《My Princess Holds Superpowers》 Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: 1 Stealing the Dragon to Exchange for the Phoenix Chapter 1: 1 Stealing the Dragon to Exchange for the Phoenix Dongyue Country Royal Residence in the Capital City The cold wind of February howled, filling the air with dryness. That night, the main courtyard of the Royal Residence was accompanied by a piercing wail, followed by the crying of a newborn baby. ¡°Nanny, is it a boy or a girl?¡± The woman, who had just gone through childbirth, was pale and weak. Yet she ignored her own condition and immediately asked about the child. The old nanny holding the baby hesitated, her expression grave as she said, ¡°Replying to the Princess Consort, it¡¯s a Commandery Princess!¡± The Princess Consort, who had just given birth, seemed to lose half her life force as she collapsed back onto the bed, murmuring in a daze, ¡°Why is it a Commandery Princess? How could she be a Commandery Princess?¡± The nanny, unable to bear it, glanced outside and leaned in to whisper to the Princess Consort¡¯s ear, ¡°Princess Consort, Madam Mo¡¯s son has been brought over. Do you really¡­ want to switch the Commandery Princess?¡± Looking at the tiny child in her arms and thinking how the dignified Commandery Princess was about to become the daughter of a fifth-rank official, the nanny¡¯s heart ached. The Princess Consort¡¯s eyes also flickered with deep sorrow, but she remained resolute as she said, ¡°Do it, the only thing to blame¡­ is that she should not have been born a girl! Moreover, I am as close as sisters to Zi Yan, and I trust she would treat this child well. Besides, Zi Yan and I had already agreed to swap her son for this child and let the two children marry when they grow up. As for this child, even though she cannot be a Commandery Princess, she will still be the Crown Princess in the future, which won¡¯t confuse the Imperial Family¡¯s lineage.¡± The old nanny looked at the baby in her arms and finally couldn¡¯t bring herself to be heartless. She said, ¡°Princess Consort, it¡¯s still a bond between mother and daughter, won¡¯t you hold the Commandery Princess?¡± With tears in her eyes, the Princess Consort turned her face away, heartbreakingly ordering, ¡°Take her away!¡± She was afraid that if she delayed any longer, it would be even harder to let go. Roar¡­ Thunder boomed, and the rain poured down. In the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan in Dongyue Country, the birth of the eldest son of the fourth prince, the thunderstorm that had shrouded most of Dongyue Country for two years finally relented, the rain falling heavily, signaling the end of the disaster and was seen as a great omen. That very night, a decree from the Imperial Palace arrived, conferring the title of Princely Heir to the eldest son of the prince. At the same time, the one who should have been the esteemed Commandery Princess was secretly placed in a food box and carried out. Continuous heart-wrenching cries came from the box, but they were drowned out by the unceasing thunder in the night. In an alley not far from the Royal Residence, a discreet carriage was parked there. A guard carried the food box with the child inside over to the carriage and then left. But as soon as he reached the quiet corner, someone immediately slit his throat, and his body was silently dragged away. A maid brought the food box into the carriage and reported to the lavishly dressed woman inside, ¡°Madam, what should we do with this child?¡± The woman in the carriage was none other than the Princess Consort¡¯s dear friend, the current Mrs. Mo, Zi Yan. Mrs. Mo opened the food box, looked disdainfully at the crying child inside, and said without mercy, ¡°Force the poison down her throat, then dispose of the body.¡± Mrs. Mo watched as the maid forced the prepared deadly poison into the baby¡¯s mouth, satisfied only when the carriage started to move away. Before leaving, she didn¡¯t forget to instruct, ¡°Make sure to dispose of this dead child cleanly. Don¡¯t let anyone notice anything suspicious.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After Mrs. Mo left, the maid looked at the child in her hands, whose face was turning red from crying, and felt troubled. On this rainy night, how was she supposed to dispose of the child? Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Whose child is that? Chapter 2: Whose child is that? Just then, the midwife waiting to receive her reward saw that the noble lady¡¯s carriage had already left, and she could only direct her intention to the maid, ¡°Sister, look, I brought over that peasant woman¡¯s child to the lady, but now the peasant woman has lost her child for no reason, we ought to give an explanation, right¡­¡± The midwife¡¯s real intention was to ask for more reward money, and as for the peasant woman, to keep the child-stealing unnoticed, she and another midwife had slipped her some knockout drops. So at the moment, the peasant woman was still unconscious, completely unaware that her son had been swapped. Besides, that family was just a bunch of refugees fleeing disaster, and surely they could be brushed off with some minor benefits. Unfortunately, the maid was troubled with where to place the child in her arms, and upon hearing the midwife¡¯s words, she suddenly had an idea and tossed the child into the midwife¡¯s arms, saying, ¡°Return the child to that peasant woman secretly and tell her the child wasn¡¯t healthy, stayed in the womb too long, and was stillborn.¡± The midwife, holding the child in her arms, was clearly unhappy, but the maid could tell what she was thinking and immediately took out a pouch of money and tossed it to her, ¡°As long as the job is done well, you won¡¯t lack your share of benefits.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, this old woman will do as the miss says,¡± the midwife immediately switched to a flattering expression. As the midwife took the child, she discovered the child was not dead yet, and couldn¡¯t help but marvel, this one truly has a strong life force. She was just an ordinary midwife, but not long ago, she had been sought out by someone who asked her to find some pregnant women among the disaster victims who had come to the capital city for refuge. Without needing to be told, she could guess that it must be some noble lady wanting a son; better if she gave birth to a son herself, but if it was a daughter, she¡¯d have to replace the child with someone else¡¯s to deceive her household. She had long heard of the secretive measures of wealthy families, but experiencing it firsthand still shocked her. Look at this cruel heart, they had actually had the resolve to poison their own flesh and blood, showing no mercy at all! However, none of this was her concern, she was just a midwife ¡ª take the money, do the job, and that was that. The midwife held the child and scurried along, looking left and right in a fluster, not noticing at all that the newborn in her arms was struggling to stick a finger into her mouth; newborn as she was, she couldn¡¯t control her own movements, so a simple action took a long time to complete. Fortunately, it seemed even the heavens were helping her. At a street corner, a small figure stained with blood ran frantically and crashed right into the midwife, causing her and the child she was holding to tumble to the ground. Coincidentally, the child¡¯s finger, stretched out for a long time, followed the momentum and poked into her throat, causing retching and a lot of yellowish medicinal fluid to be vomited out. Sikong Mo, who was also injured, fell to the ground but only glanced at the midwife and her wrinkled child before he took off in a fleeing manner. Sikong Mo left in such haste that he didn¡¯t notice a Jade Pendant suddenly falling from his waist, dropping right onto the forehead of the child in the midwife¡¯s arms, then it disappeared into her brow. ¡°Ouch, whose child is this, running around in the pouring rain without watching the road, nearly killed this old woman!¡± The midwife complained as she got up from the ground with the child, and before she had a chance to leave, she saw a group of people following close behind. The midwife¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly hid away. Chapter 3 - Chapter 2: Whose child is that? Chapter 2: Whose child is that? Just then, the midwife waiting to receive her reward saw that the noble lady¡¯s carriage had already left, and she could only direct her intention to the maid, ¡°Sister, look, I brought over that peasant woman¡¯s child to the lady, but now the peasant woman has lost her child for no reason, we ought to give an explanation, right¡­¡± The midwife¡¯s real intention was to ask for more reward money, and as for the peasant woman, to keep the child-stealing unnoticed, she and another midwife had slipped her some knockout drops. So at the moment, the peasant woman was still unconscious, completely unaware that her son had been swapped. Besides, that family was just a bunch of refugees fleeing disaster, and surely they could be brushed off with some minor benefits. Unfortunately, the maid was troubled with where to place the child in her arms, and upon hearing the midwife¡¯s words, she suddenly had an idea and tossed the child into the midwife¡¯s arms, saying, ¡°Return the child to that peasant woman secretly and tell her the child wasn¡¯t healthy, stayed in the womb too long, and was stillborn.¡± The midwife, holding the child in her arms, was clearly unhappy, but the maid could tell what she was thinking and immediately took out a pouch of money and tossed it to her, ¡°As long as the job is done well, you won¡¯t lack your share of benefits.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, this old woman will do as the miss says,¡± the midwife immediately switched to a flattering expression. As the midwife took the child, she discovered the child was not dead yet, and couldn¡¯t help but marvel, this one truly has a strong life force. She was just an ordinary midwife, but not long ago, she had been sought out by someone who asked her to find some pregnant women among the disaster victims who had come to the capital city for refuge. Without needing to be told, she could guess that it must be some noble lady wanting a son; better if she gave birth to a son herself, but if it was a daughter, she¡¯d have to replace the child with someone else¡¯s to deceive her household. She had long heard of the secretive measures of wealthy families, but experiencing it firsthand still shocked her. Look at this cruel heart, they had actually had the resolve to poison their own flesh and blood, showing no mercy at all! However, none of this was her concern, she was just a midwife ¡ª take the money, do the job, and that was that. The midwife held the child and scurried along, looking left and right in a fluster, not noticing at all that the newborn in her arms was struggling to stick a finger into her mouth; newborn as she was, she couldn¡¯t control her own movements, so a simple action took a long time to complete. Fortunately, it seemed even the heavens were helping her. At a street corner, a small figure stained with blood ran frantically and crashed right into the midwife, causing her and the child she was holding to tumble to the ground. Coincidentally, the child¡¯s finger, stretched out for a long time, followed the momentum and poked into her throat, causing retching and a lot of yellowish medicinal fluid to be vomited out. Sikong Mo, who was also injured, fell to the ground but only glanced at the midwife and her wrinkled child before he took off in a fleeing manner. Sikong Mo left in such haste that he didn¡¯t notice a Jade Pendant suddenly falling from his waist, dropping right onto the forehead of the child in the midwife¡¯s arms, then it disappeared into her brow. ¡°Ouch, whose child is this, running around in the pouring rain without watching the road, nearly killed this old woman!¡± The midwife complained as she got up from the ground with the child, and before she had a chance to leave, she saw a group of people following close behind. The midwife¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly hid away. Chapter 4 - Chapter 3: 3 people were hacked to death with a knife. Chapter 3: 3 people were hacked to death with a knife. By the time the flustered midwife finally climbed back into the refugee dwelling through the tattered window at the back, the other midwife saw her and immediately exclaimed in joy, ¡°You¡¯re finally back, how did it go? Did you take care of the matter?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, what about this side? Nothing¡¯s gone wrong, has it?¡± the midwife hurriedly asked as she wiped the raindrops off her face. ¡°No, I fooled the family into thinking she hasn¡¯t given birth yet; the mother¡¯s too exhausted and has fallen asleep. But we can¡¯t keep this up forever. The baby has already been taken by you; where can we find another child to deceive these people?¡± the other midwife said, anxious to the point of clawing at her own heart. What they were doing, secretly swapping babies, was indeed a grievous sin. If they were caught, they¡¯d likely be beaten to death and no one would say a word. However, without sufficient benefit, no one would be willing to do such a thing. It was then that the midwife remembered and unwrapped the layers of clothing around her, revealing the child she was holding and said, ¡°This is probably the daughter that the family swapped out. Their heart is really cruel, giving her poison as soon as she was born. Right now, she isn¡¯t dead yet. Hurry, change the blankets on this child and say the mother delivered a girl. Whether or not this child can survive is no longer our concern as midwives!¡± The two midwives busied themselves, but the child in their arms showed no sign of life¡­ The Ye Family had fled to the capital city over a year ago. Since the family had several sons who found work outside, their living conditions were somewhat better than the other refugees. Old Man Ye¡¯s daughter-in-law, Mrs. He, successfully gave birth to a girl after a year in the capital city. In an era that favored boys over girls, a daughter should not have been well-received. However, Mrs. He already had four sons and was of an age to be a grandmother with two grandsons. Yet now she had given birth to a daughter, so naturally she doted on this only girl immensely. But strangely, from the moment she was born, the little girl had not cried once and barely moved her limbs, which greatly worried old Man Ye and his wife. At dawn, Old Man Ye hurried back from outside. Mrs. He looked around but didn¡¯t see a doctor, so she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Old man, where¡¯s the doctor you went to find?¡± Old Man Ye had a grim expression and said, ¡°Wife, it¡¯s raining now, the drought is over, and the planting season is nearly here. We should pack up and return to our hometown as soon as possible!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why the rush?¡± Mrs. He naturally didn¡¯t want to go; she had just gone through childbirth the day before and hadn¡¯t had a chance to rest for two days before having to hurry back home. The journey would invariably be bumpy for a month or so, and she certainly didn¡¯t want to endure this hardship while still in confinement. Old Man Ye squatted on the ground, his head in his hands, and said, ¡°Those two midwives who came to our house for the delivery yesterday are dead. They were murdered not far from here, by the firewood stack, hacked to death with a knife. The capital is too chaotic, not a place for people like us to stay!¡± Upon hearing this, Mrs. He also shuddered. Everyone wants to enjoy good fortune, but life is the most important thing! Looking at her newborn daughter lying on the bed, Mrs. He said with a pained heart, ¡°It¡¯s one thing for us adults to suffer a bit more, but I feel sorry for the child. She hasn¡¯t had a single good day since I became pregnant with her, and now that she has just been born, without even a chance to see a doctor, she has to undergo bumps and hardships along with us. My heart¡­ aches!¡± Chapter 5 - Chapter 4: Princely Heir Jing, what is this thing? Chapter 4: Princely Heir Jing, what is this thing? Old Man Ye also said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for letting you suffer while you were expecting, otherwise our daughter wouldn¡¯t have been born in poor health. But she is also blessed, born on the same day as the Prince of Jing¡¯s Princely Heir.¡± ¡°The Prince of Jing¡¯s Princely Heir? What¡¯s that?¡± Mrs. He didn¡¯t understand. Old Man Ye immediately covered her mouth, saying, ¡°That¡¯s the eldest son of Prince Jing. You mustn¡¯t speak recklessly. If someone heard that, it could mean death.¡± Hearing how serious it was, Mrs. He didn¡¯t dare to say any more. Following that, Old Man Ye looked at his newborn daughter with sorrow, sighing, ¡°Prince Jing¡¯s eldest son was also born last night. His birth was marked by a downpour, making him seen as a Lucky Star. The Emperor awarded him the title of Crown Prince overnight.¡± Thinking it over, his own daughter was also born last night, but because they were merely refugees seeking shelter, this led to their child being born in poor health, without even a moment to see a doctor. Indeed, how different the fates are between people! Yet, Mrs. He took the words of Old Man Ye to heart. If the birth of the Prince of Jing¡¯s Princely Heir during a heavy rain was seen as a Lucky Star, then their own daughter, also born last night amidst the same downpour, must surely be a Lucky Star too! Mrs. He didn¡¯t understand any grand principles, but she clung stubbornly to this idea, which established Ye Jiu¡¯s unshakable status within the Ye Family. Dongyue, twenty-fourth year of the Kaiyuan Era At the main door of the Ye Family¡¯s house in Wangshan Village, a frail girl knelt on the ground, her body covered in injuries that nearly cost her half her life, accompanied by a sharp voice scolding her. In the inner room, Ye Jiu woke up to the noise outside. When she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar scene. Thatched roof, mud walls, and the earth-bed she was lying on¡ªwithout a doubt, this was her home where she had lived in a daze for nearly ten years. Just as she was thinking, a child suddenly ran inside and turned to shout at the door, ¡°Ma, little aunt is awake¡­¡± Right after that, the scolding outside came to a sudden halt, and a frail old lady hurried in from outside, calling as she entered, ¡°My dear treasure, my darling, you¡¯ve finally awakened. You had your mother worried to death¡­¡± Ye Jiu blankly watched the familiar old lady come rushing toward her and plop down on the earth-bed where she was lying. Then, Mrs. He stretched her wrinkled face close to her own and touched her forehead, murmuring, ¡°Good, good, my dear treasure has finally broken her fever. If something were to happen to you, how could your mother go on living?¡± Mrs. He¡¯s sorrow made Ye Jiu feel helpless and distressed. She instinctively stretched out her soft little hand to touch Mrs. He¡¯s palm, worn by hard work and suffering through the years, trying to offer some words of comfort. ¡®Ma, I¡¯m alright, don¡¯t worry.¡¯ Such a simple phrase¡ªshe filtered it through her mind several times but couldn¡¯t manage to say it out loud. Ye Jiu felt depressed. Since being reborn into this world, she was already ten years old, but due to the poisoning incident years ago, she still couldn¡¯t control her own body. She didn¡¯t know when this kind of life would ever end! At that moment, Mistress Zhang walked in, carrying a bowl and said with pity, ¡°Ma, the medicine for your little niece is ready. Let me help her drink it.¡± ¡°Give me the medicine, I will feed her,¡± Mrs. He said, taking the bowl of medicine from Mistress Zhang¡¯s hands. Mistress Zhang wasn¡¯t idle either, and quickly helped Ye Jiu to sit up. Meanwhile, Mrs. He kept on instructing gently, ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t hurt my dear treasure¡­¡± Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: 6 Reasons for Injury Chapter 6: 6 Reasons for Injury Ye Jiu later surmised that the pregnant Mrs. He must have long been targeted by the Princess Consort, which led to the switching of the dragon for the phoenix, transforming herself into Mrs. He¡¯s daughter. And the child Mrs. He had originally given birth to must have been a son, just quietly replaced by her so-called biological mother. The hardships of her previous life, coupled with the cruelty of her birth mother in this life, left Ye Jiu listless for a long time. However, it was only after seeing Mrs. He¡¯s affection for her that Ye Jiu realized that such an exchange might not be a better life for herself after all. It¡¯s just that, being thousands of miles away from the Capital City, she had no idea how the son Mrs. He gave birth to was faring! But then she thought, as long as that poisonous woman didn¡¯t bear a son, he should be safe; otherwise, he might just be a stumbling block on someone else¡¯s road to success. Speaking of Mrs. He, she could be deemed a success model for rural women. Mrs. He gave birth to four sons and had two grandsons by the time she had a late-in-life daughter, who was treasured as if she might break in their hands, cherished as if she might melt in their mouths. Ye Jiu was in poor health because of the poison, but Mrs. He didn¡¯t know that poisoning was the reason, so she named her Ye Jiu. The old lady was illiterate but just wanted her to live a long and lasting life, choosing an auspicious name. In the days that followed, Ye Jiu truly understood what real maternal love was! Even though the severe poison rendered Ye Jiu mute and her movements sluggish, still appearing helpless at over ten years old, Mrs. He¡¯s affection for her never wavered for a decade. Whenever the household had delicious food, she was always the first to eat, a privilege not even the Ye Family¡¯s eldest grandson received. Speaking of her recent injury, it was because of an Opium Cake that her elder brother bought for her, which led to her being hit in the head by her half-sister Ye Erya from a different mother, nearly causing her hanging-by-a-thread life to come to an abrupt end. Her foster father, Old Man Ye, was just ordinary farmfolk, with the only difference being that, while other poor families were monogamous, he had taken two wives. In the eyes of Mrs. He, Mrs. Lee was the mistress who rose to the top, but to Mrs. He, it was Mrs. Lee and Old Man Ye who had wronged her first. Of course, Ye Jiu only incidentally heard this when Mrs. He was scolding Mrs. Lee and also when Mrs. Lee grumbled in front of her while Mrs. He was away. Initially, Old Man Ye was betrothed to Mrs. He, but Mrs. Lee, who was Old Man Ye¡¯s cousin, colluded with his mother to sneak into Old Man Ye¡¯s bed while he was drunk. Helpless under his mother¡¯s pressure, Old Man Ye had no choice but to break off the engagement with Mrs. He and marry Mrs. Lee. This led to Mrs. He¡¯s subsequent tragedy. No matter the reason, in that era, a woman who had been jilted lost her qualification to marry into a good family. Thus, through delays and postponements, Mrs. He was left to grow old as a spinster. Perhaps as retribution, Mrs. Lee employed schemes to marry Old Man Ye successfully, but then failed to conceive for three years after giving birth to her eldest daughter. In that era, having no sons meant the end of a family line, and even though Old Man Ye¡¯s mother was fond of her niece, she wouldn¡¯t allow her own son to face familial extinction. Left with no choice, as the Ye Family¡¯s circumstances weren¡¯t great and it was not easy to find a bride for the eldest daughter, they once again set their sights on Mrs. He, who had remained unmarried after the broken engagement. Mrs. He had only one condition: she did not want a dowry, she only wanted to be the lawful wife. This was undoubtedly the best outcome for the Ye Family, but for Mrs. Lee, it was a disaster. Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: For a bite to eat, they lift a hand Chapter 7: For a bite to eat, they lift a hand Madam He entered the Ye Family and successively bore four sons, successfully winning over the entire family to her side. Old Man Ye had always favored Madam He, and now his wishes had been fulfilled. After Madam He joined the family, he no longer visited Madam Li¡¯s chambers. Driven to desperation, Madam Li had no choice but to resort to tactics and seduced Old Man Ye. Unexpectantly, this time, she, who had not conceived for many years, found herself with child again. Madam Li thought she saw a glimmer of hope in life, but fate played a cruel joke on her. This child was another girl, the same one who, because she hurt Ye Jiu, was harshly beaten by Madam He and is still kneeling at the doorway¡ªYe Erya. Ye Jiu still remembered, a few years ago, when she was deemed foolish for her slow responses, Madam Li would secretly pinch and twist her behind people¡¯s backs. However, Ye Jiu was no fool; she might not be quick enough to avoid Madam Li¡¯s malice, but she could make sure Madam He saw the bruises on her body. Madam He¡¯s combativeness was nothing to scoff at. Furthermore, all four of the Ye sons were borne by her, which also solidified her unquestionable status in the household. Madam Li and her daughter, who usually could not outdo Madam He, could only secretly torture her in her weakened state. Once Madam He discovered this, they naturally could not expect any good to come of it. Madam He dealt with them decisively, ensuring the mother and daughter dared not harm her covertly again. At most, they would curse at her near her ear, for in their eyes, she was but a dumb mute. This time, it was because Ye Erya took the opportunity, when no one was around, to try and steal the Opium Cake her elder brother bought for her. Ye Jiu was slow but knew to resist. Who would have known that the girl could be so ruthless, almost taking Ye Jiu¡¯s life with a single stone. As she was thinking, Ye Jiu¡¯s headache began to throb again. Seeing Ye Jiu wince with discomfort, Madam He immediately called out, ¡°Is my little Jiu suffering again? Eldest daughter-in-law, why are you still standing there? Can¡¯t you see your sister-in-law is in pain? Go and get someone to fetch the doctor quickly to take another look at Xiaojiu!¡± Watching Ye Jiu¡¯s pained expression, Madam Zhang¡¯s worry was in no way less than Madam He¡¯s. Hearing her mother-in-law¡¯s shout, Madam Zhang immediately responded, ¡°Yes, Mother, I¡¯ll have Wenqing fetch the doctor right away.¡± At this moment, Old Man Ye was still at the humble woodshed¡¯s entrance, with Madam Li clutching at his sleeves and pleading, ¡°Cousin, I beg you, just speak to elder sister on my behalf and let Erya come back. She¡¯s already been beaten to within an inch of her life. If she keeps kneeling in the cold wind, I fear she won¡¯t survive this ordeal¡­¡± Although Erya didn¡¯t hold a high position in the family, she was still his daughter, and Old Man Ye¡¯s heart ached for her, naturally. Just as he was about to soften and agree, he saw Madam Zhang emerge from the main house in a fluster and call out, ¡°Wenqing, hurry and fetch the doctor to have a look, your auntie is in pain again!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Ye Wenqing, the eldest grandson of the Ye family, answered and immediately ran outside. The moment Old Man Ye thought of his wife¡¯s deep concern for his little girl, his heart was no longer with Madam Li and her daughter; he turned around, intending to go see his Xiaojiu. Madam Li clung tightly to Old Man Ye¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Cousin, Erya is your daughter too¡­¡± Old Man Ye¡¯s face betrayed his emotions, ¡°After Doctor Li arrives and sees Xiaojiu, I¡¯ll discuss it with the old lady and ask her to forgive Erya. But this child really lacks discipline, attacking Xiaojiu over mere food. Such a ruthless heart!¡± Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: 8 seemingly thick Golden Fingers Chapter 8: 8 seemingly thick Golden Fingers Although the old man from the Ye Family ultimately compromised, Mrs. Li¡¯s heart was still unbearably pained. Such a cruel heart? If not utterly craving, would Erya have gone as far as to strike someone for a bite to eat? But now, Mrs. Li dared not speak these words, her heart brimming with sorrow. There was no need to even think about consulting Mrs. He; she would surely not agree. Mrs. He would rather see her and her daughter dead. If she had even a shred of compassion, she wouldn¡¯t have beaten them to this state. Not satisfied with simply venting her anger, she even made Erya kneel at the front door in the cold wind, clearly wishing for Erya¡¯s death. But what could she do? If there was to blame, it was her own body for failing to bear a son for the Ye Family. To blame, was Mrs. He¡¯s cruel heart. To blame, was the old man from the Ye Family¡¯s inaction! Over by Ye Jiu, there was another flurry of activity. Her body was not strong to begin with, and this time, having her head struck only added insult to injury. Even the doctor dared not guarantee anything about her health, only suggesting to observe her condition for a few days. After all, the head was no ordinary place; one wrong move could cost a life. The old man from the Ye Family had initially agreed to let the doctor look after Ye Jiu and then plead for Erya, but after hearing from the doctor that Ye Jiu¡¯s condition was not good, he completely forgot the promise he made to Mrs. Li. From within the main house, the intermittent screams of Mrs. He, piercing the heart, mixed now and then with accusations against the old man from the Ye Family, only chilled Mrs. Li¡¯s heart further in the firewood room. Meanwhile, although Ye Jiu had fallen into a coma, she was not entirely unconscious; she simply could not control her waking up. However, hearing Mrs. He¡¯s heart-wrenching screams, Ye Jiu¡¯s heart was equally in anguish. Only by submerging her consciousness into the plane trading space, cutting off the sounds from Mrs. He, could she feel somewhat better. Indeed, not long after Ye Jiu was born, she discovered she possessed a plane trading space within herself. Although in the outside world she was physically impaired and speechless, within this space, there were no restrictions. It was unfortunate that she could only enter the space in a soul body state each time. The space had an area of about two hundred square meters and was two stories high, surrounded by silver-white walls, but Ye Jiu could not discern what material they were made of. On one side of the space¡¯s walls, there was a plane trader. Ye Jiu knew that, using this device, one could connect to many different planes for trade. Unfortunately, Ye Jiu currently had only one friend. Due to her physical condition, she couldn¡¯t obtain anything of value and thus had never conducted any trades. When Ye Jiu first learned she inherently possessed a plane trader, she was initially very excited, but she later realized that although this ¡®Golden Finger¡¯ appeared powerful, paired with her frail body in reality, it was essentially useless. Hanging on the trader¡¯s platform was a Jade Pendant. Ye Jiu learned after inheriting the trader that this Jade Pendant was originally the medium for the trader. However, now that the trader had fully integrated with her body, the Jade Pendant had been isolated and had become an ordinary piece. The bottom of the trader had ten storage compartments, used for storing larger quantities of items. As long as the items were the same, they could be stored indefinitely. Unfortunately for Ye Jiu, this feature was utterly useless. She did not even have a blade of grass in her hands, let alone anything to store. Just as she was thinking, someone suddenly sent a message through the plane trader. Without looking, Ye Jiu knew who it was. Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: 9 Stubborn La Sike Chapter 9: 9 Stubborn La Sike Who would have thought that it¡¯s been a decade since she obtained the Trading Device, yet to this day, it still can¡¯t be upgraded? She has only one friend, and because no trades have been made, she can¡¯t search for other people in different Planes. Ye Jiu opened the message and saw the only text her friend La Sike had sent, ¡°Ye Jiu, Ye Jiu, did you find something to trade with me today?¡± Just like Ye Jiu, La Sike had obtained the Trading Device around the same time, but both were still at the lowest level of existence. If Ye Jiu¡¯s inability to upgrade was due to her physical condition preventing her from trading, then La Sike¡¯s misfortune was purely accidental, having first connected with a friend like herself who couldn¡¯t trade, which resulted in this situation. Another reason for their inability to level up was La Sike¡¯s sheer stubbornness. In contrast, Ye Jiu felt both angry and helpless. La Sike would text messages like this almost every time he had a moment, showing that he, too, was really looking forward to trading. With a helpless sigh, Ye Jiu sent back her reply, ¡°La Sike, you know my physical condition, and besides, I was hit on the head by someone yesterday and am still in a comatose state, utterly powerless to help.¡± La Sike was very disappointed, ¡°Your body still hasn¡¯t been detoxified? The Plane you¡¯re in is way too backward. If you were here, a simple dose of antidote would sort it all out.¡± Ye Jiu: ¡°La Sike, won¡¯t you consider just giving me an antidote, I promise I won¡¯t let you down. As soon as I recover, I will immediately find an item of equivalent value to your antidote to give back to you.¡± The Plane La Sike inhabited was an advanced one, somewhat similar to the Star Plane, where technology and other aspects were highly developed. Furthermore, from what La Sike had said, an antidote was not very valuable to him. Ye Jiu had made this proposal more than once, but La Sike, despite seeming easy to talk to, was actually very stubborn. He was convinced that unless Ye Jiu could offer an item of equivalent value, he would not provide her with any help. Otherwise, the two of them wouldn¡¯t have been at an impasse for years, unable to complete even one trade and consequently stalling their own progress. In Ye Jiu¡¯s view, it was all because La Sike didn¡¯t know how to adapt. However, the items were La Sike¡¯s, and if he didn¡¯t wish to comply, there was nothing Ye Jiu could do about it, even if she wanted to take them! This time, La Sike rejected her as bluntly as ever: ¡°That won¡¯t do, a trade means you definitely have to use your own items in exchange for mine.¡± Although the value of an antidote wasn¡¯t high, La Sike was a principled man and didn¡¯t want to break his own rules for the sake of others. Ye Jiu was resigned; deep down she was angry enough to curse out loud, but with her Trading Device having only this one friend, she figured it was best not to offend him. Who knows when she might need his help! Ye Jiu: ¡°Alright then, if you¡¯re unwilling, let¡¯s leave it at that. To have met across Plane Space is our shared fate. However, this might be my last time entering the Dimensional Space. If you suddenly can¡¯t contact me in the future, don¡¯t panic; it will certainly be because I¡¯m no longer in this world.¡± La Sike: ¡°With the Plane Trading Space in existence, aren¡¯t the toxins in your body not life-threatening? Why do you say that you won¡¯t be in this world?¡± Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: Acting pitiful for sale Chapter 10: Acting pitiful for sale Ye Jiu: ¡°This time, it¡¯s not just because of the toxins, I also got hit in the head. Even the doctor said I might be in greater danger than luck this time, so¡­ incidents like this might happen many more times in the future. Who knows, maybe one day I¡¯ll just get smashed to death!¡± Ye Jiu admitted that she was playing the pity card to exploit La Sike¡¯s sympathy to get the antidote for herself, but she wasn¡¯t sure whether it would be successful. However, Ye Jiu was lucky. Although La Sike was stubborn, he wasn¡¯t heartless. As soon as he heard that Ye Jiu might lose her life, he immediately took the matter seriously. La Sike hesitated for a long time before he finally spoke, ¡°Alright, Ye Jiu, I can give you the antidote first. But don¡¯t forget your promise. Once you are healthy, you must immediately find something of equal value to give back to me.¡± Although La Sike said this, he actually didn¡¯t hold much hope. After all, his world was full of deceit and trickery. From a young age, his parents had told him never to trust anyone easily. However, looking at the girl across from him who had been with him since he was just a few years old, La Sike showed rare compassion. Ye Jiu: ¡°Really, La Sike? You are willing to give me the antidote first? Thank you so much. I will definitely find a corresponding item to give back to you in the future.¡± As she was speaking, Ye Jiu suddenly saw on the screen that the item was being sent. Following that, a compartment under the plane trading device lit up. La Sike: ¡°This is the antidote. Just open it and drink it up. It will also help repair some of your external injuries, but the effect might not be very good.¡± Ye Jiu: ¡°Okay, thank you, La Sike.¡± For Ye Jiu, just being able to detoxify was already a luxury. As for her injuries, with proper care, they would eventually heal. La Sike: ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Go ahead and detoxify. I need to get back to my studies.¡± Ye Jiu knew that La Sike lived in a higher Plane, but his studies were equally demanding, hardly leaving him any time to rest. When the screen of the trader darkened, Ye Jiu opened the storage compartment below it and held the antidote in her hand, smiling contently. She opened the bottle and was just about to drink it but suddenly remembered that she was still in a Soul Body state! Helplessly, Ye Jiu placed the antidote aside and then focused her consciousness into her body, trying to wake up as quickly as possible. When Ye Jiu woke up, it was already evening. Through the moonlight shining through the window, Ye Jiu could see that He¡¯s eyes were severely swollen from sleep. Ye Jiu felt guilty. She had experienced the greatness of the motherly love she had always longed for, but she was afraid. If one day He found out she was not her own daughter and had caused her biological parent and child to be worlds apart, would she hate her! Ye Jiu did not know what would happen in the future, but she knew that no matter whether He would hate her later, she would always consider her as her own mother. Taking the antidote out from the space, Ye Jiu raised her hand slowly with great difficulty and finally managed to drink the antidote. Ye Jiu was drenched in sweat. Ye Jiu wondered whether the colorless and odorless antidote could really detoxify the poison that even the doctor couldn¡¯t detect. Speaking of which, over the years everyone thought she was clumsy just because they thought she was a fool. Even Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t believe that she was actually poisoned unless she had personally experienced the poisoning. Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: 11 Detox, Recover Chapter 11: 11 Detox, Recover ¡°` After waiting for a long time, there was still no feeling, just that her head remained dizzy. Until Ye Jiu felt her eyelids growing heavier and finally drifted into dreams. Before falling asleep, Ye Jiu was still thinking, La Sike actually lied to her, what antidote, it had no effect at all! In the morning, Ye Jiu was awakened by He¡¯s screams. At that time, she instinctively sat up, ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± He originally had a frightened expression that instantly turned into touched, looking at Ye Jiu lovingly, ¡°My dear, you¡­ you can talk?¡± As she spoke, He held Ye Jiu¡¯s hand excitedly, ¡°The movement when you just sat up was quite agile too, quickly, try again, see if you can move?¡± Likewise, it wasn¡¯t just He who was excited, but also Ye Jiu, who hadn¡¯t been able to speak or move well for years. Moving her hands and feet a little, she discovered that although not as light as a swallow, she was no longer as heavy-handed and footed as before. ¡°I¡¯m better¡­ Mom, I¡¯m better¡­¡± Ye Jiu was so excited that she immediately turned around and hugged He beside her. This action she had imagined in her heart for so long, but she could never manage to bring herself to embrace her, now, her body was truly healed, really wonderful. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re better, my dear is finally better!¡± He wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes. After quite a while, once the excitement faded, Ye Jiu noticed she was covered in a sour stench! Fortunately, He truly loved her, so she didn¡¯t disdain her. Pushing He away, Ye Jiu felt a bit embarrassed, ¡°Mom, I want to take a bath first.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, you wait here, I¡¯ll have someone boil water for you,¡± He said, heading outside, completely ignoring the strong stench she¡¯d gotten from Ye Jiu. ¡°Li, hurry to the kitchen and boil water for me, delay my dear¡¯s bath and just watch your skin¡­¡± Ye Jiu was still immersed in the joy of her body already being healed when suddenly He¡¯s loud voice came from outside. Speaking of the Ye Family¡¯s matters, it was truly quite complicated. Old Ye married two wives in his life, He and Li. Li gave birth to two daughters, Da Ya and Erya. Speaking of this, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh that she was fortunate her name wasn¡¯t given according to the same ranking, otherwise, she would be the third girl in the Ye Family! Da Ya was the oldest sister in the Ye Family and had long married and given birth. Her children were even older than the two young aunts of the Ye Family. As for Erya, born later to Li, she was ranked sixth in the Ye Family, but since girls ultimately belonged to their in-laws, she wasn¡¯t included in the ranking; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be called Erya. The rest were He¡¯s children. Ye Jiu had four older brothers, and her eldest nephew was even two years older than her, so although Ye Jiu was seen as a fool in the eyes of outsiders, she was extremely precious in the Ye Family. The reason was that all four sons of the Ye Family came from He. But having many sons didn¡¯t make them precious, He, at the age already being a grandmother, gave birth to Ye Jiu, though she was a girl, she was protected as if she were an eyeball, even the few older sons couldn¡¯t surpass her. Whatever food and clothing the family had was prioritized for Ye Jiu, and she was never despised for her previous physical condition. The early winter wind was already blowing fiercely, the courtyard of the Ye Family filled with He¡¯s cursing and making trouble on purpose, yet the tormented Li didn¡¯t dare to say a word. ¡°` Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: 12 grams sold out Chapter 12: 12 grams sold out Because Erya had hit Ye Jiu¡¯s head, she had already anticipated that Mrs. He would definitely not let her and her mother off the hook during this time! However, not only did she need to boil water, but she also had to cook. With a large family depending on Mrs. Li alone, it was not easy to serve them all. Erya had been beaten so severely that she had passed out in the middle of the night yesterday. It was only then that Old Man Ye decided to let Mrs. Li bring her back. At this moment, Ye Erya was still lying on the wooden bed; all the household chores had accumulated on her alone. Moreover, wearing thin clothes and the cold wind blowing on her body made it almost unbearable for Mrs. Li. Inside the house, Ye Jiu listened to Mrs. He¡¯s scolding and sighed helplessly. She didn¡¯t really sympathize with Mrs. Li; when her own hands and feet were not nimble, Mrs. Li and her daughter had not spared her their cruelty. It was only later that Mrs. He watched Ye Jiu very closely, which prevented Mrs. Li and her daughter from getting a chance to lay hands on her. However, there were other families living near the Ye family, and Mrs. He¡¯s daily fault-finding had already become a public spectacle. Ye Jiu still did not want others to make fun of her family. So, Ye Jiu called out, ¡°Mother, come in and help me find some clothes.¡± Ye Jiu, who was ten years old this year, had always been dressed by Mrs. He. As Mrs. He was getting older and sometimes lacked the strength, she had no choice but to let her eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zhang, take care of Ye Jiu. Thus, hearing Ye Jiu calling her, Mrs. He hurriedly ran into the house, ¡°Coming, coming, Mother is coming to find clothes for my darling.¡± Just as Ye Jiu had put on her clothes and stepped down from the kang, Old Man Ye returned from a walk outside and was stunned to see Ye Jiu walking and jumping around in the room. ¡°Xiaojiu, you¡­you are¡­?