Inside, Liu Xiuxiu was cursing Ye Erhe in her heart, calling him every name under the sun.
Ye Anran stood beside Ye Laopo, watching Liu Xiuxiu gnash her teeth, eyes filled with hatred.
This woman still felt no guilt, instead thinking that Ye Erhe had been too cruel.
But Ye Anran disagreed. The Ye family had been far too lenient—just a half tael of silver and a dismissal letter? Liu Xiuxiu got off way too lightly.
Once this matter was settled, the Ye family started to leave.
Liu Xiuxiu, however, trailed behind. Ye Laotou turned and glared at her:
“You’ve already been dismissed! Why are you following us?”
Liu Xiuxiu had the air of someone who didn’t fear consequences:
“That’s not right, old man! Even if I’m dismissed, I have to go back for my things, don’t I?”
She no longer addressed Ye Laotou as “father.” After being dismissed, any pretense of politeness was gone.
Ye Laopo laughed loudly, as if hearing the funniest joke in the world, tears streaming down her face:
“Liu Xiuxiu, you really are shameless! What do you even have that belongs to you? Don’t forget, when you married into our family, your parents didn’t even give you a scrap of cloth as dowry. Now you want to take things back? Those were bought with my son’s earnings—you won’t get them.”
Liu Xiuxiu tried to rush toward the Ye family home.
Ye Erhe stepped forward, grabbed her hair, and yanked her back hard. Liu Xiuxiu collapsed with a thud.
The Ye family continued on their way, ignoring her cries:
“You heartless family! Even if I’ve had no merits, I’ve worked hard for this household. And this is how you treat me! You’ll be struck by lightning one day!”
As she ranted, thunder rolled in the sky. Startled, she shivered, and her two children clung to her.
Ye Qingmin shouted,
“Mom, does Dad not want us anymore?”
Qian Laopo rushed out and scooped up Ye Qingmin and Ye Qingguang:
“Oh, my big grandchildren! Don’t call the Ye elders your grandparents anymore. Your real grandmother is me! You’ll live with us from now on.”
Ye Qingguang, unlike his brother, did not wail. He had no attachment to Ye Laotou and Ye Laopo, who had always shown favoritism—first toward their third son’s child, now toward these rescued children. Glancing at the run-down Qian courtyard, he felt a hint of disdain—but he had no choice.
The children adapted and nodded to Qian Laopo. She clapped her hands:
“From now on, your surname will be Qian. Later, your father will have to think carefully about what names to give you.”
The two children clapped happily, following Qian Laopo back into the house.
Liu Xiuxiu, still wailing on the ground, had no one to pay attention to her.
Meanwhile, Ye Laosan entered the courtyard, holding a sheet of coarse paper with the name Ye Anran boldly written in brush strokes. He looked around, puzzled by the unusual mood—everyone sat dejectedly.
Happily, he placed the paper on the table:
“Mother, you said I should take it to the scholar to name the child. Look! The paper shows our darling’s name.
The scholar said it’s Ye Anran—‘An’ for peace, ‘Ran’ for joy—peaceful and happy all her life…”
Ye Laosan scratched his head, realizing he had forgotten most of the scholar’s words on the way home.
Ye Anran, standing nearby, didn’t care much about her new name. After all, it was just a name.
When her father said it aloud, her eyes widened, and she looked up at Ye Sanhe.
Ye Sanhe, startled, asked,
“My daughter, don’t you like the name?”
Ye Laosan thought she didn’t like it, but Ye Anran quickly shook her head:
“No, Father! This is perfect! I love it. From now on, I’ll be Ye Anran.”
She felt a sense of fate—this name was the same as her previous life. Back then, she had been Ye Anran. Now, it had come to her again in this small child’s body.
Before, she had no name, only called “little girl.” Now, being taken in by the Ye family, coincidentally with the surname Ye, her name matched perfectly.
Ye Laopo was delighted:
“Alright, alright. That troublemaker is gone, and our good days are ahead.”
Ye Sanhe, confused, asked:
“Mother, what did you say? What troublemaker is gone?”
Ye Laopo summarized Liu Xiuxiu’s deeds for Ye Sanhe.
Ye Sanhe, furious, wanted to rush out. Ye Laopo quickly restrained Ye Laosan:
“Enough, the village elder has handled everything. Liu Xiuxiu has a month to repay the half tael of silver. She has nothing to do with our family now. Once the household’s condition improves, we can think about a new match for your second brother.”
Ye Erhe sighed:
“Mother, don’t worry about these matters anymore.”
Ye Laopo waved dismissively:
“Alright, let’s drop it.”
Evening came, and Ye Laopo began cooking.
When dinner was ready, Ye Anran frowned at the dark, unappetizing food. Holding a black corn cake, she bit it—but her teeth could not penetrate it.
She spat it out—no impression of her teeth was left.
Ye Laopo noticed, patted Ye Anran’s head:
“Darling, if you can’t bite it, give it to Granny.”
She took half the corn cake from Ye Qing’an’s hand:
“You eat. Your brother is already grown. He can’t eat half a corn cake every meal like before.”
Ye Qing’an looked at the half-eaten corn cake, red-eyed, and pretended nonchalant:
“You eat, sister! I’m grown now. From now on, all the good food will be for you.”
Ye Anran sighed. The family was truly poor. In her previous life, though post-apocalyptic, she had plenty of supplies and fertile land. Here in ancient poverty, everything was different. The air, however, was fresh.
“Granny, let Qing’an eat the corn cake. I had a big lunch; I’m not hungry at all.”