Chapter 11: The Little Tyrant

Ye Hongying dragged Li Ermei home and angrily said, “Mother, didn’t I tell you not to meddle in Ye Zhi’s arranged marriage? Why didn’t you listen?!”

Li Ermei snorted, glaring at her. “Ye Zhi is about to marry that military officer. She’ll be living the good life! And you? You’re so eager to pick up the man she rejected, to be someone else’s stepmother? Are you out of your mind?”

Ye Hongying hated hearing this and retorted, “Stop saying ‘stepmother’ all the time! At least Gao Wenbo makes over ninety yuan a month. In our town, how many men earn that much? Supporting a few kids isn’t a big deal!”

“Besides, who says Ye Zhi will have a good life just because she’s marrying that poor soldier? Mother, that’s Qiongzhou Island! It’s still underdeveloped—a barren place that can’t even compare to our little town. Half the year, there are typhoons, and they don’t even have fresh vegetables to eat! Everything has to be shipped in from the mainland by boat!”

Hearing Ye Hongying’s convincing words, Li Ermei hesitated.

She frowned. “Is Qiongzhou Island really that poor?”

Not even fresh vegetables to eat?

But doesn’t every household have their own little garden?

She had lived in this small town her entire life, barely visiting the county, let alone a faraway place like Qiongzhou Island.

She didn’t even know which direction it was in.

All she knew about Lu Wei came from the marriage agency—he had a mother in Yangcheng. Isn’t that the capital of a southern province?

Ye Hongying nodded firmly. “It’s that poor! Otherwise, why do you think it’s called ‘Qiong’zhou Island?” (‘Qiong’ means ‘poor’ in Chinese.)

That convinced Li Ermei immediately.

So Qiongzhou Island was such a miserable place? Life there would be nothing but suffering, constantly battered by typhoons. How could anyone live like that?

Li Ermei sighed. “Forget it. That godforsaken place—I’m glad we didn’t fight for it.”

Thinking of Lu Wei, that arrogant young man, her anger flared again.

Even if he was a military officer, he had such a bad temper. Marrying him would just mean a lifetime of suffering.

She shot a glance at Ye Hongying and said, “Let me tell you—Gao Wenbo isn’t much better! Don’t forget, he’s just Ye Zhi’s leftover. I’ll go to the marriage agency and find you a proper first-marriage young man. No way I’ll let you settle for less than that soldier!”

Li Ermei and Zhang Xiaomei had been rivals for most of their lives. When they were younger, they competed over whose husband was more capable and hardworking.

Now that their children were grown, they compared whose daughter married better.

She had never gotten over the fact that Ye Zhi was born just two days before Ye Hongying, which led to the arranged marriage going to her.

Little did they know, Ye Zhi had actually been born nearly a month premature.

If not for that, this arranged marriage would have gone to Ye Hongying instead!

Now that the engagement was lost, it infuriated her even more that Ye Hongying wanted to marry Ye Zhi’s reject. Wasn’t that humiliating?

The next second, Ye Hongying hesitated before speaking in a small voice, “Mother, I brought you home to talk about this.”

“I… I want to marry Gao Wenbo!” she bit her lip and blurted out.

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Ermei slapped her across the face.

“Nonsense! Give up on that idea right now! Over my dead body will I let you marry that leftover!”

Ye Hongying burst into tears, wailing, “I—I’ve already slept with him!”

After a while, the sounds of Li Ermei’s scolding and beating echoed through the entire street from the simple mud-brick house with a green-tiled roof.

Even as she was being beaten, Ye Hongying clenched her teeth and refused to cry out.

Her mother had completely lost her mind. If she found out that when Ye Hongying went to Gao Wenbo’s house last night, she had run into Lu Wei, she would probably kill her on the spot.

So, Ye Hongying didn’t want to provoke Ye Zhi, and she definitely couldn’t afford to provoke Lu Wei.

Right now, she only wished they would hurry up and leave for that wretched, rundown island.

Hopefully, they would never come back!

On her way home from the Civil Affairs Bureau, Ye Zhi happened to witness Li Ermei chasing after the crying Ye Hongying, whipping her in the streets. The scene was so pitiful that passersby couldn’t help but comment.

It was the height of summer, and though the sun had set, Ye Hongying was still dressed in a short-sleeved shirt. Her arms were already covered in red welts.

Ye Zhi wasn’t one to meddle in other people’s business. Besides, Li Ermei had just been slandering her that morning. If she stepped in now, she might end up being scolded for pretending to be kind while taking advantage.

So, she pretended not to see anything, humming a tune as she walked home.

Dinner was already being prepared when she arrived.

As soon as she stepped through the door, she saw a brand-new bicycle parked at the edge of the courtyard, adorned with a large red bow and a red paper mat beneath it, creating a festive atmosphere.

