Chapter 4: 4

Ye Jiao was looking forward to lunch, but she didn’t expect that there would be many things to pay attention to before the meal.

Greeting the people sitting in a circle in the room, toasting tea to them one by one, and acknowledging them. It was a pain for the little ginseng spirit.

Fortunately, the Qi family’s population was not that many, and it didn’t take long to finish the greetings.

In addition to Qi Yun’s parents, he also had an older brother and a younger brother.

The eldest brother, Qi Zhao, had a wife, Fang-shi. The third brother was young and still studying, and there were not a lot of other relatives.

Qi Yun explained, “My ancestors were originally from the north, and only moved here in recent years. Our clan relatives are not many.”

This also meant that the Qi family would not be able to borrow clan power and had to rely on their own efforts, but Ye Jiao didn’t care about this at all.

How many times can someone kneel in a day? What’s the use of having so many relatives…

Secretly rubbing her knees, Ye Jiao thought: ‘It’s really not easy to be a human being.’ From yesterday to today, she felt that the thing she had done the most was to kneel down and get up.

But as she was greeting, Ye Jiao took the time to glance at her new friend.

Qi Yun didn’t look at her, but only stood silently on the side. He looked straight ahead, with no expression on his face.

This was Qi Yun’s normal state. He didn’t like to talk, he didn’t like to smile, and he was always pale. When he stood there with such a stern face, if it weren’t because he was still panting, probably people would doubt if he was a living person.

But yesterday, he looked so gentle when he fed her water.

When it was time to eat, only Qi Yun’s mother, Liu-shi, and the young couple were left.

Ye Jiao looked at the dishes on the table, and her eyes were shining. The little unhappiness that she accumulated from kneeling was swept away by the aroma of food.

Qi Yun gently grabbed the woman’s hand when she was about to reach out. He squeezed and released it immediately, then he whispered, “You can only eat when mother moves her chopsticks.”

Although the Qi family is not a high-ranking noble family and their family rules are not too strict, some of the proper etiquettes should be met.

Qi Yun didn’t dislike Ye Jiao for her bad manners, but threw all the blame to the Ye family.

There was no point in learning rules if you don’t have food or drink. If Jiao Niang went to another family, it’s not clear how much she would suffer.

People’s hearts were often bad.

Fortunately, Jiao Niang met him, so he could teach her slowly in the future.

When he thought about this, Qi Yun’s face darkened. He really didn’t know how long he could protect her.

Although Ye Jiao is greedy for food, she is very obedient. The little ginseng worked hard to learn how to be a proper human. So, she followed Qi Yun’s sitting posture and whispered to him, “It’s very comfortable when you squeeze.”

Qi Yun was still a little depressed, but now he was slightly taken aback when he heard what Ye Jiao said, “Squeeze what?”

Ye Jiao shook her hand under the table and said with a soft voice, “I was tired from lifting the teacup just now. When you squeeze it, it feels very comfortable.” After speaking, she put her hand into the man’s palm again.

This was half true.

Her hands were indeed a bit sore after toasting tea to so many people, but in fact, Ye Jiao just wanted to hold hands with her husband to improve his health.

Qi Yun didn’t ask much. He intertwined their fingers together again and gently squeezed her hand. His expression was very serious.

Ye Jiao narrowed her eyes slightly.

‘It’s really comfortable, ah, it’s nice to get married.’

When she saw them whispering, Liu-shi felt quite satisfied.

In fact, Ye Jiao’s family and their Qi’s family were not in equal standing, but Liu-shi never wanted a perfect daughter-in-law. She only wanted to find a way to continue her son’s life.

Ye Ersao said that Ye Jiao was willing, so Liu-shi naturally had no doubts.

However, Qi Yun was unhappy and always said that he could not waste other people’s time. Liu-shi had tossed and turned in her sleep for a long time last night. She was afraid that Qi Yun would get upset or angry. However, she heard that the two of them slept in peace last night and woke up late.

Although the morning tea was delayed, she saw Qi Yun’s face was much better than usual. Liu-shi also looked into his eyes and immediately knew that he was happy.

Even if the Ye family were not reliable in-laws, as long as her son is well, it is enough for Liu-shi. She didn’t plan to enforce any rules for this daughter-in-law.

When Liu-shi moved her chopsticks, Ye Jiao immediately looked at Qi Yun excitedly. When she saw Qi Yun nodded, she picked up her chopsticks and fiddled with herself. Soon she picked up a piece of meat smoothly.

It was thanks to the original body’s memory. Otherwise, Ye Jiao would reach out and grab it with her hand.

But the next second, she saw that Qi Yun took some dish into a bowl for her.

“Did I make it hurt?” Qi Yun thought Ye Jiao used her chopsticks jerkily because he had just squeezed her hands too hard.

