Chapter 445: Chapter 434: The Top Scorer from a Farming Family
"Ye Huang, what are you doing?" Seeing Ye Huang swiftly dragging Ye Mei ashore, Ye Wangshi was stunned. She did not expect that there was such a person in the donkey cart who abruptly sabotaged her well-laid plan.
"Saving someone, what else? Ye Mei fell into the water, I can’t just not save her, can I?" Ye Huang said innocently, and as she spoke, she took out a bundle from the donkey cart, which turned out to contain two sets of clothes. She first put one on Ye Mei, then on herself, creating the image of a kind aunt looking after her niece.
Ye Wangshi was trembling with anger, the trap she had meticulously set was destroyed by Ye Huang. Missing this opportunity, who knows if there will ever be another chance?
After coughing, Ye Mei was also bewildered. She sprawled on the ground, her body drenched, wearing a coarse cloth dress, her hair wet and dripping, her makeup smeared—she could hardly be considered attractive.
She looked around blankly at Ye Qiu and Wang Zhaoxing, but the two, to avoid suspicion, had turned their backs the moment she was rescued. All she saw were their cold and upright back views.
Ye Qiu and Wang Zhaoxing exchanged a glance and then shared a tacit smile, regardless of whether Ye Huang intended it today, she had resolved their predicament in the best possible way.
"Now that I’m all wet, it seems I can’t go to the county." Ye Huang squeezed the water from her hair, sounding genuinely disappointed.
Ye Wangshi cursed inwardly, then quickly scheming, she said: "Qiuwa, Ye Mei still has some matters to attend to in the county. Can you take her there?" She thought to herself that as long as there was time spent together, opportunities would arise.
Ye Qiu was astonished by Ye Wangshi’s shamelessness. Ye Mei was in such a state and she still wanted to go to the county? Her intentions were all too clear.
Just as he was about to refuse, Ye Huang said: "Elder sister-in-law, don’t you have a bullock cart?"
Ye Wangshi glared at her: "The ox today, I don’t know why, is acting crazy. I dare not let Meimei ride it."
"No problem, I’m the best at driving oxen. This old ox used to be fed by me back in the old house. I know how to handle it. Besides, Ye Mei is all wet now; it’s not suitable to go to the county like this. How about we dry off a bit before we go?" After speaking to Ye Wangshi, she then said to Ye Qiu and the others, "Qiuwa, you go on ahead, so as not to cause any delay."
Ye Qiu quickly agreed, saying: "Ah, then Aunt Wang, Aunt Huang, we’ll be going ahead."
Before she even had a chance to speak, the donkey cart was already far away. Ye Wangshi stared at Ye Huang: "How come I didn’t know that you’ve become so clever?"
Ye Huang innocently responded, "Elder sister-in-law, what are you talking about? I don’t understand?"
Ye Wangshi gritted her teeth: "We’ll see how father deals with you when we get back."
Ye Huang smiled innocently: "Elder sister-in-law, how come I just don’t understand your words? Why would father punish me for no reason? Was saving my niece a mistake now?"
"You!" Ye Wangshi was so rebutted she was lost for words. Indeed, before doing this deed, she hadn’t discussed it with the second brother’s family. Even if it came to light, it was she who had acted disgracefully, while the second brother’s family had gone into the water to save her daughter—she would even have to thank them! Why is it so frustrating!
Ye Mei sitting collapsed on the ground was close to tears. She never expected that Wang Zhaoxing would not even glance at her from beginning to end. After today, he would surely avoid her. Did she still have a chance to marry him?
Hope shattered, especially in such a disheveled state, Ye Mei was on the verge of tears.
Ye Huang watched the frustrated mother and daughter, sneering inwardly. Indeed, she had done it on purpose today. Ever since learning about her father-in-law and elder brother’s family proposing marriage at Wang Zhaoxing’s home, she knew this day would come.
With the nature of her elder sister-in-law, would she let go of such a golden bachelor like Wang Zhaoxing? After being straightforwardly rejected, she would certainly resort to all sorts of means. That’s why today, when Ye Qiu and Wang Zhaoxing left the house, hadn’t she suggested that they give her a ride?
As the saying goes, a family should work together in harmony. She should be happy for her niece’s advantageous marriage, but Ye Huang, with the same disposition as Ye Ming and Ye Wangshi, felt otherwise.
No matter how prosperous Ye Wangshi’s family was, they would never help her own family. On the contrary, they would even use their higher status to mock her. Why should they reap without sowing? Why should she always be subjugated to others?
Ye Huang had long disliked Ye Wangshi, so she was willing to do anything that could bring misfortune to them.
Ye Mei thinks she can use such means to marry Wang Zhaoxing and become a future official’s wife? She would let everyone in the village know what sort of character she has.
Don’t blame her, the aunt, for being immoral. Who was it that her mother was so vicious in the past! Besides, if you dare to do it, don’t you dare let people talk about it? She was not going to exaggerate the truth.
The ox cart was quickly fixed by Ye Huang—it was never really in trouble, but Ye Wangshi and Ye Mei, mother and son, had deliberately made it seem so. After fixing the ox cart, Ye Mei no longer mentioned going to the county, and it was Ye Huang who drove the cart back to Ye Village.
Ever since the family split, Ye Wangshi and Ye Huang seldom crossed paths. Therefore, seeing them return together and both drenched, the curious village women asked questions.
"Oh, where have you come from to be so wet?"
"It’s nothing..."
Before Ye Wangshi could finish speaking, Ye Huang loudly interjected: "It’s nothing, just that the ox cart suddenly went mad, throwing Ye Mei into the river. Fortunately, Qiu and Zhaoxing happened to pass by driving a donkey cart. These two boys obviously couldn’t jump in to save Ye Mei. Lucky for us, I can swim, or else it could have been dangerous for the girl."
Ye Huang’s words were tactful, implying that the ox had gone mad out of the blue, and Ye Mei fell into the river inexplicably. She also made it clear that the rescue was her doing, unrelated to Ye Qiu or Wang Zhaoxing.
Once she spoke, the village women’s gaze towards Ye Mei became peculiar. Who didn’t know that the old ox was gentle and would never go mad out of the blue? Moreover, even if it did, why did only Ye Mei fall into the river, while Ye Wangshi and the cart were unaffected? How could it be that Ye Qiu and Wang Zhaoxing just coincidentally passed by there?
Two cunning women also remembered that Ye Baomin had visited Wang Po’s house with Ye Ming and his wife a few days ago. What were they doing, bringing gifts to her house during a non-festival season if not for a marriage proposal?
So, was it that today’s marriage proposal was rejected, and that led them to resort to such sleazy methods?
Tsk tsk, it’s truly out of character. Ye Mei, usually raised like a sheltered young lady, barely stepping outside, has done something even worse than these illiterate women.
They should share this with relatives and neighbors around them, to prevent the chance of Ye Mei shifting her marriage target to their relatives’ or friends’ children. With such a character marrying into the family, it would only be trouble. She wouldn’t work the fields nor was she like Xiuya or Xiutong, who could earn money. Pretending to be an Eldest Lady, whoever marries her is unlucky. Not to mention with a mother like Ye Wangshi, who isn’t even a village chief’s wife yet acts so high and mighty every day—if Ye Ming becomes the village chief in the future, God forbid!