Chapter 69
Ye Jia had no idea who Cheng Yi was. She'd been in this world for almost a year, and much of the story had become blurry. Aside from a few key characters, she had no recollection of anyone else or anything else. She noticed the change in Zhou Jingchen's expression for only a split second, then vanished without a trace the next moment. It was so sudden, Ye Jia thought it was just an illusion.
They dined at the Cheng family's, and the old man was quite talkative. His decades of travels and his outgoing nature made for interesting conversation. Towards the end, Old Man Cheng lamented that both of his sons were stubborn and difficult to manage.
The eldest brother, Cheng Yi, was originally trained to inherit his family business. The second brother served as his deputy, helping the eldest brother. The two brothers worked together to carry forward the family business. However, the eldest brother had mastered martial arts and always wanted to go to the battlefield to make a name for himself. He had been suppressed by him for so many years and had not joined the army. Now he was finally unable to suppress him. The second brother was temporarily pulled up, but he was not happy. The Cheng family had such a large family business and supported so many people. The two brothers of the Cheng family were unwilling to take over, and Grandpa Cheng was very distressed.
While Old Master Cheng was lamenting these things, Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen naturally didn't say anything. Old Master Cheng said a few words, but when Zhou Jingchen didn't say anything, he stopped talking, laughed, and naturally changed the topic. All in all, this dinner was a great pleasure for both the host and the guests.
When they came out of Cheng's house, Ajiu was already waiting for them on the mule cart.
He hurried to Yejiazhuang, and the situation at the Ye family remained the same as when Yu had asked someone to inquire. Ye Wangshan and his wife, as well as the Ye family's nephews and nieces, were all safe; only two of them were missing. Even if the youngest son didn't reveal their whereabouts, the youngest daughter, Ajiu, would know. But seeing the expressions of the old couple, Ajiu didn't dare to reveal that Ye Wumei was at the Zhou family.
Ye Wangshan's personality was evident in Ye Simei's marriage; he didn't place much value on his daughters. Ajiu wasn't sure if revealing this would bring trouble to the Zhou family, so she pretended not to know. Leaving some money for the old couple, Ajiu left without even a meal.
At this time, the man was sitting on the rafters of the car with his eyes closed. When he heard Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen coming out, he explained the situation of the Ye family.
Ye Jia didn't say anything after hearing this, nor did she say she would go back to check. She nodded and turned back to the car. Zhou Jingchen took a step behind her, holding her waist to help her walk more steadily. Ajiu glanced at Zhou Jingchen with some surprise, as if she was puzzled by Ye Jia's attitude. Zhou Jingchen naturally understood why Ye Jia was so cold, but he would not explain the details of the matter to Ajiu.
"Forget it, let's go back first." No matter what, since Jia Niang had taken possession of Ye's body, he would still take better care of the Ye family. "Wait until you find out where my younger brother is. Jia Niang and I will come over again. We can talk about anything then."
Ah Jiu thought so too. They would not be of much use if they went back now. They would only listen to the old couple of the Ye family crying and complaining, which would only cause trouble.
After Zhou Jingchen got on the mule cart, he whipped the horse and the cart started to squeak.
When they returned to town, perhaps because New Year's Eve was approaching, most of the shops that had been closed had recently opened. Especially those selling meat and other groceries, they displayed a wealth of fresh food. The shop assistants and shopkeepers personally came out to greet people, calling out to passersby to come and look. Many people from the villages below also rushed to the town to buy New Year's goods. The streets were bustling with people, and it felt surprisingly lively.
The Zhou family had already prepared everything for the New Year, but Zhou Jingchen waited until the mule cart reached the middle of the street and stopped it.
"Some things for the wedding haven't been prepared yet. I asked someone to order some things. I'll go down and see if they've been delivered." The conditions nowadays can't be compared to when they were in Yanjing, but Zhou Jingchen still tried his best to do it decently. "Ajiu, send Jia Niang back first."
Ye Jia leaned against the car window and watched, then nodded.
Ah Jiu hurriedly told Fourth Sister Ye about the Ye family's situation, whipping his horsewhip as he hurried back to the Zhou family's house. When they reached the gate of the Zhou family's courtyard, they heard voices inside. Ye Jia was surprised who would come at this hour, and when she pushed open the gate, she saw a group of women dressed in festive attire. They were gathered around Yu Shi, talking, some of them so loud that their voices were deafening.
Ajiu was also a little surprised. He and Ye Simei had been living in the Zhou family for so long, but he had never seen the Zhou family so lively.
After driving the mule cart to the open space in the front yard and stopping, Ye Jia jumped off the cart holding up her skirt.