¡± Mrs. He, rarely in a good mood, pulled Old Man Ye and dusted off his clothes, ¡°Our Xiaojiu is better now. I¡¯ve always said that my daughter is blessed. Perhaps her previous unintelligence was due to someone jinxing her!¡± Mrs. He glanced at Erya¡¯s sleeping sheds while saying this. Originally, she had mentioned it casually, but after thinking it over, she felt there was some truth to her words. Erya, that cursed girl, had always been as robust as a bull ever since she was little. Even if her food and clothes were poor, it didn¡¯t affect her health at all. In contrast, her own daughter¡ªdespite getting all the best things at home¡ªdidn¡¯t show any improvement in health. But this time, just as Erya had been beaten down by her, her own Xiaojiu had recovered. Could it really be that this cursed girl had been jinxing her daughter? The more Mrs. He thought about it, the more she was convinced that it must be so. That cursed girl must have stolen her daughter¡¯s health; otherwise, it was all too coincidental. Otherwise, why would her daughter get better exactly when she fell ill? Old Man Ye was initially very excited, but he felt awkward after hearing what Mrs. He said. Erya was also his daughter. Although she was not very likable and they lived under the same roof, it was impossible not to have any affection for her. But he knew Mrs. He¡¯s temper, so he generally did not want to provoke her, and thus, Old Man Ye did not respond, and Mrs. He quieted down. However, this atmosphere did not last long. Soon, Mrs. He went energetically to the kitchen to order Mrs. Li around. Hearing Mrs. He¡¯s vigorous voice outside, Old Man Ye sighed helplessly and simply took his old smoking pipe to sit at the doorway, puffing smoke rings. Outside the door, Mrs. Zhang saw that her mother-in-law was busy bossing Mrs. Li around and not paying attention to this side, so she secretly came in. Seeing Ye Jiu standing on the ground, she joyfully said, ¡°Her¡­her little aunt, are you really better?¡± Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: Contradiction Caused by 13 Eggs Chapter 13: Contradiction Caused by 13 Eggs Ye Jiu turned his head to look at Zhang and, enduring a headache, stepped forward to embrace her, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve recovered, sister-in-law. I¡¯ve troubled you all these years due to my poor health. You have worked hard.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hard, not hard at all. As long as you¡¯re healthy, your sister-in-law is happy,¡± Zhang immediately replied. When He gave birth, she was quite old and, moreover, lacking nutrition due to fleeing from calamity at that time. After giving birth, it was as though she had lost half her life. The journey back was hurried and left her with no breast milk at all. At that time, Ye Jiu¡¯s sisters-in-law, Zhang and Zhao, each had babies not over two years old. Children in the countryside didn¡¯t grow well thus they weaned late. Therefore, He set her sights on her two daughters-in-law. Originally, to allow Ye Jiu to eat more, He had arranged for the two to take turns feeding him. However, times were tough, and Zhao was reluctant in her heart, and only fed Ye Jiu perfunctorily when it was her turn. Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t get enough to eat, and over time, He noticed the signs, grew increasingly displeased with Zhao, and ultimately let only the reasonably kind sister-in-law, Zhang, feed him. Ye Jiu was lucky. That year, a severe drought afflicted half the country, yet miraculously, a heavy downpour occurred on the day Ye Jiu was born. Coupled with what Ye¡¯s old father had said at that time, He always believed that her daughter, like the Princely Heir, was a Lucky Star granted by the heavens. Otherwise, for a child who faced such a disaster right after birth and had poor health, surviving would not have been easy. During breakfast, other than Ye Gaoshan and Ye Gaoshi, who were busy working in the town during the slack farming season, and Ye Gaoyun, who had married into another family, all the other members of the Ye family from the fourth household were present. At the same time, the news of Ye Jiu¡¯s recovery was known to the whole family. Originally, Ye Jiu was supposed to eat inside due to his unhealed injury, but after living in a daze in the past years, once he recovered, he couldn¡¯t wait to see his family members and insisted on joining them at the table despite not being strong enough. The news of Ye Jiu¡¯s recovery, however, brought joy to some and worries to others. These, however, were unimportant; with He present to keep things under control, everyone with objections had to keep it to themselves. Just as they sat down at the table, He placed two boiled eggs into Ye Jiu¡¯s bowl with her hand, ¡°My dear boy, your body has just recovered, and you¡¯ve suffered a lot these past few days. Hurry up and eat two eggs to properly nourish yourself. At noon, mom will make you some delicious food.¡± ¡°Gulp¡­¡± The sound of swallowing made Ye Jiu¡¯s hand, holding the egg, stiffen. Looking up, the three children from his eldest brother were all significantly older; Ye Wenqing was thirteen, his daughter Ye Qinghua was twelve, and his youngest son Ye Wenhao was nearly nine, all old enough to understand not to covet the egg in Ye Jiu¡¯s hand. As for the children from his second brother, Ye Wenyu was also twelve, and Ye Wenxuan was eight, with only their youngest sister Ye Qingzhi being the smallest in the family at six years old. At the moment, it was Ye Wenxuan and Ye Qingzhi who were looking at the egg in Ye Jiu¡¯s hand with eyes full of longing. As for Ye Gaoyun, he had already married into another family and only returned during festivals. And then there was Ye Gaoshi, only sixteen and not yet married. The Li mother and daughter had the lowest status in this family; during meals, they could only fill their bowls halfway with thin porridge and eat apart from the table, without the qualification to join the others. Seeing his two younger nephews and niece from his second brother¡¯s family, Ye Jiu truly couldn¡¯t bear to eat while they just watched. Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: 14 minutes to eat Chapter 14: 14 minutes to eat Ye Jiu¡¯s hand had just risen, and before he could utter his polite refusal, he heard Mrs. He bluntly say to the two of them, ¡°What are you looking at? Those eggs are for your younger auntie to nourish her body. Surely you don¡¯t intend to snatch them away to eat, do you?¡± Ye Jiu clearly saw the two children quiver in fear at Mrs. He¡¯s words, and his sister-in-law Zhao¡¯s face instantly fell. However, due to Mrs. He¡¯s authority, though Zhao knew speaking up would do no good, she could only hold it in. In fact, such situations had occurred countless times since Ye Jiu was born, but previously, because of his physical coordination issues and inability to speak, many things could only be pondered in his heart but not enacted. But now it was different, his health had already recovered significantly. In such a situation, he truly couldn¡¯t bring himself to selfishly enjoy alone while two younger ones, who called him uncle, watched. Under the longing gazes of Ye Wenxuan and Ye Qingzhi, Ye Jiu directly peeled one of the eggs, split it into two halves, and placed one half in each of their bowls, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve already recovered quite a bit, let Wenxuan and Qingzhi share this.¡± Mrs. He was about to say something when Ye Jiu interrupted her by picking up the other egg, and said, ¡°Mother, I have been a burden for so many years because of my poor health, this egg is for you and father. When your daughter has money later on, she will buy other good things for you.¡± ¡°Good, good, my dear treasure has grown up and become sensible, knowing to respect her mother. However, you are still weak and need to nourish yourself, so you should eat this egg. Later, when you grow up, your mother will wait for your filial piety!¡± Mrs. He placed the egg back in Ye Jiu¡¯s bowl with a satisfied heart, and old man Ye felt the same. Only, as a man, it wasn¡¯t suitable for him to express everything outwardly like Mrs. He. After praising Ye Jiu, thinking of Zhao¡¯s recent action, Mrs. He couldn¡¯t help but sarcastically say, ¡°My Xiaojiu is sensible, not like some rotten-hearted people who only care about their own small families, having good things and sharing with their own parents but never caring about their in-laws¡¯ well-being and life!¡± Zhao immediately grimaced and said, ¡°Mother, what you said isn¡¯t right. You¡¯re the one managing the family and the money is all in your hands. Even if we wanted to, we are powerless, aren¡¯t we? If you really want filial piety money, why not separate our households sooner? When we have money in our hands, we can properly respect you.¡± This comment obviously struck a nerve with Mrs. He, ¡°Tsk, Zhao, you rotten-hearted creature, you think such beautiful thoughts. Go and see which family¡¯s younger brother is still unmarried, and whose younger sister is still not wedded, and the elder sister-in-law promotes splitting the family? I have put so much effort into raising my son, marrying him off, and bearing his children. You have raised the grandchildren to over ten years old. You want good, moving out for a better life, while leaving the eldest and youngest unattended at home with no one to care for or even ask about¡­¡± The customs of Wangshan Village were still relatively good; there wasn¡¯t a custom that parents shouldn¡¯t split their households. However, because people of this era were especially prolific breeders with large age gaps between children, often the eldest son would get married, but the younger children were still not grown-up while the parents were already aged. Thus, even if most families split up, it was only after all the children in the household were settled. Then the elderly often chose to live with the eldest son, while the other children paid some filial money each year. It was just that this method seemed somewhat unfair to the elder children. Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: The theory of valuing males over females Chapter 15: The theory of valuing males over females After all, as parents get older, their ability to do work is limited, so they had to exert extra effort to help their younger son with his marriage. This also led to the situation during the division of family property where the eldest son and the main branch typically received the larger share. As for daughters, there wasn¡¯t so much concern, with the family being poor and favoring sons over daughters, most girls were merely given a couple of pieces of clothing when they married, and only slightly better-off families would provide some dowry. Take Madam Zhao, for example, her marriage was practically a half-sale by her family. Madam Zhao¡¯s betrothal gifts were not insubstantial, amounting to a full five taels of silver, yet when she came to the marriage, she brought only two old pieces of clothing, filled with patches and barely wearable. Had it been a weaker woman, this alone would have left her without any status in her husband¡¯s family, but Madam Zhao was different. She did not have the temper of Madam He, who would throw tantrums at a moment¡¯s notice, nor would she cry and wail over a few harsh words from others. She never cared about others¡¯ gaze and lived her life as she pleased, which is why, aside from some trivial family squabbles, her years passed quite comfortably. Seeing Madam He growing more and more agitated, and whereas Madam Zhao took advantage of the moment to bury her head and eat strenuously, Ye Jiu, fearing that Madam He would upset herself, hurriedly reassured her, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s eat. Don¡¯t upset yourself over this, it¡¯s not worth it.¡± Watching Madam Zhao¡¯s intense focus on eating silenced Madam He¡¯s scathing words. The daughter was right, a woman like Madam Zhao wouldn¡¯t care no matter how much she was scolded. With nothing but a cabbage and radish stew on the table in the dead of winter, Madam He supposed that if she continued to scold, all the food would just end up in that woman¡¯s mouth. Because, while she was scolding, everyone else at the table was just watching, only Madam Zhao shamelessly gorged herself, not forgetting to serve her two sons, while six-year-old Qingzhi was neglected by everyone. Feeling suffocated with frustration, Madam He picked up her chopsticks and snapped, ¡°What are you all waiting for? Eat, or do you want the food to go to the pigs and end up drinking the cold north wind?¡± Even Madam He¡¯s sarcasm did not stop Madam Zhao from eating. Ye Jiu could not say much about a person like Madam Zhao, but he did not approve of her behavior. Even if Madam He had a bad temper, she was still her elder, yet Madam Zhao never knew respect. Moreover, Madam Zhao had one major flaw, which was pilfering from her own family. It¡¯s not that she shouldn¡¯t help her natal family, but Madam Zhao¡¯s pilfering was without boundaries. Last year, the harvest was decent, and during the new year, Madam He made new clothes for all the boys in the family, yet the children of the second branch wore tattered clothes on New Year¡¯s Day. Later it was discovered that Madam Zhao had taken her two sons¡¯ new clothes to her natal home for her nephews to wear, which sparked a major conflict within the family. Knowing she was in the wrong, Madam Zhao behaved for only two months. Then, taking advantage of Madam He forgetting to lock the cupboard, she took several jin of fine flour back to her natal home. This incident truly enraged Madam He; that flour was hardly obtained by her in exchange for coarse grains, intended to nourish Ye Jiu¡¯s body. Unfortunately, her own daughter hadn¡¯t even tasted it before Madam Zhao sneakily made off with it. If she had taken these things for her children to eat, Madam He would not have been so furious, but Madam Zhao did not keep any of it, taking the entire bag straight back to her natal family! When Ye Gaoshi learned about the incident, he dragged Madam Zhao back and severely chastised her, but it was only a band-aid solution; afterward, Madam Zhao simply became more secretive in her actions. Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: The War Caused by One Egg Chapter 16: The War Caused by One Egg It¡¯s no wonder He¡¯s wife finds Zhao¡¯s wife disagreeable. Everyone was eating; they thought this matter would just pass, but when Ye Qingzhi had just picked up half an egg from her bowl with her hand, Zhao¡¯s wife suddenly hit it with her chopsticks and said, ¡°A mere girl, who will belong to another family when grown up, how dare you eat precious things like eggs?¡± As she spoke, Zhao¡¯s wife took the egg from Ye Qingzhi¡¯s bowl and put it in her eldest son Ye Wenyu¡¯s bowl, saying, ¡°Give the egg to your brother. If your brother is well-fed and grows strong, he can support you after you marry.¡± Ye Jiu had heard this reasoning not just once from Zhao¡¯s wife. In the past, because of Ye Jiu¡¯s physical coordination problems and speech impairment, even though she disapproved of many things, she could only bear it and was powerless to act. But now, her health had improved, so many things could no longer be let go meekly as before. At that moment, Ye Jiu put down her chopsticks and said, ¡°Sister-in-law, the egg was for Qingzhi. If you have an objection, just give it back!¡± Probably not expecting Ye Jiu to speak up, Zhao¡¯s wife was taken aback for a moment. By the time she reacted, Ye Wenyu was already blushing with shame and said to Zhao¡¯s wife, ¡°Mom, the egg was a gift from Aunt to Qingzhi, let Qingzhi eat it. I¡¯m already so big; how can I snatch my sister¡¯s food?¡± Ye Wenyu¡¯s response couldn¡¯t help but garner some admiration from Ye Jiu. The half egg was not important; what mattered was that he had not been influenced by Zhao¡¯s wife¡¯s discriminatory thoughts towards girls, which would have led him to oppress his own sister. Originally, no matter who was supposed to eat the egg, He¡¯s wife had no intention of intervening, as her heart leaned more towards her grandson than a costly granddaughter. However, not to mention these grandchildren¡ª even if her own sons were to come back, they could not surpass Ye Jiu¡¯s place in her heart. Hence, with Ye Jiu speaking up, He¡¯s wife naturally supported her. He¡¯s wife looked at Zhao¡¯s wife with obvious disdain and said, ¡°Younger daughter-in-law, if you don¡¯t want to eat, just go out and gather some firewood right now. With the eldest and second brother not at home, we¡¯re running out of firewood. Here you only know how to shirk work and scheme all day, not caring for the Gu Family, now even trying to snatch things from the children. You¡¯ve really learned some tricks, haven¡¯t you? Perhaps one day you¡¯ll even start snatching things from your mother-in-law too?¡± Following He¡¯s wife¡¯s fierce bombardment, although Zhao¡¯s wife was reluctant, she still put the half egg she had picked up back down, but she couldn¡¯t help but lash out at Ye Qingzhi, ¡°Eat, eat, eat, you costly and useless girl, why don¡¯t you eat yourself to death!¡± Watching this, Ye Jiu suddenly regretted having shared the egg. Especially with a mother like Zhao¡¯s wife, it might have been better for Ye Qingzhi not to eat the egg at all. Scolded by Zhao¡¯s wife, even though the egg was already in her bowl, Ye Qingzhi dared not pick it up to eat. A six-year-old child, being scolded by her own mother over half an egg, sobbing pitifully was truly heart-wrenching. Eventually, Old Man Ye could not stand it anymore, put down his chopsticks, and muttered gruffly, ¡°Zhao¡¯s wife, are you intent on spoiling this meal for the whole family?¡± Although the daily decisions in the house were usually made by He¡¯s wife, Old Man Ye was still the head of the household, and Zhao¡¯s wife dared not challenge him. She immediately fell silent and no longer dared to scold the child. The meal was eaten amidst noise and quarrels, truly quite lively. Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: 17 There is much right and wrong in the small farm family Chapter 17: 17 There is much right and wrong in the small farm family After breakfast, Ye Jiu was forcibly kept in bed by Mrs. He, who insisted she should lie down and nurture her body, then stuffed that leftover egg into her hand, saying, ¡°My sweet child, Zhao¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong¡ªeggs are indeed precious items. Those kids are all robust, they don¡¯t need eggs to nourish their bodies. But you, you¡¯ve been frail since you were little; you¡¯re the one who really needs to nourish yourself. Listen to mother, from now on you must not give the eggs mother saved for you to those kids!¡± Ye Jiu knew Mrs. He¡¯s personality, that she held deepest affection for her, and would surely persist to persuade if Ye Jiu refused. Helplessly, Ye Jiu could only nod, ¡°Mother, I understand.¡± It all came down to the fact that the household was too poor. They needn¡¯t own mountains of gold and silver; even a bit of wealth would mean that they wouldn¡¯t have ended up quarreling over an egg. As they were talking, suddenly the heart-wrenching sobs of Ye Qingzhi came from outside. Along with it resounded Zhao¡¯s angry scolding, ¡°What an impertinent girl, eating half an egg and forgetting one¡¯s place, fancying yourself as a rich young lady from town that can wear gold and silver, and indulge in delicacies? Today, it¡¯s our branch¡¯s turn to do the chores. If you don¡¯t hurry up and wash the dishes, are you waiting for your old mother to serve you?¡± The incessant scolding made Ye Jiu¡¯s head throb with pain. And the ultimate reason why Ye Qingzhi was being scolded was, when it came down to it, because of that half an egg! Ye Jiu now truly regretted her meddling; Ye Qingzhi would not have died of hunger had she not eaten that half an egg, but now, she was resented and scolded by her own mother, Zhao, because of it. The situation was after all triggered by her own meddling, and Ye Jiu wanted to get up and go outside to intervene, but Mrs. He held her back. ¡°Mother, if it weren¡¯t for my meddling, Qingzhi wouldn¡¯t be getting scolded. I can¡¯t just stand by and do nothing,¡± said Ye Jiu. ¡°My dear child, mother knows you¡¯re kind-hearted, but Qingzhi is Zhao¡¯s daughter. It doesn¡¯t matter that Zhao is just scolding her and ordering her to do some chores today; even if she sold her tomorrow, outsiders have no right to utter a single word.¡± Patting Ye Jiu¡¯s arm and looking at her lovingly, Mrs. He advised further, ¡°And you¡¯re not to blame for this. It¡¯s Zhao who values sons over daughters and doesn¡¯t treat her daughter like a person. Even without today¡¯s egg incident, if Zhao were in a foul mood, she¡¯d still take it out on that girl.¡± Ye Jiu believed what Mrs. He said because in the past, Ye Qingzhi really hadn¡¯t been spared from being Zhao¡¯s outlet for venting her frustration. Ye Jiu lay on the bed in despair. Ye Qingzhi was Zhao¡¯s daughter, and ultimately, she, Ye Jiu, was merely a younger aunt, hardly entitled to meddle in her brother¡¯s household affairs. Mrs. He tucked in Ye Jiu¡¯s blankets, using the opportunity to teach her, ¡°Dear child, in the future, just eat what mother gives you. Even though you have good intentions in sharing with those kids, it can easily lead to conflict. Take today¡¯s situation as an example. Zhao¡¯s children might be young, but they¡¯re not Zhang¡¯s children. By giving an egg to the second branch, the main branch can only watch in envy; wouldn¡¯t your sister-in-law harbor ill feelings? Because Qingzhi ate the egg, Zhao resents her. Whereas Wenqing and the others, even though they are older, could still hold a grudge because they didn¡¯t get a share. So you see, it¡¯s better to eat the egg yourself and avoid all these troubles!¡± When Ye Jiu gave away the egg, she thought only of how they were the youngest, believing the youngest children should receive some extra care. But she hadn¡¯t foreseen that even within such a humble farming family, there would be so many conflicts and grievances. Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: 18 Whoever is sensible knows at a glance Chapter 18: 18 Whoever is sensible knows at a glance Ye Jiu rubbed his slightly swollen head, and Mrs. He immediately asked with concern, ¡°Is your head hurting again? Shall we have the doctor take another look?¡± Mrs. He said this and got up to go outside, but Ye Jiu stopped her right away, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that the noise made my head swell a bit. Let me sleep for a while, and there¡¯s no need to have the doctor make another trip.