Ye Zhinan sat sulking in the yard. She was just about to pack up and go to work when suddenly a man's soft cough came from outside.
She looked up and saw it was Qin Yihuai.
His face was not as rosy as before and he looked a bit fatigued. It seemed that his wound from last time hadn't fully healed.
"Why are you here?"
Qin Yihuai was holding some eggs in his hand. His eyes were evasive, clearly coming to ask for something.
Ye Zhinan didn't want to make things difficult for him. She gave a faint smile and went back into the house to rummage for the alcohol.
"You want the alcohol, right?"
"Yes."
Qin Yihuai nodded but didn't take the alcohol. Instead, he held the eggs out.
"These were collected from their rations. Consider them a token of gratitude."
He was always so polite, never lacking in etiquette.
Ye Zhinan bent down and put the alcohol at the door. She didn't take the eggs from his hand.
"They're not fully recovered yet. This is the time for them to supplement their nutrition. It's really not right to deduct their eggs."
A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes. She tilted her head to observe his reaction.
Qin Yihuai was rarely flustered. His brows knitted tightly.
"It's not a deduction. They voluntarily..."
"Then let them take them back themselves. I'm sure you have the ability."
Seeing him pursing his lips and not answering, Ye Zhinan raised her eyebrows and looked at him curiously.
"If you really want to thank me, then answer me a few questions. Don't worry. I won't dig deeper into things you don't want to talk about."
Qin Yihuai nodded and silently put the eggs away.
"Why were you all injured?"
"Bandits were causing trouble in the mountains. They came down to rob at night and we caught them red - handed."
It seemed that what Sister Hong said was true.
The government and the bandits maintained an unwritten harmony and hardly ever took the initiative to provoke them.
Now it seemed that it wasn't that they didn't want to provoke, but that they simply couldn't defeat them.
"Can you do martial arts?"
Qin Yihuai was silent for a few seconds and finally nodded.
"I learned a few moves when I was young. It's barely enough for self - defense."
Ye Zhinan sized him up, half - believing and half - doubting his words.
The others were seriously injured while he only had a simple scratch.
Just a few moves...
She didn't believe it!
"I went to the market yesterday. The business didn't seem prosperous. Sister Hong said it was even a problem to pay the taxes. You've seen a lot. Do you have any insights?"
Qin Yihuai's face suddenly turned cold. His eyes were deep, like a cold pool in December, making her shiver all over.
She deliberately probed, just to see how resistant Qin Yihuai was to political affairs.
Unexpectedly, she ended up shooting herself in the foot.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."
Her voice softened. She tightened the cuffs of her sleeves, afraid that he would get angry.
She only heard the man in front of her take a few heavy breaths and finally let out a sigh.
"This is not your fault. I just don't want to get deeply involved."
He thanked her in a low voice, silently put down the eggs, and his figure disappeared at the end of the criss - crossing paths.
Ye Zhinan looked down at her toes. She felt uneasy.
It was her who overstepped...
During work during the day, Ye Zhinan was always absent - minded. She almost cut her hand with the farm tool.
Sister Hong sighed again and again beside her. Unable to bear it any longer, she reminded her.
"Why don't you go back and rest for half a day? If it goes on like this, your hands might be ruined."
Ye Zhinan shook her head. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her restless heart.
She looked up into Sister Hong's eyes. She subconsciously wanted to inquire about Qin Yihuai.
Thinking of the stupid thing she did in the morning, she forced the words back.
Some scars probably shouldn't be exposed to the sun.
"I'm just troubled by something. Don't worry. I'm fine."
She showed a faint dimple, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and focused on the work at hand.
What her master said before was right.
The rotten flesh is connected to the body. Even though it's extremely painful, sometimes it's hard to part with.
Those unspeakable pasts were Qin Yihuai's pain and also his fetters.
Ye Zhinan buried all her curiosity deep in her heart. From then on, she only wanted to get to know the Qin Yihuai in front of her.
...
When Ye Shenyan came back, there was an indelible frown between his eyebrows.
Han Xiangmei quickly stepped forward and gently wiped the coal ash from his face.
"Is the Zhao family in a difficult situation?"
She didn't need to ask much. Just looking at his helpless appearance, she could probably guess most of it.
The Zhao family was living a hard life. Now the Ye family was also struggling to survive and couldn't spare any effort to help them.
Ye Shenyan valued friendship. It was reasonable for him to worry about the Zhao family's livelihood.
"The second daughter - in - law of the Zhao family may not make it..."
Han Xiangmei's face changed. She vaguely remembered that the woman was pregnant.
Those government officials weren't completely heartless. Considering her pregnancy, they specifically arranged for her to weave cloth.
Why did she suddenly get into such a bad situation?
"They said that she was kicked in the stomach while working. And they didn't allow her to call a doctor. She had to endure it at home."
Ye Shenyan closed his eyes. He still remembered that when he went to the Zhao family in the morning, he saw basins of blood being carried out.
Zhao Yongyu reminded them that there were honored guests coming, so the woman in the room tried hard to hold back and only let out a faint whimper.
But even so, Ye Shenyan still felt heart - wrenching.
Women's matters shouldn't be heard by men.
Now that even Ye Shenyan knew about it, it was probably really dangerous.
"What about the baby? Was it saved?"
Ye Zhinan hadn't heard a single word about the baby from beginning to end.
If the fetus was unstable, they could take good care of the mother later.
If the fetus died in the womb, it might endanger the mother's life.
The daughter - in - law of the Zhao family would also be dragged down by the baby.
Ye Shenyan sighed and shook his head helplessly.
"Without a doctor's diagnosis, they're not sure."
Ye Zhinan's face changed drastically. She suddenly stood up from the chair, turned around and went back to the room to get the medicine box.
"Dad, if you trust me, take me to the Zhao family."
Her eyes were full of determination. Without saying a word, Ye Shenyan took her to the Zhao family under the moonlight.
The father - daughter duo quickly left the house. Han Xiangmei quickly told Ye Yingfeng to follow them.
Before she could say anything, she saw his figure almost catching up with the two in front.
"All the immortals show your spirits. Bless the daughter - in - law of the Zhao family to be okay. Bless the three of them to return safely."
...
It was already getting dark, but the yard of the Zhao family was in a stir.
Many people were standing outside watching the commotion, all curious about this new family.
"What bad luck. They've only just arrived and there's blood. Their future days will probably be tough!"
"Maybe their ancestors didn't do enough good deeds. Otherwise, things wouldn't go so wrong for them."
Ye Zhinan's face turned cold. She forcefully pushed aside the gossiping people.
"Before talking about others, take a good look at yourselves first."
She rarely said unpleasant things. Her upbringing since childhood had always taught her to be forgiving.
But gossiping and adding insult to injury right at someone's doorstep.
They didn't deserve any forgiveness.
Ye Yingfeng stood tall in front of the women. Before he even had a chance to punch, the women quickly scattered.