Chapter 4
Zhang Chunfen was not someone else but the younger sister of Ye Zhang, the eldest sister-in-law of the Ye family.
A few years ago, Ye Zhang's parents passed away, and her natal sister-in-law was difficult to get along with. She treated her unmarried sister-in-law like a slave. So, Ye Zhang decided to bring Zhang Chunfen to the Ye family. Over the years, Zhang Chunfen has lived a more comfortable life at the Ye family than any of the family's own daughters. As the head of the family, she naturally eats the best food and dresses respectably. She doesn't work on weekdays, but her temper has only worsened. The other Ye sisters are afraid of her, but the original owner is so close to her that they're like one.
A little over a year ago, the Cheng family, a major escort agency in town, invited Ye Lao Tongsheng to a drink. Ye Tongsheng got drunk and was brought back by Cheng Feng. It just so happened that the original owner came out to greet him that day, and Cheng Feng took a liking to her at first sight.
Since then, Cheng Feng often found excuses to visit Yejia Village.
Many girls in the village were attracted by such a promising young man. Zhang Chunfen was one of them. She was seventeen years old, and by then she should have been married and had children. However, she was spoiled by Ye Zhangshi and became arrogant, looking down on everyone. She was raised in the Ye family, neither high nor low. At this age, she was desperate for marriage. When she saw Cheng Feng, who had everything going for him, wouldn't she be attracted to him?
Zhang Chunfen had secretly expressed her feelings, but Cheng Feng looked down on her. It just so happened that Ye Qinghe was in trouble. The Ye family was struggling to raise money, and Cheng Feng was working as an escort. Zhang Chunfen then encouraged Ye Zhangshi to encourage Ye Tongsheng to push Ye Jia out in exchange for money. This incident also caused a falling out between the two.
Ye Jia's face immediately turned cold: "Sister-in-law, my husband is sick at home and can't leave."
"It's just a moment! It won't delay you at all," Ye Zhang suddenly became anxious. Her father-in-law wanted to kick Chunfen out of the Ye family. If Ye Jia didn't go back to persuade him, what would her sister do? Her sister was already seventeen years old, and it was the critical time for marriage. "Jia Niang, your sister-in-law treated you well when you were at home, right? Just do it for her sake."
Fearing that Ye Jia would not go back, she immediately asked Ye Jia to kneel down.
How could Ye Jia let her kneel? Of course she did.
Ye Zhang took the opportunity to cry: "My sister-in-law from my mother's family is not a good person. If Chunfen is sent back, she might be sold by her. She will have a hard time. You two have been good friends before. You have been sisters for so many years. Do you really have the heart to let her become an old maid?"
"Jia Niang, I've beaten and scolded her for what she did. Chunfen really knows she was wrong..."
Ye Zhang was known for her physicality, and her strength was so great that she pulled so hard that Ye Jia couldn't even stand. Unable to stop, she could only mumble a promise and send the man away. Ye Zhang, delighted by her agreement, left.
Ye Jia turned around and went back to the room. The person on the bed had already woken up.
Their eyes met, and the man's hairband fell off, his black hair fell to his shoulders, and he sat up quietly against the wall.
A pair of calm, cold, phoenix eyes seemed to contain a thousand miles of stars. A few strands of hair hung down from his temples. Though thin, his physique was not able to conceal his exceptional character. His beauty was like an ink painting, his autumn waters a divine presence. Even his tattered clothes could not conceal his noble and elegant bearing. His eyes were half-closed, veiled by raven-feather lashes. The oil lamp in the room shone dimly, swaying in the wind. The dim light lingered on him, as if beholding him.
Ye Jia had known Zhou Jingchen was handsome, after all, the perfect match for even the Mary Sue heroine, but seeing him in person was still a shock. After a long moment, she felt someone gently tug at the hem of her skirt.
Looking down, Rui Jieer pointed to the cloth towel that had fallen to the ground and said, "It fell. Uncle San will apply it."
Rui Jie'er was probably malnourished and developmentally delayed, so her words came out in spurts. But Ye Jia still understood. She quickly gathered her thoughts, awkwardly going over to pick up the towel and tossing it into the basin. Then she reached out and touched the man's forehead.
The heat has subsided.
The young man didn't move, his eyes lowered, his expression cold and clear. His slender fingers, resting on the homespun quilt, were whiter than snow. Without a word, he let her touch his forehead.
"It's still a little hot," Ye Jia suppressed her shock and said calmly, "Sister Rui, go to the kitchen and ask Grandma if the water is ready. If it is, ask Grandma to bring in a bowl of porridge."
