After hearing his words, Ye Yao was stunned for a moment, then she suddenly realized.
So that was it.
She couldn’t help but curl the corners of her lips, feeling both helpless and amused: “So you were upset because of this?”
Then, she explained earnestly: “I was indeed a little scared at that time, but I also felt that what you did was right!”
“You helped me today; I feel nothing but gratitude toward you.”
Those few beasts deserved a beating; it was satisfying to see them handled that way.
What Ye Yao didn’t say was that, in her heart, today felt much more gratifying than in her past life.
While the prestige of being a scholar was useful, in this remote, impoverished place, one often needed a hard fist to avoid being bullied.
One cannot reason with scoundrels; only by beating them into submission can they see people clearly.
Therefore, Ye Yao sincerely felt that marrying Xie Hanshuo in this life was quite good.
It was because of this sense of security that she tentatively asked: “I thought just now… that you were angry because I was providing for the Jiang family, and you were afraid of getting into trouble.”
“If you don’t want me to be too close to my maiden family, then I…”
Then I will agree on the surface, and continue to do it in secret.
But Xie Hanshuo’s reaction exceeded her expectations.
He was stunned for a moment, then his expression turned serious, and his tone was exceptionally earnest:
“Why would you think that? Your affairs are never a bother to me.”
“And I have never thought that way. They are your relatives; if you can help, you should. If anything comes up in the future, just tell me directly; there is no need to be formal with me.”
Disgust? Looking down on them? He had never had such thoughts.
Everyone here was digging for food in the dirt; who was nobler than whom?
He was uneducated and did not have the self-righteous airs of a scholar.
On the contrary, he knew that Ye Yao was always concerned about the Jiang family.
He liked Ye Yao, so he also hoped that she would like him and rely on him.
Therefore, he felt that he should also be good to the Jiang family and protect them.
The reason he had kept a straight face at the Jiang house earlier was that he was worried—Aunt Jiang Yushu’s appearance was far too eye-catching.
He and Ye Yao couldn’t watch over them at all times; they needed to find a safe, long-term solution.
Xie Hanshuo’s words were sincere, without a shred of pretense.
After hearing this, the astonishment in Ye Yao’s eyes gradually turned into a soft smile: “I misunderstood you… You are a good man, I believe you.”
With that said, her heart relaxed.
Ye Yao took a small run to catch up with Xie Hanshuo and reached out to tuck her arm into his.
This sudden intimacy caused the tall man’s figure to pause slightly, and his ears began to heat up.
But shyness aside, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to push away the little wife clinging to his side.
The two walked home under the moonlight.
On the way, Xie Hanshuo took out the eight taels of silver he had earned from selling the goat.
He had discussed it with Ye Yao: he would keep two taels for personal use—for salt, vinegar, and the good wine he needed to buy in a few days to see Lin Qingxuan off—so he couldn’t be without money.
Then, he took out one tael, intending to give it to Lady Wang when they got home.
Since he hadn’t left the goat leg, Lady Wang would certainly make a scene.
They hadn’t separated the family household yet; he had to keep up appearances.
He wouldn’t give anything extra for food and expenses, as his mother had already taken the rabbits and chickens a few days ago.
This one tael was his act of filial duty.
Actually, it was mostly to shut his mother’s mouth; otherwise, if she made a scene every other day, they wouldn’t be able to live in peace.
He handed the remaining five taels entirely to Ye Yao.
“If Mother nags about the goat when we get back, you don’t need to pay her any mind. This one tael is enough; whether she takes it to pay for Big Brother’s tuition or not, it’s up to her,” said Xie Hanshuo.
In his view, being able to offer one tael was already out of regard for family ties.
He had fulfilled his duty and shown enough respect; no one could say he was in the wrong.
Even if the two brothers were to separate households in the future, it wouldn’t be because he was unfilial, and it couldn’t be blamed on him.
Ye Yao knew he thought this way, so she just smiled and nodded without saying a word.
But she knew very well that once they returned, he would likely be disappointed again.
With Lady Wang’s partiality and greed, how could she be dismissed with a mere tael of silver?