The courtyard gate was so small that everyone could see the mule cart coming in. Ye Jia immediately attracted everyone's attention as soon as he showed up. The women all stared at Ye Jia and opened their mouths in amazement. Some of them slapped their thighs and praised Ye Jia's handsome appearance at the top of their voices: "Sister Yu, you have such a beautiful wife! Where in the surrounding area can you find such a pretty girl! Oh, she's so pretty that I'm almost dazzled!"
Once one person praised, the others followed suit. They were all loud people, and the chatter was so intense that Ye Jia's head was buzzing.
Yu, however, rarely seemed to notice the noise, sitting among the bustling crowd of women, smiling broadly. She nodded in agreement to what one said, and she also agreed with what another said. Next to her, Ye Wumei's face was green, evidently someone had also been talking to her.
After a long time, Ye Jia finally figured out that these people were actually lucky women from the town that Yu had hired. Regardless of whether their luck was real or not, the surrounding area believed that they were blessed, and their family was indeed blessed with many children and good fortune, so Yu paid for them to come. Not only that, she even specially found the town's most famous lucky woman, rumored to be the mother of Wu Shaodong, the owner of Linglong Rouge Shop, to comb Ye Jia's hair.
...It turns out that all this trouble was because of the marriage.
Fortunately, the group didn't try to pull her away, instead surrounding Ye Jia and showering her with praise. They praised her to the skies. They also promised Yu that she would come to the Zhou family on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year to help, and explained to her the necessary matters for the wedding. After hearing Yu's assurance that their hard-earned money would be fully paid if the matter was resolved, they each grabbed some sunflower seeds and left contentedly.
Ye Jia: “…”
...But, she was supposed to get married on the fifth day of the first lunar month next year?
Ye Jia felt as if he was walking on clouds. He swallowed and felt strangely nervous.
She entered the main room, where a pile of candy and red paper lay. The busy people sitting there suddenly looked up, their heads agape. Fourth and Fifth Sister Ye were helping at the table, while Lin Zeyu crouched on the floor, cutting paper. They divided the work, one distributing the candy, the other wrapping the candy in red paper. There were also a few letters on the table.
Ye Jia blinked and glanced over. There was no signature on the envelope, but it was sealed very tightly. Seeing Ye Jia saw it, Ye Simei casually told her, "This is what Aunt Yu said she wanted to send outside. She said she wanted to tell the family members outside the family the good news."
Although the Jing Palace had collapsed, Yu's family had also been somewhat affected. However, since ancient times, the power of large families has always been intertwined and complex, and it is not so easy to eliminate them. The Yu clan had cut ties with the Yu family in a timely manner, retaining some of their members. Today, except for Yu's relatives from the same mother, the rest of the family is still in Yanjing. Lai Ruijie's mother was also from a prominent family, and her maternal grandfather's family was demoted to serve as officials in Lingnan. Although it was inconvenient to contact the Yu family, Yu was happy and decided to send a letter to announce the good news.
Ye Jia felt an indescribable pang of pain in her heart. She looked up at Yu's room. A lamp was on in Yu's room, and she was sitting by the bed. A basket rested on her lap. She held a needle in one hand and a piece of clothing in the other, as she took out the red wedding dress to embroider.
It was she who wore a wedding dress that was hand-embroidered by her mother-in-law.
Ye Jia realized that her attitude was a bit careless. She hadn't taken this matter seriously from the beginning to the end, and she immediately felt a little ashamed. She returned to the house and sat for a while. At this time, there was movement outside the yard again.
It’s Zhou Jingchen who’s back.
Old Man Sun opened the courtyard door, and the two of them talked for a while outside the courtyard before Zhou Jingchen came in from outside, carrying a large bundle. Seeing Ye Jia sitting on the kang, staring at him with a pair of eyes, he took the bundle.
"What is this? Did you go out just to get this?" Ye Jia glanced at him and put his hand tentatively on the bag.
"Yeah." Zhou Jingchen sat down at the table. He naturally saw what was going on outside. He picked up the cup on the table with his white hand, picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea, then took a sip of the cold tea: "Open it and take a look."
Ye Jia thought, could it be a gift? She reached out and opened it.
Inside was an extremely gorgeous and exquisite wedding dress, embroidered with gold thread and inlaid with pearls. Atop the dress, neatly arranged, was a set of exquisitely crafted jewelry. The phoenix crown was inlaid with at least a dozen pearls. Judging by their size and shape, Ye Jia suspected he had robbed a foreign caravan. Despite the exquisiteness of the dress, Ye Jia blinked and put the items down.
Ye Jia subconsciously lowered her voice as she spoke and asked him, "Where did you get this set?"
