"Zhengzi's family... Zhengzi was a poor child. He lost his father when he was very young. You have no idea how hard he suffered growing up. Anyone could call him a fatherless bastard, which was a very harsh term. Kids older and younger than him bullied him, and even his biological mother became a stepmother..."

Forehead.

Ye Yun looked at Qin Xiang'e, puzzled. Why was she suddenly saying all this?

"You don't know, my ex-sister-in-law is also heartless. She took him away from us while she was angry with us, but she didn't treat him well. She didn't even make him a coat in the dead of winter, and he had to wear only thermal underwear and freeze."

Qin Xiang'e grew angrier as she spoke, and painfully wiped away her tears.

“But even after all that, he still knew how to be good to his mother. He had a strong sense of justice. Back when my ex-sister-in-law was in confinement after childbirth, he was the one who went up the mountain to find meat for her. No matter how my ex-sister-in-law treated him, he still knew how to love his mother and how to be grateful…”

Ye Yun nodded.

She knew all of this.

The villages are all clustered together, and their brigade isn't far away either. The villages are never short of gossipy people, and some things spread to the ears of several villages without needing to be asked.

Take Qin Zheng as an example. Who in the surrounding villages doesn't know that he's a local tyrant?

But she knew that Qin Zheng wasn't a bad person at heart.

In fact, he is a very upright person; you can tell after getting to know him a few times.

Qin Xiang'e, her face covered in fine lines, looked at her with great caution. "His wife, I didn't mean anything by saying this, I just wanted to tell you, please don't look down on Zhengzi..."

Ye Yun suddenly realized.

"Auntie, are you afraid I'll divorce Qin Zheng?"

Qin Xiang'e nodded quickly.

“His wife… I know you don’t want to marry Zhengzi from the bottom of your heart. Outsiders say Zhengzi is no good, but think about it, if he doesn’t become ruthless, how will this whole family survive?” As she spoke, Qin Xiang’e sadly wiped away her tears again.

Putting aside everything else, let's just talk about the Qin family.

Every village has a few shameless people who are insatiable and greedy. The only son of the Qin family was taken away, leaving only the old lady to guard the house. Even though the Qin family had treated people well before, they couldn't stop some people from trying to seize their house. She was a married old maid who was useless. If Qin Zheng hadn't been ruthless, the Qin family might have been wiped out by those shameless people long ago.

We've all been through hunger; tangible things are far more important than saving face.

Ye Yun understood.

"Aunt, don't worry. Now that I'm married to Qin Zheng, I will naturally live a good life with him. I won't listen to those rumors outside."

She didn't say anything sentimental, but comforted Qin Xiang'e with a serious look in her eyes.

Qin Xiang'e heard what she wanted to hear and nodded gratefully, "Okay, okay, you're a good child, then I'm relieved."

The bracelet has been given, and the words have been spoken.

Qin Xiang'e took her hand again, her face sincere, "Wife, if you're having a hard time, be sure to tell me. Zhengzi's wedding was a huge affair; he probably spent all the money he'd earned these past few years on it. He's a grown man, so it's hard for him to ask. Don't keep it to yourself. I'll help you as much as I can. Your brother is doing well in school, so we don't need to pay for him. I'll help you two out first, as long as you two don't argue or get angry..."

“I know, Auntie.”

"Okay then..."

Qin Xiang'e knew she couldn't say too much, so she wiped away her tears, composed herself, and avoided further dislike.

These days, when people marry a man, it's usually for his personality or his family background.

Qin Zheng has a bad reputation, and if he's also financially unsuccessful, even if he were the King of Heaven himself, he wouldn't be able to keep his wife.

As she left, Qin Xiang'e looked at Ye Yun with a hint of something in her eyes, turning back every few steps as if afraid that Ye Yun would abandon Qin Zheng and run away. It wasn't until Ye Yun reassured her again that she finally managed to see her off.

"well……"

The room fell silent instantly. Ye Yun touched the silver bracelet on her wrist, feeling a pang of sadness for Qin Xiang'e, an old maid who had gotten married.

In this era, a married daughter is considered like water spilled from a cup.

It's rare to find someone like Qin Xiang'e, who has been married for over twenty years and is almost a grandmother, still worrying about her family's affairs.

The sky outside the window was completely dark, making the room feel dark and cold. Ye Yun did not light a lamp and sat silently on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), as if she had melted into the endless darkness.

It wasn't until Qin Zheng finished washing up and returned to his room that this happened.

The kerosene lamp was lit, and its warm light slowly drew her back from the darkness.

"Qin Zheng, I want to make money."