity of the items, then she hesitated. Seeing her concern, Ye Jiu reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sister-in-law, Mother knows about this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Zhang felt reassured. Mistress He was unaware of these items; truly, she wouldn¡¯t dare to touch them. Zhang was quick and efficient, and with Ye Jiu¡¯s help in heating water, she promptly washed the pork fat with hot water, then chopped it into small pieces and began to fry them lightly. As the pot produced more and more oil, the aroma became stronger and stronger. Fortunately, everyone had already gone to bed, otherwise the kitchen would probably have been barricaded by the children by now. As time ticked by, the rendered lard was stored in jars, filling up three large ones to the brim. Just as the last pot was about to be done, six-year-old Ye Qingzhi suddenly appeared at the door, her large round eyes filled with longing as she looked at Ye Jiu and Zhang. Chapter 77 - Chapter 77: Some people have plenty to eat but still dont stop talking. Chapter 77: Some people have plenty to eat but still don¡¯t stop talking. Ye Jiu¡¯s heart softened for a moment, and he asked sweetly, ¡°Qingzhi hasn¡¯t gone to bed yet?¡± ¡°Got up to go to the privy,¡± Ye Qingzhi responded dully, and then licked her lips, adding, ¡°It smells good.¡± Ye Jiu smiled, reached into the basin and took a piece of fried meat dregs and stuffed it directly into Ye Qingzhi¡¯s mouth, ¡°Does it smell even better now?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Ye Qingzhi nodded as she chewed on the meat dregs, her eyes glimmering. Zhao¡¯s family favored boys over girls, so Ye Qingzhi was thoroughly neglected in the second house. A child of only six, she was occasionally subjected to a barrage of scolding, a truly pitiable little girl. Ye Jiu thought to himself and took out three bowls, then filled each bowl with half a bowl of meat dregs. He brought a bowl to Ye Qingzhi and said, ¡°Qingzhi, take this back to your mother and your little brother to eat, then come back here. Your auntie will leave some for you in the kitchen, so you can sit there and eat.¡± Ye Qingzhi nodded busily and carefully carried the bowl outside. Ye Jiu handed another bowl to Mrs. Zhang, ¡°Thank you for your trouble earlier, big sister-in-law. You take this back for Qinghua and Wenhao to eat.¡± ¡°This¡­ What about mother¡­¡± Mrs. Zhang hesitated to accept. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, big sister-in-law. I¡¯ll speak to mother; nothing will happen,¡± Ye Jiu said as he placed the bowl directly into Mrs. Zhang¡¯s hands. Then, Ye Jiu carried the other half bowl of meat dregs and went outside. Near the doorway, he heard Mrs. Zhang say, ¡°Little sister, you should rest soon, too. I can clean up the kitchen later.¡± ¡°No need, big sister-in-law. I¡¯ll need the kitchen later, so don¡¯t bother with it now,¡± Ye Jiu said, pausing his departure. ¡°What else do you have to do, little sister? Just tell me, and I¡¯ll do it,¡± Mrs. Zhang said. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï ¡°It¡¯s just a small thing, no need for big sister-in-law. You¡¯d better go back now,¡± Ye Jiu replied. What he planned to do later might seem excessive to others. If Mrs. Zhang stayed, even if Ye Jiu could explain, Mrs. Zhang would certainly not accept his wasteful experiments; that¡¯s why Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t let her stay. Old Man Ye and his wife went to bed early and were already deep in their dreams by this time. Ye Jiu brought the meat dregs to Ye Gaosheng, handing them to him and to Ye Wenqing and Ye Wenyu, who lived with him, ¡°These are the meat dregs big sister-in-law helped to fry just now. Eat them quickly.¡± ¡°Thank you, Auntie,¡± Ye Wenqing and Ye Wenyu said in unison. Ye Gaosheng had just pinched a piece and put it in his mouth, chewing with enjoyment, when he heard Ye Jiu say, ¡°Fourth brother, can you come out for a moment? I need your help with something.¡± ¡°Wait a bit, let me eat a few bites first,¡± Ye Gaosheng replied reluctantly. Ye Jiu pulled him along, ¡°There¡¯s more in the kitchen, so don¡¯t fight over it with them.¡± Ye Gaosheng then followed Ye Jiu out. Inside, Ye Wenyu ate while wondering, ¡°What¡¯s going on in the middle of the night? Auntie just had Big Aunt help fry meat dregs, and now she¡¯s pulling Uncle out again. What is she doing?¡± Ye Wenqing¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment, ¡°Even with something to eat, you can¡¯t keep your mouth shut. Auntie is more capable than us; she must have her own reasons.¡± Although the incident with selling medicine had been explained by Ye Jiu, Ye Wenqing still felt something was amiss but couldn¡¯t articulate what was wrong. But he had an intuition that his little aunt was not an average, simple little girl. Though only ten years old, in speech and action, she was more mature than him, even though he was thirteen. Perhaps heaven is fair after all. Having been foolish for so many years, heaven must have wanted to compensate her, making her extraordinary. Chapter 78 - Chapter 78: Busy until midnight at 78 Chapter 78: Busy until midnight at 78 When Ye Jiu brought Ye Gaosheng back to the kitchen, Ye Qingzhi was already standing there waiting, but she looked somewhat at a loss in the empty kitchen. It was not until she saw Ye Jiu return that her round eyes widened with eager anticipation. Ye Jiu took a bowl, scooped out half a bowl of oil residue from the basin, and placed it on the chopping board, saying, ¡°Qingzhi, just sit here and eat.¡± Turning around, Ye Jiu saw that Ye Gaosheng had already begun to pinch and eat directly from the basin. Ye Jiu glared at Ye Gaosheng with annoyance and said, ¡°Fourth brother, don¡¯t just think about eating, hurry up and start the fire underneath, but don¡¯t make it too fierce, a small fire will suffice.¡± As he spoke, Ye Jiu used a spoon to ladle the oil from the pan, leaving only about a bowl¡¯s quantity inside. Then, Ye Jiu prepared an appropriate amount of water and caustic soda for later use. The fire under the pot slowly started, and Ye Jiu proceeded step by step based on the memory of the procedure in his mind. After all, having never done it before and lacking a scale at home, there might have been issues with the quantity of materials or the heat control¡ªhence several obvious failures that did not even require a wait for the soapification to see. Fortunately, the materials didn¡¯t need to be wasted, and the failed attempts could be used continuously to adjust and make preparations. Ye Gaosheng, watching Ye Jiu fiddle with these things, did not understand and asked, ¡°Little sister, isn¡¯t this squandering? You¡¯re adding water and caustic soda to the good lard, can we still eat this?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t for you to eat, it¡¯s something I¡¯m going to use to make money. If you don¡¯t understand, don¡¯t spout nonsense. Do whatever I tell you to do, that¡¯s it,¡± Ye Jiu replied. Ye Gaosheng touched his nose, ¡°I could believe you if you said selling oil could make money, but the way you¡¯re messing with it, you¡¯ve wasted the lard. It¡¯s not edible, so how are you going to make any money?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said not to talk nonsense if you don¡¯t understand,¡± Ye Jiu said with a smile. ¡°Fourth brother, our family only has these few rooms. Haven¡¯t you ever thought about where you¡¯ll live after you get married? You can¡¯t still live with two teenage nephews.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï Ye Gaosheng fell silent. He was aware that there weren¡¯t enough rooms in their home, and even the silver he would use for his wedding would come from his younger sister. As for the matter of housing post-marriage, he hadn¡¯t given it any thought¡ªmore importantly, he didn¡¯t dare to think about it. His mother had already said that using ten taels of silver from his little sister for his wedding was generosity enough. Taking more of his sister¡¯s money to build a house was something he was too ashamed to even bring up. He was a man. Before marriage, he could manage by any means necessary¡ªas long as he had a bed cover, he could live in a rough shelter with no issue. But once married, it wouldn¡¯t be just about him. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to suggest that his wife live with him under the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed. Seeing the troubled expression on his face, Ye Jiu smiled and said, ¡°Fourth brother, as long as you listen to me, I can¡¯t promise other things, but earning enough to pay for a room before you get married is well within our reach.¡± Although Ye Jiu¡¯s ambitions were far greater, he knew that mere words held no value until the accomplishments were realized, so it was better to speak with facts in the future. ¡°Little sister, are you serious?¡± Ye Gaosheng¡¯s eyes lit up. Ye Jiu did not want to entertain his foolishness any longer, saying, ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or not, we have to try it out. Just focus on tending the fire.¡± Ye Gaosheng chuckled ¡°heh heh¡± a couple of times. At first, Ye Qingzhi was enjoying her tasty food while listening to their conversation, but as she grew sleepy, Ye Jiu told her to go back to sleep, while he and Ye Gaosheng stayed busy until midnight. Chapter 79 - Chapter 79: Do whatever 79 tells you to do. Chapter 79: Do whatever 79 tells you to do. When Ye Jiu announced that they could finally stop stoking the fire, five bowls were neatly arranged on the stove, each brimming with contents. Although the bowls contained the same liquid in different proportions and formulations, it was still uncertain whether they would successfully saponify. The real test would be after the liquid solidified. For now, all they could do was to honestly go back to sleep and wait to assess the results tomorrow. ¡°Gaosheng, go grab a stool and place it outside the main house¡¯s window. We¡¯ll carry the bowls outside. The colder weather should help them solidify faster,¡± Ye Jiu instructed. ¡°Okay.¡± After being busy for most of the night, Gaosheng didn¡¯t mind doing this extra step and obediently followed Ye Jiu¡¯s instructions. By the time Ye Jiu finally lay down on the kang bed, his arms felt like they no longer belonged to him. Although the work wasn¡¯t heavy, it had been incessant, especially straining on his arms, leaving them sore and heavy. Lying on the kang, Ye Jiu soon fell into a deep sleep. At dawn, he skipped breakfast and slept straight through to the middle of the day before getting up. But one couldn¡¯t really blame him for being lazy; he had simply gone to bed too late the night before. As soon as Ye Jiu got up, he hurried to the window to check on the outcome of the previous night¡¯s work. The soap liquid in all five bowls had solidified. Gaosheng had participated in making the soap the previous night, so as soon as he saw Ye Jiu peering at the bowls, he crowded in, ¡°Jiujiu, how is it? Did the thing you wanted to make turn out successful?¡± All of the soap in the bowls had turned a milky white, even whiter than solidified lard, but the saponified lard solid had none of the greasy appearance. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã? Ye Jiu reached out and gently touched it. Although the soap liquid had solidified, it was still somewhat soft. He estimated that it would need another couple of days to dry out completely before it took shape. The five bowls of soap each had different amounts of ingredients. While they all appeared successful at first glance, upon closer inspection, there was one that seemed best, both in terms of color and appearance. Ye Jiu made a mental note of the recipe for that particular bowl of soap, planning to use this specific formulation for future soap-making. Ye Jiu scooped out a little bit of soap from the bowl and divided it in half, giving some to Gaosheng, ¡°Gaosheng, wash your hands with this and see how it feels.¡± In the kitchen, water was being heated for mixing pig feed. Gaosheng took some with his other hand, poured it into a wooden tub at the door, mixed it with cold water to even out the temperature, and then followed Ye Jiu¡¯s example to wash his hands. Soap lathered more easily with warm water, and after washing, his hands were squeaky clean and felt refreshing. Gaosheng became excited, ¡°Jiujiu, this stuff is really good! You¡¯re so clever, turning lard into something for washing hands.