Chapter 49 [V] Trouble

After the contract was signed, Li Yan gave Ye Wangxiang a day off, telling her to go home first and come back to work the next day.

Aunt Xue was actually quite hesitant about whether or not to keep Ye Niangzi as her daughter-in-law.

Of course, she couldn't interfere in her daughter-in-law's business affairs. So, she could only keep some things to herself.

Only now, upon learning that her daughter-in-law had signed a long-term labor contract with that Lady Ye, could Aunt Xue finally restrain herself. She pulled someone aside to a corner of the courtyard and whispered, "Her husband is a drunkard and a gambling addict. He's the most despicable kind of person. If we get involved with him, we'll really be in deep trouble. Yan Niang, what if her husband comes to our house and throws a tantrum or makes a scene? What can we, the old, weak, women, and children, do?"

Regarding this point, Li Yan had actually considered the possible consequences when she learned that her husband had such a husband.

So at the time, although she felt sympathy for her, she hesitated and did not immediately agree.

She was kept on for two days afterward, and seeing that she was indeed a hard worker and had a keen eye for tasks, she decided to keep her.

“Mother, I’ve considered all of what you’ve said.” Li Yan earnestly told her mother-in-law her thoughts, “But she is indeed pitiful. As a woman myself, I want to help her. Besides, she is indeed hardworking and capable. It’s not a loss for me to spend this money to hire her.”

"As for what Mother said about her husband being a bad person... We were afraid of trouble before because we had no money or connections. But now that we have some money and have met some important people, I think there are some things we don't need to be afraid of."

“We do business honestly and uprightly, and we hire people to do our work properly. If that drunkard husband of Madam Ye dares to cause trouble, I will make him regret it.”

Li Yan thought that if she could help others within her own capabilities, it would be considered doing good deeds and accumulating merit.

Of course, if she's too busy taking care of herself to meddle in other people's affairs, then she's overestimating herself.

Now that things have some foundation, they're no longer in the same predicament as when they first arrived. So, she wanted to help.

Besides, she has the ability to help people.

Aunt Xue was a kind-hearted person, and after hearing what her daughter-in-law said, she felt much relieved.

“You’re right, we should help if we can. If that person really comes looking for trouble, we’re not someone to be trifled with.”

"That's right," Li Yan said confidently. "As long as we, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, are of one mind, there's no difficulty we can't overcome!"

Aunt Xue was very happy and gratified.

She only had two sons in her life, no daughters. So, after spending several months together, she began to regard Li Yan as her own daughter.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have never argued. They always discuss things together, respect each other, and live in great harmony.

.

After delegating some tasks to Ye Wangxiang, Li Yan had a lot more free time.

With this free time, she would spend half an hour reading or practicing calligraphy every day.

Li Yan firmly believes that in any era, at any time, and in any profession, reading more books is always a good thing.

Li Yan's life is getting better and better, but her father Li Shangping's life is getting worse day by day.

Life has become increasingly difficult ever since we moved to the city.

The money he had saved up had not only been used to prepare a generous dowry for his stepdaughter, but also to buy this house. This had already severely damaged his finances. In addition, Zong'er's schooling now cost twenty or thirty taels a year.

He didn't own a shop in the city and could only work for others. He worked himself to the bone every day, and the money he earned was barely enough to support his family of three.

Life became tough, and gradually, Li Shangping's mind cleared up.

Back then, it was his wife who said that their eldest son-in-law had a bright future, and the family should work together to support his mother and give her a decent dowry. That way, their daughter and son-in-law wouldn't let him, their father-in-law, down.

But what about now?

Now, Han Yue is clearly avoiding him, clearly trying to sever ties with him.

Otherwise, the Han family has many shops and extensive connections in Huating County. His father-in-law wanted his son-in-law to help him find an easy and lucrative job, but he made excuses to refuse.

He had run a carpentry shop back in Qingshan Town and had some skills. Finding him a simple shopkeeper job would be enough to support him.

He's forty years old, not a young man anymore, and really can't handle this kind of physical labor.

But when he urged his wife to speak well of his aunt, she said that his aunt had a hard life too, and told him not to make things difficult for her.

How did he make things difficult for the old lady?

When your aunt got married and asked him to prepare her dowry, why didn't he say it was difficult?

Today, Li Shangping returned home exhausted and brought up the matter again.

But Yue was also furious. Now, that second aunt was doing so well, running several businesses and making a lot of money, but had she given any money to the family?

Why would he ask his own daughter for help instead of his own biological daughter? What was he thinking?

"Why don't you go find your stepmother?" Madam Yue had long harbored resentment, and now she hated her stepdaughter Li Yan so much that she wanted to chop her throat with a knife. Originally, because she had suffered a great loss at Li Yan's hands before the New Year, she was somewhat afraid of her and dared not provoke her again despite her resentment.

But now, with her husband constantly criticizing her, she could no longer hold back her anger.

