Zhang Chunfen was no stranger to the household—she was the younger sister of Madam Ye, the family’s eldest sister-in-law.
Years ago, after her parents passed away, Zhang Chunfen’s sister-in-law at her maternal home had become unbearable, treating her like a servant. Madam Ye, seeing this, had taken charge and brought her younger sister into the Ye family home.
Over the years, Zhang Chunfen had lived a life more comfortable than even the Ye family’s own daughters. With her sister running the household, she was always given the best food and the finest clothes.
She rarely lifted a finger for chores, yet her temper grew more volatile by the day. While the other Ye sisters feared her, the original owner of this body had always been her closest confidante, the two of them practically inseparable.
Just over a year ago, the Cheng family, owners of the town’s Great Escort Agency, had invited Scholar Ye to a feast. The old man got drunk, and Cheng Feng had to carry him home. As chance would have it, the original owner had been the one to greet them at the door.
Cheng Feng was smitten at first sight.
From then on, he found any excuse to visit Yejia Village.
A young man of such promise caught the eye of many village girls, and Zhang Chunfen was no exception. At seventeen, she was well past the usual age for marriage and motherhood. But Madam Ye had spoiled her, leaving her with standards so high that she looked down on everyone else.
She had remained unmarried, living in the Ye household, refusing any match that wasn’t perfect. Now that her own family was desperate to find her a husband, the flawless Cheng Feng was the only one who could possibly suffice. Naturally, she set her sights on him.
Zhang Chunfen had secretly confessed her feelings to Cheng Feng, but he had looked down on her.
Then, Ye Qinghe’s accident happened. The Ye family was desperate for money, and Cheng Feng had gone away on a caravan mission. Zhang Chunfen seized the opportunity to egg Madam Ye on, urging her to persuade Scholar Ye to sell Ye Jia to raise the funds. This was the very incident that had caused the two women to fall out.
Ye Jia’s expression turned cold. “Sister-in-law, my husband is ill. I cannot leave him.”
“It’s only for a moment! It won’t keep you from anything!” Madam Ye’s anxiety flared.
Her father-in-law was threatening to kick Chunfen out of the Ye family. If Ye Jia didn’t return to intercede, what would happen to her sister? Chunfen was seventeen—the critical age for arranging a marriage.
“Jia-niang, I’ve always treated you well when you lived here, haven’t I? Do it for my sake.”
Fearing Ye Jia’s refusal, Madam Ye immediately dropped to her knees.
Ye Jia couldn’t let her stay there. She quickly pulled the woman up.
Madam Ye seized the moment to burst into tears. “My own sister-in-law back home is a vicious woman. If Chunfen is sent back, she’ll probably be sold off. She’ll never have a good life. You two used to be so close—sisters for all these years. Do you really have the heart to let her become an old maid?”
“Jia-niang, I’ve already beaten and scolded her for what she did. Chunfen truly knows she was wrong…”
Madam Ye gestured emphatically as she spoke. Her grip was so strong that Ye Jia stumbled, unable to keep her footing. With no other way to shake her off, Ye Jia gave a vague assent, finally sending the woman away. Madam Ye, delighted by the promise, left with a joyful heart.
Ye Jia turned and went back into the room. The man on the bed was already awake.
Their eyes met. His headband had slipped off, allowing his raven-black hair to fall over his shoulders as he sat up, leaning quietly against the wall.
His deep, cool phoenix eyes held the brilliance of a thousand stars. A few stray hairs framed his face, and though he was thin, his elegant bone structure was unmistakable. He was as beautiful as an ink painting, as serene as autumn waters. Even his tattered clothes couldn’t hide his noble and refined air.
His eyes were half-closed, his crow-feather lashes casting shadows over his gaze. The dim yellow light of the oil lamp flickered in the breeze, its glow seeming to linger tenderly upon him.
Ye Jia had always known Zhou Jingchen was handsome—after all, he was the “white moonlight” that even the Mary Sue female lead couldn’t win over—but seeing him in person was still a profound shock.
After a long moment, she felt a gentle tug on the hem of her skirt.
Ye Jia looked down. Rui’er pointed to the cloth that had fallen to the floor. “Dropped. Third Uncle use.”
Rui’er’s malnutrition and stunted growth made her speak in short, halting bursts, but Ye Jia still understood. She quickly composed herself, feeling a sudden awkwardness as she picked up the cloth and tossed it into the basin. Then, she reached out and touched the man’s forehead.
The fever had broken.
The young man didn’t move. His lowered eyelids and the cool, clear expression on his face made his long, slender fingers—resting on the coarse cotton quilt—seem whiter than snow. He remained silent, allowing her to touch his forehead.
“Still a little hot,” Ye Jia said, suppressing her shock. “Rui’er, go to the kitchen and ask Grandmother if the hot water is ready. If it is, ask her to bring in a bowl of porridge.”