Just the gold thread on this dress and the pearls on this set of jewelry alone would have cost at least five hundred taels. After all, in ancient times, there was no technology to cultivate pearls in the deep sea. To obtain such a large pearl required the pearl divers to risk their lives, and each one could be sold at a stratospheric price.
"I spent some time to find someone to make it." Zhou Jingchen saw Ye Jia frowning and was a little surprised. "What's wrong? You look like that?"
"Well, let's talk about the wedding dress. Although it's beautifully made, but..." Ye Jia thought of Yu Shi embroidering the wedding dress in the room. She licked her lips and felt that this matter needed to be discussed. "Mother has been working day and night to embroider the wedding dress. I just took a look and the dress is already taking shape. I estimate that it should be embroidered in another ten days..."
"Mom's embroidering too?" Zhou Jingchen paused, his teacup stilled, and he put the cup down. He'd been home recently, and while he'd been surprised by his mother's constant presence, he'd never ventured into her room to look. Firstly, even mother and son had to avoid suspicion when they were older, and secondly, it wasn't just Yu who lived in that room; Ye Wumei also lived there. So, for all this time, he hadn't realized Yu was so busy embroidering the wedding dress.
"Yeah." Ye Jia nodded. "If Mom can embroider it well by then, I guess I will still wear the suit she embroiders."
Zhou Jingchen naturally understood what Ye Jia meant. No matter how exquisite the wedding dress he brought back was, it was not as precious as the one embroidered by Yu Shi with every stitch of hers. He glanced at the dress that cost him a lot of favors, but he didn't feel sorry for it. "Keep this one and wear it in the house for me later."
Suddenly Ye Jia said: "!!!!"
Meng Lang seemed to be aware of what he said, and he coughed twice with his lips propped up in embarrassment.
Ye Jia's eyes rolled, and seeing the embarrassment on his face, she couldn't help but tease him, "But sir, this dress is so delicate that it must be difficult to embroider it. It must have taken three to four months or even half a year. When did you ask someone to make it?"
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
He naturally didn't dare say that he had it made when he had feelings for Ye Jia. Otherwise, if Ye Jia knew that he had it made half a year ago, wouldn't that automatically let Ye Jia know that he was plotting something bad? Zhou Jingchen simply turned his head away and said calmly, "Why don't you try it on to see if it fits. If Mother can't embroider it, we can alter this dress to help us out."
"I won't try it today." Ye Jia folded the clothes carefully. "I'll try it tomorrow after I've cleaned it up."
That's fine. Zhou Jingchen wasn't in a hurry to admire it. After all, they were getting married on the fifth day of next month, so he would have the chance to ask Jia Niang to wear it for him.
The fifth day of the New Year has arrived in a flash, and the end of the year is approaching in the blink of an eye.
The Zhou family had few relatives here; only the Ye family was still around. Near the 28th day of the 12th lunar month, Yu Shi asked Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen, the young couple, to take a small jar of wine, two chickens, and a piece of meat to Yejiazhuang in Libei Town. Fourth sister Ye and her husband also went. Fifth sister Ye hesitated, wanting to go back and see what was happening, but fearing a reprimand from her parents, she stayed indoors.
It was hard to say whether Fifth Sister Ye had run away from home. She naturally didn't know the personalities of the old couple better than Fourth Sister Ye and Fifth Sister Ye. Both of them seemed quite frightened, so Ye Jia didn't force them. "Fifth Sister, think about it. Go back when you want to."
Ye Wumei hung her head and followed the car for half a mile before returning to Zhou's house.
Mule carts are much faster than ox carts, and clearing the snow makes the road easier to navigate. Zhou Jingchen had someone gather information about Ye Qinghe, and it returned. He was indeed no longer with Ye Qingshan, but had enlisted in the army in Suiye Town. It wasn't that something had happened to Ye Qingshan, but rather that he had been transferred some time ago, having been spotted by a higher-up officer with whom he had previously interacted and sent to Luntai.
It's hard to know until you ask, but once you do, you'll discover that Ye Qingshan is quite something. He's been in the army for eight years and has won three first-class merits. For a humble soldier like him to have won three first-class merits, regardless of his knowledge and intelligence, he's at least a man of fortitude, courage, and ability. However, coming from a humble background, his achievements have been suppressed over the years, forcing him to serve as a small-time soldier. Some time ago, the Turks attacked the northwest border, drawing the attention of the higher-ups. A thorough investigation uncovered the incident, and Ye Qingshan was immediately promoted to the rank of captain.
This happened suddenly, and the Ye family didn't know about it. Zhou Jingchen wouldn't know about it unless he investigated. But if he did find out, he would naturally pay attention to it.
