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墨書 Inktalez
6 Bei stood there watching her, holding a thin blanket in his hands.
“It’s you! You scared me to death. Why are you sneaking around here? Is something wrong?” Ye Xiaohan patted her chest, still shaken from the sudden fright, which was certainly not good for her health.
6 Bei lifted the blanket slightly and said awkwardly, “I saw you sleeping and was worried you might catch a cold, so I brought you a blanket.”
Ye Xiaohan felt his mood infecting her and replied somewhat uneasily, “Oh, I see. Thank you.”
The two stood in silence for a moment.
Ever since the money theft incident, 6 Bei had been acting strangely. Whenever he had the chance, he would try to get close to her, but recently he had been consciously avoiding Ye Xiaohan.
Ye Xiaohan had certainly noticed this odd behavior. It didn’t seem like 6 Bei had suddenly lost interest in her; sometimes she would catch him staring at her, but whenever she turned to look back, he would quickly avert his gaze.
Unable to decipher 6 Bei’s thoughts, Ye Xiaohan didn’t dare to make the first move. After all, she now knew that 6 Bei was not just an innocent villager but someone with an identity that required him to sneak around at night.
It felt as if she were pinching herself awake from a dream—why did she wake up at such a perfect moment? If only she had woken up a little earlier, 6 Bei wouldn’t have seen her; if she had woken up a bit later, he would have covered her with the blanket and left.
Now she felt like she was frozen in place, unable to move as if someone had pressed a pressure point on her.
“Uh, Qi seems to have gone outside. I’ll go look for her,” Ye Xiaohan thought of a valid excuse and praised herself for her quick thinking. She decided to buy another candied hawthorn stick for Qi, who was being used as a shield.
“Qi got tired and fell asleep next to you. I carried her back to the room; you don’t need to worry,” 6 Bei’s words shattered Ye Xiaohan’s carefully constructed excuse.
Just as her mind was racing to come up with another reason, 6 Bei sat down beside her.
“Come here; let’s talk,” he gestured invitingly.
Ye Xiaohan’s mind flashed through countless scenarios of what might happen next. Did 6 Bei know that she had noticed his odd behavior and was secretly investigating him? If that were the case, how would he deal with her?
With various speculations swirling in her mind, Ye Xiaohan cautiously approached him, ready to escape at any moment. She wasn’t physically strong enough to confront 6 Bei, but the self-defense techniques she had practiced over the years were not in vain. Unfortunately, she hadn’t brought any needles with her; otherwise, it would greatly increase her chances of escaping.
"Just woke up, my legs are all swollen. I'll just stand here for a bit to reduce the water retention," Ye Xiaohan said, pretending to massage her thigh. "What's up with you?"
6 Bei hesitated for a moment, then looked up at her. From Ye Xiaohan's perspective, her three-dimensional facial features became more pronounced; the slightly sunken eye sockets and high nose bridge elevated her aura significantly.
"I've always felt sorry about what happened before. I never expected Second Uncle and the others would do something like this," 6 Bei admitted, still finding it hard to accept.
"Although I know Second Uncle and Second Aunt have always had a tendency to take advantage of situations, I thought these issues weren't that serious, so I didn't pay much attention to them. I didn't expect my indulgence would turn into enabling them to the point where they started eyeing your assets," 6 Bei said, pinching his fingers. "I haven't dared to talk to you about this for a while. It's partly my responsibility that Second Uncle and the others acted this way; I should have noticed these things instead of being blindly filial."
Ye Xiaohan let out a sigh of relief and waved her hand. "So that's what you were worried about. It's fine; I'm not angry anymore. Besides, this is all on them, not you. With their nature, they won't shed tears until they taste bitterness, even if they change their environment."
As long as 6 Bei didn't suddenly jump up wanting to kill someone, she wouldn't remember such things upon waking.
6 Bei looked at her gratefully. "Xiao Han, thank you. You're really good to me."
Yes, I hope you remember this kindness and don't go on a killing spree against me in the future, Ye Xiaohan thought silently while giving an inward middle finger. She kept a smile on her face. "Everything has been perfectly resolved; your Second Uncle learned a lesson, and our family won't be causing headaches anymore. We can just live our lives well from now on."
"Mm," 6 Bei replied but suddenly asked hesitantly, "Living... living life, Xiao Han, do you want to stay with me forever?"
Ye Xiaohan's body reacted faster than her brain, and she instinctively blurted out, "No, when it's time to leave, I'll naturally leave."
6 Bei lowered his head slightly in disappointment; a few short strands of hair stood up against the light, tinged with a golden halo that looked fluffy. It almost made Ye Xiaohan want to reach out and ruffle it, but thankfully she rationally stopped herself from acting on that impulse.
After their conversation, 6 Bei untangled his worries while Ye Xiaohan temporarily set aside her concerns. The atmosphere returned to its previous warmth.
