Suing their eldest sister-in-law was a dead end. Not because it was impossible—on paper, it was—but because Ye Jia knew the truth: Libei Town was under the thumb of the Garrison Camp.
The county magistrate’s office wouldn’t lift a finger if there was no profit in it, and they certainly wouldn’t bother with a case that might cause trouble. Besides, the cost of bribing officials at the county level would be astronomical. Would the Ye family even let Fourth Sister Ye show her face there?
Ye Jia laid it out plainly. Fourth Sister Ye, knowing her father’s temperament all too well, understood the implication: a married-off daughter would never be as important as a grandson. She collapsed onto the bed, burying her face in the covers as she sobbed.
“We could sue,” Ye Jia said, “but it’s unlikely to get the result you want. In this matter, Big Brother will be more useful than the authorities.”
Ye Jia didn’t know Ye Qingshan’s true nature, but a man who would shield his siblings from trouble was bound to be more reliable than Ye Wangshan. Now that Madam Ye Su had seen a doctor, the priority was Fourth Sister Ye’s marriage.
“Yuanniang, what are your thoughts on that young man from Yujia Village?”
As a modern woman, Ye Jia didn’t believe in the idea that a woman’s virtue was lost after losing her virginity. But her opinion didn’t matter; Fourth Sister Ye was the one involved. If she loathed the man, Ye Jia would do everything in her power to intervene, regardless of Ye Wangshan’s actions, to ensure no further ties remained.
But if Fourth Sister Ye harbored other feelings, her wishes would take precedence.
At the mention of the young man, Fourth Sister Ye’s sobbing faltered. Though her face remained hidden, the tips of her ears, visible through the gaps in her hair, burned a deep, bloody red.
Ye Jia understood instantly.
She sighed, knowing that harsh truths, even when necessary, should be delivered sparingly.
“It’s been two days since your trouble began,” she said gently. “If he were a man of sense and honor, he would have brought a matchmaker to your door long ago. But he’s been nowhere to be seen. I went to Yujia Village just now—his house is empty.”
Ye Jia paused, her voice softening. “I fear his intentions aren’t what you hoped for… Yuanniang, you should probably move on.”
The words drained the color from Fourth Sister Ye’s face. A choked sob escaped her, her weeping turning from grief to a heartbreakingly rawer sorrow.
When they emerged from the room, the main hall was a picture of domestic bliss between a father-in-law and his new son-in-law.
Zhou Jingchen knew exactly how to charm.
The sight of Ye Wangshan treating him like a long-lost son was truly remarkable. Ye Jia had only come to check on Madam Ye Su, but now that the doctor had seen her and the medicine was prepared, the rest would have to wait a few days for a final prognosis. She was ready to leave.
Custom dictated that a new son-in-law should be hosted for a meal upon his first visit. But the Ye household was in complete disarray; no one was in a position to play host.
Still, Ye Wangshan refused to let them go. What would it say about the Ye family, he thought, if they didn’t even offer a meal to a new son-in-law?
Ye Wangshan was a man who cared deeply about his reputation. With the entire village watching the chaos unfold at his home, he had to save face. He quickly called for his Second Daughter-in-law.
“Take your money and go to the butcher in town,” he ordered. “Get a cut of meat.”
Ye Jia saw the Second Daughter-in-law’s distressed expression and opened her mouth to speak. “Don’t trouble her—”
“Father,” Fourth Sister Ye said, wiping tears from her eyes as she stepped out. “Third Sister bought some.”
They had brought more than just two pounds of meat; they had also purchased chicken, duck, and a package of pastries. Fourth Sister Ye had just taken the food into the room where Madam Ye Su was lying. Hearing the conversation, she carried the items back out.
Ye Wangshan’s eyes immediately darted to his new son-in-law. Etiquette dictated that when a guest brought a gift, the host should not simply serve that gift back to them.
To do so was a breach of social propriety. However, Zhou Jingchen wore a faint smile, showing no sign of disdain for the Ye family’s lack of hospitality.
“The butcher is likely closing up by now,” Zhou Jingchen said reasonably. “We’re all family. There’s no need for such formalities.”
The words were music to Ye Wangshan’s ears. He nodded repeatedly, his face lighting up with a smile. Turning to Fourth Sister Ye, he instructed her to take the food and begin cooking.
Ye Wangshan had always been haunted by guilt. He’d assumed his third daughter’s rushed marriage must have landed her in a terrible situation. The rumors, both inside and outside the village, had been vicious. Everywhere he went, he felt the weight of their whispers, unable to hold his head high for days on end.