Ye Jiao immediately shook her head. Her eyes were bright, and she smiled at Qi Yun, “It doesn’t hurt.”

In Qi Yun’s eyes, her smile became an expression of distress. ‘Her hands were obviously painful, and she can’t hold her chopsticks steadily, but still, she doesn’t want to say that it hurts.’ He felt a little warm in his heart and took more food for her.

Ye Jiao didn’t quite understand what Qi Yun had thought, but Ye Jiao would not refuse food from Qi Yun.

Ye Jiao didn’t know the names of these dishes, but she knew that this one was delicious, that one was also delicious, they were all delicious!

‘Much better than yesterday’s pastry!

‘It is good to get married!’

Probably because Ye Jiao ate so excitedly, Qi Yun also ate half a bowl of more rice than usual, which made Liu-shi smile.

After the two left, Liu-shi stood up and knelt in front of the Bodhisattva statue and prayed devoutly for her second son.

Qi Yun went back to his courtyard with Ye Jiao. Probably because he had eaten more than usual just now, Qi Yun felt a little more energetic. So he took Ye Jiao to the yard for two more turns and showed her around the Qi family’s manor in the meantime.

“Here is my parent’s courtyard, my eldest brother and sister-in-law are over there, the third younger brother is behind there, and further north is where the tenants live.” Qi Yun walked slowly, and his voice was gentle. “Except for dinner, usually we, the three brothers, eat on our own.”

Ye Jiao blinked, “Why?”

Qi Yun looked at her, lowered his eyes, and said, “Father and eldest brother usually go to the farming villages, and the third brother is studying. They have their own things to do.” Qi Yun didn’t raise his eyes and continued to say, “I also help look at the ledger at home, but I can’t do anything else.”

As he said this, Qi Yun coughed a few times quietly, and the gentleness on his face had disappeared without a trace.

In this era, the imperial court did not emphasize the difference between agriculture and business, unlike in the previous dynasty. Although the status of merchants was still inferior to scholars, the imperial court had abolished all kinds of restrictions on business people. Merchants’ children could still take imperial examinations, and merchants were even allowed to donate money to officials, which allowed many people with spare money to go to sea for business.

The Qi family had a liquor store and a drug store, and they usually hire people to take care of them. As the owner, the Qi family only needed to check the accounts and collect money.

Qi Yun couldn’t go to the farming villages because of his poor health, and he also couldn’t stand the burden of imperial examinations. Even though he was literate, he could only stay at home and help with the accounts.

If it was before, Qi Yun would never think about it. A dying person would have nothing to expect. So what if he didn’t have a future? It had been like this for many years.

But now, with a little lady who depended on him, Qi Yun felt that he was useless.

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At this moment, Qi Yun heard Ye Jiao’s surprised voice, “Xianggong 1, not only can you read literature and write, but you can also settle accounts?”

Qi Yun raised his eyes to look at her. He couldn’t quite understand where Ye Jiao’s fascination came from, but he still replied, “Yes.”

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Ye Jiao blinked and suddenly took Qi Yun’s arm, her eyebrows bent into crescent moons when she smiled, “Xianggong is really amazing.”

This sentence made Qi Yun a little bit dumbfounded, “What’s so amazing?”

Ye Jiao thought for a while. “I don’t know how to be like you, so Xianggong is great.”

Qi Yun heard the sincerity in her sentence. Even though Qi Yun knew that Ye Jiao only met a few people in her life and had a simple mind, this pure compliment still made his pale face smile a little.

Probably because they were in front of the people earlier, so Qi Yun had been expressionless. Now that he suddenly smiled, Ye Jiao is dumbfounded.

‘He is so good-looking, especially when he smiles.’

However, Qi Yun didn’t pay attention to Ye Jiao’s gaze and continued to walk slowly. He said with a gentle tone, “It’s better when people could recognize some characters. I will teach you how to read in a few days.”

Ye Jiao nodded immediately, and she tightened her grasp on Qi Yun’s fingers. “Okay, I will work hard to learn it very soon.”

Qi Yun glanced at her. “Oh, of course.”

Ye Jiao tilted her head. Why did she feel that this person didn’t believe her?

At this moment, they had moved from the garden to the backyard.

The Qi family was the wealthiest in the surrounding villages and towns. The majority of spaces in the Qi family’s manor are covered with gardens, in which various kinds of flowers and trees were planted. Moreover, some areas were segregated in order to raise chickens and ducks exclusively.

Normally Qi Yun would not come to this place, but he was walking while speaking and didn’t pay attention to where he was going. He didn’t plan to go into the poultry area.

But Ye Jiao saw something with her sharp eyes and pointed to one side. “Ah, it’s that one.”

