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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Chen couldn't believe his luck as he jingled the silver coins in his hand. Was this for real? Looking at the attire of those around him, it seemed unlikely they would deceive him, so could it be that fortune had truly smiled upon him?
He raised his head and gazed up at the heavens.
Was this a dream or reality? He had money now!
What was he waiting for? With this money, he could easily find a place to settle down and no longer have to endure the wrath of Liu Ya.
Without hesitation, he stood before the old wooden door, took a deep breath, and with all his might, kicked it open.
With a loud bang, the already precarious door splintered like rotten wood, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust that filled the courtyard.
Inside, Liu Ya and Sun Zhu were deep in slumber when the sudden noise jolted them awake, sending them tumbling out of bed in shock.
"What’s going on? Who kicked the door?" Sun Zhu shouted hoarsely, his voice thick with sleep and irritation. "Who’s the blind fool disturbing our peace at this hour?"
Liu Ya frowned as she hurriedly picked up her clothes from the floor, a hint of panic in her movements. She quickly dressed and tiptoed to the door, peering through the crack.
There lay two door panels on the ground, and standing beside them was Ye Chen.
In the moonlight, the boy stood alone, arms crossed and a cold gaze fixed on the door as if waiting for her to emerge.
Liu Ya's anger flared instantly. Without a second thought, she yanked open the door, her collar unfastened and a handkerchief clutched tightly in her hand. She strode up to Ye Chen and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You little brat! What do you think you’re doing? Can’t you see it’s the middle of the night? People need their rest! Kicking down doors like this—what are you trying to accomplish?"
Normally graceful and composed, Liu Ya now resembled an enraged tigress.
Ye Chen scoffed dismissively and pushed past her into her room where Sun Zhu was still getting dressed. "You two are something else! My father has only been dead for a year, and here you are shacking up together! How can you do this? What would my father think?"
Liu Ya followed him into the room, still trying to grasp what had gotten into Ye Chen tonight. He grabbed Sun Zhu by the collar and pulled him toward the courtyard.
As he dragged him along, Ye Chen cried out loudly, "Father! You died so tragically! Just six months after your death, my mother has found herself a new husband—what am I supposed to do? My mother doesn’t want me anymore! How will I survive?!"
Tears streamed down Ye Chen's face as he lamented his plight. Sun Zhu and Liu Ya stood frozen in shock, both suddenly recalling something—hadn't Ye Chen's madness not yet subsided? Why else would he be causing such a scene in the middle of the night?
As Ye Chen kicked down the door, several nearby farmers from the Ye Family were awakened. Now half the village was roused by his loud cries. Curious villagers gathered outside Ye Family’s home, watching as little Ye Chen wept and shouted about his mother finding a new father. Some began asking those around them what was happening.
"Yun Niang, what’s going on with the Ye Family? Why are they awake at this hour with their door 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 Submissive ld 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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