Driven by a desire to escape his own shame, he had avoided seeing his daughter since her wedding. But now, meeting his new son-in-law in person, his heart finally found some relief. A flicker of hope ignited—perhaps he hadn’t failed her after all. Hadn’t she just struck gold with this man?
The Zhou family was poor, certainly, but the young man himself was genuinely decent.
The thought brought a genuine smile to Ye Wangshan’s face.
As the two men talked in the main hall, Ye Wangshan’s voice boomed with a joy he couldn’t suppress. Ye Jia watched from the side, speechless. Zhou Jingchen, on the other hand, remained quiet, yet he seemed to be subtly piecing together the entire history of the Ye family.
Before long, Ye Qingjiang returned from outside, his expression surprisingly light.
Getting Madam Ye back had been no easy feat. She had spent the entire journey cursing him, and Ye Qingjiang, ever the poor speaker, had been berated mercilessly without knowing how to defend himself.
He had initially tried to spare her reputation, but in the end, he couldn’t hold back. He had laid bare every single thing he’d done, leaving nothing to the imagination.
The procession was a spectacle. More than half the village of Zhangjia Bridge had turned out to watch.
Madam Ye had been a formidable force in the village for half her life, yet she had never been the target of such public scorn. The Zhang family, who had been ready to interject, fell silent the moment they heard Madam Ye had enraged the old matriarch of the Ye family so much that she’d coughed up blood.
Under the crushing weight of the charge of filial impiety, Madam Ye finally fell silent.
Ye Jia had never wanted any part of the Ye family’s drama. Paying for the old woman’s medical treatment was more than enough. Now, she was simply impatient, hoping they could eat lunch and leave.
But Ye Wangshan wasn’t ready to let Zhou Jingchen go. He kept trying to persuade him to stay, his words hinting at a desire for more time.
As he rambled on, the commotion outside the courtyard flared up again.
What now? Ye Jia wondered.
A neighbor’s voice called out from the street, “Uncle Wangshan!”
The family hurried outside to find a tall, broad-shouldered youth with curly hair, about eighteen or nineteen, standing resolutely by a wheelbarrow.
Ye Wangshan was still trying to grasp the situation when the meddlesome neighbor blurted out, “This is A-Jiu from Yujia Village. He’s come to propose marriage to your Fourth Young Lady.”
The words struck the Ye family like a thunderclap. Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
The wheelbarrow was piled high with wild game—pheasants, wild boar, and rabbits—along with a large bundle of animal pelts. While not gold or silver, the haul was clearly valuable.
The curly-haired youth who stood beside it had deep-set eyes and a large, sturdy frame. His eyes were a striking, deep green. His clothes were poor—likely the result of having no one to care for him—a tattered patchwork of animal skins crudely sewn together.
Ye Jia wondered if it was just her imagination, but his gaze felt as piercing as a wolf’s.
When she’d asked around in Yujia Village, she’d heard he was a mixed-race orphan from the north with no family to his name. She hadn’t expected him to look like this, though. No wonder Fourth Sister Ye had reacted the way she did when his name came up.
The youth’s face was stern, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on Fourth Sister Ye. Then, he broke into a wide, toothy grin.
“I’ve come to propose to you.”
His voice was rough and gravelly, but he spoke with a perfect Great Yan accent.
Mixed-race people were often beautiful, and this young man was no exception. Fourth Sister Ye’s face flushed crimson, and she lowered her head, unable to speak. Ye Jia immediately opened the gate, gesturing for him to push the wheelbarrow inside.
The young man caught Ye Jia’s eye and beamed, his smile flashing a row of bright white teeth.
“Third Sister!” he called out, his expression radiating warmth.
Ye Jia raised an eyebrow and started to move toward him, but Zhou Jingchen’s hand clamped around her wrist, pulling her back. She looked up to see his handsome brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on the young man with a sharp, scrutinizing intensity. By the time she blinked and looked back, his expression had smoothed out completely.
Their eyes met, and Zhou Jingchen’s gaze softened. He leaned down, his voice a low murmur in her ear. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Ye Jia replied, her ear tingling from his breath. “What were you looking at just now?”
Zhou Jingchen’s eyes flickered, but his expression remained impassive. “I’ve never seen green eyes before. I was just surprised.”
Ye Jia studied him suspiciously. After a long moment, unable to find any clue to his true thoughts, she turned back to the courtyard.