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Though it was no grand achievement, Ye Jiu still felt proud when praised. Gaosheng remembered how Ye Jiu had sold some medicine for a hundred taels of silver and marveled at how clever and capable his little sister was, no wonder their mother treasured her so much every day. ¡°Jiujiu, with the world outside so icy and snow-covered, you shouldn¡¯t go out. In a bit, Gaosheng will take this stuff and it will surely sell in town,¡± Gaosheng said eagerly. ¡°No rush,¡± Ye Jiu looked at Gaosheng. ¡°This soap is still a bit soft. It needs to be left here to air-dry for a couple more days until it hardens, and besides, this is just a preliminary experiment. The product has no shape; if we take it out like this, wouldn¡¯t we be devaluing it?¡± ¡°So what do you suggest we do? I¡¯ll do whatever you say, Jiujiu. From now on, just tell Gaosheng what to do and I¡¯ll do it,¡± Ye Gaosheng was now completely and blindly admiring Ye Jiu. Chapter 80 - Chapter 80: Dont let it out Chapter 80: Don¡¯t let it out ¡°We need to find something smooth and of an attractive shape to make a mold out of. If we make the soap oval-shaped and flower-shaped, it¡¯ll look pleasing to the eye, right?¡± Ye Jiu stroked his chin thoughtfully before adding, ¡°And we should carve some wooden boxes to store the finished soap in. It¡¯s only when they look nice that they will be able to move upmarket and catch the eye of the wealthy. Otherwise, with these homely shapes, we could at most sell them for a few coins to farmers like our family. Then we wouldn¡¯t even make back our initial investment!¡± Ye Gaosheng wanted to say that even selling the soap for a few coins apiece would still be profitable. But on second thought, his little sister¡¯s idea made more sense. Making it more aesthetically appealing could fetch a higher price, and who wouldn¡¯t want to do something that could earn money without much extra effort? Especially since their family¡¯s finances were still tight. Thinking about it, Ye Gaosheng couldn¡¯t wait to get started. ¡°Little sister, for the mold you mentioned, I think we could just use stone. We have plenty of that on the mountain, although working it would take some effort. We have chisels and hammers at home, so I can handle that myself. As for the wooden boxes, we¡¯d need someone with carpentry skills for that.¡± Ye Gaosheng instantly had an idea. ¡°Alright, then you should get on with it quickly, brother. The sooner we make the soap, the sooner we might turn a profit, maybe even before the New Year. And as for the wooden boxes, I¡¯ll go ask Dad later if he knows anyone skilled in carpentry,¡± Ye Jiu said. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call Wenqing and Wenyu to help,¡± Ye Gaosheng said, turning to fetch them. ¡°Hey, big brother,¡± Ye Jiu called out to Ye Gaosheng before adding, ¡°Just find a flatter stone and chisel an oval half the size of a palm on it. Also, let¡¯s keep the soap business under wraps until we¡¯re fully ready to launch it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell a soul,¡± Ye Gaosheng agreed, knowing the value of keeping a money-making secret. Especially since they had a sister-in-law in Zhao Shi who was particularly keen on prying into their maternal family¡¯s affairs, neither Ye Gaosheng nor Ye Jiu wanted to stir up trouble. Ye Gaosheng and the two helpers quickly returned, carrying a large stone slab with them. Then, in full view of the entire household, the three of them began the task of carving the stone slab. Back in the main house, just as Ye Jiu got home and thought of resting a moment, he saw Zhao Shi following close behind. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï The moment Zhao Shi entered, she began to scold, ¡°Mother, our family is so poor all the time. Does all the poverty only target our first and second households?¡± Mrs. He¡¯s face immediately darkened, and without even pretending to be sick, she retorted, ¡°Zhao Shi, to raise your voice and be disrespectful right in front of me, have you no sense of decorum?¡± Zhao Shi shuddered, her voice becoming weaker, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, though. Isn¡¯t it because your favoritism has left us barely satiated day by day? But look at the little sister, she always gets the best food and supplies, and that¡¯s tolerable, but now she¡¯s being wasteful too. She¡¯s bought jars of lard and added stuff to them and put them outside, off-limits to everyone. Wastefulness should have its limits, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± Ye Jiu then realized that the issue was really directed at her. The news about her earning a hundred silver taels had already been announced by Mrs. He, and Zhao Shi knew this. But now Zhao Shi was bothered simply because Ye Jiu had been preparing something. No matter what Zhao Shi was thinking, Ye Jiu was feeling uneasy. ¡°Sister-in-law,¡± Ye Jiu said sternly, ¡°When Qingzhi brought you the leftover oil residue last night, I didn¡¯t hear a single word of refusal from you.¡± Chapter 81 - Chapter 81: 81 got into trouble and escaped Chapter 81: 81 got into trouble and escaped Zhao¡¯s eyes flickered, and she quickly had a strategy in mind, ¡°All the oil is from our own home, and I wasn¡¯t the only one who ate the residue. Others could eat it, so why can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, sister-in-law,¡± Ye Jiu retorted. ¡°The money I used to buy the oil came from the hundred taels of silver I earned the day before yesterday. It cost less than two taels of silver. Moreover, I did this because I saw that our family was struggling, so I wanted to help find a way to make some money. Are you really starting to have complaints over such a small amount?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone look for a way to make a living by wasting resources,¡± Zhao replied with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Also, the younger sister says the silver is your own earnings, but have you ever thought about it? You¡¯ve been frail since you were little, growing up like a medicine jar¡ªwhere do you think the money for your food and necessities came from? Isn¡¯t it earned by your brother and sister-in-law?¡± Slap! Ye Jiu only saw a shoe flying past his face, hitting Zhao squarely on the forehead. Zhao cried out in pain and ran outside in fright. He¡¯s wife climbed off the kang and chased after her, ¡°How dare you, Zhao! I¡¯m still alive, yet you rebel against us? You say my daughter is living off you, consuming your resources, but have you seen what you look like? How much do you earn in a year? The two of us are old but not dead yet. With dozens of acres of land at home, the eldest son¡¯s family, and the fourth son are the main laborers. Do you think you two support this entire family? Without you would all of us starve to death, huh? ¡­ He¡¯s wife was not known for her good temper and often cursed at others, but she rarely laid a hand on her daughters-in-law or grandchildren. She thought since the son was her own, she could discipline him as needed. But the daughters-in-law were born to others, and the grandchildren were born to the daughters-in-law, their misdeeds naturally warranted discipline from their own men and parents. She just needed to keep a firm hold on her own son. Today, though, He¡¯s wife was driven to lay hands on someone, showing how truly angered she was and that Zhao had crossed the line. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°Mom, that¡¯s not what I meant. Please calm down. I was wrong, okay? Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Although He¡¯s wife was not young, she was still quick on her feet. She chased after Zhao, who was pleading for mercy as she ran. As Ye Wenyu, who was chiseling the stone slab, saw his grandmother chasing his mother and about to lay hands on her, he stopped working and hurried over to intervene, ¡°Grandma, mom didn¡¯t mean to upset you. I apologize on her behalf. Please be careful, and don¡¯t hurt your back.¡± The anger caused by Zhao had not subsided and now, with Ye Wenyu¡¯s comments, it was like stirring up a hornet¡¯s nest, provoking He¡¯s wife to explode, ¡°Well done! Like mother like son¡ª neither of you are good for anything. You¡¯re already cursing me to hurt my back. If I end up bedridden on the kang later, you probably want to toss me into a ditch¡­¡± He¡¯s wife¡¯s words hit Ye Wenyu hard; he stood there, pale and unsure of what to do. He just wanted to say a few words in persuasion; he really didn¡¯t mean to curse his grandma, but he didn¡¯t know how to respond. Taking advantage of the moment Ye Wenyu occupied He¡¯s wife, Zhao had already returned to the room, quickly packed a few clothes, and ran out, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re still angry, and I can¡¯t talk to you right now. I¡¯ll go back to my parent¡¯s house for a couple of days, and when you¡¯ve calmed down, I¡¯ll come back and apologize.¡± As she spoke, Zhao was already far away. She knew she had caused trouble today. She was just complaining a bit in hopes of gaining some benefits, but she didn¡¯t expect He¡¯s wife¡¯s temper to be so fierce, not even giving her a chance to explain before she started hitting. Chapter 82 - Chapter 82: 82 snuck out Chapter 82: 82 snuck out After Madam Zhao had run off, Madam He also put on her shoes. ¡°Let me tell you, stop acting like Madam Zhao, feeling like you¡¯ve been hard done by all the time. We may be old now, but your grandfather worked just as hard as your father did, and I, too, worked tirelessly in both the home and the fields to raise you and your father when I was young. Now that we can still move, you start to complain about your little aunt eating for free? But don¡¯t forget, the dozens of acres of land belong to the two of us old folks. If anyone feels they¡¯ve been treated unfairly, then let them get out and fend for themselves. With so much land under my watch, I¡¯m not afraid of going hungry,¡± Madam He said her piece and then turned around and went back into the house. When Ye Jiu returned to the room, Madam He was already lying on the kang. Although Madam He hadn¡¯t lost the argument, her complexion was still poor, and she was holding in her anger. Ye Jiu said a few words to comfort her, but Madam He claimed she was tired and wanted to sleep, leaving Ye Jiu with no other option but to leave. Outside, Ye Wenyu was still standing in the same spot, and Ye Gaosheng along with Ye Wenqing had also stopped working. Seeing Ye Jiu come out, Ye Gaosheng hurriedly approached, ¡°Little sister, is mother alright? What¡¯s going on with the second sister-in-law?¡± ¡°Mother¡¯s fine, just upset, but she¡¯s already gone to sleep now. Second sister-in-law was saying I was a sickly child before, dependent on my brother and sister-in-law for everything I ate and used, and now here I am causing more trouble for the family,¡± Ye Jiu explained. Immediately, Ye Wenyu¡¯s face turned pale. Right now, while the old Ye couple is still alive and the family has not yet split, any money made by the household is everyone¡¯s, regardless of who earned it. So Ye Jiu, as the Ye Family¡¯s daughter, should not have to endure being scorned by Madam Zhao. Moreover, the elder Ye is not completely infirm yet; he¡¯s still an old hand in the fields, working as hard as any young man come harvest time. And Ye Gaosheng has grown up; in the past two years, he has also become a strong hand on the farm. Together with the eldest brother¡¯s family, there¡¯s no reason for Ye Jiu to be disdained by Madam Zhao. Feeling guilty, Ye Wenyu looked at Ye Jiu. ¡°Little aunt, you know how my mother is¡­ As her nephew, I apologize to you on her behalf and hope you won¡¯t hold it against her,¡± he said. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Having said that, Ye Wenyu chased after Madam Zhao out the door. A moment later, Ye Jiu came to her senses and said to Ye Gaosheng and Ye Wenqing, ¡°Stop gawking and get back to work.