Chapter 23 "Come with me to Fengshui Town, if you want to do..."
After resting at Village Chief Sun's house for two days, I woke up early that morning to find it already bright outside.
Meng Yuanxiao stretched and came out of the room, only to see that Cui Xintang was still in the courtyard and had not yet gone out.
He would have left by this time in the past. Meng Yuanxiao called out "Brother Tang", and upon closer inspection, she saw that he was washing her clothes.
She assumed that her clothes were washed by someone hired by Brother Tang, but it turns out that Brother Tang washed them himself.
Seeing the small clothes he was washing, Meng Yuanxiao blushed slightly, ran over and hugged him from behind, "Brother Tang, you can even wash clothes!"
Cui Xintang found it amusing and turned to look at her. "Awake?"
"Hmm," Meng Yuanxiao tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek, "Brother Tang, where are your own clothes?"
"Qingzhu washed it."
He left his own clothes for Qingzhu to wash, but he washed hers himself. Meng Yuanxiao felt even sweeter. She buried her face in his back and lingered on him for a while. Then she diligently went to the stove to fetch a kettle and added some hot water to the wooden basin.
After breakfast, Meng Yuanxiao remembered to ask him, "Aren't you going out today?"
Cui Xintang said, "We don't need to go anywhere else today. We'll just go with Village Chief Sun to check on the winter seedlings in the fields. If it's still early, we might visit some nearby villages."
Meng Yuanxiao pouted: "Then we'll be back very late again."
However, she was already used to his early departures and late returns, and didn't take it to heart.
With nothing to do and not wanting to stay cooped up in the room, Meng Yuanxiao strolled out of the small courtyard.
Their courtyard was connected to that of the village chief, Sun. Just as they stepped out of their courtyard, they saw a boy about the same age as her standing in Sun's courtyard.
The boy had fair skin, delicate features, and wore a blue long robe; he looked somewhat familiar.
Meng Yuanxiao stared at the boy curiously for a few moments, not recognizing him at first. Just as she was about to greet Sun, the village chief's wife, and leave, the boy smiled and bowed to her.
"Greetings, Madam Cui."
As soon as he spoke, Meng Yuanxiao immediately recognized him as the yamen runner who had led them to the post station that day.
He wasn't wearing the yamen runner's clothes today, which surprised Meng Yuanxiao. "What are you doing here?"
The boy grinned and said, "I've come to find my...brother-in-law."
He paused deliberately after saying this, then smiled and looked behind her.
Meng Yuanxiao subconsciously looked behind her and saw that Cui Xintang had come out at some point and was standing behind her.
His gaze fell on the boy, his expression slightly tense. His expression softened only when she looked over.
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned.
The boy grinned and said, "Greetings, Lord Cui."
Cui Xintang glanced at him coldly, nodded slightly, then walked to Meng Yuanxiao's side and said gently, "Aren't you going out?"
Just as Meng Yuanxiao was about to speak, Lin, the eldest daughter-in-law of Village Chief Sun, came out of the house. Seeing the young man, Lin exclaimed in surprise, "Xiao Wu, when did you arrive?"
The boy smiled at Meng Yuanxiao, then turned to Lin Shi and called out "Big Sister" with a grin.
“I came to see my brother-in-law. My father said that my brother-in-law did something outrageous again the other day, and he asked me to come and see if he has changed his ways.”
Meng Yuanxiao then remembered that the man had said his surname was Lin that day.
It turned out to be Lin's younger brother.
Meng Yuanxiao looked at Madam Lin, then at the boy, and inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
She stopped thinking about it and just felt that this person was really strange. He actually exposed Sun Dalang's shortcomings in front of her and Brother Tang.
Since they're here to settle scores, it's best they don't interfere. Cui Xintang looked down at her: "Let's go."
After saying that, he took her hand and walked out together.
As they came out of Village Chief Sun's house, they saw a donkey cart tied to the elm tree in front of the door. As soon as they came out, the black donkey swished its tail and brayed, "Hoo-hoo!"
It must be the Lin family's donkey cart. Meng Yuanxiao glanced at it curiously a few times, and just as she was about to turn around and look into the courtyard, someone called her from the road.
