“Siyun, stay behind and take good care of Mother and the others. I’ll be back soon.”
Mu Mianmian was just a weak young woman, only fifteen—barely older than herself.
Ye Siyun couldn’t help feeling worried. She wanted to follow her, but she was afraid that Mother and the others would be bullied if she left.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, why don’t you let Second Sister-in-law go with you? Two people can look out for each other.”
She turned to Shen Jia again.“Second Sister-in-law, don’t you think so? We all need to find some water to drink anyway.”
“You and Eldest Sister-in-law can walk around nearby together. That way you can look after each other.”
Ye Siyun softened her tone and even gave Shen Jia a slightly ingratiating smile.
“Hah! Look after each other my ass!” Shen Jia sneered. “I’m not staying with this jinx. We don’t need to look for herbs. If you want to go, go by yourselves.”
As she spoke, she took several pieces of fruit out of her bundle and handed one to Old Madam Ye first.
“Grandmother, have some fruit to quench your thirst.”
Old Madam Ye smiled. “Jiajia is so filial.”
Then she shot Mu Mianmian a disdainful look.“Unlike some people—nothing but a disaster star, bringing bad luck to our family.”
Ye Siyun was furious and was about to step forward to argue, but Mu Mianmian stopped her.
“Don’t speak human words to mad dogs. They won’t understand.”
“I’ll be.job alone. I’m fine.”
Old Madam Ye and the others were instantly enraged.
“Stop right there! You little jinx—who are you calling a dog?”
“That’s right! Eldest Sister-in-law, how can you be so disrespectful to Grandmother?”Shen Jia was secretly delighted, just waiting to see Mu Mianmian get into trouble.
Seeing them ganging up on Mu Mianmian, Mei Niang immediately spoke up.
“You were the ones who insulted Mianmian first! You’re in the wrong!”
“You idiot, what nonsense are you spouting? Believe it or not, I’ll slap you to death!”
Madam Shen glared at Mei Niang’s devastatingly beautiful face.
Jealousy flashed through her eyes, her expression darkening.
In the past, they had held back because she was Ye Siming’s mother.
Everyone had feared Prince Ye and didn’t dare call her a fool. But now things were different.
As she spoke, she stepped forward to slap Mei Niang. She had long wanted to scratch up that seductive face.
Frightened, Mei Niang hugged her son and hid behind Mu Mianmian.
Mu Mianmian was just about to lift her foot and kick—
“What are you doing? Do you think I’m dead?”
At that moment, the man lying on the stretcher suddenly opened his eyes. His voice was cold and sharp, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
Even in such a wretched state, Prince Ye’s piercing authority in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
“Brother!”
“A-Ye!”
Ye Siyun and Mei Niang hurried over in delight, crying with joy.
“Brother, you’re finally awake!”
When Madam Shen saw Ye Siming awake and felt his gaze lock onto her, her scalp went numb.
She immediately shrank back, retreating to Second Master Ye’s side, muttering,
“You’re crippled now anyway. If it weren’t for your second uncle and Siran working so hard to carry you along the way, you’d have died long ago!”
And he still dared to glare at her?
Ye Siming’s lips were pale and cracked.
He was terribly thirsty, and the pain in his lower body was excruciating—he was truly suffering.
He didn’t want to waste words on a woman. Instead, his sharp gaze swept over Second Master Ye and the others.
“Second Uncle, you’ve really worked hard. If you’re unwilling to carry us, I won’t force you.”
Second Master Ye smiled faintly.
“Siming, we never said we were unwilling. It’s just that this journey is exhausting for everyone. Some resentment is inevitable. And your wife keeps making sarcastic remarks—don’t blame us for saying a few words about her.”
Third Master Ye felt the same way. They were angry inside.
They couldn’t bully the old, the weak, or the injured—but they could at least vent their frustration on Mu Mianmian.
If they couldn’t even do that, why should they be the ones carrying him?
Ye Siming sneered, understanding perfectly.
“Then let’s split the family. From now on, we go our separate ways.”
Mu Mianmian’s eyes lit up. She was secretly delighted—his thinking matched hers exactly.
She stepped forward to check his wounds.
“Don’t move.”
“You…”Ye Siming looked at her in confusion.
He didn’t understand why she hadn’t left.
He was in this condition now—what was the point of staying with him?
“We’re talking about splitting the family,” Mu Mianmian said, holding his hand.
Her voice was soft and sweet.
Her original voice hadn’t been like this, but this body belonged to a delicate young girl.
She couldn’t help it—this syrupy tone came out naturally.
Ye Siming nodded. This really wasn’t the time to discuss it in detail.
If he didn’t pull himself together soon, his wife and mother would only continue to be bullied.
“Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Grandmother—what do you think? If you believe our main household is a burden, then let’s split the family.”
“Hmph. If we split families, who’s going to carry you and your father?” Ye Siran said irritably.
He had long been jealous of his outstanding elder cousin.
“Are you expecting your little princess wife and Siyun to carry you?”
Old Madam Ye and the others said nothing, but their meaning was clear—they were holding all the cards.
Ye Siming’s eyes darkened.
He stared at them coldly, about to speak— when Mu Mianmian said calmly,
“After the family is split, we won’t be one family anymore. Naturally, we won’t trouble you to carry my husband and father.”
“And after the split, everything belonging to our main household will have nothing to do with your second and third branches.”
Ye Siming frowned. He didn’t understand where she got her confidence.
He and his father were both crippled. His mother and younger brother were no help. Siyun was still young. One could say the entire household was a burden.
Relying on her alone—was that really possible?
And yet… although this woman looked delicate and easy to bully, he couldn’t shake the feeling that an indescribable aura of strength surrounded her.
“I’m like this now—”
Mu Mianmian tightened her grip on his hand.
“Don’t be afraid. I have a way. Let’s split the family first.”
She had no intention of sharing the supplies she’d worked so hard to obtain with these disgusting people.