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The Ye Family—
The spicy soup for lunch had already been prepared.
Standing at the doorway, Ye Caiping looked out anxiously. For some reason, she couldn’t shake off an unsettling feeling.
“At this hour, and they’re still not back?” The elderly Yan Fang shuffled over to stand beside Ye Caiping, her face filled with worry.
After the spicy soup from the town was distributed, Ye Caiping had set a clear rule:
The vendors who sold soup in the county had to return home before noon. Even if they hadn’t sold out, they had to come back, or else the midday batch of soup wouldn’t make it out on time.
By now, they were always home.
“Ah, I hear the sound of the cart now,” Yan Fang exhaled in relief, a smile spreading across her face.
Sure enough, Ye Bajin’s figure driving the ox cart soon appeared at the corner, heading toward them.
As the ox cart came to a stop, Ye Caiping and her mother rushed forward. “Why are you so late today?”
Ye Jin’er’s face was filled with exhaustion. “Uh… something happened today.”
As she spoke, she carefully lowered one foot to the ground and hobbled forward with a noticeable limp.
Ye Caiping froze, her eyes widening as she noticed the injuries. Not only had Jin’er turned into a limping mess, but Huan’er’s little face was scraped, and Ye Erquan had a small lump swelling on his forehead.
“What happened? How did all of you get hurt?” Ye Caiping’s face filled with alarm as she quickly moved to support Ye Jin’er.
“The black ox… I don’t know what got into it. Halfway back, it suddenly bolted… In the end, the ox and the cart rolled straight down a grassy slope,” Ye Bajin stammered, his face filled with guilt.
Ye Erquan, head drooping, muttered, “One of the wooden barrels rolled off somewhere. We looked for it for a long time but couldn’t find it…”
The elderly Yan Fang gasped sharply, gripping Ye Huan’er and Ye Erquan’s hands tightly. “Forget about the wooden barrel—what matters is that no one’s seriously hurt.”
“Quick, let’s get inside first,” Ye Caiping said as she helped Ye Jin’er through the gate and into the courtyard.
In the yard, Ye Peng was chopping firewood. When he saw Ye Jin’er being helped inside, his expression changed, and he asked nervously, “What happened? How did Cousin Jin’er get hurt?”
“We fell…” Ye Jin’er forced a weak smile.
“Peng’er, go fetch Doctor Zhao right away, hurry!” Ye Caiping urged him.
Without asking any further questions, Ye Peng dropped his ax and bolted out of the yard.
When Ye Caiping and the others entered the main hall, Old Ye and the members of the eldest and second households came over after hearing the commotion. They were startled at the sight of the three injured individuals.
Wei Shi and Yinhua, their eyes red with worry, hurried to Ye Erquan’s side.
Not long after, Doctor Zhao arrived.
After examining them, Doctor Zhao said, “Jin’er has a sprained ligament, and Huan’er’s injuries are just superficial. As for Erquan, the lump on his head isn’t serious—apply a cold compress today, switch to a warm compress tomorrow, and do it six to seven times a day. It will go down quickly.”
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Ye Caiping added, “Right, Bajin, you should get yourself checked too—and your ox as well.”
Ye Bajin was reluctantly pushed over to Doctor Zhao’s side.
Doctor Zhao examined Bajin and then the ox. “Bajin is lucky—he doesn’t have a single injury, just like your ox.”
After Doctor Zhao left, the heavy weight in Ye Caiping’s heart finally eased.
Ye Bajin hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for not handling the cart properly.”
Ye Jin’er quickly interjected, “It’s not Uncle Bajin’s fault. Hmph, I’ve figured it out—it must have been Li Zhiyuan! Otherwise, why would the cart tip over right when we were passing through Li Family Village and nowhere else?”
“What’s going on?” Ye Caiping frowned, sensing something deeper behind their words.
Ye Jin’er didn’t hold back and recounted everything that had happened in the county.
“I’ve never seen someone so shameless!” Ye Jin’er spat angrily. “If he hadn’t run so fast, I’d have dumped an entire barrel of soup over his head—and added extra chili while I was at it!”