There would be plenty of trouble ahead.
Ye Yao sighed inwardly.
She hoped he would understand sooner rather than later.
People are always like this—they have to get hurt before they can truly grow up.
…
Ye Yao had originally thought that they would at least have to wait for Xie Hanshuo to take out the silver before Lady Wang started making a scene.
Who would have thought that as soon as they stepped into the courtyard, before they could even say a word, Lady Wang rushed out from the room, hurling insults at them.
“You little cheap hoof, where did you die today? Speak!!!”
“I knew you were restless! Taking meat, taking fabric—it must be that you stole your second husband’s money to support your poor maiden family! You jinx, get out! If you don’t bring those things back, don’t even think about stepping into the door of my Xie house!”
The courtyard wall wasn’t high, and the night was quiet. Lady Wang’s loud, brawling voice could be heard from several courtyards away.
The dogs in the backyard began to bark along, and neighbors quietly put on their clothes, leaning against the walls to watch the show.
Chen, the daughter-in-law of Aunt Xia next door, came out. Listening to the commotion, she lowered her voice and mocked:
“I saw the people from the Xie family’s third branch come by this afternoon. Look, they’re really causing a scene tonight. This Xie family, truly, they never have a moment of peace.”
“Alright, what’s there to watch? What time is it? Why don’t you go back to sleep?” her husband yawned, trying to pull her away.
But Chen refused to leave, pushing him aside and continuing to watch with great interest.
At that moment, in the Xie family courtyard, hearing the commotion outside, Xie Moyan and Ye Hanzhu came out of their room.
Ye Hanzhu had a triumphant look on her face, waiting to see Ye Yao suffer. She raised her chin, though she pretended to “kindly” advise her:
“Sister, stop trying to make excuses. Third Aunt saw everything with her own eyes when she went to the city to sell vegetables this afternoon. She said you had bags big and small, and you didn’t hold back on taking things to your uncle’s house in Xinghua Village.”
“Oh my, I heard it was candy and meat… actually, I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but Sister, you are just too muddled. Our family is barely getting by right now, how could you turn your back on us?”
“It’s one thing to eat and drink the Xie family’s provisions, but how could you take the Xie family’s things to support your own maiden family? How can you have such a cold conscience…”
Ye Hanzhu’s words sounded reasonable, but in reality, every word was meant to fan the flames.
Lady Wang became even more enraged, her finger pointing at Ye Yao trembling.
Listening to this, Ye Yao finally understood the sequence of events.
It turned out that the woman who had been staring at her on the ox-cart that afternoon was from the Xie family’s third branch.
It was Xie Hanshuo’s third uncle’s wife, Ma.
Too much time had passed in her past life, and the faces of many people had long since blurred for her.
It was also her own oversight; she hadn’t recognized who that person was at the time.
The third branch of the Xie family had always loved taking small advantages.
Perhaps they had heard that Xie Hanshuo brought back a goat and had set their sights on it.
Ma had seen her buy quite a few good things in the city and assumed she was bringing them back to the Xie household.
She had wanted to approach her to get a share, but Ye Yao hadn’t gotten off the cart when they arrived at Liuye Village.
Ma became suspicious and secretly followed her. Seeing that she was heading toward Xinghua Village, she rushed back to report to Lady Wang.
That was how the current situation came to be.
As soon as they entered the door, Lady Wang held them accountable and wouldn’t let it go.
Ye Yao’s expression remained calm.
Facing Ye Hanzhu’s mockery and accusations, she didn’t even move an eyebrow.
“Cold conscience?” she said with a light smile, her eyes filled with coldness. “Where does this come from, Sister?”
“If we’re talking about conscience, those silver hairpins and bracelets my mother left me when she passed away—I wonder who shamelessly snatched them away. Now, some people have the nerve to stand here and accuse others; isn’t that laughable?”
“Ye Yao, you—!”
Ye Hanzhu had been struck in a sore spot and could no longer keep up the act.
Her face twisted, and she screamed: “Why are you bringing that up?! Today it is clearly you who took the Xie family’s things to provide for your own poor relatives!”
“Don’t think you can gloss over this!”