The burly old woman behind Madam Bai stepped forward and forcefully pushed Jiang Mingyu away.
Jiang Mingyu, being of slender build, could not withstand the push of two people and stumbled back several steps.
Two old women pulled Bai Xiuxiu along, while another old woman picked up Jiang Fangrui and walked outside.
"No, I won't leave. Mother, if you force me any further, I'll kill myself." Bai Xiuxiu forcefully shook off the old woman's hand and slammed her head against the door.
"No!" Jiang Mingyu shouted as he rushed forward, trying to pull Bai Xiuxiu back.
She was a step too slow and bumped into the door.
"Ah, Mother—" Jiang Fangrui cried out, biting her mother-in-law's hand.
The old woman winced in pain and withdrew her hand. Jiang Fangrui ran to Bai Xiuxiu's side, knelt down, and cried out, "Mother...don't leave me, Mother..."
"Quickly, go and fetch a doctor!" Madam Bai panicked; she hadn't expected her daughter to be so reckless.
In the pavilion, Ye Yunniang, who had turned to look at everything, turned back.
"Was this also part of the rehearsal last night?"
No. It ended last night when the divorce papers were signed.
Madam Bai must genuinely want Bai Xiuxiu to divorce and return home. Recalling the Bai family's situation, "The wife of Bai Xiuxiu's brother's superior died in childbirth last month."
Ye Yunniang understood that Madam Bai was selling her daughter for her son's future.
"Do you want to go and take a look? Someone has died."
"Bai Xiuxiu really did crash, but there was also an element of acting involved. She'll be fine." Jiang Mingzhe knew the methods of everyone in the Jiang family.
Although Bai Xiuxiu suffered some physical pain from the collision, she would ultimately benefit from it.
Grandpa Jiang believed that Bai Xiuxiu genuinely wanted to stay and live with Jiang Mingyu. He secretly told Aunt Xue about the second hidden treasure location.
Through the Bai family's manipulation, the golden statues of Buddha and Arhats were acquired. The Bai family then rose further in status, being transferred to the capital to serve as officials.
Madam Bai, on the grounds that she could not bear to separate mother and daughter and that her daughter could not bear to suffer, took Bai Xiuxiu and her family of three to the capital.
Aunt Xue didn't leave; she stayed behind to figure out a way to take away the old man's third treasure.
Ye Yunniang sat up straight and looked at Jiang Mingzhe. "What are you thinking about?" She pulled her here to watch the Jiang family's life-and-death separations one after another.
"I want you." Jiang Mingzhe made no attempt to hide his lust.
"Be serious." What time is it? Why do you still want these things?
“No. I have to go back. My mother is waiting for me at home. I said I was going home for dinner. I…” Ye Yunniang refused; she couldn’t stay in the pavilion any longer.
Jiang Mingzhe held her tightly, letting Ye Yunniang feel his passion.
"Tomorrow, I will be leaving. This may be the last time we meet in this life."
Jiang Mingzhe was very good at seeking his own interests, and he knew that Ye Yunniang was soft-hearted.
As expected, Ye Yunniang softened after hearing Jiang Mingzhe's words and reached out to touch Jiang Mingzhe's face.
"I need to go back before dark. I can't stay in the pavilion."
Jiang Mingzhe pressed a burning kiss onto Ye Yunniang's lips.
"Hmm..."
Ye Yunniang was held tightly by the back of her head by Jiang Mingzhe, enduring his forceful and domineering kiss, which did not allow her any room for refusal.
"Not in...the gazebo..."
“Okay. Not in the pavilion.” Jiang Mingzhe said, then raised his hand and pressed a spot.
The round table in the pavilion moved silently, revealing a downward passage.
"Where does this lead?" Ye Yunniang felt a moment of fear, recalling Jiang Mingzhe's words about peeling off people's skin.
"A secret room with artificial hills in the courtyard." Jiang Mingzhe grabbed Ye Yunniang's wrist and led her into the passage.
The candlelight from the wall-mounted candlesticks illuminated the passageway brightly.
Ye Yunniang looked at everything with curiosity and followed Jiang Mingzhe to the bottom of the passage.