¡± Ye Jiu knew that the Ye Family¡¯s situation was not good, and the doctor wasn¡¯t from their own village. Although the local doctor was much cheaper than the ones in town, a visit still required its fee, and since he had already been consulted, there was no need to waste more money. ¡°Alright, then you should go to sleep quickly. I will ask them to keep their voices down, so they won¡¯t disturb you anymore,¡± Mrs. He said. Ye Jiu had just closed his eyes when he heard the footsteps of Mrs. He leaving the room. But in just a moment, the louder voice of Mrs. He, which even surpassed that of Mrs. Zhao, could be heard outside, ¡°Mrs. Zhao, you heartless thing, don¡¯t you know your sister-in-law injured her head and needs rest? Why do you keep making such a fuss? Are you intentionally trying to harm your sister-in-law, or do you want to harm me just so you can take over the household?¡± Sure enough, as soon as Mrs. He spoke out, Mrs. Zhao instantly fell silent, and it quickly became peaceful outside, allowing Ye Jiu to gradually fall deep asleep. Their household was poor, so there were only two meals a day, with nothing to eat at noon, which even Ye Lao Han and Mrs. He didn¡¯t eat. But Ye Jiu was injured and was also the precious darling of the old lady Mrs. He, so she was given extra meals without anyone daring to object. With just a simple bowl of noodle soup in her belly, in this cold weather, Ye Jiu, cuddled under the blankets, felt completely warm. Mrs. Zhang took away the bowls and utensils after Ye Jiu had finished eating and said, ¡°Niece, don¡¯t sleep yet. There will be a bowl of medicinal soup for you later. When it¡¯s ready, I¡¯ll have Wenxuan bring it to you. Drink the medicine, and then you can sleep.¡± ¡°I know, thank you, sister-in-law,¡± Ye Jiu responded. When Ye Wenhao brought the medicine, Ye Jiu bravely swallowed it down in spite of the bitter taste. Handing the empty medicine bowl to Ye Wenhao, Ye Jiu then looked seriously at this little nephew. Ye Wenhao was in fact only nine years old, and thinking back to how she distributed the eggs this morning, she realized that she had overlooked him, primarily because he hadn¡¯t shown any wishful expression. Ye Jiu suddenly felt a bit guilty. It¡¯s said that a crying baby gets the milk, but those well-behaved children should not be the ones to be overlooked. Reaching out, she touched the remaining egg that still retained warmth due to being near the heated kang. Ye Jiu took out the egg and handed it to Ye Wenhao, saying, ¡°Wenhao, I forgot about you when I was dividing the eggs this morning, and that was my mistake. This is the last one left; you take it and eat it.¡± Ye Wenhao, touching the back of his head with an embarrassed smile, said, ¡°Aunt, you¡¯re not well; keep the egg for yourself to regain strength, I am very healthy, I don¡¯t need to supplement.¡± Ye Jiu smiled, feeling touched. Ye Wenhao was only a year older than Ye Wenxuan, and while Ye Wenhao thought of her ill health and declined the egg, Ye Wenxuan accepted it as a matter of course. It¡¯s really true that not until a comparison is made do you realize who is more sensible. ¡°Aunt, the doctor said you need to rest well to recover. I¡¯m going out now, so I won¡¯t bother you anymore. You should go back to sleep,¡± said Ye Jiu, still wanting to give the egg to him, but saw Ye Wenhao leave with the empty bowl in hand. Ye Jiu watched with a smile, holding the egg that hadn¡¯t been given away, and as she looked up, she saw Mrs. Zhao standing at the door, looking at her. Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: 19 cant be shallow Chapter 19: 19 can¡¯t be shallow ¡°Auntie, if you don¡¯t want to eat this egg, you can give it to Wenyu. Times have been hard at home lately, and our food quality has dropped quite a bit. Wenyu has lost weight!¡± Zhao said as she walked over, reaching out to take the egg from Ye Jiu¡¯s hand, but Ye Jiu retracted her hand, leaving Zhao grasping at air. Zhao¡¯s smile held a trace of embarrassment, ¡°Auntie, what are you doing?¡± Ye Jiu gazed steadily at Zhao, suddenly curling her lips into a mocking smile. The plump face, nurtured by He Shi, displayed a derisive grin, ¡°Sister-in-law, I¡¯m willing to give things to Wenxuan and Qingzhi because, after all, they call me ¡®auntie¡¯ and are younger. So, please do not take my affection as something you are entitled to, nor shamelessly feel at peace about it!¡± Zhao¡¯s face darkened instantly, ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t be fooled by Wenhao. He¡¯s being insincere with you, intentionally not taking your egg, pretending to care about you, all to gain more favors from you in the future. I, your sister-in-law, am straightforward and wouldn¡¯t stoop to such hypocritical flattery, but my feelings for you are genuine.¡± Zhao¡¯s small eyes narrowed, her face filled with disdain as she tried to justify herself while looking at Ye Jiu. If it weren¡¯t for this girl being the favorite of He Shi, would she need to ingratiate herself with her? Absolutely dreamlike. If Ye Jiu had truly been a ten-year-old child, then she might indeed have been deceived. Regrettably, with the additional eighteen years of experience from her past life, she wasn¡¯t the type to naively believe that the whole world was filled with good people. Especially having been almost abandoned by her parents and raised solely by her grandmother, Ye Jiu understood better than anyone the ugliness and selfishness of certain aspects of human nature. ¡°Even if it is an act, at least someone is willing to put on the act. Unlike sister-in-law, who knows the wound on my head hasn¡¯t healed yet, but could still ask so directly for the nourishing items Mother gave me to recover. That straightforwardness is indeed a bit much,¡± Ye Jiu said. Zhao frowned. Previously, this auntie could neither speak nor was she healthy, practically akin to a useless person. Usually, it was either He Shi taking personal care of her or the servants from the main room lending a hand. Zhao really couldn¡¯t be bothered to interact with her. Now, having barely recovered, she was so sharp-tongued; she really did resemble He Shi¡¯s own daughter. Just as unsentimental, just as annoying. Perhaps knowing she wouldn¡¯t get anywhere with Ye Jiu, Zhao huffed coldly and turned to leave. When Ye Wenhao returned to the main room, he was all smiles. Zhang, unavoidably curious, asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, being so happy about delivering medicine to your auntie?¡± Ye Wenhao, sitting on the bed-stove, replied, ¡°Mother, just now auntie gave me an egg to eat and even apologized for overlooking me when distributing eggs this morning.¡± ¡°Did you eat the egg your auntie gave you?¡± Zhang hastily inquired. ¡°No, auntie is injured. How could I accept the nourishing item that¡¯s meant for her recovery?¡± Ye Wenhao responded. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s very good,¡± Zhang patted her chest, addressing her children, ¡°The person your grandma loves the most is your auntie. You must not covet her things with shallow intentions, or else, once your father returns from town, there will certainly be a commotion.¡± ¡°Mother, you¡¯re just too cautious. Even my second aunt isn¡¯t afraid. Sometimes, I feel as if auntie is your real daughter, and I¡¯m simply picked up from somewhere,¡± Ye Qinghua said discontentedly. She was two years older than Ye Jiu. Back then, because He Shi was older and had no milk, and Zhao refused to nurse someone else¡¯s child, Ye Jiu was breastfed by Zhang from birth, while the two-year-old Ye Qinghua was forced to wean early. Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: 20 is all about being poor and causing trouble Chapter 20: 20 is all about being poor and causing trouble Furthermore, before Ye Qingzhi was born, Ye Qinghua was the only girl in the third generation of the Ye Family. Originally, receiving slightly unequal treatment didn¡¯t bother her much, since, after all, she was a girl and naturally couldn¡¯t compare to the boys in the family. However, Mrs. He, who was already a grandmother, gave birth to another little girl; her treatment utterly surpassed everyone else in the Ye Family, stepping them underfoot. This contrast made it even more apparent that Ye Qinghua was undervalued, so naturally, she was quite upset. Fortunately, at that time, Ye Erya¡¯s status was even lower. Compared to that, her standing wasn¡¯t too bad. But later, another addition, Ye Qingzhi, arrived in the second branch of the family, with an aunt who favored boys over girls, Ye Qingzhi¡¯s position in the Ye Family was just a bit better than Ye Erya¡¯s. As the number of girls in the family kept increasing, a hierarchy among them emerged. Although she wasn¡¯t the best off, she also wasn¡¯t the worst, which made her gradually less resentful. Still, when speaking about it, she couldn¡¯t help but complain occasionally. Mrs. Zhang hurried to check the doorway after hearing Ye Qinghua¡¯s words, and seeing no one outside, she felt relieved. Then she reached out and tapped Ye Qinghua, scolding, ¡°You girl, how dare you say everything out loud? What if your grandmother hears this, you¡¯ll definitely stir up trouble.¡± Because of breastfeeding, Mrs. He was already wary of Ye Jiu treating Mrs. Zhang, her sister-in-law, as a mother figure, so she didn¡¯t allow Mrs. Zhang to get close to Ye Jiu. If Mrs. He had heard what Ye Qinghua said, their entire main branch of the family would suffer. ¡°What I said is the truth.¡± Ye Qinghua stubbornly retorted. Mrs. Zhang sighed, ¡°Your aunt, she seems shrewder than anyone else, but on some things, she just can¡¯t see through it all. Don¡¯t believe me? Just wait and see. Wenxuan and Qingzhi ate your aunt¡¯s eggs, your grandmother hasn¡¯t made a scene about it yet, but wait till your uncle returns from town, then your aunt will definitely be in for a scolding.¡± ¡­ While a few members in the main branch were whispering among themselves, Mrs. He had finished patrolling the family¡¯s chickens and pigs and had also lectured Mrs. Li and her daughter, before finally returning to her room. Ye Jiu lay on the bed, staring with wide eyes, pondering life. Upon seeing Mrs. He returning, Ye Jiu blinked and asked, ¡°Mom, why doesn¡¯t our family separate?¡± Mrs. He frowned, ¡°My dear child, did Mrs. Zhao say something to you? Don¡¯t take her words seriously; Mrs. Zhao is the worst kind of person. She surely wants to split the family to have a better life on her own. Since she couldn¡¯t get her way with me and your dad, she is trying to manipulate you.¡± ¡°My sister-in-law didn¡¯t tell me about splitting the family.¡± Although she also didn¡¯t like Mrs. Zhao, Mrs. Zhao hadn¡¯t taken any advantage of her, so she wasn¡¯t going to slander Mrs. Zhao, ¡°I just think having so many people living together inevitably leads to constant quarrelling. With all the quarrelling, family affection is lost, isn¡¯t it better for each to have their own peace after splitting up?¡± Mrs. He sighed, ¡°Splitting the family isn¡¯t so simple; your fourth brother isn¡¯t married yet, you haven¡¯t gotten married, the family¡¯s financial situation isn¡¯t that great. With everything under my control, they can scheme all they want but can¡¯t do much. But once we split, everyone would go their separate ways, living their good lives, what would happen to your fourth brother¡¯s marriage? How would we manage, with the very old and very young among us?¡± Ye Jiu understood, it all came down to money troubles! In winter, with no work available, even two meals a day were hard to sustain. Everyone would finish their chores and then huddle on the heated brick bed, not moving; otherwise, moving around would only make them burn energy even faster. Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: 21 Star Plane Chapter 21: 21 Star Plane He Shi was already not young, and she had wanted to rest on the heated brick bed for a while, but she ended up falling asleep as she lay there. Ye Jiu had slept for an entire afternoon, and now she really wasn¡¯t sleepy. She played with the leftover egg in her hand but no longer felt the desire to eat it. Because of the body defects caused by years of poisoning, which had finally healed, she felt somewhat unreal. Lying on the bed swaying her hands and feet, she was always afraid that all of this was a dream and that when she woke up, she would revert to her former self. Right, her recovery was thanks to La Sike¡¯s antidote. She had promised him that once her body recovered, she would immediately find something to exchange with him. But now, the wound on her head pained her whenever she moved, and she couldn¡¯t move freely. Although she couldn¡¯t seek out something to exchange, it was only right for her to at least say thank you. Ye Jiu sunk her consciousness into the Plane trading space. The trade interface resembled WeChat from her previous life. At this moment, La Sike¡¯s avatar was dim, indicating he wasn¡¯t online. Ye Jiu first sent a message of thanks, then looked down at the egg in her hand, decisively stored it in the storage compartment, and clicked to send it. They say that it¡¯s the thought that counts, not the gift. Although an egg wasn¡¯t worth much and was even less valuable than La Sike¡¯s precious antidote, her body hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, and this was the only thing she could give him for now. Ye Jiu thought that once she was fully healed, she would have to hurry up and find a way to make money. At the very least, she needed to be able to afford something of equal value to give back to La Sike. After waiting a little while longer, La Sike still hadn¡¯t come online, so Ye Jiu went out. Since there was no lunch to eat, the Ye Family¡¯s practice was to eat breakfast late and dinner early, trying to get everyone to hold out a bit longer. Ye Jiu didn¡¯t go out for dinner. The scene at the breakfast table that morning had been too upsetting, and she didn¡¯t want to experience it again. After all, she was still injured and was entitled to eat on the heated brick bed. Dinner was nothing special, just cabbages and radishes that were still edible in the deep winter, plus a small dish of salty pickles. Each adult got two pieces of cornbread, while the children all uniformly got one. Ye Jiu ate alone, and with He Shi running the house, her bowl of porridge was a bit thicker. As for the others, their porridge was so thin it could probably reflect a mirror. After dinner, Ye Jiu still lay on the heated brick bed. He Shi told her not to sleep yet, but Ye Jiu didn¡¯t know what she meant by that. However, she wasn¡¯t sleepy at the moment anyway. The waiting time was boring, so Ye Jiu thought about it, and the Plane trade interface appeared in her mind. Looking at the messages behind La Sike¡¯s avatar, there were as many as a dozen. Ye Jiu was surprised. La Sike didn¡¯t seem to be the type of person who would ramble on, right? She opened the messages and read through them, only then discovering that he had sent so many because of the egg she had sent him. The Plane that La Sike was from was a Star Plane with highly developed technology, yet Ye Jiu had never imagined that every person there relied on Nutrient Solution to supplement their nutrition. It wasn¡¯t because they didn¡¯t enjoy eating food, but rather because the advancement in technology had led to all animals mutating, with nearly all of them evolving into monsters. The meat had a sour and bitter texture and contained lethal poison. As for plants, they had evolved into mutated plants with offensive capabilities. Only a very few were still edible, and their value went without saying; they simply weren¡¯t something ordinary people could afford. Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: The 22nd strategy: Sowing discord Chapter 22: The 22nd strategy: Sowing discord Although plants were scarce, at least those with money and power could still enjoy them, but meat had become completely inedible, not to mention eggs. La Sike said that this tiny egg was worth ten bottles of antidote to him, but since he didn¡¯t have that much of anything, he had to substitute it with something else. Knowing that Ye Jiu had sustained a head injury and that the medical facilities in her Plane were relatively backward, La Sike sent her several bottles of repair liquid in place of the antidote, which could quickly heal the wound on her head without leaving any scars. Ye Jiu could guess that there was a great exaggeration in La Sike¡¯s statement that one egg was worth ten bottles of antidote. After all, he himself had said that almost all the edible meat in the Star Plane had gone extinct, and he had also mentioned that the antidote was not considered valuable in his place. So, how could something that had gone extinct possibly be worth only a few bottles of something that wasn¡¯t treasured? However, Ye Jiu knew that some things shouldn¡¯t be taken too seriously. Just as an egg was a common item to her, it became a precious extinct species in La Sike¡¯s hands. She clicked to collect the items sent by La Sike, a total of five bottles of repair liquid. Ye Jiu kept one bottle for herself and stored the remaining four bottles in the storage compartment below. As soon as Ye Jiu regained her consciousness, He¡¯s wife brought over a bowl, ¡°My precious, I made you two poached eggs and added some brown sugar, eat them quickly.¡± The eggs from the morning had been divided amongst the two young children of the second wife¡¯s household, and He¡¯s wife had kept that in mind. Her daughter, a Ye Family girl, had no reason to be neglected. He¡¯s wife was concerned about Ye Jiu, but Ye Jiu would not eat alone. She insisted that He¡¯s wife have some too, and after much persuading, He¡¯s wife finally ate half an egg and then refused to eat any more. Ye Jiu didn¡¯t mind, she ate the remaining half and then drank some brown sugar water; no matter how much He¡¯s wife coaxed, she refused to eat the other egg. When Old Man Ye returned, Ye Jiu acted coquettishly and fed the other egg to him, which sweetened his heart deeply. The affectionate harmony between the main household¡¯s old couple and their daughter made Li¡¯s wife outside the door grind her teeth in envy. Being daughters of the Ye Family, He¡¯s wife¡¯s daughter could lie in bed eating eggs and enjoying family happiness, while her own Erya had to endure, with a body battered by cane beatings, stubbornly holding on without even seeing a doctor. Thinking about it, it was all because of her own unimpressive womb. If Li¡¯s wife could have had a son, what affairs of the household could He¡¯s wife have possibly been involved in! Li¡¯s wife was filled with resentment, yet besides watching on, she was powerless to do anything. The door of the second wife¡¯s room creaked open, and Zhao¡¯s wife came out. Li¡¯s wife turned her head and a scheme formed in her mind. Sneaking up to Zhao¡¯s wife, Li¡¯s wife initiated conversation, ¡°Second brother¡¯s wife, are the poached eggs finished? Where is the bowl? I¡¯ll wash it, it¡¯s very cold today, so you should take the children to bed quickly.¡± ¡°Poached eggs? What poached eggs?¡± Zhao¡¯s wife was a bit confused. ¡°I just saw sister-in-law cooking several poached eggs in the kitchen, with brown sugar too. What, didn¡¯t your household of the second wife get any?¡± Li¡¯s wife said awkwardly. ¡°What¡¯s it to you whether we ate or not? Just go do your own work. Look at your own status; is it your place to concern yourself with the affairs of our second household?¡± Zhao¡¯s wife snapped back angrily, then turned around and went back into her room. Li¡¯s wife laughed behind her back. No matter how Zhao¡¯s wife acted, Li¡¯s wife knew that she would definitely remember this incident. Li¡¯s wife was right; Zhao¡¯s wife knew full well that the poached eggs cooked by the mother-in-law were certainly intended for that little sister-in-law, Ye Jiu, but she dared not confront it. Instead, she vented her anger on Ye Qingzhi upon returning to her room. Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: The Power of 23 Repair Liquid Chapter 23: The Power of 23 Repair Liquid Madame Li¡¯s mood suddenly improved upon hearing Zhao¡¯s cursing coming from the second branch of the household, dragging her exhausted self to finish her tasks quickly and go back to rest. But as she turned her head, she saw Madame Zhang standing at the door, watching her with an indiscernible expression. In an instant, Madame Li became panicked. Madame Zhang was not as easy to deal with as Madame Zhao. Despite her silence all day long, her heart was with that good-for-nothing Ye Jiu! ¡°El¡­ eldest daughter-in-law, what are you¡­¡± Madame Li didn¡¯t know whether Madame Zhang had heard her inciting Madame Zhao, but feeling guilty, she spoke with a stutter and dared not meet Madame Zhang¡¯s eyes. ¡°Young lady, although your mother and daughter¡¯s status in the household isn¡¯t high, the Ye Family has given you a place to live after all. You should be clear about the consequences if Mother-in-law learns of what you just said!¡± After advising her with merely a sentence, Madame Zhang turned her head and went back to her room. Madame Li stood outside for a long while, filled with unease, but after seeing that Madame Zhang had no intention of going to the main house to tattle to Madame He, she cautiously continued with her chores. Early the next day, while Madame Zhang was delivering medicine to Ye Jiu, she suddenly mentioned, ¡°Little Aunt, you must be careful of Madame Li in the future.