《The Rural Lucky Daughter Is a Little Sweet》 Chapter 1 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ye qingyu lay quietly on the bed. she had just escaped from the gates of hell. her forehead was burning and her entire body was sore. she did not even have the strength to lift her fingers. her lifeless eyes opened and closed, closed and opened, finally accepting the unbelievable truth¡ª she had transmigrated to a country that did not exist in history! in her previous life, she was a doctor. during a medical trip to the countryside, she encountered a landslide. when she woke up and opened her eyes, she was here. countless complicated memories appeared in her mind¡­ in this life, her name was also ye qingyu. she was 19 years old this year and was from yeliu village, qing he county, in the great zhou dynasty. the original owner of this body had been as beautiful as a flower since she was young. the ye family doted on her like a treasure. although she was born in a small village, they never let her do any rough work. usually, they would only let her do some embroidery and needlework. they even sent her to a private school to study and taught her how to read and write. they raised her like a young lady from a wealthy family! the original owner of the body had really grown up to be gentle, elegant, and well-mannered. she was unique in ye liu village. when she reached marriageable age at the age of 15, hundreds of families asked for her. there would be an endless stream of wealthy businessmen from nearby villages and even county cities who would come to ask for her hand in marriage. this almost broke the entrance of the ye family. the ye family had finally arranged a marriage for the girl. the man¡¯s name was liu junsheng. liu junsheng¡¯s family was not rich, nor was he a wealthy businessman. he was just a man from the neighboring liu family village. his family background was average, but he was very talented. he was a young and promising elementary scholar. the teacher in the county school even said that liu junsheng would participate in the imperial examination three years later. with his talent, he might even become a high scholar! not only that, liu junsheng was refined and fair. his peach blossom eyes were very gentle and affectionate. the original owner of this body, who had secretly met liu junsheng once, fell in love with him at first sight. later on, the original owner received a few love poems written by liu junsheng and a handkerchief. from then on, they became deeply in love. however, just as the two families officially set the wedding date and they were about to get married in half a month, a tragedy happened! the original owner accidentally ate a strange mushroom. although her life was saved in the end, the right side of her originally charming face was covered in black spots. it was terrifying. in order to restore the original owner¡¯s appearance, the ye family hired countless doctors. they had spent almost all the savings in the family, but they still could not cure her. when it rains, it pours! the ye family¡¯s tofu shop also had a huge accident at that moment and almost caused someone¡¯s death. not only did the ye family suffer a heavy beating in the county office, but they even compensated the entire tofu shop! seeing the original owner and the ye family suffer such a huge change, liu junsheng and his family completely turned against them! liu junsheng¡¯s mother had caused trouble in the ye family a few times and insisted on breaking off the engagement for her son. she was determined not to let ye qingyu marry into her family. although the ye family was angry at the liu family¡¯s betrayal, looking at the liu family¡¯s attitude, the ye family thought that even if they insisted for the original owner to marry over, she would not have a good life in the liu family. for her sake, they swallowed their anger and broke off the engagement. however, although the marriage was broken off, the original owner could not forget liu junsheng. not only did she not resent liu junsheng for breaking off the engagement, but she also blamed her family for not finding a good doctor to treat her face every day, causing her to be unable to get married. in the blink of an eye, two years had passed. in order to treat the original owner, the ye family had been completely ruined. their fields and properties had all been sold. originally the richest family in the village, they almost couldn¡¯t put food on the table now. on the other hand, the original owner of the body had always been trapped in the pain of being disfigured and annulled. her originally gentle and generous personality had now become gloomy and terrifying, sharp and mean. just yesterday, the news that liu junsheng had become a high scholar, returned to qing he county to be the registrar, and married the county deputy¡¯s daughter reached the ye qingyu¡¯s ears. she was filled with sorrow and hatred. in a moment of folly, she jumped into the river to seek her own death¡­ Chapter 2 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°this fool! she even abandoned her loved ones for a scumbag!¡± ye qingyu sorted out the situation in her mind and was so angry that her lungs almost exploded. ¡°she really doesn¡¯t know how lucky she is!¡± in her previous life, she was an orphan. what she envied and yearned for the most was the love and care of a family. ¡°creak!¡± at this moment, there was a soft sound from the dilapidated door. a middle-aged woman in blue rough clothes walked in with a bowl of medicine and a worried expression. when ye qingyu heard this, she turned to look at her. from her memory, she knew that this was the original owner¡¯s mother, madam ye. ¡°yu¡¯er, you¡¯re awake?!¡± madam ye met her daughter¡¯s eyes and was stunned for a moment. then, she smiled in surprise and quickly walked over. she put the medicine bowl aside and sat by the bed. ye qingyu looked at her and saw that her eyes were filled with tears and her face was filled with love and joy. this was the first time she had truly felt the love and care of family. her heart could not help but be touched. she opened her mouth slightly and called out hoarsely, ¡°mother¡­¡± ¡°yes, i¡¯m right here! boohoo¡­ i¡¯m here, i¡¯m here¡­¡± hearing her daughter call her and looking at her weak and pitiful appearance, madam ye felt so much pain that her heart was about to break. tears fell immediately. she reached out with red eyes. she wanted to touch her daughter¡¯s disfigured cheek, but halfway through, she thought of her daughter¡¯s past resistance and quickly retracted her hand. she held ye qingyu¡¯s hand instead. ¡°boohoo¡­ yu¡¯er, you¡¯ve been unconscious for almost a day. you¡¯re finally awake! you, you scared me to death! how can you take things too hard and jump into the river! ¡°if you die, how can me, your father and your grandparents live! boohoo¡­¡± ¡°you silly child, that liu junsheng isn¡¯t a good man. back then, the two of you had already set a wedding date. he insisted on breaking off the engagement because you were disfigured. he¡¯s simply treacherous!¡± ¡°he only became a high scholar and came back to be the registrar. he only married the county deputy¡¯s daughter. even if he marries a princess and becomes the prince consort, it has nothing to do with us! daughter, i¡¯m begging you. let¡¯s¡ªlet¡¯s forget about him and stop thinking about him. let¡¯s not die for him, okay?¡± ¡°okay.¡± ye qingyu nodded heavily, making her feel dizzy. however, seeing that her mother was dumbfounded, she still smiled and nodded again. she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°okay!¡± ¡°¡­ yu¡¯er, you really agreed just now? you¡¯re really not stubborn anymore? you agreed?¡± madam ye was stunned for a moment. she held her hand tightly in surprise and asked for confirmation again and again with red eyes. ¡°yes, mother. i¡¯ve been to the gates of hell. i¡¯ve figured it out,¡± ye qingyu said weakly. ¡°liu junsheng isn¡¯t worthy of my attention.¡± ¡°yes, yes, yes. he¡¯s not worth it! it¡¯s good that you figured it out. i¡¯m so happy.¡± madam ye was once again so happy that she cried tears of joy. she was happy that her daughter finally stopped being stubborn. she was even happier that her daughter finally smiled again and spoke as gently and politely as before. ever since her daughter was disfigured, she had become gloomy. not only did she stop smiling, she had also become especially irritable and angry. she often lost her temper and spoke harshly. her family knew that she had been doted on since she was young and had always had high self-esteem. she felt bitter that she had been disfigured and the engagement was annulled. therefore, they did not blame her. they just felt sorry for her and did not know how to comfort her. madam ye wiped her tears excitedly and leaned over to touch her daughter¡¯s forehead. ¡°it¡¯s still hot. let¡¯s not talk about it first. come, drink the medicine while it¡¯s hot. you¡¯ll only recover after the fever subsides.¡± as she spoke, madam ye helped her daughter up and let her sit. ¡°mother, where did our family get the money to treat me and buy medicine? don¡¯t tell me you sold the last two acres of land at home?!¡± Chapter 3 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios from the original owner¡¯s memories, ye qingyu knew that they did not have money at home. apart from some coarse chaff, there was no other food in the vat. moreover, other than her, when her grandfather had an accident at the tofu shop, his body was also seriously injured because he had been caned. he was bedridden and needed to take medicine all year round. at this time, it was very expensive to see a doctor and get medicine. otherwise, the ye family, which was originally a rich family in the village, would not be so poor now. ¡°¡­we didn¡¯t sell it! that¡¯s the last field in the family. we can¡¯t sell it no matter what. we borrowed money from someone else. d-don¡¯t worry about it. drink the medicine first. the most important thing is to recuperate.¡± when madam ye heard her daughter¡¯s question, she felt a wave of sadness and joy. she was happy that her daughter was finally starting to care about the situation at home again and was no longer stuck in her own pain. however, when she thought about how her eldest son had signed a three-year contract with landlord li¡¯s family in town to treat her daughter¡¯s illness, madam ye felt a wave of sadness from the bottom of her heart. madam ye hid the sadness in her eyes and squeezed out a gentle smile. she brought the medicine to her daughter¡¯s mouth and got her to drink it. one look at her mother¡¯s expression and ye qingyu knew that there was something wrong with the money. however, even if she asked again, her mother would not tell her the truth. she could only suppress it for the time being. besides, she could only do other things once her fever subsided and her body recovers. therefore, she raised her head and drank the medicine in one gulp, not wasting any. how bitter! after drinking the medicine, ye qingyu put the medicine bowl aside and looked at the darkening sky outside the window. she asked with concern, ¡°mother, is my grandma at home? how¡¯s my grandpa¡¯s health? father and second uncle haven¡¯t returned from the fields yet? and where¡¯s my second aunt, my brothers, and the little ones?¡± ever since ye qingyu woke up, she only saw her mother and did not hear anything else in the house. it was so quiet that she panicked. she was afraid that something had happened to the others in the family after the original owner jumped into the river. after ye qingyu received the original owner¡¯s memories and saw what the original owner had done for the past three years, she was furious with her. on one hand, she was angry that she had humiliated her family¡¯s love and did not know how to cherish it. on the other hand, she was very envious and jealous that she could have such a good family. even though the original owner had become closed-off and gloomy after being disfigured, she did not help share the family¡¯s burdens and caused trouble. however, the family did not give up on her or despise her. therefore, ye qingyu cherished her family now. even if she couldn¡¯t do anything for them immediately, she wanted to know if they were doing fine. ¡°your grandmother brought your second brother to the mountains to dig for wild vegetables. your grandfather is fine and is lying in the central room. your father and your second uncle are also busy in the fields. your second aunt brought the kids back to her maiden home to borrow food. they might only be back tomorrow.¡± madam ye sat back down and avoided talking about her eldest son. she talked about everyone in the family. ¡°where¡¯s my first younger brother? mother, did something happen to him? why didn¡¯t you say anything about him?¡± ye qingyu was a meticulous person and immediately asked. ¡°your¡­ your first younger brother went to study from a carpenter in town and won¡¯t be able to come back for the time being. this is a good thing. he¡¯s provided with food and accommodation there and can even learn skills. he¡¯ll start getting paid in a month. besides, that family is very good to your eldest brother.¡± madam ye lowered her head and did not dare to look into her daughter¡¯s bright eyes. she used the excuse she had discussed with her family. if her daughter knew that her first younger brother sold himself as a slave for her, perhaps she would take things too hard again. madam ye¡¯s heart ached for her son. however, she did not want her daughter to commit suicide again. Chapter 4 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°isn¡¯t that too good to be true?¡± ye qingyu instinctively suspected. ¡°which carpenter¡¯s shop is it?¡± she had a feeling that her first younger brother¡¯s whereabouts seemed to have something to do with the money for her medicine. ¡°in the qian family. i¡¯m not lying to you.¡± madam ye looked at her reproachfully. she was afraid that her daughter would ask too much, so she quickly changed the topic and asked. ¡°do you remember who saved you from the river?¡± when they found out that their daughter had fallen into the river, she had already been saved and placed on the shore. when they asked the villagers, they said that they did not see who had saved her. this matter could be big or small. it involved her daughter¡¯s reputation. after all, if the person who saved her was a young man and had skin contact with his daughter, the other party would have to be responsible for his daughter. when ye qingyu heard this, she carefully searched her memories and realized that her memories of being saved after falling into the water did not belong to the original owner, but to herself. it turned out that she had transmigrated back then. then, a determined and defined face with a scar on the left eyebrow appeared in her mind. through the original owner¡¯s memories, she knew that the person who saved her was xu jingnan from the village. recalling the process of being saved by him, the corners of ye qingyu¡¯s mouth twitched. she did not know whether to laugh or cry. xu jingnan had gone into the river to save her, but he had not carried her to the shore. instead, he had put her in a large bamboo cage and pulled her to the shore with a rope. he did not touch her at all. there was no such thing as skin contact! ¡°mother, i know what you¡¯re thinking. i fainted. i don¡¯t know who saved me, but even if i do know, i want to pretend that i don¡¯t. he saved me out of goodwill. if we make use of this to force him to marry me, won¡¯t we be repaying kindness with ingratitude?¡± ye qingyu came back to her senses and said to her mother, hiding xu jingnan¡¯s presence. since the other party had chosen that method to save her because he did not want to be associated with her, it was better for her not to say it. ¡°you silly girl, what are you talking about? how is that repaying kindness with ingratitude? you know how to read and write, you know how to embroider, and you have a good personality. it¡¯s my blessing for anyone to marry you!¡± madam ye did not like to hear her daughter¡¯s words and immediately glared at her. ye qingyu smiled at her mother, held her hand, and said softly, ¡°mother, we¡¯re farmers. if the men in this village want to marry, they would marry strong women who are able to go to the fields and farm. they also have to cook at home. although i can read and embroider, i don¡¯t know how to do any housework or farming. furthermore, my face is ruined. who would want me?¡± madam ye knew that her daughter was telling the truth. she looked at her daughter¡¯s half-disfigured face and withered hair. when she thought of her daughter¡¯s original delicate appearance, her heart was crushed. it hurt so much. madam ye turned her head and quickly wiped away her tears. she stood up and helped ye qingyu lie down again. she gently tucked her in. ¡°alright, let¡¯s not talk about this. it¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re awake now. it¡¯s dark. i¡¯m going to cook. sleep well. i will wake you up when it¡¯s time to eat.¡± ¡°mother, there¡¯s no need to wake me up. i¡¯ll be sweating after drinking the medicine and will sleep well. i¡¯ll be fine by tomorrow morning,¡± ye qingyu quickly said. she was indeed tired. after talking for a while, she was already exhausted. she did not want to eat anymore and wanted to save food for the family. ¡°that works too.¡± madam ye tucked her daughter in again. she looked at her lovingly and went out with the medicine bowl. ye qingyu watched her mother leave and sighed. she was still brooding over her first younger brother¡¯s matter. her mother must be hiding something from her, and it wasn¡¯t a good thing. Chapter 5 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios when ye qingyu thought of this, she couldn¡¯t wait to get better. she wanted to earn money and improve her family¡¯s living conditions. in her previous life, she was a doctor and knew both chinese and western medicine. she often went to remote mountains for medical assistance, so she knew how to pick herbs and was also good at it. ye liu village was next to a deep mountain. usually, the villagers only dug some wild vegetables outside the mountain. since there were ferocious beasts in the mountain, other than hunters, ordinary villagers did not dare to enter easily. ye qingyu knew that there must be a lot of herbs in such a mountain. there would even be ginseng. when she was better, she would pick herbs and sell them for money. this was one way out. however, picking herbs was not a long-term solution. she still had to think of other ways to earn money¡­ as ye qingyu thought about it, she fell asleep because she was exhausted. when she woke up again, it was already the next morning. ye qingyu touched her forehead and was delighted to find that her fever had subsided and she had some strength in her body. she lifted the blanket and sat up on the bed. she put on her outerwear awkwardly and tied her messy clothes. ¡®fortunately, i have the original owner¡¯s memories. otherwise, i wouldn¡¯t be able to wear this myself.¡¯ ye qingyu thought to herself. ¡®i¡¯m really not used to it.¡¯ ye qingyu put on her shoes and stood up. after stretching her body a little, she was so tired that she panted. ye qingyu frowned. her body was too weak. however, this was normal. the original owner¡¯s body had not eaten for a long time. she jumped into the river and had a high fever. she had just returned after walking through the gates of hell. it would be strange if she recovered so quickly! ye qingyu held onto the table and sat down. she picked up the bronze mirror on the table to see what this body looked like. the bronze mirror was not very clear. she could only vaguely see her facial features, but she could not see the freckles, depressions, or acne on her face. it was as if many filters had been added to it and could raise a person¡¯s appearance by several levels, instantly making one more beautiful. because of this, even after the original owner was disfigured, she did not discard this bronze mirror. this was because when she looked into the mirror, as long as she did not look carefully, she could not see the black strands or spots on her face clearly. she looked as if she was not disfigured. ¡°she¡¯s indeed a beauty.