Ye Caiping’s face darkened with each passing second. She had been keeping her distance, avoiding trouble, yet they still dared to come after her family!
“Little Sister… I’m sorry. I couldn’t do anything to help back then… I was useless…” Ye Erquan was on the verge of tears, his voice trembling with guilt.
Ye Caiping spoke gently, “Do you think I don’t know what you’re like, Brother Erquan? When you get anxious, you can’t find the words. If it had come to a fight, I know you wouldn’t have stood by and done nothing.”
Ye Huan’er added, “When the cart tipped over, luckily Uncle Erquan held onto me and Sister. Otherwise, we’d both have big lumps on our heads too.”
Ye Caiping smiled faintly. “You’re all amazing. Jin’er was brave, Huan’er was quick-witted, and Erquan proved reliable.”
Hearing Ye Caiping’s praise, the guilt in Ye Erquan’s heart eased a little.
“Those bastards! Don’t anyone try to stop me—I’m going to beat that Li scoundrel to death right now!” Ye Daquan rolled up his sleeves, ready to storm out the door.
Ye Caiping grabbed his arm. “Stop right there. The cart overturned—do you have any proof it was the Li family’s doing?”
“I don’t need proof—I’ll beat them anyway!!” Ye Daquan was already on the verge of losing control.
“Enough. Save your anger—you’ll have plenty of use for it later,” Ye Caiping said firmly.
“But…”
“Listen to me. If you act now, you’ll ruin my plans.”
At this, Ye Daquan finally shut his mouth, though his anger still simmered, threatening to boil over.
Behind him, Du Shi pinched his arm hard enough to make his eyes bulge, her silent way of telling him to calm down.
Ye Caiping stood up. “Bajin, I’ll trouble you to deliver the lunchtime goods to the town. Yong’er, you’ll go with your Uncle Bajin today.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Ye Bajin, but handling the spicy soup required extra hands to lift and carry.
She was well aware that Li Zhiyuan would come storming to their doorstep soon. Her eldest brother needed to stay home to hold the fort.
…
Ye Bajin and Ye Yong drove the ox cart loaded with spicy soup out of the village.
From a distance, they spotted another ox cart approaching, carrying Li Zhiyuan, Li Jiaojiao and his brother.
Ye Bajin and Ye Yong’s expressions immediately darkened, but remembering their task, they stayed calm. They knew Ye Caiping would handle things at home.
Li Zhiyuan also noticed them. He spared them a single glance, not bothering to offer even a second look. He had grown used to acting superior around the Ye family.
The two ox carts passed each other without a word, yet the tension between them was palpable, like sparks ready to ignite.
After a while, the ox cart pulled to a stop at the entrance of Qinghe Village.
It was lunchtime, and most of the villagers had returned home.
When they saw Li Zhiyuan and his two companions walking into the village, the villagers were quietly surprised, whispering among themselves:
“Isn’t that Li Xiucai? He divorced one of our village girls—how does he still have the face to show up here?”
“Those two must be his stepchildren, right? The little girl is the one who found the ginseng.”
“Hmph, the Li family’s village is on the other side of the river. Instead of searching their own mountains, they came all the way over ten miles to our Niutou Mountain, and she actually found ginseng there. How shameless!”
Li Jiaojiao cast a cold glance at the gossiping old woman.
Heh, she was just lucky. What of it?
At the time, she’d simply wanted to take a walk in the mountains. Somehow, she had wandered farther and farther, until she reached Niutou Mountain. And in the end, she’d found ginseng.
One could only say, this was all fate!
It was Li Jiaojiao’s good fortune.
Since her rebirth, Li Jiaojiao had always felt she was different from others. She believed she was blessed with great luck and opportunities—otherwise, how could she have been reborn?
The ginseng was her first stroke of luck and opportunity.
As for the second, she believed it was that jade piece!
Otherwise, why else would she always feel drawn to it?
Thinking this, a glint of determination flashed in Li Jiaojiao’s eyes.
Before long, the three of them arrived at the old Ye family’s doorstep.
