Chapter 16: Encountering a Strange Person on the Road
After dinner, Jiang Hongyu took Ye Mingzhu to buy two more snacks: "Go back and try which one is delicious, and we'll buy that one when we get married."
Ye Mingzhu now truly believed that the Jiang family was better off. When Ye's father and mother were alive, they would occasionally buy some snacks, but Uncle Ye's family never bought any. Mrs. Lin once said that only fools would buy snacks, which were expensive and not filling.
After buying most of the things for the wedding, the two of them went to the grain store to buy food for half a month.
Jiang Hongyu put all the things in a bamboo basket, and the two of them went to the edge of town to wait for the ox cart.
The two men waited for a while but didn't find Ye Tiezhu's ox cart. However, they found an ox cart from the next village. Jiang Hongyu went up and chatted with it for a few words, and then the two of them sat on the ox cart.
A woman looked at the two people's bamboo baskets and peeked inside, her face full of gossip. "What did you buy? It looks like there's a lot of stuff."
Ye Mingzhu didn't recognize her and lowered her head as if pretending not to hear.
"Are you brother and sister or husband and wife? You don't look alike?" The woman kept blabbering.
Ye Mingzhu simply closed her eyes.
"I'm asking you a question." The woman reached out and pulled Ye Mingzhu, almost pushing her down.
Ye Mingzhu's anger flared up: "Do I know you? Why do you care what I bought? Are you an official? Why are you so nosy?"
The woman was speechless, staring for a long time: "I just want to ask what's wrong? It's not like I did anything shameful."
Ye Mingzhu sneered: "You go out alone, without a man, who knows if you are in town to meet someone?"
The woman was so angry that her face turned red, and she was about to pounce on Ye Mingzhu, but Jiang Hongyu directly pushed her away and looked at her coldly.
The others quickly pulled the woman away and let her go.
Ye Mingzhu had a cold face and sat on the ox cart without saying a word.
Jiang Hongyu glanced at the driver, who then sat on the shaft of the cart: "Everyone is seated, ready to go back."
The woman glared at Ye Mingzhu several times along the way. Ye Mingzhu raised her eyebrows and looked at her, as if she was going to fight if they had a disagreement. The woman then turned her head away angrily.
When they arrived at the entrance of Yuanshan Village, Jiang Hongyu and Ye Mingzhu got out of the car. The woman spat, "Look how arrogant you are."
The people in the car looked down on her arrogance and turned their heads away, refusing to pay any attention to her.
We are just strangers, why bother with so much?
The woman narrowed her eyes and watched Jiang Hongyu and Ye Mingzhu walk away, thinking that she must come to Yuanshan Village someday to see what the relationship between these two people was and how they dared not to give her face.
Jiang Hongyu sent Ye Mingzhu home and helped her put her things down before going to the village chief's house with the things he had prepared in advance to discuss the house matter.
Ye Mingzhu took ten kilograms of coarse grains, half a kilogram of coarse salt and half a kilogram of brown sugar to Uncle Ye's house.
Ye Yun'an was playing with Ye Yunli in the yard. When he heard Ye Mingzhu's voice, he immediately ran out: "Sister, are you back?"
Ye Mingzhu looked him up and down. It seemed that he had eaten a full meal at noon, and his eyes were different from before.
"Aunt San, thank you for helping me take care of Yun'an." Ye Mingzhu handed over the prepared things.
Fang didn't answer: "We are all family, don't be so polite."
Ye Mingzhu stuffed the bag into Fang's arms and said, "We still have some at home. When you run out, come to Third Aunt's house and borrow some. I still need Third Aunt's help with my wedding. I won't be polite to Third Aunt."
Fang held the cloth bag in her hand and could no longer refuse. She smiled more sincerely, "Have you guys decided on a good day?"
Ye Mingzhu nodded: "Jiang Hongyu wants to build a house next to my house, and we will get married after it is built."
Fang was a little surprised: "The Jiang family wants to build a house in the village?"
"Well, Jiang Hongyu thinks we should live in the man's house after marriage, but his family lives at the entrance of the village, which is far away from us. He plans to build a house next to mine. This way it will be more convenient for everyone to get along."
Ye Mingzhu continued, "Jiang Hongyu has already gone to see the village chief, and he will probably start building the house in the next two days."
Fang slapped her thigh and said, "You two kids, why didn't you tell me in advance? Why don't you let your third uncle take him there?"
Jiang Hongyu was an exile after all. Even if he married a girl from the village, without the supervision of the elders, he was afraid that the village chief would make things difficult for him.
Ye Mingzhu smiled. Although they had only gone out once, she could see that Jiang Hongyu was a man with his own ideas.
Fang then asked what they had bought in town, almost rolling her eyes. "Why did you two buy so much cloth for clothes? Wouldn't it be better to make two quilts with that money?"
Ye Mingzhu was a little dumbfounded. She just wanted to wear something bright for the wedding, it was rare for her to think so carefully.
Fang sighed, "Don't worry about it. I'll discuss this with Aunt Jiang tomorrow. You young people don't understand these things."
Fang nagged for a few more words and asked Yunli to go and find Uncle Ye and go to the village chief's house to check on him. In case the village chief did not approve the homestead, he could make up for it.
Ye Mingzhu quickly stopped him: "Aunt, Jiang Hongyu has already gone. It's probably too late for Uncle to go now. Even if the village chief doesn't agree, it's not easy for him to change his mind immediately. Otherwise, I'll go and take a look first, and then come to Uncle if there are any problems."
Fang thought about it and it made sense. She gave them a few more instructions and then let them go home.
On the way back, Ye Yun'an mentioned that his third aunt made him a bowl of egg custard at noon, and even Yunli didn't have any.
Ye Mingzhu was a little surprised: "You are the only one who has it?"
"Well, but I didn't eat it myself. I shared it with Yunli and Brother Yunping." There was a hint of cunning in Ye Yun'an's eyes.
Ye Mingzhu tapped his forehead: "You clever little fellow."
They were not close to Fang before, but they didn't expect that Fang, who was usually cold to them, was actually so warm-hearted.
When the two of them got home, Ye Mingzhu showed Ye Yun'an everything she had bought, and then said that she had already ordered clothes for him at the cloth shop. Ye Yun'an smiled from ear to ear and said, "Actually, my clothes can still be worn."
Seeing his expectant face, Ye Mingzhu deliberately frowned: "If you don't want it, I will return it tomorrow."
"No, no, sister." Ye Yun'an had just finished speaking when he saw Ye Mingzhu smile and turned his head away: "Sister, you are laughing at me."
"Yun'an, although your parents are gone, you still have a sister. We are the closest people in this world. If you have any ideas, just tell me directly. I eat solid food, and you will never eat liquid food. I have clothes to wear, and I won't patch your clothes."
Ye Yun'an's tears flowed down. In the past six months since his parents passed away, he and his sister had been eating with his uncle's family. They worked more and ate less. His sister was getting married in the next few days, and many people were saying sarcastic things behind his back, saying that no one would take care of him in the future.
Ye Mingzhu hugged Ye Yun'an in her arms: "Yun'an, sister said that she would always be with you. Just now at Aunt San's house, sister said that the Jiang family would build a house next door, so you can rest assured."
Ye Yun'an wiped her tears embarrassedly and quickly jumped away: "Sister, I am already an adult."
Ye Mingzhu: ...As long as you are happy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