¡± ye qingyu looked at herself in the mirror. her face was glowy like silverware, and her eyes were gentle like the river. her willowy eyebrows were like crescent moons, her nose was delicate, and her lips were red. sigh, what a pity. such a beauty had already been disfigured. in ancient times, women valued beauty and marriage. no wonder the original owner¡¯s personality changed drastically after she was disfigured and the engagement was annulled. she even wanted to die. however, ye qingyu was very calm and did not think that this half-disfigured appearance was a big problem. of course, she also loved beauty, but now, what was more important than beauty was to fill her and her family¡¯s stomachs and live a good life. as for treating her illness and recovering her appearance, she could only put it aside for the time being. ye qingyu picked up the comb and combed her hair. although her movements were still a little rusty, with the original owner¡¯s memories and habits, she was able to do it without much issue. after packing up, ye qingyu pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard. she saw a few dilapidated mud houses and even a house made of thatch. two years ago, the family sold the green brick tiled house they used to live in and used one tael of silver to buy the most dilapidated house in the village. however, the family was too big. at that time, it was winter and there was no time to build another mud hut. hence, they changed the livestock shed and built a house with thatch for her brothers to live in. Chapter 6 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios the thatch hut did not shelter them from the wind or rain. it was so cold in the winter that one could freeze to death in it. as the eldest sister, she lived alone in a mud house, and her two brothers had no complaints. when ye qingyu thought of this, a complicated feeling surged in her heart. in this family, the original owner was truly doted on. unfortunately, she didn¡¯t cherish it! ye qingyu walked to the chicken coop and pigpen in the courtyard and leaned against the fence to look inside. she saw that it was quite clean and there was not much stench. this was all thanks to her mother, aunt, and grandmother. the women in the family were very diligent. most of the time, her first younger brother and her youngest brother would also help. as for the original owner, she had never done such work before. she still treated herself as a delicate young lady like three years ago and didn¡¯t even approach these things. she found the pigs and the chickens smelly. ye qingyu secretly scolded the original owner for being pretentious and not recognizing reality when she couldn¡¯t even fill her stomach. how annoying! after wandering around the courtyard, ye qingyu did not see anyone. moreover, the house was very quiet. she guessed that everyone must have gone out to work again. at this moment, a crisp and surprised voice came from the door. ¡°big sister, you¡¯re awake!¡± ye qingyu quickly turned around and saw her youngest brother, ye qingfeng, coming in carrying a bamboo basket of pigweed on his back. ye qingfeng was 11 years old this year. since he had been eating poorly for the past few years, he was malnourished and was not tall. he was skinny and his skin was tanned.s however, his eyes were very bright and big. he looked very smart. ¡°big sister, has your fever subsided? wait for me to wash my hands. i¡¯ll go get you some food. go back to your room and rest first,¡± ye qingfeng said naturally as he put down the bamboo basket. he spoke and did things like a little adult. he didn¡¯t think anything of taking care of his big sister, who was seven or eight years older than him. when ye qingyu heard this, she blushed for the original owner. even she felt embarrassed. her eleven-year-old brother had woken up early and had already gone to the mountains to cut a basket full of pigweed. however, as the big sister, she had just woken up and was not even getting food for herself. she was just waiting for the food to be brought to her. ye qingyu felt that the ye family doted on the original owner too much. ¡°¡­ qingfeng, my fever has subsided. go rest. i¡¯ll get the food myself,¡± ye qingyu said with a smile. she walked to his side and stood still. looking at his thin and weak appearance, ye qingyu¡¯s beautiful eyes were filled with pity. she couldn¡¯t help but raise her hand to stroke his withered hair. ¡°¡­ big sister, you¡¯re smiling again?¡± ye qingfeng looked at ye qingyu¡¯s smile and widened his eyes in surprise. he had not seen his big sister smile for a long time. in the past, his big sister was very beautiful when she smiled. ever since she was disfigured, her face would be dark all day and she had become very scary. he was actually a little scared of her and did not dare to talk to her or look at her. but now, his big sister was smiling again. although half of her face was ruined, his big sister was still so gentle and beautiful when she smiled. ye qingfeng suddenly felt a lump in his throat. he was quite happy, but he also felt like crying. ¡°qingfeng, i was disfigured and my engagement was annulled. i didn¡¯t think things through for a while. it seems like i¡¯ve been possessed these few years and didn¡¯t act like a proper big sister at all. not only did i not take care of you, but i even asked you to take care of me and bear the work and responsibilities of the family. i¡¯m sorry.¡± looking at his surprised expression, ye qingyu¡¯s heart ached. she apologized to him for the original owner and prepared for her future changes. ¡°¡­ big sister, don¡¯t say that. i¡¯m a boy. it¡¯s only right for me to do more work!¡± when ye qingfeng heard this, tears welled up in his eyes. he was overjoyed. Chapter 7 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios the gentle big sister from the past had returned. that wasn¡¯t right either. his big sister had become even gentler than before she was disfigured. her words were also warm. how nice! ye qingfeng hurriedly raised his hand to wipe his tears. he felt quite embarrassed to cry at such an old age. when he raised his hand, ye qingyu saw the wound on his hand and couldn¡¯t help but grab it with heartache. seeing that it was covered in wounds from cutting grass and the fresh small scratches, she couldn¡¯t help but ask with heartache, ¡°does it hurt a lot? when i recover, i¡¯ll go cut the grass. you rest at home.¡± ¡°¡­no, it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± ye qingfeng blushed slightly when his sister held his hand and asked him so gently. he quickly retracted his hand in embarrassment. ¡°big sister, i¡¯ll go get you some rice. go wait in the room.¡± after saying that, ye qingfeng darted out like a monkey. he was so fast that it was as if a wolf was chasing him. ye qingyu looked at his back and couldn¡¯t help but smile. she felt that her second younger brother was very cute. she did not fight with him. instead, she took this opportunity to turn around and go to the central room to visit her sick grandfather. ¨C ¡°grandpa.¡± ye qingyu came to the bed and looked at the thin and lifeless old man on the bed. she didn¡¯t know if it was because of the original owner¡¯s influence or because she was emotional, but her nose stung and her eyes immediately turned red. ¡°qingyu, you¡¯re awake? that¡¯s great!¡± when grandpa ye saw his eldest granddaughter, his originally dim eyes immediately lit up. there were tears in his eyes as he said angrily and anxiously. ¡°you silly girl, how can you jump into the river and court death?! you¡¯re making your grandfather¡¯s heart ache! it¡¯s all my fault for being incompetent. not only did i cause the incident at the tofu shop back then, but i also became a burden to you all. ¡°if we didn¡¯t treat me and spend all the family¡¯s money, we wouldn¡¯t be too poor to treat your face so that you couldn¡¯t get married, let alone let our family live such a hard life¡­ it¡¯s all my fault! it¡¯s all my fault!¡± ¡°grandpa, don¡¯t say that! you¡¯re the backbone of the family. with you around, we¡¯ll be at ease!¡± ye qingyu hurriedly held her grandfather¡¯s hand and said sincerely. ¡°grandpa, i wasn¡¯t in my right mind these few years. i was wrong and have always blamed the heavens for what happened! i figured it out after surviving this calamity. liu junsheng isn¡¯t a good person and isn¡¯t worth my attention. although i¡¯m disfigured, i can read and embroider. no matter what, i can help the family earn money and help the family live a better life. when our family gets better and i really can¡¯t get married, i¡¯ll find a poor boy who doesn¡¯t mind my looks as your grandson-in-law. grandpa, what do you think?¡± ye qingyu said that purely to make her grandfather happy. she was not anxious at all about getting married. however, it was also very embarrassing for a woman during this time to not get married after turning 18. moreover, with this body, she was about to turn 19 years old and become an ugly old girl. although her family did not say anything, they were anxious about her marriage and their hearts ached. ¡°good, good, good!¡± when grandpa ye heard his granddaughter¡¯s determination, tears welled up in his eyes. he repeatedly said ¡°good¡± excitedly, and a dazzling light appeared on his pale face as he held ye qingyu¡¯s hand tightly. ye qingyu also smiled and secretly took her grandfather¡¯s pulse. she realized that her grandfather¡¯s body was weak and his internal organs were injured. his pulse was also blocked. he must not have recovered fully after being caned in the past. after that incident, he was angry and could not recuperate well. his condition became even worse. she knew of a few old prescriptions. one of them could treat her grandfather¡¯s illness, but she didn¡¯t have money for it now¡­ Chapter 8 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°big sister, i brought you food. hurry up and eat.¡± at this moment, ye qingfeng walked to the central room with a bowl of soup, a piece of cornbread, and an egg. he placed them on the table and shouted. ¡°yes, i¡¯m here,¡± ye qingyu replied and said goodbye to her grandfather. she went out of the inner room to eat. when ye qingyu saw the thick soup in the bowl and the egg, her heart ached and warmed. these were probably the best things they had in the house and they had been left for her. ¡°qingfeng, have you eaten?¡± ye qingyu sat down, cracked the egg, and peeled it. immediately, the fragrance of the egg entered her nose. ¡°i ate long ago.¡± ye qingfeng smelled the egg fragrance and swallowed his saliva. he quickly looked away. ¡°big sister, i haven¡¯t fed the pigs yet. i¡¯ll go out first.¡± ¡°qingfeng, wait. let¡¯s share this egg among me, you, and grandpa.¡± ye qingyu separated the egg white and yolk and ate a little of the egg white herself. then, she left the most nutritious yolk for her brother and grandfather. ¡°hurry up, i¡¯ve finished my portion. this is for you. send the other half to our grandpa and give him some water. make sure he doesn¡¯t choke on it.¡± ye qingyu knew that if she did not eat a little, ye qingfeng would definitely not eat it. even so, she had to put on a tough attitude and make him eat. ¡°big sister, finish it all. you¡¯re sick. you need to nourish yourself. i¡¯m not eating!¡± although ye qingfeng smelled the fragrance of the egg and really wanted to eat it, he was very sensible. his grandmother and parents had instructed him that this egg was to nourish his big sister¡¯s body. he could not eat it. ¡°you¡¯re not listening to your big sister?! i told you to eat, so take it.¡± ye qingyu¡¯s face darkened, and ye qingfeng was instantly frightened. he took it and took a bite. ¡°i¡¯ll send it to grandpa.¡± ye qingyu nodded. not long after, she heard her grandpa and qingfeng trying to make each other eat it. qingfeng persuaded him for a long time before finally making their grandfather eat the egg. it was just an egg, but her family treated it as a treasure. they gave it to each other and could not bear to eat it. this made ye qingyu¡¯s heart warm but also ache. however, there was even more anxiety in her heart. she had to quickly think of a way to earn money. she had to at least let her family fill their stomachs first! she soaked the hard cornbread in the bowl of soup. when it became soft, ye qingyu swallowed it whole. of course, it tasted terrible, but she did not have a choice. if she did not eat, she would starve to death. moreover, this was the best food the family had. the cornbread her parents ate was not made of flour like hers. it was made of coarse chaff and scratched their throats when they swallowed it. after breakfast, ye qingfeng cleaned up the dishes before her and said sensibly, ¡°big sister, go back to bed and lie down. don¡¯t tire yourself out. i¡¯ll wash the dishes.¡± ¡°my body will get weaker and weaker the more i lie down. i have to move around appropriately so that i can recover faster,¡± ye qingyu said seriously. she left the central room and walked around the courtyard. although ye qingfeng felt that this was different from what he knew in the past, he still nodded. before his big sister was disfigured, apart from his big brother, her big sister was the most educated in the family. if she said so, it must be true. ¡°qingfeng, did grandma, father, mother, and second uncle go to the fields?¡± ye qingyu asked. ¡°no, they went to town,¡± ye qingfeng answered as he washed the dishes. ¡°father and second uncle should still be working at the grain shop. today, a rich family in town is getting married. grandma and mother will help wash the dishes and clean up there. they might be able to earn five to six copper coins today! if it weren¡¯t for the fact that i¡¯m still young, i would have followed them too. but if i did, there would be no one to take care of you and grandpa. i could only stay at home.¡± Chapter 9 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios when ye qingyu heard this, she understood. when the family was idle, her father and second uncle would always go to town to find work. it was hard work that was tiring and paid very little. but it was better than not having any work to do. every copper coin counted. it was rare for her grandmother and her mother to do the work they were doing today. after a busy day, they could earn more than ten copper coins. it was enough for the family to put food on the table for a few days. ¡°qingfeng, do you hate me? if i hadn¡¯t jumped into the river and needed money to save my life, our brother wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± ye qingyu deliberately paused and continued with a sad expression, ¡°i really hate myself! not only have i not helped the family at all in the past few years, but i¡¯ve also been a burden to everyone. i disrespected my elders, and i wasn¡¯t good to you guys either. i really feel too ashamed to live!¡± ¡°aiyo, big sister, don¡¯t say that! you can¡¯t think about dying again. it wasn¡¯t easy for us to save you!¡± ye qingfeng was so frightened by her words that he almost dropped the bowl in his hands. he quickly put it down and ran to her. ¡°big brother volunteered to work as a long-term laborer at landlord li¡¯s house. i wanted to go too, but i¡¯m too young and he doesn¡¯t want to hire me. it¡¯s just three years. he can also get a salary every month. it¡¯s a good job.¡± ¡°a long-term laborer?! idiot! idiot!¡± ye qingyu found out her first younger brother¡¯s true whereabouts. she was so angry that her eyes were dizzy and her body was trembling. ¡°he is only 15 years old. he¡¯s been studying since he was young and doesn¡¯t have much strength. how can he be good at being a long-term laborer? if he really goes to work at the landlord¡¯s house, he¡¯ll be tortured to death! i remember that i still have my dowry from before. sell my dowry. there¡¯ll be enough money to buy medicine to treat my illness. how can i let my younger brother sell himself as a long-term laborer!¡± the original owner¡¯s dowry was prepared three years ago. at that time, the ye family had not fallen and the original owner was doted on. the dowry prepared for her was worth 50 to 60 taels of silver. not to mention in this village, even if it was an ordinary rich family in town, it would be rare for them to prepare such a dowry for their daughter¡¯s marriage. moreover, at that time, the marriage date between the original owner and liu junsheng was set. the original owner also had feelings for liu junsheng. the wedding dress that she personally embroidered, the pillowcase, and the blankets were all made of good cloth and embroidery thread. later on, when the ye family lost all their assets. they could only rely on selling their fields and houses to survive. however, other than some jewelry, the original owner¡¯s dowry was not sold. she was unwilling to sell things like her wedding dress and blankets. seeing that she was unwilling, the family didn¡¯t mention it again. they didn¡¯t want to make her sad. the family would rather starve and let the original owner continue to keep the wedding dress. after ye qingyu saw this memory, she felt that the original owner was really pitiful and hateful! she couldn¡¯t see her family suffering and didn¡¯t help with the work, but she protected her dowry like crazy and kept thinking of the scumbag. how infuriating! ye qingfeng was stunned by his big sister¡¯s outburst for a moment before he realized that his big sister was lying to him just now. she didn¡¯t know where his brother was at all. oops! ye qingfeng slapped his forehead in frustration. he was usually quite smart. why did he fall into his big sister¡¯s trap? no wonder his parents said that before his sister got into trouble, she was smart and had a delicate heart. ¡°big sister, you refused to let us sell your dowry previously. now that something has happened to you, how can father and mother dare to touch your dowry? they were afraid that you¡¯d commit suicide again when you woke up, so they could only think of other ways to raise money. however, apart from two acres of land, nothing else in our family was worth much. after your accident the day before yesterday, our mother and second aunt couldn¡¯t borrow money from their maiden home because we didn¡¯t return the money we owed previously. our youngest aunt wanted to help us, but she was powerless. ever since our family fell, her life with her in-laws had been difficult, and she had no money to lend us. his family had also borrowed a lot of money from the family clan. they usually gave us all kinds of help, and everyone¡¯s lives were not easy. our parents were really too ashamed to ask them for more. the other villagers know that we¡¯re poor, so they won¡¯t lend it to us. there¡¯s nothing we can do other than letting big brother work as a long-term laborer.¡± ye qingfeng explained the ye family¡¯s desperate situation in a few sentences. Chapter 10 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°it¡¯s really¡­ all my fault!¡± ye qingyu felt powerless. this family doted on their daughter so much that they could sell their son. sigh! ¡°big sister, you just said that being a long-term laborer is very scary. is that true? father, mother, and brother told me that he could eat his fill at the landlord¡¯s house. he could still have half a tael of silver for his monthly salary. he just had to work obediently. what you said is different from what they said.¡± ye qingfeng frowned and said with a conflicted expression. ¡°that¡¯s because father and mother didn¡¯t want you to worry and lied to you! they even told me that my first younger brother went to learn craftsmanship from a carpenter. if his going to work as a long-term laborer was so good, why would father and mother lie to me? moreover, half a tael of silver a month is also a lie. if he could really earn so much, our father would have gone himself. how could he let our brother go? this must be because our father is a bigger breadwinner, so he has to work outside to earn more money. don¡¯t you think this makes sense?¡± ye qingyu said. ¡°aiyaya, that makes sense!