¡± They couldn¡¯t let Madam Zhao¡¯s antics delay the work; making money sooner rather than later was the correct approach. The family needed to build a house, and Ye Jiu also wanted to send the younger members of the family to school to learn to read and write after the New Year. Figure it out; everything requires money. Soon, the courtyard of the Ye Family was once again filled with the sound of stone chisels at work. The weather was cold, and the snow on the ground hadn¡¯t melted but had turned to ice instead, so there was no mud on the paths. Madam Zhao¡¯s actions had left Ye Jiu feeling very troubled, but since there was nothing she could do about it, she thought of going out to clear her mind. In past years, Ye Jiu had been unwell; every time she went out, she ended up in a sorry state, so in the end, she simply stopped going out. Since recovering recently, aside from the time spent recuperating, she had been focused on figuring out how to make money and hadn¡¯t even had the time to go out and familiarize herself with the village she now lived in. As for the issue with Madam Zhao, Ye Jiu consoled herself. Efforts were being made to arrange her fourth brother¡¯s marriage, and it seemed it wouldn¡¯t take too much time. At most, they would need to wait until the latter half of the next year. Once her fourth brother was married, the family would likely split up. And her parents would definitely want to live with her and one of her brothers, but considering her eldest and fourth brothers place in the family, no matter the arrangements, they wouldn¡¯t end up living with the second branch. So, all she had to do was endure this period. Chapter 83 - Chapter 83: Go out at 83 Chapter 83: Go out at 83 Ye Jiu had just stepped out of the front door when Mrs. Zhang¡¯s voice came from behind, ¡°Little sister, it¡¯s freezing out there, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going out for a walk, I¡¯ll be back soon, sister-in-law, no need to worry,¡± Ye Jiu said. Mrs. Zhang frowned tightly, ¡°It¡¯s slippery and unsafe outside, let Qinghua go with you, she can watch over you.¡± Helplessly, Ye Jiu said, ¡°Sister-in-law, I¡¯m already ten years old.¡± After Ye Jiu had spoken, she walked out, leaving Mrs. Zhang to ponder and agree with her reasoning. Little sister¡¯s body had fully recovered by now and was not as fragile as before, needing constant care. Being ten years old, she was big enough to wander around the village without causing any trouble. Turning her head, Mrs. Zhang put the matter out of her mind and went on with her own chores. Wangshan Village was neither big nor small, housing around a hundred families, but at this moment, perhaps because the weather was too cold, no one seemed willing to come out, so the village roads were deserted. Ye Jiu huddled inside her thick cotton coat, walking towards the back of the village. Behind the village was a pond, which, in such cold weather, must have been covered with a thick layer of ice. It was said that in winter you could drill a hole in the ice, and the fish underneath would come up on their own, so Ye Jiu wanted to see for herself. She had secretly placed a hammer from her home into her space, thinking if there really were fish under the ice, she wanted to try and catch a couple to bring something extra for her family to eat. If she couldn¡¯t catch any, she thought it would just be a wasted trip; after all, it wasn¡¯t a big effort. The surroundings of the pond were covered with large patches of dry reeds, and Ye Jiu parted them as she walked, quickly making her way through the barriers to the edge of the pond. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? As Ye Jiu had expected, the ice on the pond was indeed very thick. She stood on the ice and kicked it twice with her foot without a sound, then, for safety¡¯s sake, she picked up a large rock beside her and smashed it onto the ice. The impact clearly made the ice surface shake and the stone quickly broke through, falling beneath the ice layer. The hammer she had prepared proved to be of no use, but since the ice had already been broken, all she had to do was stand there and wait. Ye Jiu was still very concerned about her own safety. At this moment, with no one around and the ice just having been struck by the rock, if she walked over and fell in, it might be difficult to find someone to save her, so it was safer to just sit here and wait. Sure enough, before long, two fish leapt out of the water. The fish were not very big, only about half the length of her forearm. Ye Jiu plucked a long reed, stepped forward, used the reed stick to poke the fish closer, then walked back to the shore to continue waiting. The remaining fish were much sneakier, and Ye Jiu waited for a long time but caught nothing. She could see the fish heads crowding around the hole in the ice, but none leaped out again. At that moment, a net would have been handy, Ye Jiu thought. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have one. Fortunately, two fish would suffice to make a soup for a family meal; Ye Jiu was not greedy. She twisted a grass rope, threaded it through the gill of each fish, picked them up, and stood up to go back. When she came in, she had cleared a small path through the reeds, making it much easier to follow the same path back out now. Holding the two fish in her hand, Ye Jiu walked back, feeling quite pleased. Suddenly, there seemed to be a rustling sound ahead, causing Ye Jiu to instantly stop in her tracks. Chapter 84 - Chapter 84: 84 young master, dont be impulsive Chapter 84: 84 young master, don¡¯t be impulsive The reed marsh was dense and thick, perhaps even concealing rabbits within. Following the direction of the sound, Ye Jiu carefully parted the obstructing dry reeds with her hands and moved forward with light steps. However, when she finally broke through the barriers and reached the source of the noise, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest in fright. The thing making the noise wasn¡¯t a rabbit at all, but a large living person! The person was clad in a black robe with golden trim, one hand clutching a blood-drenched chest, half-kneeling amidst the reeds scattered with dead branches. Fresh blood dripped around the knees, and coupled with an almost flawlessly handsome face, there was a sense of desolation and a morbid beauty. Beautiful things are liked by everyone, but the handsome person before her was no angel, but rather a death-dealing demon. So, Ye Jiu immediately thought of turning around and leaving. ¡°Stop there.¡± A weak voice came from behind her, yet it carried an undeniable authority. Ye Jiu involuntarily stopped in her tracks. She truly wanted to ignore the person behind her and run away, but alas, her legs were not quite obedient; they wouldn¡¯t move, and instead shuddered uncontrollably. Ye Jiu sighed heavily, trying to calm herself as much as possible, and looked back with a bitter and pitiable expression, ¡°This¡­ young master, I¡­ I¡¯m just an ordinary kid!¡± So please, can you stop scaring a child? ¡°Come here.¡± Sikong Mo had used Ye Jiu¡¯s ¡°repair liquid¡± and his wounds had originally healed nicely, but he hadn¡¯t expected the assassins to catch up to him and Si Nan while Si Bei was away contacting people. Sikong Mo, having been seriously injured already, was attacked again, and outmatched, he and Si Nan were forced to split up. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï Fortunately, Sikong Mo¡¯s qinggong skills were good, and by pressing on with qinggong, he had evaded his pursuers, hiding for a day and a night, and finally shaking off the assassins so he could rest a while. Now, Sikong Mo had completely run out of strength, and without someone¡¯s help, it was likely he would meet King Yan before the assassins could catch up to him. Ye Jiu, already frightened, trembled even more at Sikong Mo¡¯s command. She turned back to see Sikong Mo frowning deeply and started to estimate her chances of successfully running away. Eyeing the distance between herself and the man, which was several steps, and considering his severe injuries, she thought that if she ran forward, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to catch her. As soon as the idea formed in her mind, Ye Jiu sprang into action, not even caring for the two fish she had just caught. Dropping the fish, she bolted. Yet, as a swooshing sound whizzed by, Ye Jiu instinctively sensed danger. The next moment, a flash of light flew past her ear at the speed of light, severing a strand of her hair which she had brushed up while running, and embedded itself in the ground directly in the path of her attempted escape. Looking at the long sword on the ground, Ye Jiu clutched her neck in shock. By a hair¡¯s breadth, it had been her neck instead of a strand of hair that was almost severed! ¡°Come here, don¡¯t make me say it a second time.¡± Sikong Mo¡¯s voice sounded again, this time with a hint of weakness tinted with a colder edge. Ye Jiu really wanted to say that he had actually already repeated himself, but of course, she didn¡¯t dare. And so, she turned back around, flashing a big, forced smile, ¡°Young master, I have no ill intentions, I just saw you were seriously injured and wanted to go back and get medicine to save you. Impulse is the devil, let¡¯s not be impulsive, please, let¡¯s all stay calm!¡± Chapter 85 - Chapter 85: The Plane Space 85 is too treacherous. Chapter 85: The Plane Space 85 is too treacherous. Sikong Mo looked up, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes, giving Ye Jiu the feeling that he had seen right through her. Walking over slowly, Ye Jiu said with a sense of grievance, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ve come over, isn¡¯t that enough for you!¡± Damn it, if she kept watching, she would start to suspect that this man wanted to kill her to silence her. Ye Jiu approached, stopping about two steps in front of Sikong Mo. She remembered that this lord didn¡¯t seem to like her getting too close. ¡°I¡¯m here, may I know what the young master would like to command?¡± Ye Jiu asked, struggling to keep her teeth from chattering. Sikong Mo was still clutching his wound with one hand and with the other, he pulled off a Jade Pendant from his waist and handed it to Ye Jiu, ¡°Save me, and this is yours. Otherwise, if I die, the people from the nearby villages will all be implicated.¡± Having said these words, Sikong Mo had exhausted all his strength. After finishing his sentence, he could no longer keep himself upright and collapsed onto the ground. Yet, his words made Ye Jiu¡¯s heart skip a beat. She had realized last time that his identity was not simple, but she had not expected his life and death to be tied to the fate of thousands of people. Being one of the villagers herself, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t remain indifferent. Stepping forward to make sure this person had truly fainted, Ye Jiu didn¡¯t hold back any longer. She intended to rip the fabric open to treat the wound, but the quality of his clothing was too good, she couldn¡¯t tear it, so she gave up and dutifully removed his clothes. Sikong Mo was tall and had a good figure, but Ye Jiu had no time to appreciate it. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0 For at this moment, the obvious gaping hole in his chest was still bleeding, not only was his face pale, but his entire skin also conveyed a deathly white pallor. She estimated that with the blood flowing for just a short while longer, even a deity might not be able to save him. Ye Jiu didn¡¯t dare delay and applied the repair liquid to his wound. As the bleeding stopped, she faced a dilemma. Though the medicine had been used, in this icy and snowy environment, if she were to leave, leaving such an injured person here, he would probably freeze into an ice block overnight. But if she didn¡¯t leave him here, what should she do then? Thinking it over, Ye Jiu nudged Sikong Mo¡¯s shoulder and called out cautiously, ¡°Young master¡­ Young master¡­¡± Seeing that Sikong Mo showed no reaction at all, Ye Jiu immediately stood up and kicked him in the buttocks without any courtesy, ¡°That¡¯s for scaring me, you asshole!