But to ask Jiang Ji to speak softly.

That was impossible.

For he clearly remembered his husband’s ugly, despicable face both before and after their marriage.

Years before, when Ye Daji and Ye Liang came to help plant potatoes, “Ye Li” tagged along.

He and “Ye Li” had been betrothed for ages, set to marry this year. Him accompanying his father and brothers to the Jiang household before the wedding wasn’t particularly out of the ordinary.

Country folk weren’t so fussy.

But after lunch, Ye Li summoned him to the backyard. Hands on his hips, he demanded haughtily that he raise the betrothal silver from one tael to five taels, threatening to call off the wedding otherwise.

As both families had agreed, wedding expenses were to be kept to a minimum.

They aimed to stay within five taels.

He hadn’t yet saved enough for his journey to the provincial capital this autumn to take the imperial examinations.

Scholarship was an expensive pursuit. Beyond tuition fees, daily supplies like brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones all cost money.

The Ye family covered half his tuition each year. The remaining half, plus his daily expenses, fell on his own shoulders.

But in his youth, he couldn’t manage it.

It was his second uncle and the clan chief who stepped in to help, lending him silver bit by bit over the years—over eight taels in total.

But then that good-for-nothing demanded five taels for the betrothal silver!

What infuriated him even more was that after bossing everyone around, the fool actually complained—claiming it was his father who’d insisted on saving people, only to end up ruining himself in the process.

Pretending to be strong when he was weak had led to the Ye family tightening their belts to work like beasts of burden for the Jiang family, going without even a proper meal at night.

Now, to scrape together his travel expenses, even their wedding—such a momentous occasion—had to be stripped bare.

Why?

He, Ye Li, demanded a dowry! He demanded a grand, glorious wedding!

Hearing these words, his fists clenched instantly.

He wanted nothing more than to storm back to the main courtyard and demand Ye Daji call off the engagement!

His face had been terrifying enough to instantly intimidate the fool, who backed down without another word and bolted.

But after calming down and facing reality, he resolved to sell an acre of low-grade farmland.

He knew this was like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs—utterly foolish.

Yet he had no other choice.

The Ye family was poor, his second uncle’s household was poor, and he couldn’t bring himself to ask the clan elder for help—emergencies, not poverty, were what they lent for.

After much deliberation, he resolved to sell the land.

Part of the silver would fund his journey to the imperial examinations.

Part would serve as the betrothal silver.

Of course, the betrothal silver came with conditions.

He gave him five taels of silver. After marrying into the family, he must treat his two younger brothers well and manage all household affairs, allowing him to study without distraction.

Truthfully, he knew the dimwit wasn’t virtuous, but as the saying goes, “He who takes the money is bound.” Having accepted five taels, he’d surely contribute to the household somehow.

Ignoring the Ye family’s objections, he handed the five taels to the dimwit.

Little did he know how naive he was.

After receiving the dowry, the good-for-nothing not only failed to contribute but also abused Xiao Mai and Ya-ger!

Beyond insulting his father and mistreating his brothers, the good-for-nothing also harbored grievances against him personally.

He and the good-for-nothing had only spent two days together: the wedding day and the day after.

Yet the good-for-nothing never gave him a friendly look. He either scorned the family’s poverty or deemed him incompetent, even suggesting that if he failed to become a scholar, he should return part of the tuition fees to the Ye family.

Of course, he could ignore these jibes aimed at him.

But the humiliation of his father and the abuse of his younger brothers—he couldn’t let that go just yet.

Yet he owed Ye Liang respect. Nodding to him, he replied, “Very well. I will.”

In his heart, he silently added: He would strive to be tolerant.

But he made no promises about the outcome.

Ye Liang beamed at his agreement. “Good, good, good! Hearing that puts my mind at ease. Drink your soup quickly—it’ll grow cold soon.”

Seeing Ye Liang’s smile, he smiled back briefly before picking up his spoon and focusing on his meal.

The others also turned their attention to the food—today’s meal was truly tempting.

Everyone took bites of flatbread, sips of soup, nibbled on bones, and ate mouthfuls of stir-fried garlic shoots with pork. They were utterly satisfied. After the meal, Jiang Ji led Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya to gather firewood.

Ye Li worked without pause, ladling out the remaining bone broth to prepare for frying tofu puffs.

Due to the stewing process, today’s frying began rather late.

Compounded by the large quantity—the finished product weighed seventeen or eighteen pounds—the sun had already begun to set when Ye Liang left carrying his basket.

Ye Li instructed him to take a cart back to the village.

Along the road from Baxian Town to Beiyang County, many made their living pulling carts. Even at dusk, oxcarts and mule-drawn wagons waited at the city gate.

The fare was steep, though—three wen for the seventeen-li journey from Beiyang County to Dayong Village.

Ye Liang simply couldn’t bring himself to spend that much.

Walking seventeen li was easy.

But earning three wen? Harder than climbing to heaven!

Ye Liang agreed readily, but once they left the county town, he still chose to walk.

Ye Li had actually anticipated this.

But he had no other option.

Whether it was him or the Ye family, their resources were too meager.

Ultimately, he needed to find a way to earn money.

