Father Ye, who had been standing by the dressing table, could hardly stand still any longer and quickly held his daughter to stop her from bowing her head again, his emotions running high.
"Ah Zhi, what are you doing? You’re breaking your father’s heart."
"Lingling, you’re really something, the mansion doesn’t lack an extra mouth to feed."
He gently rubbed his daughter’s smooth forehead. Tsk tsk, it’s all red now.
Ye Yuan had been married to the Ye Family for many years, and she had always been the one managing the household affairs. There were rarely any disputes since the Ye Family was shrewd and capable, coming from a merchant background. She managed things in an orderly manner, with the man handling the outside while the woman managed the inside, a saying that couldn’t apply more appropriately to him.
This current conflict was among those rare disputes.
The younger was causing trouble, and the elder was also being unreasonable. The Ye Family practically hated the iron for not becoming steel, "Ye Yuan, shut up. What do you know? You’re always engrossed in your scholarly pursuits. Ah Zhi, let mother take a look at your forehead."
Snatching her daughter from her husband’s arms, she saw that her forehead wasn’t seriously hurt, fortunately not disfigured.
Just a rub would do.
Later, she would instruct Nanny Ji to bring an egg for the little girl to apply.
A woman’s looks are no joking matter!
The girl in her arms looked up at her with moist eyes, as if she would kneel again if things weren’t resolved.
Seeing her so tense, the Ye Family chuckled, "Ah Zhi, why are you so anxious about Shen Chen? Have you taken a liking to him?"
On the surface, the mother seemed gentle, but Ah Zhi sensed a hint of killing intent.
Nervously looking at Shen Chen, she realized he was also watching her. Did he sense the mother’s killing intent too?
"Mother, I didn’t. Aunt Xiu, please take them out, I need to discuss something important with my parents."
"Them" referred to Ah Tao and Shen Chen.
Evidently, her words held no sway, as Yun Xiu glanced at the Ye Family, and after receiving a slight nod, she followed the young mistress’s orders.
In the Ye Mansion, she knew very well who was in charge.
At such crucial moments, one couldn’t listen to the young mistress.
After the first two left, Yun Xiu was the last of the three to exit. She used her slightly calloused hand to grasp the verdant green butterfly door knocker, gently closing the door before leaving.
Outside, the sun was blazing, with not a cloud in the sky. The fiery sun shone fiercely, as if eager to demonstrate its power to the people below.
An occasional breeze blew by, yet it did little to dispel the summer heat.
The Qingyi Garden was planted with various trees and flowers, its vegetation lush and verdant.
In early summer, the faint chirping of cicadas could be heard, adding an unavoidable touch of irritation.
Inside the room, only three people remained.
No one spoke first.
After a moment, the Ye Family broke the silence, "Ah Zhi, do you know he’s a jinxed individual?"
The mother was referring to Shen Chen being a calamity, someone who brought disaster to his father and mother.
Shen Wansu didn’t like his grandson, and allowing the matriarch to let him remain in the Ye Mansion to fend for himself was already the greatest mercy he could show as a grandfather.
The Ye Family turned a blind eye and took him in, which was also her utmost mercy.
"What’s the matter? Lingling, is there something you’re hiding from me?"
Lingling was the Ye Family’s nickname.
Facing her clueless husband, the Ye Family explained everything, recounting the matter of the jinx and how he brought disaster to his parents once more.
Daqing was vast, resource-rich, its people were open-minded, with beliefs in spirits and ghosts, though not everyone accepted these beliefs, there were differing opinions over the years.
Zhou Yi practiced fortune-telling, proficient in destiny, metaphysical techniques, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, astronomy and geography, Zhou Yi, physiognomy, horoscopes, divination, sun studies, names, feng shui, etc...
The mysticism was all-encompassing, harmonizing yin and yang.
Most people believed in fortune-telling.
A very small number thought it was merely charlatanry, dismissing it as nonsense.