Ye Wangshan stood frozen for a long while before finally recovering enough to lead the young man inside. But as he sized A-Jiu up, the admiration he had shown his third son-in-law was nowhere to be seen.
His brow remained deeply furrowed, and he said nothing for a long time.
Ye Wangshan considered himself a scholar, and he had always held a deep admiration for the refined manners of the Han people. He had intended for his daughters to marry within their own culture, but this boy, A-Jiu, was a wild child from the mountains—a half-breed with green eyes.
Ye Wangshan’s gaze swept over the pile of furs on the cart. To come proposing without even the money to hire a matchmaker, he thought. Utterly uncouth.
He had already been displeased by A-Jiu’s mixed heritage, but the boy’s speech only worsened his impression.
Ye Wangshan questioned him, learning that the boy was an orphan with no family to speak of. He had no land, no steady trade, and had merely been taught to hunt by a master who had since left him to his own devices.
Ye Wangshan’s face darkened. Yet, no matter how much he detested the match, Fourth Sister Ye already belonged to the boy. There was no choice but to proceed with the marriage.
“The wedding must happen,” Ye Wangshan said after a moment’s deliberation, “but we cannot have it without proper preparations. Since you have no elders to manage the arrangements, I will be the one in charge.”
He tapped the table decisively. “Go back and clean up your home. Then, find a matchmaker to come to my door, and we will discuss the wedding details.”
The young man offered no protest and simply nodded.
Before leaving, the young man took off a wolf-tooth necklace and pressed it into Fourth Sister Ye’s hand.
“Keep this,” he said, his manner reckless and unyielding. “I’ll come back to marry you once I’ve sorted things out.”
Fourth Sister Ye’s face flushed a deep crimson, like a steamed shrimp. It took her a long moment to manage a soft “Mhm.”
Seeing the young man’s bold gesture, Ye Jia felt much of her lingering frustration dissipate. The rest was out of her hands now; his grandly public display of intent meant the marriage was practically a done deal.
Ye Wangshan and Ye Qingjiang conferred for a long time, eventually deciding that Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen should return in a few days. They would wait for Eldest Brother Ye’s letter to arrive and deal with the Eldest Sister-in-law before finalizing Fourth Sister Ye’s wedding arrangements.
The day’s business kept them busy until nightfall. By the time Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen reached the Zhou family home, the sky had already darkened.
As they walked, Ye Jia couldn’t stop thinking about the way Zhou Jingchen had looked at A-Jiu. She grabbed his arm and asked again.
Zhou Jingchen was genuinely surprised by her perceptiveness. He had only spared A-Jiu a passing glance, yet she had caught it.
After a moment’s thought, he repeated his earlier explanation: he was simply amazed by A-Jiu’s striking, green-eyed features, nothing more.
Ye Jia remained skeptical. This man’s thoughts were too deep to read, and his expression gave nothing away. Unable to draw any more information from him, she finally dropped the subject.
When Ye Jia returned home, Madam Yu was already waiting for her.
Ye Jia recounted the main events, and Madam Yu listened, her expression one of utter astonishment. She had never imagined the Ye family’s eldest sister-in-law could be so utterly shameless. Even in the most traditional noble households, where rules and etiquette were strictly enforced, she had never seen a daughter-in-law behave so arrogantly.
Yet, on second thought, Ye Jia found it perfectly normal. Her own mother-in-law wasn’t known for her gentle temperament, either. Fortunately, while Madam Yu was fiery, her heart was in the right place.
Madam Yu’s gaze wandered restlessly as she watched Ye Jia and her son, Zhou Jingchen, go out to fetch water for their morning wash. After rinsing, Ye Jia went back into her room to find a cloth towel to dry her face. She searched for a moment, but her usual one was nowhere to be found.
Just as she was about to ask, Madam Yu dropped a bombshell.
“Jia-niang, the weather was so nice today that I decided to strip the beds and wash the quilts. I figured it was time to switch to the lighter covers…” Madam Yu paused, her eyes twinkling.
“Besides, you and Yun’an have been married for nearly three months now. His leg is fully healed—how can a husband and wife continue to sleep in separate rooms? While I was changing the bedding, I took the liberty of moving all your things over to his room. From now on, I’ll sleep in the west room with Rui’er, and you’ll stay in the east room with Yun’an.”
Zhou Jingchen, who was in the middle of rinsing his mouth, nearly swallowed the water when his eyes met Ye Jia’s.