Ye Li returned home to find that Ye Jianguo and Liu Hongmei had already gone to their rooms to sleep. She moved quietly, careful not to disturb anyone, and entered her own room. Her room, located behind the master bedroom, was the darkest and smallest in the house.
After a quick wash, she had just lain down when she heard whispered voices coming from the next room. She froze in surprise—when had her hearing become this sharp?
In the master bedroom, Ye Jianguo and Liu Hongmei lay side by side. Liu Hongmei, with her eyes half‑closed, spoke in a low voice: “Old Ye, are you sure Lin Zhiyue left a lot of treasures behind? From the way Li Li looks, she seems to really know nothing.”
Ye Li was a straightforward, slow‑witted girl. Even though she had seemed a bit unusual these past few days, she never lied.
Ye Jianguo slammed his fist on the bedpost, grinding his teeth in a curse. “That wretched Lin Zhiyue! Even dead, she still disgusts me. She had so many treasures in her hands and took them to the grave with her.”
Indeed, looking back, it was he who had schemed to ruin Lin Zhiyue’s purity and forcibly married her. In his eyes, since she had become his wife, she should have put him first and valued the family’s interests above all. Over the years, he had lowered himself in every possible way to extract the location of her treasures. But that ungrateful wretch had never given him even a glance. He racked his brains, using countless schemes to try to get her to talk. Yet that damn woman had a mouth sealed as if stitched shut, revealing nothing.
Back then, his scheming had two motives. On one hand, he coveted the treasures she possessed; on the other, he genuinely admired her. After all, she was the daughter of a wealthy capitalist family. If he hadn’t truly desired her, how could she have had the chance to marry him, a proud third-generation peasant? Yet now, whenever he thought of Lin Zhiyue’s treasures, he still had no idea where she had hidden them. Ye Jianguo felt as though countless needles were stabbing his chest, his heart bleeding.
Liu Hongmei sighed along with him. “Sigh… what can we do? If only we could find those treasures, life would be so much easier for us.” Knowing there were treasures but unable to find them felt like a eunuch staring helplessly at a brothel. Ye Jianguo’s frustration burned like a fire in his chest. Even if he exhumed her body now, it would be useless.
His eyes shifted, and he said viciously, “Maybe that brat knows. Tomorrow, I’ll force her to tell me properly.”
Liu Hongmei inwardly rejoiced but outwardly feigned concern. “Better not… don’t push her too hard. She looks a little different now.”
Ye Jianguo snorted in frustration. “What can she do? She eats my food, lives under my roof, and still dares defy me? I’m her father. If she doesn’t obey, I’ll slap her—I don’t believe she can be that stubborn.”
Next door, Ye Li heard everything clearly, her anger boiling. This was her own father, scheming even against his own daughter. At that moment, she didn’t yet know that even her mother, Lin Zhiyue, had been forced to marry Ye Jianguo because of his scheming.
The conversation in the next room gradually tapered off, and the voices went quiet—likely, they had fallen asleep.
Night deepened, and Ye Li lay quietly in bed, but her mind raced like a runaway horse. Tossing and turning, all she could think about were the vile faces of Ye Jianguo and Liu Hongmei. Thinking of how they had schemed to marry Ye Zhirou to Jiang Bowen in the previous life, hatred surged in her heart. She also recalled how today Jiang Bowen had sent thugs to humiliate her to force the engagement cancellation.
Ye Li began calculating how she could give him a lesson he would never forget. She also thought about inviting Duan Jiami to the state-owned restaurant this weekend. Instinctively, she reached under her pillow, where she kept the eight jiao she had painstakingly saved by scrimping and saving. Feeling the bills warmed by her touch, bitterness filled her heart. She earned thirty-five yuan a month, yet for this scheming household, she was practically penniless.
Even with the money she had, it wasn’t enough for a meal at the state-owned restaurant. Besides cash, she would need ration coupons for food and meat. Sighing helplessly, she realized her situation was truly tight. She had neither enough money nor any ration tickets.
Frowning, she stared at the dark ceiling. Asking Ye Jianguo and Liu Hongmei was out of the question—they never gave anything away. Trying to get a coin from them would be harder than taking their lives.
“Ugh…” Ye Li sighed inwardly. She had been impulsive today. Given her current lack of resources, she shouldn’t have so quickly promised to treat someone to a meal. If necessary, she could borrow some from Cheng An’an.
She turned over in bed, thinking of the money she had earned over the past two years. She had started working at eighteen, earning thirty-five yuan a month. Including year-end bonuses, she had accumulated almost a thousand yuan. Touching the eight jiao under her pillow again, a surge of anger rose. The money she had earned—she wouldn’t give it to pigs, dogs, or these scumbags. Her mind wandered, and slowly, she drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Ye Li got up as usual and made a few egg pancakes. Facing Ye Jianguo’s sullen expression and Liu Hongmei’s murderous glare, she calmly finished eating. Without hurry, she stepped out the door, greeting the neighbors along Mumian Alley.
“Aunt Li, Sister Yang, good morning!”
“Oh, Li Li’s off to work!”
“Yes, I’m going to work! You two chat!”
She left the alley, taking a turn into a secluded side lane. Seeing no one around, she slipped into her secret space. About half an hour later, Ye Li emerged from the space, climbed over the wall of the alley, and landed right at her own doorstep. At this hour, everyone else had gone to work, and Mumian Alley was quiet.
She looked around to make sure no one was watching, then gently pushed open the door. The hinges creaked faintly, sounding unusually loud in the silence. Her heart tightened. Holding her breath and hearing no other movements, she stepped inside slowly.
Ye Li knew that at this time, Ye Jianguo would already be at work. Liu Hongmei would be at the well at the alley entrance, washing clothes. Only Ye Zhirou would still be at home, sleeping in.