While the mule cart was traveling, Zhou Jingchen told Ye Jia about this matter.
Ye Simei and her husband sat opposite, listening. Ajiu lowered his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. Ye Simei was extremely excited: "I said that big brother would definitely make it! Big brother has been an extraordinary person since he was a child!"
Fourth Sister Ye was happy for a while before she couldn't help but mutter, "Brother, what a fool! Why didn't he send a message back after he went to Luntai?"
Zhou Jingchen couldn't say for sure about this situation. Military matters were urgent, and so many things could be overlooked. Fortunately, Fourth Sister Ye had only said it casually. Ye Jia, aside from speaking to sisters Ye Zhang and Zhang Chunfen, had no memory of the eldest brother of the Ye family. Knowing his current situation would give him something to discuss when he returned. After Fourth Sister Ye asked about Ye Qingshan and learned that Ye Qinghe was fine, she felt relieved.
"Brother-in-law, what about Lin Ge'er?" Fourth Sister Ye was asking about Ye Qingshan's eldest son, Ye Lin. "Did he go to Luntai with his father?"
Zhou Jingchen shook his head: "I haven't heard of this in such detail."
"If Big Brother is fine, then Lin Ge'er won't be in any trouble either," Ye Jia interjected. "He's either staying with me in Suiye Town, or he went to Luntai with Big Brother. Nothing will happen to him."
That was true, and Ye Simei was completely relieved.
Ajiu didn't say much along the way. Ye Jia glanced at him and saw that his face was gloomy, as if he was a little envious. She nudged Ye Simei with her elbow. Ye Simei, holding Xiao Ba in her arms, looked up at Ye Jia. Ye Jia's eyes signaled her to look at her husband, and Ye Simei noticed Ajiu's gloom. She really understood Ajiu and could see through his thoughts at a glance.
But now that her sister and brother-in-law were here, she couldn't comfort Ajiu, so she just said, "Ajiu, Xiaoqi seems to have woken up."
Ajiu immediately raised his hand and shook it, and sure enough, the child in his arms opened his eyes. A pair of big black eyes stared straight at him, and when he saw his own father staring at him, he suddenly giggled.
The cart creaked as it reached the entrance of Yejiazhuang Village. Since everyone in the village was hibernating, the atmosphere was naturally bustling. Someone, seeing the mule cart approaching, craned their heads to see.
Seeing the magnificent mule cart pull up to Ye Tongsheng's house, many people gathered to join in the fun. The carriage door creaked open, and a dazzlingly handsome young man stepped out. He reached inside and half-carried a young woman. The young woman looked familiar to the people of Yejiazhuang. Wasn't this the third daughter of the Ye family, the most beautiful girl in the entire village?
When they saw Ye Jia, they realized belatedly that this handsome young man was Ye Jia's husband with a broken leg, and they were immediately shocked.
Not to mention how much Zhou Jingchen's appearance had caused the villagers to talk about him and to be astonished, the sight of Ah Jiu coming down with twins in her arms had also caused many to be envious. Those who had been complaining about Ye Tongsheng's family running away and getting lost were now envious.
Ye Jia and Ye Simei walked in front, while Ajiu and Zhou Jingchen walked behind, each carrying something.
Ye Su, who was leaning against the door in the yard mending shoe soles, heard the noise and immediately put down her things and hurried over.
One may favor sons over daughters, but a daughter is born from one's own belly. Seeing Ye Jiaye's fourth sister return, Ye Su was so happy that she wept. While inviting everyone to sit in the house, she shouted at the top of her voice, "Old man, come out quickly! Someone's coming home!"
At this shout, several children who were hiding from the wind in the house ran out.
In just six months, Ye Tongsheng and his wife had aged more than ten years. Their once-gray hair had completely turned white. They were also extremely thin, their waists bent so much that they could barely lift themselves. Ye Jia felt a pity for them. Seeing her parents in such a state, Ye Simei's heart broke. She grabbed the things and didn't even ask her parents to pack them up, but took them all to the old couple's house. As for the food Ye Jia brought, she took it to the kitchen to clean up.
As soon as everyone sat down, Ye Tongsheng asked his granddaughter to make tea.
The person Ye Tongsheng cared for the most was naturally Zhou Jingchen. Zhou Jingchen's promotion to a high-ranking official in the village had earned him considerable respect in the village. The Ye family's current stability was also thanks to Zhou Jingchen's instructions and the care he had arranged. Ye Tongsheng naturally treated Zhou Jingchen like his own son. His attitude towards Ajiu was slightly less favorable. Ajiu had specially sent him some money a few days ago, and the old couple naturally became more affectionate.