The villagers were even more shocked when they saw that Li Zhiyuan had come to find the Ye family.
Hadn’t he and Caiping already parted ways? Why was he bringing his stepchildren to their door today? What was he planning to do?
The villagers eagerly gathered around, sensing something interesting was about to happen.
Next door, Old Woman Zhao, determined to be at the front of the gossip, even climbed up a tree to get a better view.
Li Zhiyuan cast a disdainful glance at the crowd of onlookers—a bunch of ignorant fools! But he knew he couldn’t drive them away, so he allowed them to continue watching.
Li Zhiyuan knocked on the door forcefully. “Ye Caiping, open up! I have business with you!”
He had only knocked once when the door creaked open with a faint screech.
Li Zhiyuan stumbled, nearly falling flat on his face. “You—”
The angry words caught in Li Zhiyuan’s throat.
He stood there, staring, as Ye Caiping, Ye Jin’er, Ye Huan’er, Ye Daquan…
One by one, all thirteen members of the Ye family, except for Ye Yong who was out, emerged and stood orderly in front of him.
Li Zhiyuan was taken aback by the sight, momentarily stunned, before he forced his face into a scowl. “Ye Caiping… what are you doing?”
Ye Caiping’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Weren’t you the one knocking on the door?”
Li Zhiyuan choked on his words. The atmosphere felt off, and he realized he had miscalculated. He had no choice but to stiffen his face and speak in a low, stern voice, “Now that I’ve arrived, why don’t you invite us inside? I have business to discuss with you.”
After his recent encounter in the county, he had become even more aware that openly demanding the prescription was disgraceful. He needed to discuss it in private.
He was determined to give Ye Caiping a good lesson, to show her how to properly discipline her two unruly children!
And as for compensation, she would have to give him both the jade and the prescription. She would also have to accompany him to the county, where she would go to his academy to explain everything clearly.
She would claim the prescription wasn’t something she had developed on her own, but rather something they had both worked on together while she was with the Li family.
The prescription was as much his as hers, and with that, his reputation could be salvaged.
He was confident in this plan.
Because he knew how much Ye Caiping loved him!
Even when her two rebellious daughters only gave him a lukewarm bath to soak his feet, Ye Caiping would still scold and beat them.
In Ye Caiping’s heart, he would always be her number one—her god!
When he commanded her to kneel, she dared not stand.
In his presence, she was as lowly as a dog.
Soon, when she learned what those two rebellious daughters had done to him in the county, she would have to cripple them!
Thinking this, Li Zhiyuan shot a mocking glance at Ye Jin’er and her sister.
As for the resentment in the county, he wouldn’t have to lift a finger—others would take care of them for him.
“Invite you inside? Do you think you deserve that?” A cold laugh interrupted Li Zhiyuan’s thoughts.
Li Zhiyuan was momentarily stunned, realizing that the voice speaking was none other than Ye Caiping’s.
Just moments ago, he had been consumed by thoughts of how Ye Caiping would punish Ye Jin’er and her sister.
But her words, like a bucket of cold water, froze him completely.
How could she speak to him like that?
Wait, when was the last time they spoke?
It seemed to be right after he divorced her, when she came to demand compensation for the two “troublesome” girls!
At that time, Ye Caiping’s attitude had been a bit off…
At that time, Li Zhiyuan had been so immersed in the joy of Zhang Shuiniang’s acceptance of his marriage proposal, his mind was consumed with thoughts of her. He hadn’t paid any attention to Ye Caiping.
He had thought that her odd behavior was simply a result of some kind of emotional disturbance, a temporary madness.
Whether it was her desperate attempt to demand compensation for the two “troublesome” girls or her frantic rambling, he believed it was all just a poor attempt to grab his attention.
He thought that after a while, once she realized her efforts hadn’t worked, she would return to her usual self.
But now…
It had already been more than two months, and yet, she seemed to be spiraling into madness even more.
Li Zhiyuan immediately darkened his face, sneering coldly. “Ye Caiping, stop pretending to be mad. Your methods are truly pathetic!”