¡± Ye Jiu held her chin, pondering how to move this person and where to take him, but she didn¡¯t notice that, after she had kicked Sikong Mo twice, his already furrowed brows knitted even tighter. After a long thought, Ye Jiu felt that saving someone was a big project, and it was a project she really couldn¡¯t complete on her own. In the end, Ye Jiu came up with a good idea, which was to put the person into the Plane Space and take him away. This person was injured all over, and should enemies catch up to him while he remained here, the nearby villages might really not be spared. Ye Jiu prepared in advance, tearing off a piece of cloth from her own body to blindfold Sikong Mo¡¯s eyes and used another strip of cloth to tie his hands. Only then did she feel reassured enough to store him in the Plane Space. Afterward, Ye Jiu stomped her foot in anger. This Plane Space was too biased. As the owner, she could only control it with her consciousness and couldn¡¯t enter the Plane Space physically, yet outsiders could actually enter, which was just too unfair! Chapter 86 - Chapter 86: 86th prince, are you still alive? Chapter 86: 86th prince, are you still alive? The person was stowed away, and Ye Jiu picked up the fish she had just discarded, then walked ahead to pull her sword from the ground and sheathed it before departing. There were many people in the Ye Family, so it was definitely not possible for Ye Jiu to bring the person home. Fortunately, she knew there was a small cabin halfway up the mountain behind her house, built as a resting spot by hunters in the area. Now, with the freezing weather and snow, there likely weren¡¯t many hunters venturing up the mountain, so it was the perfect place for her to bring the injured person to recuperate. Ye Jiu hurried along, running and walking, and soon reached the cabin on the mountain. She released the person onto the wooden bed inside with a sense of relief. Fortunately, Sikong Mo was still unconscious, allowing Ye Jiu to breathe a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that the person had not woken up yet, or else the exposure of the outside space would have spelled disaster. Ye Jiu carefully removed the cloth covering his eyes and untied his hands, then patted his cheeks, asking, ¡°Young master, are you still alive¡­¡± Time passed, and there was not the slightest movement from the person on the wooden bed. Ye Jiu, out of options, had to sink her consciousness into the Dimensional Space and call for help from La Sike, ¡°La Sike, are you there?¡± Soon, La Sike responded, ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Without delay, Ye Jiu sent over two peaches, ¡°I have someone here who is seriously injured, I need some medicine for treating wounds, can you get some for me?¡± La Sike: ¡°Wait a moment.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before La Sike sent over some items, ¡°This is our family¡¯s spare medical kit and some medicines, they might be able to help you.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?? ¡°Thank you.¡± Ye Jiu immediately clicked open the package to see an aluminium box. She dared not delay, opened the box to inspect the contents¡ªsimple medical tools, as well as some bottled and jarred medicines, which were labeled with dosages and instructions. Inside the box was something called a body scanner, and following the instructions, Ye Jiu used the body scanner on Sikong Mo¡¯s body. Quickly, the scanner displayed which medicines should be used on Sikong Mo. Following the corresponding methods, Ye Jiu applied all the necessary medicines to his wounds and bandaged them up, then asked La Sike for a cup of water and poured all the pills he needed to take down his throat. Fortunately, there was no embarrassing situation where she needed to feed the medicine mouth-to-mouth, so everything went very smoothly for her. Once everything was taken care of, Ye Jiu quickly cleaned up the medical kit and any trash, storing them in the Plane Space, then sat down nearby, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Turning her head to look at the still unconscious Sikong Mo, Ye Jiu said, ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve used every method I could to save you. If you can¡¯t make it through this, then¡­ you can¡¯t blame me!¡± Ye Jiu didn¡¯t notice that as soon as her words ended, Sikong Mo¡¯s long eyelashes trembled like a feather fan. Sitting by the wooden bed, Ye Jiu returned to the Plane Space to take a look, La Sike¡¯s avatar had already gone offline, but he had left a message, saying he hoped to conduct a rather large trade and that they could discuss the details that night if she was free. Ye Jiu smiled, as this was exactly what she had hoped for. Her time zone was similar to La Sike¡¯s, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about any time differences. After closing the chat interface with La Sike, Ye Jiu then realized that Sikong had sent several video link requests and voice messages, along with a few item transfer alerts. Opening the voice messages, Ye Jiu learned that Sikong had said the knives and electric guns she sent were very useful and he had found some resources, hoping to exchange them again. Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: Where to get food at 87 Chapter 87: Where to get food at 87 Ye Jiu clicked on the first item message to find that several dozens of watermelons had appeared in his storage compartment, each as big as a winter melon! Besides, Cha also mentioned that he came across them while passing by a place that was full of these watermelons, and birds were eating them, so they were not poisonous and could be eaten. He asked Ye Jiu if he liked them and, if so, he could pick them all and send them over. Ye Jiu looked at the other items and found several processed wild animal pelts, two wild chickens, and a deer, all fresh and without any signs of injury. There was also a note from Cha, stating that the meat of these two animals was tender and favored by the females in his area. He didn¡¯t know what Ye Jiu preferred but happened to catch them, so he sent them over. Ye Jiu noticed that although the plants of the Ancient Plane tended to grow larger, the animals seemed quite normal in size. He hadn¡¯t noticed with the last tiger, but this time, the wild chickens and the deer were the size of normal animals. Lastly, Cha hoped to exchange for two knives again, and if that was not enough, he could add other things to the deal. Ye Jiu replied similarly that he needed all these items, but as for the knives, it would take a few days before he could provide them since he had none in stock. No sooner had he sent out these words via voice message, Ye Jiu felt someone touch his arm. Hastily gathering his consciousness, Ye Jiu opened his eyes in the real world. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake. How do you feel? Any better?¡± Ye Jiu asked, looking at the man lying on the bed in front of him. Sikong Mo raised his hand, initially thinking that he might not die from his injury but would be severely wounded. However, he discovered that he wasn¡¯t as weak as he had imagined. He touched the wound on his chest and, while it still hurt, it was clearly healing. A flicker of confusion crossed Sikong Mo¡¯s eyes as he looked at Ye Jiu. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you? You haven¡¯t gone stupid, have you?¡± While speaking, Ye Jiu reached out to touch Sikong Mo¡¯s forehead, relieved to say, ¡°Thank goodness you don¡¯t have a fever, or I would have been really powerless!¡± Because of some incidents from his past, Sikong Mo had always been particularly reluctant to come into contact with women. He had thought that for his entire life, he would never be able to physically interact with any female beings, but at this moment, he realized the girl¡¯s touch didn¡¯t evoke that deep-seated disgust he used to have. Still, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the contact, Sikong Mo raised his hand to brush away Ye Jiu¡¯s hand from his forehead. ¡°What medicine did you use on me?¡± Despite the itchiness emanating from his chest causing discomfort, Sikong Mo could distinctly feel his wound healing. ¡°Just some common healing salve,¡± Ye Jiu mumbled in reply, then added, ¡°Since you¡¯re awake now, I suppose you¡¯ll be alright. It¡¯s getting late, and I should head home. Take care of yourself.¡± Just as Ye Jiu stood up, Sikong Mo grabbed her arm, causing Ye Jiu to become instantly panicked, ¡°Hey, the least you could do is not bite the hand that saved your life!¡± It wasn¡¯t that she was being overly dramatic; it was just that the man exuded a strong killing aura that made her incredibly nervous, especially now that she was grasped by him. To Ye Jiu, the hand on her arm felt not like that of a man¡¯s, but like that of the Grim Reaper himself. Noticing the fear in Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes, Sikong Mo let go of her hand and calmly said, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± Ye Jiu rubbed her cheeks with her hands, ¡°Big brother, where do you expect me to find you food?¡± Chapter 88 - Chapter 88: 88 just came back to life only to starve to death Chapter 88: 88 just came back to life only to starve to death ¡°So, you expect me to starve to death just after coming back to life?¡± Sikong Mo asked. Ye Jiu spread his hands, ¡°You really scare me, I¡¯ll get us some food.¡± Ye Jiu went out for a walk, intending to find some firewood. He had fish and meat in his space, which could be roasted to make do for a meal. But outside, it was a world of ice and snow, and he realized that even if he found firewood, he couldn¡¯t light it. So, Ye Jiu had to give up on the idea of doing it himself. He took out a fish that he had just put into his space and then walked down the mountain. The last household in the village, situated closest to the mountain, was where Ye Jiu, carrying the fish, walked in directly, ¡°Is anyone home?¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± A middle-aged woman came out and exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Ye Jiu, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the young aunt! What brings you here¡­?¡± In the village, Ye Jiu was of a relatively high status, and the woman in front of him was from the Ye Family, although her husband was of the same generation as Ye Wenqing. They called her Zhuzi¡¯s wife. Despite being almost thirty years old, by hierarchy, she still had to address him as ¡®young aunt¡¯. The ancient era placed high importance on filial piety, so even if someone was younger, they were still expected to be addressed properly upon meeting. Ye Jiu, having come to ask a favor, naturally put on a smiling face, ¡°Zhuzi¡¯s wife, I saw smoke rising from your chimney. Is the rice cooked? I¡¯d like to trade this fish for some rice.¡± Both being from poor families, meat was a rarity. Upon hearing Ye Jiu¡¯s offer, Zhuzi¡¯s wife immediately beamed with joy, yet hesitated, ¡°The rice is cooked, but we have a lot of people at home, and there isn¡¯t much. I wonder how much you¡¯re looking to trade, young aunt?¡± Ye Jiu replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll just take a bowl of thicker porridge and two eggs, that¡¯s all.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Ye Jiu had plenty of fruit stored in his space and didn¡¯t plan to eat this food, so he only wanted to get enough for the man. However, considering the man was injured and probably couldn¡¯t eat much, Ye Jiu didn¡¯t intend to bring too much food. Trading a fish, the size of half an adult¡¯s arm, for two eggs and a bowl of porridge meant she was getting a significant bargain. Zhuzi¡¯s wife immediately nodded, ¡°Okay, I cooked eggs for the children today. Wait a moment, young aunt, I¡¯ll go get the rice for you.¡± ¡°Zhuzi¡¯s wife, I didn¡¯t bring a bowl, could I borrow one from your house for now?¡± Ye Jiu spoke while watching her back. ¡°Sure, just return it to me after you¡¯re done,¡± Zhuzi¡¯s wife readily agreed. When the eggs and porridge were ready, Ye Jiu pocketed the eggs first, then took the bowl and slowly walked towards the distance. At Zhuzi¡¯s home, just as Zhuzi¡¯s wife turned and went back into the courtyard, her mother-in-law appeared, ¡°I heard that Mrs. He was so angry yesterday that she couldn¡¯t even get out of bed. Now, who knows who¡¯s running that household? That child probably hasn¡¯t eaten well at home, which is why she stole something to trade for food. Why did you agree to trade with her? None of them are easy to deal with; aren¡¯t you afraid of bringing trouble to our family?