Chapter 134 Who is the adulterer?
After the first month of the lunar calendar, it's already February, and the weather is gradually getting colder.
Ye Wan occasionally overheard others talking about the rebels, and in doing so, she thought of Lin Anyuan.
The village is turning over the ground that has been frozen all winter.
"Ye, is what you said reliable?" The village chief, wearing a cotton-padded coat with two patches, came to find Ye Wan.
Ye Wan had previously said that she would dig up all the empty spaces in front of and behind each house, as well as the land in the village, and plant sweet potatoes there. She would then ask Ye Wan to teach the village a skill so that they could sell all the sweet potatoes.
It seems that the Ye family used to have a stall at the market, and the food they sold there was made from these sweet potatoes.
Ye Wan said, "The village is remote and no one is in charge for the time being. Don't be afraid, village chief. As long as we villagers are of one mind, even if the higher-ups question us, no one will die."
After Zhang Fuhu died, his family fortune was completely wiped out by the wind. One good thing was that no one was in charge of the nearby hill, so everyone gathered firewood in the winter, and managed to get through the coldest time of the year.
The people of Minxian have been living well these past few years because they only pay taxes, unlike elsewhere where land is in the hands of the wealthy, so they have no problem with having enough to eat and wear.
This year is different. They can no longer farm the land; if they do, they'll have to pay rent. Things are chaotic everywhere now. Even if they rent land, whether they can actually eat it is another matter entirely.
So at this time, Ye Wan came up with a solution: he built a fence around each house, planted some things in front of and behind the houses, and made watering them convenient.
Hearing Ye Wan's words, the village chief felt much relieved. "Thanks to you, we were able to get through this winter without anyone starving to death. Many people in other villages couldn't have survived."
The weather was so cold before the Lunar New Year that some people almost couldn't survive. It was Ye Wan who borrowed grain from the Liu family, signed a contract, and promised to repay it after the harvest, which allowed them to get through the winter safely. The villagers were grateful to Ye Wan.
“Village chief, I’m only doing this because we’re from the same village and I can’t bear to see anyone starve to death. I haven’t even been to Ye Family Village yet. If anyone has bad intentions and uses this to target me, then don’t blame me for turning my back on them.”
Ye Wan laid it all out in advance: she wasn't that kind of person.
Of course, she didn't borrow grain from the Liu family. She only asked Liu Wenshu and used the Liu family's name to save these people. It was just a matter of convenience. If it didn't go smoothly one day, her conscience wouldn't be bothered at all.
The village chief nodded, looking at the villagers with a serious expression. "Have you all heard what I said? Listen to Ye Shi. If I find out you have any ulterior motives, don't blame me for turning ruthless and kicking you out of the village."
"Village Chief, Madam Ye, don't worry, we can't be ungrateful people no matter what!"
"Yeah yeah!"
Ye Wan said a few words and then went home.
At the doorstep, Daya, who had been embroidering for a long time, got up to stretch and saw Sanya holding two eggs in her hand.
"Sanya, where did you get these eggs?"
It was past lunchtime, and she remembered there were no eggs in the kitchen.
Sanya blinked her eyes. "It was given to me by Brother Mancang."
Mancang is the son of Widow Tian, and he often takes Sanya to play this winter.
Daya frowned. "Sanya, how could you accept other people's things like that? You'll have to return them later."
"Why can't I take it? He wanted to give it to my second sister. If he lets me give it to her, she will definitely accept it."
After the New Year, Sanya spoke more and more fluently, grew taller, and had jet-black hair. She was completely different from the big-headed doll who used to eat leaves barefoot.
“Sanya, eggs are precious. We won’t accept them, and Erya can’t accept them either. I’ll talk to Erya about it.”
Daya explained that there are many people who can't afford eggs these days, and most families wouldn't even eat these two eggs; they would save them to sell for money.
Mancang gave the eggs to Erya, but the family might not even know.
"Oh, then I'll return the eggs." Sanya said, then took the eggs and ran off.
Hui Gu spoke up from behind Ye Wan, "Madam, keep an eye on Er Ya. I've seen quite a few people handing her things."
Ye Wan naturally knew what Hui Gu meant, and couldn't help but mutter, "Er Ya is only nine years old. Isn't it a bit too precocious for someone her age?"
The year turned around, and Daya was twelve, Erya was nine, and Sanya was five and a half.
Someone actually had designs on a nine-year-old girl; it's outrageous, utterly outrageous.
"What did Madam say?" Huigu didn't hear clearly.
"Aunt, I've already told you not to call me Madam anymore, it sounds weird."
“You won’t be surprised if you listen to it more often. You’ll definitely get used to it eventually.” Hui Gu smiled and steered the conversation back on track. “All three girls are beautiful. You should still be careful.”
Even in the countryside, Daya, Erya, and Sanya are considered to be quite beautiful.
As the saying goes, fair skin can cover up three flaws. All three children are fair-skinned, and each has their own unique features.
Hui Gu had naturally heard about the fact that someone had been eyeing Daya before, and Daya had cut her hair in public.
Ye Wan clicked her tongue, "I might have to be wary of others, but I can rest assured about Er Ya. It's impossible for her to be interested in anyone from the village."
Er Ya is vain and materialistic, and she's determined to marry a rich man and climb the social ladder. She's not someone that can be easily swayed.
“It’s good that a young lady has high standards, but the second young lady needs to correct her habit of taking advantage of others. It’s easy to correct, though. The more she sees, the broader her horizons will naturally make her lose this habit.”
It is said that women should be raised in a wealthy environment, and this is the reason why.
Ye Wan got angry when she talked about it, saying, "I'm not in a hurry at all, but the villagers are very anxious."
After the New Year, people started subtly inquiring about Daya and Erya.
Da Ya had her hair cut before, but the implication in their words was that they still didn't mind her being singled out.
They don't care about anything, they don't even take a piss and look at themselves in the mirror.
“In the countryside, people get married early. Some are even betrothed before they have their period. But it’s different for noble ladies. Noble ladies from prestigious families don’t marry off their husbands so early in order to maintain their status.”
Hui-gu has been to many places, so naturally she has a lot of experience.
In the countryside, a girl who marries at sixteen is considered old, while a noblewoman from a prominent family can marry at eighteen without it being too late.
Getting married too early is not good for a woman's ability to have children.
Nevertheless, Ye Wan still felt that getting married in one's teens was a bit too outrageous.
Looking at the trees that were beginning to show signs of green in the distance, Ye Wan sighed, "Let's also tidy up the patch of land behind the house, and wait until the weather gets warmer..."
"Madam Ye, something has happened to your eldest sister!"
As they were talking, a boy, about half a year old, came running and shouting.
"What happened?" Ye Wan's expression changed.
"The people in Wangjia Village are saying your older sister is immoral and they're going to whip her in public! You'd better hurry, because when I got here the village chief had already made her kneel down!"
"Hui-gu, come with me quickly!"
"Madam, let's go on horseback."
...
...
Wangjia Village.
At this moment, all the villagers gathered in a circle under the village's archway.
Ye Hua knelt there in full view of everyone.
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