Qi Yun followed the direction of Ye Jiao’s finger and saw only a group of chickens strolling around. He raised his eyebrows slightly. “What?”

Ye Jiao’s voice was crisp when she said, “That’s the big rooster from yesterday. The hair on its tail is very long and beautiful.”

Qi Yun looked over, and he saw a big rooster with exceptionally beautiful black tail feathers. It was walking around with great pride.

As if it heard them, it turned its head, raised its head with a dismissive look, and then turned around, so its butt was facing them.

Qi Yun: ‘… Heh.’

He hadn’t forgotten that his sweet lady almost worshipped heaven and earth with this chicken yesterday!

Qi Yun immediately changed his route and stepped into the garden.

Xiao Su, who was supposed to feed the chickens in the garden, was lazy. She was kicking a shuttlecock and only noticed them when she heard their footsteps. The little girl in her early teenage year was shocked, especially when she saw Qi Yun. She wanted to turn around and ran away.

However, at this moment, Tie Zi was not around to give her courage. Xiao Su could only stand there in a daze, and her shuttlecock fell to the ground. She only had enough time to pick up a bucket of chicken food, held it in place, and did not dare to move.

Qi Yun glanced at her and said with a faint tone, “Do your business, you don’t need to care about us.”

“Yes, understood, second young master.” Xiao Su shrank herself, hoping to minimize her sense of existence.

Ye Jiao walked to the fence and looked inside, and felt proud.

When she was a little ginseng, she had to work hard to avoid the birds and beasts. But now it’s fine, she did not need to hide, but instead, the birds wanted to avoid her.

Ye Jiao became more courageous and playful. She pinched some chicken food from Xiao Su’s hand and carefully sprinkled it inside.

When Qi Yun saw this, he took her hand and wiped her hands with a handkerchief. His voice was low but gentle when he said, “Don’t grab these casually. Be careful not to make your hand dirty.”

Ye Jiao smiled and let him wipe her hands, but her eyes looked at Xiao Su, “How old is this big rooster?”

Although Xiao Su is afraid of Qi Yun, she is not afraid of this beautiful bride who always smiled.

She still didn’t dare to raise her head, but her voice was no longer trembling, “Xiao Hei was raised from last year. He is one year old.”

Ye Jiao was a little surprised. “Did you give it a name?”

Xiao Su blushed, but she didn’t dare to speak. She was only a child and very innocent.

Qi Yun also looked at the big rooster with beautiful tail feathers, and suddenly asked Ye Jiao, “Jiao Niang, do you want to eat chicken?”

As soon as he said this, Xiao Su was frightened. She subconsciously understood that this cold-spoken and scary second young master wanted to eat her Xiao Hei!

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Ye Jiao didn’t understand that there was something wrong. She touched her stomach and said, “I was full at lunch, so I don’t want to eat now.”

Qi Yun nodded. He looked at the shuttlecock that Xiao Su dropped on the ground and said lightly, “Is it fun?”

Xiao Su was shaken again. She wanted to say that it was fun, but she was caught in a dilemma whether she should admit to being lazy. She didn’t know if she should nod or shake her head.

Qi Yun didn’t want to pursue it. It was about the time when he should go back to drink the medicine. He didn’t look at Xiao Su anymore. He held Ye Jiao’s hand, with a gentle and tender expression, he told Ye Jiao, “Go back.”

“Okay.” Ye Jiao withdrew her gaze and was about to leave with him.

But as he left the garden, Qi Yun seemed to remember something and turned his head to Xiao Su. He faintly ordered, “Make a shuttlecock and send it to me,” and then he turned his head towards Ye Jiao. “You can play a bit as well.”

Ye Jiao didn’t know how to kick a shuttlecock, but she was willing to try to learn everything and immediately agreed with a smile.

Qi Yun also curled up the corner of his mouth a bit and glanced in a certain direction, “With its hair, you need to put a few feathers from its tail.”

Ye Jiao didn’t know what Qi Yun was talking about, but Qi Yun quickly dragged her away.

Xiao Su was looking at her own Xiao Hei and wanted to cry without tears.

That night, a beautiful black feather shuttlecock was delivered to Ye Jiao, and Qi Yun also gave up the idea of ​​drinking chicken soup.

It was a good night, and in a blink of an eye, it was the day when Ye Jiao should return home.

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Author’s Note:

Xiao Hei: If I don’t have feathers, I would rather die!

Qi Yun: I want to drink chicken soup…

Xiao Hei: Here you are! Take it away! QAQ

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Footnotes

Xianggong is a way that the wives in ancient times call their husbands respectfully. It could also mean a gentleman, a scholar, or a lord, basically ‘lord husband’.

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