"Mrs. Cui is out!"
The person who called her was a young woman holding a wooden basin, who waved to her from afar.
Meng Yuanxiao still remembered this woman; she was Li, the one who had invited her to eat gourd seeds that day.
She called out "Sister-in-law Li," and Li glanced at Cui Xintang beside her, but in the end did not dare to speak to him. She only asked her, "I am going to the South River to wash clothes. Would you like to go play, Madam Cui?"
Meng Yuanxiao's eyes lit up, and he looked up at Cui Xintang.
Cui Xintang chuckled and said, "Go if you want to."
After saying that, he nodded to Li as a greeting.
Li was flattered and surprised. It wasn't until Meng Yuanxiao ran up to her that she came to her senses. "Madam Cui, Lord Cui just nodded to me!"
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
The two walked together toward the South River. Li looked back and exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master Cui is still standing under the elm tree watching you!"
After saying that, he added, "Lord Cui really cares about you. I never thought that someone who is a high-ranking official in the capital could be so considerate!"
Meng Yuanxiao didn't think there was anything wrong with it, after all, Brother Tang had always been like this.
Madam Li kept talking, "Little Madam Cui, do you have any clothes you've changed out of? I can tell you don't know how to wash clothes. Bring them here and I'll wash them for you."
Meng Yuanxiao wanted to say that Brother Tang had already washed her, but she stopped herself and simply said that it wasn't necessary.
Li did not insist. The two arrived at the South River, where several women were already squatting and washing clothes.
Li pulled Meng Yuanxiao to pick out a clean stone. Meng Yuanxiao took out a handkerchief and spread it on the stone before carefully sitting down.
She changed her underwear every day, but if she wore her outer clothes carefully, she could wear them for an extra day before washing them, so that her brother Tang could wash one less piece of clothing each day.
Even though the well water was so cold, she still felt sorry for her brother Tang.
While talking to her, Li took the clothes out of the wooden basin, soaked them in the water, and then dragged them onto the stone and started pounding them.
Li was a man of few words, and in a short while she gave Meng Yuanxiao a general overview of the situation in Huai Shu Village.
For example, in a village with two surnames, Sun and Wang, each surname accounts for half of the village, and each has a clan head.
The village head was also the clan head of the Sun family, and he was in charge of several nearby villages. Who was the clan head of the Wang family?
Meng Yuanxiao rested his elbows on his knees, listening to Li Shi talk while curiously watching her wash clothes.
Last night, when she said she would help Cui Xintang find out information, it wasn't entirely fabricated.
The most powerful person in the village is Village Chief Sun. After thinking for a moment, Meng Yuanxiao asked, "Sister-in-law Li, what does Lin's family do? Are they more powerful than Village Chief Sun? I don't think even Village Chief Sun dares to mess with the Lin family."
“The Lin family is indeed powerful; they are one of the wealthiest families in the surrounding villages, no less so than the Sun family,” said Li. “The Sun family only has an oxcart, but the Lin family even has a donkey cart!”
"Oh, by the way, I just saw a donkey cart parked in front of Village Chief Sun's house. Did Lin's family come again?"
"Yes, Lin's younger brother has arrived," Meng Yuanxiao said.
Li's eyes lit up. "Is Sun Dalang up to his old tricks again?"
"I don't know," Meng Yuanxiao shook her head. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Sister-in-law Li, could you tell me about Lin's family?"
Li pounded her clothes with a thud, and seeing her curiosity, she casually said a few words.
"The reason why the Sun family coaxed Lin Shi like that wasn't just because her family was powerful. After all, she was the village chief. No matter how powerful the old man of the Lin family was, could he be more powerful than the village chief?"
“The Sun family runs a vinegar-making workshop, which is the only vinegar-making workshop in our entire Fengshui Town, and they make a lot of money. The reason why Lin is so assertive in her husband’s family is because she has the vinegar-making recipe; it’s a skill she brought with her.”
"The Lin family is not to be trifled with. She brought death to her first husband and then to her parents-in-law. She learned her vinegar-making skills from her first husband's family. It was with this skill that she remarried Sun Dalang last year."