In a large basin in the courtyard, three big grass carp were swimming. Her eldest and second brothers had probably gone to the stream to catch them while she and Lu Wei were getting their marriage certificate.

Aside from the fish, there was a small pile of durable fruits and vegetables, likely meant for the wedding feast the next day.

A Red Lantern-brand radio, intricately carved with floral patterns, sat atop a tall cabinet in the main hall, placed high enough to keep it safe from the children’s hands.

As soon as Ye Zhi returned, her family gathered around, eager to see her marriage certificate.

Ye Zhi simply said, “Lu Wei is keeping it.”

In truth, Lu Wei had carefully stored it away the moment they received it.

On their way back, Lu Wei had run into someone from the guesthouse, who told him that there was a phone call for him. Thinking it might be from his unit, he had gone back to take the call.

Since they would be dining together tomorrow, Ye Zhi didn’t mind being apart for one evening.

She wanted to spend some time chatting with her family tonight.

Her eldest sister-in-law asked, “Little Sister, why didn’t you bring Comrade Lu back for dinner?”

Ye Zhi replied, “On our way back, someone from the guesthouse said there was a call for him. I thought it might be official business, so I let him go first.”

Since they would be having a meal together tomorrow, missing tonight wasn’t a big deal.

Her eldest sister-in-law smiled. “Many of the aunties saw Comrade Lu today. They all said he’s very handsome. Little Sister, you’ve really chosen well.”

In a time when there wasn’t much entertainment, gossiping about others was a favorite pastime.

A beautiful girl like Ye Zhi had often been the subject of discussions—people saying she was too picky and would end up an old maid.

Everyone thought she wouldn’t be able to find a good match and would have to settle for being a stepmother.

Who would have thought she’d end up marrying such a handsome young man?

And a military officer at that.

How could the neighbors not be buzzing with gossip?

Ye Zhi, however, didn’t want to sound too certain. She just smiled and said, “You only know for sure after getting to know someone better.”

She and Lu Wei had only met a few times, and their conversations had been mostly superficial.

Although Lu Wei was always polite, they hadn’t spent enough time together for her to truly understand his personality.

The nieces who shared a loft with Ye Zhi chirped, “Auntie, we all like Uncle! You definitely married the right man.”

Her eldest sister-in-law added, “That’s right. You girls should learn from your aunt. If you’re going to marry, marry a soldier. They protect the country.”

The half-grown girls immediately echoed, “I want to marry a soldier too! I want to protect the country!”

Ye Zhi’s second sister-in-law tapped each of them lightly with her chopsticks. “If you want to protect the country, you don’t have to marry a soldier. You can join the army yourselves.”

“Girls can join the army?” the girls asked, wide-eyed.

Second Sister-in-law hesitated—she wasn’t entirely sure. She had only spoken casually.

But then she thought of their third brother, who had sacrificed his life on the battlefield years ago. The topic was too heavy, so she quickly changed the subject.

“You girls should hurry up and help set the table. We’re about to eat! And go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow, your aunt and uncle’s wedding feast starts early, and we’ll need all hands on deck.”

Sure enough, the children’s attention shifted immediately. Laughing and playing, they ran to the kitchen to help serve the food.

During dinner, the conversation naturally turned to the wedding preparations.

Originally, Zhang Xiaomei and Ye Zhi’s father had wanted to throw a grand banquet since she was their only daughter.

But things hadn’t gone as planned.

Lu Wei’s schedule was tight, and they hadn’t even had time to pick an auspicious date.

He had also mentioned that his family wouldn’t be able to attend.

His grandparents were in a retirement home for officials in the capital, and at their age, they couldn’t handle the long journey.

His parents were in the south, and it would take them over a day to travel by train.

Ye Zhi picked up a piece of vegetable with her chopsticks and said, “There’s no need to make it too complicated. A simple family meal will do.”

Zhang Xiaomei clicked her tongue softly, but she had her own thoughts on the matter.

After dinner, everyone finally started winding down.

But when Ye Zhi finished her bath and came out, she saw her little nephew, Ye Xiaoding, sitting on the doorstep, gazing up at the sky.

Ye Xiaoding was the son of Ye Zhi’s third brother. He was seven years old this year.

Several years ago, her third brother had died heroically on the front lines. At that time, Ye Xiaoding had been less than a year old.

His mother had cried night after night, lamenting her misfortune and how her life was ruined.

Later, Zhang Xiaomei, feeling sorry for her, had given her half of the compensation money and let her leave the Ye family to find a new life elsewhere.

After a while, the sounds of Li Ermei scolding and beating someone echoed from the simple mud-brick house with blue tiles, resounding through the entire street.

Even though Ye Hongying was being beaten, she bit her lip and refused to make a sound.

Her mother had already lost her mind. If she found out that last night, when she went to Gao Wenbo’s house, she also ran into Lu Wei, wouldn’t she kill her?

