Chapter 41: Ye Wencheng Gets Married by Whispering in His Pillow

After seeing Ye Liang off, Jiang Ji carried the copper coins Ye Liang had collected into the west room.

Twenty catties of soybeans were used to make sixty catties of tofu, but only four catties of tofu were sold today. The remaining fifty-six catties of tofu were all made into tofu puffs and large skewers, totaling twenty-eight catties.

The price is eleven coins per catty, so twenty-eight catties would cost three hundred and eight coins.

There are also five jin of noodles.

The price of the noodles sold to Ye Liang was 27 wen per catty—Ye Liang had to give Ye Liang a discount of 3 wen.

Five catties is one hundred and thirty-five coins.

Adding the two together, he had a total of four hundred and forty-three copper coins in his hand.

It's a huge bunch, and quite heavy.

He placed the large string of copper coins on the wooden table and said to Ye Li, "Count them, it's a total of four hundred and forty-three coins."

Ye Li lay lazily on the kang, her back to him. Hearing this, she turned over and said, "Count out sixty coins and take them with you later."

Sixty coins?

He was somewhat surprised and sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed): "Does this mean I have to come back every fifteen days?"

Originally, two eggs a day cost four coins, so ten days would cost forty coins.

Now there are twenty coins left over.

His long eyebrows furrowed. Was Ye Li angry?

Around noon, because it was too visually stimulating—Ye Li not only had fair skin, but also slender and straight legs—he made Ye Li maintain a certain posture: doing the splits on the stool.

The consequence of this indulgence is that Ye Li now suffers from thigh pain and almost develops bowlegs when walking.

But he caused this consequence.

It's his fault.

It's definitely his fault.

Ye Li is right to be angry.

Before Ye Li could speak, he placed both hands on Ye Li's inner thighs: "Shall I rub it for you? We don't need to use this position next time, just this once."

"..."

Ye Li rolled her eyes and lightly kicked him on the shoulder with her foot: "What are you thinking! The extra twenty coins are your high-temperature allowance!"

"It's so hot outside, what if you want some tea? You can't do that if you don't have any money."

As for the posture at noon.

Well, it wasn't just Jiang Ji who felt good.

He liked it very much too.

Ye Li's explanation immediately relieved Jiang Ji. He grabbed Ye Li's ankle and shook his head, saying, "No need. There's boiled water in the kitchen. Drink as much as you like."

"Furthermore, you should be the one receiving the high-temperature allowance. Frying things in the hot summer, you're working much harder than me."

Although Ye Li brought a pair of long chopsticks, her hands wouldn't get too close to the hot oil when frying things.

But when frying food, you can't be too far from the stove.

Ye Like has had a much harder time than him.

Thinking this, he bent down, lay on his side on the kang (a heated brick bed), and with a long arm, pulled Ye Li into his arms. He kissed Ye Li's lips: "Keep it, we three brothers have too many places to spend money."

Ye Li snorted and gave him a symbolic push on the chest: "I drink well water every day at home, how can you compare to me?"

"Just take it. Consider it a reward for your generosity."

"Why aren't you thanking Master Li for his reward?"

Jiang Ji: "..."

He was speechless, but also wanted to laugh.

With his slender fingers, Ye Li tapped the tip of his upturned nose, and Ye Li obediently said, "This humble servant thanks Master Li for the reward."

After they finished speaking, their eyes met, and they both laughed at the same time.

Just then, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya's voices came from outside; they had returned from gathering firewood.

Jiang Ji gave Ye Li a deep kiss on the lips, then sat up and said, "How about I cook dinner first, and we eat dinner before you leave?"

Summer days are long, so the city gates close later.

Ye Li was also reluctant to part with him, so she nodded: "Okay."

Dinner is easy to make. Just heat up the leftover fish soup from lunch, steam the flatbread, and smash some cucumber. That's all you need for a meal.

However, no matter how much it is delayed, we still have to leave.

After dinner, Jiang Ji picked up his basket, waved goodbye to Ye Li, Jiang Mai, and Jiang Ya, and reluctantly left home.

To be honest, after being here for so many days, Ye Li has gotten somewhat used to Jiang Ji leaving like this.

However, as he watched Jiang Ji's tall figure gradually disappear, he felt as if a piece of his heart was empty.

I feel a little uncomfortable.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. On the third day after Jiang Ji returned to the private school, Jiang Dahe pushed a cart to the school to deliver grain to Jiang Ji.

The private school collects grain every three months; if the grain is not paid, the students are not allowed to eat in the dining hall.

Considering that some students live far away, a three-day period was given.

