Li Zhiyuan felt as if his deepest, ugliest side had been exposed.
Back then, Ye Xuan dropped out of school, and Du Shi relentlessly pestered him to teach Ye Xuan to read.
He just smiled and didn't care, thinking to himself, "Can everyone study?"
It would be a miracle if anyone from the Ye family had any talent.
But when he actually started teaching Ye Xuan, his expression changed.
Things that used to take him three or four times to learn, Ye Xuan could understand in just one time.
A wave of jealousy rose in Li Zhiyuan's heart, and sour feelings welled up inside him.
He's just a peasant from the Ye family, what makes him think he has this talent? Even Li Zhiyuan...
From then on, Li Zhiyuan never taught Ye Xuan anything serious or useful again.
Instead, he would often shake his head, pretending to be helpless, and say that Ye Xuan was mediocre and not cut out for studying.
They kindly reminded me that continuing to study would only be a waste of money, and it would be more practical to go home and farm.
Ye Xuan was indeed discouraged by him and never asked to learn from him again.
He secretly rejoiced, thinking that Ye Xuan's life would be like this forever.
Unexpectedly, yesterday he overheard his arch-nemesis Qian Hai telling someone that his father, Master Qian, had taken on two new students named Ye Xuan or Ye Peng, and asked him to take a break and go back to give them some pointers.
Ye Xuan!
How can he continue his studies!
Li Zhiyuan felt a mix of emotions, partly angry and partly contemptuous.
It's too late to start formal school at sixteen or seventeen!
Yes, it's too late! There's no future in it!
After comforting himself, he took his wife and daughter to the county town market, where they unexpectedly ran into Ye Caiping.
He couldn't help himself and brought up Ye Xuan's studies so that Ye Caiping could stop it.
Unexpectedly, this vile woman not only didn't stop it, but also...
"Hmph, I was just concerned about you, to prevent you from wasting your money. You've taken my kindness for granted. If you don't like it, fine." Li Zhiyuan, enraged, angrily flicked his sleeve.
Suddenly, he thought of Zhang Shui Niang beside him, and his expression changed drastically. In an instant, he switched from a cold demeanor to a puppy-like figure, saying ingratiatingly, "Shui Niang, what I meant by concern was just..."
"I understand! I'm not a petty person." Zhang Shuiniang pouted, her gaze falling on Ye Caiping's face, but a sour feeling welled up inside her.
How could this Ye family member grow up to look like this?
In her mind, Ye Shi, as an abandoned woman, should be a dark and ugly village woman, not even as good as her fingernail.
Even though everyone in the village said that Ye was beautiful, she thought it was just that her features were more regular.
But right now...
Zhang Shuiniang suppressed the rising jealousy in her heart, slightly raised her chin, and gave off an expression that said, "I don't think much of you."
"You're from the Ye family? I never expected you to be..."
She wanted to find a few words to belittle Ye Caiping, but she couldn't find a single one.
"Didn't expect me to be so beautiful?" Ye Caiping laughed, brushing a stray hair from her forehead. "Oh well, I'm naturally beautiful."
"It's understandable that I feel envious and jealous of your plain-looking appearance."
Zhang Shuiniang almost coughed up blood, her arrogant expression cracking inch by inch.
Bitch! What right does she have to call her that...?
Even if you don't want to admit it, Ye is indeed beautiful, and her beauty is so straightforward that it's undeniable!
Ye Caiping curled her lips, knowing she would shatter whatever the other party cared about: "Big brother and sister-in-law, let's go!"
With that, they walked into the restaurant together.
Once they reached the private room on the second floor, they negotiated the supply issue with the owners of the two restaurants.
After signing the contract, the two owners, seeing that Ye Daquan and the others were uncomfortable, drank a couple of cups of wine and then took their leave with smiles.
The innkeeper served the dishes.
Ye Caiping ate her meal while looking out the window.
Li Zhiyuan and the other two were still standing there. Zhang Shuiniang hadn't gotten any favors from her, so she turned around and started to act petulantly towards Li Zhiyuan.
She stomped her feet and pouted, relentlessly focusing on Li Zhiyuan's concern for his ex-wife.
Li Zhiyuan humbled himself, coaxing and swearing oaths.
"Ugh, how disgusting!" Du also scoffed. "How can these two be so shameless?"
"Even if you want to throw a tantrum, you can do it when you get home and close the door. Aren't you embarrassed and ashamed with so many people watching on the street?"
Ye Caiping laughed: "Sister-in-law, you don't understand. Some things we feel ashamed of, some people feel very proud of. She wants everyone to know how much her husband loves her!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Zhiyuan and his wife downstairs had finished their argument.
Zhang Shuiniang tilted her head slightly, walking ahead like a pampered young lady, waving her handkerchief.
Li Zhiyuan followed behind her with a look of doting affection, like he was teasing a dog.
Unfortunately... well, this water girl is already over thirty, but she acts like a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, which looks so incongruous.
It's like an old cucumber being painted green, trying too hard to look young.
Not only Ye Caiping and her group, but even the pedestrians on the street were shocked by the oil. One auntie even had her mouth wide open, looking like she had never seen anything like it before.
"Ouch! Someone's being hit!" Suddenly, screams rang out from downstairs.
"I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you to death, you filthy beggar, you rotten beggar, how dare you steal my steamed bun!"
"You've dirtied all my steamed buns, how am I supposed to sell them now?"
The crowd immediately surrounded them and saw a fat couple beating a dirty beggar.
Ye Caiping was stunned by the scene...
Right, isn't that the prelude to Li Jiaojiao's life of collecting scraps?
This plot point involves Li Jiaojiao finding the future regent.
The beggar in front of me is the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningguo's family, and also the male protagonist of the book.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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