¡± ¡°Big sister-in-law, I¡¯m different now from before, and with the lesson I learned this time, I won¡¯t let them sneakily bully me in the future,¡± Ye Jiu thought that Madame Zhang was referring to the incident where Ye Erya had hit her on the head. What she didn¡¯t realize was that Madame Zhang was worried that Madame Li would find some way to harm Ye Jiu, especially since Madame Li¡¯s words instigating Madame Zhao yesterday were quite clear. Madame Zhang hesitated for a moment but said no more. The mother-in-law didn¡¯t like her getting too close to her little niece; if she were to speak out, it might even make the mother-in-law suspect her of stirring up trouble. Thinking it over, Madame Zhang figured that it was best to just keep a closer watch in the future and not let Madame Li succeed. As for Madame Zhao, Madame Zhang believed that at most, she would just make minor trouble and not dare to move against the highly esteemed little niece of Madame He. After taking the medicine, when no one was around, Ye Jiu unwrapped the bandage on her forehead and took out the bottle of repair liquid. She opened the bottle, poured some directly onto her wound with her hand, and then rewrapped the bandage. Unlike the antidote, after applying the repair liquid, Ye Jiu immediately felt an itchiness at the wound on her forehead. There were no mirrors at home, and Ye Jiu had no idea what the condition of her forehead was. Out of curiosity, Ye Jiu touched the wound through the bandage with her hand. Ye Jiu could feel that the wound, which was painful to the touch initially, was now beginning to scab over and was no longer painful. Ye Jiu was shocked; this repair liquid was truly extraordinary. Although it didn¡¯t achieve instant repair, at this rate, the scar on her forehead could be completely healed within three days at most. Moreover, she had only used a third of the small bottle of repair liquid. Ye Jiu felt once again that the Plane Trade Space was indeed a good thing. Only, the effect of the repair liquid was too powerful. If it could be a bit weaker, she might be able to exchange it for money. It wasn¡¯t that Ye Jiu was too pragmatic; the household was simply too poor, lacking even the guarantee of three meals a day. However, if the repair liquid was diluted, could it possibly reduce its healing effects? Ye Jiu decided she must experiment to find out, striving to escape the dire poverty at home. Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: How to sell 24 is a problem Chapter 24: How to sell 24 is a problem By the time He Shi came back, Ye Jiu was whining to her, ¡°Mom, can you boil another egg for me?¡± ¡°You little rascal, you refused to eat it yesterday when I gave you one, so why do you want to eat it today?¡± He Shi said, annoyed. Thinking about the one and a half eggs she and the old man had eaten yesterday, she felt a pang of distress; those could have fetched a good two or three coins at the market. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Ye Jiu laughed sheepishly. Yesterday, she had reluctantly tried to let He Shi and Ye Lao Han have something good out of concern for them. But the egg she had given to La Sike yesterday, originally as interest for repaying her debt of gratitude for the antidote, turned out to be incredibly valuable in the Star Plane, even earning her several bottles of repair liquid from La Sike. Nonetheless, Ye Jiu was a person of integrity. Although trading the egg for an antidote and repair liquid was more than a fair exchange, she could not forget the debt of gratitude for La Sike¡¯s antidote. So, Ye Jiu felt that she should at least give La Sike another egg. Of course, with her current means, except for eggs, there wasn¡¯t much else she could offer. Even getting that one egg had required her to coax He Shi. Ye Jiu was He Shi¡¯s precious treasure, and that was no understatement; there might be many things He Shi couldn¡¯t afford, but she was quite willing to satisfy Ye Jiu¡¯s wish for another egg. Ye Jiu secretly stored the egg He Shi gave her into Planar Space, and only after sending it to La Sike did she breathe a sigh of relief. The debt of gratitude was paid off, and from now on, their relationship would just involve normal trading. However, she would still remember La Sike¡¯s kindness, and if there ever came a day when he needed help and she was capable, she would certainly do her utmost. Suddenly, Ye Jiu found her thoughts rather amusing. La Sike¡¯s plane was much more advanced than her ancient plane; probably, other than providing him with some food, she couldn¡¯t be of much help in other areas. Half a month later, the wound on Ye Jiu¡¯s forehead had completely healed. He Shi stared at Ye Jiu¡¯s forehead for a long time before saying contentedly, ¡°I¡¯m glad my dear child¡¯s forehead doesn¡¯t have a scar, otherwise even if Ye Erya paid with her life, it wouldn¡¯t match a single hair on my Jiujiu¡¯s head!¡± Ye Jiu just smiled and did not respond. Ye Lao Han also felt awkward beside them but didn¡¯t dare to contradict He Shi. Two days later, Ye Jiu was worrying over the several glass bottles in her hands. After experimenting several times with the repair liquid, she finally adjusted it to a quantity she felt was adequate; it would definitely perform better than common healing ointments and yet not attract too much attention. However, she had managed to prepare the liquid, deciding how to sell it was really a problem! And let¡¯s not even talk about strangers; even her own family members might not believe she possessed such a substance. As Ye Jiu sat reflecting at the doorway, she suddenly felt the sunlight in front of her blocked. Looking up, Ye Jiu saw Ye Erya standing before her, with a large half-bucket of well-cooked pig feed next to her. It was this person who, for a piece of Opium Cake, had hit her with a stone. Ye Jiu was certain that if it weren¡¯t for the Planar Space, her situation would have been fraught with more peril than fortune. Enemies on sight, eyes blazing with resentment. Ye Jiu stood up from the ground, and before she could speak, she saw He Shi coming over in a small run. ¡°You wretched girl, didn¡¯t you learn your lesson last time, did you? I warn you, if you dare to hurt my Jiujiu again, I will sell you to a brothel to be a lowly whore for the rest of your life¡­¡± He Shi yanked Ye Erya away and then shielded Ye Jiu in her arms. Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: She was trampled underfoot. Chapter 25: She was trampled underfoot. As soon as Mrs. He¡¯s voice fell, Ye Erya¡¯s body shuddered. Last time, after she had hit Ye Jiu, Mrs. He had beaten her with a rattan cane until she was half-dead. Unlike Ye Jiu, who could trade for medicine using his ¡°Plane Space,¡± she had no choice but to endure, and just when she could barely get on her feet, she was forced to do household chores. Now, the wounds on her body had not even fully healed, especially at the sound of Mrs. He¡¯s piercing voice, she felt her wounds throbbing with pain. Seeing Ye Erya almost shrinking into herself, Ye Jiu found it hard to imagine how she had mustered the courage to throw that stone at him before. Ye Jiu tugged at Mrs. He, worried that she would get too agitated and upset, and quickly comforted her, ¡°Mother, no one can hurt me anymore, rest assured, I¡¯m alright.¡± Mrs. He turned back and looked closely at Ye Jiu, convinced that she was really unharmed, she finally relaxed and then turned to yell at Ye Erya, ¡°What are you staring at? Aren¡¯t you going to feed the pigs? Hurry up and go feed them, if they lose even a bit of weight, I¡¯ll slaughter you for the New Year!¡± Ye Jiu noticed that in this family, if she could overlook Mrs. He¡¯s selfishness and ignorance towards Mrs. Zhao, her treatment of Mrs. Li and her daughter was simply unbearable; even if there was nothing to criticize, she would scold them just to feel better about her meals. He was helpless about this. It was no wonder that Ye Erya had lashed out at him; being oppressed by Mrs. He for so long without any chance for retribution, they naturally took their anger out on him, Mrs. He¡¯s only daughter. Moreover, the former him had been weak and unable to speak up, not to mention seek revenge; he couldn¡¯t even tattle. Ye Jiu understood their hatred but did not agree with it, for after all, people are selfish by nature, and he was the one being wrongfully retaliated against. Bringing Mrs. He back into the house, Ye Jiu soothed her while saying, ¡°Mother, if you find Mrs. Li and her daughter so disagreeable, why not just drive them out?¡± It was always Mrs. Li and her daughter who were bullied, yet after Mrs. He scolded them, he himself would also be left fuming; this was not only hurting others but also doing no good for himself. Why continue this way? But Mrs. He snorted coldly, ¡°Drive them out, wishful thinking. Mrs. Li schemed to marry your father back then, causing me to be the laughingstock among your aunts and the subject of ridicule. I want to trample her underfoot and make sure she never rises again!¡± Mrs. He was a vindictive woman; this was evident from the fact that she forgave Ye Jiu¡¯s father without a dowry to remarry. Initially, she didn¡¯t have much affection for Ye Jiu¡¯s father, certainly not enough to consider none but him to marry, but the cancelled engagement left her stuck in an awkward position, and she ended up an old maid. Especially during those years encountering slanderous gossip, she was nearly driven mad, all because Mrs. Li shamelessly climbed into Ye Jiu¡¯s father¡¯s bed. Now that she had the chance to trample on Mrs. Li and seek revenge, Mrs. He would certainly not let that opportunity slip by easily! Seeing Mrs. He get so agitated when speaking of this matter, Ye Jiu found it difficult to continue persuading her. He thought that Mrs. He¡¯s current happiness versus Mrs. Li¡¯s misery was already a stark contrast, and there was simply no need to discomfort herself by having such a person around, but alas, Mrs. He thought differently. She felt that only by trampling Mrs. Li underfoot in front of her could she prove that, despite all Mrs. Li¡¯s scheming, she would never be a match for her. Only by tormenting Mrs. Li could she feel that the hardships she had endured were not in vain. Chapter 26 - Chapter 26: 26 eggs were sold in exchange for salt. Chapter 26: 26 eggs were sold in exchange for salt. Ye Jiu initially thought that He Shi would be upset about bringing up the events of the past, but in just a while, He Shi went out again with high spirits, ordering around Li Shi to do chores. Well, she really couldn¡¯t understand He Shi¡¯s mindset of having to keep her love rival under close scrutiny by herself and her man, what¡¯s rare is that Old Man Ye tolerated it. However, Ye Jiu had a deep understanding of this over the years. Li Shi and her daughter appeared to be pitiful little white flowers, but in reality, their pitifulness was merely a facade when facing the domineering He Shi. In private, they bullied Ye Jiu, who was controlled by the toxin, seeking revenge on her whenever they got the chance. Over the years, Ye Jiu had not suffered little from their hands, so she felt no sympathy for them, seeing He Shi grinding them down. Ye Jiu knew all too well some people¡¯s ugly nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong because she, who had been abandoned by her parents in her previous life, had also suffered a lot of violence from others. At first, she didn¡¯t dare to fight back, which led to them becoming more and more outrageous. Latter on, Ye Jiu began to retaliate. If she couldn¡¯t beat them openly, she¡¯d do it secretly, and if she couldn¡¯t beat them together, she¡¯d take revenge when they were alone, until no one dared to bully her anymore. Unfortunately, bad luck is bad luck, no matter how you slice it. Just when she finally grew up and was capable of taking care of herself, she contracted a terminal disease that made it impossible to want to live anymore. Luckily, the heavens still favored her, otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been reborn. Although He Shi and Old Man Ye were not related to her by blood, in Ye Jiu¡¯s heart, they were her parents, more so than her biological ones! Ye Jiu believed that with the Plane Space as her backing, her future achievements would surely be boundless. One day, she would have He Shi wear gold and silver, enjoy delicious foods, and no longer have to live like now, unwilling even to eat a chicken egg. In the dead of winter, with the rare sunshine and no chores to do, Old Man Ye took a stool and sat in the courtyard to bask in the sun. The third generation children of the Ye family, the older ones went out to play mahjong together while the younger ones squatted on the ground nearby, playing by themselves. He Shi was in the house fussing over a basket for storing chicken eggs, counting them carefully one by one. Before long, He Shi came out of the house and stood at the door, shouting to the fourth son, Ye Gaosheng, ¡°Fourth, get up early tomorrow morning. Take the eggs to town to sell, then buy some salt to bring back.¡± ¡°Alright, I got it, mother,¡± Ye Gaosheng replied with a loud voice. After pondering for a long time, Old Man Ye said, ¡°Old lady, in a month, it¡¯ll be New Year¡¯s, and by then the price of meat will surely go up. Give Gaosheng some copper coins to buy some pork to salt and preserve. It won¡¯t spoil in this cold weather.¡± He Shi¡¯s face darkened immediately, ¡°Where am I going to get copper coins from? You know how much money we have in the house. The money the two eldest sons brought back last time has already been spent on the doctor, where am I going to get the money for your meat! Xiaojiu has suffered so much this time, if I had the money, wouldn¡¯t I give her something to nourish her health?¡± While speaking, He Shi kept complaining, ¡°It¡¯s so cold, even the chickens don¡¯t want to lay eggs anymore. We used to get at least one a day, or at least one egg every two days from a hen, but now they are all just eating without laying eggs!¡± Old Man Ye understood the situation at home, but how could they not have meat for New Year¡¯s? ¡°Don¡¯t we have two roosters at home? Sell one and exchange it for pork,¡± Old Man Ye suggested. Once a year, during New Year¡¯s, was the only time they got to eat a piece of meat, and compared to chicken, pork was more fragrant and fatty. ¡°So we won¡¯t have chicken for New Year¡¯s?¡± He Shi hesitated somewhat. Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: 27 wants to go to the town Chapter 27: 27 wants to go to the town The two large roosters had been specifically kept, one for breeding in the spring, and the other to be slaughtered for meat during the New Year. Selling one now meant that there would certainly be no chicken to eat during the New Year. ¡°Let¡¯s sell one and then talk about buying some pork,¡± Old Man Ye thought about slaughtering a hen if it came down to it, but the thought of Mrs. He¡¯s tight watch over the chickens made him hesitate. ¡°Then let¡¯s sell it. Have the fourth child take it tomorrow, along with those eggs, to sell them together,¡± Mrs. He agreed with a nod. Sitting at the door, Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. The fourth brother was going to the town, what a great opportunity! ¡°Mom, Mom, I want to go to the town with fourth brother as well,¡± Ye Jiu immediately stood up, excited. Mrs. He walked over and looked at her with concern, saying, ¡°My dear child, if there¡¯s something you want, just ask your fourth brother to bring it back for you. It¡¯s freezing cold outside and far from the town. With your tiny arms and legs, you¡¯d be exhausted for sure. Be good and listen, we won¡¯t suffer that plight, okay?¡± Ye Jiu still wanted to sell the ¡°repair liquid¡± she had prepared herself. Without going to the town, staying at home all day, what opportunities could there be? Moreover, it was not often that someone in the family left the house; if she did not go this time, who knew how long she would have to wait for another chance? Instantly, Ye Jiu pouted and then started shaking and pulling on Mrs. He¡¯s arm, ¡°Mom¡­Mom¡­ please let me go. I¡¯ve grown up so much and haven¡¯t seen what the town looks like. I promise I will keep up with fourth brother and won¡¯t hold him back.¡± Ye Jiu was the little treasure of Old Man Ye and his wife, and their sons were also educated to care for their sister even if they neglected their own children. Therefore, seeing Ye Jiu looking so pitiful, Mrs. He had not yet had the chance to speak when Ye Gaosheng began to feel sorry for her, ¡°Mom, since little sister wants to go, let her. If she gets tired, I will carry her; she won¡¯t get exhausted.¡± Mrs. He tugged at Ye Jiu affectionately. She wasn¡¯t worried about her daughter slowing them down. It was just that Ye Jiu had been confined to her sight from a young age due to her physical condition, and the thought of letting her go this far all of a sudden unsettled her. In fact, if she wasn¡¯t too old to travel, seeing her adorable daughter, she would have loved to personally take her to the town for a good time. In the end, Old Man Ye made the decision, ¡°Wife, if our daughter wants to go then let her. The fourth child will look after her and nothing will happen. If you¡¯re really worried, tell Wenqing from the eldest¡¯s family to go with them. Have him do nothing but make sure he keeps his eye on his little aunt and doesn¡¯t lose her.¡± Ye Jiu was dumbfounded. Having her great nephew look after her, so she wouldn¡¯t get lost, sounded so awkward! However, since Wenqing was three years older than her, it seemed reasonable for Old Man Ye to ask him to keep an eye on her. In the end, Mrs. He agreed, but she waited until Wenqing came back, and then she gave a lengthy reminder to both Ye Gaosheng and Ye Wenqing. The gist was that nothing mattered more than her precious daughter, and, as long as they took good care of her, everything else could be put aside. Then, after numerous promises from Ye Gaosheng and Ye Wenqing, Mrs. He finally finished her long-winded instructions. At night, Ye Jiu carefully counted the small bottles in her hand. She had used a third of one bottle of ¡°repair liquid.¡± With the rest, she filled four bottles. Ye Jiu had even tested it on a small cut on her body; not only did it accelerate the healing process, but it also left no scars at all. Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: 28 looks a bit like it was picked up from outside. Chapter 28: 28 looks a bit like it was picked up from outside. Just this alone was enough to fetch a good price for the diluted repair liquid. Looking at the glass bottle in her hand, Ye Jiu smiled brilliantly. Of course, she couldn¡¯t have obtained these small bottles by herself. It was only after she mentioned to La Sike that she wanted to trade something for money that La Sike, knowing her lack of resources, gifted her some of these small bottles to hold the diluted liquid. Early in the morning, before it was even light, Ye Jiu excitedly climbed out of bed. Old Man Ye¡¯s voice jokingly rang out from the other side, ¡°You sly girl, the moment your fourth brother opens the door, your eyes snap open. Are you afraid he might sneak off without you?¡± Ye Jiu chuckled, indeed she was worried about that. After all, going to town was no easy feat. Ye Jiu hurriedly got dressed, wrapping herself up tightly. Her slightly plump body from afar looked like a moving ball. Of course, Ye Jiu herself didn¡¯t feel any of this. Before leaving, Mrs. He watched Ye Jiu eat the egg she had toasted in the bed crevice before feeling reassured. Reluctantly pulling out five copper coins from her bosom, she handed them to Ye Jiu, instructing, ¡°Dear child, keep these copper coins in your pocket. If you come across a bullock cart on the road, let Wenqing take you on the cart to avoid tiring out your little legs. Don¡¯t rush around once you two get to town, just wait at the town entrance for your fourth brother. It¡¯s no trouble for a young man like him to carry things for a stretch, there¡¯s no need to waste money on fares.¡± Holding the few copper coins in her hand, Ye Jiu¡¯s heart grew heavier. ¡°Mother, I will definitely earn a lot of money to give you the best life,¡± Ye Jiu sincerely promised Mrs. He. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. My dear child is always the most caring,¡± Mrs. He immediately beamed with joy. Old Man Ye purposely put on a disappointed face at the side, ¡°Poor me, no one cares for this old man!¡± Ye Jiu went over and grabbed Old Man Ye¡¯s arm, ¡°Dad, stop being jealous of mom. I will also give you the best life.¡± At that moment, Old Man Ye and Mrs. He merely thought these were childish words of their daughter, never imagining that Ye Jiu¡¯s future would achieve so much, and that even the entire Ye Family would rise to prominence because of her. Ye Jiu did not refuse the few copper coins Mrs. He gave her, not because she couldn¡¯t endure hardship or wanted to take advantage, but because she had no money at all at the moment. Even in her past life, when she was at her poorest, she had never been as poor as she was now, so the fact that she didn¡¯t have a single coin made her somewhat uneasy. Once Ye Jiu had finally gotten herself ready, Mrs. He dug out two more eggs from the crevice by the bed and tucked them into Ye Jiu¡¯s pockets, and didn¡¯t forget to instruct, ¡°Dear child, keep these two eggs in your pockets; if you get hungry while walking, eat them to fill your stomach. Don¡¯t foolishly share the eggs with your fourth brother and Wenqing. Those boys are full of energy, they¡¯ll survive even if they miss a meal, but it¡¯s different for you, my darling. If something were to happen to you because you went hungry, mom would be heartbroken!¡± Ye Jiu felt ashamed. If one didn¡¯t know better, they might think the fourth brother was picked up from outside, and Wenqing too¡ªthat boy is the eldest grandson of the Ye Family¡¯s main branch. In other families, a younger son and the eldest grandson would be treasured, but in the Ye Family, it seemed as if they were picked up from the outside. However, speaking of the Ye Family¡¯s situation, it seemed that apart from herself, be it the Ye Family¡¯s sons, grandsons, or granddaughters, everyone appeared as if picked up from outside. Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: Arrived in town on the 29th Chapter 29: Arrived in town on the 29th And her status within the Ye Family was all thanks to Mrs. He¡¯s support. Sometimes, even Ye Jiu herself didn¡¯t understand what Mrs. He was thinking, favoring her, the younger daughter, to such an extent and not showing much affection to her own son. Fearing that Ye Jiu might not know anything for her first trip out, Mrs. He pulled Ye Gaosheng aside and reiterated the instructions to him. After Ye Gaosheng promised repeatedly, the three of them finally set off. On the road, Ye Gaosheng carried a basket on his back, filled with chicken eggs and a chicken, while Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing walked quickly beside him. From the dim light of dawn until it was fully bright, Ye Jiu felt like her legs, which had never really been exercised, were almost not her own anymore. Perhaps she was just unlucky; even though her pockets were filled with money prepared by Mrs. He, they didn¡¯t encounter a single ox cart on the road, so they had to keep walking on their own two legs. Halfway through, Ye Gaosheng handed the basket over to Ye Wenqing to carry. Ye Jiu thought he was tired, so she took turns with Ye Wenqing carrying the basket, but she didn¡¯t expect that after Ye Gaosheng handed it back, he squatted in front of Ye Jiu and asked caringly, ¡°Little sister, are you tired? Come on, let your fourth brother carry you for a while so you can rest your feet.