Meng Yuanxiao wasn't interested in Lin Shi. She asked, "What about Lin Shi's younger brother?"
When she asked about Lin's younger brother, Li leaned closer and said mysteriously, "Little Madam Cui, do you think Lin and her younger brother look alike?"
Meng Yuanxiao thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook his head, "It doesn't seem like it."
Although Lin was a woman, she was tall and strong with a slightly dark complexion, while her younger brother was tall, thin, and fair-skinned.
“Of course it doesn’t look like it! It would be a miracle if it did!” said Madam Li.
"The Lin family's youngest son was adopted from somewhere. The old couple in the Lin family only had four daughters and couldn't have any more. A couple of years ago, they suddenly adopted such a big son from somewhere."
"However, I heard that the youngest son adopted by the Lin family is a lucky one. The old couple in the Lin family were already wealthy, and after adopting this son, they suddenly gained over a hundred acres of land!"
"The Lin family's maternal home is not in Fengshui Town, but quite far from our Huaishu Village. It would take a whole day to get here by oxcart. I heard that the Lin family just bought a farm on the outskirts of the county town a few days ago, and the family stayed in the county town for those few days. That's why they rushed to the Sun village chief's house so quickly that night."
Meng Yuanxiao was taken aback by his words, a slight sense of unease creeping over her. After a moment's thought, she asked, "If that's the case, then why did Sun Dalang still dare to..."
She hesitated to say it, but Li understood what she meant and sneered, "Men are all the same, they can't control the two ounces of flesh in their crotches."
These words were blunt and crude, causing Meng Yuanxiao to blush. Curious, she asked, "Who is Sun Dalang's... lover?"
Just as he finished speaking, someone arrived carrying clothes.
She was a young woman. As soon as she arrived, the women washing clothes all avoided her as if they had seen something dirty, and one of them even spat at her.
Just as Meng Yuanxiao was puzzled, the woman squatted down beside her with a basin in her hand, preparing to do laundry.
The woman's clothes were neither new nor old, but very clean. She was slender, and her hair was wrapped in a simple cloth. Her face showed signs of sun and wind, but her skin was fair and her eyes and eyebrows were delicate.
At first glance, she stood out from the other women in the village.
Noticing Meng Yuanxiao's gaze, the woman looked up and smiled at her, "Is Madam Cui here to do laundry too?"
Before Meng Yuanxiao could speak, Madam Li glared at the woman, then stood up with the wooden basin in her hand. "Madam Cui, come here."
"Oh." Meng Yuanxiao blinked, got up and followed Li Shi to another stone.
Li put down the wooden basin and said, "Isn't that her? That widow from the Wang family. Look at her, with that vixen-like appearance. Her husband is dead, yet she still dresses so brightly. Does she really think she's a prostitute?"
Meng Yuanxiao was surprised and looked at the woman in the direction Li had said.
Whether or not she heard Li's words, the woman showed no change in expression, only lowering her head to wash clothes.
"What are you looking at her for?" Madam Li tugged at her arm. "Don't blame your sister-in-law for not warning you. Yesterday I saw her wearing even brighter clothes than she is today, stopping Lord Cui on the road and pestering him to talk. You'd better be careful."
Meng Yuanxiao was taken aback, and subconsciously said, "My husband is not that kind of person."
Li clicked her tongue and said, "That's hard to say. Even if Lord Cui isn't that kind of person, he can't resist others chasing after him."
Meng Yuanxiao pursed his lips and remained silent. Li Shi pounded her clothes and said again, "Don't you believe me? When the county officials came down earlier, that widow tried to seduce them and almost got beaten to death by the Wang family."
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
As they were talking, Madam Li finished washing the clothes and stood up, saying, "Madam Cui, you've come from the capital, so you must know how to paint, right? I'd like to draw some shoe patterns, but I don't know how. Could you draw a few for me? Don't worry, my husband and my brother-in-law are both out today and not at home."
Having nothing else to do, Meng Yuanxiao agreed.
Meng Yuanxiao had only seen the shoe pattern a few times at the old woman's house, but she was quick-witted. When she arrived at Li's house, Li only told her the pattern a few times, and she used a charcoal pen to sketch it out.