¡± ye qingfeng nodded vigorously and panicked. ¡°big sister, what should we do? will big brother be fine?¡± ¡°qingfeng, come here.¡± ye qingyu thought for a moment and pulled him into her room. she opened the red wooden box at the head of the bed and found her dowry. ¡°let¡¯s go to town and find father and second uncle. we¡¯ll sell the dowry and redeem our brother.¡± ¡°big sister, are you really going to sell it? but if you sell it, you won¡¯t be able to buy such a good wedding dress when you get married in the future,¡± ye qingfeng said. ¡°what do you think is more important, our brother or this dowry?¡± ye qingyu looked at him with a straight face. ¡°of course¡­ big brother is more important!¡± ye qingfeng looked excited. ¡°big sister, how much can your dowry be sold for?¡± ¡°i can¡¯t say for sure. altogether, there might be ten taels,¡± ye qingyu said uncertainly. ¡°wow! ten taels, that¡¯s an acre of high-grade farmland! can we really sell it for so much?! then¡­ are we going to town now?¡± ye qingfeng was excited but also a little nervous as he counted with his fingers. ¡°big brother signed a flexible contract. landlord li¡¯s family only gave us one and a half taels of silver. after we redeem big brother, wouldn¡¯t we still have eight and a half taels left? apart from the money to get medicine for grandpa, this money is enough to last us for more than half a year! big sister, is that right?¡± ¡°yes, let¡¯s go to town now.¡± ye qingyu couldn¡¯t help but smile when she saw how happy he was. ¡°however, my body is too weak. i can¡¯t walk to town. go and ask if the zhao family¡¯s ox cart goes to town. let¡¯s take a ride.¡± ¡°big sister, i don¡¯t have to ask. the zhao family¡¯s ox cart goes to town at this hour every day, but we don¡¯t have the money to take a ride!¡± ye qingfeng spread his hands, his face filled with worry. when villagers took the ox cart to town, they usually paid one copper coin per person. rich families were willing to pay this fare. those whose families were not rich chose to walk to town on foot. however, ye qingyu was weak and could not walk for too long, let alone walk for two hours. if she wanted to go, she had to take an ox cart. this fare¡­ was indeed a worry. ye qingyu thought for a while and her eyes suddenly lit up. she bent down and rummaged through the red wooden box again. this time, she found a white handkerchief with a red plum embroidered on it. this handkerchief was given to the original owner by liu junsheng three years ago. the original owner kept it as a treasure and had never used it once. ye qingyu took it out and sniffed it. not only did it not smell strange, but there was also a faint incense smell. ¡°qingfeng, take this handkerchief and quickly find meizi from the village officer¡¯s family. tell her that this was bought for 20 copper coins. now, i¡¯ll sell it to her for 10 copper coins. i haven¡¯t used it before,¡± ye qingyu said. ¡°if she doesn¡¯t buy it for ten copper coins, lower the price again. no matter what, sell it for at least two copper coins. the money for our ox cart ride will come from this handkerchief.¡± Chapter 11 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°big sister, i got it! give me the piece of cloth that you used to wrap the handkerchief. my hands are dirty. if sister meizi sees me holding it, it won¡¯t be worth much,¡± ye qingfeng said. ¡°you¡¯re so smart. you¡¯re right.¡± ye qingyu smiled and folded the handkerchief again before handing it to him. ye qingfeng immediately scurried away like a monkey. he ran very quickly, afraid that he would not be able to catch the ox cart later. later, he ran back from outside, panting. his red face was filled with excitement. as soon as he entered ye qingyu¡¯s room, he said in a low voice, ¡°big sister, guess how much i sold that handkerchief for?¡± ¡°ten copper coins?¡± ye qingyu asked with a smile. ¡°no! i sold it for 30 copper coins! hehe¡­¡± ye qingfeng raised three fingers and said with bright eyes. as he spoke, he took out the money from his pocket and showed it to ye qingyu. he was not lying. ¡°how did you sell it for this much? what did you say?¡± ye qingyu was surprised. ¡°big sister, i didn¡¯t make an offer myself. i knew this handkerchief was good. we bought it from the county city three years ago. you couldn¡¯t bear to use it. moreover, there was a red plum embroidered on it. it¡¯s the most compatible with sister meizi. if she uses this handkerchief, the other girls in the village will be envious. then, sister meizi asked how much it was. i asked her to pay as she saw fit and praised her for being magnanimous and that she definitely wouldn¡¯t shortchange me. then, she gave me 30 copper coins¡­¡± ye qingfeng repeated what he had said to ye qingyu. ye qingyu kept smiling as she listened. she looked at qingfeng with sparkling eyes, as if she had discovered a huge treasure. ¡°qingfeng, you¡¯re really good at selling things. you¡¯re really talented!¡± ye qingyu gave him a thumbs-up and praised him with a smile. ye qingfeng was a little embarrassed by his big sister¡¯s praise. he scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°big sister, let¡¯s go quickly. if we don¡¯t go now, we won¡¯t be able to catch up to the zhao family¡¯s ox cart.¡± ¡°alright, you still have to do two more things. the first is to inform our grandpa. don¡¯t mention that you¡¯re going to town, just say that you¡¯re going to the mountains to pick firewood and we won¡¯t be back by noon. tell him that i¡¯m asleep, so you asked auntie liu next door to send him lunch and take care of him. second, give two copper coins to auntie liu and tell her to take care of our grandpa. you don¡¯t have to hide the fact that we¡¯re going to town to sell our dowry from her. you also have to tell her not to tell our grandpa about it first. do you understand?¡± ye qingyu instructed ye qingfeng in detail. ¡°big sister, auntie liu is kind-hearted. she¡¯s doing well and doesn¡¯t lack these two copper coins. she¡¯ll send food to grandpa even if we don¡¯t pay her.¡± ye qingfeng couldn¡¯t bear to part with these two copper coins. after all, their family was really poor. two copper coins could buy half a catty of coarse flour. it was enough for a meal at home. ¡°qingfeng, our family is poor, but we can¡¯t always get auntie liu to help us and never return the favor. if we do it too many times, she will feel uncomfortable. two copper coins aren¡¯t much, but it shows our sincerity. it can also make auntie liu take care of grandpa more, understand?¡± ye qingyu bent down and placed her hands on her brother¡¯s shoulders. her gaze was level with his, and her eyes were filled with gentleness and wisdom, which touched ye qingfeng very much. ¡°i understand, big sister.¡± ye qingfeng nodded. ¡°you should hurry up and pack up. we¡¯ll go out after i¡¯m done with these two things. i¡¯ll leave this money with you.¡± ye qingfeng took two copper coins and gave the rest to ye qingyu. ye qingyu took out another two copper coins for the ride and put the rest of the money into her purse. after making sure that it would not fall, she wrapped the wedding dress and blanket in another bag. Chapter 12 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios after packing up, she carried her bag and stepped out of the room. then, she turned around and returned. she put on the veil that the original owner usually wore when she went out and covered the lower half of her face, revealing only her eyes. she wasn¡¯t actually afraid of people pointing fingers at her, but if she went out with a half-disfigured face, she would definitely be criticized. she might even scare the children. it would be quite annoying. it was better to wear a veil! after ye qingyu was done, she walked to the door of her house. ye qingfeng also came out of auntie liu¡¯s house next door and ran to her excitedly. then, he took out a packet of oil paper and suppressed his excitement. ¡°big sister, auntie liu is so kind. i gave her two copper coins, but she didn¡¯t want them. she even gave me two pancakes to eat on the way.¡± ¡°you didn¡¯t give her the two copper coins?¡± ye qingyu frowned. ¡°hehe, i gave it to her. when i saw that she didn¡¯t want it, i placed it on her table and ran out quickly,¡± ye qingfeng said with a smile. ¡°well done. let¡¯s go.¡± ye qingyu smiled and stroked ye qingfeng¡¯s head. she liked this smart and cute little brother even more now. ¡°big sister, do you want to eat this pancake?¡± ye qingfeng licked the corner of his mouth, swallowed, and asked. he had not eaten his fill in the morning and had done a lot of work. he was actually already hungry. if there was nothing to eat, he could still endure it. however, with two fragrant pancakes in his hands, his stomach was about to growl. he really could not help it. ¡°i¡¯m full. eat it yourself,¡± ye qingyu said. ¡°then i¡¯ll eat half a pancake. when we go to town and find father and second uncle, i¡¯ll give the rest to them.¡± ye qingfeng hesitated for a long time and bit his lip as if he had made up his mind. ¡°you can eat the pancake. when we get to town, we¡¯ll buy more for father and second uncle. you sold a handkerchief for 30 copper coins today. now that we have money, you can treat this money as free money.¡± ye qingyu¡¯s heart ached for her sensible brother. ¡°the things in town are very expensive. big sister, even if we have money, we have to save it. otherwise, there won¡¯t be enough to buy medicine for our grandpa and not enough for our family to eat,¡± ye qingfeng said seriously. ye qingyu¡¯s heart tightened when she heard this. it was warm but painful. it was true that children from poor families matured early. ¨C ye qingyu and her brother set off from their house and walked towards the village entrance. along the way, they encountered many villagers. when they saw ye qingyu, some of them sympathized with her, some of them made jokes, and others mocked her. once they encountered those who did not say good things, ye qingfeng would be like a little beast. he would bare his teeth and wave his hands to protect ye qingyu and retaliate against those people. ye qingyu was very touched by her brother¡¯s protection. seeing that he still wanted to roll up his sleeves and fight the children who called her an ugly monster that couldn¡¯t be married off, she hurriedly pulled him back. ¡°alright, alright. don¡¯t be angry anymore. let them talk. if we delay any longer, we won¡¯t be able to go to town.¡± ¡°hmph! i¡¯ll deal with them when i come back!¡± ye qingfeng clenched his fists and said angrily. ¡°i remember who said bad things about my big sister. i¡¯ll definitely beat them up until they don¡¯t dare to spout nonsense anymore.¡± ¡°don¡¯t fight. what if you get injured?¡± ye qingyu frowned in disapproval. ¡°big sister, although i look thin and small, i¡¯m very skilled. moreover, i can shoot stones. i can hit them accurately and make them scream,¡± ye qingfeng raised his chin and said proudly. ¡°then think about it this way. if you beat them up, what if they ask us to pay for their medical fees? our family is so poor. we can¡¯t afford it.¡± ye qingyu realized that her brother cared a lot about money and deliberately said that. Chapter 13 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios as expected, ye qingfeng frowned and said with a conflicted expression, ¡°then what should i do? hearing them say those things about big sister makes me feel terrible. i have to vent my anger.¡± ¡°when our family becomes rich again and when the injuries on my face heal, you won¡¯t even have to hit them. they won¡¯t say anything at that time. they¡¯ll only be jealous and envious of us!¡± ye qingyu raised her hand and patted ye qingfeng¡¯s shoulder gently. although her voice was soft, her words were firm. ¡°this is the best way to vent your anger!¡± ye qingfeng was shocked by his big sister¡¯s words. he looked up at his big sister¡¯s clear and confident eyes and suddenly felt a lump in his throat. he nodded vigorously and clenched his fists. ¡°yes! our family will definitely live a good life again, and big sister will become pretty again!¡± ¨C the two of them quickly arrived at the village entrance. zhao dazhu had already raised his bullwhip and drove the bull dozens of meters forward. ye qingyu and her brother panicked and quickly waved their hands. they shouted as they ran, ¡°uncle dazhu, wait, wait!¡± when zhao dazhu and the people in the carriage heard the shouts, they all turned around. at the same time, zhao dazhu pulled the reins and stopped the bull. he shouted at ye qingyu and her brother. ¡°you¡¯re going to town too?¡± ¡°yes! we want to go too. we¡¯ll pay for the ride!¡± ye qingfeng replied. at the same time, he grabbed ye qingyu and ran two more steps. ye qingyu had just recovered from a serious illness and her body was extremely weak. running these two steps would exhaust her. when they reached the carriage, she was so tired that she saw stars in her eyes. she couldn¡¯t catch her breath and couldn¡¯t speak at all. she only handed the two copper coins to zhao dazhu. ¡°get in. everyone, squeeze together and make some space for the siblings.¡± zhao dazhu accepted the money and waved at the people in the car. ¡°thank you, thank you, everyone.¡± seeing that everyone was not mocking them and made way for them, they got into the carriage. ye qingyu panted a little and looked at everyone with her beautiful eyes. she nodded and thanked them. the people in the car were stunned when they saw ye qingyu thanking them. they were quite surprised and had the illusion that the graceful ye qingyu, who was not disfigured, had returned. ¡°qingyu, you¡¯ve just survived death. why aren¡¯t you resting at home? why are you going to town?¡± a woman frowned and spoke. her tone was not good, but one could hear the concern in her words. ye qingyu turned around and saw that the person who spoke was their third aunt, madam zhou. she had always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. she treated their family quite well and had helped them a lot in the past two years. ¡°third aunt, i¡¯m going to the embroidery workshop in town to see if i can take on some embroidery work and earn some copper coins.¡± ye qingyu looked at her third aunt and said guiltily. ¡°i lived a muddle-headed life in the past few years and felt that my life was tough. i didn¡¯t think about the difficulties at home. yesterday, i came back from the gates of hell and immediately understood. i shouldn¡¯t be thinking about heartless people. i have to be independent and live my life well.¡± ye qingyu said this for the others in the same village to hear. there were no secrets in this village. everyone knew what happened to the original owner¡¯s family and what kind of person she was in the past. she wanted to tell everyone now that she was going to change and give everyone a reason. ¡°aiyo! it would have been better if you had thought it through earlier!¡± madam zhou slapped her thigh when she heard her words. she was happy for her and sighed. ¡°however, it¡¯s not too late now. it¡¯s better than being stupid!¡± Chapter 14 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°third aunt is right.¡± ye qingyu lowered her head and listened. her attitude was very respectful, making madam zhou unable to continue scolding her. madam zhou looked at her wearing the veil again and remembered that she had ruined her face and would probably never be able to get married in this lifetime. she felt pity for her again. ¡°when we reach town later, follow tieshu and me. you¡¯re a girl and qingfeng is still young. you can¡¯t do without someone to accompany you,¡± madam zhou said again. ye qingyu¡¯s heart warmed when she heard that. she felt much more at ease with third aunt and her cousin, ye tieshu, accompanying her. after all, they were carrying bags to sell the dowry. if the local hooligans saw that they were young, they might have intentions of snatching their bags. if they could not defeat them, it would all be over. ¡°thank you, third aunt.¡± ye qingfeng thanked her first. he even took out a pancake from his pocket and asked with a smile, ¡°third aunt, this is the pancake auntie liu gave me. do you want to eat it?¡± ¡°you brat, i appreciate your filial thoughts. eat it yourself. look at how thin you are. it makes my heart ache.¡± their third aunt¡¯s lips curled up as she waved her hand and said with a smile. ye qingyu also smiled and looked at her brother. she really liked his quick-wittedness and sensibleness. ¨C after about an hour, the ox cart arrived at the town. ye qingyu and her brother got off the ox cart and followed their third aunt and tieshu. they first walked to the foot of a wall and discussed what to do first. ¡°third aunt, brother tieshu. to be honest, in order to treat my illness, my first younger brother went to landlord li¡¯s house to work as a long-term laborer. qingfeng and i are here to sell our dowry in town. then, we want to take the money and redeem my first younger brother from landlord li¡¯s house.¡± ye qingyu hugged her bag and said in a low voice. ¡°why is it only the two of you? where are your father and second uncle?!¡± madam zhou frowned and asked. ¡°father, second uncle, my grandmother, and my mother have all come to town to work,¡± ye qingyu said. ¡°qingfeng and i came over because we wanted to find my father and second uncle first, then sell our dowry together before redeeming our first younger brother.¡± ¡°it seems like you¡¯re really not stupid to think of selling your dowry to redeem your first younger brother!¡± madam zhou¡¯s eyes warmed as she looked at ye qingyu. ¡°how about this? i see that your body is still very weak. come with me to the embroidery workshop to sell your dowry first. let qingfeng bring tieshu to find your father and second uncle. then, we won¡¯t follow you.¡± ¡°yes, i¡¯ll listen to you, third aunt. you¡¯re so considerate. i¡¯m really lucky to have met you today,¡± ye qingyu said sweetly with a smile. madam zhou immediately smiled, and the wrinkles on her face squeezed together. she looked at ye qingyu¡¯s lively and beautiful eyes, feeling happy and sad. how could anyone not like such a good girl?! ¨C after walking for half an hour, ye qingyu was so tired that she was panting. they finally arrived at the embroidery workshop. if they didn¡¯t arrive soon, she would faint from exhaustion. her body was really too weak. when she entered, madam zhou was half-helping and half-dragging her in. then, ye qingyu sat on the stool and bent down to catch her breath. madam zhou sighed with heartache and reprimanded her softly, ¡°don¡¯t be so stupid in the future. you have to suffer yourself in the end!¡± ye qingyu nodded repeatedly. she was so tired that she could not speak. ¡°customers, how can i help you?¡± the shopkeeper saw the two of them and greeted them behind the counter with a smile. Chapter 15 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°shopkeeper, do you buy embroidery? we¡¯re here to sell something.¡± madam zhou glanced at ye qingyu, who had yet to recover, and asked on her behalf. ¡°we do accept embroidery.¡± the shopkeeper nodded. ¡°bring the things over. i want to take a look first.¡± ye qingyu recovered a little. she stood up from the chair and handed the bag to the shopkeeper. ¡°it¡¯s a wedding dress and a blanket.¡± the shopkeeper opened the two layers of cloth and a beautiful new red wedding dress appeared in front of him. ¡°it¡¯s so beautiful!¡± madam zhou took a look and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. in the past, ye qingyu¡¯s family had such a good life to be able to afford such good clothes and embroidery thread. the shopkeeper couldn¡¯t help but nod, his eyes filled with satisfaction. he carefully unfolded the wedding dress and checked it carefully. seeing that there was no damage, he was even more satisfied. however, he did not show it on his face. in a professional tone, he said, ¡°miss, we¡¯ll take your wedding dress. how much do you want to sell it for?¡± ¡°shopkeeper, state your price first,¡± ye qingyu said. ¡°if you¡¯re sincere, we can continue our discussion.