Stop fighting! You won't kill him like this!

"They're fighting! The two of them are fighting!" Old Butler Zhao Bo ran into Ye Qingzhou's courtyard, panting.

"Who? Is Yu Xi back?" Yu's mother spoke first.

"It's Young Master Ye from the young lady's uncle's family. He's fighting with Old Master Yu, the eldest son-in-law's uncle, at the door," Uncle Zhao replied, glancing at Ye Qingzhou's expression.

Yu's mother had been holding her breath, but when she heard it was Yu Xi's uncle, her face immediately fell. This man was a stubborn mule who was difficult to deal with; most people couldn't get the better of him.

Ye Qingzhou asked Yu's mother to return to the courtyard first.

“That old geezer has gone mad ever since that opera singer came. He was injured, and I only tried to comfort him a few times, but he kicked me out of the courtyard and made me move to the west courtyard. That senile old man, he’s deliberately trying to annoy me.” Mother Yu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Ye Qingzhou offered a few words of advice and asked a servant to escort her back to her courtyard. Ye Qingzhou followed her out of the room, followed by three or four old women.

As the group walked along the covered walkway, they vaguely heard someone mention Ye Qingzhou's name from the small garden.

Ye Qingzhou gestured for the others to be quiet, slowed his pace, and walked along the covered walkway, around the openwork of the wall. Using the tall tree branches as cover, he heard voices coming from the corridor.

The old nanny advised, "Madam, there's no need to cry. Why not take Master Yu with you to find your son-in-law, Yu Xi? Wouldn't that give you someone to back you up?"

Mother Yu stopped crying: "That Flower Branch Alley is small and narrow. And there's no one to serve us. We're living here just fine, why should we leave? Besides, this big courtyard belongs to the Yu family. It belongs to my son."

The maid, Chonghua, supporting Ye Qingzhou, frowned as she listened: "The person belongs to the Ye family, the house belongs to the Ye family, and the plaque says Ye Residence. How can it be your Yu family's?"

Ye Qingzhou looked at her puffed-up little face, smiled and shook her head.

The old nanny once again urged Yu's mother to return to her room.

After cursing the old man who was blinded by lust, Madam Yu then started cursing Ye Qingzhou: "Ye, the first time I saw her, I knew she was a good-for-nothing! All these years, I've been able to control her. What is that actress anyway, getting all the time to shit on her head? She's utterly useless! Our Yu family doesn't support idlers. When Ye Qingzhou dies, we'll throw her into a mass grave and let the wild dogs eat her. We'll even save on the tattered mat she used to wear."

Old habits die hard. Yu's mother really is the same; her original intentions remain unchanged. It seems Ye Qingzhou is just too soft-hearted.

Some things, you should just do them!

Furious, he redrawn the painting, broke off a tree branch, and took two or three steps to walk out of the covered walkway, shouting that he wanted to fight with Yu's mother.

Yu's mother was so frightened that she tried to hide, but the old nanny persuaded her to return to the small courtyard.

Ye Qingzhou pulled Chonghua along, tidied her hair, took a gold hairpin from his own head, and placed it on Chonghua's head, saying with a smile, "A precious sword is given to a hero, and a gold hairpin is given to a hero amidst a sea of ​​beauties. Thank you for protecting me."

He touched the gold hairpin again and was happy for a long time.

When the master and servants arrived at the front hall, the old steward, Uncle Zhao, had already arranged seats for the two guests. One was seated at the head of the table on the east side, and the other at the head of the table on the right side.

Even so, the two guests, upon seeing each other, would bristle like fighting cocks, their eyes meeting as soon as they met.

"Uncle, please have some tea. Cousin, please have some tea," Ye Qingzhou said.

Uncle Yu picked up his teacup, about to take a sip. He glanced up and saw the young man opposite him enjoying his tea.

Hmph! What a brat! Who does he think he is? Why does he dare drink the same tea as me?!

Uncle Yu grew angrier the more he thought about it, so he put the lid on the cup and placed it on the small table.

Despite Ye Qingzhou's three attempts to persuade him, Uncle Yu refused to drink a drop of the tea and left.

Seeing his expression, Ye Qingzhou called over the steward, Uncle Zhao, and whispered a few words to him.

Seeing that Ye Laosan was in high spirits, Ye Qingzhou asked the nanny to send a message to the kitchen to prepare dinner and invite Ye Laosan to eat with them.

As soon as the old woman left, Uncle Zhao came in and quietly reported to Ye Qingzhou: "Uncle Yu did indeed go to Huazhi Lane to see Yu Xi. He sat there for about half an incense stick's time. Before leaving, he stood at the door and said to Yu Xi, 'You were too impatient.'"