Madam Li was very satisfied, and she couldn't stop smiling as she held the finished shoe pattern. "Madam Cui, your hands are so skillful! Even the shoe patterns that sell for one coin each in the town's tailor shops aren't as good as yours!"
Meng Yuanxiao was secretly pleased; she was a master who could sell a painting for fifteen taels of silver!
Li told her to sit down and rest, and quickly went to get some mung bean cake wrapped in oil paper and an egg for her to eat.
"I didn't bring any flour today, so I can't steam any buns for you. Don't worry, they're all clean. I secretly boiled extra eggs this morning, and the mung bean cakes were sent by someone on the street the other day; I haven't even touched them yet!"
Unable to refuse, Meng Yuanxiao had no choice but to eat two pieces of mung bean cake.
Li glared at her and said, "Look at you, your waist isn't even as thick as my thigh, and you eat less than a cat."
After saying that, he stopped pressuring her, talked with Meng Yuanxiao for a while, gave her two more pieces of mung bean cake, and then saw her out.
Meng Yuanxiao, with a mung bean cake in her mouth, came out of the Li family's house and immediately spotted Cui Xintang at the other end of the alley.
He stood tall and elegant at the end of the alley, talking to the widow she had met earlier that day by the South River.
Remembering Li's words, Meng Yuanxiao suddenly felt that the mung bean cake in his mouth was no longer sweet.
With her mouth still full of mung bean cake, she stood there glaring angrily at Cui Xintang.
Cui Xintang quickly noticed her and looked at her from a distance. When he saw her, he only raised his eyebrows and smiled at her, but did not take a step over.
The widow also noticed her, but only glanced at her before quickly looking away and saying a few more words to Cui Xintang as if no one else was around.
As the widow spoke, she covered her mouth and giggled. As she laughed, she seemed to glance at Meng Yuanxiao again, as if intentionally or unintentionally.
Cui Xintang seemed to be smiling as well. If Meng Yuanxiao was not mistaken, the widow had tugged at his sleeve just now.
Judging from their expressions, it seemed as if they were laughing at her.
Meng Yuanxiao was so angry that her eyebrows stood on end. She stuffed the mung bean cake in her hand into her mouth and strode over without thinking.
As she approached the two men, she didn't even glance at the widow, but instead glared fiercely at Cui Xintang with her hands behind her back. "Husband, didn't you say you'd be back late today?"
She spoke through gritted teeth, with crumbs of mung bean cake still clinging to the corners of her lips, and even more unusually, she called him "husband."
Cui Xintang smiled and reached out to brush the crumbs of pastry from her mouth. "I came back a little earlier than expected. I heard you were here, so I came to pick you up."
After saying that, he turned his head and nodded to Li, who was in the distance.
The widow smiled and said, "Young Master Cui, are you going back now? Come to my house another day, and I'll tell you all about it."
Her voice was soft and sweet, even more annoying than a fly.
Meng Yuanxiao glared at her angrily, then pulled Cui Xintang away.
On the way back to Chief Sun's house, Cui Xintang couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at her huffing and puffing.
Meng Yuanxiao grew increasingly annoyed, stopped in her tracks, put her hands on her hips, and asked him, "What are you laughing at? Is it that funny?"
Cui Xintang raised an eyebrow, looked her up and down, and nodded, saying, "You have indeed learned some of the essence."
Meng Yuanxiao was taken aback. "What essence?"
Cui Xintang said, "The essence of Sun Dalang's wife."
It means she was as shrewish as Lin.
Meng Yuanxiao was so angry that she jumped up and down, pinched his arm hard, and turned to leave.
Seeing that he had angered her, Cui Xintang calmly chased after her, grabbed her hand, and held it.
"You called me 'husband' so sweetly just now, say it again and let me hear it."
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
She tried to pull her hand away, but Cui Xintang wouldn't let go. She only let go when someone came towards them, and then held on again after the person had gone.
Back in the courtyard of Village Chief Sun's house, Meng Yuanxiao, with a stern face, asked angrily, "What did you say to that widow?"
Cui Xintang: "Her surname is Ye, why are you calling her a widow like that?"