¡± ¡°No matter where this fish came from, I didn¡¯t steal or rob it. She gave it to me willingly to trade, so no matter who comes, I have the right to it,¡± Zhuzi¡¯s wife disagreed. Zhuzi¡¯s wife was used to being assertive, which made her household somewhat unique, with the mother-in-law seeming less dominant than in other families. Ye Jiu had not gone far when he turned his back on the sight of Zhuzi¡¯s wife and slipped the porridge into his space. There was quite a distance to the midpoint of the mountain, and it was inconvenient to carry a bowl up the slope. It was better to put it in the space and walk with empty hands. Chapter 89 - Chapter 89: 89 thoughtfully placed the weapon next to the bad guy. Chapter 89: 89 thoughtfully placed the weapon next to the bad guy. Ye Jiu walked back to the wooden cabin, where Sikong Mo was sitting cross-legged on a door board bed meditating, his forehead covered in sweat despite the bitter winter. Therefore, Ye Jiu guessed that he might be practicing the legendary Inner Strength. Before entering, Ye Jiu quickly took the bowl out from his space, then cautiously carried it inside, ¡°Uh¡­ dinner is ready, you should eat now.¡± As soon as those words fell, Sikong Mo opened his eyes, but he frowned at the sight of the chipped large porcelain bowl. Fortunately, he realized his current situation and that he had no grounds to be picky, so even though he felt uncomfortable, he still picked up the bowl and drank the porridge. Afterward, Ye Jiu took two eggs out of his pocket and placed them in front of him. Sikong Mo ate them one by one, then let out a satisfied moan. ¡°Your wounds¡­ are they okay now?¡± Ye Jiu asked. ¡°Much better.¡± Maybe out of gratitude for saving his life, Sikong Mo was much more polite to Ye Jiu, although his tone was still very cold, at least it was devoid of the disgust from their first meeting. ¡°Since you¡¯re much better, there¡¯s nothing more I can do to help, and it¡¯s getting late, I¡¯ll be leaving now¡­¡± Before he could finish, Ye Jiu saw the man suddenly draw his long sword and point it at his abdomen. Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but resent himself for saving the man and then picking up his sword! Or even if he felt it was a pity to throw away a gem-encrusted sword, he could have kept it in his space and just told him it was lost, but why did he have to thoughtfully leave the weapon within reach of the villain? With the sword pointed at him, Ye Jiu dared not move, his face filled with remorse, ¡°Young master, let¡¯s not talk about how I cannot repay the life-saving grace, but at least you shouldn¡¯t return kindness with malice, right?¡± ¡°You saved me, I gave you the Jade Pendant, we¡¯re even. Don¡¯t bring up the life-saving grace in front of me,¡± said Sikong Mo, though he did lower his sword. Ye Jiu just sighed in relief when he heard him say, ¡°You¡¯re very sensible, I don¡¯t want to kill you, but your medicine is not bad¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? Before Sikong Mo could finish, Ye Jiu reached into his pocket, taking the opportunity to pull out all the remaining medicine and put it all next to Sikong Mo, ¡°Here¡¯s the rest of the medicine, I didn¡¯t keep any.¡± However, what Ye Jiu took out was only the topical medicine. Sikong Mo picked up a transparent glass bottle in front of him, it was clear it contained a green liquid, which was not only different in color from the medicine Ye Jiu had previously used on him but also thicker. ¡°This is not the same medicine you brought last time!¡± Sikong Mo was certain. Ye Jiu explained, ¡°I obtained this medicine inadvertently, and it¡¯s somewhat different from the last one, but the effects are even better, and I used this one on you just now. Don¡¯t you think it worked much better than the last time?¡± Ye Jiu asked tentatively. However, seeing that his condition had improved considerably, only a moment ago he was still unconscious and now he was able to question her clearly, it seemed the medicine was indeed effective. Moreover, she had already told La Sike that it was a severe injury, so La Sike had no reason to bring her poor quality medicine! Holding the small glass bottle, Sikong Mo looked at it for a long time, then suddenly turned to look at Ye Jiu, ¡°A mere farm girl, not only possessing such miraculous medicine but even the bottle is extraordinary.¡± His eyes suddenly turned cold as he spoke, ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: Just as I had the idea, I dismissed it. Chapter 90: Just as I had the idea, I dismissed it. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it yourself. In reality, I¡¯m just an ordinary farm girl. As for the medicine, it truly isn¡¯t mine. It was given to me when I kindly provided some food to an old man. He noticed the injury on my forehead and gave me some medicines. Later, I didn¡¯t use them all up, and when times were hard at home, I thought of exchanging the medicine for some money, but then I ran into you all!¡± Ye Jiu¡¯s words were full of fabrications, but she perfectly played the part of the victim. Sikong Mo watched her performance, and although he did not believe her, he still had no intention of making things difficult for her. No matter what this girl did, since she wasn¡¯t targeting him, Sikong Mo did not have the habit of meddling in others¡¯ affairs, of course, provided that what this girl was doing wouldn¡¯t harm Dongyue Country. After putting the porcelain bottle into his embrace, Sikong Mo instructed further, ¡°Be a good child and listen. If anyone asks about my whereabouts, just say you don¡¯t know, understood?¡± Ye Jiu nodded immediately, ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Keep the jade pendant safe. In some time, I will send someone with money to redeem it, along with the gratitude for saving my life twice. I won¡¯t treat you unfairly,¡± Sikong Mo said. Ye Jiu blinked and promptly took out the jade pendant from her bosom, placing it in front of Sikong Mo, ¡°That¡­ When the time comes, just send the silver note over, no need to leave the jade pendant with me. Our family is of humble standing; in case it gets lost, that would be troublesome.¡± What Ye Jiu wanted to do now was to get rid of this man as soon as possible, even if he didn¡¯t come to deliver the money later, she did not want to have any further entanglement with him. She was confident that with Plane Space in her hands, becoming prosperous was only a matter of time. There was no need to haggle over such small wealth and risk getting herself stuck in a quagmire. ¡°You are quite clever, but I don¡¯t like owing favors to others, besides, I¡¯m not short of money to buy medicine. If I said I will send someone, I will definitely do so. Just wait for it,¡± Sikong Mo calmly tied the jade pendant back. He wasn¡¯t reluctant to part with the jade pendant, but rather the pendant had been worn by him for many years, and many prominent people would recognize it. Moreover, these past few days were critical, and if this jade pendant were to reveal any clues about him, that would be undesirable. ¡°I believe you are a man of your word,¡± Ye Jiu secretly rolled her eyes inwardly, but outwardly she was all seriousness. ¡°Alright, you can go now. Keep tight-lipped after you return,¡± Sikong Mo said. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? ¡°Take care, young master. This young lady takes her leave.¡± After finished speaking, Ye Jiu picked up an empty bowl in front of Sikong Mo and turned to leave without any hesitation or look of attachment. Sikong Mo twirled his fingers, still feeling the residual warmth from the girl¡¯s wrist on them. Sikong Mo frowned; he thought he would never be able to touch any woman in his lifetime, yet he had not anticipated such an unexpected occurrence. Undoing his clothes, he looked at the wound on his chest, which had been incredibly gruesome but now showed signs of healing. Even Sikong Mo, accustomed to storms and tumults, couldn¡¯t help but feel it miraculous. Such divine medicine existed in the world; although it had not yet achieved the effect of instantly mending wounds, the speed of healing suggested that complete recovery would not take more than a few days. If such medicine could be used on the battlefield¡­ The thought had barely formed in Sikong Mo¡¯s mind before he dismissed it. The medicine worked so quickly that it might contain some rare natural treasures, which are incredibly hard to find. Merely possessing the prescription wouldn¡¯t suffice; the hardest part would be gathering all the necessary ingredients, and there simply wouldn¡¯t be enough to employ on the battlefield. Chapter 91 - Chapter 91: Can the person he seeks refuge with protect him? Chapter 91: Can the person he seeks refuge with protect him? Looking at the sky, it had almost turned dark, and this was not a place to linger. Sikong Mo got up, covering his wound, and slowly walked away. Not far away, Si Bei, who had been tasked by Sikong Mo to contact his subordinates, returned only to find that Sikong Mo and Si Nan had been chased and separated. He and his men had been searching for a day and a night with no clue in sight. Feeling both irritated and uneasy, Sikong Mo suddenly appeared not far away. Si Bei immediately knelt down, ¡°Prince, I have arrived late, please punish me.¡± After traveling some distance, Sikong Mo began to feel weak again. At this moment, he didn¡¯t respond but just raised his hand to signal Si Bei to rise, ¡°How is Si Nan?¡± ¡°He was slashed several times, and he has been taken to the medical hall,¡± said Si Bei, filled with murderous intent. Then he asked, ¡°How are your wounds, Prince?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious,¡± replied Sikong Mo. In a turn, he commanded, ¡°The girl who sold medicine at the medical hall last time, arrange for someone to protect her.¡± ¡°Prince?¡± Si Bei was stunned. Their master had always despised women, and here he was asking him to arrange protection for a mere maid? Had he misheard, or had his wise and mighty Prince misspoken? ¡°For all these years, she is the only one who has touched me without triggering my rage,¡± Sikong Mo sighed. ¡°Understood,¡± Si Bei instantly grasped the situation. Because of certain incidents, the Prince disliked women. When facing them, he reacted as if facing poison, any closeness leading him to a murderous frenzy. All these years, there had been no exceptions, and those women with impure intentions who tried to seduce the Prince invariably paid with their lives. Because of this, the entire world knew that Dongyue¡¯s War God King could not be near women. However, the Prince¡¯s dislike for women was one thing, and the War Prince Residence might manage without a Princess Consort, but it could not go without an heir. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã0 The Prince was the only successor of his line; the vast War Prince Residence couldn¡¯t lack descendants to carry on the bloodline. In an instant, Si Bei thought of many things, even ideas that Sikong Mo himself had not considered, showing how worried he was about his master having no wife at the age of twenty. Sikong Mo had walked a few steps, then turned around and said, ¡°On second thought, don¡¯t arrange for someone to go after all. Just send her two thousand silver notes as a token of gratitude for saving my life.¡± Silver was something Sikong Mo was not short of, but the girl lacked support. Giving her too much might bring danger instead. Moreover, right now, many were only too eager for his demise. The girl was just an ordinary farm lass; his rash decision to have someone watch over her would only expose her to others and potentially bring immeasurable harm. It was better not to stir up unnecessary trouble. ¡°Understood,¡± Si Bei, although not knowing why his master had suddenly changed his mind, knew that whatever the command, right or wrong, he had to follow it. Si Bei looked up and spoke again, ¡°Prince, the County Magistrate of Shuangxi Town has probably been colluding with the old Princess Consort for some time. I¡¯ve received the news that the County Magistrate Residence¡¯s people spotted us as soon as we arrived at the medical hall. Later, the tracking of you and Si Nan was done by the assassins connected with the County Magistrate Residence.¡± ¡°Heh!¡± ¡°Then let him see if the person he has allied with can protect him when it really matters!