Chapter 53
Ordinary families wouldn't divide their households, just like the Qi family. Even though the three brothers each had their own prospects, as long as Father Qi and Mother Liu were still alive, this family wouldn't split apart.
If a family were to divide, they would inevitably have to go through official documents at the yamen, which couldn't be concealed from others.
Whoever advocated for family division would be criticized behind their backs, and the reputation of being unfilial would be impossible to shake off.
But the Ye family was different. With their parents deceased, only three children remained, with no other elders. It was entirely thanks to Brother Ye pulling along his younger siblings that they hadn't been sold off.
Now if they divided the family, since they had no elders or clan relatives, they only needed to go to the yamen to sign documents to settle the matter. From then on, each would live their own life with no mutual interference.
Moreover, Ye Ping Rong had always been the pillar of the Ye family, and he was the one who served in the military, so naturally he could make the decisions.
Even though Ye Ping Rong never told Qi Yun exactly what official position he now held, just the fact that he was eating government grain already put him far above commoners. Since Ye Ping Rong said he wanted to divide the family, Second Brother Ye naturally had no possibility of refusing.
Qi Yun embraced Ye Jiao and wrapped them both in the fur coat, his voice calm: "Logically speaking, this kind of family division should be a matter between the two brothers. Since you're already married, according to current law, whatever happens to the Ye family should have nothing to do with you. But your big brother values you, so even when dividing the family, he wants to give you a share."
Ye Jiao snuggled into Qi Yun's embrace, warming the man's hands in hers, her tone soft: "Since Big Brother has made up his mind, let them divide if they want to. Whether I get a share isn't that important."
Little Ginseng had read the legal codes.
Since she had decided to properly live as a human, Ye Jiao was particularly diligent in learning to read and write. She would change books in Qi Yun's study every few days, reading very industriously.
Among them was this dynasty's legal code. She understood everything Qi Yun had mentioned.
Yawning, Ye Jiao rested against Qi Yun's chest and said: "These matters are for Big Brother to decide himself. I don't care whether they divide the family or not. Separating would be good too, so they won't be a burden."
This surprised Qi Yun somewhat: "Why does Jiao Niang think of these things?"
Ye Jiao replied lazily: "I don't know much else, but I know that Big Brother is a good person who treats me well. Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law are not good people who don't treat me well either. They probably don't treat Big Brother well either, so wouldn't it be good for them to separate?"
Hearing this, Qi Yun looked at Ye Jiao's somewhat drowsy face and curved his lips slightly: "Mm, Jiao Niang is absolutely right." But the words he had originally prepared went unsaid.
Actually, while waiting for Ye Jiao just now, Qi Yun had prepared many words to persuade her.
He could have kept this matter to himself and not told his wife. After all, Ye Ping Rong didn't plan to tell her either. By the time Ye Jiao found out, the family would probably already be divided.
But Qi Yun had never hidden anything from Ye Jiao. The way of husband and wife was to treat each other with sincerity, and keeping secrets would cause problems sooner or later.
However, Qi Yun hoped in his heart that Ye Jiao would agree.
Second Brother Ye appeared cowardly, but being able to acquiesce to Second Sister-in-law Ye selling off Ye Jiao meant he had human skin but a wolf's heart. It was better to cut ties early.
Afraid his wife would be soft-hearted and unwilling, Qi Yun had pondered a pile of reasoning, but who knew Ye Jiao would agree so simply and directly. Moreover, his wife's reasoning was stronger than anyone's.
Jiao Niang was truly a treasure.
He clasped Ye Jiao's fingertips in return and straightened up to let Ye Jiao rest more comfortably and feel less of the carriage's jolting. His voice was gentle: "Sleep first. I'll wake you when we get home."
Ye Jiao murmured and closed her eyes.
But soon she opened them again: "Husband, I'm hungry."
The meat buns in the carriage had already gone cold, and with their high oil content, eating them cold might upset her stomach. Qi Yun said: "Sleep a little. When we get home, we can eat hot pot."
Only then did Little Ginseng remember what Little Su had mentioned earlier about eating donkey meat hot pot in the evening. She smiled with curved eyebrows and happily hugged Qi Yun, falling asleep before long.
Second Young Master Qi watched her with a smile.
If it were someone else, having their natal family divide would probably worry them for a long time. How could they sleep so peacefully?
But Ye Jiao had a pure heart. Once she made up her mind about something, she wouldn't waver. What she didn't care about, she truly didn't mind. The simpler a person was, the happier they were.
When the carriage stopped, Ye Jiao woke up almost the instant it came to a halt.
She rubbed her eyes: "Are we there?"
Qi Yun nodded: "We're here."
Ye Jiao first lifted the curtain to look outside, then turned to smile at Qi Yun: "Husband, come on, let's eat."
But when Qi Yun tried to get up, he made a soft "tss" sound and didn't rise.
On the way back, he had been focused on watching Ye Jiao, as if he could never see enough of her. What originally felt like a long journey seemed to fly by because of Ye Jiao, as if they had arrived quickly.
But the body didn't lie. Maintaining the same position without moving inevitably caused poor circulation.
Now moving even slightly made both legs feel sore and numb, making it impossible to move.
And with his poor health, recovery was slower than normal people.
Seeing this, Ye Jiao thought he was unwell again. Qi Yun, afraid she would worry, quickly said: "It's nothing, just my legs went numb."
Hearing this, Little Ginseng lifted the curtain and sat sideways next to Qi Yun, rolling up her sleeves.
