Brother, if you can't appreciate the good life, I'll do it for you.

The carriage moved very slowly. The people inside swayed slightly with it.

Ye Qingzhou yawned again, his body went limp, and he involuntarily moved closer to that side.

"Want to sleep?" Jiang Jinghong straightened his back, propping his long legs up so that Ye Qingzhou's head could rest on his lap. Ye Qingzhou lay on his lap, her warm breath falling onto his stomach.

This position… I can’t think about this, I need to do something else. It’s broad daylight, and we’re still in the carriage…

Jiang Jinghong touched Ye Qingzhou's face; it was smooth and tender.

"It itches, don't move around." Ye Qingzhou, unable to rest, opened her eyes: "You keep me up all night, and you won't even let me take a nap during the day."

She looked at Jiang Jinghong's face again, her eyes filled with grievance.

"Okay, okay, go to sleep." Jiang Jinghong lowered his voice and gently coaxed her.

The carriage traveled a while longer. Jiang Jinghong watched his lover's sleeping face the entire way. Seeing her eyelashes occasionally flutter, he guessed she was perhaps having a dream.

The carriage stopped.

Jiang Jinghong carried Ye Qingzhou, preparing to disembark from the carriage.

"No~" The woman in his arms let out a soft moan. The two words were soft and weak, with a lingering, drawn-out tone at the end.

Those two words somehow pleased Jiang Jinghong. He sat back down, holding her close, a broad smile on his face. He whispered in her ear, as if coaxing a child, "Whatever you want, whatever you want."

Even though the person in his arms was asleep again, giving him no response, Jiang Jinghong still smiled beautifully, revealing a few of her front teeth.

Pumpkin and Jiang Yuan, who were driving the carriage, had already gotten out of the carriage.

Hearing Pumpkin's footsteps approaching the back of the carriage, Jiang Jinghong covered Ye Qingzhou's ears to avoid disturbing her sweet dreams. He said, "Madam is asleep. Wait a little longer."

"Yes," Pumpkin replied, continuing to guard the carriage.

Jiang Yuan heard this too, and went to instruct the servants at the door to go inside and inform their master to prepare things for him.

At the doorway, an old man, dressed in tattered clothes and with a face full of wrinkles, sat basking in the sun. He opened his cloudy eyes, leaned against the wall, and slowly walked out.

Not long after the old man left the alley, Yu Xi received the news and hurried home with the jar in her arms.

The home he mentioned was actually the Ye residence.

Yu Xi's mother greeted the old man and then came over with her son.

"Qingzhou! Qingzhou! You're back!" Yu Xi called out as soon as she saw the carriage.

These exclamations woke Ye Qingzhou, who was inside the carriage.

Yu Xi, clutching the jar, rushed toward the carriage.

Pumpkin stretched out her arm and blocked him: "Stay away."

"You little brat, what right do you have to stop my son? You should get lost!" Yu Xi's mother immediately stepped in to take his side.

The gatekeeper, who was standing guard at the entrance, ran and shouted, "Steward Nan, I'm here to help you."

Li Qi followed closely behind, shouting, "Don't bully my brother!"

Ye Qingzhou, inside the carriage, could hear everything that was happening outside, and the noise made her sigh repeatedly.

"Don't speak! All of you, don't speak!" Yu Xi suddenly shouted, looking somewhat nervously at the carriage that was so close yet unreachable. A smile appeared on his face: "Qingzhou is talking to me. I heard it."

She didn't! Ye Qingzhou frowned.

Through the curtain, Jiang Jinghong glared outside the carriage, her sense of crisis undiminished: Yu Xi, Yu Xi, are you finally cured of your deafness and blindness? Do you finally realize how good Ye Qingzhou is? Too late!

"Qingzhou, look, I've saved the chicken soup you like for you. Let's live like before, okay?" Yu Xi said to the carriage, patiently trying to persuade her.