So Ye Hongying didn’t want to provoke Ye Zhi, and she absolutely couldn’t provoke Lu Wei either.

Right now, she just wanted them to hurry up and leave for that rundown island.

Best if they never came back!

On her way home from the civil affairs bureau, Ye Zhi saw Li Ermei chasing after the sobbing Ye Hongying, whipping her all over the street. Everyone who saw the scene couldn’t help but sigh at how miserable it was.

It was midsummer. Although the sun had already set, Ye Hongying was still wearing only a short-sleeved top, and her arms were already covered in red welts.

Ye Zhi wasn’t someone who liked meddling in other people’s business. Besides, Li Ermei had just tried to ruin her reputation in the morning. If she stepped in now to stop it, she might end up being scolded for pretending to be kind after taking advantage.

So Ye Zhi pretended not to see anything, humming a tune as she walked home.

Dinner was already prepared.

When Ye Zhi stepped into the house, she immediately noticed the brand-new bicycle parked by the courtyard’s edge, decorated with a large red flower and red paper underneath, making it look quite festive.

In the courtyard, a large basin held three big grass carps, most likely caught by her eldest and second brothers from the creek while she and Lu Wei were getting their marriage certificate.

Besides the fish, there was a pile of long-lasting fruits, probably for the feast tomorrow.

A Red Lantern-brand radio, intricately carved with floral patterns, was placed on a tall cabinet in the main hall, as if to keep it out of the children’s reach.

Seeing Ye Zhi return, the Ye family members gathered around, eager to see her marriage certificate.

Ye Zhi simply said, “Lu Wei is keeping it safe.”

In reality, when they received the certificate, Lu Wei had carefully put it away.

Just now, while escorting her home, Lu Wei had run into someone from the guesthouse who told him that he had a phone call, so he went back with them.

But with the certificate in Lu Wei’s hands, Ye Zhi felt quite at ease.

Her sister-in-law then asked, “Xiaomei, why didn’t you invite Comrade Lu to have dinner with us?”

Ye Zhi replied, “On the way back, we ran into someone from the guesthouse who said there was a call for him. I thought it might be from the army, so I let him go first so he wouldn’t delay his work.”

Anyway, they would eat together tomorrow, so it didn’t matter if he wasn’t here for one meal.

Tonight, she just wanted to chat with her family.

Her sister-in-law chuckled. “A lot of aunties saw Comrade Lu today. They all said he’s quite handsome. Xiaomei, you really found yourself a good husband.”

In those days, people didn’t have much entertainment, so gossiping about others was one of their main pastimes.

A beautiful young woman like Ye Zhi had often been gossiped about. People said she had high standards, that she had picked and picked until she was left as an old maid.

Everyone thought that at her age, she wouldn’t find a good match and would have to settle for being someone’s stepmother.

Who would’ve thought she’d end up marrying such a handsome young officer?

The entire neighborhood must be buzzing with gossip.

But Ye Zhi didn’t want to sound too smug, so she simply smiled and said, “You only know after spending time together whether it’s a good match.”

She and Lu Wei had only met a few times, and their conversations had always been surface-level.

Lu Wei was polite and respectful, but they hadn’t truly interacted enough to understand each other’s temperaments.

The nieces who shared the attic with Ye Zhi chimed in, “Auntie, we all like our new uncle. You definitely made the right choice!”

Her sister-in-law agreed, “That’s right! You girls should learn from your aunt. Marry a soldier—they protect the country!”

The little girls immediately chimed in excitedly, “I want to marry a soldier too! I want to protect the country!”

Ye Zhi’s second sister-in-law tapped their heads with her chopsticks, giving each of them a ‘critical hit.’ “If you want to protect the country, you don’t have to marry a soldier—you can enlist yourself.”

The little girls widened their eyes in surprise. “Girls can enlist too?”

Ye Zhi’s second sister-in-law hesitated—she wasn’t sure. She had just said it casually.

But remembering how Ye Zhi’s third brother had died heroically years ago, she quickly changed the subject. “Enough chattering! Go help bring out the food. We’re eating now! Get to bed early—tomorrow is your aunt’s wedding feast, so we need to wake up early to help.”

Sure enough, the children were easily distracted. They cheered and ran to the kitchen to help bring out the dishes.

During dinner, everyone discussed the wedding banquet for tomorrow.

Before, Zhang Xiaomei and Father Ye had wanted to make it grand since Ye Zhi was their only daughter.

But plans never keep up with changes.

Because of Lu Wei’s tight schedule, they couldn’t even pick an auspicious date for the banquet.

Lu Wei also said his family couldn’t make it in time.

His grandparents were retired officials living in the capital. They were elderly and couldn’t handle the long journey.

His parents were in the south, and even by train, it would take over a day and a night to get here.

