Seeing Ye Zi’an with a "keep on hating me" expression, Yang Lichun cried and ran back home.
Yang Chuxia turned her head and said with a smile, "Brother An, you really don’t know how to cherish and pity women; look how sad the young girl is crying."
Ye Zi’an helplessly glanced at her and mumbled, "What does it have to do with me?"
"Tsk tsk, my cousin’s heart is about to break into pieces."
"Are you leaving or not?" Seeing her still standing there sighing, Ye Zi’an urged speechlessly.
"I’m going, I’m going!"
They quickly arrived at Ye Zi’an’s house. Ye Zi’an opened the door and went in. Although there was no one living there for several days, there was no musty smell, because Yang Chuxia had aired the house when she came to get drunk crabs last time.
There was a clean small river behind Ye Zi’an’s house, where he usually cooked and washed vegetables. Yang Chuxia went there first to clean the crabs. When she came back, she said,
"Brother An, please start the fire first. I’ll help you clean up the house after I’ve finished with the crabs."
"Hmm, I’ll clean it up myself later." Ye Zi’an went to the stove and lit the fire.
Yang Chuxia added water to the dried pot, poured in salt and pepper, and covered the pot.
"Qingrui, go outside and keep an eye on things for your sister."
"No need, Qingrui will cook, I’ll go out and watch." Ye Zi’an said, and walked out.
Yang Chuxia glanced at him but didn’t say much. She just thought that these ancient people were really strange. She had said that she didn’t care about idle gossip, but she still found that these ancient people always avoided certain things, intentionally or unintentionally.
When Ye Zi’an went out, Yang Qingrui had to run over to the stove and cook.
Yang Chuxia stuffed the crabs one by one into the pottery pots. Over forty crabs filled two pots; it has to be said that large crabs do take up space. If they were small crabs, this pot could hold quite a lot.
"Sister, if Brother Zi’an comes back to live here, I won’t be able to learn to read with him anymore." With only the siblings left in the room, Yang Qingrui complained.
He had been thinking about this since he started learning to read with Ye Zi’an.
"It’s okay; after I sell this batch of crabs, I’ll send you to school."
"Really? Can I really go to school?" Yang Qingrui was so excited about going to school that he almost knocked the firewood out of the stove.
Yang Chuxia scolded him, "Be careful, don’t let the fire get out of control. If you burn down Brother An’s house, you’ll be in trouble. Your sister is telling the truth, how could I deceive you?"
"But sister, it’s so pitiful for Brother Zi’an to live here alone." Yang Qingrui’s mood dropped again.
Yang Chuxia looked at him and then looked around the room. She thought this house was so far from the village, and Ye Zi’an had been driven here when he was only ten years old. Now four years had passed, but Ye Zi’an was still just a half-grown child. A half-grown child living in such a remote place did seem rather pitiful.
"What should we do then? He doesn’t want to live in our house."
"Sister, do you think I could come and live with Brother Zi’an?" Yang Qingrui supported his chin with his hand, thought for a moment, and continued, "This way, I could accompany him, and also take the opportunity to learn more words from him at night. Moreover, Brother Zi’an used to be a Cultivated Talent, so when I go to school in the future, his knowledge can still guide me." Author ps: Qingrui, you little brat, why are you taking over? Brother An wants your sister to accompany him, you know?