Chapter 6: Why Haven’t You Called Me Father Yet?

Staring at the plump duck eggs and the two chubby wild ducks, even Old Madam Ye—who was usually calm and composed—couldn’t help but widen her eyes in shock.

She quickly glanced left and right. Seeing no one nearby, she hurriedly ordered Fourth Brother Ye, “Quick, tie up the wild ducks’ beaks and put them in that willow basket. Cover it with something. We’ll find a secluded spot tonight to eat them.”

As she spoke, the five boys at home all crowded around to watch Fourth Brother Ye bind the ducks.

Ye Changlin’s mouth hung half open as he stared at the wild ducks, his imagination already conjuring up their delicious aroma. Drool streamed down the corners of his mouth.

“You greedy cat, stop loitering here. Take your little sister over there to play. Once we’ve packed everything, we’ll be hitting the road again.”

Ye Changzhao and Ye Changlin immediately grabbed Qingtian’s hands, one on each side, competing to take her to see the ant nest they had just been digging up.

Ye Changrui followed behind them and reminded loudly, “Walk slowly! Don’t run! Don’t let our little sister fall!”

Though they were in the midst of fleeing famine, it didn’t take much for children to find joy.

The three little ones squatted on the ground, heads close together, taking turns poking the crawling ants with sticks.

Ye Changxue had run off somewhere earlier, but before long, he returned carrying a small string of black cicadas the size of soybeans.

“Black Sky Berries!” Ye Changlin called out, looking eagerly at his second brother.

Black Sky Berries were a type of wild fruit commonly found in the countryside. Once ripe, they tasted sweet and juicy. They grew along hillsides and in wastelands—an all-time favorite snack for poor kids.

Ye Changxue generously held out the entire string of Black Sky Berries to Qingtian and said, “Little sister, you eat!”

Qingtian took the berries and plucked one off, popping it into her mouth.

“Is it sweet?” Ye Changlin watched her intently, swallowing hard.

“Sweet!” Qingtian cheerfully plucked off another and stuffed it into his mouth.

Ye Changlin’s face lit up instantly. “So sweet!”

Qingtian then handed berries to Ye Changrui, Ye Changzhao, and Ye Changfeng one by one.

Ye Changfeng shook his head to refuse, but Qingtian simply pushed one into his mouth.

The refreshing sweetness burst across his tongue, softening even the usual disdainful look on his face for a fleeting moment.

The adults quickly secured the bundles of belongings tightly onto the cart.

Eldest Brother Ye walked over and gently picked up Qingtian with one arm.

With his other strong arm, he scooped up Ye Changzhao and Ye Changfeng together and placed all three children onto the cart.

“This is Qingtian’s first time riding a cart,” he said. “You two must protect her. Don’t let her fall off, understand?”

“Don’t worry, Uncle. I’ll watch over my little sister,” Ye Changzhao immediately grabbed Qingtian’s hand and raised it high, signaling his promise.

Ye Changfeng remained expressionless, but after sneaking a glance at Qingtian, he silently shifted to her other side. Together with Ye Changzhao, they flanked her protectively in the middle.

Eldest Brother Ye gently rubbed Qingtian’s head to comfort her. “Father will be pulling the cart in a bit, and Mama will walk right beside you. Don’t be afraid, alright? Just sit with your brothers like a good girl, okay?”

“Okay!” Qingtian answered in a soft, sweet voice.

But even with that response, Eldest Brother Ye still didn’t feel quite satisfied.

His wife had told him that Qingtian was already calling her “Mother.” So… why hadn’t she called him “Father” yet?

Seeing Eldest Brother Ye staring at her with anticipation, Qingtian tilted her head in confusion.

Unsure of what he wanted, she simply stood up and stuffed the last Black Sky Berry into his mouth.

“Ahem.” Caught off guard and not getting what he’d hoped for—yet somehow ending up with a child’s snack in his mouth—Eldest Brother Ye turned away awkwardly.

Over by the donkey cart, everything was ready. On the second flatbed cart sat Old Madam Ye, Second Sister-in-law, Changrui, Changxue, and Changlin.

Just as the family was about to set off, Guo shi suddenly spoke up, “Hold on—why does Second Sister-in-law get to ride the cart?”

Usually, in order to lighten the load for whoever was pulling the cart, none of the daughters-in-law were allowed to ride. But today, Second Sister-in-law was sitting comfortably on the flatbed, and Guo shi immediately took offense.

“All you do is watch what others get!” Old Madam Ye snapped. “Second daughter-in-law is going to sew clothes for Qingtian. If she doesn’t ride, you going to carry her yourself?”