Meng Yuanxiao choked, "...Ye Shi, alright? Wait, how do you know her surname is Ye?"
Cui Xintang said calmly, "What the villagers said, and also what Ye herself told me today."
Meng Yuanxiao didn't believe her. She glared at him and looked him up and down angrily. "What else did she say to you?"
Cui Xintang said helplessly, "She didn't say anything. I wanted to go find you, but she stopped me and told me about her family."
Meng Yuanxiao was even angrier. "You don't even know her, so why would she tell you about her family?"
Cui Xintang: "What?"
Meng Yuanxiao said angrily, "Do you know why Sun Dalang was punished by his wife the other day?"
Why?
"It's because that widow... Ye seduced Sun Dalang that Lin was so angry. What is she planning to do by coming to you?"
Cui Xintang: "How do you know it was Ye who seduced Sun Dalang?"
Meng Yuanxiao choked, her face flushing slightly, but she refused to back down, saying, "That's what everyone in the village says."
"You believe whatever others say? How can you be so confused, believing whatever others tell you?"
Meng Yuanxiao was furious when he unexpectedly turned the tables and started lecturing her.
She was furious and retorted, "Even if Sun Dalang isn't a good person, Ye Shi certainly doesn't have good intentions either!"
She was holding her breath, so her voice rose a little.
No sooner had she finished speaking than Sun Dalang's voice came from outside the courtyard, "Little Madam Cui, how am I not a good person?"
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
She had been so arrogant, but now she was intimidated. To her dismay, Cui Xintang was looking at her with a mocking expression, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Her anger surged up again, and she glared at him fiercely like a cat with its fur standing on end, then pointed outside with her cheeks puffed out.
The meaning was self-evident: she wanted him to help her resolve the matter.
Cui Xintang just smiled, and only when Meng Yuanxiao was so angry that he wanted to pounce on him and scratch him did he slowly glance at the door and speak up.
"Young Master Sun, you've misunderstood. Madam was praising your generosity and magnanimity!"
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
Outside, Sun Dalang snorted coldly, "You two, my in-laws, are bullying me. Fine, I just went out to catch some sparrows. I was originally thinking of sharing two with Madam Cui to try, but since I'm no good, I'll eat them all myself. Let's go, time to eat sparrows!"
Meng Yuanxiao panicked upon hearing the sound. She swallowed hard and couldn't help but glance outside.
Fearing that they might disturb the Sun family, Cui Xintang specifically instructed them not to prepare special meals for them, but to simply eat with the Sun family. He only gave Meng Yuanxiao two extra eggs each day and also provided him with food expenses.
But the food in the countryside was too bland. Not to mention there was no meat, Meng Yuanxiao felt that his mouth was so bland it could taste like a bird.
Yesterday, Sun Sanlang touched a sparrow, plucked its feathers, rubbed it with salt, roasted it over a fire, and brought her two.
She still remembers the taste; it was even better than the roasted venison at the Princess's residence, and she still thinks about it today!
The bird that was about to be eaten flew away. Meng Yuanxiao was craving it but couldn't bring herself to ask for it back. Instead, she took her anger out on Cui Xintang and pounced on him, wriggling and tugging at him.
Helpless, Cui Xintang pulled Meng Yuanxiao away. Meng Yuanxiao said, "I don't care, you're not allowed to speak to her again!"
Cui Xintang found it amusing and looked at her without answering.
Meng Yuanxiao frowned. "What, you're unwilling?"
Cui Xintang: "I came here on official business. I need to find some oversights and mistakes so that I can report back."
"What does it matter to you whether you speak with someone from the Ye family or not?"
Cui Xintang paused, turned around and closed the door before returning and saying seriously, "The Princess is brewing new policies, but there are many obstacles in the court. She will have to find some leverage to fight against those people in the court."
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned, and his throat tightened involuntarily.
Cui Xintang was silent for a moment, then said, "I originally thought that the county government was in cahoots and wouldn't let me find any fault with them. But I never expected that even the villages below were like an impenetrable net, making it impossible for anyone to find a way to get to them."
He only has one month, and after deducting the time spent traveling to and from the destination, he doesn't have much time left.
Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but be surprised.
