Chapter 38
Fortunately, he wasn't sitting too hard, or the sharp clamp would have crushed his tailbone. The clamp only touched a tiny bit of flesh, gripping a tiny bit of flesh on his left buttock before dropping heavily. Still, it was sharp enough that blood seeped out, staining his pants red. Ye Jia staggered over, looking at the seemingly unremovable trap and chuckling.
First he chuckled with glee, then he laughed wildly, and the more he laughed, the more rampant he became.
Zhou Jingchen used some skill to remove the item, then looked expressionlessly at Ye, who was squatting on the ground with his mouth grinning from ear to ear. It wasn't known whether it was pain or humiliation, but the Regent's face flushed redder than it had ever in his two lives.
Perhaps because he was embarrassed and angry, he suddenly said in a sarcastic tone to the unhappy wife in front of him who was almost dying of laughter: "...Have you laughed enough? How about taking off all your clothes and letting you laugh while watching me?"
Ye Jia's hiccup got stuck in his throat, and he looked at Zhou Jingchen in horror as he made such shocking remarks.
Their eyes met. Ye Jia's were hazy and watery, and her fair cheeks were stained with the red of drunkenness. She looked at him in horror, paused, and suddenly stepped back three or four steps, holding the stick. She waved the stick from a distance and looked at the person in front of her warily.
She shouted, "Who the hell are you! Zhou Jingchen would never talk to me like that. Who are you?!"
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
Not bad, not to the point of being completely drunk. Still listening to what people say.
Zhou Jingchen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He hadn't been stabbed or stabbed in nearly a month outside, yet within an hour of returning home, he was injured. It had to be said that when Ye Jia got ruthless, he was even more ruthless than a bandit. Seeing Ye Jia staggering, he grabbed the stick Ye Jia was swinging around, grabbed his waist, and led him back to the house.
Mrs. Yu heard the noise and came out, also clutching a kitchen knife. She put the knife away when she saw a familiar figure in the darkness. As the person approached, the moonlight shone down, revealing her son, half bleeding, hugging his daughter-in-law. She didn't know whether to shout or call a doctor.
"This, this is..." Yu stared at his half-pulled trouser leg in surprise.
"I just climbed over the wall and hooked up." Zhou Jingchen was now extremely regretful. He should have knocked on the door earlier. He thought the yard was large and that knocking and shouting might not be heard, so he climbed over the wall. Who knew that Jia Niang had not only built the wall higher, but also put nails on the tiles and dug traps.
"Mom, go get some liquor." Although Zhou Jingchen couldn't see the wound, he knew it wasn't serious. "Do you have any medicine for wounds at home?"
Yu glanced at Zhou Jingchen's hand holding Ye Jia's stick, then looked outside the yard and immediately understood what was going on.
He cursed, "I told you not to go through the front door. You deserved it if you fell and broke yourself," and then he turned slowly to the kitchen in the back and scooped up a small bowl of liquor. There was some medicine at home, thanks to treating the eldest grandson's injury a while ago. The daughter-in-law was cautious, saying that everyone in the family would inevitably get bumps and injuries, so she asked the old doctor to buy a lot of common medicine for injuries and bruises to keep at home.
When the wine was brought over, she couldn't bring herself to mention her son's wiping. The wound was there, after all, Zhou Jingchen was almost twenty years old. She had to avoid suspicion: "The medicine for the wound is in Jia Niang's room. You called Jia Niang, so you can find it yourself."
Zhou Jingchen was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He nodded and led the person into the house.
Ye Jia muttered something like, "Let me go! I'm going to beat you to a pulp!" Zhou Jingchen mumbled something in response, snatched the stick from Ye Jia's hand, and put it behind the door. The person in his arms was thrashing around, so he took the unsteady person in his arms, sat them down by the bed, and began searching the room.
Ye Jia was drunk and leaning against the bed, feeling sleepy. When he heard the giggling sound, he wanted to stand up again.
