Wu Yong sneered inwardly, then turned to Ye Zhoushan: “Is that so?”  

Ye Zhoushan didn’t refute Xu Guizhi and Ye Zhenzhen’s words. With a strained smile, he said, “Comrade, please understand—I really have set up my own household now.”  

Wu Yong raised an eyebrow. “Then explain why you’re still entangled with the Chu family. Don’t forget, you’re not exactly clean yourself.”  

Ye Zhoushan put on a sorrowful expression. “It’s all because fate has been cruel to me.”  

He knew that before Wu Yong and his men arrived, they must have already investigated everything thoroughly. There was no point in lying.  

Besides, these people hadn’t come here just to beat someone up.  

His eyes darkened briefly as he lowered his gaze, but when he looked up again, his expression turned ingratiating.  

“Comrade, tell me—what choice did I have, for the sake of my wife and child?”  

“I was already in my twenties when I finally got this wife of mine. If she died, where would I go to cry?”  

“I figured the Chu couple had the means to help. Since they were sent here anyway, it’d be best to make use of them.”  

“So at the time, I didn’t think too much and forced them to save my wife and child.”  

“I may be useless, but at least I did one decent thing.”  

“They’re kind of my benefactors in a way. Shouldn’t I look out for them? Call it accumulating blessings for my daughter. Don’t you think so?”  

“Comrade, how about this—let me make up for their mistakes. Consider it me repaying a debt of gratitude.”  

Wu Yong had made many trips here and knew the Chu couple was dirt poor.  

For years, no relatives or friends had sent them anything. They didn’t even have a single flea to their names.  

His real target this time had always been Ye Zhoushan.  

“Since you’re so conscientious, I can’t be unreasonable.”  

“But you know how it is—our job might look glamorous, but in reality, we have to follow the rules strictly.”  

“Countless eyes are watching, and we can’t afford even the slightest mistake.”  

Ye Zhoushan nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, of course. You comrades work hard.”  

He was also troubled—what could he, a penniless man, offer to shut these people up?  

Zhao Qianjin rushed over, sweating profusely.  

“Ah, comrades, my apologies for the poor hospitality!”  

“What a coincidence! Today, a wild boar came down from the mountains and ruined the crops. Luckily, Ye Zhoushan here noticed in time.”  

“Not only did he save the crops, but he also killed the beast.”  

“We were just wondering how to transport it to the commune when you showed up.”  

“Would you mind helping us take the carcass away?”  

Wu Yong and his men’s eyes lit up. Could it really be that convenient?  

“How heavy is it?” Wu Yong’s voice was urgent, almost excited.  

Zhao Qianjin said, “Probably over three hundred jin. It’ll be hard work for you comrades.”  

Wu Yong grinned so wide his teeth showed. In these times, pork was a top-tier delicacy.  

Over three hundred jin—even after removing the inedible parts, there’d still be more than two hundred jin of pure meat.  

This trip had really paid off.  

He glanced at Ye Zhoushan. Who would’ve thought Zhao Qianjin would protect this kid so fiercely, even willing to give up such a huge wild boar?  

Good. It was better that he cared—Wu Yong had been worried he wouldn’t.  

“Fine. Tie it up properly, and we’ll take it back.”  

“Kid Ye, today, out of respect for your sense of loyalty, we’ll let the Chu couple off. But don’t let it happen again, understand?”  

Ye Zhoushan hurriedly agreed.  

With a wave of his hand, Wu Yong led his men off to haul away the wild boar.  

Ye Zhenzhen gritted her teeth in frustration. That little bastard had actually gotten away with it—how infuriating!  

Once Wu Yong and his group left, the others didn’t dare linger and quickly dispersed.  

Ye Zhoushan helped the Chu couple to their feet. “Sorry for causing you trouble.”  

The couple’s expressions were indifferent. They waved him off without a word, supporting each other as they returned to work.  

Ye Zhoushan clenched his jaw, a dark resolve hardening in his heart.  

He didn’t stay long either—he needed to check on his daughter. He hoped she hadn’t hurt herself.  