Tang-gege had never mentioned matters of the yamen to her before, so it seems he must have really encountered difficulties and was feeling very frustrated before revealing these things to her.
Cui Xintang gave a bitter smile. "Ye's husband died three years ago, and most of her family's land was seized by her relatives. She told me this, hoping that I could help her get justice, but how could I possibly have the ability to get justice for her?"
"However, she does know some things. Her reputation is ruined, and even though she comes to me repeatedly, people just think she is trying to seduce me."
What he didn't say was that the people he sent to Fengshui Town in advance had found some information that was also related to the Ye family.
His choice to come to this village was partly due to the Ye family.
Meng Yuanxiao suddenly realized something, and she blinked. "So, Brother Tang, you want to start with the Ye family?"
Cui Xintang did not deny it, but only smiled and said, "However, since Yuanyuan does not allow me to speak to her, then my husband dares not disobey."
Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but glare at him.
Cui Xintang stopped teasing her. "Didn't Yuanyuan say she would help me gather information? What did you find out today? Tell your husband about it."
*
During the off-season, when farmers don't have to work in the fields, the village roads are always full of people. But on this day, when Meng Yuanxiao came out of Sun Lizhang's house, there were hardly any people in the village.
With no entertainment in the village and no one around when he wandered to the South River, Meng Yuanxiao was so bored that he simply squatted down by the river and picked up a stick to count ants.
Just as I was distracted, a soft female voice suddenly sounded in my ear, "Why are you squatting here?"
Looking up, I saw Ye Shi standing not far away, dressed in bright clothes and holding a baby's hand.
Meng Yuanxiao frowned, immediately dropped the wooden stick, looked around warily, and said, "Brother Tang isn't here."
Ye was stunned for a moment, as if she was just realizing who "Brother Tang" was. She chuckled and said, "Why would I look for Lord Cui if I'm not here? I just came to talk to you since you were here alone."
Meng Yuanxiao didn't want to talk to her and turned her face away. She wanted to get up and leave, but remembering what her brother Tang had said that day, she hesitated.
She disliked the Ye family, but she also felt sorry for Tang-gege and didn't want him to worry about official business.
She didn't speak. Ye walked over and sat down on the stone next to her. She picked up a thin piece of stone and threw it into the river.
The stone skimmed across the water's surface, splashing water, and skipped across the surface several times before finally settling down.
Ye chuckled a few times, pinched the baby's face and teased it for a while, then suddenly said, "My old man always used these tricks to coax me back then. He was so good at skipping stones, he could skip from one side of the river to the other, no one in the village could beat him."
"Back then, I was the prettiest girl in Fengshui Town. My doorstep was almost worn down by matchmakers. I originally looked down on my husband, but he was shameless and kept pestering me."
"Although he had land, he had no parents and a younger brother who was a burden. At that time, there were many men who were better than him who came to our house to propose marriage, so my parents did not agree at first."
“But he treated me well, so I softened. I went on a hunger strike and became so thin that I was unrecognizable. I scared away several matchmakers, and that's when my parents finally agreed to marry me off to him.”
The "dead ghost" that Ms. Ye mentioned was likely her deceased husband.
Meng Yuanxiao thought that Madam Ye had come to talk to her about the land and asked her to pass on the message to Brother Tang, but unexpectedly, she brought up her man first.
At this point, Madam Ye fell silent. Meng Yuanxiao looked at her and saw her staring blankly at the river, seemingly lost in thought.
The child beside her suddenly asked, "Mommy, is that Daddy?"
"Yes, it's Daddy. Niu Niu's Daddy is the best Daddy in the world, remember that?" Madam Ye gently patted her little girl's head and said softly.
“Niu Niu remembers.”
Lost in thought for a moment, Madam Ye started rambling on about other things, and then she started talking about her uncle.
Ms. Ye said that when she first married into the family, her younger brother-in-law was only ten years old and still a child.
She had just married into the family and hadn't even had a few good days when a famine struck that year, and her husband was captured by the imperial army.
Unexpectedly, an epidemic broke out in the military camp. Her husband, who was originally healthy, somehow contracted the disease and died. Later, her uncle also passed away.
