"Alright then," Qin Ye thought of his in-laws being around, so he knew he had to make time tomorrow to head to town and buy some items.
Especially since his father-in-law was in poor health, he needed to visit the black market to see if he could buy some nutritious items.
Rong Yan watched him put the money away, then breathed a sigh of relief before saying, "Do you want to check the wooden box?"
Qin Ye actually wanted to say there was nothing interesting to see, but then he thought about the chance to be alone with his wife, so he nodded, "Okay!"
"Alright, let’s head back to the room," Rong Yan said, walking ahead.
Qin Ye had been waiting for just those words, and immediately followed her.
The two entered the room, one after the other, with Rong Yan saying, "You go ahead and sit down, I’ll bring it over."
She had hidden the small wooden box in a space, needing to discretely take it out, otherwise it would be hard to explain.
After all, she didn’t want to reveal her special space yet.
Qin Ye nodded, "Okay."
Then he sat down solemnly on the kang.
Rong Yan looked at his expression—like a well-behaved student, her lips twitching uncontrollably.
She walked to her own chest to get the key, then continued fiddling with the cover as a disguise while she took the wooden box out from the space.
She walked back to Qin Ye’s side and handed him the small wooden box.
"Take a look yourself."
"Actually, there’s not much inside, just a slightly damaged Jade Pendant. The three gold blocks I gave you last time were taken from here."
So, the gold bar he gave was actually his grandmother’s.
It seemed his grandma was quite remarkable to have kept such valuable items away from the rest of the family.
Qin Ye opened the small wooden box and took out the damaged Jade Pendant.
"This is it, probably a gift from my grandma’s family, but it doesn’t reveal anything else."
Rong Yan took the Jade Pendant and examined it carefully, "Although this Jade Pendant is damaged, the quality of the jade is very good, it could be quite valuable in the future. Let me take a look at this wooden box."
Hearing her words, Qin Ye immediately handed over the wooden box he was holding.
Rong Yan hadn’t inspected it closely before, but now she noticed it was made of rosewood.
Moreover, the craftsmanship was very delicate, not something a common carpenter could achieve, plus that lock... entirely bronze, very ancient, definitely a valuable antique.
Qin Ye didn’t say anything, his gaze first lingered on the wooden box, then shifted to her face... his wife really looked beautiful.
He had never seen anyone with skin whiter than hers.
Around here, the girls often worked in the fields, not only a bit darker, but also quite rough.
Not like his wife... her skin was tender and smooth like a peeled egg, tempting to touch.
Was she supposed to play dead under such a scorching gaze?
However, her focus was still on the small wooden box in her hands, flipping it over and over, and she eventually discovered something.
She opened the secret panel.
Most secret compartments are at the bottom, but this wooden box’s secret compartment was in the lid.
She pulled out a paper from inside, didn’t look at it, and handed it directly to Qin Ye.
Qin Ye saw the aged paper and was somewhat surprised.
Actually, he had only opened this wooden box three times and hadn’t inspected it thoroughly.
He hadn’t expected to find this hidden inside.
So, he began reading the contents on the paper carefully...
Since Rong Yan was standing, she could clearly see what was written on the paper.
This really surprised her, oh my! So that was it.
No wonder... Old Man Qin didn’t care for Qin Ye and his siblings, it turned out Qin Ye’s dad wasn’t his biological son.
That made sense, as to Old Man Qin, why would he show any affection to someone not his own?
Qin Ye didn’t speak for a long time after reading.
After a while, he finally spoke, "...I actually had some suspicions."
"What do we do now?" Rong Yan asked.
Qin Ye folded the paper back up and put it back in place, also placing the damaged Jade Pendant back into it.
"Wife, you keep these for now! As for the rest, we’ll talk about it later." Since they hadn’t acknowledged kinship previously, there was no need to now.
Since he didn’t know what that family was like, whether they were good people to get along with.
He had gotten through the toughest days already, and now that life was getting better, he was even less inclined to acknowledge kinship.
Rong Yan seeing his expression wasn’t saddened, nodded, "Alright, I’ll keep these things for now, and if needed, you can ask me for them later."
Since she would keep them in a space, it was safer.
After putting away the items, "Let’s go! We’re leaving."
As she was about to leave, Qin Ye grabbed her hand.
Rong Yan turned around after hearing him, noticing something different in his eyes.
Qin Ye wanted to kiss her.
That kiss in the afternoon had been unforgettable.
He thought it was the most wonderful taste of his life, and thus, he couldn’t wait... eager to taste it again.
Rong Yan was no fool, clearly seeing the longing in his eyes.
She couldn’t help feeling speechless, was this the same honest man?
Qin Ye pulled her towards him, and Rong Yan ended up sitting in his lap.
Just as Qin Ye was about to bend down, suddenly there came a knocking sound from outside, "Yanyan, has Qin returned?"
Hearing it was his mother-in-law’s voice, Qin Ye instantly stiffened.
This was really not a good time.
Rong Yan saw his thunderstruck expression and couldn’t help but smirk, "He’s back, just a second, we’re coming out."
After saying this, she quickly pecked him on the lips, then got up to open the door...
Qin Ye was left sitting frozen on the kang, the warmth on his lips making him appear somewhat dazed.
Rong Yan opened the door.
Madam Rong didn’t come in but peeked inside and saw her son-in-law looking dazed.
"Hey, what’s up with Qin? Is he shocked?"
Rong Yan, hearing this, let out a light chuckle.
Madam Rong, seeing her still able to laugh, glared at her... Was her daughter a bit clueless? Didn’t she see her son-in-law was genuinely upset and shocked?
Turning to look at Qin Ye, "Qin, don’t feel bad, some family members... it’s okay not to have them, just live a good life from now on."
His ears felt rather hot.
Could he tell his mother-in-law that he was simply savoring the recent kiss?
"Mother, I’m fine, I’m just... happy, finally our two families won’t have to fuss over this anymore."