Chapter Sixty Cleaning the New House

  That night, Qizhen slept very restlessly. In her half-asleep and half-awake state, she could always hear the suppressed crying sounds coming from next door, which made her dare not sleep soundly all night. The next morning, when she saw Ye Baiju's swollen eyes like walnut, she knew where the cry came from last night.

  She brought a basin of cool water for Ye Baiyi to apply to her eyes, made a calming medicine for Sun Shi, and applied some ointment to her wounds before Qi Zhen'er took Hu Zi out the door.

  Ye Shixian woke up early in the morning, and after waking up, he saw that he was tied up and shouted loudly. Everyone saw that Old Master Ye didn't say a word, so no one dared to go and untie him.

  He's probably going to deal with him after eating. This is a matter of the Ye family, and it's not good for Qizhen and her siblings to intervene, so it's better to come out early and avoid them. Besides, they still have to clean up the new house today.

  Borrowed a broom and shovel from the Ye family, took a basket, brought a jar of water and went to the new house.

  The walls of the thatched hut were pasted two days ago and have been dry for almost two days. In the afternoon, a carpenter can be invited to install doors, windows, and new beds. With money, she dares to follow her own heart and make the house more comfortable.

  Yesterday, when I came back, Old Master Ye told me about the two taels of silver that Uncle Ye Qī returned. However, Zhen'er didn't want to take the silver and asked Old Master Ye to return it to you instead. It's only right for someone who does work to receive payment; she's not short on money, so there's no need to take advantage of this situation. Not to mention that she likes Uncle Ye Qī's straightforwardness as an elder, but also because she doesn't want to owe anyone a favor and it's hard to repay.

  The ground is dirty because of the muddy walls, and there are many mud stains at the corners of the walls. There are also fallen straw and bamboo tiles from the roof, making the ground very messy.

  Qī Zhēn ér looked at this house and didn't think it was shabby, on the contrary, she thought the house was good, and also had a lot of energy with Hǔ Zǐ.

  The little boy, though small in stature, does not slack off when it comes to doing chores. He takes a broom and sweeps slowly. Occasionally, he uses the small shovel to scrape off mud from the floor tiles, neither complaining of tiredness nor showing distaste for the dirt, working with precision and care.

  Qizhen'er poured another basket of ash, saw Huizi shrinking on the ground, seriously scraping mud, smiled and said: "Huizi, come drink a bowl of water, take a break."

  "Sister, I'm not thirsty." Hu Zi shook his head and continued to work hard with his head down.

  Qizhen'er pulled him up in the past and patted the dust on his body, saying: "Sister is tired, accompany sister to rest."

  The little boy looked at his sister, lost something and ran to sit beside her. Zhen'er handed him a bowl of water, Hu zi took it over, drank it all in one breath, wiped the water on his mouth with his sleeve, and handed the bowl back to Zhen'er.

  Zhen'er smiled at him and reached into her sleeve to grab a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, but her hands felt empty, only then did she remember that she hadn't carried one with her for a long time.

  "Hu Zi said to his sister, 'Why are you working so hard today?' asked Qi Zhen'er."

  The little boy pouted his mouth, and small children don't know how to lie yet. He just thought that if he didn't want to answer, he wouldn't speak.

  Zhen'er didn't plan to let him off so easily. Hu zi was young, but his thoughts were heavy, which would be very detrimental to his future growth. He was only five years old.

  "What's wrong? Grandpa isn't good to Tuzi, is he? Doesn't Tuzi want to live with Grandpa?" Qizhen'er asked gently.

  The tiger hesitated for a moment and still didn't speak up.

  Zhen'er didn't expect Hu Zi to be so stubborn, he's really a naughty boy.

  "Is someone bullying Tuzi? Hmm, let me think... did Su Qi say something unpleasant?"

  Zhen's tone was very affirmative, which surprised Hu Zi. After all, he was just a child and couldn't hide his words. As soon as Zhen hit the nail on the head, he pouted, and tears welled up in his eyes. He sobbed, "Su Qi is so mean! He scolded me, saying I ate their family's food and brought them bad luck... He even said I'm a jinx, that I killed my mom..."

  Qī Zhēnér's face sank, the more she listened, the darker her face became, and the veins on her hands bulged. She knew this matter wasn't that simple, from the moment Yè Shíxié slammed the bowl and blamed them, Hǔ Zǐ had become more and more silent. At first, she thought Hǔ Zǐ was scared, but later discovered it wasn't right, Hǔ Zǐ's gaze at Yè Sūqí and Jiǎng Shì was just like his gaze at Liú Shì before, this couldn't be a coincidence. She understood Hǔ Zǐ's temperament, if he didn't touch his reverse scales, he wouldn't randomly resent someone. Recently, Hǔ Zǐ had become more and more silent, her unease in her heart also grew bigger, so yesterday when she said she wanted to leave, she could make up her mind that quickly.

  "Sister, I'm not a jinx, I didn't kill Mother......" Hu Zi lifted his head, tearfully looking at Zhen Er, explaining.

