Chapter 117 They all died at once
"Big sister, big sister, are you alright?"
Ye Wan pretended to hurriedly help Ye Hua and called out.
If someone is indifferent to a man's death, it will inevitably raise suspicions, no matter how inhuman the man may be.
"I...I..."
Ye Hua's face was pale, and she didn't say a word for a long time, looking like she was overwhelmed with grief.
When Ye Hua heard that Wang Hu was dead, she felt both fear and a sense of relief, but she was not sad.
"Poor Ye Hua, she was married to Wang Hu for only half a year and still wasn't pregnant when he died. At least she left behind a child or two, so she had something to look forward to. Oh, how pitiful..."
"Do you think it's because she can't have children...?"
There's always gossip around a widow's door, especially for widows without children.
Wang Hu had just died, and all sorts of discussions and scrutiny immediately fell on Ye Hua.
"I heard that the one who died before hadn't had a child even after five or six years of marriage. It must be because Wang Hu is incompetent. The more incompetent a man is, the more likely he is to beat women. My Lin Anyuan is much better; he never beats me." Ye Wan said with a bitter face, "Why is my older sister so unlucky!"
"Really? I didn't expect Lin Anyuan, who looks like a pretty boy, to be so useful."
"Old Zhang's wife, does your husband not work in bed?"
"Pah, my manhood is very strong, you can't be envious..."
Whether it's black or white, it's all called yellow.
When the topic of Huang came up, everyone seemed to have forgotten that Wang Hu was dead. They all talked about it with great interest, their faces beaming.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, Ye Wan walked up to Village Chief Wang and handed him a coin. "Village Chief Wang, my sister has a very soft heart. Please don't take her back and bully her."
Wang Hu is dead, and Ye Hua has to go back to wear mourning clothes.
As for whether she will remarry in the future, if her family is not powerful and unreliable, only the elders of the Wang family can decide.
This is the tragedy of women in this world.
Before Village Chief Wang could even feign a refusal, Ye Wan shoved it into his hand. He quickly put it away, his face serious, and said, "Ahem, no matter what, the people of Wangjia Village would never bully a widow."
"Little sister, I..."
Just as Ye Hua was about to say a few words to Ye Wan, Zhao's daughter-in-law from the village arrived.
"Leaf flowers! Leaf bends!"
"It's perfect that you're both here. Your family has sent word that they want you to go back for your funeral!"
Zhao's daughter-in-law is from the same village as Ye Wan, and she just returned from her parents' home today.
Ye Hua's eyes widened. "What? A funeral? My mother..."
“It wasn’t your mother, it was your brother Yaozu. He was killed by your sister-in-law at the back gate of Fulailou yesterday. Your mother is still at home, limping, and her eyes are almost blind from crying. You should go back and check on her.”
When Ye Hua heard the news, she almost couldn't stand up straight. How could so many people have died in just one night?
"What should we do?!"
“Sister-in-law, my eldest sister’s husband just died, so she probably can’t go back right now. I’ll go back instead.”
Ye Wan told Ye Hua to hurry back with the people from Wangjia Village, and that she would go instead.
Zhao said from the crowd, "Ye Wan is the only one with a conscience. I heard that she was sold to Lin Anyuan because she was raising money for her son Yaozu's betrothal gifts. Even after all that, she still went back to see her mother. If it were me, I would not acknowledge her family."
The village chief asked his two sons to keep an eye on Lin Anyuan's house. Ye Wan immediately sent some things over, and Zhao was happy to say nice things to them.
"Parents are never wrong, so we should at least go back and visit them. It's just that Lin Anyuan is lucky to have married such a wonderful woman."
Ye Wan meant well; she just wanted to see if Old Lady Qian was dead, and if not, she wanted to infuriate her.
In short, there were all sorts of opinions. Ye Wan was worried about leaving the three children alone at home, so she simply asked Zhao to take them back to the village chief's house for safety.
"Yaozu, my Yaozu!"
In the courtyard, Old Lady Qian's wails echoed intermittently.
People would gather around the Ye family's gate from time to time, talking amongst themselves whenever they saw Ye Wan return.
Ye Yaozu died just like that, killed by his own wife. His body was brought to the yard yesterday and is still there, covered with a tattered straw mat.
Old Mrs. Qian sat in the courtyard with her hair disheveled, looking much older all of a sudden.
Upon seeing Ye Wan enter, she cried even more bitterly, "My daughter, you've finally come! That vile woman from the Li family is a wicked wretch! She killed your brother! You must avenge your brother!"
“Your father passed away early, and I raised you four sisters from infancy, raising you with my own hands and feet. My life has been so hard…”
Ye Wan watched as Old Lady Qian complained, feeling no pity for her whatsoever.
After the old woman stopped, he spoke up, "How can we avenge you? You sold us sisters. Second sister still doesn't know if she's alive or dead. My indenture is still with the Lin family. To put it bluntly, I'm just a slave in Lin Anyuan's household. I don't even have my own freedom."
Old Mrs. Qian looked up at Ye Wan with her eyes swollen like walnuts. "No matter what, I raised you both. You and Hua'er, you can't abandon me."
“I can’t control it even if I want to, so how about this…” Ye Wan lowered her head and whispered a few words.
"Will this work?"
Old Mrs. Qian's eyes darted around.
Let that slut Xianglan serve her?
Ye Wan spoke softly, "Why not? Li Xianglan is the precious gem you married with a dowry of twenty taels. She is Yaozu's wife, and you, her mother-in-law, are still here. So naturally, you have the final say. If she doesn't want to, just send her to jail."
On her way here, she had already found out that the county government hadn't had time to arrest her, and Li Xianglan was hiding at her parents' home.
Neither of them are good people, and Ye Wan is quite happy to watch them fight like dogs.
“Sigh, someone has to stay at home. I was sold off, and I had no choice in the matter. I saved up this money by the last drop of my tongue, so I left.”
Ye Wan took out two dry and hard cornbreads and handed them to Old Lady Qian.
Old Mrs. Qian was starving and forgot all about crying; she grabbed the food and started eating it.
"Wan, you've come back to see your mother?"
Once outside, the villagers struck up a conversation with Ye Wan.
Unlike her two older sisters, Ye Wan rarely left home and didn't know many people in the village.
"Sigh, your mother is pitiful too, and your brother is gone. She'll have to rely on you daughters from now on..."
Ye Wan pretended to wipe away her tears, "Yes, she's pitiful, so Mother plans to keep Li Xianglan here so she can atone for her sins."
She doesn't have a saintly heart.
...
...
The Liu family.
It was almost noon, and Liu Wenshu was still asleep.
In his dream, a hand with slight calluses pinched his chin.
Then... I woke up.
"Young master, why are you up so early today? Sister Dong'er from the old lady's room just came over to say that the old lady wants you to come over."
Hearing the commotion, Yantai hurriedly called for someone outside to bring in hot water.
"Did you say something, kid?" Liu Wenshu felt embarrassed as he recalled his dream.
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