Ye Zhi picked up a piece of green vegetable and said, “Let’s keep it simple. Just a meal with the family is enough.”

Zhang Xiaomei clicked her tongue but seemed to have her own thoughts.

It wasn’t until after dinner that the excitement gradually died down.

After taking a bath, Ye Zhi saw little Ye Xiaoding sitting on the doorstep, gazing at the sky.

Ye Xiaoding was her third brother’s child, seven years old this year.

Several years ago, when her third brother had died on the front lines, Ye Xiaoding was not even a year old.

His mother had cried endlessly, lamenting her misfortune and saying her life was ruined.

Later, Zhang Xiaomei, feeling sorry for her, gave her half of the compensation money, allowing her to leave and remarry.

Ye Xiaoding’s third sister-in-law was quite decisive. She took the money and abandoned her child, remarrying in less than a month.

What was infuriating was that she had only moved to the next town over—not far at all—but had never returned to see Ye Xiaoding.

To spare him heartbreak, the family never told him about his mother.

At the time, both his aunts were busy raising their own children, so taking care of Ye Xiaoding fell to the original host.

The original Ye Zhi had loved children. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so eager to please Gao Wenbo, even knowing he had three kids.

So Ye Xiaoding had always clung to her. When he was little, he even slept in the attic with her and the other girls.

Later, when he turned five, Zhang Xiaomei thought it was inappropriate for him to sleep with the girls, so she sent him downstairs to sleep with his older cousins.

By then, Ye Zhi had started working at a textile factory, so she had less time to spend with him.

But their bond remained strong—Ye Xiaoding still clung to her.

Ye Zhi sat next to him and asked, “Xiaoding, why didn’t you eat much at dinner?”

She had noticed he only took two bites of vegetables, even though Lu Wei had brought all sorts of treats from Shanghai, and the other kids had been eating non-stop.

Ye Xiaoding lifted his head from his arms, glanced at her, and asked, “Everyone says you’re going far away with Uncle Soldier.”

Ye Zhi nodded. “Yes.”

Ye Xiaoding frowned deeply. “How far? Can you get there by tractor? Do you need a bus?

Ye Zhi responded earnestly, “First, we take a tractor to the town’s bus station, then a bus to the county to catch a train. After that, we need to take a boat, and once we arrive on the island, we might still have to transfer to another vehicle.”

She wasn’t sure exactly where Lu Wei’s regiment was stationed on the island, so she didn’t know how much farther they would need to travel after arriving.

Ye Xiaoding frowned, his small face filled with a heavy expression, then nodded solemnly.

“That’s really far.”

“Auntie, you have to write me letters. I’m starting school in the fall, and I already know some characters, so I’ll be able to read them.”

Ye Zhi smiled and patted his little head. “Alright, I’ll write to you.”

Though she said that, she couldn’t help but recall how stubbornly Ye Xiaoding had refused to attend school over the past two years. He was practically a little tyrant!

Moreover, in the original novel, Ye Xiaoding’s ending didn’t seem very good.

Originally, the protagonist had planned to take care of Gao Wenbo’s three children, thinking that Ye Xiaoding could be their companion. However, Gao Wenbo’s children didn’t like playing with Ye Xiaoding and often drove him away. Over time, he stopped visiting.

Without parents, Ye Xiaoding was frequently mocked at school, and he ended up skipping class often, running wild at home instead.

Once, when he went to the market with Ye Zhi’s mother, he missed Ye Zhi so much that he wandered off alone to find her.

But he was tricked by human traffickers and sold to the south.

From then on, Zhang Xiaomei cried so much that she lost her sight. The original protagonist also argued fiercely with Gao Wenbo over this matter, which created a rift between them.

Years later, Ye Xiaoding managed to escape and return home, but by then, the original protagonist had already moved to a big city with Gao Wenbo. When he finally found her, he learned that Gao Wenbo had thrown her out, and she had died a tragic death.

In the end, Ye Xiaoding sought revenge against Gao Wenbo but died accidentally.

Thinking about this, Ye Zhi felt a bit melancholic.

Meanwhile, when Lu Wei returned to the guesthouse, the receptionist called out to him, “Comrade Lu, someone called for you today. I wrote the phone number on the blackboard.”

Before Lu Wei could respond, the receptionist added, “They’ve called twice already and asked you to return the call as soon as you got back.”

Then, as if to emphasize the point, he added, “It was a female comrade.”

Lu Wei glanced at the familiar number on the blackboard and nodded. “Alright, thank you for your trouble.”

The receptionist, staring at Lu Wei’s handsome face, was momentarily dazed and awkwardly said, “It’s no trouble at all. The phone is free now—do you want to call back?”

Lu Wei, still holding his and Ye Zhi’s marriage certificate, replied, “I’ll put my things away first and come down in a bit.”