After a long pause, Ye Jia finally seemed to come to her senses. She leaned against the bed, squinting as she watched Zhou Jingchen take off his pants. There was no light in the room. The moonlight from outside shone in through the half-open window, casting a layer of white gauze over the room.
After a long while, Yu whispered outside the house, "Yun'an, I've boiled some hot water for you. I'll take it after you've treated your injury."
Zhou Jingchen murmured a soft "hmm," leaning sideways to wipe the wound with liquor. Luckily, the wound hadn't caught much flesh, only a fist-sized piece. It had, however, pierced deep into the flesh, drawing a fair amount of blood. After wiping it clean, he applied some wound medicine. He looked up at the person staring intently between his legs. His ears, hidden between his hair, had turned red, but his expression was a half-smile.
After a moment, he spoke calmly, "What? You can stare so wide-eyed when you're drunk? Aren't you afraid of getting stye?"
"You dare to take it off, why shouldn't I dare to look?" Ye Jia not only looked, but also stood up suddenly. She rushed directly towards Zhou Jingchen. Zhou Jingchen was lying on his side, tending to his wounds. She rushed over and raised her hand to stop him.
As a result, Ye Jia tripped over the leg of the bench and pressed it down with one hand, pinching it twice wantonly.
Zhou Jingchen's limbs were stiff, and he was still holding the wine-stained cloth in his hand, not moving at all.
Their eyes met, and the female hooligan sniffed dully, her hand still clutching the other person's thing. She wrinkled her nose, flicked her other hand in front of her nose, and mumbled, "Hey, you're hot, and this thing is quite cool and soft!"
"..." The unflappable Regent, a celibate monk who had spent two lifetimes as a bachelor, a lonely ascetic in the secular world, his face went from a faint blush to a full-blown crimson, then to a bruise at Ye Jia's shameless actions. For a moment, he ignored his reserve and gentlemanly demeanor, throwing Ye Jia over and grabbing a pair of pants to put on. Ye Jia slumped to the ground, and when he looked up, there was no one in sight.
Zhou Jingchen climbed out of the open window. In his haste, his elbow hit the window frame with a loud bang.
Yu said she was going to sleep, but in fact she was listening intently. When she heard something strange, she stood outside the door and called out, "Jia Niang? Yun An? What's wrong?"
How could Zhou Jingchen reply when he had already disappeared? Ye Jia did hear it, but her reason and sense of shame were clouded by the alcohol, leaving only an empty head. She sat on the ground and exhaled deeply, saying, "Nothing, he ran away."
"Run away?" Yu Shi didn't understand what he was saying. "Who ran away?"
There was no reply after that. Ye Jia was feeling sleepy. She sat on the floor for a while, then climbed onto the bed and fell asleep.
Yu stood outside for a long moment, making sure there was no movement in Ye Jia's room before she frowned and went back inside. Ye Wumei, still draped in her clothes, stood at the doorway and quietly asked if Yu was alright. Yu shook her head and said nothing, and the two of them went back to bed.
When Zhou Jingchen finished washing up and returned to the house, Ye Jia was already sleeping soundly on the bed.
In the nest beneath the bed, Diandian, as tall as a bench leg, stared at him with its green eyes wide open. Zhou Jingchen glanced at it, grabbed Diandian's nest, and moved both the wolf and the nest out of the house. He slowly finished everything and returned, standing by the window as Ye Jia kicked off the thin blanket, turned over, and went back to sleep. He had always been a well-behaved and restrained person, and his behavior was well-behaved. Looking at Ye Jia sleeping soundly, he couldn't help but think of the scene where this person pinched him... He couldn't help but pinch Ye Jia's cheeks twice to vent his anger.
"Shameless little wife!" He muttered softly. After a moment, he realized what he had done. Zhou Jingchen angrily took out a straw mat from the cupboard, spread it on the ground, and fell asleep on his side.
He hadn't rested much during his time away from home and was indeed tired. He fell asleep soon after lying down.
