Ye Manshu could no longer hold herself back. She grabbed the hard wooden pillow from the bed and smashed it toward Cheng Qian.
“I’ll kill you, damn brat!”
“Ah—!”
Cheng Qian screamed as blood streamed down from his forehead. Covering his head, dizzy from pain, he bolted out of the house and ran to find the village doctor.
After venting her anger, Ye Manshu finally felt a little relieved.
But everyone in the house had been terrified silly.
Even three-year-old Cheng Yunfan stood frozen in shock, as though frightened out of his wits.
Cheng Yuan, Cheng Kang, and Madam Yang all knelt there silently, not daring to utter a single word.
Without even looking at them, Ye Manshu stood up and walked outside.
If her memory served her right, the second daughter-in-law she had beaten black and blue—Sun Shi—should still be kneeling outside.
Sure enough, the moment she stepped out, she saw Sun Shi kneeling there with Da Ya and Er Ya.
Sun Shi was sprawled on the ground motionless; it was hard to tell whether she was conscious or not.
Da Ya and Er Ya wiped away tears, their thin little bodies trembling nonstop. They had seen their third uncle run out covered in blood.
Ye Manshu sighed. The original owner of this body had really been ruthless.
“Get up, all of you.”
As she spoke, she walked over to Sun Shi.
Da Ya and Er Ya crawled over on their knees in fear.
“Gra… Grandma, don’t hit our mother!”
“I’m not going to hit her. Get up.”
But even after hearing that, the two girls were still terrified.
Er Ya trembled as she said, “Grandma, sell me instead. Please don’t beat my mother anymore.”
Ye Manshu shouted, “Boss! Second son! Get out here!”
Cheng Yuan and Cheng Kang immediately scrambled out.
“Mother, what is it?”
Ye Manshu knew that if she suddenly started speaking gently and reasonably, they might think she had been possessed. The reactions of the two children alone proved it.
She pointed at Sun Shi on the ground.
“Second son, carry your wife inside before she dies. We spent one tael of silver to marry her into this family. If she dies, I don’t have money to buy you another wife!”
Cheng Kang felt as though he had been granted amnesty. Though he had said earlier that he could sell his wife, he was actually reluctant to do so. Without her, no one would warm his bed or make his clothes and shoes.
He hurried over and pulled Sun Shi up.
“Quick, get inside.”
Only then did Ye Manshu realize Sun Shi’s face was deathly pale—she had already fainted.
Ye Manshu quickly stepped forward and checked her pulse.
“She’s pregnant!”
“What? Pregnant?” Cheng Kang stared in disbelief. Since when did his mother know medicine?
“Yes, she’s pregnant. Four months already. I may not know much else, but I know pregnancy. I gave birth to seven of you.”
Well, originally seven. Two had died.
“Yes… yes!”
Cheng Kang was overjoyed, but seeing his wife unconscious, he asked anxiously,
“Mother, why hasn’t Xiaojuan woken up?”
“Stop talking nonsense. Carry her inside and let her lie down. Maybe she’ll give birth to a son. Then at least you’ll have an heir.”
Ye Manshu tried to imitate the way the original owner might have spoken.
“Right, right!”
Cheng Kang immediately picked Sun Shi up and carried her into their side room. Da Ya and Er Ya hurried after them.
Sun Shi’s fainting was partly because of the beating from the original owner, but also because she was weak and pregnant. She probably had low blood sugar and low blood pressure too.
“Boss’s wife, go make a bowl of brown sugar egg water for Second Son’s wife. It doesn’t matter if she dies, but my grandson mustn’t die.”
Madam Yang hurriedly agreed.
“Yes, yes!”
She had just witnessed Ye Manshu go crazy and beat her favorite youngest son until his head bled. It was the first time such a thing had ever happened.
Still, she didn’t suspect anything strange about Ye Manshu ordering brown sugar egg water for her daughter-in-law. Back when Madam Yang herself had been pregnant, she had received that treatment twice as well.
“Boss, go to Doctor Li’s place and get some medicine for external injuries. Make sure it’s something a pregnant woman can use.”
Cheng Yuan quickly went out.
Normally, he would have asked his mother for money first.
When Cheng Yuan returned, he obediently reported that Cheng Qian was currently having his wounds treated at Doctor Li’s clinic.
“Give the medicine to Second Son and tell him to apply it to his wife.”
Ye Manshu instructed calmly, not mentioning Cheng Qian’s injury at all.
At this point, the atmosphere in the house was extremely tense. Nobody dared to speak.
Madam Yang finished preparing the brown sugar egg water and carried it out to deliver it to the second branch’s room.
