Chapter 74

Zhou Jingchen's injury was indeed not serious. He was probably hit by some weapon, and there was only a long cut.

With his clothes off, his figure seemed even better. The wound was only on the skin, not deep enough to penetrate the bone. Ye Jia frowned as she applied some medicine to his wound. Hearing his soft gasp, her hand paused. Remembering she had some bandages at home, she wrapped one around him, too. She wrapped it around his body and tied it in a knot at his chest. With a flick of her eye, Ye Jia tied a bow around his neck.

Zhou Jingchen didn't understand, but that didn't stop them from getting very close. As they got closer, Ye Jia could smell the refreshing fragrance of pear blossoms. It blended with his own scent, creating a scent that was incredibly alluring to Ye Jia.

Seeing Ye Jia approaching, she couldn't help but sniff, and the more she sniffed, the better it smelled. Zhou Jingchen opened his mouth and let her get close, very indulgent.

It was already late at night, and with only the light in the house shrouded in darkness, the atmosphere gradually became ambiguous.

Ye Jia's heartbeat quickened, her eyelashes fluttering involuntarily. She soon understood why Zhou Jingchen had been brewing and taking medicine so late at night. Because they were so close, they'd unknowingly become a ball. The kiss had left Ye Jia completely delirious, her mind wandering, and she'd unknowingly become the prey of this wolf in sheep's clothing. Or rather, Zhou Jingchen was just as much a commodity as she was.

The first rough and rough experience was a shared regret for both of them, and it taught Ye Jia a profound lesson. She didn't dare act rashly again, so even when Zhou Jingchen forced her to cry out, she resisted the urge to hold him down and free him quickly.

Zhou Jingchen had learned his lesson by teaching Ye Jia a lesson. His wife was delicate and slender, so he had to take good care of her before he could do anything with her.

"Don't be ashamed, Jia Niang. This is only natural."

Zhou Jingchen's heartbeat was so rapid it threatened to burst from his chest. The veins in his neck bulged, yet he patiently endured it, his mind still recollecting the various ways he had tried to please women in the fire-avoidance diagram. Unlike many men today, Zhou Jingchen never considered pleasing his wife to be beneath his dignity. In fact, if it was Ye Jia, his obsessive-compulsive nature would even allow him to use his tongue to please her.

If Ye Jia hadn't forbidden him to kiss her like this, he would have done it last time on their wedding night: "...Jia Niang, you and I are a married couple, so whatever I do to you is only natural. Please loosen up a bit."

…

He had already driven Diandian to the main hall. Ever since Diandian had attacked and bit him last time, Zhou Jingchen had exercised his fatherly rights and righteously confined his son, who had grown into a wolf, to a separate room.

Outside the house, Diandian could hear the noises from inside, scratching at the door. But the two people inside the house seemed to be unable to hear them...

This night was their true wedding night. Zhou Jingchen coaxed Ye Jia for half an hour before she finally accepted him. However, the size difference between them still made Zhou Jingchen extremely cautious. After going through the ordeal once, he finally felt at ease the second time.

Not to mention that the two of them tossed and turned until the middle of the night, Zhou Jingchen seemed to want to vent all the desires that he had been suppressing for so long on Ye Jia.

The next morning, Ye Jia, who was supposed to get up and go to Xishi's shop, couldn't even get up.

Ye Wumei has already left for Luntai, and now Ye Simei has taken over the business.

Fourth Sister Ye waited a moment, surprised to see no movement in the east room. Thinking her sister always kept her word, she moved closer. Before she got close, a figure emerged from the shadows of the main hall. When she saw clearly that her sister's husband, a man resembling a pure monk, was emerging from the room with a gentle gaze, she immediately took four or five steps back.

Zhou Jingchen hadn't slept all night, having to leave for Libei Town for some business. He'd squeezed out a night's work last night to fulfill a long-held wish. The bright red scratches on his neck couldn't be hidden, and he went to the kitchen with a satisfied look on his face.

After a while, Yu came out of the house dressed. She knew exactly what had happened the previous night. She pulled Fourth Sister Ye aside and told her not to disturb her rest today. She and Fourth Sister Ye went to the shop.

Then he called Old Man Sun to drive the oxcart, and Ye Simei loaded the things they needed onto the oxcart. Then they set off in a hurry.

It was already 1:00 PM when Ye Jia woke up. Aside from the children, no one else was home. She climbed down from the kang, her clothes in her hand, her throat hoarse and unable to speak. God knows how much she'd tried to hold it in last night, and at first, she had. But then, she couldn't help herself anymore, tossed and turned like a thirsty fish, her throat dry and choking.

He quickly put on his clothes, poured himself a cup of cold tea and drank it down in one gulp.