¡± when the shopkeeper heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but take a second look at ye qingyu. although she was wearing a veil and he couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, her clear, lively, and beautiful eyes made him ignore the rough linen clothes she was wearing and feel that she didn¡¯t look like an ordinary farm girl. hearing her confident words, the shopkeeper could not help but think highly of the girl in front of him. ¡°i¡¯ll pay five taels of silver.¡± the shopkeeper thought for a moment and stretched out a hand, spreading his fingers. when ye qingyu heard this, her eyes curved slightly. her beautiful eyes seemed to be decorated with stars and sparkled. her voice was pleasant and she spoke eloquently. ¡°shopkeeper, you¡¯re an honest person. thank you for the price. however, shopkeeper, look at my wedding dress. although the material isn¡¯t top-notch shu brocade, it¡¯s still worth four taels of silver. the wedding dress is complex. it used a total of 15 feet of material, and this cloth alone cost six taels. shopkeeper, look at this embroidery thread. it¡¯s a good embroidery thread in itself. there¡¯s also a golden embroidery thread with edges. also, this embroidery work is exquisite and beautiful. it is not inferior to the works of the embroidery girls in the south at all. not counting the money spent on the embroidery threads, this handiwork alone is worth five taels of silver. of course, this wedding dress has been put on hold for two years. although it¡¯s not damaged, its value has decreased a little. you are already sincere in giving me five taels, but my family is really in trouble. why don¡¯t you add another tael? how about we close the deal at six taels?¡± after saying this, ye qingyu looked at the shopkeeper pleadingly, waiting for his response. madam zhou, who was beside her, widened her eyes slightly and looked at ye qingyu in surprise. even two years ago, she did not have such a quick tongue. she had gone to the gates of hell and returned to unlock her apertures! after hearing ye qingyu¡¯s words, the shopkeeper stroked his beard and thought for a long time. then, he said, ¡°six taels is fine. however, i have a condition. miss, you have to introduce me to the embroiderer who embroidered this wedding dress. let her take on some work in my embroidery workshop and complete some embroidery.¡± ¡°to tell you the truth, i embroidered this wedding dress myself,¡± ye qingyu said with a blush. just now, she had unceremoniously praised her own embroidery skills. however, not only did she sell the wedding dress, but she also found a job to earn money. ye qingyu felt very lucky. how happy! Chapter 16 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios the shopkeeper was stunned for a moment before he laughed. ¡°miss, you¡¯re a smart person. alright, deal. six taels of silver. i think this blanket is not bad either. i¡¯ll give you four taels of silver for it. make it up to ten taels of silver. how about that?¡± ¡°thank you. you¡¯re really a kind person and have good taste. your shop will definitely make a fortune and prosper.¡± ye qingyu immediately smiled. she wished him well. anyway, it didn¡¯t hurt to form a good relationship. when the shopkeeper heard this, he smiled and cupped his hands at ye qingyu. ¡°thank you for your blessings, miss.¡± ¡°miss, let¡¯s talk about the embroidery job next. what are you good at? how do you want to calculate the salary of this embroidery?¡± the shopkeeper asked again. ¡°my health hasn¡¯t been good recently, so i can¡¯t take on big embroidery projects. i¡¯ll embroider some pouches and square handkerchiefs for the time being. i¡¯m good at embroidering all kinds of things like plants, fish, and insects. my salary will be set by you. you¡¯re so kind-hearted, i trust that you won¡¯t scam me.¡± ye qingyu said with a smile. she had learned this from qingfeng. it was very useful. ¡°miss, you really know how to talk. you¡¯re taking on a small job, and i won¡¯t make much profit. however, if the embroidery work can be as good as this wedding dress, i¡¯ll give you fifteen copper coins for a pouch and ten copper coins for a handkerchief. how about that?¡± the shopkeeper said. ¡°alright, it¡¯s settled then.¡± ye qingyu nodded. she also did some mental calculations. when she became proficient in embroidery, with the original owner¡¯s experience, she could embroider two to three pouches a day, which was 30 to 40 copper coins. it was not a bad job. seeing that ye qingyu did not even need her help, madam zhou could not help but look at her in a different light. her heart started beating faster again. with her niece¡¯s ability, she could do embroidery to earn money and could read and write. although she was disfigured, her figure was still there. as long as she searched hard, she could still get married! her niece was not bad at all! madam zhou came to town this time to find matchmaker wang and matchmake her youngest son. she now felt that she could also tell the matchmaker about her niece and ask the matchmaker to take note if there were any good families who were willing to marry her despite her looks. when ye qingyu followed the shopkeeper to look at the embroidery threads of the embroidered pouch and handkerchief, madam zhou patted her arm and whispered, ¡°qingyu, your dowry has been sold. it¡¯s useless for me to stay here now. i have something to do first. don¡¯t leave here. wait for your father and the others to come.¡± ¡°okay, thank you, auntie.¡± ye qingyu nodded. ¡°we¡¯ll wait for you here?¡± ¡°there¡¯s no need to wait for me here. when tieshu returns, tell him to go shopping and wait for me under the willow tree in the east,¡± madam zhou instructed. ye qingyu nodded to show that she understood. then, she watched her third aunt leave in a hurry. ¨C not long after, more customers arrived. ye qingyu had already received the money, embroidery threads, square handkerchiefs, pouches, and other things. she sat at the side and waited for her father, second uncle, and the others so as not to delay the shopkeeper¡¯s business. ¡°daughter! qingyu!¡± a moment later, ye qingyu¡¯s father, ye dashan, and her second uncle ran in from outside with anxious expressions and sweating profusely. behind them were ye qingfeng and ye tieshu. ¡°father, second uncle, you came so quickly.¡± ye qingyu got up from the stool and went up to them with a smile. her father and second uncle were not bad-looking. their facial features were handsome, their bodies were strong, their skin was tanned, and they were full of strength. they were good at farming and working. ye qingyu looked at them and felt at ease. Chapter 17 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°qingyu, you haven¡¯t recovered yet. why are you in town!¡± ye dashan widened his eyes and looked at his daughter with concern. ¡°qingfeng came to find me and told me that you brought him here to sell your dowry. i didn¡¯t dare to believe it. you¡¯re really ambitious!¡± ¡°father, mother should have told you. i¡¯ve thought it through. my first younger brother even sold himself as a slave for my sake. just thinking about it makes my heart ache. i feel so guilty that i wish i could¡­ sigh, anyway, we can¡¯t delay any longer. let¡¯s quickly redeem my first younger brother.¡± ye qingyu¡¯s beautiful eyes were covered in tears. she glanced at the counter with red eyes and said, ¡°father, the shopkeeper is a good person. not only did he accept my dowry for ten taels of silver, but he also asked me to do embroidery work here to earn money. we have to thank the shopkeeper properly.¡± when ye dashan heard this, he was no longer in the mood to lecture his daughter. he hurriedly looked at the shopkeeper and took two quick steps forward. he cupped his hands at the shopkeeper and even bowed deeply. he said gratefully, ¡°thank you, shopkeeper. you really saved my family¡¯s life.¡± ¡°aiyo, brother, you¡¯re too polite. i¡¯m also doing business. there are benefits for me. i¡¯m not just being kind.¡± the shopkeeper came out from behind the counter and quickly helped ye dashan up. he smiled and said. ¡°your daughter is really good at embroidery. you¡¯re so lucky!¡± ¡°of course! my daughter has been smart since she was young. not only is she good at embroidery, but she¡¯s also good at studying¡­¡± ye dashan smiled when he heard this. then, he started to praise his daughter non-stop. ¡°father, let¡¯s go quickly. first younger brother is still waiting for us.¡± ye qingyu felt that her father was really sincere. he took the shopkeeper¡¯s courteous words seriously. however, this was enough to show that he liked to show her off. ¡°alright, alright, alright. we¡¯ll leave now.¡± ye dashan bade farewell to the shopkeeper and left with his daughter and the others. ¨C after leaving the embroidery workshop, ye qingyu turned around and told ye tieshu, ¡°brother, auntie went to do something. she asked you to go shopping and wait under the willow tree on the east side.¡± ye tieshu responded, bade them farewell, and left in a hurry. ¡°big sister, your dowry was really sold for ten taels of silver?!¡± ye qingfeng lowered his voice and asked excitedly. ¡°yes.¡± ye qingyu nodded and took out two taels of silver from her sleeve to give to her father. ¡°father, although my brother only went to landlord li¡¯s house yesterday, and although landlord li also cares about his reputation, he¡¯s actually stingy with his money. i¡¯m worried that we won¡¯t be able to redeem my first younger brother with one tael of silver, so i prepared an extra half a tael. we have to insist that we don¡¯t have any more money. otherwise, we might lose all this money.¡± after ye qingyu received ten taels of silver from the shopkeeper, she separated them. she placed eight taels in her pouch and took out two taels alone to prevent herself from revealing her wealth when she went to landlord li¡¯s house later. ¡°daughter, you¡¯re meticulous. i¡¯ll listen to you!¡± ye dashan took the money from her and held it in his hand. looking at his daughter¡¯s lively and bright eyes that had recovered, his heart ached and warmed. actually, ye dashan had been in a daze ever since he found out that his daughter was here to sell her dowry. when he was at the embroidery workshop, he had also been led by the nose by ye qingyu. thanking the shopkeeper, he left in a hurry and did not have the time to think too much. now, holding these two taels of silver and thinking back to what had just happened, ye dashan really felt the change in his daughter. how delightful! Chapter 18 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°brother, our qingyu has completely figured it out and become better.¡± ye qingyu¡¯s second uncle, ye dahe, said with a smile, ¡°if our mother sees her like this, she¡¯ll be so happy that she¡¯ll probably jump up in joy.¡± ¡°second uncle, grandma probably can¡¯t jump anymore, but i jumped a few times out of joy.¡± ye qingfeng smiled and said mischievously. he even jumped forward. ¡°you brat, you can¡¯t say that about your grandma.¡± ye dahe smiled and glared at him. ye dashan also glared at his son, but he couldn¡¯t be fierce even if he wanted to. he even smiled. the joy in his body kept seeping out. ye qingyu looked at her father and second uncle, who were so easy to satisfy, and her heart warmed. she was very happy. ¨C however, the family¡¯s good mood disappeared when they arrived at landlord li¡¯s house. everyone¡¯s hearts were in their throats. they became worried and nervous. after hearing their intentions, butler wang of landlord li¡¯s family raised his head and pointed at them arrogantly and angrily. ¡°you just sold him to us yesterday and want to redeem him today. do you think our li family is a pawnshop?! there¡¯s no such thing. if he signed for three years, he has to work for three years! hurry up and leave. don¡¯t block the door. how unlucky!¡± ¡°¡­butler wang, calm down. we had no choice the day before yesterday and needed the money to save our lives. my eldest son is really not cut out for laborious work. he doesn¡¯t have much strength and doesn¡¯t know anything about crops. we obtained one tael of silver from you. today, we¡¯ll give you two taels of silver. just do us a favor and give us my eldest son¡¯s contract. let him come home with us.¡± ye dashan held back his anger and took a step forward. he opened his hand and showed butler wang the two taels of silver. he begged carefully with a smile. butler wang lowered his head and looked at the silver in his palm. a sly glint flashed across his eyes as he wiped the beard at the corner of his mouth. ¡°i¡¯m not such an unreasonable person. how about this? give me five taels of silver and i¡¯ll let you take him away today. ¡°it¡¯s only been a day and you¡¯ve easily taken out two taels. i¡¯m sure five taels would be nothing to you!¡± when ye dashan heard this, the anger in his heart surged. he thought that his daughter¡¯s concerns were indeed right. butler wang was really taking the opportunity to extort more money! ¡°butler wang, i risked my life to borrow these two taels of silver. i really don¡¯t have any more money!¡± ye dashan said with a bitter expression. ¡°although your daughter is disfigured, i think she still looks quite good in a veil. sell your daughter to redeem your son.¡± butler wang glanced at ye qingyu and said with a wretched smile. as soon as he finished speaking, ye qingyu¡¯s father, second uncle, and ye qingfeng were so angry that their faces turned red and their eyes were spitting fire. they gritted their teeth and wished they could eat him up! ye qingfeng was young and especially protective of his big sister. he was also an impulsive person. he immediately wanted to go forward and fight butler wang. ye qingyu hurriedly pulled her brother back. she could not let him do it. now, they were only hurt verbally. if they really attacked, ye qingfeng, her father, and her second uncle would most likely die here! Chapter 19 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°butler wang, my first younger brother signed a flexible contract with you. he can be redeemed at any time. if this matter goes to the government, we¡¯ll be in the right.¡± ye qingyu took a step forward and pulled ye qingfeng behind her. ¡°everyone in our town knows that landlord li is a kind person. and now, as the butler of his family, you have done such a thing to extort us! if this matter were to spread, it would smear landlord li¡¯s reputation. aren¡¯t you afraid that landlord li will be angry with you?! today, we¡¯ll use two taels of silver to redeem our first younger brother, and you¡¯ll still earn half a tael. it¡¯s a deal that you won¡¯t lose out on. everyone will be fine if we take a step back. if you really fall out with us, we won¡¯t be afraid of you! my family is already so poor that we have nothing left. we only have a few cheap lives left. butler wang, you¡¯re different. you have a good job. if this continues, not to mention earning money, you might even lose your job!¡± ¡°hehe, young lady, you¡¯re really sharp-tongued!¡± when butler wang heard ye qingyu¡¯s words, his expression changed a few times. he was angry. he sneered gloomily and gritted his teeth to give in. ¡°alright! today, on account of the young lady, i¡¯ll agree to let you redeem him with two taels of silver.¡± ¡°butler wang knows how to judge the situation and is kind-hearted. you will definitely be promoted further.¡± ye qingyu bent her knees and bowed to him. her attitude immediately softened. she was lying through her teeth. it was obvious at a glance that butler wang was a petty person. he had been rebuked by her today and had no choice but to let him go. he might take revenge on her for something else later. ye qingyu only greeted him and said a few nice words. she did not expect him to stop being angry immediately. she just didn¡¯t want to add another flame of anger to his heart to prevent him from getting angrier and causing more trouble for them. no matter what, she had to redeem her first younger brother today. however, she was weak now. although she knew that there were hidden dangers, she could not take care of everything. butler wang snorted and stared at ye qingyu before waving his hand to get the concierge to call ye qingshu out. ¡°butler wang, this is two taels of silver. can you give us the contract?¡± ye dashan immediately stuffed the silver into butler wang¡¯s hand and asked expectantly. ¡°wait here!¡± butler wang took the silver and stuffed it into his pocket as he said angrily. then, he turned around and left to get the contract. ¡°big sister, you¡¯re amazing! you made that bad guy agree to let us redeem big brother with just a few words.¡± after he left, ye qingfeng tugged at ye qingyu¡¯s clothes and stood on tiptoe. his face was red with excitement, and his eyes were bright as he whispered into her ear. ¡°shh, don¡¯t panic. don¡¯t be too excited. let¡¯s talk about this when we get home,¡± ye qingyu winked at ye qingfeng and whispered. their excitement and joy would only aggravate the anger and embarrassment in butler wang¡¯s heart. he might even treat it as a provocation and take revenge on them. ¡°big sister, i know.¡± ye qingfeng clenched his fists and tried his best to calm down. he nodded softly. ye qingyu raised her hand lovingly and stroked his hair. she liked his sensible appearance. ¨C after waiting for a while, butler wang didn¡¯t come out. ye qingshu followed a servant out first. he was wearing the clothes of an incongruous servant. there was something wrong with his walking posture. he was limping, his face was pale, and his lips were dry and cracked. it was obvious that he had suffered a lot. Chapter 20 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°qingshu!¡± when ye dashan saw his son like this, his heart ached. he quickly rushed forward and held his arm. he looked down at his legs with concern. ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you? why are you limping? are you¡­¡± ye dashan wanted to ask if his son had been beaten up, but because the li family¡¯s gatekeeper was around, he didn¡¯t say it out loud, afraid that he would make them unhappy. ¡°father, i¡¯m fine. i just sprained my ankle.¡± ye qingshu shook his head at his father and then looked at ye qingyu. he hid his surprise at his big sister¡¯s appearance and looked at her with concern. ¡°have you recovered?¡± ¡°yes, yes.¡± ye qingyu quickly walked to his side and looked at him with heartache. ¡°qingshu, i¡¯ve let you down and made you suffer. you¡¯re a scholar and have to participate in the imperial examination. how can you agree to sell yourself as a slave? you¡¯re simply muddle-headed! you would rather come out and be a long-term laborer than sell my dowry. could it be that you think i¡¯m such a heartless person?! am i the kind of person who would risk her brother¡¯s future for a scumbag?!¡± ¡°big sister, you were like this in the past,¡± ye qingfeng muttered softly. ye qingyu didn¡¯t look at ye qingfeng, who was exposing her shortcomings. she was still staring at her first younger brother in front of her. her eyes were red with anger, but of course, a portion of her heart ached. ¡°big sister, you¡­¡± when ye qingshu heard this, he understood that his big sister had sold her dowry to redeem him. he looked at her in surprise. however, because he had always been calm and taciturn, even if he was excited and had a thousand words in his heart, in the end, he only said one simple sentence. ¡°big sister, you¡¯ve thought it through. that¡¯s great!¡± ye qingyu knew that her first younger brother was also a smart person, so she did not say anything else. instead, she grabbed his arm. ¡°after we take your contract, we¡¯ll go home. does your foot hurt terribly?¡± ¡°it¡¯s fine.¡± ye qingshu shook his head and said the same thing. ye qingyu wanted to squat down and take a look at him, but it was really inappropriate now as they were still at landlord li¡¯s house. she could only endure it for the time being and let her father support her first younger brother so that he would not have to support himself with his injured feet. a moment later, butler wang came out with the contract and handed it to ye dashan with an ugly expression. then, he pointed at ye qingshu and said, ¡°hurry up and take off your clothes.