“Second Aunt is doing very well now. A little bit of silver slipping from under her fingernails is enough for our family to live on for a month. Instead of complaining about what’s wrong with First Aunt, you should go find your own daughter.”

It is said that poverty makes a couple miserable in every way. Now the family is in trouble and life is hard. Unlike when they lived in Qingshan Town, they can no longer support two or three people to work. Now they have to do many chores themselves, which makes Yue Shi unhappy.

Besides, her daughter has now married into the Han family, which is a step up for her. No matter what, she has a way out.

The man beside her... had little family wealth and didn't earn much money, so she couldn't help but feel resentful towards him.

Li Shangping also felt increasingly that his wife was no good, and he was furious when she mentioned his stepmother.

“We raised your aunt with great care, how much dowry did I give her when she got married? Your second aunt grew up in the countryside, do you have no idea what her wedding was like? And what did you say when we were preparing her dowry before her wedding? You said your future son-in-law had a bright future, and that we should prepare a bigger dowry for her to make her look more presentable, so that she and her husband wouldn't abandon us in the future. But what have you said now?”

Although these were all true, Yue felt no guilt whatsoever.

She even felt that it was only right for her family to prepare a generous dowry for Jiaojiao.

It's only right that we don't give that second wife a dowry.

"What do you mean by saying all this now? Are you trying to settle scores with me?" Madam Yue said righteously. "Think about it carefully. How much good fortune has Jiaojiao brought to your family? Otherwise, do you think your little carpentry shop could earn much money? All the money you have comes from Jiaojiao. When she got married, was there a problem with you preparing her dowry?"

"And your second aunt, she's a jinx. If it weren't for Jiaojiao's cleverness, she would have ruined several of your businesses. Why did you send her to the countryside? Is it my fault? Didn't you yourself suggest that she bring bad luck to the family and cause trouble if she stayed? Did you suggest that she go to the countryside?"

Although Yue Shi benefited from many things, she only secretly fueled the flames and did not actually do anything.

So when her husband tries to reason with her about these things, she finds it difficult to be assertive and justified.

Li Shangping, unable to win an argument with her, could only sit aside and grumble in frustration.

Yue Shi was too lazy to pay him any attention. Now she looked at him less and less and simply stopped being so careful and gentle.

They simply stopped performing.

In Li Shangping's view, her temperament had changed a lot.

But Yue was only harsh in words; she herself had a lot of worries on her mind.

In reality, her daughter and son-in-law's relationship wasn't as good as she had imagined.

I don't know when it started, but my daughter and son-in-law's relationship has not been so good.

In matters like this, a daughter's own feelings are the most accurate.

Although her daughter never cried to her, she could tell something from her face.

Later, after asking her in detail, she learned that it was their family that had caused a lot of trouble for the Han family and their son-in-law, Han Yue, which made Han Yue somewhat unhappy.

Therefore, now, Yue is more careful when she does things, for fear of causing trouble for her daughter again.

However, she would also keep a close eye on Li Yan's movements. If there was any disturbance on Li Yan's side, Yue Shi would know something about it.

But having learned her lesson the hard way, she dared not act rashly again, much less do something like poisoning the food she prepared.

But seeing that life was getting better and better over there, Yue felt resentful. Why was her daughter suffering so much while she was thriving?

So he was still thinking about what opportunity he could find to make her lose all her strength.

And now, she has recently learned that she has hired a farmhand, but the farmhand's household is in a mess... Yue's mind is starting to wander again.

But this time she was smarter. She didn't have to directly ask that drunkard to do anything, but she could subtly guide him with words.

Even if things really escalate, it won't concern her.

Having made up her mind, Yue went out and deliberately waited at the entrance of the casino that Hou Er frequented.

Then, as he passed by, he deliberately mentioned his wife's name, Ye Wangxiang.

"This Lady Ye is truly blessed to have landed such a good job." To put on a good show, Madam Yue even deliberately brought along a neighbor who was completely unaware of the situation.

Having already laid the groundwork, Yue could now bring it up quite naturally.

“My stepdaughter is lucky; she’s saved up quite a bit of money. But she’s still a woman, and a widow. She and her mother-in-law have been widowed together, so this good job fell to that lady named Ye Wangxiang. I heard that she gets more than three taels of silver a month. Tsk tsk, what kind of work can an ordinary family do to earn three taels a month?”

Hou Er, who had just lost everything at the casino, immediately perked up upon hearing this.

He hurriedly grabbed Yue Shi, who was about to pass by him, and asked, "Ye Wangxiang? Do you know Ye Wangxiang?"

Yue pretended to be frightened and looked at Hou Er with a terrified expression: "Who are you? Are you sick in the head?"

Because he needed a favor, Hou Er put on a fawning smile and said, "Is Ye Wangxiang the 'Ye' in 'leaf' (tree leaf), the 'Wang' in 'looking at the sky' (looking towards), and the 'Xiang' in 'hometown' (hometown)?"

