Chapter 29: Big Sister

Chapter 29: Big Sister

The first thing Miao Fengshan did upon returning home was to tidy up the house.

Ye Xiaoxiao went to check the pharmacy, but it was empty and locked.

Her teacher must not have returned yet.

However, Ye Xiaoxiao had the key to the pharmacy and could go in herself to get medicine or read books.

She unlocked the door and quickly straightened up the shop.

On her way back, she ran into Ye Changning, who was coming out of the house.

"Bro!"

"Shh!"

Ye Changning looked around furtively.

"Keep your voice down, don't let Grandfather hear."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "...Are you just leaving like this?"

Ye Changning patted her shoulder: "I'm just going out to explore, it's not like I won't come back. Thanks in advance, Third Bro. Just wait, when I return, our family will be well-off."

Ye Xiaoxiao trusted his words. Even if Ye Changning didn't make money, she would.

"Third Bro, be careful on the road. If you run into any trouble, you can go to the army base in Beijing and look for Duan Lei. Tell him you're my friend, and he'll help you. I'll give you the full address later."

Ye Xiaoxiao was covering all her bases. Although Ye Changning might not be going to Beijing, getting to Beijing from a big city was much easier than returning to Baichuan Village.

If he ran into trouble, it would definitely be more convenient to go to Beijing.

"I'll remember that. You should head back now; it's cold outside." Ye Changning urged Ye Xiaoxiao to go home and added, "Don't let anyone at home know where I'm going."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "You'll just have to wait and get beaten up when you come back."

Ye Changning didn't care, and with a heart full of passion, he waved goodbye and left.

He disappeared into the alley.

...

Ye Changning's departure didn't attract much attention from Grandfather Miao, who thought he had just gone home.

The next day, Ye Changyuan took the family's prepared gifts to visit Ye Lian.

"Come on, let's go see Big Sis together."

"Let's go."

Ye Xiaoxiao was eager to meet all the family members.

Ye Changsheng also dressed up neatly and went out.

The family had prepared mushrooms, ginseng slices, frozen poultry, and a pack of brown sugar.

Back then, such gifts were seen as quite lavish.

The Ye family was poor, but they weren’t stingy.

Ye Lian’s in-laws lived in Qianjiatun Village, not far from Songlin Town. But it was still an hour and a half walk.

When they arrived at Ye Lian’s in-laws’ doorstep, before even knocking, they could hear the sharp, piercing voices of women in the yard.

“What time is it already, and you still haven’t cooked!”

“Mom, I still have two pieces of clothes to wash. Why don’t you get the fire going first?”

“You little brat, our Qian family didn’t marry you to freeload, and now you dare to order your mother-in-law around! I’ll teach you a lesson!”

“Don’t hit my mom!”

“Don’t hit! Don’t hit mom… waa waa waa…”

A child’s cry came from the yard.

Ye Xiaoxiao and her two brothers locked eyes.

Ye Changyuan kicked the door open. In the yard, an old woman was whipping Ye Lian with a cane. One child sat crying on the ground, the other shielded in Ye Lian’s arms.

In the dead of winter, the yard was cluttered with freshly washed clothes. Ye Lian’s hands were red and chapped from the cold.

Seeing this, Ye Changyuan’s eyes burned with rage. “How dare you hit my sister! I’ll take you on!”

Ye Changyuan charged forward, shoving Bao Xueqin to the ground.

“Who’s there! Someone’s attacking an old woman!”

Bao Xueqin rolled on the ground.

Ye Xiaoxiao had never seen anyone so shameless. “You started this, and now you’re playing the victim?”

Hearing this, Bao Xueqin flipped up from the ground. “Pah! She’s our Qian family’s daughter-in-law. As her mother-in-law, I can hit her if I want. It’s none of your business!”

Ye Changsheng stepped forward. “Who do you think you’re calling outsiders?”

“Uncle!”

“Little uncle!”

The two children recognized Ye Changyuan and Ye Changsheng.

Ye Lian finally looked up. “Brother Yuan, Brother Sheng, what are you doing here?”

Tears brimmed in Ye Changyuan’s eyes. “Sister, come home with me. We don’t have to suffer here.”

Ye Changyuan scooped up Ye Lian’s youngest daughter. “Sister, let’s go now.”

“Where do you think you’re going? You can’t just hit someone and walk away!”

Bao Xueqin blocked the door, her voice shrill and piercing. “Neighbors, come see! A daughter-in-law bringing her family to beat her mother-in-law—what a sight!”

Ye Lian had long been aware of her mother-in-law's true nature. If she left now, who knows how the gossip would spread in the village.

Her two younger brothers were set to study and join the army in the future, and they must not be affected by this.

Ye Lian clenched her teeth, "I'm not leaving. You two go home quickly."

Ye Changyuan: "Sister, are you staying here to let her kill you? If our parents find out, they will come too. Don't be stubborn."

People on the street were already gathering, but most were just there to gawk.

After all, everyone knew Bao Xueqin's true colors.

Ye Xiaoxiao stood in front of the loudly wailing woman: "Qian family's mother-in-law, you keep accusing us of hitting you, but you look full of energy, hardly like someone who's been beaten. Look at my sister, in the dead of winter, wearing a thin coat, shivering from the cold. And her hands, covered in frostbite. Do you dare to show your hands and compare?"

"Not to mention you always treat your daughter-in-law like an outsider, look at the two children at home. You were just trying to beat her to death. You should know that killing a minor is punishable by execution. If you're not scared, let's take this to the police station."

Bao Xueqin's wailing stopped abruptly, "Nonsense! How could I possibly beat someone to death!"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "The weapon you used is still in the yard. Whether you meant to kill, let the police decide."

Bao Xueqin: "Pfft... Whose daughter-in-law doesn't get hit? Why is mine so precious?"

Ye Xiaoxiao's face was cold, "Say what you want, but you can't just beat the Ye family's daughters whenever you feel like it."

"Fourth brother, Yuan brother, let's take our sister and the two kids and get out of here."

Ye Xiaoxiao pushed past Bao Xueqin at the door.

"Let's go!"

There was no time to gather their things. Ye Changyuan couldn't wait another second, helping Ye Lian out the door.

Ye Changsheng took the two kids by the hand, grabbing the gifts they had brought on their way out.

"Qian family, you're beating your daughter-in-law during the New Year, and now you've chased her off."

"I say Ye Lian is already a good wife, except for not having a son, washing so many clothes in the middle of winter."

The neighbors watching the scene were all making snide comments, making Bao Xueqin so mad she rolled her eyes.

Just then, someone pushed through the crowd.

"Mom, what's going on at home?"

Bao Xueqin: "What else! Your wife has made a scene, taking the kids back to her parents' house."

Someone reminded: "Qian Fu, your wife just left. If you go now, you can still catch her."

Qian Fu shrugged it off: "Let her go. Where can she go with my kids? She'll have to come back sooner or later, and I'll handle her then."

Qian Fu had a fierce look, his words full of malice. Seeing him like this, the neighbors didn't dare to joke and all dispersed to go home.