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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Chen was once again home, still incredulous as he jingled the broken silver coins in his hand. Was this real? However, judging by the way those people were dressed, it didn’t seem like they would trick him. Could it be that a pie had truly fallen from the sky?
He looked up, staring at the heavens above.
Was it real or fake?! He had money now!
So what was he waiting for? With this money, he could easily find a place to make a living and not have to endure Liu Ya’s nagging anymore.
Without hesitation, he stood in front of the old door, took a deep breath, and then kicked it with all his might.
With a loud bang, the already rickety door shattered like rotten wood, flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground, sending dust swirling into the air.
Inside, Liu Ya and Sun Zhu were deep in slumber when the sudden noise startled them awake, causing them to tumble out of bed.
“What’s going on? Who kicked the door?” Sun Zhu yelled hoarsely, his voice thick with sleep and irritation. “Who’s so blind as to disturb the peace in the middle of the night?”
Liu Ya frowned, quickly picking up her clothes from the floor. In a flurry of panic, she dressed hastily and tiptoed to the door, peeking through the crack.
She saw two door panels lying on the ground with Ye Chen standing beside them.
Under the moonlight, the young man stood alone, arms crossed and eyes coldly fixed on her direction, clearly waiting for her to come out.
Liu Ya’s anger flared up immediately. Without a second thought, she yanked open the door, her collar unbuttoned and a handkerchief clutched tightly in her hand. She marched up to Ye Chen and pointed an accusing finger at his nose. “You little brat! What do you think you’re doing? Can’t you see it’s already late at night? Don’t people need rest? Kicking down doors in the middle of the night—what kind of nonsense is this?”
Usually graceful and poised, Liu Ya was now transformed into an enraged tigress under duress.
Ye Chen scoffed dismissively and pushed past her into her room, grabbing Sun Zhu by his collar as he was getting dressed. “You two are really something! My father has only been dead for a year, and you’re already shacking up together. How can you do this? Do you have no shame for my father?”
Liu Ya followed Ye Chen into the room, still trying to comprehend what had gotten into him tonight. Ye Chen continued to grip Sun Zhu's collar tightly, pulling him toward the yard.
As he dragged him along, he cried out loudly, “Father! You died such a tragic death! It’s only been six months since your bones grew cold, and my mother has already found herself a new husband! What am I supposed to do now?! My mother doesn’t want me anymore! How am I supposed to live?!”
Tears streamed down Ye Chen's face as he wailed. Sun Zhu and Liu Ya stood frozen in shock for a moment. They both suddenly recalled something—was this boy's madness still not cured? Otherwise, why would he be causing such a ruckus in the middle of the night?!
When Ye Chen kicked down the door, several nearby farmers from the Ye Family had already been awakened. Now, thanks to his high-volume antics, half the village was stirred awake. Curious villagers gathered outside the Ye Family ’s door, watching as little Ye Chen cried out about how his mother had found a new father. Some confused onlookers began asking others what was happening.
“Yun Niang, what’s going on with the Ye Family? It’s late at night and their door has been kicked down. What is Ye Chen crying about? Didn’t Ye Fang die long ago?”
Yun Niang was the type who loved to watch the excitement and never shied away from trouble. She slightly tiptoed to peek inside, then turned her head and waved her hand, saying, "This child from the the Ye Family is truly unfortunate. Liu Ya, a courtesan, was taken in by Old Ye as a stepmother. In just a few years, the the Ye Family has been ruined. Old Ye died from anger, and now his son is still so young. Look..." As she spoke, she glanced inside again. "She's back to her old profession."
Following her gaze, everyone noticed a man's silhouette in Liu Ya's room, which looked somewhat familiar.
"It's Sun Zhu!" someone exclaimed, pointing at the shadow inside.
Upon hearing his name called out, Sun Zhu's face darkened instantly, though it was too late at night for anyone to see it. He felt a surge of panic and wanted to escape this place of trouble, but Ye Chen was gripping his clothes tightly. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't break free.
"Let go! I said let go! Did you hear me?" Sun Zhu frowned, gripping Ye Chen's arm fiercely. "If you don't let go now, I won't be responsible for what happens next."