Rui Jie'er couldn't speak clearly, but she understood. She nodded and ran out with her short legs.
Ye Jia glanced at the man on the bed. He was quiet, as if lost in thought. She then took a basin outside to pour some water, then brought another one back with clean, cold water. The man had already lain down.
When they were alone in the room, Ye Jia felt unexpectedly awkward. She glanced at the young man, who seemed lost in thought, not knowing what to say to break the silence. Just then, Yu came in with a bucket of hot water, and Ye Jia simply scooped some hot water into the basin. Wounds must be kept clean; otherwise, when the weather gets hot, not only will they stink, but they might also rot.
After mixing the hot water, Ye Jia was in trouble.
Originally, this man was unconscious, so anyone could wipe his body. Now that he was awake, facing this face and this pair of eyes, how could Ye Jia bring herself to take off his clothes? She was debating whether to ask Yu to wipe his clothes. When she looked up, Yu's eyes flashed and she turned away.
As they walked, she muttered that Yun'an hadn't eaten for several days and might be hungry, so she went to the kitchen to bring him some porridge.
Although his strides weren't big, he was running very fast. Ye Jia turned her head and saw that the man, who had already fallen down, was following Yu's back with his eyes, staring at the shaking door. When she looked again, he had closed his eyes.
...Forget it, no one cares, why should she be so pretentious?
With a dull expression, she untied his belt. Ye Jia soaked a cloth in warm water, wrung it half dry, and wiped him intently.
As the wet handkerchief touched his abdomen and moved downward, it was held down by a hand.
The person with closed eyes opened them, and asked in a hoarse and gentle voice, as if unsure: "Are you... Ye?"
Ye Jia thought his question was odd, but then she thought. When they got married, this man was still serving in the West Field, and the original owner had only married the rooster that day. It wasn't surprising that he didn't recognize her, so she nodded. "It's me. Ye Jia."
The man's eyes were fixed on her eyebrows, and it was unclear what he was looking at, his eyes were dark and deep. In the end, he said nothing and closed his eyes.
Ye Jia dressed him in clean clothes and left. Yu fed Zhou Jingchen a small bowl of corn porridge. When she came out again, the man had fallen asleep. Ye Jia was in the kitchen. After listening to her, he nodded and threw the unfinished dumplings into the pot to cook.
It was already late, the dim light making everything seem hazy. Ye Jia took out the leftover meat from lunch and minced it. He then minced a small amount of scallions and ginger into a meat filling, placed it in a ceramic dish, and steamed it on the stove.
While she was busy, someone smelled something and called out from outside the door. It was none other than Qian Yu's mother, who worked alongside Yu in the town's embroidery shop. Her maiden name was Liu, and everyone in the village called her Aunt Liu. She had come to tell Yu that she wouldn't be getting paid tomorrow.
Yu was immediately anxious when she heard this. Everyone in the family was waiting for the wages to be paid to save their lives, so why couldn't they be paid?
"Well, the shopkeeper's previous batch of goods was robbed by bandits from the west," Aunt Liu said with a look of bad luck on her face. "The shopkeeper's boss was injured and almost died. The issue of wages will have to be put off for a while."
To the west lies the trade route connecting the east and west, but these days are a time of war and chaos. This route is also plagued by robbers and bandits. Although Libei Town has a garrison, they generally ignore those who don't go south to plunder. Merchants traveling between the two sides are left to their own devices if they encounter them.
"Alas..." Yu sighed. Things had come to this point, and there was nothing that could be done. Yu was incredibly grateful that her daughter-in-law's injury had helped her come to her senses. If she hadn't pawned her jewelry, the whole family would have starved to death.
After seeing Aunt Liu off with a heavy heart, Yu turned around and saw Ye Jia standing behind her.
Ye Jia said nothing, but nodded and went back inside. She had actually heard everything they had just said, and her heart was heavy. She had pawned her jewelry for three taels and two cents, and most of it had already been spent. If she tried to repair the roof with the remaining money, there would definitely be nothing left. With no family property, living off it all was not an option.
The few of them had dinner with heavy hearts, and Ye Jia brought the steamed meat patties out of the pot.
A small amount of salt and a ladle of boiling water poured over it. When the delicious meat smell came out, Yu's eyes widened: "This little bit of salt is probably not salty enough..."
