Before the Lunar New Year, Ye Yinhua officially got engaged to the young owner of the town's grain and oil shop.

The wedding date has been set for March 28th next year.

When Wei learned that Yinhua had carefully selected the worst small merchant, she was so angry that she spat out a mouthful of blood.

Why!

Why?

This was the game she had the best chance of winning, but she lost again!

After spitting out that mouthful of blood, Madam Wei fell ill, feeling weak and listless every day, lying in bed weeping.

Ye Peng stood by her bedside, frowning. "Mother, I have to get you medical treatment and medicine, right? Where did you put all your money?"

Ms. Wei kept her eyes closed, gritted her teeth, and refused to say a word.

Those few hundred taels were all she had!

No one can take a single penny from her! Not even her own son!

Seeing that she wouldn't say anything, Ye Peng didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Whatever, do whatever you want!

The ten taels of silver from the family division have long been spent.

He could only cultivate those ten acres of land for a while before he could no longer continue.

He had been served by servants for two years, but he could no longer endure that hardship.

They usually rely on Weiss for food and drink.

The Wei family is stingy; now that many people in the village are eating white rice, their family has actually started eating brown rice again.

If it weren't for his strong opposition, Mrs. Wei would have loved to add rice bran to it.

Not to mention eating meat and oil/salt.

The entire family of three lost more than ten pounds.

Ye Peng neither farmed nor went out to find work. He was in a daze every day and didn't know what he wanted to do.

Before we knew it, the Chinese New Year was just around the corner.

Then came February and March...

Ye Erquan has moved to a new house; it has nothing to do with him!

Yinhua's husband's family came to propose marriage; it had nothing to do with him!

Ye Peng lived in a daze every day, unaware of what year it was.

That day, he sat at the door in a daze, only to find that the village was particularly lively today, with the village children running around happily.

But there used to be a lot of merchants coming and going, but today I didn't see a single one.

"Caiping is back?" Zhao Pozi's excited voice suddenly came from not far away.

"My wife hasn't arrived yet, this is my second aunt."

"Oh, it's Jin'er!"

Ye Peng, who had been looking lifeless, suddenly felt a jolt and turned around abruptly.

A magnificent carriage was parked in front of Ye Caiping's house. Two maids were there, one setting down a small stool and the other lifting a curtain made of Shu (Sichuan) style.

Ye Peng's heart pounded. He didn't want to see her! In his current disheveled state, how could he possibly face her?

But he seemed frozen in place, unable to move an inch, just staring blankly at that spot.

A man got out of the car first; it wasn't Ye Jin'er, but a man in his early twenties.

He wore an exquisite black brocade robe with dark red trim, and was tall and slender. His features were handsome and aloof, his eyes like cold stars, and his entire being exuded an aura of coldness that kept people at a distance. People dared not approach him.

After getting off the bus, he turned around and picked up a two- or three-year-old child, placing him on the ground.

Only then did he reach out his hand into the carriage.

A fair, white wrist emerged from the carriage and gently rested on his hand. She wore shoes embroidered with intricate gold thread and a dark red skirt with intertwined floral patterns.

Ye Jin'er got out of the car.

She was already in her early twenties, the age when her beauty was at its peak.

She looked up, surveyed her familiar surroundings, and smiled. In the sunlight, she was like a slowly blooming rose, beautiful, radiant, and exuding an air of nobility.

Looking at her, Ye Peng's heart pounded, and he wished he could escape the scene immediately, but he couldn't move.

Ye Jin'er looked at the man, her eyes smiling.

When the man met her gaze, his coldness vanished instantly, replaced by tenderness and affection.

The man picked up the child from the ground with one hand and gently put his arm around Ye Jin'er's waist with the other, and walked through the gate together without even glancing in their direction.

Ye Peng stared blankly as the family of three disappeared happily and gently before his eyes.

She got married...

She married the most esteemed young master of the Duke's mansion.

They even had a child!

This is all real, not a dream!

Although he already knew, seeing it with his own eyes was still incredibly shocking.

When he learned that she had married and had children, he often thought about it in the darkest part of his heart.

What good is marrying into a wealthy family? These rich young men are the least likely to cherish their wives.

She may appear wealthy on the surface, but she spends every night alone in her empty room.

Perhaps she holds a high position, but her relationship with her husband is merely a facade.

She was rich and powerful, but she was not happy at all.

No one in this world can treat her better than I can.

Only he would do anything for her.

She cannot find happiness without marrying him.

Her life with her husband will be just like his with Wei Xiaojuan—chaotic and torturous, every day will be torture.

That's all because she married the wrong person, and he also married the wrong person!

They should have been together! She made the wrong choice!

He only felt a little better when he thought about it this way.

Even now, seeing her so intimate with that man, and seeing the cold look in that man's eyes when he sees her...

He then realized that the man... actually loved her!

She is very happy!

Only he himself has ended up in this miserable state!

He's the only one who's not doing well!

"Waaah..." Ye Peng couldn't hold back any longer. He squatted down, buried his face in his hands, and cried out indignantly, "Ahhh—"

"What are you yelling about? Are you sick in the head?!" At this moment, Wei Xiaojuan rushed out of the house and unleashed a torrent of abuse on Ye Peng.

Ye Peng's face stiffened, his emotions instantly interrupted.

"Hmph, what are you looking at? Just because you look at her doesn't mean she's yours? Take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror! You think you're worthy?"

Wei Xiaojuan sneered. She had seen everything from behind.

She used to be rivals with Ye Jin'er and couldn't stand seeing Ye Jin'er doing well.

Now, the more noble Ye Jin'er is, the less Ye Peng can reach her, and the happier she feels!