Ye Zhinan stared at the other person with wide, confused eyes. Qin Yihuai's eyes darkened, and a glint of cold light flashed in them.
No matter how cold that light was, it couldn't compare to the spring sun, which always made people feel warm. Ye Zhinan had a rare good sleep. Now she was lying in the quilt, enjoying the sunlight and thinking about what Qin Yihuai had said last night.
What did he mean by "it's easy to handle"? How was he going to handle it? She had even forgotten to question him about the silver.
She couldn't help but sigh. Suddenly, the person beside her sighed too.
"Are you awake?"
Ye Zhinan looked at Liu Ruonan's thin back, and a flicker of sadness crossed her eyes.
It was really tough for pregnant women.
"Sister, good morning!"
Liu Ruonan propped herself up, turned around, and showed a smile.
That smile was especially bright and charming in the sunlight.
Ye Zhinan noticed the tears in the other person's eyes. She walked over and quietly wiped away the tear stains.
"Did you sleep well? The weather is nice today. Come for a walk with me!"
"Okay!"
Liu Ruonan didn't refuse. After having breakfast, the two walked towards the fields together.
"I haven't done farm work for a long time. I really miss it."
Since Liu Ruonan married into the Yan family, she hadn't stepped out of the Yan family's gate. Back then, Wang Zhilan had always dreamed that her daughter could escape the hard life of farming. But when it really came true, it was a different situation.
Ye Zhinan looked at the boundless sadness in Liu Ruonan's eyes. For a moment, she didn't know what to do. She opened her mouth and then closed it, and could only walk silently beside her.
Liu Ruonan continued to sigh, "I used to envy those scholars very much. I thought they knew a lot. Unlike my family, we could only earn a living by hard work. My father was always buried in front of the loom. As time went by, his back became hunched. My mother was even more exhausted and lost her youth. So when I married into the Yan family, I was really grateful to God. How could I be so lucky to find someone I loved and who loved me? But now... I'm sorry, Dad..."
As she said that, Liu Ruonan couldn't help covering her face and crying. Her whole body trembled.
Ye Zhinan silently handed over a handkerchief and kept patting the other person's back with her right hand.
"You don't owe anyone. You just misjudged someone. Life will get better in the future. You have skills. Are you still afraid of not having a good life?"
"But a child can't grow up without a father!"
These words really stabbed Ye Zhinan's heart.
She suddenly remembered what Qin Yihuai had said last night.
"It's easy to handle!"
Suddenly, a figure flashed by in front.
"Chen Zhenhai!"
Ye Zhinan widened her eyes and stared at the figure shaking in front.
It was really Chen Zhenhai. He was busy digging a canal.
Why was he here? Wasn't he...?
"You rest here for a while. I'll go over and say hello."
With that, Ye Zhinan ran forward.
"Miss Ye, you're here?"
Chen Zhenhai wiped the sweat off his face and said to Ye Zhinan with a smile.
"Constable Qin is at the supply station. You can go there if you have something to do."
"Aren't you...?"
Ye Zhinan looked around, leaned over, and whispered, "Where's Yan Xuan?"
"Him? Who knows what he's doing?!"
Chen Zhenhai had been keeping an eye on that person early in the morning and late at night recently. He couldn't sleep well or eat well, but he didn't dare to complain. Finally, yesterday Qin Yihuai told him that he didn't need to keep an eye on him anymore, so he was transferred here to supervise the canal - digging.
Hearing what the other person said, Ye Zhinan immediately understood the meaning of "it's easy to handle" last night.
"Forget it. Their family has nothing to do with me."
Thinking like this, she returned to Liu Ruonan's side. She saw that the other person had already pulled herself together and picked a bunch of wildflowers by the roadside and held them in her hand.
A person and a bunch of flowers looked quite nice together.
"Sister, you're back. Look, aren't these flowers beautiful? I've decided. I'm going home!"
"Have you thought it through?"
Just now she was crying like a pear blossom in the rain, looking like the end of the world. Now she was full of energy. Ye Zhinan couldn't help but confirm again and again.
Liu Ruonan nodded and stroked her swollen belly with one hand.
"Just like you said, sister. I have skills. What am I afraid of? There are many children without fathers, and they all live happily."
"It's good that you can think like this. I'll go back with you."
"Don't be in a hurry. I'll go to the fields with you. Let's talk after you finish your farm work."
After Liu Ruonan said that, without waiting for Ye Zhinan to respond, she lifted her feet and walked towards the fields.
But before they finished their farm work, Han Xiangmei rushed to the fields in a hurry.
"Something terrible has happened."
Han Xiangmei gasped and greeted the two. There was another person beside her.
Wang Zhilan!?
Ye Zhinan put down the hoe and helped Liu Ruonan, who was sitting by the field making a flower wreath, up.
"Mom, why are you here?"
Han Xiangmei had planned to go to the Liu family early in the morning to tell them about Liu Ruonan's situation. Who would have thought that she would meet Wang Zhilan, who was also on her way to their house.
Wang Zhilan looked nervous and spoke incoherently, saying that something had happened to the Yan family and that they should call Ruonan to go and have a look quickly.
So Han Xiangmei immediately decided to take Wang Zhilan to the fields to find the two of them.
She briefly explained the cause of the incident. Ye Zhinan immediately had a bad feeling in her heart. When she looked at Liu Ruonan, she found that the other person's face was full of panic.
"Don't think too much. Let's go and have a look together."
After saying that, she first borrowed a carriage, and the four of them drove towards the Yan family together.
As soon as they saw the Yan family's gate, they saw a crowd surrounding it tightly.
Ye Zhinan first said to the people in the carriage, "You wait in the carriage for a while."
Then she jumped out of the carriage and walked towards the crowd.
They could only hear people constantly discussing what had happened.
"It's really terrifying. The fire burned for a whole night. It must all be gone."
"Of course. There must be nothing left but ashes. Who did the Yan family offend? How could they have caused such a big disaster? No one in the whole family was left, not even the married - off daughter."
"Who did they offend? They deserved it for doing too many bad things."
"Oh? What do you know? Tell us quickly."
Ye Zhinan was standing among those chatty aunts, pricking up her ears to listen. But the aunt who seemed to know the inside story suddenly fell silent.
This aunt really knew how to tell a story. She first threw out a hook to arouse everyone's curiosity, and then made everyone anxious. It was a typical storytelling marketing strategy of creating hunger.
"Tell us!"
Finally, someone couldn't bear it anymore.
Ye Zhinan quickly pricked up her ears and leaned forward. But that aunt didn't seem to really want to tell the story. She left with a sentence, "I don't know anything!" and then walked away.
Ye Zhinan listened for a while longer. Seeing that there was no substantial content, she turned around and returned to the carriage. As soon as she opened the curtain, suddenly three faces came into view, which really scared her.
"Why are you here?"
Qin Yihuai's face was gloomy, and his deep, bottomless eyes stared directly at her.
Could it be him?
Ye Zhinan was stunned.
No way? Was his method so cruel? Was this a different "solution"?