¡± ye qingshu was called out by the gatekeeper. he came out in a hurry and only took his bag, forgetting to change his clothes. hearing this, he did not say anything else and quickly took off his outer shirt. with the help of his father, he changed into his own clothes. butler wang kept looking at them with a dark expression. ye qingyu glanced at him sideways, feeling a little anxious and angry. butler wang was really a petty person. he looked like he couldn¡¯t wait to take revenge. when ye qingyu saw butler wang looking at her, she quickly lowered her eyes to hide the anger in them and thought of a solution. however, in the next moment, she heard butler wang shout with a smile and a hint of flattery, ¡°aiyo, brother xu, what kind of good things did you hunt this time? don¡¯t put down your things and leave immediately this time. come into the residence and have a cup of tea. rest before leaving.¡± when ye qingyu heard this, she immediately looked up and saw that the person being politely flattered by butler wang was actually xu jingnan, her savior. shock flashed across ye qingyu¡¯s eyes. so xu jingnan was someone who made people fear him and had some status?! it was no wonder that ye qingyu was surprised. in the original owner¡¯s memory, xu jingnan was not well-liked in the village. when the villagers saw him, they took a detour. no one tried to get close to him! Chapter 21 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios even his family treated him very badly. to put it bluntly, they did not acknowledge him as their son. the reason for all of this started with xu jingnan¡¯s birth. according to the elders in the village, xu jingnan was born to his father, xu laomao, and a prostitute. at first, xu laomao didn¡¯t know that he had this son. later, when xu jingnan was a year old, the prostitute found xu laomao before she died. the prostitute entrusted xu jingnan to him and even gave him all her savings to raise their son. even though xu laomao suspected that this child was not his, he agreed on account of the money and brought xu jingnan home. xu laomao¡¯s wife, madam zhao, was a shrewish person. at that time, she had just married him. when she found out about this, she almost beat xu jingnan to death and made a huge scene. in the end, it was xu laomao who couldn¡¯t take it anymore and said that if she caused trouble again, he would divorce her. only then did madam zhao become obedient and acknowledge this son. however, madam zhao had never given xu jingnan a good attitude. she either hit or scolded him. she even shouted in the village every day that he was a b*stard born of a prostitute and was as shameless and dirty as his mother. although the villagers would not make things difficult for a child, they did not like him because of his background. just like that, xu jingnan reached the age of 14 with difficulty. as he had been tall since he was young, he looked 16 years old at that age. that year, during the imperial court¡¯s conscription, he signed up behind his family¡¯s back and went to the border to fight. he stayed there for eight years. everyone thought that he had died outside long ago. unexpectedly, he returned alive last year! at that time, the village had been in chaos for a while. they were all very curious about him and wanted to know his experiences outside. however, xu jingnan was getting taller and more handsome now. moreover, his aura was ferocious and terrifying. coupled with the scar on his eyebrows and the fact that he killed enemies on the battlefield without blinking, the villagers were terrified when they saw him, and no one dared to approach him. madam zhao did not let him stay at home either. xu jingnan didn¡¯t live in the village. instead, he lived in the mountains. apart from hunting, he also bought two acres of land. however, he didn¡¯t know how to farm at first, and most of the crops died. many people in the village mocked him behind his back. his family¡¯s fields were next to his. she remembered that her father had even said that he had taught xu jingnan how to farm. this was also a form of friendship. ¡­ ye qingyu came back to her senses and looked at xu jingnan, who had already walked up to her. then, she looked at butler wang, who was smiling at him ingratiatingly. her eyes flickered as she came up with a plan. she knew how to suppress butler wang so that he wouldn¡¯t dare to attack them casually! ye dashan and the others naturally saw xu jingnan too. however, they were not close, so ye dashan glanced at xu jingnan and nodded at him, preparing to help his eldest son leave. anyway, he had obtained the contract. ¡°big sister, let¡¯s go.¡± ye qingfeng tugged at ye qingyu¡¯s sleeve and whispered to her. ¡°tell father and the others to believe me and cooperate with me.¡± ye qingyu shook her head at her brother and whispered to ye qingfeng. then, she took two light steps forward and walked to xu jingnan¡¯s side. ¡°brother jingnan, you¡¯re in town too! i asked ye qingfeng to look for you on the mountain this morning to thank you, but i realized that you weren¡¯t at home. i didn¡¯t expect to see you here. that¡¯s great. i can finally thank you in person! thank you so much for the day before yesterday. if it weren¡¯t for you, i would have¡­ anyway, you¡¯re my savior!¡± Chapter 22 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ye qingyu¡¯s beautiful eyes were dazzling and filled with joy. even her voice was very delicate, like an oriole leaving the valley. it was mellow and pleasant to the ears, making it easy to hear the familiarity and joy in her tone. xu jingnan turned his head and looked down at ye qingyu. when he met her bright eyes, confusion flashed across his eyes and he nodded expressionlessly. seeing that he had answered but did not ask any questions, ye qingyu felt a little relieved. fortunately, xu jingnan was very quiet. otherwise, her plan would have been difficult to handle. ¡°brother xu, are you very familiar with her?¡± butler wang was stunned for a moment. his eyes darted back and forth between ye qingyu and xu jingnan. ¡°of course! brother jingnan lives in the same village as us. we¡¯ve known each other since we were young. brother jingnan¡¯s two acres of land are next to my family¡¯s land. when he came back from the battlefield and didn¡¯t know how to farm, my father and second uncle often helped him.¡± ye qingyu said matter-of-factly, not giving him a chance to question her. ¡°brother jingnan, the autumn harvest is coming in half a month, and our fields are together. why don¡¯t we work together? ¡°my father and second uncle are both good farmers. they have experience and you have strength. it¡¯s best to cooperate like this. what do you think?¡± ¡°mhn.¡± xu jingnan looked at ye qingyu deeply for a while before nodding in agreement. seeing him nod, ye qingyu finally felt relieved. the smile on her face became brighter. ¡°then it¡¯s settled.¡± ¡°miss ye, you¡¯re so close to brother xu. why didn¡¯t you borrow money from him back then and even made your first younger brother sell himself as a long-term laborer?¡± butler wang asked doubtfully. ¡°of course, it¡¯s because brother jingnan wasn¡¯t at home. he went hunting in the mountains. we couldn¡¯t find him.¡± as ye qingyu spoke, she looked up at xu jingnan anxiously. seeing him look over, she hurriedly winked at him with an apologetic and pleading expression. xu jingnan silently looked away and felt that this woman¡¯s eyes were really beautiful. they were sparkling and were a little seductive. he couldn¡¯t stare for too long! ye qingyu waited nervously for a while. she saw that xu jingnan had no intention of refuting her at all. instead, he looked like he would agree to whatever she said. this immediately made ye qingyu bolder. what she said just now were half-truths. now, in order to convince butler wang that they had a close relationship with xu jingnan, she made up some nonsense. ¡°this time, we were able to come over so quickly to ransom our first younger brother because brother jingnan gave our family money when he returned. brother jingnan, not only did you save me, but you also saved my first younger brother. thank you so much!¡± ye qingyu raised her head and looked at xu jingnan with her bright eyes. her eyes were filled with gratitude and sincerity. xu jingnan heard her ridiculous words. she pushed all the things he didn¡¯t do on him and even said it seriously. he couldn¡¯t help but lower his head to look at her again. ye qingyu met his scrutinizing eyes, and the apology and pleading in her eyes intensified. xu jingnan stared at her for a moment before looking away and not exposing her. ¡°aiyo, miss ye, why didn¡¯t you say earlier that you were close to brother xu? look at the commotion. there was almost a misunderstanding just now!¡± seeing that xu jingnan was silent, butler wang thought that what ye qingyu said must be true. Chapter 23 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios butler wang¡¯s gaze on ye qingyu immediately changed. he became much more enthusiastic and polite. he even took out half a tael of silver from his pocket and handed it to ye qingyu. ¡°miss ye, you are well-mannered. you felt that you had caused trouble for the li family, so you gave us half a tael more. however, your family is also in a difficult situation. i can¡¯t be greedy for this half a tael of silver. take it quickly.¡± ¡°butler wang, you¡¯re really righteous!¡± ye qingyu took the half-tael of silver in surprise and said a few good words, making the smile on butler wang¡¯s face become more genuine. he completely let go of what had just happened. she tried to get close to xu jingnan and was full of nonsense. she wanted to play a trick to make butler wang stop having any thoughts of revenge on account of xu jingnan. however, she did not expect xu jingnan to be so ¡®powerful¡¯ and even helped her get back half a tael of silver. xu jingnan¡¯s identity was definitely not simple! ye qingyu glanced at xu jingnan again. this time, the smile on her face was much more genuine than before. while butler wang was called to the side to talk, ye qingyu quietly said to xu jingnan, ¡°i had no choice but to use your power. i¡¯m very sorry. thank you for your cooperation. i¡¯m very grateful.¡± at the same time, she thought that she had to thank her savior properly later. not a verbal thank you, but something practical. when xu jingnan heard this, he completely understood why ye qingyu talked to him. it turned out that she could tell that butler wang was polite to him, so she used his influence to make butler wang let them off without any grudges. suspicion and deep thought flashed across xu jingnan¡¯s eyes. this woman was different from what the villagers had said! ye qingyu chatted with xu jingnan and butler wang. the ye family members were confused and shocked. ever since ye qingyu said ¡®brother jingnan¡¯, ye qingfeng¡¯s jaw dropped. however, he remembered what his big sister had just told him and quickly covered his mouth. even if his big sister continued to spout nonsense, he did not speak up to refute or ask. he even ran to his father and brother and whispered to them, ¡°big sister asked us to cooperate with her.¡± when ye dashan heard this, he was immediately filled with doubts and could not ask why. he could only keep a straight face and not refute, but he did not know how to cooperate. moreover, as he listened to his daughter, the doubts in his heart increased. what was his precious daughter doing?! when did she become so close with xu jingnan? could it be that xu jingnan was the one who saved his daughter after she fell into the water the day before yesterday? it sounded like it. after his daughter woke up, she changed her attitude towards liu junsheng and even took the initiative to sell her wedding dress. now, she was trying to get close to xu jingnan and even looked very happy. could it be that his daughter had fallen in love with him because he had saved her life?! at the thought of this, the way ye dashan looked at xu jingnan changed. he looked at him as if he was a father-in-law who was picky about his son-in-law. because the fields of the two families were next to each other, he had more contact with xu jingnan than the villagers. seeing that he didn¡¯t know how to grow crops, he did teach him in the beginning. this kid was quite smart and got the hang of it immediately. every time he finished teaching him, he still gave him a thank-you gift. sometimes it was a pheasant, sometimes it was a hare. during that period of time, because of him, the family had a rare chance to eat meat. later on, when xu jingnan was almost done learning and he had nothing left to teach him, there were no more wild animals given to them. ye dashan even secretly felt melancholic for a period of time. why was he so smart?! Chapter 24 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios because of xu jingnan¡¯s reputation and taciturnity, he did not try to get close to him. in the past six months, they had almost no interaction with each other in their own fields. however, through their previous interaction, ye dashan felt that xu jingnan had a good character and was strong. apart from farming, he also knew how to hunt. although he looked a little fierce, he was a good candidate for a son-in-law. if his daughter really liked him and he had saved her, the two of them would have definitely had skin contact. it would not be bad for the two of them to get married. ye dashan had already thought a lot in this short period of time. he had even thought of letting the two of them build a house next to his house so that he could take care of his daughter after his daughter got married! however, a look of deep thought flashed across ye qingshu¡¯s eyes. in the end, he saw through his big sister¡¯s other intentions. then, he pulled his father and limped forward. he cupped his hands at xu jingnan. ¡°brother jingnan, thank you for saving my big sister, and thank you for coming today.¡± ye qingyu turned to look at her first younger brother with approval in her eyes. ye qingshu was so smart. he was right! his second sentence, in particular, made her plan, ¡°fox taking advantage of the tiger¡¯s might¡±, to suppress butler wang seem even more realistic. when xu jingnan heard this, he did not expose them and nodded slightly. he knew that he had been used by the ye family just now, but this was a small matter. there was no harm in it and there was nothing to fuss about. ¡°um¡­ jingnan, why don¡¯t we go back together later and eat at my house?¡± ye dashan also spoke up and invited him warmly. he was already thinking about discussing the wedding date with him during dinner. ye qingyu was even more satisfied with her father¡¯s words. look, this was the first time their family had cooperated in acting. it was so perfect. it was really amazing! ¡°i still have something to do,¡± xu jingnan politely rejected. he really had something on. otherwise, he would have gone. ¡°father, we live in the same village as brother jingnan. we can eat together anytime. let¡¯s not delay him today.¡± ye qingyu hurriedly pulled her father and bade farewell with a smile. ¡°brother jingnan, and butler wang, we¡¯ll leave first.¡± ¡°take care.¡± butler wang smiled sincerely and watched them leave. xu jingnan also turned around and swept his gaze across the ye family before landing on ye qingyu. seeing her waving at him with a smile, he nodded at her. his eyes darkened, and the suspicion and vigilance in his heart intensified! ¨C ye qingyu and the others left landlord li¡¯s house. after walking for about a street, ye qingfeng couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and asked softly, ¡°big sister, did brother xu save you when you fell into the water? are you going to marry him?¡± ¡°¡­it¡¯s true that he saved me, but i don¡¯t want to marry him.¡± ye qingyu looked at ye qingfeng helplessly. she thought to herself, why would an eleven-year-old child care about her marriage? sigh, she didn¡¯t want to say that xu jingnan had saved her previously because she was afraid of facing such a ¡®forced marriage¡¯ scene. one trouble had just been resolved, and a new one had been born. ¡°daughter, i saw that you were very enthusiastic about him just now. do you¡­¡± ye dashan hesitated, his eyes filled with anxiety, but he couldn¡¯t make it too obvious. after all, he was a father. it was not appropriate for him to ask his daughter about such things bluntly. moreover, they were in public. even if he suppressed his voice, it was not easy for him to say it out loud. ==== after everyone finished reading, please help to give us a five-star rating. thank you very much, muah~ Chapter 25 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°father, you¡¯ve misunderstood!¡± ye qingyu felt that she had to quickly clarify this matter. she brought her family to an empty alley and whispered. ¡°it¡¯s true that xu jingnan saved me, but when he saved me, he specially used a cage to trap me and pulled me ashore. then, he left. he didn¡¯t take advantage of me at all. it was obvious that he didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with me. we can¡¯t make him marry me just because he saved me. that¡¯s forcing him. besides, i have no feelings for him. i was enthusiastic about him today because i needed his help. in order to save ye qingshu today, i offended butler wang, making him bear a grudge against us. i was worried that he would take revenge. coincidentally, i saw that he was very polite to xu jingnan, so i thought of a plan called ¡®the fox taking advantage of the tiger¡¯s might¡¯ to make butler wang think that we were on good terms with xu jingnan so that he wouldn¡¯t dare to have any thoughts of revenge.¡± ¡°big sister, what do you mean by ¡®the fox taking advantage of the tiger¡¯s might¡¯?¡± ye qingfeng asked. ¡°it¡¯s originally a fable. it¡¯s about a fox using the might of a tiger to scare away a hundred beasts. it¡¯s used to describe someone who relies on others¡¯ power to bully and intimidate people,¡± ye qingyu explained. ¡°does that mean that you were the fox just now and big brother xu is the mighty tiger?¡± ye qingfeng asked with sparkling eyes. ¡°you¡¯re right!¡± ye qingyu smiled and nodded. ¡°big sister is so smart!¡± ye qingfeng looked at his big sister with admiration in his eyes. he really liked her more and more. ¡°you¡¯re also very smart.¡± ye qingyu stroked his head and looked at ye qingshu. she smiled and praised, ¡°ye qingshu is even smarter and understood my plan.¡± ¡°big sister, it¡¯s all thanks to big brother xu¡¯s cooperation today. he didn¡¯t expose us and let it go. we owe him another favor,¡± ye qingshu said. ¡°yes, i know it too. we have to think of a way to return the favor.¡± ye qingyu nodded in agreement. seeing his three children talking non-stop, ye dashan looked at ye qingfeng. apart from feeling gratified, he also had another feeling. ¡°all of you are very smart.¡± ye dashan¡¯s face was filled with pride and a hint of sadness. he looked at ye qingyu and thought that his daughter was not a shy person, so he could not help but ask, ¡°daughter, do you really not like jingnan? actually, although he looks fierce, doesn¡¯t talk much, his background is bad, doesn¡¯t have a good reputation in the village, and his family¡¯s relationship is a mess, but¡­¡± ¡°father, you¡¯ve already said so many bad things about big brother xu. why do you still want my big sister to marry him?¡± ye qingfeng frowned and muttered softly. ¡°there are still buts!¡± ye dashan raised his hand and hit his youngest son¡¯s head. ¡°but, he has good character, is smart, and has strength. he knows how to hunt and farm. this means that he has the ability to earn money to support his family. although he didn¡¯t have a good relationship with his family, this is also a good thing. xu jingnan is already independent. if your sister marries him, she wouldn¡¯t have to live with the xu family and her life would be much more peaceful. moreover, look at how respectful butler wang was to him today. perhaps he has some great abilities that we don¡¯t know about. it¡¯s definitely not the rumors in the village that he¡¯s a deserter or was chased back after making a mistake. perhaps he has some reputation or even status outside.¡± ¡°that¡¯s not bad!