Too hasty?

Ye Qingzhou frowned, and after thinking it over, whispered to Uncle Zhao, "Please go to the escort agency. See if Boss Jiang has returned yet, and take down the invitation first."

Uncle Zhao walked out with a brisk pace. He's been in much better spirits these past few days, and his back is straighter now.

"Little sister, you've been working too hard. Do you want your third brother to help you?" Ye Laosan said.

She sought her husband's help, and what happened to her? Thanks to Yu Xi, she no longer dared to trust anyone.

Ye Qingzhou smiled and said, "It's alright. If it doesn't work, I'll ask Third Brother for help again."

The two talked for a while, and then their daughter came home from school. Ye Qingzhou hugged her daughter and asked her a few questions. Then he picked up a teacup and fed his daughter water.

"Your girl is too spoiled. How old is she? She still wants to be carried. My girl doesn't dare to breathe loudly when she sees me." Old Ye spat out a mouthful of tea leaves.

Ye Qingzhou paused for a moment, still holding her daughter, and smiled, "I heard that Third Brother also dotes on his child. I only have this one daughter, so I've spoiled her a bit."

Taking the tea poured for him by the servant, Ye Laosan blew on the tea leaves and said, "That's true. I dote on my son. That boy will inherit the family business in the future, won't he? Besides, you only have one daughter, sister. If we divorce, how can a woman be the head of the household? In the future, won't the family business still need that boy's help? We're so close! We can't let outsiders benefit from it, can we?"

"You too..." Ye Qingzhou murmured, putting down his teacup.

The tea is too cold.

Suddenly, her daughter slipped off her lap and ran happily forward.

"Uncle Jiang!" The cheerful little girl called out in a clear and sweet voice.

"Hey! Our Qingqing's out of school, she's grown taller again. Come here, let Uncle give her a hug!" Jiang Jinghong, being tall and strong, picked up the little girl in one go.

Uncle Zhao, who was following closely behind, said with a smile, "I had just left when Boss Jiang returned to the inn, saw our invitation, and came over. He's even faster than me."

"You've all worked hard these past few days. Bring out the best wine from the cellar," Ye Qingzhou said with a smile to Uncle Zhao.

Jiang Jinghong held the little girl Qingqing in his arms, lifting her high, which made the little girl laugh heartily.

Everyone else found it amusing, but Ye Laosan only felt it was noisy and a bit neglected. He retorted sarcastically, "Hmph! So affectionate! I thought you were her father!"

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft; everyone heard it.

Jiang Jinghong still didn't put the maid down, and asked her with a smile, "Qingqing, call me 'Daddy'?"

Qingqing thought Uncle Jiang was a good person and was very obedient: "Daddy!"

How could you call someone "father" like that? Jiang Jinghong looked very serious, his face was so solemn and unapproachable. How could he just joke around like that? Ye Qingzhou blushed immediately, glanced at Jiang Jinghong with great confusion, and quickly told Uncle Zhao to start eating.

Ye Laosan was also stunned. This burly young man, judging from his appearance, was no joker, and when he did, he was utterly rude: "What are you yelling about, little girl? Your mother asked the clansmen to witness your divorce, but your biological father wouldn't budge. And now you're trying to find a stepfather?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinghong stopped joking and stared at Ye Qingzhou.

Uncle Zhao quickly invited them to dine in the side hall. Ye Laosan and Jiang Jinghong, who didn't get along during the meal, started a drinking contest. Sure enough, they both drank too much.

After dinner, the housekeeper escorted Ye Laosan home. Following the son-in-law's usual practice from previous years, Jiang Jinghong was allowed to stay overnight in the guest room.

The moon rises above the willow branches.

A group of people suddenly knocked on the door.

The man at the head of the group headed straight for the backyard. He opened Ye Qingzhou's courtyard gate, pushing aside the screaming and fleeing maids and servants along the way, and ran as fast as he could to the inner room.

In the darkness, the man took out a whip and lashed the bed. After several lashes, still not satisfied, he picked up a stool and slammed it heavily onto the bed.

There was not a sound on the bed.

Yu Xi sneered, laughing at Ye Qingzhou for being such a coward. He had been like this for the past few years, never uttering a sound even when beaten, just gritting his teeth and enduring it, his big, round eyes glaring at people with tears in them.

To endure? To remain silent?

Then beat them even harder!

Yu Xi only stopped after smashing the stool to pieces: "You bitch! I'll break your legs! Let's see what kind of monster you are now! You don't agree to me marrying Yan'er! You want a divorce! I'll beat you into a cripple! I'll make sure you can't leave this house! This time, I'm not in a hurry. I won't kill you. Let's play slowly."