Annoying! Just hearing him speak annoys me! Ye Qingzhou covered her ears. If she couldn't hear it, she wouldn't be annoyed. She didn't like chicken soup. Yu Xi was the one who liked it.

She hates Yu Xi? How obedient.

Yu Xi is so wicked. Of course she should be taught a lesson.

My Qingzhou has a beautiful face, a discerning heart, and is sincere and kind—truly a wonderful person. Jiang Jinghong smiled silently, placed his large hand on Ye Qingzhou's hand, and covered her ears.

The pair of large, dark, and thick hands had just touched Ye Qingzhou's fair and delicate hands when she pulled them away.

Then, the large, muscular hand was stuffed inside, while the small, fair hand was outside, pressed tightly against Ye Qingzhou's ears.

Without making a sound, Jiang Jinghong gently tugged at Ye Qingzhou's earlobe. Her earlobe was so soft and warm.

I wonder if it feels as soft as lips when you kiss it?

With that thought in mind, Jiang Jinghong honestly lowered her head.

"Chirp."

It was just a kiss on the cheek. If it weren't for the outside...

Even after just one kiss, Ye Qingzhou lowered her eyes and blushed.

Outside, the scene was equally chaotic. Seeing that she was outmatched, Yu's mother lunged at the carriage and gave it a push.

Feeling the carriage sway, Ye Qingzhou released Jiang Jinghong's hand.

"Ye Qingzhou, everyone praises you, saying you're a rare good wife. Good my foot! Humph! Is it so hard to see you? You bullied my son, I'll never forgive you!" Mother Yu shouted, jumping up and down.

"Mother! Don't get involved," Yu Xi said.

"What, you feel sorry for her when I scold her?" Yu's mother pointed at her son's head: "You're loyal to her, but she won't even see you. You're useless."

Yu Xi, rendered speechless by her mother's scolding, gritted her teeth and swallowed the humiliation, deciding to make plans for another day. Right now, the most important thing was to soften Ye Qingzhou's heart; with her, she would have money. With money, who would look down on him?

Yu Xi rolled her eyes at her mother, then picked up the chicken soup jar, took a few steps, and approached the carriage: "Qingzhou! My dear wife. I was wrong before, I didn't care about you enough. From now on, I will make you nourishing soup every day to help you take good care of your health."

Why are you so unwilling to listen to him? Ye Qingzhou sighed again, her eyes bright and gentle as spring water as she looked at Jiang Jinghong.

She was fully awake, woken up by the noise, and a little unhappy. It was time to get off the bus. With just that one glance and one sigh, Jiang Jinghong understood her thoughts and nodded: "As you wish, Madam."

Ye Qingzhou got up and lifted the carriage curtain a crack.

Pumpkin immediately reached out to help the owner out of the car.

Yu Xi, holding the jar in one hand, stood on the other side and reached out her hand to help Ye Qingzhou down from the carriage.

Among a dozen pairs of eyes, a tall man stepped down from the carriage first.

Why is it Jiang Jinghong? Where is Ye Qingzhou? Yu Xi pulled her hand back a little, her hand still trembling slightly.

Jiang Jinghong got off the carriage, turned around, lifted the curtain, and Ye Qingzhou came out.

Ye Qingzhou placed the bundle in Nan Gua's hand.

Pumpkin stopped. Yu Xi squeezed forward, and the moment he saw Jiang Jinghong, he knew something was wrong—a man and a woman alone in a room. But he still told himself: right now, none of that matters; what matters is the money.

Ye Qingzhou smiled as he looked around at everyone.

Yu Xi and Jiang Jinghong both stretched out their hands very long.

Yu Xi was already struggling to carry the jar, and he gritted his teeth, wishing he could just shove Ye Qingzhou away.

"Thank you for your hard work." After greeting the servants, Ye Qingzhou placed his hand in Jiang Jinghong's hand.

Get off the carriage and go home.

"Qingzhou, I am the father of your child. You can't do this to me." Yu Xi said, trying to snatch the small hand that Jiang Jinghong was holding: "Come on, let's go home together."

