Qi Jiu was amazed when he saw Ye Miaoyun quickly and efficiently pick up the clam shells and put them into the basin, then put some more into the stove to continue cooking.
"What? Haven't you ever seen anyone work?" Ye Miaoyun said somewhat irritably, "You just stay here and watch over this stove. Next time, when the clam shells are thoroughly cooked, you'll have to pick them into the basin yourself. I won't help you this time."
Qi Jiu nodded upon hearing this.
After Ye Miaoyun left, he couldn't help but look at his hands.
He couldn't believe he couldn't do these jobs, since he also had hands.
Qi Chengshuo, who was sitting on the tree trunk, couldn't help but shake his head when he saw this. Uncle Jiu is really silly!
However... she really is stupid.
He can't even do such a small thing right, no wonder his new wife dislikes him.
However, there is one thing that even Qi Chengshuo cannot understand.
He was a martial artist, and although he was sitting on the tree trunk and not very close to them, he heard everything Ye Miaoyun and Uncle Jiu said clearly.
Knowing that Uncle Nine was a prince in the past, Ye Miaoyun still complained that Uncle Nine was incompetent, which really surprised him.
If it were an ordinary peasant woman, upon learning that she had remarried a prince, even if he had been one before, she would certainly feel terrified, or... extremely happy, and would treat her Ninth Uncle with utmost respect.
But they made Uncle Nine do the work and complained that he didn't do it well.
That's really something else!
Of course, her daughter, Jiang Xianya, was also different from ordinary people.
"Chengshuo!" Seeing that no one was in the courtyard, Qi Jiu walked to the tree and waved to Qi Chengshuo: "Come down, I have something to say to you."
"How did Ninth Uncle know I was here?" Qi Chengshuo jumped down from the tree and asked with a smile.
He had originally sent guards to watch over Qi Jiu, but thinking about what had happened in the past two days, he became worried and came himself.
Unexpectedly, Qi Jiu actually discovered him.
"Because the secret guards love to hide in trees. To be honest... I discovered someone hiding in a tree watching me a few days ago. It must have been a secret guard sent by my father. I haven't seen them since you arrived," Qi Jiu said with a smile.
Qi Chengshuo: "..."
Uncle Nine is indeed a clever man, but he has been playing dumb all along, and none of the people in the capital have noticed.
Even the Emperor was fooled, thinking that Uncle Nine really knew nothing.
"Chengshuo, have you sent someone to investigate? Is it because I live in the Ye family's house that someone is deliberately targeting them? Is Ye Qingze implicated because of me?" Qi Jiu asked in a low voice.
"Uncle Jiu, don't worry, I've already sent people to investigate, but... I didn't bring many people with me this time, so we won't be able to find out for a while. I've already sent someone with the token to the county government office, and Magistrate Huang will also help with the investigation. We should have an answer soon," Qi Chengshuo said hurriedly.
"I've already fallen to this state. The ones who still want to deal with me are definitely my brothers. I'm the legitimate son, and they won't let me go," Qi Jiu sighed.
"Uncle Jiu, don't worry. At least the Emperor is on your side. Otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed me to bring people here to protect you." Qi Chengshuo said in a low voice, "My grandfather said that the Emperor exiled Uncle Jiu to this remote place to protect him."
Qi Jiu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and after a moment he said, "Even if he really meant it, it's not for my own good. I've never suffered since I was a child. Doesn't that old man know that I can't support myself?"
"His Majesty probably wants Ninth Uncle to have some experience," Qi Chengshuo said with a light cough.
“He wouldn’t let me gain experience when I was young. Now I’m thirty-one and he’s only now thinking of making me support myself. Isn’t that just setting me up?” Qi Jiu said, pursing her lips. “You don’t need to make excuses for that old man. Anyway, I’m not going to acknowledge him anymore.”
Qi Chengshuo, however, did not believe it and deliberately asked, "If His Majesty were to issue an edict now to pardon Ninth Uncle and restore his title of Prince, what would Ninth Uncle do? Would he refuse to return to the capital and disown His Majesty?"
“I’m not stupid. Of course I’ll go back to the capital and continue being a prince. Who would turn down wealth and glory?” Qi Jiu said, patting Qi Chengshuo on the shoulder. He was about to tease his nephew when he noticed Ye Miaoyun coming out of the kitchen again.
“This is my… my nephew Qi Chengshuo. He’s here to visit me,” Qi Jiu said quickly.
Ye Miaoyun nodded upon hearing this: "Don't just chat idly, keep an eye on the clam shells burning in the stove. Whether I can earn money depends entirely on them, so don't rip me off."
After Ye Miaoyun finished speaking, a smile suddenly appeared on her face: "Xianya, you're back!"
Ye Miaoyun was still a little worried because her daughter had been gone for two hours.
"I made some plum juice, and it's hanging in the well to chill. Come and try it." Ye Miaoyun said as she ran to the well and brought up a bucket containing a jar of plum juice that she had made that morning.
"Delicious!" Jiang Xianya quickly finished a bowl.
It was a bit hot, and it was almost noon. Coming back from outside, I drank a bowl of cool plum juice, and I felt incredibly refreshed.
Upon seeing this, Qi Jiu quickly brought over two empty bowls.
Ye Miaoyun was speechless.
This was specially made for her daughter.
However, she still poured a bowl for each of Qi Jiu and Qi Chengshuo.
She used to think Qi Jiu was a good man, after all, he was quite handsome and honest. But after learning that Qi Jiu was a prince, she suddenly felt that he wasn't so appealing anymore.
They were destined not to become a real couple, and Ye Miaoyun certainly wouldn't waste her time on him.
Therefore, she should order Qi Jiu around as she sees fit, otherwise it would be too much of a loss for her.
Women can be kind to show their love and care for their men occasionally.
She and Qi Jiu will divorce sooner or later; he's not her man, so there's no need to be too polite.
After suffering those setbacks, Ye Miaoyun became more open-minded and no longer cared about worldly conventions and rules.
"Uncle Jiu, you drink it, I'm not thirsty." Qi Chengshuo's lips twitched slightly as he watched Qi Jiu hand him the plum juice with a pained expression.
Uncle Nine clearly wanted to eat it all himself and didn't want to share it with him, so he didn't force him.
However, to be fair, Uncle Nine is quite naive in some ways, like a child.
It's just a bowl of plum juice, is it really that big of a deal?
When Uncle Jiu grabbed two bowls and ran excitedly to Ye Miaoyun to ask for plum juice, Qi Chengshuo wished he could just disappear on the spot.
That's really embarrassing!
"Drink up. You've been sitting on that tree for an hour or two without a drop of water. I'm reluctant to give it to you, but considering how carefully you've protected me, I can't keep it to myself." Qi Jiu said as she placed the bowl in Qi Chengshuo's hand.
Qi Chengshuo: "..."
Upon seeing this, Ye Miaoyun couldn't help but laugh and whispered in Jiang Xianya's ear, "These two, uncle and nephew, are quite foolish. If they weren't born into the royal family, they would have been tricked to death long ago."
"That's not necessarily true!" Jiang Xianya smiled. "Mother, don't be fooled by appearances."
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