By the time he got home, little Fuman was already fast asleep.

Even in her sleep, she was still hiccuping with sobs—proof of how hard she had cried.  

Lan Qingshuang’s eyes were red as she gently patted the baby, frantic and helpless.  

Only when she saw Ye Zhoushan return home safely did her pounding heart finally settle.  

“What on earth happened? Our daughter was so distraught she cried herself hoarse. I couldn’t go out, and I was worried sick!”  

Ye Zhoushan pulled Lan Qingshuang into a brief hug before cradling their daughter against his chest, murmuring, “It’s alright, it’s alright, don’t worry.”  

“Did our little girl cry for a long time?”  

“Yeah, almost an hour. Nothing I did could calm her down.” Lan Qingshuang had also cried for nearly an hour, her heart aching.  

Hearing this, Ye Zhoushan’s chest tightened with pain. He held the baby close, kissing her cheeks, unwilling to put her down.  

“If it weren’t for our daughter, I might’ve ended up dead or crippled today.”  

The moment he said this, Lan Qingshuang’s face drained of color.  

“What happened? Are you hurt? Let me see!”  

Ye Zhoushan sat beside her, letting her inspect him.  

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”  

Once he had soothed her, he recounted the earlier events in detail.  

“Our daughter cried so long partly because she was worried about me, and partly because she exhausted herself saving me.”  

“Once she’s better, I want to take her to the county hospital for a checkup.”  

Lan Qingshuang was torn between anger and heartache for her husband. With a huff, she snatched their daughter back.  

“Now you feel bad? Where was this concern earlier?”  

“How could you take such a risk? If something had happened to you, what would we have done?”  

The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became, tears streaming down her face.  

Ye Zhoushan wrapped an arm around his wife, offering more reassurances and promises.  

The couple had no secrets between them—even knowing she’d be upset, he never considered hiding the truth.  

“It won’t happen again. Not even for our daughter’s sake. Don’t be angry.”  

Lan Qingshuang fumed for a while before his coaxing gradually eased her temper.  

“Are Dr. Chu and his wife alright?”  

Ye Zhoushan shook his head. “They’re fine. I got there in time—they only took a couple of kicks.”  

“I’ll ask Old Mo for some ointment and bring it to them later.”  

Lan Qingshuang sighed. “We really brought trouble to their door this time.”  

“But from now on, Wu Yong will have his eyes on our family. He’s like a leech—a bottomless pit that can never be filled.”  

Ye Zhoushan’s expression darkened. “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way.”  

Lan Qingshuang frowned at him. “Don’t you dare do anything reckless. Those people are ruthless—a pack of lackeys we ordinary folks can’t afford to provoke.”  

Ye Zhoushan gave a wry smile but said nothing.  

Knowing her husband was stubborn, Lan Qingshuang didn’t press further.  

“And now we owe Brigade Leader Zhao another huge favor. The rest of the brigade won’t be happy.”  

It was true—the wild boar belonged to the collective, yet Zhao Qianjin had given it away for Ye Zhoushan’s sake.  

In these times of scarcity, grievances were inevitable—big ones.  

Ye Zhoushan told her not to worry; he’d handle it.  

Lan Qingshuang knew there was no changing what had already happened. Right now, they needed to figure out who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.  

“At first, I thought your mother was behind the Zhou family’s visit.”  

She studied Ye Zhoushan’s reaction carefully.  

He laughed dryly. “And now?”  

“After seeing her attitude yesterday, I changed my mind.”  

“She seems to despise me—wants me gone. If she’d known about my background, she wouldn’t have waited until now.”  

“So it probably wasn’t her.”  

Every word was measured, watching for shifts in his expression.  

But Ye Zhoushan remained calm—no anger, no sorrow, as if discussing a stranger.  

He showed no reaction to the idea of his mother trying to drive his wife away.  

At Lan Qingshuang’s conclusion, he merely nodded faintly.  

“Whoever’s behind this, I’ll find out.”  

Again and again, they’d pushed him—did they really think Ye Zhoushan had no temper?