Just then, Cheng Qian returned.
He reached out for it casually.
“Mother still cares about me. See? Even though she hit me in anger, she still made something nourishing for me.”
Madam Yang glanced nervously at Ye Manshu.
Ye Manshu grabbed a broom and swung it at Cheng Qian.
“Eat my ass! I’ll beat you to death, you ungrateful bastard!”
Having already been beaten once, Cheng Qian was on guard this time and quickly dodged.
“Mother, why are you hitting me again?!”
“Why? You still dare ask why? When your mother was practically dying, all you cared about was your imperial exam! Don’t you know that after a parent dies, you have to observe mourning for three years and can’t take the exams? You heartless ingrate! What’s the point of studying the sages if you don’t even understand filial piety? From now on, you are forbidden to study!”
Ye Manshu had finally found a reason to discipline the original owner’s precious youngest son.
The moment he heard he was no longer allowed to study, Cheng Qian panicked.
“Mother! The teacher said I study very well! I’ll definitely pass the county exam this time!”
“Pass my ass! Boss, go to the academy immediately, withdraw him, and bring all his things back. From now on, he’ll work in the fields! If he dares refuse, I’ll beat him to death!”
Cheng Qian was already seventeen. At that age, correcting his character was difficult; his values were already badly twisted.
If someone like him actually succeeded in the exams, he would only become even more calculating toward his family—one of those people who would strip their own kin to the bone for profit.
In that case, it was better to stop him from studying now and make him a farmer instead. At least while she was around, she could keep him under control. If nothing else worked, she could simply prevent him from marrying and having descendants.
Such terrible character traits really shouldn’t be passed down.
She didn’t know whether he could still be corrected, but she certainly didn’t want a selfish, vicious son.
Of course, the original owner also bore direct responsibility for how he had turned out.
Furious, Cheng Qian wanted to return to the academy immediately. He didn’t want to stay home another second.
He still had several hundred copper coins on him—all squeezed out of the original owner before.
He refused to believe his mother would truly stop supporting him forever.
“Boss, stop him!”
Seeing Cheng Qian about to fight Cheng Yuan, Ye Manshu knew Cheng Yuan alone might not be able to restrain him.
“Second son, get out here!”
Cheng Kang rushed out.
Ye Manshu pointed at Cheng Qian.
“Tie him up.”
“Alright!”
Cheng Kang was simple-minded. His life philosophy was that whatever Mother said was right.
If she told him to tie up Cheng Qian, then he would tie him up without hesitation.
With his tall and sturdy build, subduing the pale, scholar-like Cheng Qian was easy.
Even after being tied up, Cheng Qian still couldn’t believe his mother would do such a thing. His face darkened with rage.
“Mother! Let me go!”
Ye Manshu left him tied under the blazing sun.
“You’ll be released once you learn filial piety!”
Then she turned to Cheng Yuan again.
“You know where Third Son’s academy is, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Go there, withdraw him immediately, and bring back all his belongings. Right now.”
“Understood.”
Although Cheng Yuan found it regrettable—he still had hopes that Cheng Qian might someday pass the imperial exams and exempt the family from taxes and corvée labor—his mother had spoken, and he had to obey.
“Boss’s wife, what are you still standing around for? Take the brown sugar egg water to Second Son’s wife! If anything happens to my grandson, I’ll hold you responsible!”
Madam Yang had been hoping to watch the drama, but after Ye Manshu shouted at her, she quickly went into Sun Shi’s room.
Sun Shi had already had medicine applied to her wounds. Her two daughters sat guarding her as she slowly regained consciousness.
“Second Sister-in-law, Mother says you’re pregnant. She told me to make you a bowl of brown sugar egg water.”
Seeing Sun Shi awake, Madam Yang handed the bowl to Da Ya.
“Feed your mother.”
But she didn’t leave. Instead, she sat down on a stool.
“Second Sister-in-law, Mother says Er Ya won’t be sold anymore. And now that you’re pregnant again, maybe it’ll be a boy this time. You’re really lucky.”
Sun Shi felt as though she were riding a roller coaster of emotions.
“I’m really pregnant? Mother really won’t sell Er Ya anymore?”
“Of course. Hurry and drink it. Mother said if anything happens to the baby in your belly, she’ll blame me. Honestly, what did I ever do to deserve this?”
Still, Madam Yang genuinely hoped Sun Shi would recover.
Sun Shi was one of the family’s main laborers. Not only did she work in the fields like a man, she also handled nearly everything at home. Most of the clothes and shoes for both adults and children were made by her.
If Sun Shi really died, all that work would fall onto Madam Yang instead.
Wouldn’t that exhaust her to death?