One drink wasn't enough; she drank two and a half before finally feeling better. Her clothes were in a mess, piled up in a basket in the corner. Ye Jia casually tied her loose hair into a ponytail, slipped on her shoes, and hurried to the closet to find clean, new clothes. Passing by the dressing table, she casually glanced at the horrible marks on her shoulders, neck, and chest.

She had a fair complexion, and the marks on her skin were shocking. She cursed Zhou Jingchen silently, "Beast in human clothing!"

Ye Jia quickly put on her clothes and only opened the door and came out after she was dressed.

Rui Jie'er had woken up without anyone noticing. Her clothes were probably her own, a mess, but she looked quite cute. The little girl was up, but she didn't make a fuss. She squatted at the doorstep, holding a handful of grass in her little hands and feeding the sheep obediently.

Ye Jia went to get some hot water and quickly washed up. After a quick walk around the house, he saw no one and slapped his forehead in frustration. He shouldn't have let Zhou Jingchen do what he wanted last night. He'd been so angry that his mind was completely clouded by lust. After eating a bowl of porridge that wasn't at all soft and sticky at the stove and returning to the house, Ye Jia finally saw the letter Zhou Jingchen had left on the table.

He was leaving for Libei Town today. Military orders couldn't be missed, so he had to depart before dawn. The contents of the letter were similar to what Zhou Jingchen had whispered to her last night, stating that military duties were busy and asking Ye Jia to take care of the family. He also instructed Ye Jia to remember to visit him regularly over the next month.

Look at him? What are you looking at? Is he delivering food?

Ye Jia couldn't help but complain, but still put the letter away.

Xiang Xiang changed into a coarse linen shirt and called the two children from the backyard over. The three children went to the woods to collect firewood, then he gave the children something to eat. After locking the door, they all went to Xishi's shop on East Street.

Xishi's shop hadn't been open for a long time, so now that it was suddenly open, it was bustling with activity. At this hour, the line of people waiting to buy meat stretched from inside the shop to outside. Ye Jia looked around for a while, then led the three children into the yard through the back door. Old Man Sun had gone out to sell meat, and told the children to play in the yard for a while: "Sun Jun, keep an eye on Ruijie and Xiaochengzi, don't let them leave the yard."

Sun Jun nodded obediently, and Ye Jia hurried to the front yard.

Fourth Sister Ye was at the bar on the right. Don't be fooled by her usual gentle and affable demeanor. She was very articulate and precise in her calculations when it came to business. Yu was sitting at the bar directly opposite the door, weighing items for people.

The two of them worked in perfect harmony, and Ye Jia felt relieved.

Seeing her approach, Yu Shi weighed out the meat for the person in front and asked Ye Jiake if he had eaten. "You left in a hurry this morning, and I'm afraid there's no one at home to cook. You came here in such a hurry, I'm afraid you didn't have any food. We don't need you here, go back and eat."

Ever since Ye Wumei and Ye Simei arrived, Ye Jia rarely made breakfast anymore. She often didn't even cook at all, to the point that Yu Shi had gotten used to someone else cooking for Ye Jia. Suddenly, with no one to cook for her, she worried all morning that Ye Jia would be hungry.

Ye Jia started laughing as she listened. "Mom, you're actually worried that I'll be hungry? Besides, don't we have porridge at home?"

"Porridge?" Yu threw a handful of copper coins into the money box and turned her head curiously: "Who made it?"

Ye Jia thought to herself, if it wasn't you, it would be Ye Simei. But when she saw Yu's expression, she smiled and said casually, "If it wasn't cooked by my mother, or by my fourth sister, then it couldn't be cooked by my husband, right?"

It was just a casual remark, but Yu was stunned. Ye Jia didn't notice her surprise and turned around to help with the meat.

There were several kitchen knives in the shop, and seeing that Fourth Sister Ye couldn't handle the work, Ye Jia went over to do the cutting as well. The two of them cut much faster, and in one morning, they had sold most of the meat they brought. Old Man Sun didn't return until almost noon, lugging back the pig's head, intestines, pancreas, and other items.

The ox cart passed by the door and then delivered these things to the Zhou family.

Seeing that there wasn't much meat left and that Fourth Sister Ye could handle it, Ye Jia asked Old Man Sun to come back after he had delivered everything.

She had to get a confirmation from the pawnbroker today, so she and Yu Shi went to the Chen residence. Fourth Sister Ye had been busy all morning, and she had to take care of the two children. She carried one on her back, and the other on a chair behind the bar, just leaving them there. Although the two children were well-behaved and didn't cry or make a fuss, it still made Ye Jia feel sad.

Her sister is here taking care of the kids and doing the work, so why do those girls in the Shen Mansion just eat and do nothing?

After Old Man Sun returned from his trip, Ye Jia and Yu Shi went to the Shen Mansion as soon as possible. This time, they went directly through the main gate. The old servant guarding the gate did not recognize Yu Shi, but he recognized Ye Jia. Knowing that this was the mistress, he immediately came over to serve her.