Ye said, "I'm just a woman, I don't understand. Now that the world is at peace, why is the court recruiting so many soldiers? All the able-bodied people in the family have been taken away, and it's us women and children who suffer the most."
"Never mind, there's no point in saying this," Ye sighed.
"I heard that Lord Cui has come down to check the land tax and autumn crops? Ha, if you ask me, the storyteller's version is still the best. The court has taken all the land and is distributing it according to the number of people. Once the people leave, the land is taken back."
"In that case, my husband and uncle wouldn't have lost their lives because of my family's few dozen acres of land, and I wouldn't have been trapped here by them."
Ye's words seemed to come out of nowhere, which startled Meng Yuanxiao. Just as he was about to ask a question, he heard a series of hurried footsteps behind him.
Ye stopped talking, glanced back, and when she turned back, a cold smile appeared on her lips. "What does Madam Cui want to ask? Come to my house when you have time, and I will tell you."
After saying that, he stood up and brushed off his clothes. "I'd like to trouble you, Mrs. Cui, to look after Niu Niu for me."
After saying that, he walked straight to the riverbank path.
Although Ms. Ye had already given birth, she remained slender and walked with a graceful gait.
Before long, curses and swears could be heard from the street: "Whore, you haven't been watching for a moment, who are you trying to seduce now?"
Ye smiled sweetly, "Oh, my two sisters-in-law are awake?"
"You vile woman, you got us both drunk..."
The woman's insults were unbearable to hear, but Ye was not annoyed at all. She replied with a smile, "I just thought I would wash clothes by the river. I can't ask my two sisters-in-law to wash my and Niu Niu's clothes for me if I don't wash them myself."
"Oh, washing clothes? Where are the clothes?"
Ye smiled calmly: "That's right. I only realized I left my clothes at home when I got to the river."
"..."
The woman's cursing gradually faded away. Meng Yuanxiao was surprised and got up to look back, only to see the backs of Madam Ye and two older women.
Meng Yuanxiao recognized the two women; they were wives of the Wang family from the village.
She hadn't expected that Madam Ye would just leave Niu Niu to her like this, and just as she was feeling a bit lost, her sleeve was suddenly tugged.
Looking down, she saw Niu Niu holding a grasshopper woven from dried wheat straw in her small hands, offering it to her.
"Sister, here you go."
Looking at Niu Niu's pair of bright, dark eyes, Meng Yuanxiao pursed his lips and hesitated before accepting the gift.
How could she possibly take care of a child? The two, one big and one small, stared at each other blankly and sat there dumbfounded by the river.
Once the sounds behind her disappeared, Niu Niu suddenly said, "They'll hit my mom."
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned.
"They even insulted my mother, saying she was having an affair. Sister, what does 'having an affair' mean?"
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
She really didn't know how to explain this to a three-year-old, and was speechless for a moment.
Niu Niu's eyes reddened. "Mom said she wouldn't let Niu Niu go back, and that Niu Niu should play with her older sister."
Meng Yuanxiao originally intended to take Niu Niu home, but now he had to give up on that idea.
In Fengshui Town, Cui Xintang finished his official business and followed Qingzhu into an alley, stopping in front of a small courtyard at the alley entrance.
There was also a brothel in town, but it couldn't compare to the brothels in the city. It was just an ordinary house, where the madam kept two girls to entertain customers.
This small courtyard is the most famous brothel in Fengshui Town.
Cui Xintang glanced at Qingzhu, who understood and went straight up to knock on the door.
The madam opened the door. When she saw Qingzhu, her face remained relatively calm, but when she saw Cui Xintang standing behind him, her plump face immediately broke into a wide smile, and she repeatedly invited them in.
Cui Xintang stood outside the door and glanced inside a few times, her brows furrowing slightly with a hint of disgust. After a moment, she finally stepped inside.
The house wasn't large; the main room was where the madam lived, and the two side rooms on the left and right were presumably the boudoirs of the two young ladies.
Qingzhu looked around and asked, "How long has Young Master Lin been here?"
The madam thought she had a big customer, but when she found out he was looking for someone, her expression immediately changed.