Jiang Dahe was busy harvesting wheat before, and only today did he have time to go to the private school to deliver the grain.

Before going, he specifically came over to ask Ye Li if she wanted to come along.

Generally speaking, Ye Li is fine in the morning.

Ye Li is indeed fine today.

But according to Jiang Dahe's habit, after handing over the grain, he would wait for Jiang Ji to finish class so he could talk to him for a while.

At midday, they waited outside the private school for someone.

Jiang Dahe was also by my side, so we couldn't have any private conversations.

Therefore, when Jiang Ji returned to the private school the day before yesterday, he asked him if he wanted to deliver grain with Jiang Dahe, but he shook his head and refused.

In fact, Jiang Ji was also reluctant to let him make this trip. In the sweltering heat, he had to cross the entire county, which was too much of a hardship.

So Jiang Dahe was sent to the private school alone to deliver the grain.

When Jiang Dahe left, Ye Li gave him a small cloth bag containing three square rice balls.

Usually at this time, Liang Erxiang would bake a few pancakes and have Jiang Dahe take them over.

Now that he has a husband, he's trying some new tricks.

Jiang Dahe pushed the cart and walked for an hour before arriving at the private school. He asked the gatekeeper to announce his arrival, and soon two cooks came out and, together with him, carried the two sacks of corn to the kitchen.

Weigh it, register it, and press your fingerprint.

Afterwards, he left the private school and stood guard at the gate. When the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class, he eagerly craned his neck to look into the school.

A short while later, Jiang Ji came out.

He held a bowl in one hand and four steamed buns in the other.

When Jiang Dahe got closer, he saw that the porridge in the bowl was not the usual clear, thin porridge, but a thick, dark paste.

Jiang Dahe asked in surprise, "What is this?"

Jiang Ji explained, "This is walnut and black sesame powder that Ye Li ground for me. It makes the porridge quite fragrant. Second Uncle, you should drink it quickly and go back after you finish."

Whenever Jiang Dahe came to deliver grain, he would get some food from the kitchen for Jiang Dahe to eat before leaving.

It's such a long way, I can't go back on an empty stomach.

As for his own meals, he could drink the thin porridge from the kitchen as much as he wanted, and Liang Erxiang would also prepare flatbread for him.

Jiang Dahe didn't stand on ceremony; he was indeed thirsty.

Moreover, this is Jiang Ji's way of showing filial piety to him!

He took the bowl and handed the small cloth bag containing the rice ball to Jiang Ji: "Eat quickly, Brother Li said not to leave it for too long, or it will spoil."

Jiang Ji opened the cloth bag and was somewhat surprised to see the rice balls.

However, he quickly cheered up.

Although Ye Liren didn't come, he still put a lot of thought into him!

He handed one rice ball to Jiang Dahe, and holding the remaining two, he was about to start eating when a familiar voice rang out from not far away: "Jiang Ji!"

He looked over and, sure enough, it was Bao Beiyuan pushing a wheelbarrow toward them.

He laughed; it was a lively day.

Holding the rice ball, he walked over to Bao Beiyuan: "What brings you here? How's business these days?"

“I guessed that my second uncle would come to deliver food today, so I made a special trip to ask him to pass on a message to Brother Li so that he wouldn’t worry.”

Bao Beiyuan parked the wheelbarrow under the shade of a tree, wiped the sweat from his face, and explained, "I'm too busy to go to Wild Jujube Slope, so I can only ask my second uncle to pass on the message."

"Here, you and your second uncle will have a bowl of drink."

He specially prepared bowls when he came so that he could pour drinks for Jiang Ji and Jiang Dahe.

Jiang Ji didn't stand on ceremony with him, shoving a rice ball into his hand and asking, "Is business good?"

Upon hearing this, Bao Beiyuan immediately grinned and said, "Great, great, I'm lucky too."

That day, when he set up his stall, he received a large order from Chen Sheng.

The Chen family was large, and the drinks he prepared that day were not enough. The Chen family had not had enough to drink and told him to go to the Chen family again the next day.

As a result, when he delivered drinks to the Chen family the next day, two of Chen Sheng's friends were there, so he took on two more business deals.

Chen Sheng's two friends also come from well-off families.

Now, he visits these three households first, then goes to the cold jelly shop, and that's how he sells out the stock he prepared that day.

Jasmine honey tea is just for show; one earthenware potful a day.

He sold seventy packs of his signature soy milk rice mochi yesterday!

Today he prepared eighty grapes, making a net profit of two and a half coins per grape. If he sold them all, he could earn two hundred coins!

Including the profits from side dishes and jasmine honey tea, he can earn about 230 coins a day!

