Chapter 3: The Two Families Separate

Uncle Ye and Mrs. Fang both heard what Ye Mingzhu said, looked at each other, and said nothing.

Uncle Ye looked at Ye Mingzhu with a threatening and coaxing look in his eyes: "Mingzhu, you can't write two Ye characters with one stroke. You will get married sooner or later. Yun'an is still young and can't live on his own. You will need your cousin's help in the future."

Ye Yun'an shrank back, and his hand that was holding Ye Mingzhu's clothes trembled involuntarily. He only wanted his sister and didn't need anyone else to take care of him.

Ye Mingzhu ignored Uncle Ye's threats and spoke slowly, "Yun An and I lived in Uncle Ye's house for half a year. At that time, we had three chickens, 50 kilograms of coarse grains, and 50 kilograms of fine grains..."

Uncle Ye quickly interrupted: "Mingzhu, we've already eaten the food, why are you still talking about this?"

Ye Mingzhu ignored him and continued, "...I started going out to sea with my uncle the second month after I went to his house. I went to sea thirteen times, fourteen times in the third month, fifteen times in the fourth month, thirteen times in the fifth month, and this month is the sixth month. I went to sea seven times, a total of sixty-eight times, and I caught at least ten pearl clams each time."

The onlookers exclaimed in surprise, watching Uncle Ye and his wife's expressions change again and again.

There are many families in Yuanshan Village who make a living by collecting pearls, but only young and middle-aged people go to the sea so frequently. No young girls who have just reached the age of marriage go to the sea so frequently.

"Mingzhu." Uncle Ye shouted, and Ye Mingzhu turned around with a half-smile on her face.

Uncle Ye didn't dare to look back at the villagers' gazes. Only then did he realize that his intuition was correct.

"I'm your uncle, I won't harm you. It's your aunt who made the mistake this time. I'll ask her to bring you five eggs and stew a chicken to replenish your body."

Ye Mingzhu's eyes were cold. Uncle Ye had taken so many benefits from the original owner's siblings, and not only was he reluctant to provide them with food and drink, he also endangered the original owner's life.

Didn't the villagers think that Uncle Ye was taking care of them by taking them in for meals? Then let the villagers see who was taking care of whom?

"Uncle, I've collected over 700 pearl oysters in the past few months. How many pearls have you dug out? At the beginning, uncle said that the pearls would be kept for my younger brother to marry, but I'm not in good health now and need to take care of myself. Why don't you give us some of the pearls and exchange them for silver to make up for my financial loss?"

Lin was impatient and immediately took a step forward, but was glared at by Uncle Ye.

Ye Mingzhu was not in a hurry. She looked at Uncle Ye quietly, waiting for his answer.

Uncle Ye didn't want to give it to him because he was not talented in pearl collecting and most of the pearl oysters he collected were empty. But since Ye Mingzhu came to the first house, two out of the five pearl oysters he collected each time contained pearls. In the long run, this would be a considerable amount of money.

"Mingzhu, if you want to replenish your body, I'll ask your aunt to kill a chicken later."

Lin's face was full of pain, but she didn't dare to speak.

Ye Mingzhu sneered. There were six people in the Ye family's main branch, and she was the only two siblings. Not to mention that her aunt was reluctant to kill the chicken, even if she did, they wouldn't have anything to eat.

"Uncle, there's no need to kill the chicken. My sister and I will eat at our own home from now on. I'll catch our chicken later."

"No." Lin shook her head. How could she take out things that had entered her house?

Ye Mingzhu glanced at her lightly and said to Uncle Ye, "Uncle, because of a pearl oyster, Auntie pushed me into the sea and watched me drown. If I go to your house for dinner again, I'm afraid Auntie will poison me."

Although the last sentence was spoken softly, several people in the yard heard it.

"What are you talking about, Mingzhu? We are all family." Uncle Ye scolded in a low voice.

Ye Mingzhu tilted her head and said, "Uncle, if everyone knew that Auntie could kill people when she was unhappy, would anyone still marry their daughter to the Ye family in the future?"

Uncle Ye was so angry that he fell backwards: "Mingzhu, stop talking nonsense."

Ye Mingzhu sneered, "Which of these words did I say? Didn't my aunt push me into the sea? There were more than one boat on the sea at that time..."

"Mingzhu, I am your uncle. Ever since your parents passed away, I have taken you home to take care of you." Uncle Ye suddenly shouted.

Ye Mingzhu was not afraid at all: "Uncle, we brought our own food, and I also collected a lot of pearls. What we eat is earned by ourselves."

Uncle Ye was panting heavily. If these words were to spread to the village, he would not be able to go out. The so-called taking care of his nephews and nieces was a joke.

"Uncle, if you agree, I'll give you the pearl oysters I collected earlier as a thank you gift."

Ye Mingzhu suddenly spoke up when Uncle Ye was about to lose his temper, which made Uncle Ye startled and asked, "Really?"

Ye Mingzhu nodded: "It's more real than pearls."

It's not that Ye Mingzhu is soft-hearted and wants to let them go, but they have been eating at Uncle Ye's house for half a year. Even if they took the food there at the beginning, in the eyes of the villagers, Uncle Ye protected them. Now that she doesn't want Zhenzhu, Uncle Ye's family is taking advantage of them.

Lin's face was full of joy. She didn't have to spend the money she had earned. She looked at Uncle Ye with anticipation, wishing she could nod immediately.

Uncle Ye still couldn't bear to part with them. Ye Mingzhu had good pearl collecting skills, and the number of pearls she collected every month was not a small number.

Ever since he discovered that the pearl oysters Ye Mingzhu collected contained many pearls, he has been opening the oysters himself. This secret must be kept.

Uncle Ye said tentatively: "Mingzhu, your health is not good. Otherwise, you will not be pearl collectors anymore. I will ask your aunt to find a good family for you."

Mrs. Lin glanced at Uncle Ye, and both parties thought this was a good idea.

Uncle Ye thought that he must find someone who was easy to control, and then the two families would go into business together.

Lin thought that there were many nephews in her mother's family and they had no place to live, so they could just move into the second house. However, she still had to find a way to control Ye Mingzhu and her brother.

Ye Mingzhu and Uncle Ye's expressions kept changing, and they felt annoyed. "Uncle, why don't we ask the village chief to come and give us some advice?"

Uncle Ye's face immediately turned from bright to gloomy. The Ye family had already split up, and it would be unreasonable to force them to stay.

He sighed: "Mingzhu, I'll listen to you on this matter. If you have any difficulties in the future, tell me. If you want to go into the sea, come to me."

Ye Mingzhu nodded without hesitation: "I'll go get my chickens later. Grandpa said that the fishing boat is owned by the three of us, and we can go to sea together."

Uncle Ye was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he couldn't say that Ye Mingzhu was wrong.

Lin felt distressed when she thought of the chickens at home: "Mingzhu, those chickens don't lay eggs anymore, do you still want them?"

Ye Mingzhu turned around and looked at Uncle Ye: "Uncle, I still want the pearls."

Uncle Ye held his breath and said, "Give it to her."

Lin waved her hands and walked out, thinking of hiding the chicken first, and then saying that the chicken had run away, and then see what she would do.

Ye Mingzhu waited until she reached the door before saying, "Auntie, the more than 700 pearl clams I collected in the past six months are yours. I'll go get my old hen back soon."