Ye Yao still remembered that in her previous life, Mrs. Wang had no affection for this second son, treating him like a beast of burden. Without her husband’s protection, Ye Hanzhu had been saddled with all the filthiest, most exhausting chores—cleaning the pigsty, carrying manure, chopping firewood, and working the fields. None were spared.
Ye Yao hadn’t fared much better. Cooking and laundry were everyday tasks, and since Ye Hanzhu would constantly find ways to shirk her duties, Ye Yao would end up being scolded for the unfinished work. Back then, Ye Hanzhu had always envied her, saying at least Xie Moyan was by her side, unlike the second Xie son who wouldn’t even consummate the marriage. Ye Hanzhu didn’t know that for the first few months of her marriage, Ye Yao had lived in a living hell, suffering night after night.
“Sister, I almost overslept. Did you… sleep well with Brother-in-law last night?”
Ye Yao bumped into Ye Hanzhu’s smiling face. She was hanging onto Xie Moyan’s arm, appearing delicate and clingy, her eyes masking no malice or mockery.
The commotion last night had been loud enough; Ye Hanzhu had heard every bit of it. The wooden house wasn’t soundproof. The second Xie son had run off, and Ye Yao had gone through the trouble of dragging him back—but so what? The room had been dead quiet afterward. No consummation meant no consummation; you couldn’t fake that. Unlike her husband, who was tender and considerate during their wedding night, cherishing her as a virgin and taking care of her in every way.
Watching Ye Hanzhu’s smug, show-off face, Ye Yao found it both ridiculous and a little pathetic. Reborn or not, her younger sister hadn’t grown a bit. She hoped that in a few days, once Ye Hanzhu saw Xie Moyan’s “true face,” she would still be able to laugh as freely as she did today.
Because Ye Hanzhu hadn’t swapped marriages in this life, the two hadn’t torn off their masks yet, and Ye Yao still had to maintain the facade of “sisterly” affection. She greeted Xie Moyan first before smiling back: “I slept quite well last night. Thank you for your concern, Sister.”
Humph, stubborn. Ye Hanzhu sneered inwardly. That second Xie son didn’t even look at a beauty as charming as her and remained unmoved by all her tactics—let alone a dull, boring country girl like Ye Yao. The humiliation she had suffered in her previous life was something she intended for the bitch Ye Yao to taste this time! Just thinking about it made Ye Hanzhu feel satisfied.
She didn’t expose the lack of consummation immediately. Instead, in front of the two Xie brothers, she bit her lip and made a show of being troubled: “Sister, now that we are both married into the Xie family, shouldn’t we prioritize seniority based on our husbands? Shouldn’t you… call me ‘Sister-in-law’?”
Xie Moyan frowned slightly at these words but still maintained a gentle tone in his defense: “It is indeed proper. I am sure your sister-in-law is a reasonable person; you need not worry.”
Ye Hanzhu leaned weakly into Xie Moyan’s embrace, her gaze toward Ye Yao sharp with undisguised provocation. Now that she had her husband’s backing, what did she have to fear?
Ye Yao sneered inwardly. Oh, so if I don’t call you ‘Sister-in-law,’ I’m unreasonable? Xie Moyan appeared gentle and observant of etiquette, but he was actually full of schemes—a truly treacherous man. But it was just a form of address; Ye Yao didn’t care. She had seen too many storms in her life to be rattled by Ye Hanzhu’s petty attempts to one-up her.
She was just about to comply to keep the peace when Xie Hanshuo suddenly spoke up.
“We are all just rustic country folk, not some noble high-ranking family; why all this need for hollow formalities?” He didn’t even give them a chance to argue, his tone as brutal as a mountain bandit. “From now on, we each go by our own titles. That’s settled.”
Xie Hanshuo was never one for following rules. His wife was the eldest daughter of her father’s first marriage; why should she be considered beneath anyone after entering his home? Ye Hanzhu had learned in her previous life that Xie Hanshuo’s unreasonable, overbearing nature was impossible to deal with, and she was so angry her eyes turned red.
Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Mrs. Wang suddenly shouted from inside the house: “Why are you all blocking the door? Get in here!”
Ye Hanzhu glared at Xie Hanshuo with venomous eyes, only to be completely ignored. Xie Hanshuo didn’t even acknowledge her as he followed Ye Yao into the room.
“Offer tea to your mother-in-law.”
Mrs. Wang sat straight, her brows knitted as she gave a grunt of acknowledgment. She took the cup offered by Ye Hanzhu and took a shallow sip. When it was Ye Yao’s turn, just as she was about to pass the tea, Ye Hanzhu softly remarked: “Oh, Mother, I nearly forgot. The ‘token of virginity’ (blood-stained cloth) from last night should be presented for your inspection.”
She shyly produced a cloth stained with dark red, looking at Ye Yao with feigned confusion: “Sister, where is yours? Why haven’t you brought yours out?”
Ye Hanzhu wore a look of innocence, but Ye Yao knew she was doing this on purpose. In their previous life, when Mrs. Wang had demanded the token, Ye Hanzhu hadn’t been able to produce one and had been scolded severely. Now that it was her turn to be proud, she was eager to see Ye Yao suffer.
Mrs. Wang already knew the marriage hadn’t been consummated last night and was about to make a scene, but Xie Hanshuo suddenly snatched the teacup from Ye Yao’s hand.
“Mother, the tea is getting cold. Drink it.”
He held the cup directly to Mrs. Wang’s lips, almost forcing her to take a sip. Before she could shout at him, he produced a cloth from his shirt like magic. “My wife’s cloth is with me. She’s thin-skinned, so she let me keep it.”
In a few words, Xie Hanshuo had cleared the hurdle for Ye Yao. Seeing this, Ye Hanzhu felt the fire of resentment almost explode within her. She hadn’t forgotten how Xie Hanshuo had treated her in their previous life. But no matter, she thought, in a few months he will be gone. When my husband passes the exams and I become an official’s wife, I will settle the score with this bitch Ye Yao properly!
Ye Yao hadn’t expected Xie Hanshuo to stand up for her. She was startled, then immediately lowered her gaze to maintain a shy, blushing appearance. With the cloth produced, Mrs. Wang couldn’t pick a fight, no matter how dissatisfied she was. After finishing the tea, she lectured them with a straight face before getting to the main point: arranging the household chores.
Favoring the frail Xie Moyan, she ordered Ye Hanzhu to attend to her husband, while all the dirty, exhausting work fell squarely on Ye Yao. This was unavoidable, so Ye Yao accepted it readily.
“Then the household chores from now on will be a lot of hard work for you, Sister.” Ye Hanzhu lifted her chin, her eyes full of triumph. “Big Brother’s health isn’t good, so I must stay with him at all times.” Humph, I’ll leave the cleaning of pigsties and shoveling of manure for you to be disgusted by!
Ye Yao knew exactly what she was thinking and just gave a faint smile. You want me to shovel manure? Fine.
Once out of the main room, Ye Yao pulled Xie Hanshuo aside: “That cloth…” The blood stains… it couldn’t have been what she thought, right?
Xie Hanshuo lowered his voice: “It was blood from my shoulder. I used it to deal with my mother.” He knew his mother’s temper; he didn’t want Ye Yao to be scolded just because they hadn’t consummated the marriage—even if, deep down, he was feeling quite stifled about that himself.
Ye Yao had previously thought of this husband as nothing more than a reckless, rough man. Now it seemed he actually knew how to protect his own wife. Her heart warmed, and she whispered a thank-you. Clearly unaccustomed to this, Xie Hanshuo gave an awkward “Hmm” and turned to leave.
He headed to the fields, and Ye Yao didn’t remain idle—feeding the chickens, feeding the pigs, shoveling manure, one task after another. She wasn’t a stranger to these chores; she had done plenty of them at the Xie house before. Even after decades of living in luxury, there was nothing to be pretentious about when starting over. She simply took it as a lesson in humility.
Ye Yao carried a wooden bucket of pig slop toward the backyard. Behind her, Ye Hanzhu followed quietly, her eyes darting maliciously over her.