"Hmph!" Jiang Jinghong's eyes flashed coldly as she glanced at him, then stepped aside to block his way. "You could have had both a son and a daughter, and a beautiful wife in your arms. It's a pity you don't know how to enjoy such a good life. If you don't, I will."

"Jiang Jinghong, you usurper! Let go of my wife! She's my woman!" After enduring so much, Yu Xi's eyes reddened, and in a moment of impulsiveness, she blurted out, "I've slept with her for ten years, I've already worn her out. Ye Qingzhou, you filthy bitch, why don't you just die?"

Old habits die hard! Ye Qingzhou opened his mouth to scold Yu Xi, but found that Jiang Jinghong had grabbed Yu Xi's neck with just one hand.

Death? A tree withers, leaves fall, the soul returns to its flesh and blood. The word "death" pulled Jiang Jinghong's thoughts back to before Ye Qingzhou's divorce. That night, he forced himself to find Yu Xi, only to see him acting like a madman, trying to kill Ye Qingzhou.

At that time, he must have been so tired that his body was burning up, and he was filled with relief.

Hearing these words again today, Jiang Jinghong felt a chill run down her spine, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, fearing that this happiness would vanish like an illusion.

He couldn't bear to hear these words, and he couldn't stand being without her again: "Try cursing her again!"

"You're the one who's rotten! You're the one who's rotting in the mud. She'll always be gentle and beautiful, forever young! Even if you died eight hundred times, she wouldn't die, she'd still be alive and well!"

After Jiang Jinghong finished cursing, he used both hands to pull hard. Yu Xi tried to pry his hands off, but only managed to pull open his sleeve.

On Jiang Jinghong's exposed arm, the veins bulged.

Getting involved with Yu Xi will only lead to trouble. Ye Qingzhou tried to pull Jiang Jinghong's hand away, but couldn't.

Pumpkin and the others were frantic, trying to persuade the many villagers who had come to watch the commotion to leave. Jiang Yuan grabbed Jiang Jinghong's arm and pulled hard, pleading, "Brother, let go! I beg you! Brother! You're my ancestor!"

Yu's mother clamored that she would report it to the authorities.

"Jinghong, let go quickly. It's not worth risking a life for him."

Jiang Jinghong's eyes flickered, but she still wouldn't let go: It's worth it! If he dies, no one will hurt you.

Looking into his eyes, they were still fixed straight ahead—so stubborn! Ye Qingzhou leaned close to his ear, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and whispered, "Didn't you say you were going to marry me? When?"

Hearing the whisper in her ear, Jiang Jinghong slowly released her grip.

Ye Qingzhou wiped his hands and pulled him home.

After a day of making a scene, Yu Xi returned to her rented apartment and drowned her sorrows in alcohol: "Nobody drinks the chicken soup. I'll drink it."

He opened the lid and froze. Something was wriggling in the chicken soup. Maggots?

"Mother, I'll give you three hundred coins. What kind of chicken did you buy? Why is it infested with worms?"

“Son, three hundred coins? You’re so arrogant? It’s only a few coins! Your sister does laundry for the master, and she only gives me eight hundred coins a month, and she didn’t complain. And that’s not even enough. Rent, rice, and flour—where doesn’t it cost money? This chicken is free, so who cares if it’s infested with worms? Just eat!”

Was she found again? Without money, even her mother doesn't seem like a mother anymore. Yu Xi thought back to the daytime, when Jiang Jinghong was almost strangling him, and his mother stood far away. If it weren't for Ye Qingzhou, he might be dead.

“Son, I just heard them say that there’s an old man who wants to buy a pregnant woman as a concubine. He says he believes in some kind of superstitious stuff.” Yu’s mother sat down next to her son, no longer bothered by the smell of alcohol: “Are you in? It’s fifty taels of silver!”

A pregnant woman? The look in her mother's eyes...was she implying she was selling Ye Qingzhou? Fifty taels wasn't much. Yu Xi took a sip of wine: "Cheers!"