The next day, Ye Jia woke before dawn. A habit formed from his business, he woke at this time every day. The wine he'd drunk the previous night didn't affect his work; the pork head was already braised. Yu Shi and Ye Wumei were already making pancakes. Ye Jia opened his eyes, rubbed his hair, and prepared to get out of bed. He kicked with his bare foot, but didn't quite land, and suddenly, he bumped into something soft.
Her heart skipped a beat and she was startled. When she looked down, she saw Zhou Jingchen lying on the ground.
Her mind went blank for a few breaths, and then she felt something coming up intermittently. She was drunk, not amnesiac, and her memories of last night surfaced in her mind frame by frame.
Ye Jia: “…”
Her heart was bubbling, she pursed her lips and kicked him again unconsciously.
"...Stop kicking." Zhou Jingchen was alert, almost waking up as Ye Jia stood up. Without opening his eyes, he spoke hoarsely, "If you kick me again, I'll pull your leg out."
Ye Jia paused, stepped barefoot on his straw mat and went to look for shoes nearby.
The people around him put on their shoes and ran out like they were being chased by a dog. The door creaked shut, and the person lying on the ground with closed eyes slowly opened them. He pinched the bridge of his nose and silently looked down at the raised thing with disdain. This person really can't think about it. When he doesn't want to think about it, he can't think about it at all. But once he does, it's like he's completely enlightened and keeps thinking about it.
He had a good night's sleep last night, so he couldn't fall asleep now. He sat on the ground for a while before getting up to change his clothes.
Ye Jia cleaned up and went to the kitchen. Yu Shi and Ye Wumei had both finished wrapping the pancakes. After all, the egg and chive filling wasn't difficult to mix; Ye Jia had made it several times. Ye Wumei, a skilled cook, learned the trick in a few tries. Honestly, as long as you're willing to put in the ingredients and keep them clean and fresh, the result will naturally be delicious. Ye Wumei's filling was even more fragrant than Ye Jia's.
With this big stove, she controls the heat more precisely than Ye Jia, so the food she stir-fries is naturally more fragrant.
These days, Yu and Ye Wumei take turns making pancakes in the mornings. They work one day and rest the next. Ye Jia comes over and makes about ten, almost finishing the dough. Old Man Sun sets up the oxcart in the back and drives it out. Just as he's loaded the stove and pot onto the cart, he turns and sees Zhou Jingchen coming out of the house.
You know what, both of them were surprised when they met.
Old Man Sun was surprised at where Zhou Jingchen had appeared from, while Zhou Jingchen was surprised at how Old Man Sun could live in his own house. However, his eyes fell on Ye Jia across the crowd. Ye Jia raised an eyebrow, and he calmly suppressed this doubt.
This morning it was Ye Wumei and Ye Jia's turn to go to the market. They got on the ox cart and hurried to Wa City.
As soon as they left, Yu hurried over to ask Zhou Jingchen about what happened last night. Zhou Jingchen hadn't expected his return home to cause such a mess, and it felt awkward to bring it up. He mumbled something about his injuries being minor, but Yu didn't want to ask him to take off his pants for her to see. So, she let it go. Instead, she told him about Ye Jia's recent efforts to build a higher wall, hire someone to burn nailed tiles, and install traps.
Zhou Jingchen went along to check it out and discovered that there was a trap every three or four steps along the wall. Some were animal traps, others were tiles with nails. Yu Shi could see he was memorizing the locations and couldn't help but roll her eyes, imitating Ye Jia. "Don't memorize them. Just go through the door from now on. Jia Niang said that these traps will be moved after a while; they won't stay in the same spot. It's useless for you to memorize them."
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
Feeling the faint pain in his buttocks, he still gave a compliment in a very graceful manner: "Prepare for a rainy day and change at any time. Jia Niang did the right thing."
Yu rolled her eyes at him, thinking, "Do you even need to tell me that?" But even though she was complaining, she couldn't help but glance at his buttocks. She was his mother, so she wasn't so polite when speaking to her son. "Nothing's wrong, is it?"