Although no one from the 6 family took the initiative to go out and discuss matters, there were too many busybodies around; there’s no wall that doesn’t let the wind through. The unusual circumstances surrounding Uncle Lu's family suddenly leaving gradually spread around, though details remained vague.
Upon receiving the news, the Zhang family immediately gathered at home to discuss.
"Son, you've been at the shop for so long; have you found anything? No matter how well-hidden that secret recipe is, it has to come out eventually. You need to pay attention to Ye Xiaohan's actions and see where she keeps important things," Aunt Zhang advised her son.
His son impatiently said, "Do you think I wouldn't know? I keep my eyes glued on Ye Xiaohan. You have no idea how cunning that woman is. She doesn't let me get involved in the shop's affairs at all; she handed the accounts over to her uncle, and she keeps the important things to herself, hiding them in the brewing room, which is a secret chamber that no one can enter. I'm only allowed to serve those chattering women."
Zhang Da Bo looked at his useless son and slapped him on the head. "Do you know how much effort your father put in to get you into the shop? Others can't even get in, and here you are, so close to the water yet failing to do even this little thing. You're worthless!"
"Don't lecture me! You think you're so impressive just because you used your uncle's education to threaten him? What an achievement! If you're so capable, why don't you go steal the secret formula yourself?" The Zhang Family Son was not afraid of his hypocritical father. Every evening, he forced him to read some nonsense about sages while secretly engaging in underhanded dealings himself.
Zhang Da Bo was furious and stood up, ready to discipline this ungrateful son properly. The Zhang Family Son stood his ground defiantly.
Aunt Zhang quickly intervened, "Oh dear, what's going on here? You two are fighting before even accomplishing anything! Old man, if you dare hit my son, I'll tear your skin off! And you, son, don't just stand there like a fool; quickly apologize to your father."
"I did nothing wrong; why should I apologize?" The Zhang Family Son slammed the door as he left, causing it to bang against the frame before bouncing back.
Zhang Da Bo sat down angrily on a stool, his chest heaving violently. Aunt Zhang hurriedly patted his back until he calmed down.
"Ungrateful child!" Zhang Da Bo pointed at the empty doorway and threw off his shoe in frustration.
Aunt Zhang quickly tried to soothe him. "Old man, don't let yourself get too worked up; he's still our son. Once he grows up, he'll understand our intentions. As long as we get that secret formula, we'll have plenty of money and can find him a good wife to take care of you!"
It seemed that Aunt Zhang's words struck a chord with him as he thought about their future wealth. Zhang Da Bo's mood began to ease.
Seeing that Zhang Da Bo was no longer so angry, Aunt Zhang seized the moment. "Don't rush; our son isn't entirely at fault. That woman is indeed difficult to deal with. Our son is too naive; he can't handle her alone. I think it's better if I go and test the waters, get closer to her, and slowly figure out a way."
Meanwhile, Ye Xiaohan was busy in the shop when she saw Aunt Zhang enter with a beaming smile.
"Busy here, daughter-in-law? Wow, there are so many customers; business is really good! You must have earned quite a bit of silver," Aunt Zhang said as she looked around eagerly, imagining that once they got the secret formula, all these customers would belong to them—her excitement mixed with envy.
Ye Xiaohan loathed everything this family did and showed no kindness towards her. In her life, nothing annoyed her more than being threatened!
Moreover, this family was secretly plotting against her, trying to steal her secret formula while thinking everyone else was too foolish to notice!
No matter how much Aunt Zhang tried to get close, Ye Xiaohan only responded with a few casual remarks before turning her attention to the guests, completely ignoring her.
Feeling embarrassed, Aunt Zhang left the shop under the strange gazes of those inside.
As she walked halfway, Aunt Zhang grew angrier. After all, she was an elder; how dare Ye Xiaohan look at her like that, not even sparing her a glance!
Aunt Zhang turned around and headed toward the village entrance, where many people gathered to chat idly about their daily lives.
"It's Aunt Zhang! Come over, come over! We haven't seen you in ages. I heard your son has gone to work at the Liu family's shop. Your family will be as wealthy as them soon!"
Several villagers called out to Aunt Zhang upon seeing her.
With a sigh, Aunt Zhang replied, "What good fortune is that? You don't know—Liu's daughter-in-law is capable, but that person... oh, never mind. My son is still working for her; I can't let this get out or he might lose his job."
Her words piqued the curiosity of those around her, who gathered closer to inquire further.
Aunt Zhang pretended to look troubled while elaborating on her tale. She spun a web of lies that left the listeners gasping in shock.
"So that's why Second Uncle left in such a hurry! It's because Liu's daughter-in-law wanted to seduce him! Who would have thought? I saw them together on the street before, and they seemed quite affectionate."
"You have no idea about the disgusting things she's done before! There are even worse things than this!"
The stories about Ye Xiaohan's past resurfaced once again, and those who were previously unaware began to hear about these bizarre events.
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