Stop writing letters to that man. I can read too, so write to me as well.

New clothes are always better.

Humans? Humans are worse than dogs.

The man in the new silk clothes grabbed Old Qin, the carpenter, by the collar, baring his white teeth like a vicious dog: "Where are the trees? Where are the flowers? Where are the bed and stools? You fucking repaired the house, where did you put everything in the house?"

The young apprentice rushed forward, forcefully pulling at the man: "Master Yu, we're just following orders. The foreman told us to just demolish, that's all!"

"You brat! Did you steal my things with him?" Yu Xi loosened the collar of carpenter Qin and then grabbed his apprentice like a little chick.

Carpenter Qin, catching his breath, rushed to his apprentice's aid: "Master Yu! How could we possibly have the guts? Besides, it's so big, the two of us couldn't possibly lift it!"

In just two or three days, he had already drunk four or five times. He originally went to the inn to find Jiang Jinghong and have a drink together, but no one was there. That's why Yu Xi wandered over, wanting to see if the new house suited her taste, and also to get Ye Qingzhou to give up more of her dowry.

Well, when I saw it, I almost vomited blood.

The once grand Ye Mansion is now mostly gone, except for the sign on the gate; the interior has been demolished, leaving only the white walls.

Who? Who stole his things?

Yu Xi glanced at the carpenter, then glared at the other workers, her eyes red with anger, and accused them one by one: "You, you all stole my things together, didn't you? Take them back to me! Otherwise, I'll beat you to death!"

Seeing his little apprentice being grabbed by the collar by that madman and struggling to breathe, honest Old Qin went up and snatched the collar away.

"You've gone too far! You dare to fight me!" Yu Xi cursed, releasing his young apprentice and chasing after Old Qin, kicking and hitting him.

Old Qin cried out in pain, rolling around on the ground.

The young apprentice wailed and rushed forward, crying. The other craftsmen, unable to bear the sight, stepped forward—some to block Yu Xi, some to fight him, and some to hurl insults. For a moment, it was as chaotic as a marketplace.

The commotion attracted the manager.

A dozen or so tall and burly servants pulled the crowd apart. Old Qin hurriedly complained to the steward, "Steward Gong, this man ran in and started beating people."

Yu Xi was about to throw a tantrum, but when she saw the large number of strong servants, she calmed down: "This is my home."

The steward, Gong, was in his prime and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This is my master's house. As for why Master Ye sold the old house, I think you know."

"Know nothing!" Yu Xi didn't believe it at all: "You old man, are you lying to me?"

Butler Gong sneered, took out several sheets of paper from his sleeve, picked out one and opened it: "This is your father's prescription, which costs a hundred taels a day. Your mother, your sister, and your soon-to-be-married wife are all extravagant spenders. Even if they had a mountain of gold, they would have spent it all."

"Please ask Master Yu to leave!" Butler Gong said and then left.

Yu Xi was thrown out.

Supporting her aching back, Yu Xi went to the grain shop, but none of the familiar shop assistants were there.

Back in Huazhi Lane, as soon as he opened the door and walked a few steps into the house, Yu Xi was still in a daze, as if he had just woken from a dream. The dream was over, and everything was gone. He was back to being that poor boy he used to be.

The tea had gone cold. Yu Xi took a sip, and it tasted bitter and astringent.

In the past, every day when he returned home, Ye Qingzhou would greet him with a smile. Even if he scolded or yelled at her, she would personally serve him a cup of fragrant tea and gently persuade him not to be angry.

Yu Xi couldn't drink it anymore and spat out the tea.

He couldn't bear that kind of poverty! He married Ye Qingzhou; everything the Ye family owned was his. Even if he signed the divorce papers, it was just a temporary measure. It was all his!

He wouldn't let the Ye family's money slip through his fingers like that. He wanted the money! And the people, even if they died, were his.

Yu Xi smashed the teacup to pieces: "Ye Qingzhou! Ye Qingzhou!"

As the sun sets, we bid farewell at the long pavilion outside the city.

"Qingzhou! I will never forget your great kindness." The young woman bowed gracefully.

"You've helped me too. If it weren't for you sharing the burden with the old man, I wouldn't have any peace and quiet. Qingzhou thanks you, young lady!" Ye Qingzhou returned the greeting and placed the purse in her hand: "I embroidered it myself, please take it!"

When her companion urged her on, Bai Ri Hong agreed and then grabbed Ye Qingzhou's hand, saying, "You must be careful."

Ye Qingzhou personally escorted her to the carriage.

The carriage had traveled quite a distance and was no longer visible when Bai Ri Hong finally lowered the curtain, squeezed her purse, took it out, and saw that it contained gold ingots. Her heart warmed, and her eyes reddened.

The younger sister who was traveling with us saw this and her eyes lit up: "Sister, Ye Dongjia helped us avoid bad people, gave us good food and clothes, and even gave us our treasures. She is such a good person."

Bai Rihong put away the purse and hugged her younger sister. The carriage bumped along, heading towards a new road.

Ye Qingzhou watched his friend leave, then boarded his carriage and rode off in the opposite direction.

The carriage slowly made its way to a village outside the city.

That evening, under the bright candlelight, Ye Qingzhou was checking the accounts and writing instructions to Uncle Zhao and the shop assistant Nan Gua on how to run the newly opened grain shop.

"Don't just write to that man. I can read too. Write to me as well," the man said sourly.

Ye Qingzhou looked up and saw the energetic Jiang Jinghong, and couldn't help but smile gently.

She smiled at me! Jiang Jinghong immediately felt a surge of affection and strode forward, his strong body squeezing into the gap between the table and chair. He simply sat on the table, his long legs pinning Ye Qingzhou, who was in the chair, so she couldn't move forward or backward.

The man's eager gaze roamed over her body. His head moved closer and closer, his warm, moist breath growing ever stronger.

Is he hot? Ye Qingzhou gently placed her hand on his face.

It's not hot.

"What happened to him?" Ye Qingzhou asked with a smile, her eyes filled with longing as she looked at Jiang Jinghong.

"Want a kiss?" The man swallowed hard and suddenly asked.

Huh? She didn't say anything.

"Then give me a kiss." The man said, and his lips were already close to hers.

After Jiang Jinghong finished kissing him, she naturally pulled him into her arms: "Qingzhou, have you forgotten something very, very important?"