Chapter 19 – What’s Gotten into Your Head

Uncle Wen took a closer look and instantly couldn’t sit still. He hurried over, carefully picking up the object to examine it.

After a long moment, he muttered, “This is jadeite?” Then chuckled, “Kid, you’ve struck gold. Pure jadeite like this is rare. If the craftsman has skill, they might be able to cut it out whole.”

Influenced by an old friend, Uncle Wen had picked up some knowledge of antiques.

Ye Tao said, “We’re not sure. Tingwu mentioned you have good connections, so we shamelessly came to ask if you could help us find someone to take a look.”

“Would you be able to find someone reliable?” Huo Tingwu asked.

Uncle Wen carefully put the piece away. “No problem. I’ll take you to Old Xie, let him give it a look. As it happens, around this time he should be heading home from his walk.”

The couple answered together, “Alright.”

Old Xie lived three streets away. When they arrived, he was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.

After hearing the reason for their visit, Old Xie put on his reading glasses and used a practiced method to test the piece. He confirmed without a doubt that it was jadeite. Learning that Ye Tao had picked it up, he sighed at her luck—such a large jade stone was something one might never encounter in a lifetime.

Since they were brought by Uncle Wen, he kindly reminded them, “These days, things are sensitive. Best not to let something like this be seen in public.”

The Xie family had once enjoyed glory, making contributions to the country. But now, even they had to keep a low profile.

Ye Tao nodded. “We understand. Thank you.”

They didn’t linger. After saying goodbye, they took the jadeite home.

“We’d better just keep it for now, and bring it out later,” Ye Tao suggested.

Huo Tingwu had no objections. She had found it, so she had the final say.

At that time, Huo Tingjie and Huo Tingting were also present. Ye Tao felt they had a right to know, so she gathered them and explained.

“Second Sister-in-law, am I dreaming?” Huo Tingjie blinked in disbelief. That pretty stone was priceless jadeite!

His dumbfounded look made Huo Tingwu avert his eyes—what a foolish little brother.

Compared to him, Huo Tingting seemed calmer—if one ignored her mouth gaping in shock.

“This jade was something we found together. What’s found belongs to all. If it were sold, it would fetch a fortune. But with the situation as it is, we can’t deal with it. I only told you so you wouldn’t be kept in the dark—no need for resentment later.”

As soon as Ye Tao finished, Huo Tingting spoke up, “Second Sister-in-law, you picked it up, not us. We didn’t do anything. We can’t accept it.”

Huo Tingjie snapped out of it and nodded. “Tingting’s right. If not for you, we wouldn’t have even known it was jadeite. We’d probably think it was just some stone.”

No matter what Ye Tao said, the two refused to take any share. Before she could argue further, Huo Tingjie dragged Tingting out the door. As he shut it behind him, he called, “Second Sister-in-law, it’s all yours. We’re family—no need to split hairs. Just keep it.”

Staring at the closed door, Ye Tao could only laugh helplessly. “Well, that’s that…”

Huo Tingwu slipped an arm around her. “It’s fine.” Then he changed the subject. “So, how do you want to deal with it?”

Ye Tao had thought it through on the way back. They couldn’t sell it, nor let it be seen. Best to hide it away and wait a few years for things to settle.

By then, it could be crafted into jewelry—maybe even kept as a family heirloom.

When it came to hiding things, Huo Tingwu was an expert. Using his reconnaissance training, he got tools and dug a hidden pit in an inconspicuous corner. They wrapped the jade well, buried it, then covered the spot with soil and scattered some worthless items on top—if discovered, it would only serve as a decoy.

With a professional at work, the ground was restored to look untouched. Ye Tao nodded in satisfaction. Now she could follow the army with peace of mind.

After their afternoon nap, Ye Tao stepped out into the courtyard—only to find an unexpected visitor. She ignored her and fetched a basin of water to wash her face.

Ding Yuxiang gritted her teeth. The little brat was acting all high and mighty now—she didn’t even greet her own mother.

“Taotao, there are apples on the table, Tingwu just bought them. Wash one and eat,” Liu Wenxiu said deliberately, not mentioning Ding Yuxiang’s name. The apples were bought for her daughter-in-law, not anyone else.

Ye Tao played along, acting as if she hadn’t seen Ding Yuxiang. She took one apple for herself and handed another to her mother-in-law.

Liu Wenxiu’s smile blossomed. She silently praised herself for having such a good daughter-in-law.

The sweet fragrance of apples lingered at Ding Yuxiang’s nose. She swallowed hard, forcing her mind clear. “Ye Tao, it’s not that your mother is nagging, but look at the time—you’re just waking up. Even if your in-laws dote on you, you can’t lose your sense of propriety.”

She spoke while watching Liu Wenxiu’s expression. Seeing her frown, she thought she’d struck the right chord and grew more emboldened.

Ye Tao gave her a sidelong glance. Was this woman really so idle? She’d already left her daughter’s home, yet still came back to lecture.

“Return the money for the watch.”

The light remark cut Ding Yuxiang’s words off in her throat.

“No need to be so distant between mother and daughter. By the way, isn’t Tingwu at home?” she deflected.

“He went out. Why? You need something from him?” Ye Tao asked.

Of course she did—otherwise she wouldn’t have come brazenly to the Huo household.

“Your father twisted his ankle yesterday. The doctor said he can’t do labor for a while, so I thought…”

“You want him to help with the work?” Ye Tao bluntly exposed her intention.

“Yes. Just think, your father is bedridden, and Xiao Song’s still just a kid. If your husband could help out, it’d ease our burden a lot.”

In her mind, it was perfect—let Huo Tingwu work under Ye Hongjun’s name. With his strength, he was worth three men. Their family’s work points would multiply.

She was calculating happily, but before Ye Tao could reply, Liu Wenxiu cut in sharply.

“My second son—I won’t even let him toil in the fields for us. And you have the nerve to order him around?”

“If Ye Hongjun can’t work, drag him to the field to pick corn. His feet don’t work, but his hands aren’t crippled.”

“And you still owe Taotao money. Hurry and pay it back. We’ve been kind enough not to come knocking for it, and you think we’re pushovers?”

Liu Wenxiu’s tirade left Ding Yuxiang speechless.

At home, she acted domineering, but in truth, she bullied the weak and feared the strong. Now, she sat there, silent.

Ye Tao gave her mother-in-law a mental thumbs-up—such combat power!

Having gained nothing and been scolded instead, Ding Yuxiang returned home fuming. Seeing Ye Hongjun lying on the bed only fueled her anger, and she smacked him hard.

Caught off guard, he yelped, “What’s gotten into your head?”

“All thanks to your precious daughter,” Ding Yuxiang snapped, sitting by the bed and pouring out Ye Tao’s “sins.”

His foot had been injured just the previous night—he’d tripped over the chamber pot while getting up, twisting his ankle and landing face-first in the mess. The stench was unbearable.

No matter how many times the clothes were washed, the stench lingered. So he stayed home all day. But skipping work meant no work points, and without work points, the family of three had no food to count on.