¡± ye qingfeng nodded in realization, acting like a little adult. ¡°father! as you said, xu jingnan¡¯s conditions aren¡¯t bad. he even has a high status. then he¡¯ll be better off with anyone else other than an ugly freak like me. why would he take a fancy to me¡­¡± Chapter 26 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios before ye qingyu could finish speaking, the men of the ye family were all unhappy. they widened their eyes and looked at her with heartache and dissatisfaction! ¡°big sister, don¡¯t belittle yourself!¡± ye qingshu looked serious. ¡°daughter, you¡¯re so good. so what if you¡¯re disfigured? he¡¯d be blind to look down on you!¡± ye dashan was furious. ¡°¡­what i mean is that even if he likes me, i don¡¯t like him! i don¡¯t want to get married yet. if you guys talk about this again, i¡¯ll be angry!¡± ye qingyu hurriedly changed her words. as expected, her father and brothers¡¯ expressions softened a lot. she didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, but her heart warmed. in the eyes of her family, she was a treasure! this feeling of being loved and protected was really great. ¡°father, we still have a lot of money on hand. let¡¯s go shopping and buy some food and meat. we can also take a look at qingshu¡¯s feet. when we get home, we¡¯ll find grandma and mother. let¡¯s not work today anymore. let¡¯s rest for a day, okay?¡± ye qingyu was afraid that they would not let go of her marriage, so she quickly changed the topic. ¡°alright, we¡¯ll listen to you!¡± ye dashan agreed with a smile. his daughter was doing well, and his son was back. this was a double blessing. they really had to celebrate. ¡°we still have eight and a half taels of silver. can we buy more flour? i haven¡¯t eaten my fill in a long time.¡± ye qingfeng lowered his voice and said excitedly. ¡°in the future, big sister will also earn money. not only will you eat your fill every meal, but you will also eat meat until you throw up,¡± ye qingyu patted his shoulder and said. ¡°¡­¡± ye qingfeng looked conflicted. ¡°it¡¯s good as long as i can eat meat. i don¡¯t want to throw up from eating it.¡± ye qingyu chuckled and rubbed his little head. ¨C before they went to buy things, ye qingyu took out four taels of silver from her purse and handed them to her father. when they were buying things later, her father would pay. they first went to the grain shop. considering that there was still half a month before the autumn harvest, they bought 100 catties of coarse flour. a catty of flour cost four copper coins. just buying the flour cost 400 copper coins, nearly half a tael of silver. ye dashan¡¯s heart ached for his daughter. he wanted to buy a catty of fine white flour for her to eat, but he was stopped by ye qingyu. this was because fine white flour cost ten copper coins. it was more than twice the price. regardless of whether the food was good or not, they had to eat their fill first. eight and a half taels of silver were really not much. that was because there were a total of 11 adults and children in ye qingyu¡¯s family. if everyone ate their fill, they would have to eat almost five to six catties of flour a day. this was understated. with her father and second uncle¡¯s strong labor, work, and big appetites, they had to eat four to five steamed buns a meal. if the other elders, women, and children ate only one steamed bun per meal. their family of 11 people would eat 51 steamed buns a day. a catty of flour with water could make about seven steamed buns. steaming more than 50 steamed buns would cost more than seven catties of flour! in other words, if their family were to eat their fill, just the flour would cost 30 copper coins a day, not to mention the money for vegetables or meat. with the ye family¡¯s current economic level, of course, they could not let everyone eat their fill. they could only eat half of their fill. moreover, only about half the things they ate were actual food. the rest was just wild vegetables to fill their stomachs. wild vegetables did not cost money. they went to the mountains to dig them up. in fact, the ye family only spent five copper coins a day to eat at most. they were so hungry that their stomachs were growling all the time. Chapter 27 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios as long as they dug more wild vegetables and mixed them with flour without buying any meat, they would be 80% full every meal. this half a tael of silver was almost enough for the entire family for a month. in addition to the most basic food, they also needed clothes, shoes, and medicine. these were all huge expenses. rough cloth and linen clothes were the cheapest. buying cloth to make an adult¡¯s clothes cost thirty copper coins. there were also shoes, which cost about twenty to thirty copper coins a pair. not to mention the medicine, it was very expensive! ye qingyu¡¯s grandfather had been bedridden for two years. a month¡¯s medical fees would cost 300 copper coins. this money was enough for the entire family to eat their fill for more than half a month! moreover, as long as they had spare money, they would hire a doctor to treat the original owner¡¯s face and get a lot of medicine. this was also why although the ye family was diligent and capable, they were not full. they spent most of their money on treating illnesses and buying medicine. ye qingyu took her grandfather¡¯s pulse. her grandfather¡¯s illness was internal. he was weak and his mind was heavy. he could not recuperate in peace. it was difficult to recuperate with ordinary prescriptions. this time, she had to follow her own prescription to get medicine for her grandfather! as for her face, she would treat it herself in the future and never hire another doctor. they could not treat her and it was a waste of money! after buying the coarse flour, their family came out of the grain shop. ye qingyu¡¯s father and second uncle each carried 50 catties of coarse flour. for them, who often carried 200 catties of grain bags, this 50 catties of flour bag was child¡¯s play. it was not heavy at all. ¡°father, do you know how the prescription for the medicine my grandfather took was written?¡± ye qingyu asked. ¡°of course. i have memorized it. i have to come and buy medicine once a month,¡± ye dashan said. ¡°father, my grandfather has been taking medicine for more than two years and hasn¡¯t recovered yet. have you ever suspected that this prescription is actually not useful at all?¡± ye qingyu said. ¡°sigh, we¡¯ve also changed doctors for your grandpa. they all said that he had to recuperate. there¡¯s no other solution,¡± ye dashan said with a frown. how could he not worry and not suspect anything! however, they had also changed a few doctors, but none of them had improved his condition. the only consolation was that his father¡¯s health had not deteriorated. ¡°father, do you remember? when i first had the accident, i had read several medical books and wanted to find a prescription to treat my face,¡± ye qingyu said again. ¡°of course i remember.¡± ye dashan nodded. ¡°at that time, you held a book every day and even asked your first younger brother to help you. you talked about all kinds of medical cases every day. but later on¡­¡± later on, the incident at the family¡¯s tofu shop happened. it was as if the sky had collapsed. everything that the family could sell was sold, including books. at that time, his eldest son wanted to take the elementary scholar examination, but he was delayed. ¡°father, qingshu, qingfeng, and second uncle, let me tell you something big that happened to me! don¡¯t tell anyone!¡± ye qingyu felt that the foreshadowing was almost done. she interrupted her father¡¯s sigh and said in a low voice with a mysterious expression. ¡°big sister, what¡¯s the big deal?¡± ye qingfeng asked with interest. ¡°when i woke up, the contents of all the medical books i had read back then kept flashing in my mind. moreover, they were very clear. i couldn¡¯t forget them even if i wanted to. it frightened me.¡± ye qingyu said softly. ¡°big sister, really? that¡¯s amazing?!¡± ye qingfeng widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°my daughter, are you possessed? do you want me to hire a master to take a look at you?¡± ye dashan looked shocked. ye dahe nodded too and looked at his niece with heartache. ye qingyu was speechless. how could she continue like this! Chapter 28 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ye qingshu looked at ye qingyu inquisitively. ¡°big sister, are there only medical books? is there anything else? you¡¯ve read a lot.¡± ¡°i vaguely remember some of the others, but i don¡¯t remember the contents as clearly as the medical books.¡± ye qingyu was energized. she looked at her supportive brother with relief and continued to make up stories. ¡°i once read in a book that all the knowledge we learn is actually stored in our minds. it¡¯s just that we have forgotten it. under stimulation, it will be remembered.¡± ¡°big sister, you must be too obsessed with treating your face. therefore, after the disaster, you remember the medical books you read in the past even more clearly,¡± ye qingshu said. ¡°qingshu, you¡¯re right!¡± ye qingyu patted his shoulder with a smile. ¡°as expected of the smartest person in our family.¡± ye qingshu blushed at the praise and pursed his lips without saying anything. ¡°big sister, this big matter doesn¡¯t sound like much of a big deal. it¡¯s just memorizing the books.¡± ye qingfeng didn¡¯t think there was anything mysterious about it and said in disappointment. ¡°this is very useful!¡± ye qingyu said. ¡°i searched for that knowledge and found a prescription that completely matches grandpa¡¯s symptoms. it can treat grandpa¡¯s illness!¡± ¡°ah! really?!¡± ye qingfeng asked in surprise. ¡°daughter, you can¡¯t make prescriptions casually. if you do it wrongly, something bad will happen!¡± ye dashan shook his head and said solemnly. ¡°father, of course i know the importance of the prescription. i won¡¯t joke about grandpa¡¯s health!¡± ye qingyu¡¯s eyes were serious. ¡°grandpa has been sick for more than two years and hasn¡¯t recovered. our hearts ache for him, and grandpa is in even more pain! now, having a new prescription gives me so much hope! when we reach the pharmacy later, i¡¯ll write out the prescription. let¡¯s get the doctor in charge of their pharmacy to take a look. as long as this medicine is effective on grandpa¡¯s illness, we¡¯ll give it to him, okay?¡± ye dashan¡¯s face darkened and he did not say anything immediately. ¡°brother, i think qingyu is right. besides, she also said that the prescription would only be used after the doctor has seen it. we can give it a try,¡± ye dahe persuaded. ¡°father, big sister¡¯s idea is feasible!¡± ye qingshu also supported her. ¡°father, ever since big sister woke up, she hasn¡¯t been wrong about anything. listen to her. there¡¯s no problem.¡± ye qingfeng had already become his big sister¡¯s fanboy. ¡°alright, i¡¯ll listen to you.¡± ye dashan thought for a moment and agreed. ¡°let¡¯s go to the pharmacy now!¡± ¡°that¡¯s great. let¡¯s go,¡± ye qingyu said happily. ¨C this town was not big. there were only two pharmacy shops. one of the pharmacies was very close to the grain shop. it was across the street and was only a hundred meters away. it was also the shop where ye dashan often went to get medicine. ye qingyu was weak. she went from the embroidery workshop to landlord li¡¯s house and then from landlord li¡¯s house to the grain shop. she was already tired from walking, but she insisted on not saying anything, not wanting to disturb the family¡¯s good mood. now that she saw that the pharmacy was very close, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief. she quietly wiped the sweat off her head, raised her weak legs, and followed her father, second uncle, and the others. however, because it was inconvenient for ye qingshu to sprain his ankle, ye dashan supported him and walked very slowly. it was not difficult for ye qingyu to follow. ¨C ¡°dashan, you¡¯re here! you¡¯re supporting your eldest son, right? he looks quite similar to you. why? did you sprain your ankle?¡± when shopkeeper qin of the pharmacy saw ye dashan helping a young man in, he immediately greeted him. Chapter 29 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios when he saw ye qingfeng and ye qingyu behind him, shopkeeper qin said in surprise, ¡°oh, your entire family is here. behind you are your eldest daughter and youngest son, right?¡± shopkeeper qin and ye dashan knew each other before the ye family fell. later on, ye qingyu and grandpa ye needed to take medicine often. ye dashan came here almost every month to get medicine and was already very familiar with shopkeeper qin. ¡°yes. i came to town to buy some things today, and they all followed me. my eldest son accidentally sprained his ankle while walking, so i came over to treat him.¡± after ye dashan finished speaking to shopkeeper qin, he helped ye qingshu to sit at the side and asked doctor li to check his feet to see if they were broken. ye qingyu wanted to roll up her sleeves and squat down to check herself, but she could only think about it. reality did not allow it. therefore, she stared at doctor li in front of her with a hint of envy and her hands itched. she also wanted to treat people. doctor li squatted down and touched ye qingshu¡¯s bones. he told him to endure the pain. then, with a click, he straightened the dislocated bones. ye qingshu only frowned in pain and did not cry out in pain. ¡°alright, you should be able to walk now. apply an ointment on it later to relieve the pain, it helps with blood circulation and dissolving the bruises. however, you have to be careful these few days. don¡¯t sprain your ankle again, or else you¡¯ll suffer more,¡± doctor li instructed. ¡°thank you, doctor.¡± ye qingshu stood up and tried to take a few steps. the pain disappeared. now, there was only a slight pain that could be ignored. he politely cupped his hands and bowed to the doctor to thank him. ye dashan also thanked the doctor. after getting the ointment from the counter and applying it on his son¡¯s feet, he said to shopkeeper qin, ¡°i also want to try a new set of prescriptions for my father. sigh, he¡¯s been taking the previous prescription for more than half a year, but he hasn¡¯t recovered.¡± ¡°alright, where¡¯s the prescription? let me take a look. i¡¯ll get the medicine for you myself.¡± shopkeeper qin nodded in understanding and said. ye dashan immediately turned to look at his daughter. he did not ask her to write the prescription in public. instead, he waved at shopkeeper qin. ¡°brother qin, let¡¯s talk in private.¡± shopkeeper qin looked at him in confusion, not knowing what he was up to. however, out of trust and friendship, shopkeeper qin came out from behind the counter without a word and invited them to the reception room at the back to talk. ¡°brother qin, here¡¯s the thing. my daughter accidentally found out about this new prescription when she was reading medical books. she felt that it could be applied to my father¡¯s illness, so we wanted to give it a try. however, we don¡¯t know medicine well after all. we just want my daughter to write down the prescription and let the doctor of your pharmacy take a look at it. if there¡¯s no problem, we¡¯ll use this prescription.¡± ye dashan made his intentions clear in a few words. ¡°i see. your father was beaten up back then and injured his internal organs. all these years, your family¡¯s situation has been difficult, and he can¡¯t recuperate well, so he can¡¯t recover for a long time. if you want to try a new prescription, there¡¯s also a new hope. how about this? i¡¯ll get doctor li to take a look for you.¡± as shopkeeper qin spoke, he glanced at ye qingyu. he knew that she was disfigured, so it was not strange to see her wearing a veil. however, when he met her lively and smiling eyes, he could not help but take another look. just by looking at her eyes, he could tell how good-looking this girl was. sigh, what a pity. she was actually disfigured. ¡°thank you, uncle qin.¡± ye qingyu bent her knees and bowed to him. ¡°all these years, you have been taking care of our family. sometimes, you even let us pay for the medical fees later. you¡¯re really a kind person.¡± ye qingshu cupped his hands and thanked shopkeeper qin. Chapter 30 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ye qingfeng imitated his brother and cupped his hands. however, he was much more talkative. ¡°father always talks about how good uncle qin is. i thought about it every day that uncle qin must be amiable. perhaps he¡¯s just like maitreya buddha, kind-looking and blessed. looking at uncle qin today, it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°hahaha¡­¡± shopkeeper qin couldn¡¯t help but laugh heartily when he heard this. he was so happy that his face was red as he praised ye dashan. ¡°dashan, your three children really know how to talk! they¡¯re very pleasant!¡± ye dashan nodded proudly and praised his children with a smile. ¡°there¡¯s ink and paper here. write the prescription first. the clerk outside called for me. i¡¯ll go out and take a look,¡± shopkeeper qin stood up and said kindly. ye dashan and the others thanked him again and watched shopkeeper qin leave. ye qingyu walked to the table and wanted to pick up a brush to write on her own. however, on second thought, she changed her mind and said to her first younger brother, ye qingshu, ¡°first younger brother, i¡¯ll tell you what to write. i¡¯m weak and don¡¯t have much strength. i can¡¯t write well.¡± although she had the original owner¡¯s memories and her body¡¯s instincts, she had never written calligraphy herself. as soon as she started writing, she would definitely be unfamiliar with it. it was better not to write it on her own. ye qingshu did not suspect anything. he immediately nodded and sat down. he picked up the brush and dipped it gently in the ink. then, he looked up at ye qingyu, indicating that she could start. ye qingyu smiled and smoothly explained the medicinal herbs in the prescription. meanwhile, ye qing wrote very quickly and steadily. ¡°qingshu, from the way you write, i can tell that you haven¡¯t stopped practicing for the past two years,¡± ye qingyu looked at her first brother¡¯s handwriting and said with relief. ¡°big sister, you¡¯re right! big brother often dips his hand in water to practice or write with a tree branch. every morning, he wakes up an hour earlier than me just to practice calligraphy. he also sleeps late at night to practice calligraphy.¡± ye qingfeng immediately replied. he lived in the same room as his brother and knew his brother¡¯s hard work the best. ¡°it¡¯s all my fault for not being capable. i don¡¯t have the money to buy you paper and ink, so i couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ye dashan looked at his son with heartache. he thought to himself that he had to think of a way to borrow another sum of money so that his son could study and become an elementary scholar. however, he only had a few taels of silver on hand now, but this was his daughter¡¯s dowry. this money belonged to his daughter. perhaps he could discuss this with his daughter and use this money to buy some books, ink, paper, and inkstones for his son to participate in the examination in two months to see if he could pass the elementary scholar examination. ¡°father, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡± ye qingshu interrupted his father and picked up the prescription. he blew dry the brush and ink. ¡°let¡¯s quickly ask if this prescription can be used.¡± ye dashan responded and took the prescription from his son. he walked out first with ye qingshu and the others following behind him. ¨C ¡°is the prescription done?¡± shopkeeper qin smiled and greeted them when he saw them come out. ¡°it just so happens that doctor li doesn¡¯t have a patient now. give it to him and let him take a look.