"I'm just afraid that someone with a guilty conscience might deliberately shift the blame. By then, it might be too late," Qin Yihuai said in a calm voice, showing no sign of emotional fluctuation.
Ye Zhinan stood still, pinching the corner of her clothes. Suddenly, she felt as if she had judged others with a petty mind.
"I understand."
The two fell silent again. Seeing that Qin Yihuai was about to leave, she quickly took out the cotton cushion and carefully handed it over.
"Thank you for the cushion. I've washed it clean. I hope you don't mind."
Qin Yihuai responded with a grunt. His hand tightened slightly around the cushion as he turned around and strode away.
In the dim room, the oil lamp flickered, just like Qin Yihuai's heart.
He sat on the chair, turning his head to look at the cotton cushion. His eyes were clouded.
He didn't know what Ye Zhinan had used, but the cushion was filled with a familiar scent.
Just the smell would make him think of that figure.
Qin Yihuai sighed. He suddenly stood up from the chair, threw back the quilt, and closed his eyes irritably.
The smell lingered and followed him into his dreams.
...
It was still dawn when Ye Zhinan was woken up by Ye Yingfeng's loud voice.
She had gone to bed late last night, constantly thinking about business. Being suddenly woken up, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"What's going on? Let people have a good sleep in the morning."
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she noticed that her parents were also sitting in the yard, looking rather solemn.
"It's the Wei family. Everyone says they've taken an extra share of the rations. Now they're going to the yamen to make a fuss. I'm just not sure if we should go," Ye Yingfeng said.
After all, Ye Shenyan was the head of the family. Moreover, without their father's approval, the siblings didn't dare to make their own decisions.
Ye Shenyan leaned on his knees, pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head.
"As long as we don't get short - changed, it's none of our business how much others take."
Ye Yingfeng agreed with his father's view. Many people had come to him yesterday, hoping he could help because of his strength.
He knew well the behavior of the yamen runners and the rule of official protection.
In this place, the yamen runners were the bosses. If they wanted to protect someone, it would be useless no matter how much one argued.
Going there rashly to seek an explanation would be like hitting a stone with an egg, so he had declined them all.
"It's better to watch from the sidelines than to get involved in this mess."
The family reached an agreement and went back to their own business.
Not long after, they heard intense quarrels in the distance.
"This matter must be explained to us. We all do the same work, and no one is inferior to anyone else. Why do you give them more money?"
"We've also seen their daughter always taking eggs home. If it wasn't given by you, did she steal them?"
Several men surrounded the yard where the yamen runners lived, carrying farm tools and looking menacing.
But they didn't understand that those shoddy tools couldn't match real swords and guns.
"Wei Shishi must have done something shady. I've also heard that she often skips work. I don't know what she's up to," Ye Yingfeng said.
Ye Zhinan gave her elder brother a cold look and said maliciously, "Be careful. I'll tell father that you're gossiping about others behind their backs. See if he'll beat you."
She stuck out her tongue and proudly raised her head like a cock.
Ye Yingfeng blew a puff of air, accurately hitting Ye Zhinan's ticklish spot.
"Good for you. You've got guts now, daring to snitch on me?"
The siblings were in a rambunctious mood, and their laughter even drowned out the quarrels across the way.
Ye Zhinan returned to the yard and saw Han Xiangmei holding a needle and thread, sewing with her head down.
She walked closer and found that Han Xiangmei was embroidering.
The paired mandarin ducks on the red cloth were vivid, obviously not for family use.
"What are you doing? Are you starting to arrange a marriage for my elder brother?" she asked jokingly, but there was always a strange feeling in her heart.
Han Xiangmei gave her a reproachful look, wiped the embroidery needle on her hair a few times, and continued with her work.
"I was chatting with the others while working. They said we could sell our handicrafts. I don't know how to do anything else but embroider."
Ye Zhinan looked at the embroidered work and felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.
In the past, her mother's embroidery was so precious in the capital that only those who were familiar with her would come to ask her in person, and Han Xiangmei would reluctantly help embroider something.
Mostly, it was for wedding clothes on happy occasions or clothes for children.
Other than that, she would decline all requests.
What was once regarded as a precious treasure now had to be sold cheaply in the market just to survive.
Ye Zhinan felt a dull pain in her heart. She sat down beside Han Xiangmei and rubbed her waist.
"Your health is not good. Don't do such tiring work. I'll go to the market and see if I can find some new business opportunities."
She noticed that there were a few more white hairs on Han Xiangmei's head and more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
Sure enough, time flies and hard times take a toll.
"What can you do? Are you going to go out and practice medicine?" Han Xiangmei stroked Ye Zhinan's head and showed a gentle smile.
"Even if you have the ability, I don't want you to suffer outside. You're still young. Let your father and me bear the hard times."
Ye Zhinan's eyes turned red. She gave a muffled response and quickly walked back to her room.
Tears fell on the pillow, soaking a large area.
"When will this hard life end?"
When Ye Zhinan went out to work, she met Sister Zhang.
Looking at her disheveled appearance, it was obvious that the morning's attempt had failed.
"Some people are really out of place. When something happens, they manage to keep themselves clean. A near neighbor is better than a distant relative. If you don't join us now, you'll have a hard time in the future," Sister Zhang muttered as she passed by Ye Zhinan.
Ye Zhinan couldn't swallow this insult. She turned around and picked up the conversation.
"True as it may be, we can't act like moths flying into the fire. Knowing that something can't be done but still insisting on it is just foolishness."
"What results did you achieve by making such a big fuss? Did they give you one more coin, or did they make the Wei family's life miserable?"
Facing these questions one by one, Sister Zhang blushed and was at a loss.
"It's not just me saying this. Everyone says your family is a fence - sitter and not on our side!"
Ye Zhinan sneered. These people were brainless and always blamed others for being reasonable.
It seemed that there was no justice in this world.
"Our family may not be on your side, but at least we didn't get beaten and can still live a comfortable life."