¡± There was a flash of bloodthirst in Sikong Mo¡¯s eyes. ¡­ When Ye Jiu descended the mountain, the sky was nearly completely dark; she hurriedly delivered the bowl to Zhuzi¡¯s home and then rushed back to her own. At this late hour, she hadn¡¯t returned home yet, and she could only wonder how worried they must be. Chapter 92 - Chapter 92: 92 Zhao ran away Chapter 92: 92 Zhao ran away As expected, Ye Jiu heard the calling of her family before she even reached home. Those calls touched her heart. ¡°Ma, I¡¯m back,¡± Ye Jiu responded loudly. In the dark night, Ye Jiu could see a not-so-tall figure running towards her on the white snowy ground, who immediately hugged her, ¡°My dear child, where did you run off to? You have no idea how worried your mother was¡­¡± ¡°Ma, it¡¯s my fault, I got carried away playing and forgot the time,¡± Ye Jiu admitted her mistake right away, then, lifted the fish she still had in her hand, ¡°Ma, look, I caught a fish, let¡¯s go home and have fish for dinner, okay?¡± ¡°You silly girl, even if you wanted to eat fish, you could have just told me so your fourth brother could catch it for you. If that didn¡¯t work out, we could have bought one instead. In this freezing weather, why on earth would you go fishing all by yourself?¡± He Shi scolded her, but her tone was filled with worry and fear. Just as she had said, in this ice and snow, Ye Jiu going out to fish alone¨Cwhat if she had fallen into an ice hole!? Thinking about it, He Shi felt she couldn¡¯t bear the consequences. After Ye Jiu comforted He Shi a few more times, the rest of the Ye Family also came over, all asking where she had been all afternoon. Ye Jiu brushed them off with the excuse of catching fish, and then the whole group finally headed home. Out of concern, the family hadn¡¯t eaten dinner yet, and as soon as they entered the house, He Shi sent Zhang Shi and Zhao Shi to cook. The day before yesterday they had buns, last night they had bone soup with white noodles, and now they had a fish. Despite the busy afternoon searching, the straight improvement in the quality of their meals provided some consolation. Inside the house, Ye Jiu initially wanted to check on how the molds were coming along, but He Shi kept her, going on and on with reminders not to go out alone again, leaving Ye Jiu with no chance to escape. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï It wasn¡¯t until after dinner, soothing He Shi and Old Man Ye to sleep first, that Ye Jiu found an opportunity to sneak out. Outside, the originally smooth stone slabs had already been chiseled into an array of oval shapes. Ye Jiu ran her hand over them, feeling each part of the mold smoothed out perfectly. Gaosheng came out of the house and, seeing Ye Jiu standing there, said, ¡°What do you think, little sister? Are the molds up to par?¡± ¡°They¡¯re great, I didn¡¯t expect you to finish so quickly. You¡¯ve worked hard, fourth brother,¡± Ye Jiu said with a smile. Gaosheng scratched his head in his straightforward way, ¡°It¡¯s not just my doing. Wenqing and Wenyu helped a lot too.¡± Ye Jiu then remembered the incident of Zhao Shi leaving home that day and couldn¡¯t help but ask with concern, ¡°How¡¯s second sister-in-law? Wenyu went after her today, right? Has she come back?¡± Gaosheng rolled his eyes, ¡°It would be better if that woman didn¡¯t come back. The family hasn¡¯t even split yet, and dad and mom are still here, but she already dares to complain about her younger sister-in-law eating for free. It¡¯s a good thing she ran off quickly today. Mom said today that even if big brother comes back, we¡¯re not to take Zhao Shi back. Otherwise, they¡¯ll be driven out. That would be exactly what they want, letting them go and enjoy life on their own.¡± What Ye Jiu was worried about was not Zhao Shi, but whether He Shi had gotten so angry it affected her health, so she quickly asked, ¡°Then how¡¯s mom? She didn¡¯t get angry, did she?¡± ¡°No, mom said that if Zhao Shi wants to leave then to let her go. Our family doesn¡¯t lack a daughter-in-law who can¡¯t stand her younger sister-in-law and is unfaithful,¡± Gaosheng said before suddenly laughing somewhat shyly, then added, ¡°Wang Family¡¯s sister-in-law came over this afternoon and talked in the house with mom for quite a while. When mom came out to see Wang Family¡¯s sister-in-law off, she seemed quite happy.¡± Chapter 93 - Chapter 93: Get rich overnight at the pace of 93 Chapter 93: Get rich overnight at the pace of 93 As soon as Ye Gaosheng said this, Ye Jiu knew that the matter regarding her matchmaking had taken a positive turn, and the candidate was likely to be very satisfying to the He family. ¡°Fourth brother, you¡¯ll have to work even harder from now on, huh,¡± Ye Jiu said teasingly with a smile. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Ye Gaosheng also chuckled twice, clearly in a good mood. ¡°Fourth brother, you should go to sleep early. Tomorrow morning, we still have a lot of work to do!¡± Ye Jiu said. ¡°Okay. Little sister, you should also sleep early,¡± Ye Gaosheng replied. Ye Jiu hadn¡¯t forgotten that she had agreed to have a detailed conversation with La Sike that night, so as soon as she lay down on the kang, she immersed her consciousness into the Plane Space. La Sike had been waiting for Ye Jiu for a long time and finally breathed a sigh of relief when she finally responded. Through their conversation, Ye Jiu learned that in a few days, La Sike would be coming of age. After the interstellar coming-of-age ceremony, they must serve for a period to demonstrate their growth, and he would likely spend about half a year in the Star Corps. The Star Corps was very strict, and some high-tech scanning technologies prevented La Sike from using the Plane during his time there, which is why he wanted to conduct a larger trade. Ye Jiu now had a plentiful supply of fruits, but she was less familiar with La Sike¡¯s situation. However, since La Sike mentioned wanting to do a large trade, Ye Jiu directly sent all but two of each type of fruit that Zha had sent over to La Sike in a flash. These items might be very precious to La Sike, but for Ye Jiu, they really weren¡¯t anything significant. After sending the items, Ye Jiu didn¡¯t hear back from La Sike for a long time, so much so that she began to wonder whether La Sike had gone offline, but then suddenly, she received many messages about items from La Sike. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã0 When Ye Jiu received these items, she understood why La Sike took so long to respond: he had to inventory the items! La Sike also said that these items were all he currently had, and since Ye Jiu had sent so many items over, it made his preparation seem insufficient. He told Ye Jiu to let him know if she still needed anything else. Ye Jiu briefly looked over these items. They included quite a variety, such as Nutrient Solution and various other antidotes and healing potions, but what truly impressed her was the large chunk of gold, probably as big as their family¡¯s washbasin, glittering and dazzling to the eye. La Sike mentioned that long, long ago, this yellow mineral was the circulating currency on planets, but with the advancement of technology, it had become a worthless decorative item between the stars. However, since Ye Jiu¡¯s side was considered a lower Plane, he thought she would have a great need for it. La Sike guessed correctly, Ye Jiu indeed needed it; such a large chunk of gold meant she was on the verge of becoming rich overnight. Although La Sike felt uncertain as he exchanged what seemed like worthless chunks of gold in his possession for Ye Jiu¡¯s items, because he couldn¡¯t see the degree of excitement on Ye Jiu¡¯s face when she saw the gold. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have so considerately told Ye Jiu to let him know if she needed anything else. But Ye Jiu indeed had needs. Zha still wanted to exchange for a few daggers, which Ye Jiu didn¡¯t have. Upon hearing that Ye Jiu only wanted some daggers, La Sike instantly felt relieved; these items were merely children¡¯s toys in his place and weren¡¯t valuable. However, he needed some time to prepare, so he agreed with Ye Jiu that he would send the daggers by the latest the next afternoon. After that, he had to prepare for joining the Star Corps and guessed he would seldom have the chance to go online. Chapter 94 - Chapter 94: 94 groundlessly appearing silver notes Chapter 94: 94 groundlessly appearing silver notes Ye Jiu lay on the kang unable to sleep from excitement well into the night. His mother approached, ¡°We¡¯ve struck it rich with such a big chunk of gold.¡± Ye Jiu, who had never been wealthy in his two lifetimes, felt his head spin from the staggering impact of this wealth; he was beside himself with excitement. Then, being overly excited, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t fall asleep in the first half of the night, and in the latter half, he slept like a log, simply because he was too tired. Early in the morning, there was the sound of gongs and drums outside. Clan Leader¡¯s wife nudged Ye Lao Han, ¡°Old man, in the dead of winter, I don¡¯t know what the Clan Leader is gathering people for at this time. With the eldest and the second not around, you¡¯d better get up and go have a look.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ye Lao Han, rubbing his eyes, got up, put on his clothes, and headed outside. The sound of gongs and drums continued outside, making people¡¯s hearts flutter with anxiety. Clan Leader¡¯s wife got up restlessly from the kang, her eyes falling on the two pieces of paper on the head of the kang¡¯s cabinet. Everything was tidied upon the cabinet by the kang when they went to sleep last night. How could there suddenly be two pieces of paper there? Besides, since their third son had been married into his wife¡¯s family, there had been no scholars in the house; they shouldn¡¯t have any paper. Curious, Clan Leader¡¯s wife picked up the pieces of paper from the kang cabinet to have a look. The more she looked at them, the more familiar they seemed, yet these two were clearly larger. Her heart itching with excitement, yet not daring to be sure, she disrupted Ye Jiu¡¯s sleep with an excited heart, ¡°My dear¡­ Jiujiu¡­ wake up quickly¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Groggy, Ye Jiu rubbed his eyes, heavy with sleep, and asked, ¡°Mom, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Quick, look at this. What¡¯s this?¡± Clan Leader¡¯s wife¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the two pieces of paper that seemed very much like the fifty-tael silver note Ye Jiu had brought home days ago. But she could hardly believe it. How could such delightful things as silver notes appear out of nowhere on their own kang cabinet? Her anxious voice made Ye Jiu quickly open his eyes, and what he saw were two silver notes. Ye Jiu was shocked by the two silver notes, each valued at a thousand taels, and he bolted up from the kang, ¡°Mom, where did you get these two silver notes from?¡± Privately pinching his own leg, the intoxicating pain reassured Ye Jiu that he was not dreaming at this moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. When I woke up, I saw these two pieces of paper on the kang cabinet. I picked them up and saw the patterns looked almost like the fifty-tael silver note you brought a few days ago, so I immediately woke you up to have a look!¡± Clan Leader¡¯s wife was also bewildered, especially after learning from Ye Jiu that these were indeed silver notes, she was even more perplexed, ¡°My dear, how do you know for sure these are silver notes? What if¡­ they just look similar?¡± After all, such a thing couldn¡¯t possibly just appear in their home! Clan Leader¡¯s wife had never doubted that these could have been brought back by Ye Lao Han. After decades of life, no one knew his character better than she did; if these were money Ye Lao Han had brought back, he would never have placed it so casually. Ye Jiu took the silver notes from Clan Leader¡¯s wife and looked at them for a long time, his emotions complex. Clearly written on them was the denomination of a thousand taels, and Ye Jiu could not fail to recognize it. ¡°Mom, you said that when you woke up, these two silver notes were on our kang cabinet? Can you be sure that they didn¡¯t exist before we went to sleep last night?