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
Yu was about to glance elsewhere, but Zhou Jingchen quickly turned aside and said, "Mom, I'm fine."
"You know how to avoid seeing a doctor when you're sick, right? This is something that cannot be avoided since it affects our offspring."
"It's really okay!"
Yu snorted and told him what had happened recently. While the mother and son were talking, Ye Jia and his group had already arrived in Wa City.
When the weather gets hot, the tile market opens early. Old Man Sun quickly drives his ox cart inside, and the two of them look around for a spot.
The rules of the tile market in Dongxiang Town differ from those in Libei Town. Although they also pay ten coins for a day's trade, many vendors have fixed locations. Many have been doing business in the town for over a decade, and over time, even their locations have become established. Xishi's stall came in later, and even though it gained some fame, it had no special privileges. Its location changed every time.
But thanks to Ye Jia's facade, she established a reputation. While her changing location wasn't conducive to a steady customer base, having a facade made it much easier to find. Ye Jia and her friends finally found an empty spot inside and set up their stall. They noticed a few vendors nearby eating leek pancakes.
In ancient times, there was no concept of patents. Ever since Xishi's stall's chive and egg pancakes sold so well, every shop that previously made naan also started making chive and egg pancakes. However, there are always discrepancies in imitations, just like in Li Beizhen's time. If you can't match Ye Jia's generosity in using premium ingredients, the taste will naturally be much worse. Seeing the imitations, Ye Jia didn't panic.
Those who need to light a fire do so, those who need to make pancakes make pancakes. As soon as the oil sizzles and the aroma wafts through the air, business begins.
In the morning, five hundred pancakes are usually prepared. Dongxiang Town has a large customer base. The reason they can eat five hundred pancakes is because there are so many people eating at the tile market. Most vendors, having skipped breakfast to get there early, eat at the breakfast stalls in the tile market. A strong man would need at least three pancakes to feel full. Some with larger appetites could even finish five.
Ye Jia was working on her business, and Ye Wumei was following behind to help. Both sisters were pretty, and since Old Man Sun would be waiting outside, they weren't as dusty and dirty as Ye Jia had been in Libei Town. They were both neatly dressed, and even just standing there was attractive.
The five hundred cakes were sold out before 9:00 a.m. The two sisters cleaned up the stove and pots and brought out the pig's head.
The frame had already been built, and the tools were all specially made by a carpenter Ye Jia had hired in Libei Town. However, it ran into problems after just a few uses. Now that they've moved here, they can use the ready-made tools. Because pig head meat sells so well, and there are many wealthy families in Dongxiang Town who are willing to spend money on meat, it's easy to sell even if the price is raised.
Now they've grown bolder, braising not just two pig heads, but four or five at a time. Over a hundred pounds of pig heads are laid out, and the side dishes are perfectly cut. Ye Wumei is a quick learner, and while she wouldn't dare cheat on the braising process, she's adept at slicing the pig heads to create beautifully thin slices. Ye Jia even made a special knife for her to use when she joined him in the sales. When someone came, both of them could cut, and the sales went even faster.
Having someone who can do the kitchen work makes a real difference. Even though they made a lot of money, that was only possible because Ye Jia worked so hard. It wasn't that Yu Shi was lazy, but she wasn't used to it and couldn't do it well. She really couldn't help out like Ye Wumei.
This morning, the two of them cut and mixed the meat and quickly sold two pig heads. Seeing Ye Wumei busy with sweat on her forehead and nose, Ye Jia wondered if he should give her some wages.
Ye Jia wasn't the type to be so critical. It was like hiring employees for a company. Even if they provided food and lodging, they still had to be paid. For someone like Ye Wumei, who was capable of doing housework and helping out, she didn't mind paying her a higher salary.