He and Ye Li split it nine-tenths, so he would get two hundred and ten coins.

There are too many.

There are just too many.

So, he can earn six taels a month!

Ye Li, on the other hand, could only get six or seven hundred coins, which is a zero difference!

Therefore, he came here today not only to ask Jiang Dahe to send a message to Ye Li so that Ye Li could feel at ease.

He also plans to change the profit-sharing ratio.

It should be split 30/70.

Otherwise, he'd be in a hot seat with this money!

After listening to Bao Beiyuan's words, Jiang Ji simply said, "Then you can talk to Ye Li when you have time. This is his business, and my words don't carry any weight."

Upon hearing this, Bao Beiyuan's eyes widened: "You can't manage Brother Li's household?"

“He’s the one who’s paying for my education now; he’s the one in charge.”

Jiang Ji said with a smile.

Looking at his smile, Bao Beiyuan immediately showed disgust and exclaimed, "Look how happy you are! You're losing your husbandly authority!"

“We’re all family. As long as the husband can stand up, that’s fine. Anyway, you should talk to Ye Li about this. I can’t make the decision.”

Jiang Ji put the last bit of rice ball into his mouth as he spoke.

The rice ball contains an egg, shredded cucumber, shredded tofu puffs, and a sauce made with Ye Li.

fragrant!

With a cheerful expression, Bao Beiyuan turned to Jiang Dahe and said, "Uncle, could you please pass on a message to Brother Li for me? He's the one who came up with this prescription, so how can I take the lion's share?"

Jiang Dahe was already frightened by the profits Bao Beiyuan mentioned.

Six taels of silver a month!

I dare not think about it, I really dare not think about it.

I never imagined that a single drink could make so much money!

He'll never be able to stand up straight in front of Ye Li again; his nephew-in-law is really too capable.

He responded several times, "I'll tell him when I get home."

"Oh, thank you, Second Uncle," Bao Beiyuan said happily.

He didn't linger. In this sweltering heat, if he delayed any longer, not only would all the ice in the drink melt, but the coolness would also disappear.

He pushed his wheelbarrow and hurried away.

Jiang Dahe didn't want to delay Jiang Ji's lunch break, so after finishing his cornbread and porridge, he wiped his mouth and pushed his cart home.

When I arrived home after traveling through the county town, Ye Li was frying tofu puffs.

He relayed Bao Beiyuan's words to Ye Li, who was quite happy, knowing that she could now earn money from home.

With the income from the drinks, his financial situation was greatly relieved!

However, he felt a little embarrassed about splitting it 30/70.

On hot days, Bao Beiyuan would buy goat milk, tea leaves, and ice, grind glutinous rice and soybeans into powder, cook the condiments, and finally push a wheelbarrow through the streets and alleys. All of these tasks were done by Bao Beiyuan alone.

Let's stick with an 80/20 split.

Time flows like water, passing silently. A few days later, Ye Wen's wedding day arrived.

Early that morning, Jiang Tong hitched up his oxcart and came to the Jiang family's house.

Ye Li loaded the thirty catties of fried tofu puffs from yesterday onto the oxcart. These tofu puffs would be served at the lunch banquet as a meat dish.

The Ye family is poor, and for today's wedding banquet, Ye Daji only bought a pork carcass. Since there wasn't much meat, he planned to use tofu puffs to make up the difference.

In terms of price, tofu puffs are really not inferior to meat.

He also prepared a basket of eggs and a piece of cotton cloth as a wedding gift for the newlyweds.

In the countryside, this gift was quite generous.

Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya, the two little ones, changed into clean clothes and combed their hair neatly. After Ye Li locked the courtyard gate, they quickly got onto the oxcart.

Both of them were quite excited; they were going to have a feast today!

The oxcart swayed and rattled all the way, entering and leaving the county town, and then traveled more than ten miles before finally arriving at the Ye family's house.

According to custom, weddings held at this time are usually celebrated with a feast at dusk.

However, because of Ye Wen's wedding, Ye Li has stopped doing business for two days. If she can't go back tonight, she won't be able to do business tomorrow either.

As a result, he will lose three days' worth of income.

The Ye family is another example.

The total loss has exceeded one or two ounces; who would be willing to bear such a loss?

Ye Daji then informed his in-laws and moved the banquet to noon.

Therefore, when Ye Li and his three companions arrived, the Ye family was quite lively.

Ye Wen has already welcomed her new husband back.

The villagers in the courtyard are preparing a banquet.

Ye Li handed the tofu puffs to the cook, and gave the eggs, cotton cloth, and 100 coins as a wedding gift to Ye's father. Then he took Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya into the new house to see his new husband.

