When Han Xiangmei saw her daughter, who had been away all night, looking disheveled and her clothes in tatters, she was greatly shocked.
"Nan Nan, you..."
She swallowed back the second half of the sentence that was stuck in her throat, fearing that her words might come true.
Ye Zhinan forced a smile and casually tugged at the corner of her clothes.
"I accidentally fell into a gully last night. I've made you worry, Mother. These were the medicinal herbs I picked for Father and Brother."
As she said this, she reached behind her, only to find it empty. Then she remembered that she had returned in a hurry and hadn't prepared anything at all.
"Hehe, they all fell. I'll go pick some more."
"Come back!"
Han Xiangmei grabbed her daughter. Her red - rimmed eyes were brimming with tears. "How can you go out looking like this?"
When she came back, the sky was just turning pale. Now the sun was high in the sky.
Ye Zhinan went back to her room to change her clothes and clean her wounds, then went to see her father and brother.
The two of them had already woken up. Upon learning that Ye Zhinan had been away all night, they held back certain emotions in their eyes and didn't flare up.
After a moment of silence, Ye Shenyan was the first to speak.
"We're fine now. Let's just pretend that what happened yesterday never took place."
Ye Yingfeng frowned and murmured something in a low voice, but in the end, he said nothing.
Ye Zhinan's face remained calm. It seemed that she had already anticipated this. Although she kept her head down and was silent, the sharpness in her eyes kept flickering.
Sooner or later, she would get even with whoever was responsible!
There was another person who had this matter firmly in mind. Taking advantage of the night, Qin Yihuai sneaked to the Ye family's house. Watching the lights in that person's room go on and off, the restlessness in his heart tugged at his injured leg, causing a dull, throbbing pain.
In the past few days, Ye Zhinan had only given the medicine to Chen Zhenhai, making Chen Zhenhai seem like a mere messenger.
"Miss Ye said that there are two sets of medicine, one for internal use and the other for external application. Take the internal one three times a day and apply the external one once a day."
"The leader said, 'Thank you. I owe you two duck necks.'"
"Miss Ye said that it takes a hundred days to recover from bone and tendon injuries. Remember not to overexert yourself or get the wound wet within these hundred days."
"The leader said, 'I'll keep the girl's instructions in mind. I owe you two pig's trotters more.'"
"I said, Miss Ye, if the leader's leg gets injured again, it'll be all over. Please, for the sake of him risking being disabled and unable to find a wife, go and check on him in person!"
Chen Zhenhai finally couldn't bear the torment of the two of them any longer. He wanted to save the galaxy by himself, but actually, he just wanted to save his own legs that were about to be run to the ground and his mouth that was about to be worn out.
"Give this to him."
"I said, Miss Ye..."
Before Chen Zhenhai could finish his sentence, he was pushed out.
He thought he would be scolded by Qin Yihuai when he got back, but unexpectedly, after Qin Yihuai read the letter he had brought back, his furrowed brows relaxed.
"Is Miss Ye coming to see you?"
Chen Zhenhai asked cautiously.
"She gave the method of copper smelting."
Following Ye Zhinan's method, even though the mine had collapsed, it didn't affect the progress of the four sacrificial vessels. Instead, the work was completed one day earlier.
Prefect Shen Beiting was very happy and decided to reward the Ye family.
However, due to his limited finances, his voice lacked confidence when he made the announcement.
Ye Shenyan was dedicated to the people and didn't seek any rewards, but Ye Zhinan wanted what was due to them.
"Can we choose?"
Shen Beiting nodded with a smile.
"Then I'd like some poultry, like ducks, chickens, and geese. It would be even better if there could be a cow, a sheep, or a pig."
Ye Zhinan wasn't at all polite. She counted on her fingers, calculating how to gather all the livestock.
Shen Beiting broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this. Even the richest landlords didn't have that many livestock!
Seeing the prefect looking increasingly embarrassed, Ye Shenyan let out a cold snort.
"How can our shabby house accommodate so many livestock?"
A look of disappointment flashed across Ye Zhinan's eyes. She sighed helplessly and halved her wishes.
"Then just give us a few ducklings and chicks first!"
Shen Beiting let out a sigh of relief with a bitter smile and immediately ordered his servants to take them to the backyard to choose.
Ye Zhinan got excited as soon as she reached the backyard. She couldn't bear to let go of the ducks and chickens.
But Ye Shenyan kept a close eye on her, so she had no choice but to pick a few ducklings and chicks. Before leaving, she didn't forget to remind the prefect.
"These poultry must be free - ranged."
The preparations for the Cold Spring Festival sacrifice were in full swing, and Ye Zhinan had also set up a poultry coop.
While she was taking care of the ducklings and chicks, she heard shrill complaints from outside the door.
"It stinks so much! Which family has knocked over the swill?"
"Wei Shishiqi, isn't it the fishy smell from the duck down in your house?"
Ye Zhinan's eyes swept over the speaker and noticed that the sandalwood fragrance on her was even stronger.
Wei Shishiqi felt uncomfortable under her gaze. She tightened her clothes and then looked at Ye Zhinan with a cold stare.
"You should take good care of your chickens and ducks. Don't let it smell as stinky everywhere as your house."
Ye Zhinan knew that there had never been any strange smell in her house. It was obvious that Wei Shishiqi was looking for trouble.
Anyone would be jealous that her family had suddenly gotten some poultry. Seeing that the onlookers were starting to whisper, Ye Zhinan was about to step forward to stop them.
Suddenly, Wei Shishiqi stumbled and fell backward. She lay on the ground, blinking her big, watery eyes and looking at Ye Zhinan pitifully. "If you have something to say, say it nicely. How can you hit someone?!"
At this moment, Ye Zhinan saw someone walking not far away.
Qin Yihuai!
So she was putting on a show for him!
"What's going on?"
Qin Yihuai's gaze was stern. He walked straight towards Ye Zhinan and didn't even glance at the person on the ground.
"She says I hit her!"
Ye Zhinan pointed at the person on the ground with an innocent look on her face.
"Do you have any evidence?"
Qin Yihuai looked around. The onlookers' views were blocked, and besides, they were just there to watch the fun. No one wanted to get involved, so they all shook their heads.
"In that case, can you tell me where she hit you?"
Faced with this sudden question, Wei Shishiqi randomly pointed at her left cheek. The next second, she got a slap on her right cheek.
"Why did you hit me?"
Ye Zhinan said pitifully, "To verify if the injury on your left cheek was caused by me. Tell me, are the palm prints on the left and right cheeks the same? If you can't see clearly, I'll reluctantly hit you one more time."
As she said this, she turned her back to the crowd and raised her right hand. The killing intent in her eyes scared Wei Shishiqi so much that she quickly got up. But unexpectedly, she stumbled and fell hard on the ground. Her face was covered with a layer of dust.
Ye Zhinan turned around, and a pure smile appeared on her fair face.
"Everyone, please testify for me. I didn't hit anyone!"
Seeing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Some even stepped forward to testify.
"Miss Ye didn't hit anyone."
"It was Miss Wei who fell by herself."
"Miss Wei, you'd better go see a doctor quickly. Don't ruin your looks."
Among the crowd, there were many who were just there to watch the fun. They didn't care what had actually happened, but rather which way the wind was blowing.
At this moment, a strong wind blew in, stirring up the dust on the ground and sweeping away the rumors.
"A sandstorm is coming. Everyone, go back quickly and reinforce the greenhouses!"
Ye Zhinan looked at the yellow expanse in the distance. She suppressed the uneasiness in her heart, but a hint of desolation still showed in her eyes.