¡± Ye Jiu was so moved she could hardly speak, ¡°Fourth brother, I¡¯m not tired yet¡­¡± Before she could finish, Ye Gaosheng grabbed her arm, looped it around his neck, then supported her legs with his hands and stood up, ¡°Your legs are too short; if we continue like this, the market might be over by the time we get to the town. It¡¯s better if I carry you so we can go faster, alright, let¡¯s get there early and sell our goods to head back home.¡± Ye Jiu: Truly a pointless bout of being moved. Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but sadly look down at her somewhat warm little legs. Although she was already 10 years old, she rarely walked around, and perhaps because of her slow development, her stature among her peers was¡­ indeed quite short. Furthermore, her body, nourished by Mrs. He¡¯s care, made her already not very tall figure seem even shorter. But being short was one thing; being subtly looked down upon by Ye Gaosheng was another matter entirely. Regardless, even though she was now lying on Ye Gaosheng¡¯s back, Ye Jiu really felt quite sad and indignant in her heart. However, once Ye Gaosheng carried Ye Jiu, they indeed moved much faster. It was also then that Ye Jiu realized the reason they had been walking so slowly at first was purely because Ye Gaosheng and Ye Wenqing had been waiting for her. ¡­ Although Shuangxi Town was small, its scale was not insignificant. The streets were packed with people, bustling enough to be called prosperous. The ultimate reason was that it was the only market town within a radius of ten miles, where everyone came for the market days. By the time Ye Jiu and her companions arrived, the sun was already high in the sky. It wasn¡¯t Ye Gaosheng¡¯s first time here selling eggs, so he knew his way around. He swiftly led the two to Vegetable Market Street, found a vacant spot, took out the chicken eggs and the chicken from the basket, laid them on the ground, then lifted his head and said to Ye Jiu, ¡°Little sister, wait here for a bit. After I sell the goods, I¡¯ll buy you some candy.¡± Turning to Ye Wenqing, Ye Gaosheng instructed, ¡°Wenqing, keep a close eye on your little aunt, make sure she doesn¡¯t get lost. Otherwise, when we get back, Grandma will surely whip us both.¡± Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Just finally got a little freedom at 30 Chapter 30: Just finally got a little freedom at 30 ¡°Understood, Uncle.¡± The seriousness on Ye Gaosheng¡¯s face elicited an exceptionally obedient response from Ye Wenqing. Ye Jiu: ¡°¡­¡± Looking at the earnestness with which these two discussed, how could she, who appeared to be a child on the outside but was already an adult inside, bear it! After all, in everyone¡¯s hearts, Ye Jiu was like a national treasure. With the He family¡¯s influence as well, nobody dared to take her lightly, unless someone who was too comfortable wanted to make their presence felt, just like Ye Erya. Of course, not everyone could bear the consequences, as one could tell by how Ye Erya had had to lie in bed for half a month, still unwell, yet had to stay busy every day without a moment¡¯s rest. As time ticked by second by second, Ye Jiu felt her legs growing sore from crouching on the side. Looking down the entire street, nearly half the peasant families were selling their own chickens¡¯ eggs or radishes and cabbages. It was still uncertain when Ye Gaosheng would manage to sell off his goods. Growing impatient from waiting, Ye Jiu tugged at Ye Gaosheng and said, ¡°Fourth Brother, I¡¯ve never been to the town before. I¡¯d like to take a look around nearby. You and Wenqing keep watch here; I won¡¯t go far and will come back soon.¡± Ye Gaosheng couldn¡¯t agree, ¡°Little sister, the town is crowded; you can¡¯t just walk around alone. What if we can¡¯t find you later?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not going far, just looking around nearby. Besides, I¡¯m not a three-year-old toddler. People my age are already running around on their own. I¡¯ll just take a short walk nearby; how could I possibly get lost!¡± In the past, Ye Jiu always wanted to enjoy being cherished, but now she realized that being loved too fiercely sometimes became a burden. At the very least, she now lacked even basic freedom. Whether at home or outside, everything she did had to be supervised. After Ye Jiu finished speaking, Ye Gaosheng thought for a long while before hesitantly compromising, ¡°Fine, if you really can¡¯t wait, let Wenqing go with you for a stroll. I can manage here by myself; just make sure you two don¡¯t wander off too far.¡± After speaking, Ye Gaosheng, still worried, admonished Ye Wenqing, ¡°Wenqing, you must take good care of your little aunt. Make sure you don¡¯t lose her.¡± Ye Wenqing nodded seriously again, ¡°Uncle, rest assured, I will certainly take good care of my little aunt.¡± Ye Jiu resigned herself to the situation. With Ye Wenqing accompanying her, though it might be less convenient, it was still better than everyone stuck here. Moreover, how could she find a way to market her ¡®repair liquid¡¯ if she didn¡¯t look around! ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± Ye Jiu said, walking ahead, as she couldn¡¯t stand the way these two always treated her like a three-year-old toddler. Seeing Ye Jiu walking ahead quickly, Ye Wenqing hurriedly got up to catch up, ¡°Little aunt, slow down.¡± Ye Wenqing couldn¡¯t afford to be careless. This precious little aunt rarely came out; if anything were to happen to her, both he and his uncle would get in trouble when they got back¡ªa mild beating would be the least of their worries. The scariest part would be Grandma¡¯s concern, which would make their lives difficult afterwards. However, it wasn¡¯t easy for Ye Jiu to finally have some freedom, and she was not in the mood to consider Ye Wenqing¡¯s worries. Ye Jiu walked ahead without looking back, leaving behind the vegetable market street and entering a bustling street. However, after observing for a long time, she couldn¡¯t find a suitable place to sell her merchandise. Behind her, Ye Wenqing was filled with worry, ¡°Little aunt, Uncle said not to go too far. It¡¯s getting late; the eggs might have already been sold. We should head back now?¡± Chapter 31 - Chapter 31: 31 into the medical hall Chapter 31: 31 into the medical hall This street was the busiest in the town, bustling as it was opposite the vegetable market street, and they were almost at the end of this street now. Ye Wenqing was genuinely scared that Ye Jiu would continue walking even further away. Ye Jiu turned back and just caught a glimpse of Ye Wenqing¡¯s longing expression to return. It really hurt her heart! Once, she had envied those children treated like porcelain dolls, but when she actually had it herself, she realized that being constantly watched was not a pleasant feeling at all. Could it be that she was being what they call overly sensitive? Ye Jiu doubted it! Looking again at the bustling street, most of it consisted of shops including everything needed for clothing, food, shelter, and transportation, with various small stalls lined up on both sides of the road. Ye Jiu thought that her ¡°repair liquid¡± could be used to heal wounds, and perhaps she should go directly to a medical hall, rather than wandering aimlessly like she was doing now. Thinking this, Ye Jiu asked Ye Wenqing, ¡°Wenqing, do you know where the biggest medical hall in town is?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere, Little Aunt?¡± Ye Wenqing instantly became anxious. Ye Jiu could only reassure him, ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, not feeling unwell at all; I just want to go and have a look.¡± Ye Wenqing didn¡¯t understand; what was there to see at a medical hall with no illness or disaster? However, since Ye Jiu had asked, being junior, he couldn¡¯t but reply, ¡°The medical hall is on East Street. Just go a bit further along this street and then turn left, and you¡¯ll be there.¡± He hadn¡¯t come to town many times, but Ye Jiu used to be frail and often needed medicine. He had occasionally come with his father, so he knew the exact location of the medical hall. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry then.¡± As soon as Ye Jiu thought about the silver she was about to earn, she became excited and somewhat impatient. Watching Ye Jiu run ahead happily, Ye Wenqing could only quickly stride to keep up. Jiren Tang, Ye Jiu stood at the bustling entrance of the medical hall, silently mouthing the characters on the sign above. Although the traditional characters of ancient times differed greatly from the simplified characters of the modern era, she still managed to guess these three characters. Ye Jiu thought she should find an opportunity to learn to read properly. After all, in her previous life, she had been a high school student, not very highly educated, but she couldn¡¯t let herself slip into illiteracy in this life! Ye Wenqing stood silently behind Ye Jiu. He really couldn¡¯t understand why his Little Aunt was standing motionless at the entrance of the medical hall. What was she thinking? Of course, he didn¡¯t know that Ye Jiu was considering how to market her ¡°repair liquid¡± once inside. Since they didn¡¯t know each other, anyone with a slight sense of crisis probably wouldn¡¯t trust her. Still, after thinking for a long time and not finding an appropriate approach, Ye Jiu decided to just go in and see what happened. If it came down to it, she could take the drastic action of injuring herself to demonstrate her product on the spot. In the past, in order to earn more money, Ye Jiu even considered selling her blood, but her grandmother found out and stopped her before she could go through with it. However, to earn her tuition and living expenses, she had suffered quite a bit in those years. Now, if a single wound could make money, that didn¡¯t seem like a big deal to Ye Jiu. As Ye Jiu moved to step forward, Ye Wenqing immediately grabbed her, ¡°Little Aunt, the medical hall is not a place for fun. We¡¯ve had our look; let¡¯s head back quickly.¡± ¡°Wenqing, don¡¯t be so rigid. Let¡¯s just go in and have a look; looking doesn¡¯t cost money.¡± Ye Jiu brushed off Ye Wenqing¡¯s hand, then stepped forward and walked in. Chapter 32 - Chapter 32: 32 is blasted out Chapter 32: 32 is blasted out Ye Wenqing was worried behind, but also afraid that Ye Jiu might suffer a disadvantage by going in, so he could only follow. Jiren Tang was the largest medical establishment in town, and the doctors there were extraordinarily proud, always using their chins to judge people as if they were superior. He genuinely feared that his young aunt would be treated unfairly and looked down upon if she went in. In Ye Wenqing¡¯s eyes, Ye Jiu had never left home and was unacquainted with the malice of outsiders, which was why he and Ye Gaosheng treated Ye Jiu as if she were a three-year-old child. What they didn¡¯t know, however, was that Ye Jiu had also been bullied by Li¡¯s mother and daughter over the years, even within the Ye Family. But Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t express it herself, and Li¡¯s mother and daughter always acted obsequiously. Plus, their bullying of Ye Jiu always happened when no one was around, leaving no trace. Who could imagine, that such a seemingly honest and easily bullied mother and daughter could be so cruel toward a girl who was completely defenseless? Upon entering the medical hall, the first thing you¡¯d notice was the long queue inside. It was evident that, regardless of the attitude of the staff inside, their medical skills must be excellent; otherwise, there would not be so many patients lining up here. Yet, this was the norm in this world. Nowadays, there¡¯s no notion of the customer being king. Those attendants were haughty when facing the poor, but were just as obsequious when dealing with the rich and noble, weren¡¯t they? Ye Jiu looked around for a while, and since no one came to tend to her, she was about to step forward but felt Ye Wenqing, who was inseparably close to her. Turning her head, Ye Jiu said to Ye Wenqing, ¡°No matter what I do or say later, you must not interrupt or stop me.¡± A sense of foreboding rose within Ye Wenqing, ¡°Little Aunt, what exactly are you here to do at Jiren Tang?¡± What to do¡­ that was something Ye Jiu truly found hard to explain. However, seeing Ye Wenqing¡¯s determined stance, it seemed she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave unless she made clear her intentions. With no choice, Ye Jiu had to use Grandma He to deal with him, ¡°All you need to do is watch what I do, but don¡¯t interfere, otherwise¡­ I¡¯ll tell grandma that you¡¯re bullying me.¡± Ye Wenqing¡¯s face turned grim. If Grandma learned that he was bullying his little aunt, with her temperament, it would be a serious matter. Grandma wouldn¡¯t care if the little aunt was telling the truth or not; as long as it could make her happy, even if she knew it was a lie, would she need a reason to discipline her grandson? Seeing that Ye Wenqing finally behaved, Ye Jiu felt satisfied and didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with using Grandma He as a threat. Ye Wenqing, despite his young age, was just too stubborn. If words didn¡¯t persuade him, she had to resort to threats. Fortunately, Grandma He¡¯s authority was unsurpassed in the household, and Ye Wenqing didn¡¯t even dare to think of resisting. Ye Wenqing obediently followed behind Ye Jiu, who, without looking back, walked toward the attendants in the pharmacy with a hint of a smile¡­ ¡­ Shortly afterward, Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing were chased out by an attendant. ¡°The medicine I have is really good for treating external injuries¡ªI¡¯ve said that if I could just see your shopkeeper, I could demonstrate its effects right on the spot. If you miss out on the medicine I have, you will certainly regret it!¡± Ye Jiu was still struggling desperately. The attendant was full of disdain, ¡°Our Jiren Tang is the largest pharmacy in town, all the medicinal materials are from designated suppliers. You expect to dupe money with water that I don¡¯t know where you brought from, pretending it¡¯s medicine? If I introduce your water to the shopkeeper, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll regret it, but being cursed to death by the shopkeeper is definite!¡± Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: 33 is crazy about money Chapter 33: 33 is crazy about money ¡°Tch, a couple of country bumpkins have gone mad for money, using plain water as medicine¡ªit¡¯s simply insane,¡± said the attendant, turning away and striding off. Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing stood at the entrance of the clinic while people pointed and labelled them as fraudsters, among them many who openly called them swindlers. Ye Wenqing¡¯s face almost touched the ground with embarrassment as he tugged at Ye Jiu¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Sister, let¡¯s just leave quickly.¡± He hadn¡¯t expected that Ye Jiu would actually bring a small bottle of water and insist it was medicine, asking others to help introduce them to a pharmacy shopkeeper to sell it. Actually, Ye Wenqing thought, selling the bottle in Ye Jiu¡¯s hand might be more profitable than selling medicine, even though it was small. It was the first time he had seen a transparent bottle, and it was probably still worth a few copper coins. Looking at the people around, Ye Wenqing had never felt so humiliated in his life, but he couldn¡¯t just abandon Ye Jiu, so he had no choice but to tough it out and pull her along. Ye Jiu truly felt unjust, it was clear they couldn¡¯t recognize a good thing, accusing her of selling water as medicine! Unfortunately, she was guarding a treasure, yet no one recognized its value. ¡°Move aside¡­ everyone out of the way¡­¡± Just then, two men in black tight-fitting clothes, brandishing long swords and covered in blood, rushed over, supporting another injured man between them. The supported man, both in terms of attire and status, seemed superior to the other two, but at that moment, the blood pulsing from his chest could not be contained even with his hands, clearly indicating he was seriously hurt and causing onlookers to feel frightened. However, the face of the injured man bore a chillingly composed expression, showing no hint of agony, as if the one suffering was not him. The only oddity was that excessive blood loss made his complexion excessively pale. Upon first seeing him, Ye Jiu thought, This man really is incredibly handsome! His ink-black hair was tied up high, the remainder spilling behind, barely concealing the sharpness in his eyes which, when they looked over, engulfed one in despair nearly lethal. His prominent nose, thin lips, imperious and merciless like an emperor, made one instinctively want to cower at his feet in trembling submission. Even in this moment of disarray from the injury, his striking presence was not diminished. When Ye Jiu looked over, she caught his bloodthirsty gaze, causing her legs to weaken, nearly making her fall to the ground. Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t truly a ten-year-old girl; otherwise, today would have been utterly disgraceful. ¡°Make way ahead¡­¡± The three of them finally entered the clinic. ¡°Doctor, Doctor, where are you? Hurry up and treat my Family Head!¡± The crowd initially drawn by Ye Jiu had now shifted their focus entirely onto the man within the clinic hall. The doctor, brought forth by Si Nan, nervously examined him and promptly applied some medicinal powder and bandages, but after a short while, the bleeding still hadn¡¯t stopped. Si Bei, however, became anxious, drew his sword in a flash, and held it at the doctor¡¯s neck, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if you save my Family Head, no one within Fengyang City will dare to touch your clinic. If you fail, your clinic might as well cease to exist!¡± ¡°Hero, please spare my life,¡± the doctor immediately fell to his knees, crying and sobbing, ¡°It¡¯s not that I won¡¯t save him, but my medical skills are limited. The injuries on this nobleman are just too severe. I truly can¡¯t stop the bleeding!¡± Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: 34 refuses to treat my Family Heads injury? Chapter 34: 34 refuses to treat my Family Head¡¯s injury? ¡°Since it cannot be stopped, your medical hall is no longer necessary to exist!¡± At that moment, the injured noble man spoke. Right after the man¡¯s words fell, Si Bei slightly moved the long sword in his hand, and the doctor fainted from fright. ¡°Useless indeed.¡± Si Bei kicked with his foot in frustration, turned his head, and clasped his fist to the man, ¡°Sir, this is the only decent medical hall in this town, and there are only two doctors. If they are really killed, there would be no one left to treat injuries!¡± The man slightly closed his eyes to hide the bloodthirsty storm within, tacitly agreeing to Si Bei¡¯s words. In the dead of winter, a bowl of cold water was mercilessly splashed on the doctor¡¯s face, startling him awake with a cry. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if you save my Family Head, you will enjoy endless wealth and honor. But if you fail to treat him, then everyone in your medical hall will be buried with him!¡± After Si Bei finished his sentence, he mercilessly chopped the table and chairs nearby with his long sword, releasing a powerful wave of Inner Strength that split the furniture into pieces. This intimidation was very effective¡ªthe cowardly already had disgusting liquid flowing between their legs. Outside, those who originally wanted to watch the spectacle could no longer stay. Fortunately, the guard only stopped people inside the medical hall from leaving, but did not manage those outside, thus giving them the chance to disperse completely. These people were not to be trifled with. Although Ye Jiu wanted to make money, he did not wish to risk his life for it. Therefore, Ye Jiu tugged at the sleeve of the stunned Ye Wenqing and whispered, ¡°These people are very dangerous. Let¡¯s leave quickly to avoid trouble.¡± Just as Ye Jiu was about to leave, an attendant inside the door suddenly looked up at her, then pointed his finger at Ye Jiu and said, ¡°That girl has medicine; she said her medicine could quickly heal wounds!¡± The attendant had not believed that Ye Jiu actually had medicine, otherwise he would not have expelled her earlier, but now, he was pointing her out with the mindset of dragging someone down even in death. Go to ????????????????????.co It wasn¡¯t far, and with the area around being utterly silent, Ye Jiu clearly heard the attendant¡¯s words. Cursing internally, Ye Jiu grabbed Ye Wenqing and was about to run. The main function of the repair liquid was to heal scars; although it could also treat wounds, the wound on her forehead was minor, while the man¡¯s injuries looked much more complicated¡ªwho knew if it could be as effectively healed as hers had been? If it failed to meet the expectations, seeing the actions of these people, who clearly appeared as merciless killers, Ye Jiu had not lived enough and did not want to accompany anyone in death. Ye Jiu had intended to run first, but in the blink of an eye, the guard used Qinggong and appeared right in front of her. Before Ye Jiu could even speak, a long sword was already pressing tightly against her neck. Ye Jiu froze immediately, instinctively let go of Ye Wenqing¡¯s sleeve, and then raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Hero, spare my life; I am not a doctor,¡± Ye Jiu pleaded, and added at the end, ¡°I am still a child¡­¡± This was the only thing Ye Jiu was thankful for after having lived so many years; she did not know if using the excuse of being a child could save her life! Si Nan originally wore an expression of indifference, but when Ye Jiu said she was still a child, his face finally showed some emotion, but his voice remained as cold as before, ¡°Are you unwilling to treat my Family Head¡¯s injuries?