¡± they were all in the same hall, so doctor li, who was sitting at the door, naturally heard it. he looked at ye dashan and the others. ye dashan quickly nodded at him in greeting and quickly walked up to him with a pleading smile. ¡°doctor li, sorry to trouble you. my daughter read this prescription from a medical book. she wanted to treat my father¡¯s old illness. his symptoms are¡­¡± ye dashan explained in detail the diagnosis that a few doctors had diagnosed his father in the past. he even mentioned the previous prescription. during this period of time, if there were any flaws or unclear explanations, ye qingshu would add on. Chapter 31 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ye qingyu stood at the side and listened carefully. occasionally, she would frown, but she would quickly relax. after listening to these diagnoses, it seemed that the doctors were on the right track. however, the dosage of their prescription was average. ye qingyu pursed her lips and looked up at doctor li, who was stroking his beard. he tilted his head and frowned as he stared at the prescription in deep thought. she couldn¡¯t help but worry that his knowledge was limited and he couldn¡¯t distinguish the benefits of her prescription. instead, he might even say that it couldn¡¯t be used! to put it bluntly, ye qingyu was afraid that the other party was not smart enough. that would be a disaster for her. ye qingyu waited nervously for a long time. finally, doctor li¡¯s tightly furrowed brows relaxed and he revealed a look of admiration. he said to ye dashan, ¡°alright! this prescription is very well written. it strengthens the foundation and nourishes the body. it suits your father¡¯s illness! especially since there are two different medicines inside. ordinary people don¡¯t dare to use them! ¡°to be able to prescribe this prescription, she must be an expert with outstanding medical skills. she¡¯s a divine doctor!¡± ¡°really?!¡± when ye dashan heard this, his eyebrows almost flew up in surprise. he clenched and unclenched his fists. he suddenly recalled something and asked worriedly, ¡°doctor li, you said this prescription is very good, so are the herbs in it very expensive? how much does this set of medicine cost?¡± ¡°the herbs used here are very ordinary. one set of medicine only costs 20 copper coins, and one set can be used three times and taken over three days. buy ten sets and take them for a month first. i estimate that your father¡¯s body will be better by then. two months of this medicine should be enough!¡± doctor li stroked his beard and explained seriously. ¡°one set of medicine only costs 20 copper coins?! so cheap?! can he really recover after taking it for two months?!¡± ye dashan was so excited that he couldn¡¯t control himself. his eyes lit up and his voice trembled. previously, the medicine his father had been taking cost 30 copper coins a set, and it was the cheapest prescription he had taken. he did not expect this to be even cheaper. moreover, it sounded the most effective! ye qingyu finally felt relieved. she looked at doctor li with gratitude. doctor li was quite capable and had a discerning eye. some doctors had limited abilities and might not be able to prescribe prescriptions themselves. however, if they obtained a prescription, they would know if it was effective. ¡°doctor, are you really sure that this prescription is cheap and useful?¡± ye dahe asked excitedly. ¡°do you think i¡¯ll lie to you?!¡± seeing that they didn¡¯t believe him and asked for confirmation over and over again, doctor li was annoyed and glared at them. ¡°doctor li, that¡¯s not what i meant. i was too excited and happy to believe it! thank you so much! my father¡¯s illness can finally be cured¡­¡± ye dashan was so excited that his eyes turned red. tears welled up in his eyes. it was obvious how excited and happy he was. especially when he thought of the hardships his father had suffered in the past, his tightly furrowed brows every day, and his guilty expression because he felt that he had dragged the family down. as a son, he felt very uncomfortable. now, there was finally hope for his father to recover and he would no longer suffer. ye dashan¡¯s tears fell. however, in the next moment, he remembered that there were still many people around. he quickly wiped his tears, but his eyes were still red. not only did ye dashan cry happily, but ye dahe cried even harder. he raised his arm and wiped his tears with his sleeve. ye qingfeng also wiped his tears. ye qingshu was the most restrained. he did not cry, but his eyes were red. ye qingyu looked at the men. their eyes were red, and her heart ached and warmed. they were too cute! they were also so easily satisfied. Chapter 32 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ye qingyu was so touched that she wanted to cry. ¡°dashan, this prescription is so effective. congratulations!¡± shopkeeper qin heard the commotion and hurried over with a smile. ¡°thank you, brother qin.¡± ye dashan¡¯s face was filled with joy. ¡°please give me a month¡¯s worth of medicine first.¡± ¡°alright, give me the prescription. wait here for a moment. i¡¯ll go get the medicine for you personally,¡± shopkeeper qin said with a smile. ¡°wait, let¡¯s take enough at once for two months,¡± ye dashan said with a smile. ¡°doctor li said that my father¡¯s illness will recover after taking it for two months. i feel at ease after taking enough medicine.¡± shopkeeper qin understood what he was thinking. he smiled and nodded. he took the prescription and turned back to the medicine cabinet to get the medicine. ¡°may i ask which expert you obtained this prescription from?¡± at this moment, doctor li stood up and cupped his hands at ye dashan. ¡°i wouldn¡¯t dare to hide it from you. she¡¯s not an expert. my daughter read it in a medical book,¡± ye dashan quickly cupped his hands in return and replied politely. ¡°oh?! may i ask where you read it from?¡± doctor li was a little surprised and asked ye qingyu. ¡°it¡¯s an old medical book. i don¡¯t know the name or the author. i only found it by chance. moreover, the medical book is long gone now,¡± ye qingyu said apologetically. doctor li was a little disappointed. he didn¡¯t ask further. instead, he got up and walked behind the counter to look for shopkeeper qin. ¨C after a while, shopkeeper qin wrapped up the 20 sets of medicine. he handed the prescription and medicine to ye dashan, but when ye dashan was about to pay him, he reached out to stop him and said, ¡°dashan, let¡¯s talk in private.¡± this time, it was ye dashan¡¯s turn to be confused. he followed shopkeeper qin back to the reception room. ye qingyu and the others naturally followed. ¡°here¡¯s the thing. i just heard from doctor li that this prescription is cheap and effective. it¡¯s a good prescription to strengthen one¡¯s foundation and nourish one¡¯s internal organs. it can be used by many people who have internal injuries. i have the intention to buy it. dashan, quote a price.¡± shopkeeper qin didn¡¯t beat around the bush and told him his request. ye dashan was even more surprised when he heard that. he did not expect shopkeeper qin to buy this prescription. however, his daughter had gotten this prescription from reading books. it could be said that it did not cost a single copper coin. with this thought in mind, ye dashan immediately looked at his daughter inquiringly. ¡°uncle qin, you¡¯ve helped our family so much previously. if you want this prescription, just take it. you don¡¯t have to buy it,¡± ye qingyu took a step forward and said. ye qingyu said this sincerely and was not pretending to be polite. after all, this prescription was not important. she could easily write out more prescriptions. it was not precious. moreover, he had already prepared the medicine according to this prescription. he should have already memorized it. they could have used it without asking for their opinion. since shopkeeper qin had the morals and integrity to ask, she could just give it to him directly. it could be considered repaying his kindness from before and forming good karma. ¡°that won¡¯t do!¡± shopkeeper qin¡¯s heart warmed when he heard her, but he still shook his head. ¡°this pharmacy has its rules. we can¡¯t take someone else¡¯s prescription without asking. i¡¯m grateful for your gift, but i can¡¯t take advantage of you. ¡°how about this? i won¡¯t charge you for the 20 sets of medicine today, and i¡¯ll pay you another five taels of silver, okay?¡± ¡°uncle qin, this is too much!¡± ye qingyu hurriedly shook her head when she heard that. this really surprised her. she didn¡¯t expect the prescription to be so valuable. Chapter 33 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios she had many prescriptions in her mind. if she wrote dozens of them and sold them, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about money. however, on second thought, ye qingyu thought that doing too much was not a good idea. if she sold too many prescriptions, she would definitely be suspected and even cause big trouble. she would think about selling prescriptions later. ¡°that¡¯s right, brother qin. my daughter read this from a medical book. five taels is too much,¡± ye dashan hurriedly said. ¡°you don¡¯t understand. if i say it¡¯s worth it, it¡¯s worth it. there¡¯s no need to say anything else.¡± shopkeeper qin smiled and waved his hand. ¡°i won¡¯t suffer a loss.¡± when ye dashan heard this, he could only give up. instead, he bowed gratefully and thanked shopkeeper qin. he would receive another five taels of silver. not only could he repay some important external debt, but he could also let his son continue to study and take the elementary scholar examination! ye dashan was filled with excitement and couldn¡¯t help but look at his daughter. it was all because of his daughter that such a good thing happened. his daughter¡¯s good fortune was back! ¨C ye qingyu and her family came out of the pharmacy with joy on their faces. however, not long after they walked out, ye qingfeng let out a cry and jumped. ye qingyu and the others were so shocked that they looked at him. ¡°what¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°hehe, i just pinched myself. it hurts!¡± ye qingfeng rubbed the place where he was pinched and smiled like a little fool. ¡°i was just worried that i was having a beautiful dream. fortunately, i¡¯m not.¡± ye qingyu was amused by her brother. he was usually very smart, but now, he was so silly that he looked adorable. ¡°kid, you¡¯re faster than me. i wanted to pinch myself just now too. i also though i was dreaming. otherwise, how could there be such a good thing?¡± ye dahe said with a smile. ¡°look at the two of you. you can¡¯t keep your cool at all.¡± ye dashan wanted to scold his brother and son with a straight face, but when he remembered that not only could his father¡¯s illness be cured, but he had also received an additional five taels of silver, he couldn¡¯t keep a straight face either. instead, he grinned happily. ye qingyu wanted to laugh out loud because of them, but this was outside after all. she still had to take care of her image and couldn¡¯t laugh, so her stomach hurt from holding back her laughter. she couldn¡¯t help but turn to look at her eldest brother, whose expression was normal. she felt that her first younger brother was still the calmest, smartest, and most tenacious. he was indeed suitable for academia. ¡°father, let¡¯s go to the bookstore and buy some books, pens, ink, paper, and inkstones for qingshu. the examination is in two months. time is tight, and there¡¯s not much time left for qingshu to prepare for the exam. buying these things is the most important.¡± ye qingyu turned around and spoke to her father. ¡°big sister!¡± ye qingshu hurriedly turned to look at her in shock. his expression was moved, and his lips trembled slightly. he was so excited that he could not control himself. ¡°you want me to continue studying and become an elementary scholar?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. not only do i want you to take the elementary scholar examination, but i also want you to take the high scholar examination three years later, and then become an imperial scholar!¡± ye qingyu smiled and looked at her first younger brother with encouragement and approval. ¡°not only are you smart, but you¡¯re also willing to suffer and have insight in your studies. i believe that you will definitely be able to become an official. from today onwards, study in peace. you don¡¯t have to do the work at home anymore. father and i will earn the money. our family will be the same as before, getting better and better!¡± when ye dashan heard his daughter take the initiative to mention spending money to let his son study, he was extremely gratified and quickly said, ¡°that¡¯s right. your grandfather¡¯s illness will also recover, and our family will have a lot of money. there¡¯s enough for you to study.¡± Chapter 34 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°there¡¯s also me! i can earn money too!¡± ye qingfeng hurriedly patted his chest. ¡°brother, you like to study, but i don¡¯t. in the future, focus on studying. i¡¯ll follow my big sister to earn money to support your studies.¡± ¡°qingshu, you¡¯re good at studying, and i will fully support you! don¡¯t feel burdened. think about it. if you really become an official in the future, our family will have someone to support us. we won¡¯t be wronged so easily anymore!¡± towards the end, ye dahe¡¯s eyes were already filled with anger and his tone was indignant. he was naturally talking about how the tofu shop almost caused someone¡¯s death more than two years ago. at that time, the ye family was framed, but the officials did not give them justice and did not find out the truth. ordinary people like them could not win against officials. not only did they lose their family¡¯s wealth, but they also lost half their father¡¯s lifespan. this was a thorn in their hearts! there were scholars, farmers, workers, and businessmen in this era. businessmen had the lowest status. even if they had a lot of money, they were looked down upon. being an official was the right path! ¡°father, second uncle, big sister, qingfeng, i won¡¯t let you down!¡± ye qingshu was not a pretentious person. his eyes were filled with tears as he promised firmly. ¡°then shall we go to the bookstore now?¡± ye qingfeng urged excitedly. ¡°hey, wait a minute.¡± ye qingyu hurriedly raised her hand. ¡°the bookstore is at the east end of the town. if we want to go over, we¡¯ll have to walk for nearly ten minutes. i really don¡¯t have the strength to walk so far. moreover, qingshu¡¯s foot was injured. although he had just had his bones treated at the medical center, it was not appropriate for him to move around too much. why don¡¯t we split up? qingshu will tell qingfeng and father the titles of the books he wants to buy and let them buy them for him. qingshu, second uncle, and i will sit down at the tea shop in front and wait for you. how about that?¡± ye qingyu was already holding on until now. after running back and forth to a few places, she was already exhausted. although she also wanted to go to the bookstore to take a look, she was powerless. ¡°daughter, why didn¡¯t you say earlier that you were tired? look, we were so focused on being happy that we forgot that your body is weak!¡± ye dashan was extremely vexed. ¡°why don¡¯t you let your second uncle bring you and qingshu home first?¡± the others were also worried. they looked at ye qingyu with concern, wishing they could suffer for her. ¡°father, don¡¯t worry. even if qingshu and i want to go home, we have to take an ox cart. there¡¯s no cart back now. i¡¯ll just find a place to rest,¡± ye qingyu said. what his daughter said was right. ye dashan didn¡¯t say anything else and brought his daughter and son to the tea shop. he generously ordered tea and a plate of snacks. ye dashan asked his brother to take good care of the two of them and left the coarse flour and medicine he had bought here, while he and his youngest son went to buy books. ye qingfeng was energetic to begin with. he couldn¡¯t stay idle and liked to wander around. he liked it the most when he was tasked to run errands and buy books. ¡°father, qingfeng, have you remembered the books you have to buy? why don¡¯t i go with you? my feet are fine.¡± ye qingshu was a little worried. ¡°if you go to the bookstore, it will take more than an hour to walk back and forth. your foot injury will worsen!¡± ye qingyu frowned in disapproval and said. ¡°qingfeng is very smart. he will definitely remember the books you want to buy.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right, big brother. i sleep with you every day. i¡¯ve long remembered the names of the books you read,¡± ye qingfeng said and recited them word for word for his brother. actually, when ye qingfeng was six years old, he was also sent to a private school to study until he was nine years old. later on, the ye family met with trouble and he no longer had the money to go to school. ye qingfeng was also smart, but he did not like to read the four books and five sutras. he was very interested in arithmetic, but the teacher basically did not teach arithmetic. he only taught simple additions and subtractions. Chapter 35 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°yes, qingfeng is very good.¡± ye qingshu smiled and praised ye qingfeng. he was relieved. ¡°qingfeng, take some snacks and eat them on the way.¡± ye qingyu picked up two snacks and handed them to ye qingfeng to fill his stomach. it was almost noon, so he must be hungry. ¡°big sister, i still have half a pancake here. i¡¯ll share it with father later. you can eat it with big brother and second uncle. i don¡¯t like sweet food.¡± ye qingfeng took out the pancake he had been holding all morning and waved it around as he said with a smile. the snacks were too sweet. that was what women liked to eat. he really didn¡¯t like it. it wasn¡¯t as fragrant and chewy as the pancakes. it even filled his stomach! ye dashan smiled and rubbed his youngest son¡¯s head. he also liked his quick-witted and sensible attitude. he gave ye qingyu and the other two a few more instructions before leaving hurriedly with him. ¨C after eating a snack and drinking some tea, ye qingyu rested for a while. she felt a little better and wanted to go shopping again. she mainly wanted to buy something for her second aunt and the little ones to express her apology. of course, she also wanted to curry favor and ease their relationship. the original owner had done too much in the past two years. although her parents still doted on her, her second aunt would not tolerate her without a bottom line. moreover, two years ago, the original owner did not act like a big sister at all. she was not nice to the two children in her second aunt¡¯s family. she always ate the good things at home first, which left the two children hungry. over time, her second aunt naturally resented the original owner. however, her second aunt was kind and generous. she was not the kind of person who would cause trouble. she did not argue with her on the surface and never fought with her. however, ye qingyu knew that her second aunt did not like her in her heart. as the children were only five or six years old, they had no impression of the original owner¡¯s gentleness and generosity before she was disfigured. they only knew that their big sister was gloomy and terrifying, so they were not close to her at all. ¡°second uncle, qingshu, i want to go shopping. it¡¯s nearby and won¡¯t go far,¡± ye qingyu said. ¡°big sister, let me accompany you.¡± ye qingshu stood up. ¡°i¡¯ll have to trouble second uncle to take care of things here.