It was time to soak the soybeans again. He poured twenty pounds from the sack, gave them a quick stir to check for rotten beans, then submerged them in the clay basin.

Twenty catties of beans would likely take a full hour to grind tomorrow.

But that was fine.

With the strong laborers back, he had nothing to worry about!

Still, pushing the millstone would undoubtedly leave him drenched in sweat.

April was just around the corner.

The fourth lunar month, converted to the solar calendar, was roughly May.

The weather had turned warm, but bathing in the courtyard would likely lead to catching a chill.

Fortunately, the Jiang household had a bathtub—a remnant of their former prosperity.

It had simply been unused for so long that dust had settled on it.

He carried the wooden tub into the storeroom.

In the center of the storage room sat the millstone, while the corner held a pile of odds and ends and the bathtub.

Just as he finished scrubbing the tub inside and out with soap, Jiang Ji returned with the two little ones.

Usually, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya could only gather about twenty pounds of dry firewood—any more and they couldn’t carry it.

But now Jiang Ji had actually hauled back a whole dead tree!

Ye Li was thoroughly pleased.

This was indeed the work of a strong laborer.

Seeing Jiang Ji pick up an axe, preparing to chop the dead tree into firewood, he rolled up his sleeves and headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

He would have to rise in the middle of the night; without eating early and resting early, his body simply couldn’t endure it.

A small bowl of bone broth remained. He chopped in some tofu, added water and salt, then steamed the bean curd residue corn cakes and the leftover garlic chive pork stir-fry from lunch. That was their meal.

Dinner was ready as night fell.

He lit the oil lamp and called the three Jiang brothers to eat.

Without Ye Liang to mediate, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya had already shared all their recent news while gathering firewood, leaving the dinner table somewhat quiet.

Ye Li remained silent.

Jiang Ji was also quiet.

Jiang Mai slurped from his soup bowl, his dark eyes darting between his eldest brother and his brother-in-law.

Jiang Ya held a bowl larger than his own face, drinking with intense focus, sip by sip.

After finishing, he let out a satisfied burp.

Then he patted his round little belly, his face glowing with contentment.

He wanted to drink this every day!

But the family had no money.

The wages he and his second brother earned had to be saved for their eldest brother’s travel expenses.

But…

His big eyes turned to Ye Li. He really wanted to drink it again.

He asked softly, “Brother Li, can I have bone broth again sometime?”

Ye Li looked at him, noticing his cautious tone, and smiled. “Of course you can.”

Jiang Mai, hearing this, immediately interjected before Jiang Ya could speak: “Ya-ger, big bones are really expensive.”

Jiang Ya blinked his big eyes twice: “I know. I was just asking.”

Hearing this, Ye Li felt both amused and heartbroken: “Ya-ger, we’ll have it again tomorrow. We’ll just buy two marrow bones. It won’t cost much.”

At this, Jiang Ji, who had been buried in his meal, secretly lifted his head and stole a glance at the person sitting across from him.

Had he heard correctly?

He actually spoils Ya-ger like this?

Jiang Ya shook his little head earnestly. “Even two bones cost a lot.”

A smile blossomed on his little face as he added, “We got to drink today thanks to Li-ger! Thank you, Li-ger!”

“You little rascal…”

Ye Li felt both heartache and tenderness.

He set down his chopsticks and bun, reaching out to Jiang Ya: “Xiao Ya, come here. Let me rub your back.”

Jiang Ya looked surprised at first, then turned to his second brother.

He remembered his second brother’s warning.

But seeing his brother say nothing—not even objecting—he hopped off the stool and walked toward Ye Li.

Li-ger had been so kind lately. As long as his second brother didn’t stop him, he was willing to listen to Li-ger.

As for his eldest brother.

He hadn’t forbidden him from approaching Ye Li.

The table wasn’t large. He took only two steps forward before standing right beside Ye Li.

Ye Li first raised his hand to rub the boy’s small head. “Why are you being so good?”

Then he pulled Jiang Ya into his embrace, rubbing the little body vigorously.

So adorable!

Jiang Ya had never been this close to his brother-in-law before. The moment Ye Li pulled him into his embrace, his little body visibly tensed.

But Ye Li only rubbed him, held him tightly, and kept praising him, saying he was the most well-behaved and sensible child.

Listening to this, he not only relaxed but also flushed slightly.

He wasn’t the most sensible.

He was so greedy, so greedy he’d ask Brother Li when he could have bone broth again.

While Ye Li and Jiang Ya were busy being affectionate, Jiang Ji watched them openly.

Seeing Ye Li’s genuine smile and Ya-ger’s sparkling eyes, he pressed his lips together, his feelings complex.

When he was Ya-ger’s age, he too had often snuggled like this in his mother’s arms.

But Ya-ger had never known such warmth.

His mother had died young, and Ya-ger was raised by his second uncle.

He knew his uncle’s temperament—Xiao Mai hadn’t suffered any physical hardship, but Ya-ger had endured many harsh words.

Truthfully, his aunt treated Ya-ger well. Yet ever since Ya-ger became aware that she wasn’t his real mother, he dared not cling to her like this anymore, fearing she might grow impatient.

Who could have imagined that less than ten days after the fool changed his ways, Ya-ger would willingly grow close to him again…