Xie Hanshuo frowned slightly, his voice tight: “What’s wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?”
“It’s nothing,” Ye Yao said, wiping the corners of her eyes. “The wind is strong; some sand got into my eyes.”
Lowering her eyelashes, she said softly, “It’s getting late, let’s head back.”
Although she forced herself to appear calm, the corners of her eyes were still red; clearly, something was on her mind.
Seeing that she did not wish to say more, Xie Hanshuo couldn’t bring himself to press her, but his gaze dimmed quietly, and his chest felt as if it had been lightly pinched.
Over there, Ye Hanzhu had already begun urging them to hurry.
Ye Yao took the freshly bought vinegar from Xie Hanshuo’s hand and silently climbed onto the ox cart.
The three of them remained silent the entire way, with only the rumbling sound of the wheels rolling over the dirt road.
As soon as they stepped inside the house, Xie Hanshuo went straight to find Mother Xie, his tone decisive: “Mother, tomorrow I am going into the mountains for the winter hunt.”
This trip would take at least half a month.
It was the best season to hunt wild game; if he could bag a deer or a mountain goat, he could trade it for a fair amount of money.
Mother Xie naturally agreed readily, but then hesitated: “Your eldest brother’s tuition… should be paid soon. This time, when you sell the game, prioritize his share first; the county school cannot be delayed.”
Her favoritism was truly boundless.
If it were in the past, Xie Hanshuo might not have argued.
Back then, he was all alone and did not care about money, but now things were different.
Xie Hanshuo’s expression sank instantly, his voice low and firm: “Mother, my elder brother and I have both established our own families; we each have our own lives to live.”
He was not incapable of calculating; he had remembered every word Ye Yao had said to him that day.
He could not keep using his own blood and sweat to fund Xie Moyan’s studies; what kind of situation would that be?
From now on, they would each live behind their own closed doors. Even if Xie Moyan truly achieved great success one day in the future, he did not wish to bask in that reflected glory.
Xie Hanshuo might appear rough and careless, but he understood things better than anyone.
This elder brother of his had always looked down on him, a “mud-legged farmer.”
Even if Xie Moyan truly succeeded in the future, the benefits would not fall to him.
All this time, it was only a matter of them taking advantage of him.
On this point, Xie Hanshuo saw clearly.
“From now on, I will give the household half a tael of silver every month for my and Ye Yao’s food.”
Xie Hanshuo’s tone was steady, allowing no room for argument. “As for the harvest from the fields, I will not take a single penny; it all belongs to my eldest brother. The land was left by Father, so I am not greedy for it. But the money I earn from hunting and working, from this day forward, will be managed by Ye Yao.”
Since he was now a married man, this was a private matter for the second branch of the family; it was only natural for Xie Hanshuo’s money to be managed by his wife.
Xie Hanshuo was capable; every time he went into the mountains, he would earn anywhere from a few taels to over ten taels of silver.
That was no small sum!
How could Mother Xie be willing to let go of such a large amount of money?
Her face changed instantly: “Hand it to her? How many days has she been in this family? No! I don’t agree! Do you even still regard me as your mother?”
Xie Hanshuo paid no heed to her shouting, his attitude cold and hard as iron: “It is decided.”
“Also, this time when I go into the mountains, Ye Yao is coming with me.”
Xie Hanshuo’s temper was like his father’s—firm, stubborn, wild, and fierce.
When he truly turned cold, even Mother Xie felt a bit of fear and did not dare to confront him head-on.
Mother Xie was so angry that she felt dizzy: “You want to take her into the mountains? With so much work to do at home, how are your sister-in-law and I supposed to handle it all?!”
Xie Hanshuo knew that this was the first time he had returned home in a long while, and Mother Xie was always biased. If he were not around, Ye Yao would inevitably suffer grievances alone at home.
All those dirty and exhausting chores would eventually fall entirely on his wife’s shoulders.
At that thought, Xie Hanshuo’s gaze grew even colder.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of hidden anger in his tone: “When I go into the mountains to hunt, someone must help me with washing clothes and cooking. She is the wife I married, and the dowry was earned through my hunting, so naturally, I should be the one to decide.”