"No, I won't let go," Ye Chen replied convincingly, tears streaming down his face, evoking sympathy from the onlookers.
Seeing this, many began to scorn Liu Ya and Sun Zhu. "Why do such things in front of the child? His father was buried just six months ago! What are they thinking?"
"Right? How could that shameless woman be brought home by Old Ye? His son must be suffering terribly now."
"Ugh! A courtesan who was redeemed should be grateful and live a good life instead of doing this. Does she even think about Old Ye?"
Listening to the insults outside, Liu Ya bit her lip in frustration. She looked at the crying Ye Chen with malice in her eyes. She believed she had provided him with enough food and clothing; why was he trying to ruin her?
As the public outcry grew louder and more people gathered to watch, Sun Zhu feared that his fierce wife would come looking for him. In a moment of desperation, he kicked Ye Chen hard in the stomach. Ye Chen immediately felt a sharp pain and doubled over, clutching his abdomen with a pained expression before collapsing onto the ground.
The strength of an adult man was not to be underestimated; that kick left Ye Chen gasping in agony, unable to stand up or continue holding onto Sun Zhu.
Breaking free from Ye Chen's grasp, Sun Zhu didn’t care about how his clothes looked and rushed out without a second thought. Some villagers took advantage of the chaos and landed a few punches on him as he fled, but he didn’t bother to retaliate.
As Sun Zhu disappeared from sight, everyone's attention shifted back to Liu Ya. The women looked at her with jealousy and disdain while the men eyed her with desire and scrutiny.
Liu Ya smirked coldly to herself. She raised her head slightly and looked outside, saying icily, "Have you seen enough? If you have, go back to your own homes."
A few who couldn't stand it any longer stepped into the courtyard to help Ye Chen up from the ground. "Get up now," they urged.
"Thank you, Aunt Yun," Ye Chen said as he stood up with difficulty while clutching his abdomen.
Aunt Yun looked at the boy before her and was reminded of Ye Chen's mother; his eyes were strikingly similar to hers. But then sadness washed over her as she realized how light he felt when she helped him up. How could a boy of his age be so thin?
Thinking of this made Yun Niang even angrier as she glared at Liu Ya. "You wicked woman! It's bad enough that you don't uphold your duties as a wife; just look at this poor child—he's nothing but skin and bones! Do you have no conscience?"
Liu Ya wanted to laugh. She coldly scanned the group of people who were pointing at her and cursing, then turned to the side and said nonchalantly, "If you think I'm being too harsh on him, just take him away. I could use the extra food anyway."
Mentioning food made Yun Niang want to retort loudly, but she remembered that her family's harvest had been poor for the past two years and there wasn't much surplus grain at home, so she closed her mouth again. "You... you..."
Yun Niang pointed at Liu Ya but couldn't find the words. In the end, she lowered her hand and gently patted Ye Chen's back, speaking earnestly, "Child, we don't have much food at home either, but if you're hungry, feel free to come over for a meal or two."
The nearby aunts nodded in agreement. "Yes, child, if you're hungry just let us know. Auntie will bring you a bowl of rice. Look at how thin you are."
As they spoke, tears welled up in the corners of these sentimental women's eyes, which made Liu Ya feel disgusted inside.
Ye Chen hadn't starved under her care; why were they all coming over to cry? One might think they were his real mothers—these foolish women.
For some reason, Ye Chen suddenly felt a wave of sadness wash over him. Perhaps it was because he had been away from home for too long; now that someone was showing concern for him, he felt a different kind of warmth in his heart.
"I say, isn't it time for everyone to leave after enjoying the show?" Liu Ya flicked her handkerchief and glanced at the nonexistent door, signaling everyone to depart.
Seeing Liu Ya trying to drive them away, the crowd felt it was inappropriate to linger any longer in the middle of the night. After all, the men of the the Ye Family died young, and Ye Fang was an outsider; they didn't have that much connection to warrant tearing each other apart over Ye Chen and Liu Ya.
Arguing with the living over the dead was something only a fool would do.
After giving Ye Chen a few more parting words, Yun Niang and the others slowly left the scene.
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