Though Rui’er struggled to speak, she understood perfectly. She nodded and ran off on her short legs.
Ye Jia glanced at the man on the bed. He lay there quietly, seemingly lost in thought. She took the basin outside to empty the water, then returned with a fresh basin of cool water. By the time she came back, the man had already lain down.
With only the two of them left in the room, Ye Jia felt a sudden, awkward tension. She glanced at the young man, who seemed lost in thought, unsure of how to break the silence.
Just then, Madam Yu entered carrying a bucket of hot water. Ye Jia immediately began ladling the hot water into the basin, diluting it with cool water. A body with injuries had to be kept clean—otherwise, in the heat, it would not only smell but the wounds might fester.
Once the water was ready, Ye Jia hesitated.
When the man had been unconscious, anyone could have washed him. But now that he was awake, facing his handsome features and those eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to undress him. She looked up, considering whether to ask Madam Yu to do it.
Madam Yu’s eyes flickered. She turned and walked away without a word.
“Yun’an hasn’t eaten in days,” she muttered as she left. “He must be starving. I’ll go fetch some porridge from the kitchen.”
Though her steps were small, she hurried away quickly. Ye Jia turned and saw the man’s gaze following Madam Yu’s retreating figure, his eyes fixed on the swinging door. By the time Ye Jia looked again, he had already closed his eyes.
Fine, she thought. If he doesn’t mind, why am I being so dramatic?
With a stony expression, she untied his sash. She dipped a cloth into the warm water, wrung it out halfway, and began to wipe his body with single-minded focus.
As the damp cloth touched his abdomen, a hand shot out and pressed it down.
The man with his eyes closed finally opened them. His voice, hoarse and soft, asked with a hint of uncertainty, “Are you… Lady Ye?”
Ye Jia found the question strange, but then she remembered. When they had married, he was still serving in the western grounds. On their wedding day, the original owner of her body had only bowed to a large rooster. It wasn’t surprising he didn’t recognize her.
She nodded. “It’s me. Ye Jia.”
His gaze lingered on her features, his eyes dark and inscrutable as if searching for something. Finally, without a word, he closed his eyes again.
Ye Jia helped him into clean clothes and then left the room. Madam Yu fed Zhou Jingchen half a bowl of millet porridge. By the time she came out, he had fallen asleep. Ye Jia, who was in the kitchen, nodded as she listened to Madam Yu speak, then tossed the remaining dumplings into the pot to boil.
It was already late, and the fading light cast a misty haze over the surroundings. Ye Jia took out the leftover meat from lunch and minced it into a paste. She mixed in a tiny bit of scallion and ginger, then placed the meat filling on a ceramic plate to steam on the stove.
As she worked, someone who had caught the scent of the food called out from the doorway. It was Aunt Liu, Qian Yu’s mother, who worked at the embroidery shop in town with Madam Yu. She had come to tell Madam Yu that their wages wouldn’t be paid tomorrow.
Madam Yu’s face paled. “What do you mean, they can’t pay?” she asked, her voice trembling. “The whole family is counting on that money. We’re desperate.”
Aunt Liu’s expression was grim. “The shopkeeper’s latest shipment was ambushed by bandits in the west. The man in charge was nearly killed in the attack. They’re delaying all wages until further notice.”
The western trade route connected east and west, but these were lawless times. Bandits plagued the roads, and though Libei Town had a garrison, the soldiers rarely intervened as long as the raiders didn’t venture south. For merchants traveling the route, survival was a matter of chance.
Madam Yu sighed heavily. There was nothing to be done.
Yet, a strange sense of relief washed over her. She found herself profoundly grateful for her daughter-in-law’s recent illness, which had cleared the girl’s mind and changed her nature. If Ye Jia hadn’t pawned her jewelry, the entire family would have starved by now.
After seeing Aunt Liu off with a heavy heart, Madam Yu turned around to find Ye Jia standing right behind her.
Ye Jia said nothing, merely nodding before retreating into the house. She had overheard the entire conversation, and her heart felt heavy.
The jewelry she had pawned had brought in three taels and two mace, most of which was already gone. If they tried to repair the roof with what remained, they would be left with absolutely nothing. With no family estate to rely on, they couldn’t afford to simply eat through their savings.
The family ate their evening meal in somber silence. Ye Jia lifted the steamed meat cakes from the pot, drizzled them with a ladle of boiling water, and added a pinch of salt. As the savory aroma of the meat wafted out, Madam Yu’s eyes widened.
“With so little salt, it won’t be salty enough…”
“It’s for your husband,” Ye Jia said. “He’s badly injured and needs protein to recover. He’s the only man in the family; we have to get him strong again.”