The dowry given to the Ye family had been earned arrow by arrow through Xie Hanshuo’s hunting; he had even shouldered the burden of Xie Moyan’s share.
This family ultimately relied on him to earn money.
Mother Xie was speechless and had no choice but to let him be.
When Ye Yao heard that Xie Hanshuo was taking her into the mountains, she was truly stunned.
In her previous life, he had also gone into the mountains shortly after their marriage.
Back then, he had refused to consummate the marriage, and Ye Hanzhu, anxious, had tried every means to follow him, claiming she would wash his clothes and cook for him, and that since the mountains were cold at night, there should be someone to warm the bed.
But Xie Hanshuo left alone before dawn, leaving Ye Hanzhu in tears.
This time, he had taken the initiative to bring her along?
Ye Yao blinked.
Going into the mountains with Xie Hanshuo… it was actually a good opportunity to grow closer.
To prevent him from walking away in the future, consummating the marriage was a matter of sooner rather than later.
Even if one took a step back, even if Xie Hanshuo did eventually leave, if she could leave behind a child, she would at least have something to rely on in the future.
With a child in tow, she could manage a small business well and eventually hold her own household together.
If she were all alone, that would be truly unbearable.
By that time, Mother Xie and Ye Hanzhu would never let her have an easy life; she had to plan ahead.
“It’s cold in the mountains at night, bring more thick clothes,” Xie Hanshuo instructed outside the door.
Ye Yao responded as she packed her belongings in the room: “Alright, tell me if there is anything else I should be careful about.”
Although this was her first time going into the mountains, she had heard that ferocious beasts and packs of wolves roamed the deep woods, making it extremely dangerous.
The thought of Xie Hanshuo having to risk his life to earn a living made Ye Yao’s heart feel a little tight.
This was not a long-term solution.
If given the chance, she still needed to start her business as soon as possible.
But for now, Xie Moyan’s illness had consumed a significant amount of money, and the household was already running out of food.
Currently, they were penniless; there was no other way but to go into the mountains.
Just as Ye Yao was packing, she saw Ye Hanzhu walking in with a swish of her waist.
Upon hearing that Ye Yao was going into the mountains, she spoke with sour jealousy: “Sister, are you really going up the mountain with our brother-in-law? I hear the mountains are very dangerous, and there are man-eating black bears! You must be careful, sister.”
Ye Hanzhu changed her tone and became smug again: “It’s truly hard for a ‘mud-legged farmer’ like our brother-in-law to earn money. Although my husband doesn’t earn much, he is, after all, a scholar. The government gives him two taels of silver every year and ten catties of grain every month! He only needs to focus on his studies, free from wind and rain; I am already content with that.”
The implication was clear: Xie Moyan, though earning less, had a respectable status, unlike these “mud-legged farmers” who had to risk their lives in the mountains just to scrape by. She, Ye Hanzhu, could enjoy a leisurely life at home, which was far better than Ye Yao suffering in the mountains.
Comparing the two, Ye Hanzhu felt relieved and felt that she had the upper hand over Ye Yao in every way.
She had married well; once Xie Moyan became an official in the future, Ye Yao wouldn’t even be fit to tie her shoelaces!
Ye Yao gave a faint smile and struck back lightly: “Don’t worry, sister, I will be careful.”
“But sister, you still have the leisure to worry about my affairs? I heard the county school is collecting fees these past few days; plus buying brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, it will cost at least four or five taels of silver.”
“It seems… sister has already prepared it?”
Four or five taels? That much?!
Ye Hanzhu’s face turned green, but she refused to lose face, stiffly replying: “Of c-course I have it prepared! You don’t need to worry about it!”
Ye Yao’s lips curled into a smile that was not quite a smile: “That’s good. Since sister says so, then I am relieved.”
These were Ye Hanzhu’s own words.
From now on, they need not dream of taking advantage of the second branch again.
Let Xie Hanshuo pay for Xie Moyan’s studies?
In their dreams!
She would never again let Xie Hanshuo be the sucker!