My second brother's husband is named Tang Yu. He is quite handsome and seems clever. As soon as he sees him, he calls him "Brother Li" affectionately and invites him to sit down.

Ye Li took out the pumpkin seeds she carried with her and sat down to chat with her second brother-in-law.

He didn't plan to help in the yard; they were there to eat at the banquet, not to work as laborers.

Ye Li acted like a lazybones, and neither the Ye family nor the villagers who were watching the spectacle thought anything of it. The original owner of this body was lazy in the past, and now that Ye Li had started such a profitable business, if he didn't take a break, who had the right to take a break?

Dinner will be served soon.

Today's meal wasn't particularly simple; besides two pork dishes, each table also had a fish and a bowl of stir-fried chicken.

Two months ago, the Ye family couldn't even afford to eat dry food for dinner.

The fact that such a feast could be arranged now has exceeded everyone's expectations.

Ye Li was a distinguished guest—the most capable person in the entire Ye family at the moment. He was arranged by Ye's father to be a guest of honor, and to dine with the new husband's family in the new house.

Their table was even more lavish, with two bowls of fatty braised pork.

Jiangmai and Jiangya ate with gusto, their mouths glistening with oil. They were overjoyed.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Ye Li patted his bottom and led the two little ones onto the oxcart to go home.

But after entering the county town, the oxcart turned from the main street into a small alley.

They planned to go to the private school.

Ye Daji cared deeply for his good son-in-law and specially reserved a bowl of braised pork and four steamed buns for Jiang Ji.

Ye Li has also made a new dish these past few days: pork floss.

He brought it all along today, intending to ensure Jiang Ji eats some meat with every meal.

Jiang Ji knew that Ye Wen was getting married today.

But he was overjoyed because he didn't know that Ye Li would bring two little ones with him. As soon as he stepped out of the private school, he picked up Jiang Ya and Jiang Mai and kissed them one by one.

The two little ones, their faces flushed, chattered around him, telling him about what they had seen and heard that day.

They were too young to realize that their elder brother's affections had shifted to his brother-in-law.

Jiang Tong noticed this, scratched his head, and stepped aside to let the family of four have some private conversation.

There's no room for private conversations in front of the two little ones.

Ye Li stuffed the braised pork and steamed buns into Jiang Ji's hands, telling Jiang Ji to eat first.

Jiang Ji broke the steamed bun open, put two slices of braised pork inside, and then handed it to Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya.

The two little ones, their attention diverted by the delicious food, slowly moved away from the oxcart and curiously looked at the gate of the private school and the passersby.

Jiang Ji stood beside the oxcart, staring greedily at Ye Li's face, and asked while munching on a steamed bun, "What does Second Brother-in-law think?"

"That's good. Besides, she seems to really like her second brother; she blushes whenever she sees him."

Ye Lidao.

He stayed in the new house chatting today, also wanting to see what his second brother-in-law's personality was like.

Looking at it today, there's nothing wrong with it.

"That's good." Jiang Ji nodded: "With more people in the family, Father will have help and can rest more."

Liu Yi is now focused on the tofu puff business, and most of the housework has fallen on Ye Adie's shoulders.

"By the way, what about what Bao Beiyuan mentioned last time? What have you thought about it?" he asked again.

"Three sevens is too hot to handle, let's go with two eights," Ye Li said.

But Jiang Ji said, "Well... Bao Beiyuan is currently all alone, but he doesn't care much about money. How about we split it 30/70?"

Ye Li asked, somewhat puzzled, "You agree with a 30/70 split?"

"I agree. So I'm going to whisper some sweet nothings in your ear."

Jiang Ji pointed to his face as he spoke: "Master Li, will you give me any face?"

One sentence made Ye Li burst into laughter: "Master Li is easily swayed and can't resist your flattery."

"But tell me, why do you agree with this division?"

Jiang Ji looked at his smiling face and smiled back, his long, narrow eyes shining brightly: "He came to see me again yesterday, saying that he likes being busy now, so he doesn't have time to think about his father."

"For him, enough money is enough to get by."

"I agreed when I thought about how hard you work every day."

He lowered his voice and said, "Just take it. I can't repay you with my life these days, so I can only offer you money to comfort this empty bed."

Money is fine even without him.

Now all the housework is on Ye Li's shoulders, and heaven knows how anxious he is.

But he couldn't rush or panic.

He needs to stay calm.

Reading is the most important thing.

Therefore, he wanted Ye Li to take the money.

The extra 10%, when added up each month, is not a small amount and can help Ye Li do a lot of things.