“Yes,” Yue said. “What’s wrong? Do you know him?”

Upon hearing this, Hou Er was so excited that he immediately said, "She's my wife!"

Madam Yue glanced behind him and snorted, "Oh, then you're very lucky. Your wife can earn money now, several taels of silver a month."

Hou Er's eyes lit up when he heard that it would be several taels of silver a month.

Are you telling the truth?

"Of course it's true. Her current employer is my stepdaughter. How could I not know the situation?"

Having said what she needed to say, Yue Shi was too lazy to continue arguing with this rascal, so she left.

Behind her, Hou Er couldn't help but rub his fists together, happily singing a tune as he headed home.

That night, Ye Wangxiang returned home. In the dark, she suddenly felt someone hug her from behind, and she screamed in fright.

"What are you shouting for? It's me."

Hearing her husband's voice, Ye Wangxiang felt even more frightened.

She had long since grown tired of him and weary of his advances. It was only because she had been beaten so many times that she was afraid to fight back, wanting to but not daring to.

But today he acted out of character, constantly touching her body.

Ye Wangxiang was unwilling to do that with him, so she said, "Second Aunt is still hungry and waiting for me to nurse her. I'll go to Mother's room to check on her."

"What's the rush?" Hou Er didn't care about his two daughters at all. He didn't care whether his younger daughter was hungry or not. All he cared about was making her feel comfortable so he could get money from her.

Suddenly, a baby's loud cry rang out from the next room. Taking advantage of the moment, Ye Wangxiang shoved him aside and ran out.

Hou Er's expression immediately changed. He spat and cursed, "You bitch, you don't know what's good for you!"

He wasn't about to give up, so he went to his mother's room next door.

At this moment, his expression changed, and the feigned warmth he had just displayed vanished, replaced by cold indifference.

"I heard you've made it big now, earning several taels a month?" His patience was short-lived, and he quickly revealed his true colors.

Ye Wangxiang didn't dare look at her husband. She just kept her head down, nursing her daughter, and whispered, "Who told you that? How could there be so many?"

"Hmph, it's none of your business who told me, but I know it anyway." Hou Er didn't want to say anything more, he just stretched out his hand to her, "Give me five taels of silver."

Ye Wangxiang cried out in anger: "Five taels? You can sell me and see if that's enough to make five taels. Where am I going to get so much silver?"

Hou Er didn't believe it and started to rob her. After searching her thoroughly but finding no silver, Hou Er became angry and began to beat her.

Madam Hou couldn't bear to watch any longer and quickly tried to stop them. But Madam Hou was old and a woman; how could she possibly have the strength of Hou Er, who was in his prime?

Moreover, Hou Er has gone mad at this moment. He is convinced that his wife is rich but refuses to spend money on him, so he is particularly ruthless.

The next day, the milk from the Wang family in the countryside had arrived, and Li Yan had already made preparations to start making milk tea, but Ye Wangxiang still hadn't come.

She is always proactive in her work and takes this job very seriously. She always arrives early and has never been late.

The longer I waited, the more something seemed off.

Thinking about Ye's husband's temperament, Li Yan was always a little worried.

"No, Mother, I'm going to go and take a look."

Aunt Xue immediately came out of the kitchen, worriedly saying, "What good will it do if something really happens?"

Li Yan thought that made sense, so instead of going herself, she planned to go find Cheng Yalang.

"I'll go find Cheng Yalang. I won't go by myself, Mother, don't worry." With that, Li Yan headed for the door.

"What should we do with all this milk? Should we still make the drinks today?" Aunt Xue asked.

Previously, because of the cold weather, Li Yan would make the milk tea in the morning and then have Aunt Xue push it to sell in the afternoon.

Now that the first month of the lunar calendar is over, the weather is gradually warming up and it's not so cold anymore. So, it's not impossible to make it in the afternoon and sell it in the evening.

"I'll do it when I get back this afternoon." After saying this, Li Yan quickly left.

Just then, Aunt Hua from next door came over for a visit. Seeing that Li Yan was in a hurry to go out so early in the morning, she quickly asked, "Yan'er, what's wrong?"

Li Yan said, "Madam Ye hasn't arrived yet after all this time. I'm worried something might have happened, so I'm going to check on her."

Aunt Hua had already seen a bit of her daughter's fate reflected in Madam Ye, so when she heard Li Yan say this, she immediately said, "I'll go with you."

The two found the brokerage firm first, and before they even entered, Li Yan's voice rang out from outside: "Young Master Cheng."

Xu Qingshu happened to have something to discuss with Cheng Ao early this morning, and he was here at the moment. He recognized the woman's voice outside the door very well, glanced at Cheng Ao with a puzzled look, and then quickly came out to greet her.

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Author's note: Please water my blog!