¡± Chapter 35 - Chapter 35: 35 saw the Grim Reaper beckoning Chapter 35: 35 saw the Grim Reaper beckoning Although the question was asked, Ye Jiu had the feeling that if she said she was unwilling, the person before her could immediately slit her throat! Therefore, Ye Jiu caved in, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling, I have a kind of medicine that can restore wounds, but your Family Head¡¯s injuries are too severe, I don¡¯t know if I can save him.¡± Si Nan pondered for a moment, glanced at his master sitting in the main hall of the medical hall, then the long sword at Ye Jiu¡¯s neck pressed closer by two fractions, he said coldly, ¡°Go back, if you can¡¯t heal him, everyone will be buried with him!¡± Ye Jiu¡¯s legs went weak again, as if she already saw the Grim Reaper beckoning to her. Damn it, her life in these two incarnations has been so cursed. Especially in this life, just after the poison in her body had been cleared and she had returned to normal, she encountered such an incident while trying to make some money. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll treat him!¡± Ye Jiu gritted her teeth and answered, then the long sword at her neck was swiftly withdrawn. Ye Jiu turned her head and saw Ye Wenqing, who was already petrified with fright, and she vigorously signaled him with her eyes, urging him to leave quickly. Damn it, not to mention whether there was a reward for healing, but failing to do so meant burial with the deceased. At the very least, she should be called ¡®little aunt.¡¯ By urging Ye Wenqing to leave now, she could save his life. If she really couldn¡¯t heal the injury later, and the murderous demon lost his temper, it would be more reasonable for one to die than for both to perish. Ye Wenqing finally came back to his senses and understood Ye Jiu¡¯s look. His heart was instantly touched, but his sense of justice told him that since his little aunt was thinking of him, he shouldn¡¯t abandon her and run for his own life. After some thought, Ye Wenqing said tremblingly, ¡°Little¡­ little aunt, I can¡¯t leave, I can¡¯t abandon you here alone. If it really can¡¯t be healed later, then¡­ just let them take me to be buried with the deceased!¡± If she weren¡¯t being coerced at that moment, Ye Jiu really wanted to slap him twice to wake him up properly. Go to ????????????????????.co Who the hell decided at that time who would be buried as sacrifice? If they killed one person, could they really leave the other alive? Ye Jiu, who has been rather clever in her previous life, wondered how she could have such a foolish nephew in this life. While they were talking, Si Nan was already very impatient, ¡°Are you not hurrying back to treat the wound? If we wait any longer, if something happens to my Family Head, none of you will survive!¡± Ye Jiu knew that there was no point in saying anything else at this time, and Ye Wenqing probably couldn¡¯t leave now even if he wanted to, as they would not let him. Resigned, Ye Jiu stopped concerning herself about Ye Wenqing and turned back into the medical hall. At this time, all she could do was pray that the repair liquid would work wonders, not to mention repairing the wound, at least it should stop the bleeding to spare her own life. Ye Jiu walked step by step towards the injured person, but when she was still three steps away, she felt a cold aura enveloping her, making her stop in her tracks. Looking up, the man might have turned paler due to the excessive bleeding from the wounds, but his eyes were still emitting a chilling light, accompanied by a deep loathing as if Ye Jiu by taking another step closer, would be facing the fate of lying dead in the streets that day. Ye Jiu felt helpless. What had she done to be stared at with such repulsion? Ye Jiu was very scared, but with someone pushing her from behind, she had to control her urge to run away. It was evident that the person didn¡¯t want her to come closer because as soon as she attempted to move, the coldness surrounding her intensified. In the dead of winter, Ye Jiu was forced to break out in a cold sweat. Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: 36, difficult to protect the nine families/clans Chapter 36: 36, difficult to protect the nine families/clans ¡°If I don¡¯t get close, how am I supposed to apply the medicine to you? I think it¡¯s better this way, since you don¡¯t want me to get close. Why don¡¯t I just take out the medicine and let someone else apply it for you?¡± Ye Jiu carefully asked, although inside, she couldn¡¯t help wanting to curse. Indeed, some people are truly pretentious. He¡¯s already injured to such a degree, but instead of thinking about saving his life quickly, he¡¯s fussy about who applies the medicine! Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but complain because when she suggested taking the medicine out for someone else to apply, there was a sudden drop in the cold aura from her body, which indicated a clear intention. Fearing that if she delayed any longer, the injured person before her might actually die and she would be implicated, Ye Jiu quickly took out an undiluted bottle of repair liquid from her Dimensional Space while using her cotton-padded coat for cover and handed it to the man behind her who was compelling her with a sword. Si Nan didn¡¯t waste words. Instead, he sheathed his long sword, took the bottle from Ye Jiu¡¯s hand, but after looking at it for a long time, he couldn¡¯t find the mouth of the bottle. Si Nan turned his gaze to Ye Jiu with a questioning look. Ye Jiu instantly understood, took the bottle back, removed the aluminum seal at the bottle mouth, opened the rubber stopper, and then handed it over once again. During these movements, Ye Jiu inevitably got closer to the injured person, and each time she approached, a killing intent rushed toward her, scaring her so much that Ye Jiu felt frightened and anxious. Fortunately, as she returned to her original spot three steps away, the killing intent retracted. Only then did Ye Jiu realize that this killing intent was indeed targeted at her. Ye Jiu cursed in her heart. Could it be that she was carrying a virus, which made people detest her so? How utterly bizarre! After Si Nan uncorked the bottle, he didn¡¯t immediately apply the medicine on Sikong Mo but instead sniffed it below his nose and frowned deeply. Looking at the disheveled doctor beside him, Si Nan gestured to him, and as the doctor approached, Si Nan handed over the bottle of medicine, ¡°Do you recognize what this medicine is?¡± When it came to using something on his Family Head, Si Nan couldn¡¯t be careless. Moreover, the liquid medicine was indeed strange, its color almost indistinguishable from clear water. Most critically, it hardly had a medicinal scent, but rather a faint, unidentifiable fragrance. Go to ????????????????????.co The doctor took it and examined it seriously. With an almost tearful expression, he said, ¡°Hero, spare my life, I¡¯m limited in knowledge and truly can¡¯t recognize what kind of medicine this is!¡± To the doctor, this seemed nothing more than fragrant water. But thinking of the consequences of voicing such a statement¡ªthat everyone would be doomed¡ªhe truly didn¡¯t dare to speak it out loud. Si Nan looked at Ye Jiu again, ¡°Girl, are you sure this is medicine? You¡¯d better think carefully before you answer. If there¡¯s any problem after applying it, your entire Ye Family will not be spared!¡± Ye Jiu¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Will not be spared¡ªcould it be that this man was from the Imperial Family? Gazing into Sikong Mo¡¯s cold and bloodthirsty eyes, Ye Jiu nodded resolutely, ¡°I used this medicine when I got injured on my forehead a while ago. It¡¯s safe.¡± If there was really an issue, it would be a problem with his body. But Ye Jiu could only pray that there would be no problem. No matter who this person was, she wasn¡¯t hoping for anything. Being the daughter of the Ye Family was already more than enough for her in this life. ¡°Apply the medicine,¡± Sikong Mo said to Si Nan, but his gaze was firmly fixed on Ye Jiu. His icy demeanor pressed heavily on Ye Jiu¡¯s heart. As the Family Head had given an order, Si Nan naturally didn¡¯t dare to delay any further, especially since Sikong Mo had already lost a lot of blood. The injury indeed could not be neglected any longer. Chapter 37 - Chapter 37: 37 stopped bleeding Chapter 37: 37 stopped bleeding Not long after the medicine was sprinkled over the wound, Si Nan, who had previously maintained a cold demeanor, immediately showed an excited expression, ¡°Master, the bleeding has stopped.¡± At the same time, everyone in the clinic, including Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing, felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, Ye Jiu was grateful that he didn¡¯t have a heart condition; otherwise, with such shocks, he might have met King Yan by now. At this moment, Ye Wenqing also breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Sirs, since the bleeding has stopped, may we leave now?¡± With these people being so terrifying, he felt more at ease keeping his distance and escaping as soon as possible. At the same time, the people in the clinic were also eagerly looking at Sikong Mo and his companions, thinking at this moment, who wouldn¡¯t want to run if not a fool. Now that Sikong Mo¡¯s bleeding had stopped, Si Nan and Si Bei, of course, had to align with their master¡¯s will. However, Sikong Mo just looked up briefly at everyone with a gaze that seemed lofty, as if all the people in front of him were mere ants. Sikong Mo did not respond; with just a glance, Si Nan understood his intentions and turned to the crowd, ¡°If anyone dares to leak today¡¯s events, everyone will be executed without mercy!¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t dare, we wouldn¡¯t dare¡­¡± the crowd quickly asserted. ¡°You may leave,¡± Si Nan said dismissively. Immediately, everyone scattered, including the shopkeeper of the pharmacy who didn¡¯t dare to say another word, and he didn¡¯t even bother to look after the pharmacy as he ran out. Although Ye Jiu had come with the intention of selling medicine, once it involved life, money naturally was not as important as living. Go to ????????????????????.co Just as Ye Jiu turned to pull Ye Wenqing¡¯s sleeve, they heard a cool voice from behind, ¡°You two, stop right there!¡± Ye Jiu froze in his steps, not daring to move any further. ¡°Turn around.¡± Despite his severe injury, Sikong Mo¡¯s voice still held a power that made people dare not disobey. Ye Jiu slowly turned around, but inwardly he thought this was bad. She just stood there, not daring to move or speak, fearing that any slight misstep might provoke him to take her life. After a long while, Sikong Mo suddenly stood up, walked up to Ye Jiu and scrutinized her for a long time, a hint of rare doubt appearing in his eyes, which quickly returned to normal as he swiftly moved away from Ye Jiu, his thin lips uttering a merciless yet relieving sentence for Ye Jiu, ¡°Si Nan, pay them and let them leave.¡± Immediately, Si Nan pulled out a silver note from his bosom. Without even looking at it, Ye Jiu grabbed it along with Ye Wenqing and ran, not stopping until they were far, far away. Ye Jiu ran very fast, not looking back, nor daring to see the shock in Si Nan¡¯s and Si Bei¡¯s eyes. Although their prince was young, he excelled in everything he touched, inheriting the throne at eleven and renowned as the youngest War God King of Dongyue by sixteen. Now, at only twenty, even the current emperor had to tread cautiously around him. The only flaw was his extreme aversion to women, to the extent that seeing one made him want to kill them. Normally, within three steps of him, no female creature could appear without triggering his rage, which would result in the indiscriminate killing of innocents. However, today, their lofty prince had unexpectedly stopped a young girl and even observed her closely for a long time, which was enough to shock everyone speechless. Out of surprise, Si Nan stepped forward and asked with a bow, ¡°My lord, should we check that girl?¡± Thinking about it, considering the girl¡¯s and the boy¡¯s attire, they must be just ordinary peasants, yet they possessed such effective medicine that even the doctors could not discern anything unusual, which indeed was quite strange. Chapter 38 - Chapter 38: 38 So next time there wont be anyone left to take revenge on, right? Chapter 38: 38 So next time there won¡¯t be anyone left to take revenge on, right? ¡°` ¡°No need,¡± said Sikong Mo, frowning at the mention of Ye Jiu. He didn¡¯t know why but just as that girl had turned around, a sudden and inexplicable feeling of familiarity and closeness had surfaced in his heart. Sikong Mo stared at Ye Jiu for a long while, certain that he did not know this girl. Sikong Mo disliked the feeling that his intuition was somewhat uncontrollable, which was why he was so eager for Ye Jiu to leave. Closing his eyes, Sikong Mo felt that his wounds were healing unusually quickly this time. He had clawed his way through battles and numerous injuries, acquiring considerable experience with wounds and had some understanding of the healing process. Although the medicine had been applied for only a short time, and it appeared to others that the bleeding had merely stopped, no one understood better than Sikong Mo that, in just this short while, the healing speed of his wounds had already matched what would normally take a whole day. Of course, this was also because Ye Jiu, afraid that the diluted repair liquid would not be strong enough to stop his bleeding, had taken out the undiluted repair liquid from the Plane Space. Opening his eyes again, the clarity had returned to them. His voice, cool and dispassionate, rang out, ¡°Si Nan, send a message to Si Rong, those forces involved in this assassination attempt will be eradicated completely, without exception!¡± Sikong Mo had ascended to the throne at the age of eleven and was hailed as the War God of Dongyue by the age of sixteen. He was never the type to swallow an injustice without retaliation. Having the courage to strike at him meant they must also have the courage to face the consequences. ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Si Nan immediately bowed with a fist, then hesitated a moment, ¡°My lord, what about the old Princess Consort¡­¡± Go to ????????????????????.co It was perhaps unbelievable that when the old Prince went to battle, by custom, the Princess Consort and the Princely Heir Sikong Mo were brought to the capital city, ostensibly for care but in reality as hostages. Later, when the old Prince died on the battlefield, the Princess Consort failed to protect her son, who was still the Princely Heir at the time; instead, she did everything in her power to trip him up. If it weren¡¯t for the many people the old Prince had left behind before his death, whether the eleven-year-old Sikong Mo could have ascended to the throne was still up for debate. And as his birth mother, the old Princess Consort had on more than one occasion set her hand against him after he ascended to the throne, repeatedly conspiring with outsiders to assassinate him. Naturally, even this time when Sikong Mo was injured, the old Princess Consort¡¯s involvement was suspected; hence Si Nan¡¯s hesitation; after all, as a subordinate, he was not in a position to deal with the old Princess Consort. Somehow, when the nauseating woman was mentioned again, Sikong Mo found that he could remain indifferent. Ha! It¡¯s really unclear whether it¡¯s something to be grateful for or to grieve over! ¡°The prince certainly will not stoop to matricide!¡± Just when Si Nan thought he might have to let the old Princess Consort off the hook for this reason, Sikong Mo¡¯s icy and merciless voice rang out again, accompanied by a bloodthirsty sneer, ¡°Isn¡¯t she always most affectionate towards that child of the Rong Family? Then it¡¯s not too much to let Rong Che suffer on her behalf.¡± Having said that, Sikong Mo didn¡¯t forget to instruct, ¡°Tell Si Rong to be careful when taking action; he only needs to inflict a wound as serious as mine, but be sure not to kill him. Otherwise, who would there be to take revenge on next time?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Si Nan bowed his head in acknowledgment, silently lighting a candle for Rong Che, the poor soul of the Rong Family. But he didn¡¯t feel pity for him; over the years, the Rong Family had taken their fair share of advantages thanks to the old Princess Consort. Now, it was only right for them to pay some price. ¡°` Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: 39 talks without even blinking an eye Chapter 39: 39 talks without even blinking an eye ¡°Let¡¯s go. This place isn¡¯t suitable for a long stay. We¡¯ve made quite a commotion, and the assassins will soon be upon us. We need to find a safe place first,¡± Sikong Mo said. ¡°But what about your wound¡­¡± Si Bei couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. My life isn¡¯t so easily taken!¡± Sikong Mo, clutching his wound, despite seeming very weak, still looked like someone only the most esteemed could look up to, ¡°Si Nan and I will look for a place, Si Bei, you go and contact the rest.¡± Sikong Mo was not arrogant. Even now, had it not been for the severe poison he¡¯d previously encountered and the ambush, his injuries wouldn¡¯t have been this severe. ¡­ Ye Jiu pulled Ye Wenqing along as they ran a great distance, only stopping when they couldn¡¯t run any further. Reaching a quiet corner on the street, Ye Jiu, no longer caring about his appearance, just sat down on the ground, then held his chest as he gasped for air. Ye Wenqing wasn¡¯t in much better shape either, standing woodenly, unable to recover for quite some time. After a while, Ye Jiu felt as if his soul, which had flown beyond the skies, finally returned to him, and he intended to stand up and quickly leave, but seeing Wenqing still dazed, Ye Jiu stopped in his tracks. ¡°Wenqing, what happened today, when we return home, you mustn¡¯t tell Grandma or anyone else in the house, including your younger uncle, you understand?¡± Ye Jiu, propping up his plump body, squinted his eyes and said. Ye Wenqing was brought back to his senses by these words, but his emotions were quite complicated. Ye Jiu seldom went out, and ostensibly, she shouldn¡¯t have had such effective medicine for treating wounds, yet now she not only had some but its effectiveness was also incredibly good. Especially everything that happened today, it was too much of a shock for Wenqing. Go to ????????????????????.co Some things don¡¯t stand up to scrutiny. Reflecting on them, Ye Jiu had roamed around town as soon as she arrived, and even inquired about a doctor¡¯s office from him, clearly premeditated in wanting to sell the medicine. What happened later was too sudden, unexpected by anyone. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you, did you hear me?¡± Ye Wenqing hadn¡¯t responded for a while, and Ye Jiu, dissatisfied, pressed for an answer. Almost losing her life today, if the He family found out, it would be difficult for her to go out again in the future. Moreover, the origin of the medication she had was also difficult to explain. As for Wenqing, if she could have gotten rid of him, she wouldn¡¯t have let him know. However, in Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes, Wenqing was just a simple young man, and she was confident about managing him. Being pressed by Ye Jiu again, Wenqing felt a bit flustered, and looking at Ye Jiu, he hesitantly asked, ¡°Little Aunt, is it really okay to keep this from Grandma?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? If we tell Grandma about today¡¯s events, she would certainly be distressed for me, and she might end up blaming you and Fourth Brother for not protecting me. It might even cause trouble for everyone in your main family branch, do you want all your sisters-in-law to suffer too?¡± Ye Jiu half persuaded, half threatened. Wenqing immediately shook his head, ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Then, a bit hesitantly, he voiced his own doubt, ¡°Little Aunt, you deliberately went to town today to look for a doctor¡¯s office to sell medicine, right? Where did that medicine come from?¡± Ye Jiu had already prepared for Wenqing¡¯s questions, filtering them in her mind more than once, and so she lied without blinking an eye. Chapter 40 - Chapter 40: Life is tough in the 40 families Chapter 40: Life is tough in the 40 families ¡°A few days ago, an old man came to our doorstep begging for food. I felt sorry for him, so I gave him one of the eggs Grandma cooked for me. When he saw the wound on my forehead, he gave me this medicine, saying it could heal the injury. Look, is there any scar left on my forehead?¡± Ye Jiu said as he brushed his hair from his forehead to show Ye Wenqing. Ye Wenqing nodded, but he was very pleased inside. They say good deeds are rewarded, and this saying is really true. If Wenqing hadn¡¯t kindly given that old man an egg, considering what the doctor said a while ago, scarring would have been certain. A girl with a scar on her face would definitely face difficulties in getting married. No family wants to end up with an old maid who can¡¯t be married off, which is one thing, but it also sounds bad when spoken of. Seeing that Ye Wenqing believed him, Ye Jiu was very satisfied. Thinking of how Ye Lao Han had been frowning and looking distressed these past few days, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but want to speak up for him, ¡°Actually, I know that although you don¡¯t say it, you all blame your grandparents for being too stingy and not willing to feed you enough, right?¡± ¡°No, no¡­¡± Ye Wenqing shook his head in fear, knowing that if Mrs. He heard this, their entire main house would probably have no peace in the future. However, Ye Jiu wasn¡¯t wrong in guessing; who would want to live each day without enough food? There were indeed silent blames, but they were usually suppressed too strictly by Mrs. He, so no one dared to speak up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone these words. There¡¯s no need to rush to object. After all, who would want to live in hunger?¡± Ye Jiu reassured Ye Wenqing, then sighed, ¡°Your grandfather has been sighing these past days. Everyone knows the family is in trouble, and though the grain is right there, if your grandmother wouldn¡¯t scheme around letting you eat freely, could our family have made it until the next harvest? You¡¯re all part of the Ye family; if there were a way, why would you be left hungry?