"Auntie, you’re here?" Ms. Wang saw the Land Officer’s wife coming in and quickly got up to greet her. When Yang Dongxue came up in the conversation, Ms. Wang could not help but say, "That’s right, she ran off in such a frenzy, not even caring about her child. You should have seen the chaos she caused last night."
"This couple really doesn’t care about anything, just like that good-for-nothing wife." The Land Officer’s wife angrily replied.
Once back home, Yang Chuxia didn’t pay any further attention to what the Land Officer’s wife and Ms. Wang were discussing, she just retreated to her room, ready for a nap.
But as soon as she entered the room, Yang Dongxue followed her like a shadow.
"What are you here for again?"
Yang Dongxue coolly replied, "I am looking for my mother."
"Wait for me to take a nap, when I wake up, your mother will be back." Yang Chuxia waved her hand impatiently.
Getting the answer, Yang Dongxue prepared to leave.
Seeing her, Yang Chuxia felt a bit uneasy, she didn’t want to be disturbed by this annoying girl in the middle of her sleep. She quickly ran up to Yang Dongxue and said, "Listen here, while I’m sleeping, don’t you dare knock on my door. If you knock on my door, you will never see your mother again, understand?"
Yang Dongxue intended to sneer, but under Yang Chuxia’s stern gaze, she eventually nodded and ran off to play.
As soon as Yang Chuxia fell asleep, she slept like a log. Feeling relaxed about sleeping at home on a peaceful daytime in the countryside, she slept so deeply as if she was dead.
It wasn’t until Ye Zi’an returned and knocked on her door that she woke up.
"How come you slept so long? Auntie said you even missed lunch."
"I didn’t realize I had slept that long either." Yang Chuxia responded while rubbing her head. But thinking of the person responsible for her sleep disruption, her eyes flashed with anger, and she asked, "Is my father back yet? Has he delivered the news to Luo Village?"
"He did, with your stern warning this morning, how could uncle not go?"
"What about Ms. Luo, is she back?" Yang Chuxia grumbled without calling Ms. Luo ’fourth auntie’ as she usually did, addressing her simply as Ms. Luo.
Ye Zi’an shook his head with a smirk, "Of course, she’s back. Isn’t that why I’m here to get you?"
"Hmph, that sounds about right. Let me wash my face and then go deal with her."
Letting go of Ye Zi’an’s arm, Yang Chuxia first rushed to the kitchen. She scooped some hot water from the well bucket, mixed it with some cold water, and washed her face before heading to the main room.
Ms. Luo was sitting there, and Yang Dongxue was happily nestling in her mother’s arms.
"Listen here, yesterday it was one and a half taels, but because you broke your promise, the interest rate has risen. Now it’s two taels. If you are missing even a single word, you can’t take your daughter away, if you don’t believe me, just try." Yang Chuxia grumbled angrily at Ms. Luo as soon as she entered the room.
Upon hearing that one and a half taels had become two taels, Ms. Luo was crestfallen. Her entire home only had three taels of silver, and if she had to give two taels all at once, wouldn’t that kill her?
Looking at her daughter’s swollen red eyes, she gritted her teeth and handed over the silver.
But don’t mistake this for Ms.Luo’s love for her child. She had no choice. She and Yang Xiaochuan had only one child so far, which was Yang Dongxue. Dongxue was already four years old, and Ms. Luo wasn’t showing any signs of being pregnant again. Dongxue was their only child, so they had to favor her.
Seeing Ms. Luo and Yang Xiaochuan take Yang Dongxue home, Yang Chuxia exhaled in relief. She was glad she wouldn’t have to listen to that brat’s annoying voice again. Damn it, she was so frustrated being unable to hit, scold, or shout at her.
After dinner, Yang Chuxia, having slept for nearly a day, was very energetic and not at all sleepy.