Guo shi argued back, “It’s just sewing clothes! It’s not like I can’t do it! Let me ride, I’ll sew too!”

The moment she said that, the whole family fell silent. Even Fourth Brother Ye’s face twisted with embarrassment.

Ye Changxue burst out laughing. “Fourth Aunt’s sewing is the best! She stitched the sleeve right to the waist—turns into a belt straight away!”

At that, everyone couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.

Before Guo Shi married into the family, according to custom, she was supposed to make a set of clothes for her parents-in-law to wear during the wedding banquet.

First, this was to show that the bride would be filial after entering the family, and second, it was a way to show the villagers the bride’s sewing skills.

At the time, Old Master Ye had already passed away, so Guo Shi only needed to make a set of clothes for Old Madam Ye.

But she procrastinated, dragging her feet until the very day before the wedding to finally send them over.

When Old Madam Ye unfolded the clothes and took a look, the entire family burst out laughing.

Never mind the uneven stitching—the sleeves were sewn on completely lopsided. One high, one low, totally unwearable.

In the end, it was Second Sister-in-law who stayed up all night altering the outfit, just to keep Guo Shi from embarrassing both herself and the Ye family at the wedding banquet.

Now, being mocked again, Guo Shi’s face turned stiff with embarrassment. She muttered unhappily, “So what if it wasn’t perfect? As long as you can wear it, what’s the big deal? It’s not like I was dressing for a royal concubine selection.”

Old Madam Ye gave a curt command, “Enough. Let’s move. The weather’s getting colder by the day. If we can’t make it past the mountain before the start of winter, we’ll freeze to death out here in the wilderness at night.”

Indeed, with winter fast approaching, daylight was getting shorter, and they had to make the most of every minute to travel.

So even by noon, they didn’t waste time stopping to cook a proper meal.

While preparing breakfast, Eldest Sister-in-law had roasted some potatoes to take with them. If anyone got hungry at midday, they could eat a few to tide themselves over.

Thanks to the meat they’d had the day before and a hearty potato breakfast that morning, Eldest Brother Ye and Second Brother Ye had extra strength to pull the cart that day.

Along the way, they passed quite a few other refugees, and no matter where they went, they always attracted envious glances.

It wasn’t until dusk, when the road ahead was too dark to see clearly, that Old Madam Ye finally instructed everyone to find a place to rest.

Because of those two wild ducks, Eldest Brother Ye made sure to find a spot well away from the main road to park the cart.

The children, who had been cooped up all day, were finally allowed to get off and stretch their legs. They scattered in all directions, running around freely.

The adults, on the other hand, didn’t dare waste any time. Some gathered firewood, some built the fire, others prepared food—everyone was busy with their assigned tasks.

Second Sister-in-law came over with the altered clothes in her hands. “Eldest Sister-in-law, try these on Tian girl, see if they fit.”

The outfit was originally a worn floral jacket from Eldest Sister-in-law.

But thanks to Second Sister-in-law’s skillful hands, it had been cleverly pieced together and transformed into a little cotton coat and pants set.

If one didn’t look too closely, it could easily pass as something brand new.

“Oh my, your sewing skills are amazing,” Eldest Sister-in-law exclaimed. “Even while bouncing around in the cart, you still managed to keep the stitches so neat and straight!

“If it were me, I’d have sewn it so crooked it wouldn’t even look like clothes anymore!”

Eldest Sister-in-law helped Qingtian change into the new clothes, and they fit perfectly.

What was even more remarkable was that not only was the craftsmanship excellent, but even the inner cotton padding had been carefully fluffed and evenly spread. The outfit was both warm and beautiful.

“It’s true what they say—having a daughter really is different. No matter what she wears, she always looks so pretty.”

Second Sister-in-law couldn’t help but sigh as she looked at how adorable Qingtian was in the outfit.

She herself had given birth to three boys, all of whom ran around outside like wild monkeys every day.

No matter how nice the clothes were, they wouldn’t stay clean for longer than it took a stick of incense to burn.

She had a pair of skillful hands but never any chance to show them off.

Now, finally, she had a quiet and well-behaved little girl to dress up. She couldn’t help but want to make her several more outfits all at once.

“Do you like it, Qingtian?” Eldest Sister-in-law asked.

“I love it! Thank you, Second Aunt!” Qingtian beamed, running her fingers over the fabric with a smile that made her eyes curve into happy crescents.

“As long as you like it. I’ll make you a coat next time, so your cotton jacket doesn’t get dirty. It’s a pain to wash.”

As Eldest Brother Ye passed by carrying a bundle of firewood, his heart soured again at what he heard.

She called her “Second Aunt” so sweetly… So why still no “Father”?