It's called tea, but it's actually barley tea. It's quite well brewed. After a few words, Zhou Jingchen told Ye Qinghe about his situation: "I've asked someone to find out. He's stationed in Suiye Town and is currently training in the camp. Nothing will happen to him."
When Ye Tongsheng heard that his third son-in-law had specially brought the news that Ye Qinghe was safe, his eyes turned red with joy: "That's good, that's good!"
As he muttered, the gloom in Ye Tongsheng's face began to fade. He stood up quickly, and walked so fast that he lost his balance and almost tripped over the threshold and fell out. "Old lady! Old lady! Yun'an brought a message saying that Qinghe is in Suiye Town, with the boss! He's safe! Everything is fine, they are all fine!"
"God bless us! God bless us! It's really God who has mercy on our Ye family..."
Not to mention that Ye Su was so happy that she was spinning in circles. Fourth Sister Ye was squatting in the kitchen, washing vegetables, preparing chickens, ducks, and meat. Seeing her mother throw everything away and run back into the house, she was about to mention that Fifth Sister Ye was also very nice, but she swallowed the words back before she could finish her words.
She wiped the water off her hands and followed them to the front door. Ye Tongsheng and the old couple, the Ye Su family, entered the house. Zhou Jingchen, having just finished talking about something, then informed them of Ye Qingshan's transfer to Luntai. This was a great event that would bring honor to the family. As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Tongsheng almost shouted that he wanted to go to the ancestral tomb to burn incense and kowtow to the ancestors.
This, this... their eldest son, the most intelligent of the family! Qingshan, praised by the village elders since childhood, had been promoted to lieutenant and transferred to Luntai to serve as an official! Such a big happy event just hit the old couple in the face, and they almost fainted with joy.
This time when they came to the Ye family, the whole family was happy from beginning to end.
Ye Tongsheng now saw Zhou Jingchen as perfect in every way, and he felt a surge of radiance from his third son-in-law, who had brought him the good news. Even Ye Simei's twins, the green-eyed Xiaoba, seemed much prettier. Naturally, the men ate lunch in the house, while his daughter, confined by Ye Sushi to the kitchen, ate leftovers. Ye Jia, of course, didn't eat. Ye Simei, who used to think nothing of it, took two chopsticks and stopped eating.
Ever since she married Ajiu, she had never been forced to eat in the kitchen again. Later, she went to live with Ye Jia, and at her sister's house, she could eat whatever she wanted. She ate at the table on weekdays, and if she wanted to drink, Yu would let her drink.
In the past, she never felt wronged about eating leftovers, but now she felt bitter in her heart.
The feast lasted until dark before they finally let their daughter and son-in-law leave. Zhou Jingchen and Ajiu, both drunk, sat on opposite sides of the carriage, not saying much. Ajiu was holding a sleeping child in her arms, while Ye Simei was also holding another. They both dozed off leaning against each other. Ye Jia supported Zhou Jingchen, who was not sure if he was truly drunk or doing it on purpose. He almost collapsed into her arms.
Ye Jia felt his arm against her chest, his posture a little awkward. She looked up and saw that he had a small paper bag in his hand.
"What?"
Zhou Jingchen rubbed his lips against the skin on the side of Ye Jia's neck. The hot lips made Ye Jia shudder: "Snacks."
Ye Jia took it suspiciously, and inside was a bag of crispy cookies.
She opened it and took a bite when she heard a noise from the other side. She looked up and saw Ye Simei's eyes were open. Ye Jia thought she hadn't eaten much, since she was still nursing her child during the day. So she held out the bag of pastries to her. Ye Simei silently took a piece and stuffed it into her mouth.
Old man Sun was driving the cart outside.
After a long while, Fourth Sister Ye didn't know whether she was mumbling or talking to Ye Jia. Suddenly, she asked Ye Jia, "Sister, do Dad and Mom really not treat their daughters as human beings? They were so happy that Qinghe was fine, but they didn't say a word to ask Fifth Sister."
Ye Jia's heart moved and he looked up at her.
Fourth Sister Ye stroked Ajiu's face with one hand and said with drooping eyelids, "... I was talking to Fifth Sister the other day. Fifth Sister said that instead of counting on parents to love you, it's better to make money and take care of yourself. I suddenly felt that what she said was quite right. Sister, it's better not to tell parents about re-arranging the wedding on the fifth day of the first lunar month next year. It will also prevent them from knowing that you can make money now. Parents will be so angry that they will never stop."
Ye Jia was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Ye Simei to suddenly say this.
"It's time for me to stand up." Ye Simei said.
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