¡± Usually, Mrs. He would just strictly control them without explaining the family¡¯s situation. They only knew that during the busy farming season, they might not eat well but at least they got enough. Especially in the winter, not only were meals twice a day, but also rationed. It¡¯s tough being a parent when a half-grown child can eat you out of house and home. However, as Ye Wenqing listened to Ye Jiu¡¯s words, he felt increasingly guilty. Go to ????????????????????.co As the younger generation, they hadn¡¯t had enough to eat, but when he thought about it, during those two meals a day, their elderly grandparents didn¡¯t have extra meals either and ate the same thin porridge and cornbread as them. So, what right did they have to feel resentful? As for Ye Jiu, she was a unique presence in the Ye family. From birth till now, all her food, clothing, and shelter were managed by Mrs. He. One could say her living conditions were above everyone else in the Ye family. But everyone knew Ye Jiu was in poor health, so Mrs. He had reasons for nourishing her, and no one could object to that. Thinking this over, Ye Wenqing felt even more guilty, ¡°Wenqing, we thought wrong before. When I go back, I¡¯ll definitely teach my younger siblings to properly honor our grandparents. Now I understand that managing such a large family isn¡¯t easy for our grandparents. Although our family days are not the best, compared to families who sell their children, at least we are still together. Come spring, I¡¯ll work harder and earn more money, to improve our family¡¯s life!¡± Hearing Ye Wenqing speak like this, Ye Jiu felt reassured, ¡°It¡¯s good that you think this way. As for working in the future, it needs to be done in moderation. No matter what, you mustn¡¯t wear yourself out. Otherwise, no amount of money would be of any use.¡± Chapter 41 - Chapter 41: Last life died of poverty Chapter 41: Last life died of poverty Ye Jiu said this, and Ye Wenqing¡¯s heart was even more touched. Elders are elders after all. Even though his younger aunt was three years younger than him, she was far better at being a person. Ye Wenqing made a decision in his heart, he must learn from his younger aunt in the future. When facing issues, he needed to learn to think from others¡¯ perspectives and not just blame others all the time, grumbling against the world. Seeing that the preamble was set, Ye Jiu continued to express his purpose, ¡°I didn¡¯t use all the medicine that old man gave. Life at home is tough, especially in the winter. My elder and second brothers can only earn money by working in town, so I thought to sell the leftover medicine at the pharmacy, in hopes of exchanging it for some coin to help with family expenses. But I didn¡¯t expect¡­ to run into this kind of trouble, nearly losing our lives in the process!¡± Talking about this, whether it was Ye Jiu or Ye Wenqing, they both were still frightened. At the same time, this was also the first time they felt what power really meant! The injured nobleman looked extraordinary, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have brought two guards with him and could attack without any mercy, repeatedly threatening to exterminate someone¡¯s entire clan. If one¡¯s family had no background, which family would even consider such arrogance and despotism without thinking thrice about offending others? ¡°Younger aunt, it has already passed,¡± Ye Wenqing said blandly. ¡°Right, it has already passed.¡± It was only now that Ye Jiu remembered, she didn¡¯t even know where she got the courage from just before running away, she still remembered to snatch the silver note from that person¡¯s hand. Thinking about it now, it was actually quite funny. Truly as someone who died poor in a past life, even close to losing their life in this one, she still didn¡¯t forget to take the money! Ye Jiu clenched the silver note in her hand tightly and put it in front of her, the three characters ¡°One Hundred Taels¡± glaring aggressively at her eyes. Considering current prices, an egg cost one coin, and the Ye Family¡¯s entire annual expenses were not more than a few taels of Silver. This hundred taels would be enough for the Ye Family to save for over ten years without eating or drinking, and even then, it might not be enough. Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°Younger aunt, you say¡­ this is 100 taels of silver? Could it be that you saw it wrong?¡± Hearing this amount, even Ye Wenqing swallowed hard, his heart full of disbelief. Hearing Ye Wenqing say this, Ye Jiu remembered that in the eyes of the Ye Family, she was illiterate! So, Ye Jiu laughed awkwardly, ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not too clear on that.¡± ¡°How about we go to the money exchange to ask? I heard that the smallest denomination for silver notes is also fifty taels, so this shouldn¡¯t be less than fifty taels, right?¡± Although fifty taels seemed less shocking than one hundred, such an amount of money was still exciting, Ye Wenqing thought. After saying this, Ye Wenqing hesitated a bit, ¡°It¡¯s just that the money exchange is a bit far, and there¡¯s Uncle¡­¡± Ye Jiu¡¯s eyes rolled, ¡°I have an idea, come with me.¡± Ye Jiu pulled Ye Wenqing into a nearby cloth store. The New Year was nearly upon them, and Mrs. He¡¯s clothes were several years old, patched so much that they were unsightly to look at, and Ye Jiu felt pity for the old lady. Ye Jiu and Ye Wenqing¡¯s clothes were not good, making it obvious that they were from a common farming family, so no one came up to serve them. Ye Jiu didn¡¯t care, instead carefully picking from the ordinary fabrics. Although they now had money, flaunting it due to their family situation wasn¡¯t good, so Ye Jiu didn¡¯t plan to buy too expensive a fabric. After picking for a long time, Ye Jiu called over an attendant, and had several yards of dark blue fine cotton cloth cut according to Old Man Ye and Mrs. He¡¯s sizes. The elderly shouldn¡¯t wear bright colors, which wouldn¡¯t be appropriate, but this kind of dark color suited both the old couple. Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: 42 is too tempted by the free air Chapter 42: 42 is too tempted by the free air In fact, people at home all wear coarse cloth, which is too rough and not very comfortable to wear, whereas cotton cloth is a bit softer and more comfortable, but the wealthy wear silk and look down on cotton, so it costs only slightly more than coarse cloth. Though Mrs. He was not tall, the amount of fabric the two of them pulled off amounted to over four hundred coins, enough to show that clothing was genuinely a money-burning item in this era. When it was time to pay, Ye Jiu handed the shopkeeper the silver note worth a hundred taels, which still had some faint bloodstains on it. Moreover, the sight of a child holding such a large silver note inevitably made the shopkeeper take a few more glances at them. Ye Jiu could tell what the shopkeeper was thinking with just one look, but how the shopkeeper thought was of no concern to him, so Ye Jiu didn¡¯t plan to explain. After the shopkeeper made change, he gave back one fifty-tael silver note and two twenty-tael silver ingots, along with nine additional taels in loose silver and over five hundred copper coins. Even after leaving the cloth shop, Ye Wenqing was still trembling all over, filled with incredulity. This¡­ this silver note was really worth a hundred taels, so, did this count as a blessing in disguise? They had been scared but ended up with a hundred taels of silver, how could this feel so unbelievable? In contrast, Ye Jiu had calmed down a lot at this moment. He had received a hundred taels of silver, but that person had received a life, so they were not at a loss. However, coming up with an excuse to take the money home was indeed a big issue. When Ye Jiu had come to town today, he had intended to try his hand; he hadn¡¯t discussed anything with his family. Suddenly bringing home so much silver out of the blue, he wondered if it might scare the family terribly. After much thought, Ye Jiu took out a tael of silver and handed it to Ye Wenqing, ¡°Wenqing, you¡¯ve also had quite a scare today. Take this tael of silver, and see if there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to buy for yourself.¡± Go to ????????????????????.co Ye Wenqing, holding the money in his hand, suddenly felt it burn, for he had never held more than a few coins during the New Year¡¯s festivities, so this tael of silver was undoubtedly a fortune to him. ¡°Little aunt, I¡­ I don¡¯t have anything to buy, you should keep the money!¡± said Ye Wenqing, trying to refuse. But Ye Jiu wouldn¡¯t take it back, ¡°If I tell you to hold onto it, then hold onto it. Since you have nothing to buy, then just keep the silver for yourself. In a couple of years, you¡¯ll be of age to discuss marriage, and there surely won¡¯t be a shortage of places to spend the silver.¡± Ye Wenqing blushed and shakily put the money back into his own bosom. The little aunt had a point; having silver surely meant not lacking places to spend it. It was just last year after the New Year that their family visited their grandmother¡¯s house, but because their mother was reluctant to give gifts, they got quite a few disdainful looks from their aunts upon returning. If they had this money, at least their mother would have some confidence when going back to her parental home. Thanks to the thickness of his clothes, Ye Jiu was able to slip the rest of the silver, through his clothing, into the Dimensional Space, only leaving a few hundred copper coins and, refreshed, continued to stroll around. After a while, Ye Wenqing hesitated, ¡°Little aunt, we should stop wandering around. So much time has passed; we¡¯d better hurry and find my uncle, otherwise he¡¯ll surely be worried sick if he can¡¯t find us.¡± As Ye Wenqing said this, Ye Jiu remembered; she had been so enticed by the free air that she had completely forgotten about her fourth brother. Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: 43 could skin me alive No content Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: 44 making excuses to act alone No content Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: 45 fat white buns No content Chapter 46 - Chapter 46: 46 was complained about a lot No content Chapter 47 - Chapter 47: Money moves peoples hearts No content Chapter 48 - Chapter 48: 48-year-old Yes selfishness No content Chapter 49 - Chapter 49: 49 Earn more and more money Chapter 49: 49 Earn more and more money In all fairness, apart from this recent issue with the silver, Ye Gaosheng had always treated Ye Jiu sincerely well in the past; everything of value at home was given to Ye Jiu, and he had never complained about Mrs. Ye¡¯s partiality toward Ye Jiu. Ye Jiu believed that this time too, Ye Gaosheng was genuinely worried about the family¡¯s hard times, which was why he thought of using this silver. When Ye Jiu said this, it made Ye Gaosheng feel even more remorseful. He patted Ye Jiu¡¯s chubby hands, repeatedly saying, ¡°Good¡­¡± Although Ye Jiu had agreed about the silver, Mrs. Ye still felt uneasy in her heart. She had always been protective, and it was clear her daughter was at a disadvantage, so it was no wonder her demeanor was far from pleasant. Ye Jiu was earning money to make their family¡¯s life better, not to upset her parents. Seeing Mrs. Ye like this, she had no choice but to continue appeasing her, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s just fifty taels of silver, not even worth fussing over. In the future, your daughter will earn much more money to honor you.¡± ¡°Oh, my daughter is the most sensible, far better than those ungrateful types,¡± Mrs. Ye said, her heart swelling with relief. Ye Jiu felt embarrassed; if she didn¡¯t know her brothers were indeed Mrs. Ye¡¯s own children, she might have suspected that Mrs. Ye was actually a stepmother. Yet it was strange to think about: Mrs. Ye¡¯s marriage had been sabotaged by the Li family, and she had only secured her position in this family by having several sons. Under such circumstances, if she were to favor anyone, it should have been her sons. Yet she showed little affection toward her sons and doted excessively on her own daughter, who in others¡¯ eyes, was less valuable. Ye Jiu herself found this matter utterly incredible. Mrs. Ye, cheered up by Ye Jiu¡¯s cajoling, still spoke sternly to Ye Gaosheng, ¡°This time, I¡¯m letting it slide because it¡¯s for the sake of the fourth¡¯s wedding, but let me tell you, Ye, this kind of thing better not happen again.¡± Ye Gaosheng, faced with Mrs. Ye¡¯s remarks, turned ashen and dared not retort. Suddenly, Mrs. Ye shouted to someone outside, ¡°Fourth, come here a minute.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°What¡¯s up, Mother? Is there something you need me to do? Just command me.¡± Ye Gaosheng came in from outside, rubbing his hands from the cold and went to stand beside the stove, but Mrs. Ye slapped his hands away. ¡°Stop your chatter and stand aside; I have something to say.¡± Mrs. Ye still held some affection for this youngest son, but this affection couldn¡¯t compare to what she felt for Ye Jiu. ¡°Yes, yes, as long as you don¡¯t hit me, I¡¯ll stand,¡± Ye Gaosheng obediently stood aside to be scolded. ¡°Fourth, did you know that today your little sister made a hundred taels of silver selling medicine?¡± Mrs. Ye went straight to the point. ¡°What? She made a hundred taels of silver? When did this happen?¡± Ye Gaosheng was so startled by the mention of a hundred taels of silver that he almost jumped up. Afterward, Mrs. Ye recounted everything about Ye Jiu encountering the old man and selling medicine today from beginning to end, then couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°I told you to keep an eye on your sister, yet she made a hundred taels of silver right under your nose and you had no clue. You really are thick-headed.¡± Seeing Ye Gaosheng¡¯s bewildered face, Ye Jiu couldn¡¯t help but speak up for him, ¡°Mother, at that time, fourth brother was selling chickens and eggs. It was Wenqing and I who went to the pharmacy, and I told Wenqing not to mention it.¡± Chapter 50 - Chapter 50: 50 bad-tempered wives are unreasonable Chapter 50: 50 bad-tempered wives are unreasonable ¡°Right, how could I know if I¡¯m out here selling eggs and neither my little sister nor Wenqing tell me anything!¡± Ye Gaosheng also couldn¡¯t help defending himself for a bit. ¡°That¡¯s why I say you¡¯re a fool. You wouldn¡¯t even know if you were being sold. Even your little sister and Wenqing, those two kids, can pull the wool over your eyes,¡± He¡¯s wife said with cutting irony. Ye Gaosheng himself didn¡¯t even know what he had done to offend He¡¯s wife this time, seeing how her words were all laced with thorns. Ye Gaosheng touched his nose innocently and then just stood there, ready to be scolded. He had already run away once, and if he ran away again, he suspected that even his little sister wouldn¡¯t be able to save him later, hence his intuition told him it was better to stay put and take it. Seeing that Ye Gaosheng was behaving, He¡¯s wife finally got to the point, ¡°Fourth, you¡¯re not young anymore, and it¡¯s time to take a wife. It¡¯s our fault for not being able to provide a dowry, which is why we haven¡¯t arranged a match for you. But no matter what, finding a wife for you is your parents¡¯ responsibility, not your little sister¡¯s.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡± Ye Gaosheng knew all too well the family¡¯s circumstances, and having a simple mind, he didn¡¯t dwell on unnecessary fantasies, so he didn¡¯t blame anyone for the family¡¯s inability to afford a wife. ¡°Whether you¡¯re in a hurry or not, we can¡¯t put off the matter of getting you a wife any longer. Before, our family had no money, so it was left unsaid, but today your little sister has made money. She said she¡¯s willing to give it to you, but remember this: your sister giving you money is an act of kindness. You must remember this favor and take good care of her later on,¡± He¡¯s wife continued. ¡°Mom, look at what you¡¯re saying. Whether there¡¯s money or not, she¡¯s still my sister, no matter what happens. If I¡¯m not going to take care of her, who else would I take care of!¡± Ye Gaosheng was already deeply affectionate towards Ye Jiu under He¡¯s wife¡¯s influence, and upon hearing her words, his feelings toward Ye Jiu surged to the extent that he wished he could give his heart and soul. ¡°As long as you understand, that¡¯s good. Now, if there¡¯s nothing else, you can go. I¡¯ll find time tomorrow to go out and arrange your marriage sooner rather than later,¡± He¡¯s wife said dismissively as she shooed him away. After Ye Gaosheng left, Ye Jiu finally said to He¡¯s wife, ¡°Mom, I wasn¡¯t planning on revealing the matter of the silver I earned, why did you tell Fourth Brother everything?¡± He¡¯s wife stiffened her face, ¡°Why not say it? After taking so much silver, you got the short end of the stick; people must remember your kindness, or else what was the loss for?¡± Ye Lao Han felt uncomfortable, ¡°Look at you, it¡¯s all family here, why make such a clear distinction, talking about who¡¯s losing out? If the Ye Family does well, our daughter, once she leaves for her husband¡¯s family, will stand firm, right?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Pah, you aren¡¯t ashamed of those words!¡± He¡¯s wife immediately retorted, her eyes tearfully red which saddened Ye Jiu briefly, but it was only a moment before the domineering old lady regained her annoying demeanor, turning to urge Ye Jiu, ¡°Girl, don¡¯t listen to your dad¡¯s nonsense. Your mom will save up a sizeable dowry for you, so you can stand firm in your husband¡¯s family. As long as you have money, you won¡¯t be afraid of anyone bullying you.¡± ¡°You¡­ you darned unreasonable woman!¡± Ye Lao Han couldn¡¯t bear to hear He¡¯s wife¡¯s words and simply stood up, turned his back, and left. The daughter had said the fifty taels of silver were for him to spend. Ten taels for the young son¡¯s marriage should be more than enough; he would have to think carefully about how to use the rest. Chapter 51 - Chapter 51: With economic power in hand, there is nothing to fear. Chapter 51: With economic power in hand, there is nothing to fear. With so much Silver suddenly at hand, excitement truly stirred in people¡¯s hearts, and even Ye Old Man¡¯s stride seemed to catch a breeze. After Ye Old Man had left, Ye Jiu urged Madam He, ¡°Mother, if you keep confronting Father like this, and he gets snared away by the Li family¡¯s woman, you might regret it when the time comes.¡± What Ye Jiu wanted most was to sweep out Mrs. Li or at least have her mother and daughter move out, so they¡¯d stop being an eyesore in the house. However, Madam He disagreed, and in this era where mistresses were legally recognized, Ye Jiu truly felt helpless. But Madam He didn¡¯t take it to heart at all, ¡°If he dares, back when that little wretch Ye Erya was around he swore to me, if he ever gets tricked away by the Li family again, regardless of whose fault it is, they¡¯ll both be thrown out immediately. If he, a Ye, is not afraid to leave and face the cold northwest winds, he can go ahead and get heavily involved with Mrs. Li.¡± Madam He had full control over the Ye Family¡¯s finances, after all, and was not afraid. Madam He took the two large silver ingots in her hand, along with the fifty-tael silver note that Ye Old Man had left on the kang, locked them all in a wooden chest for money, and then placed it in the cupboard and locked it before she felt at ease. Taking the remaining five taels of Silver on the table, Madam He placed them in Ye Jiu¡¯s hand, ¡°My precious child, although you are still young, it¡¯s fine to start learning how to manage your own money. You keep these five taels of Silver along with what you already have on you, and if you want to buy something, have your Fourth Brother buy it for you. Don¡¯t hesitate to spend the money you¡¯ve earned yourself; otherwise, you never know which little brat might end up benefiting from it!¡± ¡°Thank you, Mother.¡± Ye Jiu indeed needed some silver money, and with Madam He willing to give it, she joyfully accepted it. Then, hugging Madam He¡¯s arm, she cooed, ¡°Mother, you are the person who loves me the most in this world, and I will surely love you the most in return.¡± Sweet words cost nothing to say, and filled Madam He¡¯s heart with joy, as if she could almost take out her heart and give it to her precious child. Excluding what they had eaten on the road, there were fifteen steamed buns left in total. Ye Old Man and Madam He each had one meat bun, and since Ye Gaosheng and Ye Wenqing had already eaten at noon, there was none left for them. The remaining three were just enough for the other three grandsons of the Ye Family. However, there were still ten vegetarian buns left, and after everyone had received their share, five were kept by Madam He under the pretense that Ye Jiu had earned the money, and since so much of it had already been used to supplement the household, these buns naturally shouldn¡¯t shortchange Ye Jiu either. Madam He was not someone who did good deeds anonymously. Before dinner even began, she had already announced once more that Ye Jiu had earned money and used it all to contribute to the household expenses, reminding everyone to be grateful for their young aunt¡¯s kindness! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0 Although Ye Jiu felt it was somewhat unnecessary, Madam He insisted, and Ye Jiu didn¡¯t want to disrespect her by challenging the idea over such a trivial matter. Upon further reflection, Ye Jiu thought it was actually good for everyone to know. Over the years, with her poor health, she had not skimped on spending money, whether for food, necessities, or medicine. While the eldest sister-in-law never said anything, no one truly knew what she thought in her heart. As for the second sister-in-law, her feelings were plainly written on her face. She had objections, and not just for a day or two. If it weren¡¯t for Madam He¡¯s control and the second brother¡¯s sentimentality, their second branch would have likely separated and lived their own good life by now. It was better to openly say that the money was earned by her, to prevent them from always feeling that she was taking advantage of the family, which would sour their moods. In the Ye Family¡¯s main house, everyone was having a joyful time with plenty to eat and drink, pushing away any displeasure for the moment.