Seeing Cui Xintang's imposing manner, he dared not offend him and forced a smile, saying, "You've been here for half a day. If this distinguished guest is not in a hurry, I'll have someone cook some dishes to go with your drinks, and have my eldest daughter keep you company for a few cups?"
“No need,” Cui Xintang simply asked, “Which room is he in?”
The madam's eyes darted around. "Oh dear, this is unacceptable! Young Master Lin is resting. What would you two do if you barged in?"
Cui Xintang's face darkened; he had clearly lost his patience.
Qingzhu glanced at her master's expression, then quickly took out a silver ingot from her sleeve and handed it to the madam.
The madam's triangular eyes lit up immediately, and she snatched the silver. "Oh, no problem, no problem. Young Master Lin should be awake by now. Please follow me."
Having said that, she swayed her plump waist and went to the west wing to call for someone, "Is Young Master Lin awake? Someone is looking for you!"
The side room was divided into two sections, an outer hall and an inner bedroom. Cui Xintang went straight into the outer hall and sat down, while Qingzhu stood guard outside the door.
Cui Xintang came in without saying a word. The madam sent someone in to look at the tea, but he didn't touch it.
Soon, the sound of rustling clothes being put on came from inside, along with a young woman's soft, complaining voice.
The boy chuckled and teased them, their playful banter leaking out from under the door and into people's ears.
Cui Xintang remained expressionless, sitting cross-legged on the armchair, waiting for the person inside to come out.
About fifteen minutes later, the person inside finally came out.
They were still flirting and teasing each other as if no one else was around when they came out. The young woman looked resentful and spoke softly and coquettishly, but when she saw the people in the hall, she was immediately stunned.
Today, Cui Xintang was dressed in a dark blue casual robe, which made his handsome face and clear features stand out even more. A few specks of black mud were splattered on the hem of his robe, but they could not conceal his dignified bearing. Even when he was sitting, his tall and slender figure was still evident.
His mere presence made the humble little hall appear much brighter.
The young woman only caught a glimpse of his profile before blushing. After a moment of surprise, she giggled sweetly and leaned closer, saying, "Young master, you've kept me waiting..."
Before she even got close, a strong, sweet scent of perfume wafted over. Cui Xintang's face flashed with disgust, and she raised her eyes to give her a cold glance.
Unexpectedly, this ethereal gentleman was so clueless about romance. The young woman was startled, and her smile froze on her face.
Lin Yu showed no embarrassment whatsoever, still sporting a playful grin. He coaxed the girl with a few words, finally managing to coax her out reluctantly, before sitting down next to Cui Xintang.
He sat up straight, a rare hint of unease on his face. He raised a hand to touch his nose. "Well, this is my first time in a place like this too. And, I didn't do anything, just..."
He wanted to say that he had only taken a nap, but Cui Xintang didn't care and simply interrupted him calmly, "This is your own business, you don't need to tell me. You're not young anymore, you know what you're doing."
Lin Yu choked, a look of astonishment flashing across her face, "Sister..."
Upon hearing the word "Sister...", Cui Xintang's expression immediately turned cold.
Lin Yu's throat tightened, and her smile froze on her face.
Cui Xintang looked away, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, and tossed it onto a small table beside him.
"You should know my temperament. I didn't want to say anything too harsh before because you were young. Today is the last time I'll indulge you. If you dare to deliberately barge in front of Yuanyuan again, or say anything reckless, or use these methods, I will no longer care about you."
Lin Yu's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but he was thick-skinned and pretended not to hear the warning in Cui Xintang's words.
He took the handkerchief, looked at it, and said with a smile, "Isn't this the handkerchief my sister asked someone to bring me? I thought I had lost it and searched for it for a long time. How did it end up with you, Brother Cui?"
After saying that, he added, "You haven't seen me for a long time. I thought you wouldn't recognize me that day, but I didn't expect you to recognize me at a glance. I look like my sister, so you must have seen my sister before you came, right?"
"How are your sister and mother doing lately?"
Cui Xintang ignored his words and simply said, "Tell me, what do you want to do by coming to Fengshui Town with me?"
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A note from the author: Protecting wild animals is everyone's responsibility; please don't catch and eat birds!
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