The two worked for a while, then took a break. Around noon, another group arrived. The smell of the pork head was truly enticing. The combination of garlic and vinegar, along with the aroma of celery and coriander, was so fragrant that it made people unable to move. Dongxiang Town was a place where large caravans stopped to travel east and west. As luck would have it, a caravan was visiting the Wa City to buy horses today, and they all came over as soon as they smelled the aroma.
The escorts in the caravan were eager to eat meat and drink, and they were willing to spend money. Seeing the delicious food, Ye Jia wasn't stingy. He mixed a small bowl of it and placed it on the side for them to taste. After taking a bite, he asked for 40 kilograms.
"Little girl, cut it quickly." Ye Jia didn't know how to style her hair, so her hair looked neither womanly nor girlish. The burly man saw that Ye Jia was young, so he naturally called her "girl." "I have money, cut it and wrap it up for me."
After saying that, the strong man put a silver ingot on the shelf.
Ye Jia glanced at it and estimated it must be at least five or six taels. Ye Wumei, quicker than Ye Jia, had already weighed out forty kilograms of pork head meat. She grabbed her kitchen knife and quickly sliced off a bowlful of thin slices. Ye Jia quickly withdrew her gaze, took out the chunks of meat Wumei had weighed, and quickly cut them as well. Forty kilograms of meat was too much to fit in one bowl. The two of them divided it into several bowls and mixed them.
There were several large bags of meat, and the strong man ate them with relish. He waved his hand proudly and said, "No need to change."
After saying that, he left with the pig's head in his arms.
Ye Jia took the silver ingot and took a bite. It was real silver. She shook it in her hand and realized it was heavier than she'd expected, about seven or eight taels. She exchanged a glance with Ye Wumei, and both of their eyes lit up. Ye Jia, beaming, was delighted and put the silver into her pocket. She tossed the scattered copper coins into the cash box, but naturally, she kept the larger silver ingots close to her body to feel comfortable.
The escort took away 40 jin of meat by himself, and one pig's head weighed 23 or 24 jin. It was like he took away two pigs' heads.
Ye Jia had only brought four and a half pig heads this morning, leaving a small half of the five pig heads at home for their own consumption. Now that there was less than a pig head left, he naturally felt less anxious. A little after noon, the town residents came by and took a look around, and they had all sold out.
Ye Jia calculated and found that the price far exceeded her expectations. On the way home, she went to the mutton stall and bought a leg of lamb.
"Let's go back and eat lamb shanks today!"
Ever since Ye Wumei followed Ye Jia, she'd also started drinking goat's milk. Now, the entire Zhou family had developed a habit of drinking goat's milk. Rui Jie'er, despite being young, had become addicted to it thanks to Ye Jia. She felt something was wrong if she didn't drink it for a day.
However, this goat milk is indeed nourishing. Ye Wumei has been drinking it for less than a month, and her skin has become whiter and her cheeks have become plumper.
Anyone would be happy to have delicious food every day. Although Ye Wumei didn't receive a cent of her wages, she felt that being with Ye Jia was better than eating coarse food at home. Due to financial constraints in the Ye family, only the second sister-in-law and two nephews worked in the fields. The annual harvest from the fields was barely enough to feed the family. Strong laborers could eat dry and thick food, but she and her nieces, the women who couldn't do the heavy work, had to eat thin and leftover food.
When they got home, Yu was watering the crops in the backyard. Seeing Ye Jia coming back, she hurriedly packed up the bucket and came over.
Zhou Jingchen has returned to the camp and said he will be back for dinner in the evening.
This was the advantage of living close by. Since the camp was right next door, Zhou Jingchen naturally had an easier time getting home than others. Ye Jia first took the money box into the house, then changed into fire-making clothes and came out. After a long moment of searching through the basket, he carried a large leg of lamb to the well. Without even turning back, he told Ye Wumei to carry all the vegetables in the basket over.
When the fifth sister heard this, she immediately picked it up and hurried to follow.
