Ye Yunniang went home, changed into clean clothes, and returned to courtyard number 7. She pretended that she was unaware of the situation in the backyard.

“Mother, I’m here. Don’t be afraid.” Li Ping patted Ye Yunniang’s shoulder.

The tiny hand distracted Ye Yunniang from her fear. She still had children to take care of, so she had to pull herself together.

"Mother, don't be afraid. What did you have for lunch?"

"The noodles we ate. Uncle Da Mai brought them back."

"Is it tasty?"

"Nothing tastes as good as my mother's cooking." In Li Ping's heart, Ye Yun's mother was the best cook.

"How about Mom makes you some handmade noodles tonight?"

"Okay, let's have hand-pulled noodles."

The joy of her son completely dispelled Ye Yunniang's fear.

He got up and went to the kitchen to kill a chicken.

For dinner, I made hand-pulled noodles with chicken broth.

Ye Yunniang broke the two chicken legs apart, divided them into three equal portions, and put them into the children's bowls.

After putting the three children to sleep, Ye Yunniang went back to her room to rest.

Lie down.

He sat up, got out of bed, and lit the oil lamp.

I went back to the bedside and lifted the pillow.

There was a box under the pillow. When I opened it, there was a letter inside.

Beneath the letter lay a piece of translucent jade with a fine texture and a glossy sheen; its warmth dispelled the chill in my heart.

The letter was filled with familiar words.

"It's cold, please take precautions to keep warm."

Ye Yunniang held the warm jade and lay down to rest.

***

A perfectly good contract-building banquet ended with Wang Qiang seriously injured and Ma Hui, Xiu Mei, and Zhang Er arrested.

Wang Qiang endured the pain at home for two days before succumbing to his severe injuries.

A joyous occasion turned into a tragedy, and the Wang family deeply resented the Ma and Zhang families. Granny Wang went to both families to hurl insults.

The Zhang family was also angry, as Xiumei had exposed her affair with Zhang Da that day. Although Zhang Da vehemently denied it, his wife Caixia wouldn't listen and took the children back to her parents' home.

Although Zhang San and Qiu Fang had already moved out, this incident brought up the past again.

Some of Qiu Fang's family members blamed her for insisting on being with Zhang San in the first place.

Zhang San also felt extremely guilty because his second brother had committed murder.

The couple's relationship developed cracks.

A perfectly good family is about to fall apart because of Xiumei. Granny Zhang hates Xiumei to death.

With Xiumei in jail, Granny Zhang couldn't do anything to her. Granny Wang, who came to scold her, became the perfect target for Granny Zhang's anger.

Granny Zhang was a formidable widow in her youth. She would curse from morning till night without stopping, and never repeat herself.

Granny Wang couldn't win the argument and fainted from anger.

Upon waking up, he dared not go to the Zhang family's house, and instead turned around and ran to the Ma family's house to curse.

Niu Dajiao also harbored resentment towards the Wang family. Hongyan had stolen her man, and Hongyan's man had stolen her son.

Not to be outdone, Niu Dajiao engaged in a shouting match with Wang Pozi at the alley entrance, insulting everything from her entire family to her ancestors for eighteen generations.

The two women blocked the alley entrance, making it inconvenient for residents to enter and exit. When someone suggested they go elsewhere to hurl insults, the two women joined forces and berated them until they dared not speak.

In the end, it was Tie Xiong, who had returned from the yamen, who drew his sword and scared the two women away, so they went to another place to curse.

From morning till night, people in Wanxia Lane could hear the two arguing. They started out as spectators, but later they were driven to the point of exhaustion.

"Boss Bao, hurry up and close the case!" Li Pan covered her ears; it was so noisy.

Ang Lee didn't speak, but his expression was the same: too noisy.

Only Li Ping remained unaffected, comfortably lying on the bed with her little feet crossed.

Bao Min, who was being targeted by Li Pan, returned to the prefectural government office with a disgruntled expression. He had spent every day with Cai Damei during this time, and finally managed to soften her heart and get her to agree to let the child take her surname.

These troublemakers are causing him more trouble again.

Cai Damei was worried that Yunniang and her three children, who were at home, would not want to stay on the estate.

Bao Min finally managed to persuade him to stay calm and promised to handle the situation properly.

Upon returning to the prefectural government, he led his men to swiftly investigate the matter and deliver a verdict.

Zhang Er killed one person, seriously injured one person, and slightly injured three others. His actions were egregious, and he was sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out immediately after the court was notified.

Ma Hui committed adultery with Xiu Mei, which caused all the trouble. He was punished with 50 strokes of the cane and exiled to the frontier, never to return to Jiangcheng.

As for those who had committed adultery with Xiumei, after investigation, it was confirmed that this had indeed happened. Bao Min sent Tiexiong to arrest them and bring them to the prefectural government, where they were given 30 lashes as a warning to others.

Evening Glow Lane is famous in Jiangcheng, and everyone knows about Ma Hui and his two companions.

Zhang Da was beaten 30 times, leaving his skin torn and bleeding, rendering him unable to work.

Caixia is at her parents' house with her son, and it's unclear when she will return.

When Granny Zhang learned that her second son had been sentenced to death, she collapsed.

Zhang San quit his job and moved back home with Qiu Fang to take care of the household.

The Zhang and Wang families, who are neighbors, argue every day because of this, making the alley uneasy.

Ye Yunniang took her three children to the temple to offer incense and also to see Cai Damei.

Cai Damei was worried about not seeing her family.

For the sake of her family and her child, Ye Yunniang prayed for a peace charm, and then met Cai Damei in the guest courtyard.

Cai Damei is 7 months pregnant, her belly is very big, but her complexion is still okay.

"Yunniang, I'm not home. You need to stand up," Cai Damei instructed Ye Yunniang.

This time, Ye Yunniang didn't just nod; she answered aloud, "Mother, don't worry. I will take good care of the family and the children."

Through this experience, Ye Yunniang has matured a lot. She is now more composed and steady in her actions than before.

When Granny Wang came to her door, Ye Yunniang remained completely calm.

"The person in the house that day should have been you, not Xiumei." If Ye Yunniang hadn't dodged, her son wouldn't have died. And her family wouldn't have had rotten vegetable leaves thrown at them.

It was all Ye Yunniang's fault. The more Wang Pozi thought about it, the more she hated Ye Yunniang, wishing she could kill her. But then she thought of her two grandsons and couldn't.

"I won't tell you about your business. You have to give me 300 taels of silver," Granny Wang said, revealing her purpose.

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