She recalled Aunt Liu’s warning about the bandits. If they ever raided the village, their family would be defenseless. I need to find a way to get a ewe, she thought. We need goat’s milk.
“Too much salt will make his wounds itch,” she added.
Madam Yu had never heard of such a thing, but she trusted Ye Jia’s word.
She carried the dish inside, and Ye Jia set about heating water for a bath. No matter how cold it got, she could endure hunger and cold—but she couldn’t bear to go days without washing.
Madam Yu carried the meat soup inside. After drinking the broth, they left the meat scraps untouched. Normally, Madam Yu wouldn’t have been tempted, but now she stared at the meat, her eyes fixed on it. Having just eaten her fill, she couldn’t bear to let it go to waste.
“Can we stir-fry this into a dish tomorrow?” she asked Ye Jia.
Ye Jia nodded and told her to take Rui’er to bathe. She couldn’t let Madam Yu and the child sleep on the floor, but if they were to share her bed, they had to be clean.
Madam Yu seemed to understand, her face immediately lighting up. “Alright, I’ll take Rui’er to wash right now.”
With an extra adult and a child in the bed, space was tight. Fortunately, Ye Jia and Madam Yu both slept still, staying in their own spots without taking up extra room. Rui’er was a restless sleeper, but Madam Yu, fearing she would kick and annoy Ye Jia, wrapped her snugly in a small quilt and tucked her beside herself. This made the arrangement just barely manageable.
The next morning, while Ye Jia was rinsing her mouth in the courtyard, Madam Ye arrived to fetch her.
The woman looked frantic, a clear sign that Zhang Chunfen’s life at the Ye family home was truly miserable. Without time for breakfast, Ye Jia gave Madam Yu quick instructions and hurried back to her maternal home.
Yejia Village was just a few miles from Wangjia Village, a fifteen-minute walk.
When they arrived at the Ye family home, it was empty. Zhang Chunfen was in the courtyard, arguing with Ye Jia’s fourth sister.
Zhang Chunfen was tall and sturdy, and her sharp tongue was a weapon she wielded with ease. Fourth Sister Ye, however, could only squat by the well, wiping away tears. It was a curious family dynamic: the Ye family had three sons and three daughters. Aside from Ye Jia, the rebellious one, and the youngest son, who had a fierce temper, the rest of the family was honest and mild-tempered. The two younger sisters were even a bit timid.
“What’s all this commotion?” Madam Ye’s voice cut through the air. In the Ye family, after the Old Master, her word carried the most weight.
She had overheard the argument and didn’t even bother to ask what was wrong. With a frown and her hands on her hips, she immediately began scolding Fourth Sister Ye. “What are you crying about so early in the morning? People outside will think we’re holding a funeral in the house!”
Fourth Sister Ye’s face flushed red under Madam Ye’s berating. She didn’t dare talk back. Keeping her head down, she grabbed a bucket in each hand and started walking out of the courtyard.
Ye Jia glanced at the buckets; they were filled with dirty quilts and cotton pants, heavy with water.
“Where are you going?” Ye Jia stopped her. “What were you arguing about?”
Fourth Sister Ye hadn’t expected her third sister—who usually ignored her—to speak. Her lip trembled, and tears fell. “Sister, Mother said that since the weather is clear, we should take down all the winter quilts and wash them. She divided the work into two buckets, one for me and one for Chunfen. But Chunfen said she’s about to get married, so she needs to preserve her hands and feet and can’t do any work. But with so many clothes and quilts, I won’t finish washing them all by tonight!”
Her tears made Madam Ye’s expression sour. She glanced at Ye Jia, who had only agreed to return after much persuasion. Now, Madam Ye’s own hasty words—blatantly favoring Chunfen and scolding Fourth Sister Ye—had likely jeopardized everything.
“Jia-niang,” Madam Ye said vaguely, “your sister-in-law isn’t trying to take sides. It’s just that Yuanniang is used to washing the bedding. Chunfen has never done such rough work; she wouldn’t be able to get it clean.”
She paused, then added, “Father went to town this morning. He’ll be back soon. Why don’t you go wait in my room for a bit?”
“No.” Ye Jia gestured for Fourth Sister Ye to set the bucket down. “Eldest Sister-in-law, it seems Zhang Chunfen still thinks she’s a pampered guest in the Ye family. She eats the best food, wears the finest clothes, and still dares to boss us around. This isn’t an apology—she’s treating us like her servants!”
Ye Jia’s gaze sharpened. “Don’t bother trying to smooth this over. I won’t forget her pushing me. We’ll wait for Father to return, and then she can get out of here for good.”
Her eyes swept over Zhang Chunfen’s new, silk-faced jacket. A cold smile touched her lips. “And besides… that’s my jacket she’s wearing, isn’t it?”