"Mother, we're not going to leave Father behind, are we?!"
"Daughter, we're not going to abandon your father, are we?" Yingbao and her mother, Wang Yitong, asked in unison.
Yingbao said guiltily, "I forgot for a moment. I was only thinking about letting you see the sewing machine with your own eyes, Mother. Will Father be angry with me?"
"He dares!" Mother Wang Yitong exclaimed domineeringly.
Then, the two returned to where Ye Tianyong was.
"Oh my, wife, you and 'Yingbao' are finally back! I've been waiting so long I'm about to lose my mind!" Ye Tianyong said, his voice both aggrieved and exaggerated, making the mother and son feel sorry for him.
"Father, from now on..." Yingbao couldn't finish her sentence!
Wang Yitong looked at her daughter with confusion, and then her daughter's gaze fell on the apple core left at Ye Tianyong's feet. She rushed forward, grabbed Ye Tianyong's ear and twisted it hard, "You dare to fool us, mother and daughter?"
Ye Tianyong gasped in pain, pleading with his wife, "Ouch~ it hurts~ ouch, it hurts so much, wife, let go!" while also calling for help from his beloved daughter.
Yingbao crossed her arms and looked innocently at Ye Tianyong, saying, "Father, your daughter is powerless to help. You'd better pray for yourself!"
The family of three played happily in the space for a while before returning to their original kang (heated brick bed) to lie down and sleep.
The next day, before the rooster crowed and when it was pitch black outside and nothing could be seen, Ye Tianyong groped his way into his grandparents' house in the east wing.
"Bang, bang, bang..." A knocking sound startled Ye Yaozu and Wang Cuihua from their sleep. The two groggily called out, "Who is it?"
"Father, it's me," Ye Tianyong whispered, afraid that others would hear. After all, it concerned his daughter, and he couldn't let outsiders know, lest he suffer a sudden disaster.
“Old man, it looks like our youngest son, Tianyong. He must have something to tell you. Go down to the fields and see!” Wang Cuihua said as she put on her coat that was lying to the side.
Ye Yaozu put on his coat, got out of bed, and went to the outer room in his slippers. As he opened the door, he asked, "Son, is something the matter?"
Ye Tianyong replied cautiously, "Father, is Mother awake? What I'm about to say is extremely important, it involves losing your head. Can we go inside and talk?"
Ye Yaozu stared blankly at his son, wondering what could possibly get him killed. Hadn't he already hidden, thrown away, or given away the contraband before?
Although Ye Yaozu was puzzled, he blurted out, "Come in and talk."
Ye Tianyong walked in and asked, "Father, why did you give the family heirloom to Yingbao instead of my little sister Ye Xiaolian?"
"Has something happened to Yingbao? Or is there something wrong with the family heirloom?" Grandma rushed towards the door in a panic, but Grandpa, still sharp as ever, reached out and grabbed her, saying, "My dear, don't rush, let our son finish speaking!"
After Ye Tianyong and his father comforted their mother, they recounted how Yingbao had taken them on a tour of the four-leaf clover space in the middle of the night the previous night.
Grandpa Ye and Grandma Ye looked puzzled after hearing this. How should I put it? It was as if they knew something but not entirely.
Ye Tianyong has been a reckless and fearless person since he was a child. Just now he was sitting with his legs crossed in front of Ye Yaozu and Wang Cuihua, and now he stood up quickly and asked, "Dad, Mom, do you know something?"
Grandpa Ye and Grandma Ye looked at each other, hesitantly trying to get away with it.
Ye Tianyong immediately saw through their intentions and said before they could speak, "Father and Mother, why can't you just say what's on your mind? Back then, with my eldest brother's qualifications, he could have easily joined the army, but you insisted on stopping him, saying it was dangerous."
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