Qi Yun looked at her somewhat puzzledly, then saw Ye Jiao's pale fingertips pressing on his legs.
Ye Jiao's technique was somewhat clumsy, but fortunately she had memorized the pressure points well. Each press hit exactly the sore and itchy spots.
Qi Yun softly said "Mm," then closed his mouth and said no more.
Ye Jiao smiled and asked: "Husband, feeling better?"
Qi Yun nodded.
Little Ginseng felt relieved, knowing she had done well, and continued concentrating on massaging him.
It was just numbness from pressure, so he felt much better quickly. Qi Yun also breathed a sigh of relief.
Ye Jiao took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but as she wiped, Ye Jiao stared at Qi Yun's face.
Her husband was indeed handsome, the kind that looked better the more you looked.
Especially now after breaking a sweat, with color in his cheeks, Ye Jiao found him extraordinarily handsome.
Qi Yun felt Ye Jiao's movements stop and thought she was worried about him catching cold when he got out. He took the rabbit fur hat from the cabinet inside the carriage: "Just put this on."
Ye Jiao took it and carefully put it on him with her delicate hands.
Just then, Qi Yun heard Ye Jiao's soft voice: "Husband, do you need to look at account books tonight?"
Qi Yun shook his head: "No need. I cleared the accounts yesterday, so I can relax for these two days. Does Jiao Niang have something?"
Ye Jiao smiled at him, her eyes clear and particularly focused: "Then shall we study that book some more tonight?"
Which book was self-evident.
Qi Yun looked at her, seeming to want to understand why his Jiao Niang could speak of such matters so openly.
But on the surface, Qi Yun nodded almost as soon as her words fell: "Alright."
Ye Jiao smiled and got off the carriage with him, pulling the fluffy Qi Yun back to their room.
When the hot pot was brought out, Ye Jiao picked up lots of meat for him: "Husband, eat more, so you won't be tired later."
Qi Yun: ...Oh.
Qi Yun's question was finally asked that evening.
But when he asked, it was at a crucial moment. Ye Jiao's ears were filled with his panting mixed with her own soft moans. How could she hear clearly what he was asking?
She felt he had said something but couldn't hear clearly.
But just when she was comfortable, the man stopped, leaving her hanging there neither up nor down, making Ye Jiao open her eyes. Her pupils were misty with moisture, and her soft arms embraced the person above her as she murmured sweetly: "Move a little."
Qi Yun leaned down and whispered in her ear: "Answer me first."
Ye Jiao turned her head and bit his lip corner: "Answer what?"
"Why do you always like to say those teasing words to me?" Qi Yun was teasing her on purpose, deliberately asking. As for what the answer was, Second Young Master Qi didn't really want to know.
Ye Jiao's bright eyes looked at him, but she didn't hear her husband's mischievous intent. Just as she was about to speak, he suddenly thrust into her.
Her intended words shattered completely. Little Ginseng finally understood his meaning and bit down on his fingertip.
But she couldn't bear to use force. After grinding her teeth slightly, she let go. Seeing him stop again, she panted and said: "Things that make you comfortable and me comfortable too, how is that teasing? I, I clearly asked you, and husband, you said you had nothing to do today."
What else she said after that, Ye Jiao couldn't remember.
When the clouds and rain gradually ceased, as Ye Jiao was half-awake and half-asleep, she vaguely thought that the meat she had fed her husband tonight hadn't been wasted.
Qi Yun embraced her and wrapped them both tightly in the quilt.
His Jiao Niang was so wonderful. He wanted to spend his whole life with her.
If previously Qi Yun was afraid he would die and leave Ye Jiao helpless, so he worked hard to accumulate family wealth to give Ye Jiao a prosperous life, now Qi Yun had changed his thinking.
He didn't want to die. He wanted to live, to live well, and grow old together with Jiao Niang.
With a smile on his face, Qi Yun fell asleep. The next morning he again slept until the sun was high, seeing Ye Jiao who had risen early and was cupping her face waiting for him to eat breakfast. Qi Yun smiled.
If every day could be like this, even a hundred years would seem too short.
In the following days, Qi Yun didn't have much free time.
Although the accounts were cleared, the medicine shop had just reopened with many matters to handle, and the wine shop's business was increasingly prosperous. Basically every day people came to find Qi Yun to talk.
Ye Jiao didn't disturb him. When Qi Yun went to discuss business, she would either visit Mother Liu or practice calligraphy in her room, living leisurely and comfortably.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for Qi Ming to return to the academy. But early in the morning, Qi Ming wasn't in his own courtyard packing, but ran to his Second Brother's courtyard instead.
Ye Jiao and Qi Yun were eating breakfast. When Qi Ming entered, Qi Yun was holding a boiled egg and slowly rolling it on the table, his eyes glancing at Qi Ming with slightly raised eyebrows.
Ye Jiao also looked over, first greeting Qi Ming properly, then asking in surprise: "Third Brother, why is the cloth on your hand untied?"
Originally Qi Ming wasn't injured, but this young man had stubbornly endured through New Year, keeping his arm in a sling.
But now looking at him, he had already lowered his arm with no sign of injury at all.
Qi Ming looked at Qi Yun and said solemnly: "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, I know who harmed me."
Qi Yun first peeled the egg and placed the hard-boiled egg in Ye Jiao's bowl, then looked at Qi Ming: "You're certain?"
"I'm certain. It was that surnamed Cai, no one else."