Now that Fifth Sister was around, Yu Shi stopped helping out in the kitchen. Old Man Sun carried the pots and stoves from above to the woodshed. Yu Shi brought out the large basket of chives and cleaned them. While Ye Jia was washing the lamb legs, she said something in public: "Mom, I've decided to pay Fifth Sister and Uncle Sun their wages from now on."
As soon as Ye Jia said this, Ye Wumei, who was said to be squatting close, widened her eyes in shock. Old man Sun, who came to help after putting his things away, was also startled.
She glanced around the crowd, not joking. Ye Jia knew that in ancient times, even domestic servants received monthly allowances. Fifth Sister Ye and Old Man Sun weren't considered servants of the Zhou family. But they were still working for the family. Logically, they should be paid. "But Fifth Sister and Uncle Sun know that the Zhou family's current financial situation is quite limited. Eating for our family is a huge expense, so the monthly allowance isn't much, just a token of appreciation."
"Boss, we have enough food and drink here, so we don't need this money at all." Old Man Sun was embarrassed. He hadn't signed a contract to sell himself and had just moved into the Zhou family with his two grandsons. How could he have the nerve to ask for a monthly salary? "I don't do much work every day..."
"That's not what I meant." He was honest now because he had only a short time left. As time went on, the kindness he felt would gradually fade, and the people who worked for him would definitely start to feel resentful. People are like this; even the greatest kindness will fade with time. Since Ye Jia was doing a good deed, he naturally spoke nicely, "This money is for you. If you don't need it, you can save it first."
Yu also helped: "If you encounter any problems in the future, you can use the money you have on you to deal with emergencies in time."
Naturally, the monthly allowances were different. Old Man Sun followed Ye Jia around every day, driving the cart and tending the fields. Ye Jia gave him eight qian of silver a month. While Fifth Sister Ye didn't do heavy labor, she did some technical work in Ye Jia's business. As the elder sister, Fifth Sister was expected to marry when she got older, so naturally, she received more: one tael of silver a month.
Ye Jia explained it clearly, and both of them felt relieved.
Of course, this monthly salary was negotiated individually. Just like salary negotiations at work, they weren't held in public; they were discussed one by one. As the saying goes, "It's not the lack of money that's worrying, but the inequality of it." Even if Ye Wumei was Ye Jia's biological sister, there was no guarantee she'd become dissatisfied after a while.
Originally, Ye Wumei and Old Man Sun hadn't complained about not getting paid, but Ye Jia's announcement that they'd start paying next month ignited their enthusiasm. Old Man Sun drove his ox cart to the town butcher shop to quickly bring back the pig heads. He couldn't do the delicate work anymore, so he could only do these rough jobs. Ye Jia had told the butcher shop owner to keep the daily pig heads for her, so Old Man Sun could pick them up whenever he went.
Ye Wumei was also a little excited and helped wash and cut the vegetables. Turning back to the house, she saw that the clothes were all washed and she was a little panicked because she had nothing to do. Before Ye Jia could say anything, Yu Shi couldn't help but laugh at Ye Jia privately: "You are really good at winning people's hearts."
Ye Jia disagreed. Was she trying to win people over? She was trying to nip it in the bud, to prevent the possibility of a change in people's moral integrity.
"Jia Niang," Yu Shi felt more and more that her original vision was really good, and that she had the courage to save lives. With Ye Jia as her daughter-in-law, her life became more and more peaceful. Ye Jia was now her backbone. "Did you have a fight with Yun An last night?"
"Huh?" Ye Jia finished cleaning up the lamb leg and didn't understand what Yu Shi meant. "Nothing."
"No?" Yu blinked. Thinking of her son's expression this morning, the way she stared at Ye Jia became even more meaningful. Then, recalling the look on her son's face last night, she said honestly, "Didn't you hit him with a stick yesterday? His pants were torn."
Ye Jia's expression froze, and she looked up at Yu. Yu pretended not to notice and asked, "Where was he injured yesterday? Was it serious?"