¡± asked Ye Jiu. ¡°Impossible. Before I went to sleep yesterday, I put the sewing basket away in the cabinet, and I cleaned up the kang cabinet spotlessly, not even a thread left. If there had been silver notes, I couldn¡¯t have missed them,¡± Clan Leader¡¯s wife said, her hands trembling slightly. Waking up to find two silver notes, each worth a thousand taels, on their own kang cabinet ¨C how could that be possible? Chapter 95 - Chapter 95: 95 cannot become a drag on her progress. Chapter 95: 95 cannot become a drag on her progress. After briefly inquiring, Ye Jiu had already speculated the source of the silver note. Yesterday, that person had said he would send over the silver note and asked him to just wait, but Ye Jiu never imagined that his actions would be so swift. The silver note had been delivered, and in such a manner. Ye Jiu believed that this was also a warning from that person. A warning not to talk carelessly outside, otherwise, he could most definitely kill him without a sound or trace. Just like now, he was able to silently place the silver note on his own kang cabinet; most critically, three people had been sleeping on his kang, yet nobody had noticed a stranger sneaking into the room at night! This made Ye Jiu deeply feel that his own safety was threatened. Seeing He Shi still excited, Ye Jiu realized that maybe he should not have kept yesterday afternoon¡¯s incident from her, as it was not only he who was threatened now, but the whole family. Moreover, the sudden appearance of the silver note was so unexpected that it left one utterly unprepared. ¡°Mother, I need to tell you something related to today¡¯s silver note, but you must keep it a secret, because if others come to know, it could threaten the lives of our entire family,¡± Ye Jiu said. The smile on He Shi¡¯s face vanished suddenly, and after a long silence, she suddenly asked Ye Jiu, ¡°Jiujiu, tell me honestly, did you do something bad outside?¡± ¡°No, I rescued a severely injured man yesterday afternoon. He originally wanted to give me a Jade Pendant as thanks, which I didn¡¯t accept to avoid trouble. But before he left, he said he would send a significant thank-you once he was safe. I hadn¡¯t really expected it, and even less did I expect his gratitude to arrive so swiftly,¡± Ye Jiu replied. He Shi, who had not seen much of the world in her lifetime but nevertheless had lived many years, was not short on cunning. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À?.§ã¦Ï After hearing what Ye Jiu said, holding the silver note in her hand, she didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or worried. Since it was supposed to be a secret, that person¡¯s identity must either be unsavory or he was being pursued. If that person¡¯s enemies knew that it was her daughter who had saved him, it would surely bring trouble to the family! Soon, He Shi made a decision, ¡°Jiujiu, no matter how much money these silver notes represent, for safety, we absolutely cannot let others know that our family has money for the time being. Also, you must act as if this incident never happened, don¡¯t even tell your father, understood?¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Ye Jiu answered, then comforted He Shi, ¡°However, Mother, you needn¡¯t worry too much. Last night I checked, the soap my daughter made has already taken shape. Although it¡¯s not pretty, it¡¯s very effective. Once I make more, we can sell the soap and our family will have a lot of money, then spending money won¡¯t arouse suspicion.¡± ¡°My Jiujiu is capable,¡± He Shi said, though her heart did not feel as cheerful as the smile on her face. Her daughter and the Prince¡¯s eldest son were born on the same day, and she was indeed blessed. Now she was so capable, but it was a pity they were just an ordinary farming family, not only unable to provide her a better life but continuously becoming a hindrance. He Shi had never wanted to split the family, because only by keeping the family undivided could she hold everything in her hands and provide the best life for her Jiujiu. However, now for the first time, she entertained the thought of separating. Forget it, she would wait until the youngest married. By then, the first to lose patience would probably be Mrs. Zhao. And Mrs. Zhang, He Shi understood her eldest daughter-in-law might not be bad, yet she also was not as self-sacrificing for the greater good as she seemed on the surface. Chapter 96 - Chapter 96: 96 cant gamble with the lives of an entire family, young and old. Chapter 96: 96 can¡¯t gamble with the lives of an entire family, young and old. Now, Mrs. Zhang did not speak of splitting the family because she clearly understood that with the fourth son still unmarried, bringing up the issue of division would be useless and might even make people criticize them for only caring about themselves and not their younger brother-in-law. But once the fourth son got married, Mrs. He didn¡¯t believe she would still be able to restrain herself from acting on this thought. Ye Jiu had not told Mrs. He about being familiar with the silver note, only saying that the person she saved yesterday had promised to give two thousand taels of silver as a reward. Looking at the silver note in hand, amounting to as much as two thousand taels, Mrs. He truly found it unbelievable. At the same time, she became even more convinced that her own daughter was blessed. Otherwise, how could an ordinary person give a beggar an egg and get back divine medicine worth hundreds of taels of silver in return? How could one casually go out to play, save someone, and receive a reward of over a thousand taels of silver? When Old Man Ye came back from the meeting, Mrs. He had already locked up the silver because, after all, there was still Mrs. Li in the household. Even though Mrs. He was completely confident that she could keep her underfoot without allowing her to turn over, she still couldn¡¯t disclose everything to Old Man Ye. Fearing the unexpected, Mrs. He was not willing to gamble her and her daughter¡¯s lives. The enmity between her and Mrs. Li was such that it could never be reconciled within this lifetime. It wasn¡¯t a matter of the east wind prevailing over the west wind or vice versa; to live a good life, she had to completely crush Mrs. Li. When Old Man Ye came back, he was as if nothing had happened, prompting Mrs. He to ask, ¡°Old man, what was the meeting the Clan Leader called for about?¡± The Ye Family was the largest clan in Wangshan Village, and although there were many people with different surnames, they were not part of a single ancestral hall, so they could not really affect the Ye Clan¡¯s governance over Wangshan Village. ¡°Nothing much, just that someone from the town came by. They said a thief had hidden in our area, but he had already been seriously injured during the capture. They asked everyone to be more vigilant and to report if they saw any injured person,¡± Old Man Ye answered, then added, ¡°The government officer also said there¡¯s a reward for the report, a thousand taels of silver if the thief is caught!¡± Old Man Ye¡¯s voice carried a hint of envy and an eager aspiration when he mentioned the thousand taels. Mrs. He glanced at Ye Jiu and then quickly cautioned Old Man Ye, saying, ¡°Old man, you better not be foolish. Whether it¡¯s the government officer or the thief, they are not something we, simple farmers, can afford to provoke. No matter how big the reward is, we need to be alive to spend it, right?¡± Old Man Ye¡¯s enthusiasm fizzled out immediately, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m well aware of my own limits. As much as I want money, I can¡¯t risk our entire family¡¯s lives for it. Besides, even if I wanted to report, I have no idea where that thief is!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? Mrs. He was then relieved and turned to call outside, ¡°What about breakfast? What time is it and it¡¯s still not on the table? I, an old woman, have to arrange everything every day, isn¡¯t there anyone with any sense of initiative¡­¡± After breakfast, Ye Wenqing and Ye Wenyu were sent out to find more flat stones to serve as molds, while Ye Jiu and Ye Gaosheng were busy in the kitchen making soap. With the previous experience of making the recipe, Ye Jiu was able to quickly succeed in filling the molds she had prepared the day before, then set them outside to dry. Ye Gaosheng continued to work with his two nephews on crafting the molds, while Ye Jiu took the opportunity to count them. After all had dried, he estimated they would yield about forty bars of soap. Pleased, Ye Jiu clapped her hands and then went back inside to ask, ¡°Dad, Mom, I also need to make some wooden boxes. Is there anyone in our village skilled in carpentry and carving?¡± Chapter 97 - Chapter 97: 97 cannot do things that harm children Chapter 97: 97 cannot do things that harm children ¡°Carpentry work? Your Brother Gaolin is skilled at it, later Father will accompany you to ask him to help you make a few.¡± Ye Jiu¡¯s soap-making venture was no secret to old man Ye, and he had seen the few pieces drying in a bowl. Though the quality was inconsistent, the substance was quite good, effective at degreasing and cleaning; once made, he truly had no worries about selling it. After the family split, old man Ye and his only elder brother had been at odds, and both families hadn¡¯t spoken to each other for years. And, Ye Gaolin was the son of old man Ye¡¯s cousin. Ye Jiu was younger, but had the higher familial seniority, thus despite being in his thirties, he was considered one of Ye Jiu¡¯s many brothers. Having obtained the information he needed, Ye Jiu had already started planning, ¡°Father, I can just go to Brother Gaolin¡¯s house myself.¡± With that said, Ye Jiu turned his head and walked out. Since recovering his health, Ye Jiu had taken a particular liking to going out more, to look around and deeply breathe the fresh air outside. No one understood the feelings of a person with a normal mind who, due to physical reasons, had been cooped up at home for a full ten years. That was also a longing for the experience of being able to stroll and look around. Ye Gaolin¡¯s home was towards the back of the village. Although the family had already divided the household, due to housing issues, the brothers still crammed together in the same courtyard. When Ye Jiu arrived, Ye Gaolin happened to be at home, repairing a stool in the yard. Ye Jiu walked in, ¡°Brother Gaolin is at home?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Ye Gaolin put down his work and turned around. Seeing Ye Jiu, he was slightly surprised, ¡°It¡¯s Xiaojiu, what brings you here¡­¡± Although Ye Jiu did not go out often, he was quite famous in Wangshan Village, as few did not know him. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï After all, Ye Jiu¡¯s previous condition often led people to label him as a fool, and there weren¡¯t many people with such a mental state; it was enough for people to talk eagerly about having such an individual in a family, and some even intentionally came to his own home to look at him. It was Ye Jiu¡¯s first time visiting their home, but he showed no timidity, instead walking in with confidence, ¡°I heard from my father that Brother Gaolin can do carpentry. I would like to make a few wooden boxes, so I came to ask for your help. I hope I¡¯m not disturbing you?¡± Ye Gaolin thought it was a child wanting to make a box to hold his own belongings, ¡°It¡¯s fine, there¡¯s not much work to do in winter anyway. I¡¯ll make it for you once I¡¯ve freed up my hands.¡± But Ye Jiu did not leave, ¡°Brother Gaolin, I need quite a few wooden boxes, and there are some specific requirements for the style and size. However, I won¡¯t ask you to do it for nothing; could you spare some time to listen to my specific requirements?¡± It was then that Ye Gaolin put down his work and looked at Ye Jiu seriously, ¡°Xiaojiu, what do you need so many wooden boxes for? Also, do your parents know about what you¡¯re saying?¡± Ye Gaolin¡¯s craftsmanship wasn¡¯t particularly exquisite; at most, he made little trinkets. Wood was abundant in the mountains, and when the villagers asked for his help, they typically offered a few eggs at most¡ªno one had ever talked about paying money. If Ye Jiu had wanted just one wooden box, Ye Gaolin would oblige; it would only take a little while to make. However, with Ye Jiu asking for many, Ye Gaolin couldn¡¯t possibly spend his free time working for someone else without compensation. The fact that Ye Jiu was willing to pay was undoubtedly the best outcome for Ye Gaolin, but he couldn¡¯t very well cheat a child, so he had to be clear about the money. ¡°I need the wooden boxes for a purpose, although it¡¯s not convenient to say for what exactly right now. My parents knew about this when I came here, so you can rest assured, Brother Gaolin.