  He may not know what a nemesis is, but he knows how warm his mother's arms are. He yearns for it so much that if he really killed his mother, his mind would be very uneasy. He refuses to admit this.

  Zhen'er gently held Hu Zi in her arms and comforted him, "Who says that Hu Zi was born to be a jinx? Mother loves Hu Zi so much. Before he was born, mother would always look forward to his arrival every day. She would tell me every day how obedient and clever Hu Zi is, and that he will definitely understand mother's heart in the future and be very filial to her. How could such an obedient child be a jinx? People say that children are the continuation of their parents. Look at us siblings, we are the continuation of our father and mother. They have weak bodies and cannot watch us grow up or accompany us, so they cannot enjoy our filial piety. Therefore, we must live well to show our filial piety to them, isn't that right?"

  Huzi stopped crying and looked at Zhen'er with anticipation, saying: "Mother really said I'm obedient? We are really the continuation of Father and Mother?"

  Zhen'er nodded firmly. Hu Zi suddenly burst out laughing, "Sister, from now on I'll be obedient and live up to Father and Mother's expectations."

  Little kids don't know what continuation means, but following their sister's words, they also know it's a good thing, the expectation of their parents.

  Having comforted Hu Zi, Qi Zhen'er thought of the detestable Jiang mother and son, her hatred making her teeth itch. How could Ye Suqi say such things? It's all because of the kind of people his family is, they're all good for nothing, specializing in stabbing others in the back, and just a few days ago, they stabbed their own sister and brother in the back several times!

  Now that she had seen the true face of the Jiang family, Qizhen was even more unwilling to stay in the Ye household. In order to move out as soon as possible, Qizhen and Huzi worked tirelessly, scrubbing away with all their might. Fortunately, the mud was easy to scrape off, but the hot weather made them labor non-stop, sweating profusely.

  The weather is getting hotter and Zhen'er doesn't dare to let Hu Zi overexert himself, their bodies have been injured after all, the foundation has been damaged and hasn't recovered yet.

  At noon, the Ye family was quiet and still. The chickens and pigs were also listless due to the heat, only the wisps of smoke rising from the chimney indicated that there were people at home.

  Zhen'er led Hu Zi into the house and ran into Mrs. Mao coming out of the kitchen, greeting her with a "Great Aunt".

  Mrs. Mao saw that they were hot and sweating, and called out: "Come over and scoop a ladle of water to wash your face, this is what your uncle just drew from the well, it's still cool."

  Zhen'er thanked him and pulled Hu-zi down to the kitchen to fetch water.

  In the kitchen, Jiang was in charge of stirring the pot. The oil in the pot spilled over and started sizzling loudly. She hastily poured the vegetables into the pot, but the oil splattered everywhere, scaring her so much that she ran backward, dropping the spatula on the floor without even bothering to pick it up. Afterward, still shaken, she patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief.

  Ye Baiji was burning fire on the stove, sweating profusely in the heat, with soot all over her face, looking like a flower cat. Suddenly, she was splashed with oil and let out a startled cry, painfully clawing at her face with her hands.

  Jiang saw that he had escaped, but mistakenly injured Ye Baigi. He sighed in distress and hurried over to look at Ye Baigi's face. Seeing that it was not a big deal, just a red mark, he felt relieved and comforted him, saying: "It's okay, just a little red, washing will be fine."

  Ye Baiji usually listened to Jiang's words, but this time it concerned her own face, so she didn't dare be careless and anxiously asked: "Third Aunt, will there really be no scarring? No way, I have to go find Grandfather to take a look." She then wanted to rush upstairs.

  Jiang would never let her go. If she lets the first wife know about this, she will owe the second wife a favor. What if they use this to threaten her in the future?

  "White fungus, Auntie said it's nothing is really nothing, don't you believe Auntie?" Jiang Shi smiled with a face full of kindness and warmth.

  Ye Bai shook her head repeatedly. She believed in Jiang's words very much, and if she didn't believe her, who would help arrange a marriage for her in the future?

  "Auntie, if I don't believe you, who can I trust? You're my own aunt, after all."

  Jiang smiled even sweeter, "I knew Bai Ji was a decisive one. Don't worry, the oil isn't hot yet, it's just a little red. If you don't believe me, go to my room and take a look in the mirror." She beckoned Ye Bai Lian over to take Ye Bai Ji away, reminding her: "Give some of that fragrant cream to your sister to apply, her skin is delicate, it's just right for her."

  Ye Baihe and Ye Baizhen happily went to the kitchen. Jiang's wife saw them leave the kitchen, let out a cry of surprise, and hurriedly looked into the pot. In just a moment, the eggplant had absorbed all the water, and a burnt smell was already wafting up.

  Zhen'er and Hu Zi happened to be at the gate of the kitchen, watching everything that was happening inside very clearly. She felt a chill in her heart towards Jiang Shi's cold nature and was truly speechless about Ye Baiji's behavior.