The bottom is quite spacious, with three stone gates.
The stone gate is carved with a Pixiu, a three-legged toad, and a Qilin.
"The Pixiu door was pushed open, leading into the old man's treasure chamber. This door could not be opened from his side."
The Three-Legged Golden Toad Gate leads to a portion of the wealth I've accumulated over the years. Behind the Qilin Gate lies…
Ye Yunniang interrupted Jiang Mingzhe, "You don't need to tell me these things. I don't want your treasure." She felt that Jiang Mingzhe was testing her again. She turned and walked towards the passage, preparing to leave.
The passageway we came from was gone; only a wall remained.
Ye Yunniang tried to push him away, but couldn't.
Ye Yunniang's face turned pale.
Jiang Mingzhe wants to kill someone to silence them!
He cursed inwardly, realizing that his soft heart had ruined him.
As Jiang Mingzhe approached her step by step, Ye Yunniang couldn't help but cry out, "Don't kill me, I won't tell anyone."
"How could I bear to see you die? I love you so much." Jiang Mingzhe picked up Ye Yunniang and pushed open the Qilin door, which led to a normal living room.
The light from outside shone in through the window, telling Ye Yunniang that they had already gone outside.
Turning around, I saw a bookshelf filled with books.
Ye Yunniang was thrown onto the bed.
There were blankets under the bed, so I wasn't hurt when I fell.
Ye Yunniang tried to get up but was held down by Jiang Mingzhe.
Ye Yunniang took off her clothes one by one and threw them off the bed.
...
Ye Yunniang opened her eyes, and the sunlight from the window shone on her face. She raised her hand to shield her eyes.
"You're awake. Have some water."
Ye Yunniang, whose throat was sore, reached out to take the teacup, but stopped when she saw someone. "Mother."
Ye Yunniang’s voice trembled; she wanted to say something but didn’t know how.
Cai Damei put down her teacup, helped Ye Yunniang sit up, and brought the teacup to her lips.
"Drink some water first to moisten your throat."
Ye Yunniang reached out and took the teacup, her hands trembling as she drank the tea.
Cai Damei picked up a box from the table. "This is what he left behind."
Cai Damei placed the box in Ye Yunniang's hands, got up, and left, closing the door behind her.
Ye Yunniang took out the jade thumb ring she had hidden and pressed it into the round hole in the middle of the box.
With a click, the box opened.
Pulling it left and right, the contents of the box were revealed: the land deed and house deed for the small courtyard.
Ye Yunniang recalled that she had been done to again and again, and she was so tired that she wanted to rest.
Jiang Mingzhe wouldn't let her go; he even carried her back to the secret room to see the treasure.
"No...please...let me go..." Ye Yunniang begged for mercy.
"Look. Okay, I'll show you." Jiang Mingzhe deliberately misinterpreted Ye Yunniang's meaning, picked her up, and was about to get off the bed.
"No, I don't want to see." Ye Yunniang hugged Jiang Mingzhe tightly, rolled over and pressed herself against him.
She felt that the more she knew, the more trouble she would get into.
“Okay, don’t look at the treasure. Look at me, keep looking at me.” Jiang Mingzhe said, reaching behind Ye Yunniang’s head and pressing down hard.
Ye Yunniang thought she had escaped, but unexpectedly, Jiang Mingzhe gave her the entire courtyard.
What was Jiang Mingzhe planning to do? Ye Yunniang didn't understand, nor did she bother to think about it.
He put the house and land deeds back into the box, locked it again, and carefully put away the jade thumb ring.
Put the box under the wardrobe.
Stepping into the courtyard, Cai Damei was busy in the kitchen.
Cai Damei was serving noodles and placing them on the table. It was the pickled vegetable and shredded pork noodles she had been craving.
"Eat your noodles." Cai Damei handed the chopsticks to Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang took the chopsticks.
"Mother, aren't you going to ask me?"
What happened the day before yesterday?
The day before yesterday?
Cai Damei answered Ye Yunniang definitively, "You were gone for two days."
Recalling everything that happened in the courtyard, Ye Yunniang blushed.
"You've developed feelings for him?"
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