¡± As Ye Jiu spoke, he took out a string of Copper Coin from his bosom, fifty coins in total, and placed them on the unfinished stool in front of Ye Gaolin. Chapter 98 - Chapter 98: 98 custom wooden boxes Chapter 98: 98 custom wooden boxes Seeing the coins Ye Jiu took out, Ye Gaolin finally believed what Ye Jiu had said. After all, if it wasn¡¯t agreed by the adults, a child wouldn¡¯t possibly have that much money. ¡°Alright, tell me what kind you need. If you only need a few, consider it a gift from Brother Gaolin, and I won¡¯t charge you,¡± said Ye Gaolin. Ye Jiu first described the style of the box. She didn¡¯t put much thought into designing it herself but rather roughly described a soap box she had seen in her past life, which had a hollow bottom that allowed one to see the soap inside. This design could control the drainage of water and prevent the soap from being damaged by soaking during use. ¡°Do you know how many of these boxes Brother Gaolin can make in one day?¡± Ye Jiu asked. ¡°This box is simple and not troublesome to make. How many do you need?¡± Ye Gaolin countered. ¡°I need fifty for now. This fifty coins are just the deposit. Brother Gaolin, can you make them in two days?¡± Ye Jiu said. ¡°I can make them. We¡¯re all villagers here, and I can¡¯t overcharge you. You go back and tell your dad that if you provide your own wood, I¡¯ll make each box for two coins; if no wood is provided, then it will be three coins,¡± Ye Gaoshan said. The mountain was full of wood, which really wasn¡¯t worth much. However, freshly cut wood always needed some work before it could be used. Ye Jiu didn¡¯t hesitate a bit. ¡°We¡¯ll use your wood, Brother Gaolin. Three coins each, but I need them urgently, so you¡¯ll have to hurry,¡± she said. ¡°Alright, they¡¯ll be ready by tomorrow evening at the latest. I¡¯ll bring them to you,¡± Ye Gaolin said. ¡°If you don¡¯t have time, you can let my fourth brother come pick them up,¡± Ye Jiu said as she got up. ¡°Thanks, Brother Gaolin, I¡¯ll head back now.¡± Ye Gaolin gave up fixing the bench to start preparing the wood. With the New Year approaching, this was an unexpected income. Moreover, from the young girl¡¯s plans, it seemed there could be more work in the future. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã? That would be really great, as it would provide some income for the family and allow them to ease up a bit. The weather was good today. The warm sun shone overhead, and by the time Ye Jiu was heading home, the snow had started to melt, causing her pair of cotton shoes to get thoroughly wet. Her feet were also shivering from cold, which distressed Mrs. He greatly. Mrs. He hurriedly prepared hot water for Ye Jiu to warm her feet. This special treatment, coupled with the scenario of Ye Gaosheng¡¯s return last time, significantly outshone him. It wasn¡¯t until Mrs. He firmly made Ye Jiu stay on the heated brick bed that she finally settled down. At this point, Mrs. He didn¡¯t know that Ye Jiu had spent money on ordering the wooden boxes. Ye Jiu lay on the bed, and outside, Ye Gaosheng and a few others were hammering stone slabs. As she lay there, she grew bored. Ye Jiu took out her quilt and pretended to sleep, but her consciousness had already traveled to the Plane Space. La Sike, who had promised to give items to Ye Jiu yesterday, had delivered them¡ªfour or five dozen daggers. Ye Jiu hadn¡¯t requested electric guns, but La Sike had also sent two. Moreover, just yesterday Ye Jiu had given all the fruit to La Sike, and today Zha had sent over a lot of things from his side. The majority were watermelons, with black skins or striped skins, big and small. The large ones were as big as winter melons, and the small ones were only the size of a head, with quite a variety of types. Since she had promised to give Zha daggers, Ye Jiu immediately took two and sent them over. Zha quickly received them and also sent a video call request. As Ye Jiu answered, she saw on her screen Zha holding a bright red fox, its neck bloodstained with its eyes tightly closed, presumably dead. Its fur was smooth yet glossy, clearly top quality. Chapter 99 - Chapter 99: 99 beautiful foxes just lost their lives like that Chapter 99: 99 beautiful foxes just lost their lives like that Watching such a beautiful fox lose its life, its body being dragged around like a rag, Ye Jiu felt heartbroken. From Cha Yi¡¯s words, Ye Jiu learned that people in the Ancient Plane mostly wore animal skins. Such beautiful fur was only worn by females, but Cha Yi had no females with him, nor a fixed residence, so he generally only kept the edible meat and stored some of the fur as spare, discarding the rest. Ye Jiu suggested that Cha Yi use the unwanted fur for trading in the future, as such precious material would definitely be worth a lot of money in this world. Using things that were of no use to himself for trade naturally appealed to Cha Yi. With the dagger that Ye Jiu had given him, Cha Yi quickly processed the red fox¡¯s fur, storing the meat in his storage compartment and giving the fur directly to Ye Jiu. Cha Yi was in the forest, and after several days, his storage compartment was nearly full. Thus, he wanted Ye Jiu to see if there was anything he needed. That way, he could send it directly to Ye Jiu without taking up too much space. Even though ten storage compartments might seem big, Cha Yi¡¯s plane did not have an inherent space like Ye Jiu¡¯s, and each compartment could only endlessly stack one type of item. Hence, using them all up was not a difficult task. Moreover, with the vast variety of species in the Ancient Plane, it was impossible for him to store only one type of item, making the storage compartments seem even more insufficient. Later, Ye Jiu gave him an idea to make a few large wooden boxes and put everything inside them before storing them in the compartments. This way, since all the boxes were the same type, they should also be able to be stacked indefinitely. Cha Yi said he would try it when he had time, but first, he wanted to find a group that would take him in. His original tribe had abandoned him due to his father¡¯s death and his mother¡¯s rejection when he was young. Now, possessing Plane Space and having traded for sharp artifacts like daggers, finding a tribe willing to take him in should not be difficult. Cha Yi continuously walked through the vast forest. When he encountered prey, he would hunt, and the rest of the time, he chatted with Ye Jiu, which made his journey less lonely. Ye Jiu could also clearly see the scenery around him. The trees were so tall they covered the sky, the ground was covered with dense wild grass, and more small animals frequently hopped by. However, Cha Yi did not bother to catch them as he targeted larger prey, saying it helped him train his abilities. Along the way, Cha Yi did, however, gather quite a few bird eggs for Ye Jiu, because in his heart, Ye Jiu, like the females from his side, also liked these soft, delicate foods. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã? Passing by a pond, Cha Yi went to drink water. Ye Jiu¡¯s gaze, however, was fixed on the turtles lying by the shore. One by one, numerous turtles basked in the sunlight¡ªa splendid sight. There were also fish jumping out of the water occasionally. Even as Cha Yi reached for the water, several fish surrounded his hand, seemingly unafraid of being caught and turned into roasted fish. When Cha Yi turned back and saw the surprised look on Ye Jiu¡¯s face, he realized she was quite interested in these creatures in the water. ¡°Want some? I can catch them for you,¡± Cha Yi¡¯s offer came spontaneously. Beastmen typically ate their food raw. Fish was rather fishy, and apart from Cat Clan Beastmen or in times of food scarcity, other beastmen were reluctant to eat these fish. If Ye Jiu wanted them, he really didn¡¯t mind catching them, as it would just be a bit of extra effort. Chapter 100 - Chapter 100: Treasures are everywhere, even on the ground 100 times over Chapter 100: Treasures are everywhere, even on the ground 100 times over ¡°Really? Then thank you,¡± Ye Jiu didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. However, Ye Jiu¡¯s request for fish made some sense, but he couldn¡¯t understand why Ye Jiu also wanted those turtles lying by the shore. They hardly had any meat, and they were hard and rigid. He couldn¡¯t think of any use for them. But since Ye Jiu had asked for them, he didn¡¯t ask any further questions. Moreover, as the turtles were lying by the shore, he didn¡¯t need to go into the water to catch them. So, he just did Ye Jiu a favor and lifted each turtle up, sending them all to Ye Jiu. When it came to the fish, they almost didn¡¯t need to be caught; a mere touch was enough to store them in the storage compartment. Ye Jiu looked at the fish, almost as tall as himself, and dared not ask for more. After catching a few, he urged him to stop. Catching too many of these large fish was more than she could handle right now. Even if she wanted to eat them, it would be impossible to finish them all, so it was better not to be too greedy. Even in the water, Ye Jiu could clearly see his movements. When he got ashore, he casually picked up a few shells and brought them up, then handed them all to Ye Jiu. ¡°These are¡­¡± Ye Jiu did not take the shells but hesitated to speak, looking at him. ¡°Inside there are shiny pearls that can be strung and worn, our females here really like them. You can have a look. If you like them, keep them; if not, just throw them away.¡± The people of the Ancient Plane relied solely on hunting for their livelihood. Apart from food and things that could create food, everything else was dispensable. With those words from him, Ye Jiu guessed what was inside and was immediately thrilled. The Ancient Plane truly was filled with treasures everywhere. Beautiful things are loved by all women, girls being no exception. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0 Ye Jiu immediately took out a dagger, pried open the shells, and inside, almost every one contained pearls. Four or five shells had yielded about twenty pearls, each several times larger than the average pearl, and several were pink, bright and shiny, making Ye Jiu reluctant to let them go. ¡°Thank you, these are very precious here. Whatever you need in the future, just come to me, and I also wish you find a suitable tribe that will take you in soon,¡± Ye Jiu said, offering her kind wishes. Moved by her words, he reflected on the scarcity of females on the Beastman Plane, where the few that existed were held in high regard and were accustomed to bossing the males around, taking their adoration for granted. A gentle female like Ye Jiu was indeed rare. Upon leaving the Plane Space, Ye Jiu hadn¡¯t yet opened her eyes when she heard people talking. Ye Jiu was very familiar with these voices; it was definitely her eldest and second brothers who had returned. Ye Jiu was the youngest sister in the family and had not been well in the past, so she was quite pampered at home. Especially the eldest brother, who, when she was younger a few years ago, would always affectionately take her out for walks and outings whenever he came back. Ye Jiu quietly listened for a while; recently, a wealthy family in town had been renovating their house, and her eldest and second brothers had been working there as laborers. Now that the renovations were complete and no more help was needed, they had settled their wages and come back. After the brothers handed over their wages and reported on recent events, Ye Jiu was about to open her eyes just as her eldest brother asked, ¡°Dad, Mom, I saw the fourth brother with Wenqing and Wenyu constantly chiseling slabs outside. What are they doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something your little sister came up with. She says it¡¯s for making soap, for washing hands and faces. She¡¯s already made a few that are quite useful. She¡¯s just fiddling with making the designs more attractive to sell in town,¡± Ye Laohan said, rather proudly. Ye Jiu is his daughter, and he naturally feels proud of his child¡¯s achievements.