"Hmm..." Ye Jia wasn't sure how to answer that question. She couldn't say if it was serious or not. She was drunk yesterday and vaguely remembered what she had done, but she refused to recall it. When Yu Shi brought it up, the only thing that flashed through her mind was the image of herself grabbing something soft and squeezing it a few times. Zhou Jingchen's face, flushed with shock, filled her mind.
Seeing Ye Jia's expression, Yu's heart skipped a beat. She lowered her voice and asked, "...broken?"
"Well, this..." Although it was not specified, Ye Jia understood it. He forced himself not to blush and his expression became more serious.
"Is it really broken?" Yu's heart skipped a beat, thinking back to when she'd gone back to the trap this morning while Zhou Jingchen was gone. The trap was clearly stained with blood, though not too much. Her son's pants, torn as they were, were also stained. "Oh my God! We need to see a doctor! How could Yun'an be so patient? He didn't even say a word after such a big incident. No wonder he ran away so quickly this morning..."
"..." Ye Jia was embarrassed, really embarrassed. That wasn't what she meant. She just hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
"No!" This was the only child left in Prince Jing's mansion. Yun'an and Jia Niang hadn't even consummated their marriage yet, so how could they be separated? Yu had been speculating all morning without taking it too seriously. But now, frightened by Ye Jia's expression, she became afraid. "I'll go to the camp."
Seeing her stand up and about to leave, Ye Jia got anxious and quickly grabbed her: "It's not broken! I just got drunk and pinched her a few times!"
"Pinched twice? What?" Yu turned her head.
Ye Jia: “…”
She lowered her head and scratched her ears, feeling very anxious.
Ye Wumei, who was standing nearby, had already run away. Ye Jia quickly stood up, carrying the bamboo basket filled with lamb legs, and turned around to leave: "Mom, it's getting late. I'll go make dinner. It's time for us to have lunch. You go ahead and do your thing. I'll go cook..."
He was about to run away when Zhou Jingchen returned to the door. He stood there expressionless, as stiff as a wooden sculpture.
Yu looked at Ye Jia who had run away, then turned to look at Zhou Jingchen, whose face showed no signs of change but whose ears were red. She glanced down at his lower body and belatedly realized something: "I pinched you... oh~"
Zhou Jingchen supported his lips with one hand and coughed lightly, forcibly interrupting Yu's smile: "Mother."
"It's okay to pinch her, right? Why are you being so shy?" Yu was already old and had given birth to four children, so she was naturally open-minded. She rolled her eyes at her son, annoyed at his failure and scolded him, "What's wrong with pinching your legitimate wife? But what was the matter with all the noise last night? You didn't push Jia Niang in a pretentious way, did you?"
After taking a look at Zhou Jingchen's expression, he knew immediately that his guess was right, as no one knows a son better than his mother.
She immediately flew into a rage, her hands on her hips as she began to curse: "Just act so pretentiously! Just act so pretentiously, Zhou Yunan! With your behavior in the countryside, you deserve to be single for the rest of your life! If I hadn't arranged something for you, you wouldn't even have a wife until now, and you're still pushing people away!"
After cursing, she stretched her neck and shouted into the house, "Wu Niang, go to the kitchen and get that jar of wine. Let's drink and eat mutton today!"
Ye Wumei had tactfully slipped away the moment the conversation about her brother-in-law started in the courtyard. As an unmarried girl, she naturally couldn't bear to hear her sister and brother-in-law's private affairs. As soon as she heard something wrong, she hurried back inside. Hearing the noise, she immediately responded and scurried off to the back to get some wine. Yu Shi walked a few steps, then ran back and pinched Zhou Jingchen's arm hard, then hit him twice.
"If I weren't your mother, I'd think you were stupid!"
Zhou Jingchen endured a few blows helplessly, smiling bitterly inwardly. He was still numb? Someone had even played with that thing in their hands, and he was still numb?
Muttering in her heart, Yu raised the corner of her mouth and snorted: "Oh my, wine is really a good thing!"
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
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