¡± ye qingyu thought that she wouldn¡¯t go far and wouldn¡¯t add to her brother¡¯s foot injury, so she didn¡¯t refuse. ye dahe didn¡¯t object. he just told them to be careful and not go too far. ¨C after the two of them left the tea shop, ye qingyu explained her thoughts to her first younger brother and asked him to give her some ideas on what to buy for her second aunt and the others. ye qingshu looked at his big sister happily. everything his big sister did today made him feel that everything was appropriate and warm. she was even better at handling things than before she was disfigured. he was really happy that she could think of buying things for his second aunt and the others. in the past two years, their second aunt had sacrificed too much for their family. from time to time, she would have to give up her dignity and return to her maiden home to borrow food. she was also very tolerant of her previously muddle-headed big sister. as for the children, xiaobao and xiaoniu, one was six years old and the other was only four and a half years old. they were so young. their family had been living a hard life these few years and did not eat well. they were thin and small, which was really heartbreaking. ¡°big sister, second aunt hasn¡¯t bought any new clothes for more than two years. if you give her some cloth to make a new dress, she will definitely be happy. xiaobao and xiaoniu are both children and like to eat. however, they usually can¡¯t eat much. buying some pastries can make them happy.¡± ye qingshu thought for a moment and said. Chapter 36 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°alright, i¡¯ll listen to you.¡± ye qingyu smiled and nodded. ¡°how about this? let¡¯s buy a bolt of cloth, it¡¯ll only be about 200 copper coins. we can almost make a new set of clothes for our entire family.¡± ¡°big sister, it¡¯s not appropriate to be so extravagant!¡± ye qingshu shook his head slightly. ¡°i know you¡¯re happy and want our family to wear new clothes. however, we still owe a lot of debt. if we don¡¯t repay the debt but enjoy ourselves instead. we will be despised!¡± ¡°you¡¯re right!¡± ye qingyu paused and asked, ¡°how much do we owe? don¡¯t hide it from me, qingshu. tell me the truth.¡± ¡°from what i know, we owe 25 taels of silver.¡± ye qingshu hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°i guess the real amount is twice that.¡± ye qingyu was speechless. in the original owner¡¯s memory, her family only owed three to four taels of silver! that was why she said that she wanted to buy a bolt of cloth to make new clothes for her family. she thought that after paying off their debt, they would still have a few taels of silver left. she even thought of cutting two or three catties of meat to eat later. now, she could forget about the meat! her parents really only reported the good news to their daughter. of course, the original owner didn¡¯t take the initiative to care about the real situation at home previously. ¡°it¡¯s fine. even if we owe 50 taels of silver, i can think of a way to slowly repay the debt.¡± ye qingyu came back to her senses and comforted her first younger brother with a smile. ¡°i even took on embroidery work. i can earn forty to fifty copper coins a day. at most, i can sell another prescription. we¡¯ll have money soon. just study hard and don¡¯t worry about this.¡± ¡°big sister, you can¡¯t sell the prescription now. otherwise, people will become suspicious of you and cause trouble!¡± ye qingshu warned with a serious expression. it was similar to what ye qingyu had thought previously. when ye qingyu heard this, she smiled in relief. ¡°thank you for your reminder, qingshu. i know my limits.¡± ye qingshu felt slightly relieved. ¡°then let¡¯s do as you say. let¡¯s buy a few feet of cloth and some pastries. it won¡¯t cost more than 40 copper coins,¡± ye qingyu said. ye qingshu nodded and asked, ¡°big sister, have you thought of how to thank brother xu? you have to save this money too. it¡¯s even more urgent than repaying some debts.¡± upon being reminded by her first younger brother, ye qingyu was also worried. how should she thank xu jingnan? it was indeed a big deal! firstly, he had saved her life. this life-saving favor was a huge favor. apart from repaying him with her body, she could not give him enough money, gifts, and favors. moreover, she had used him to redeem her first younger brother safely today. it was another huge favor. however, she felt that this xu jingnan was quite unfathomable and even a little dangerous. after spending eight years on the battlefield and being praised by butler wang, he was definitely not an ordinary mountain man. therefore, she was afraid that her family would be involved in some dispute. she did not want to be close to him at all. she only wanted to return the favor and return to being simple acquaintances. ¡°first younger brother, do you have any good ideas that don¡¯t cost too much money and can express my gratitude?¡± ye qingyu asked. sigh, they were poor now and still owed a huge debt. she wished she could split a copper coin into two and spend it. under limited conditions, she did not have any good ideas. ¡°big sister, i do have an idea, but i¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll mind.¡± ye qingshu looked hesitant and stammered. ¡°if you have something to say, just say it.¡± after ye qingyu urged him, she emphasized again, ¡°as long as you don¡¯t ask me to marry him, i won¡¯t mind.¡± Chapter 37 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°that¡¯s not it. i was thinking that we should make clothes for big brother xu.¡± ye qingshu shook his head and explained. ¡°firstly, these clothes would be cheaper. secondly, it¡¯s sincere of us to sew them ourselves. however, if i ask big sister to make clothes for a man, i¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be willing and the other party will misunderstand.¡± when ye qingyu heard this, she almost instantly understood what ye qingshu meant. in the modern world, giving a man clothes that were personally sewn by hand implied some affection. moreover, in ancient times, a woman¡¯s reputation was greater than the heavens. it was very inappropriate to make clothes for a man. it would even be suspected that they were meeting in private. ye qingyu naturally couldn¡¯t say that she didn¡¯t mind at all in order to save money. she still had to protect her reputation, so she said, ¡°this is not a problem. when i¡¯m done, you send it to him. just say that our mother made it. you don¡¯t have to be afraid that i¡¯ll take it to heart. i¡¯ll just treat it as doing business. making clothes for anyone is the same. i even took on the job of embroidering purses. perhaps the purses i embroidered have been bought by other men. do i have to take it to heart?¡± ye qingshu did not expect his big sister to say this. after being stunned for a moment, a smile appeared on his face. ¡°big sister is right!¡± ¡°coincidentally, the embroidery workshop is not far ahead. let¡¯s go there and buy cloth,¡± ye qingyu said. ye qingshu naturally had no objections. when the shopkeeper saw ye qingyu and ye qingshu enter, he greeted her warmly. ¡°it seems that you¡¯ve finished your business. this is the first younger brother you mentioned, right? one look and you can tell that he¡¯s a scholar.¡± ¡°yes, my first younger brother has been studying since he was young and is very smart.¡± ye qingyu smiled and praised his brother. ¡°shopkeeper, i want to buy a few feet of silk cloth to make clothes. what colors do you have? show me.¡± this kind of cloth was made of long silk, cotton, or other yarn. it was thick and clear. it was much better than rough cloth and gab. however, it could not compare to satin silk. it was a medium-grade cloth and was about half a tael of silver for ten feet. ye qingyu had also thought about it carefully when she chose to buy this kind of cloth. it was neither expensive nor cheap, and it was made of cotton to absorb sweat. it was very suitable for xu jingnan to wear. ¡°wait a moment. do you want to make clothes for your first younger brother? there are a few green ones that are suitable for students like him,¡± the shopkeeper said with a smile. he turned around and was about to take the goods from the container. ¡°shopkeeper, i¡¯m not making it for my first younger brother. i¡¯m giving it to someone else.¡± ye qingyu roughly explained xu jingnan¡¯s height and calm temperament. hearing this, the shopkeeper looked at her again and did not say anything else. instead, he immediately took a few bolts of dark-colored cloth for her. ye qingyu asked her first younger brother for his opinion and finally chose a bolt of dark blue cloth. the texture on it was quite beautiful, and ye qingyu was quite satisfied. since xu jingnan was tall, ye qingyu bought ten feet of cloth. she thought that the remaining cloth might be used to make clothes for her second aunt¡¯s xiaobao. then, ye qingyu spent another 30 copper coins to buy five feet of cloth for her second aunt. now that she didn¡¯t have much money, she could only buy the cheapest cloth. ¡°shopkeeper, do you have any scraps of cloth here that you don¡¯t want? the kind you completely abandoned.¡± after paying, ye qingyu asked again. ¡°there are, but you won¡¯t even be able to do anything to those rags. moreover, it¡¯s not worth it to spend needles and thread on them. why do you want them?¡± the shopkeeper asked curiously. Chapter 38 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°we farmers are poor. if our clothes or shoes are torn, we¡¯ll patch them up and wear them as usual. these rags can be used as patches. shopkeeper, can you sell them to me for two to three copper coins?¡± ye qingyu asked again. ¡°you don¡¯t have to pay. i¡¯ll give you some rags.¡± the shopkeeper was very generous. he turned around and went to the back, coming out with a cloth bag. ye qingyu took the cloth bag and grabbed a few handfuls. looking at the colorful cloth made of various materials, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°shopkeeper, thank you so much! these rags you gave me are much bigger than i thought. i took advantage of you today.¡± ¡°to me, it¡¯s just some useless things. you don¡¯t have to be polite. take it.¡± the shopkeeper liked ye qingyu¡¯s calmness and waved his hand with a smile. ye qingyu bought some more threads and thanked the shopkeeper again and again. then, she took the cloth and a cloth bag and left with a smile. ¡°big sister, are you really using these to make patches?¡± after leaving the embroidery workshop, ye qingshu couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously. ¡°it¡¯s a secret for the time being.¡± ye qingyu smiled and winked at him mysteriously, revealing her mischievousness. ye qingshu was speechless and wanted to laugh. his big sister¡¯s change was really delightful. then, the two of them went to the pastry shop and spent 15 copper coins to buy some pastries. after buying these, they did not continue shopping and returned to the tea shop. ¡°you¡¯re finally back.¡± ye dahe heaved a sigh of relief when he saw them. he quickly stood up to welcome them and took the things from ye qingshu. ¡°what¡¯s in this bag? it¡¯s quite heavy.¡± ¡°it¡¯s a bag of rags. when i bought the cloth, the shopkeeper was kind and generous enough to give them to me directly for free,¡± ye qingyu said with a smile. ¡°that shopkeeper is such a good person!¡± ye dahe praised without looking at what the cloth looked like. even if it was a pile of small pieces of cloth, they would be the ones who took advantage of it when they went back and stuffed them into the corners of the table. therefore, he also praised the shopkeeper. ye qingyu nodded and picked up two more wrapped cloths. she said to her second uncle, ¡°this piece of cloth is for big brother xu to thank him for his help. i bought a bit more. if there¡¯s anything left, i¡¯ll make clothes for xiaobao. this cloth is for my second aunt. second uncle, take a look. does my second aunt like this color?¡± when ye dahe heard that his eldest niece was thinking about his wife and son, his heart warmed. he smiled and did not refuse. ¡°qingyu, thank you. i¡¯ll thank you on behalf of your second aunt. she¡¯ll definitely like this color.¡± ye dahe felt guilty towards his wife. in the past two years, his father had to take medicine and his eldest niece had to treat her face. the difficulties at home made his wife suffer a lot. she worked hard every day and did not have enough to eat. there were even a few times when the family really had no choice but to let her go back to her maiden home to borrow food and money, causing her to be scolded by her brother and sister-in-law. every time his wife returned from her maiden home, she would silently wipe her tears at night but she did not complain. he also felt very bad and could only feel more sorry for her. every time, he would tell her to endure it for another two years and her life would be better. but every time he said this, he was very uncertain and guilty. however, now that he looked at his eldest niece, who had been different since she jumped into the river, and thought that his father¡¯s illness could be cured, ye dahe had a faint feeling that their family would really get better and better in the future. Chapter 39 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°as long as my second aunt likes it.¡± ye qingyu smiled and said that the pastries were for xiaobao and xiaoniu. ¡°qingyu, although you sold your dowry and prescription and have some money, the more you spend, the less money you¡¯ll have left. it¡¯s better to spend it sparingly.¡± although ye dahe was touched, he couldn¡¯t help but mutter. ¡°second uncle, wealth is earned, not saved.¡± ye qingyu smiled and said apologetically. ¡°as the big sister, i was muddle-headed previously and didn¡¯t act like a big sister. when i thought about how i previously fought with xiaobao and xiaoniu for food, i was ashamed. now that i have some money on hand, i want to make up for it quickly.¡± ye dahe felt comfortable hearing her words. he looked at her with a smile and didn¡¯t say anything else. ¨C after waiting for a while, ye dashan and ye qingfeng returned. the two of them were sweating profusely from the heat along the way and were very thirsty. ye qingshu quickly poured them two bowls of tea. the two of them did not say anything. they quickly drank the two bowls of tea and sighed comfortably. ¡°brother, look, these are the four books you wanted. they¡¯re really expensive. just these four books cost one tael of silver. and these pens, ink, paper, and inkstones add up to one and a half taels of silver.¡± as ye qingfeng spoke, he looked pained. in this era, printing techniques were not good, and paper and books were very expensive. therefore, even if the poor wanted to study, they could not afford it. ¡°you little money-grubber.¡± ye qingyu smiled and rubbed ye qingfeng¡¯s head. ¡°your brother is going to take the elementary scholar examination. it¡¯s worth it to spend this money.¡± ¡°i know.¡± ye qingfeng nodded. he was just nagging. ¡°after i read these books again and copy them down, we can sell them again,¡± ye qingshu said. ¡°i¡¯ve already said that you don¡¯t have to worry about money. just focus on studying,¡± ye qingyu said to her first younger brother. ¡°read these for a while. your big sister has plenty of ways to earn money so that you don¡¯t have to worry, and you will be able to buy as many books as you want.¡± ye qingyu¡¯s words were arrogant. ye dashan gave her a thumbs up. ¡°my daughter is so amazing. she will definitely do what she says!¡± ¡°of course!¡± ye qingyu deliberately raised her head and said proudly. the others couldn¡¯t help but laugh. the few of them laughed and joked around. then, ye dashan saw the cloth and pastries on the table and the cloth bag, so he naturally asked about them. hearing his daughter¡¯s answers, he smiled and praised her for being meticulous. he did not object. after a while, ye dashan had rested enough. seeing that his youngest son was full of energy and did not look tired at all, he looked at ye qingyu and asked, ¡°daughter, are you feeling well? how about we go look for your grandmother and mother now? i just asked around. there¡¯s an ox cart returning to our village. we¡¯ll leave in an hour. let¡¯s call them and go home.¡± ¡°i¡¯m feeling much better. i went shopping just now. let¡¯s go so that we can go home early. my grandfather is alone at home. although i¡¯ve asked auntie liu to take care of him, i¡¯m still worried,¡± ye qingyu stood up and said. ¡°yes, that¡¯s right! let¡¯s go back quickly.¡± at the thought that his father was at home alone, ye dashan felt anxious and hurriedly agreed. ¨C the shop where ye qingyu¡¯s mother and grandmother worked belonged to a rich family with the surname li. it was not far from the tea shop where they were sitting. they arrived after walking for a few minutes. Chapter 40 translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios today was the li family¡¯s wedding. moreover, it was already past the auspicious time. the bride had already finished the wedding ceremony and was preparing to receive the guests. therefore, the li family¡¯s entrance and courtyard were filled with guests. it was very lively. ¡°there are too many people here. go to the other side and wait. i¡¯ll go in and look for them. don¡¯t follow me in. look after the things outside,¡± ye dashan said to ye qingyu and the others. they would be mistaken for thieves if they went in to look for someone with so many things on their backs. it would not be good. ye qingyu also understood her father¡¯s concerns and nodded without objection. ¡°father, i¡¯ll go in with you.¡± ye qingfeng wanted to join in the fun. he tugged at ye dashan¡¯s sleeve and looked up pleadingly. ¡°you can follow me in, but you definitely can¡¯t run around. follow me closely,¡± ye dashan reminded his youngest son with a serious expression. ¡°i know!¡± ye qingfeng smiled and pulled ye dashan in excitedly. ¨C ¡°why aren¡¯t big brother and the others out yet?¡± ye dahe craned his neck and looked at the entrance of the li family¡¯s house. ¡°they¡¯re entertaining guests. they might not be able to leave when they¡¯re so busy,¡± ye qingshu said. ¡°that¡¯s right. they¡¯re here to help. if they suddenly leave at the busiest time, they probably won¡¯t be able to explain themselves. let¡¯s wait patiently,¡± ye qingyu echoed. they had indeed chosen a bad time. ¡°hey! they¡¯re out! it¡¯s mother and qingfeng.¡± after a while, ye dahe¡¯s eyes lit up and he shouted excitedly. ye qingyu also saw it. beside ye qingfeng was a skinny old lady with half-white hair and a slight slouch. it was her grandmother, madam liu. ¡°grandma!¡± when ye qingyu saw that her old grandma still had to come out to work, she felt very upset. she quickly took two steps forward and went up to her. ¡°qingyu, it¡¯s really you. i just heard from your father that you came to sell your dowry and even redeemed your first younger brother. i couldn¡¯t believe it!¡± madam liu grabbed her granddaughter¡¯s arm and looked at her excitedly, tears welling up in her eyes. ¡°grandma, it¡¯s me!¡± ye qingyu nodded. her nose was a little sore and her eyes were a little red. ¡°i¡¯ve let you down previously. i¡¯ve made a huge mistake. i won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°what are you apologizing for? you silly girl!¡± madam liu looked at her granddaughter lovingly and was so happy that she did not know what to say. ¡°mother, why isn¡¯t my brother and sister-in-law out yet?¡± ye dahe also walked over and asked. ¡°it¡¯s too busy. the li family¡¯s butler didn¡¯t allow us to leave, so your father stayed behind to continue working for me,¡± madam liu said. ¡°besides, if we leave now, we¡¯ll lose the wages we earned in the morning. we¡¯ll be wasting our efforts and not getting anything. it¡¯s too much of a loss. let them finish here. let¡¯s go home first.¡± ¡°father also said that we should go back first,¡± ye qingfeng said. since his brother and mother had said so, ye dahe had no objections. although ye qingyu felt that it was inappropriate to keep her parents working here, she could not think of a better solution. apart from their second uncle, they were all old, weak, sick, or disabled. they couldn¡¯t help even if they stayed. they were quite troublesome. moreover, there was still a pile of things to bring back home. without her second uncle¡¯s help, the few of them wouldn¡¯t be able to carry the 100 catties of coarse flour. her second uncle also had to go back with them. madam liu turned her head to see how her eldest grandson was and to check if he suffered at landlord li¡¯s house for the past two days. however, when she turned around, she saw three large cloth bags on the ground. her eldest grandson was still holding a bag full of stuff. her eyes immediately widened in surprise. ¡°aiyo, why did you buy so many things!¡±