Ye Jia and Yu went to sit in the flower hall and asked him to call the girls over. The old servant called them all over without stopping.

This time, there were only eighteen girls. Ye Jia sipped his tea, glancing at the crowd. Two people were missing. They were, of course, Liu Xi and Lin Xiyue, who lived alone. He glanced sideways at the old servant, who immediately whispered the reason. It turned out that not long after Ye Jia left that day, a young man named Guo arrived with Zhou Jingchen's token and took the two girls away.

Ye Jia's heart moved when he heard this. He nodded without any surprise to show that he understood. Then he looked at the girls again.

This time, the demeanor of several of the girls was much different from the last time I saw them.

Ye Jia hadn't been around for several days, but their time at the mansion had changed. Perhaps the old servant had told Zhou Jingchen about what had happened last time, but Ye Jia could tell the difference immediately. If she had been a bit arrogant the last time they met, this time she didn't dare look Ye Jia in the face, and her words and actions became respectful.

Since entering, Yu had been sitting upright in her high seat, sipping tea with a calm expression. She was a generally gentle person, but the way she spoke to others at this moment seemed a little different.

He asked the manager's questions in a nonchalant manner without explaining the reason and just left him hanging.

Ye Jia was a little surprised and looked at Yu a few more times.

Yu spoke much more slowly, first asking the girls a few questions. They were essentially the same questions Ye Jia had asked last time, asking about names, ages, skills, and words they could recognize. But her arrogant demeanor was intimidating.

Ye Jia watched and thought for a moment, and suddenly realized his problem.

Due to her mindset, Ye Jia treated everyone equally. She'd forgotten she lived in a feudal society, where people were categorized by social status. Her occasional politeness and indifference could be perceived by some as weakness. This was especially true for those accustomed to wealth, fame, and wealth, and those with high expectations. A touch of politeness could be interpreted as a lack of confidence. Ultimately, coaxing someone in wasn't as effective as intimidation.

Yu's question prompted the others to respond more carefully. They had to carefully scrutinize Yu's expression before they spoke. After Yu finished her question, she remained silent, her eyes cast down, a cold expression that revealed no one's true feelings.

Seeing the anxious expressions of the people below, Ye Jia seemed to be thinking about something.

Yu waved her hand, and the old servant took all the girls out.

Putting down the cup, Yu's eyes curved up, the same way she usually did when talking to Ye Jia: "As a master, the most taboo thing is to let your subordinates see through your thoughts and be soft-hearted. If your thoughts are known, the subordinates will become wild. In a large family, kindness and hands can't control people. It's a good thing that Jia Niang has a good temper, but you can't take them too seriously, otherwise you will be led by the nose."

Ye Jia roughly understood the survival logic of the upper class in feudal society. But to be honest, it wasn't that she couldn't control these people, but she had no intention of having them.

If Zhou Jingchen hadn't brought a group of people back and said they wanted to work for her, Ye Jia wouldn't have thought of these people at all: "They are now considered good families."

"A good family?" Yu smiled. "Is there any good family that is sent here and there?"

Ye Jia was stunned.

"They say they're a good family, but I guess they just haven't passed their bond contract yet." Yu said calmly, "They're like rootless duckweed, no different from slaves."

Ye Jia hadn't expected the gentle and kind Yu to say such a thing, but upon closer inspection, it was true. Although these women had been stripped of their status as slaves, being sent to the Zhou family as a reward effectively made them private property. Since they were slaves, they could be used at will.

"That's right, mother." Ye Jia didn't have the time to care about their thoughts. She just took the three people she had chosen. Ye Jia called the old servant over and asked how Xilai, Chunhua, Qiuyue and the other girls were doing in the Shen Mansion.

The old servant described in detail the behavior of the three men during this period.

Judging by word of mouth, Xilai is genuinely honest. Chunhua, on the other hand, isn't quite so. He's a pushover, and he's quite clever. Qiuyue, on the other hand, is capable, but she seems to have a bad temper. She's had a falling out with a girl named Xin'er. A few days ago, she nearly wrenched Xin'er's hair with scissors. Ye Jia pondered for a moment before ultimately deciding to take Xilai and Qiuyue with him.

Yu also chose one, named Lingdang: "Take it back and teach Ruijieer how to paint."

After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law selected three women and left, the remaining fifteen women also stayed at the Shen Mansion for a short time. Soon after, they were selected one after another and sent away from Dongxiang Town. Ye Jia only responded after receiving Zhou Jingchen's message that he would find her another worker, and did not investigate the whereabouts of these women. In fact, when Ye Jia went to the Shen Mansion to select people that day, she had a premonition that this would happen from the attitude of the women.

It is indeed difficult for some people to return to poverty after having lived a life without worries about food and clothing. Using beauty to gain wealth is also an option.