"For my husband." Seriously injured people need to supplement protein, and the body is the capital. This family only has one man, and it is impossible not to raise him strong. Ye Jia pondered the tone of Aunt Liu just now, and thought that the horse bandits here are quite rampant. If the horse bandits really break into the village one day, this family will have nothing to do but die. He needs to find a way to get a ewe and boil some goat milk. "Adding too much salt will make the wound itchy."
Yu had never heard of this, but when Ye Jia said so, she believed it.
She asked Yu to bring the food in, and Ye Jia boiled some hot water for a bath. No matter how cold it was, she could endure hunger, but she couldn't stand not bathing for several days.
Yu brought in the broth, drank the soup, and still had some meat scraps left. In the past, Yu would have been uninhibited, but now she was staring at the meat with a glare. Having just finished her meal, she couldn't bear to waste it, so she asked Ye Jia, "Can you use this to stir-fry something else tomorrow?"
Ye Jia nodded and let her take Ruijieer to bathe. She couldn't let Yushi sleep on the floor with the child. But if she wanted to sleep with her, she had to be clean.
Yu Shi seemed to understand, and her face immediately lit up with joy: "Okay, I'll take Rui Jie'er to wash."
With an extra person and a child on the bed, the sleeping area was much more crowded. Fortunately, Ye Jia and Yu Shi were both well-behaved sleepers, lying wherever they wanted, not taking up space. Rui Jie'er slept uncomfortably, but Yu Shi, fearing her kicking would disturb Ye Jia, wrapped her in a small blanket and placed her next to her. It was a manageable arrangement.
Early the next morning, Ye Jiacai was rinsing his mouth in the yard when Ye Zhang came to call someone.
Seeing how anxious she was, it seemed Zhang Chunfen's life in the Ye family was indeed difficult. Without even having time to eat breakfast, Ye Jia explained to Yu Shi and hurried back to her parents' home with her.
Yejiazhuang and Wangjiacun are neighboring villages, about two or three miles away, or a quarter of an hour's walk.
When they arrived at the Ye family's residence, no one was home. Zhang Chunfen was arguing with the original owner's fourth sister in the courtyard. She was tall and strong, and her sharp tongue had infuriated the fourth sister, who crouched by the well, weeping. Interestingly, the Ye family had three sons and three daughters. Aside from the original owner, a rebellious one, and the hot-tempered youngest, the rest of the family was generally good-tempered. The two younger sisters were even somewhat weak.
"What's going on?" In the Ye family, apart from the old man, Ye Zhang's words carry weight.
She heard the two arguing, and was unsure whether to ask. Her brows furrowed, her hands on her hips, and she started scolding Ye Simei, "Why are you crying so much so early in the morning? People outside who don't know what's going on might think you're at home mourning!"
Ye Simei's face flushed red after being scolded by Ye Zhangshi. She didn't dare to talk back, but lowered her head, carrying a bucket in each hand and walked out of the yard.
Ye Jia took a quick glance and saw that the room was filled with dirty bedding and cotton pants, which were very wet.
"Why are you leaving?" Ye Jia held her back. "What were you arguing about?"
Fourth Sister Ye hadn't expected her third sister, who had always ignored her, to speak. Her lips pursed and tears began to fall. "Sister, this morning Mother said the weather had cleared up, so she took down all the quilts we slept in during the winter and washed them all. She divided them into two buckets and told Sister Chunfen and me to wash one each. Sister Chunfen said she was going to tell someone else that I had to take good care of my hands and feet and couldn't work. But there are so many clothes and quilts, I can't finish washing them even if I wash them by evening!"
Ye Zhang's face turned a little ugly when she cried like this. She glanced at Ye Jia. This time, she had finally called Ye Jia back after much persuasion. Who knew that she had just spoken too quickly and scolded Ye Simei with obvious bias? I'm afraid this is not good.
"Jia Niang, I'm not biased towards Chunfen. It's just that Yuan Niang is used to washing mattresses, and Chunfen has never done such rough work, so she can't wash it clean." Ye Zhang said vaguely, "Dad went to town this morning and will be back soon. Can you come to my room and sit for a while?"
"No." Ye Jia asked Fourth Sister Ye to put the bucket down. "Sister-in-law, I think Zhang Chunfen still thinks she's a distinguished guest of the Ye family. She eats and wears fine clothes, yet she still dares to boss people around. This isn't admitting her fault, this is clearly treating us Ye sisters like slaves! I think you shouldn't try to make amends. It's not that easy for her to push me off. Wait until my father comes back and tell her to go back to where she came from!"
Ye Jia glanced at Zhang Chunfen's new silk jacket and curled her lips: "Besides, the clothes she's wearing are mine, right?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
