Chapter 5.3

This little fool! If he wanted to back out, would he still be working hard to get her pregnant? The best way to deal with a stubborn girl longing to return to Yangzhou was to ensure she was carrying his child. No matter how beautiful the Du family’s daughter might be, it wouldn’t change his decision.

“You really don’t understand men,” he said, pinching her cheek.

She bit his hand, leaving teeth marks.

“At least I know men are lecherous. Your Confucius said so.”

“That old man has long turned to dust! Why listen to the words of the dead? I only plan to spend my life with you! How about that?”

“As long as you don’t die before me!” she suddenly thought of something. “Tell me honestly, is someone trying to harm you? Did your two brothers really die by accident?”

Qi Tianlei’s lips curled in a faint sneer as he replied, “My eldest brother really drowned, and my second brother truly died from a snake bite while hunting. If my second brother hadn’t died from the snake bite, he would have been killed in a fight after returning home.”

Yuhu thought for a moment and speculated, “Did someone hire thugs to kill him, but he got bitten by a snake first, so they didn’t need to act?”

He nodded, giving her a kiss in approval.

“How did you find out?”

“Someone once put a slow-acting poison in my medicine. If I had continued taking it, I would have died mysteriously without any clear cause. At that time, the matriarch brought in Brother Liu, and I was close to dying just as you wished because I had been drinking the medicine for three months. Brother Liu cured me, and we investigated together. Coincidentally, we overheard some bandits talking about being paid a large sum for a job they didn’t have to carry out. My suspicions were confirmed.”

“Who could it be?” She was sure he had some idea, and Yuhu felt a surge of anger. Were there still people trying to harm him now?

“Take a guess. In the coming days, you’ll have the chance to meet everyone. Use your clever mind and see if you can figure it out,” Qi Tianlei said with a playful interest, even treating his own life as a game.

Yuhu climbed off his lap, knowing he was trying to confuse her further! He didn’t seem worried, so she decided not to fall for his tricks. If he could play with life and death so easily, he must be safe! She glanced at her own belly, thinking that if even Tianlei believed she was pregnant, she had no reason to doubt it. But she still felt there was more to it. Competing in wit with this man might just shorten her own life! She wasn’t going to waste her energy.

“I’m not guessing! Just tell me the important points so I don’t make a fool of myself this afternoon.” She opened the sheepskin scroll and pushed it in front of him, adding, “And about Yansheng, you talk to Mother about it this afternoon.”

“Yes, my lady.” Qi Tianlei put on an exaggerated submissive expression, making Yuhu glare at him.

Lunch was spent going over the documents. It wasn’t until Yansheng ran in with a white puppy that Yuhu realized she forgot to ask where Tianlei had been all morning! She didn’t believe he would stay quietly in the garden. Also, ever since they returned to the Qi family estate, Liu Ruoqian’s whereabouts had been a mystery, which was why those women spent their days idly doing embroidery instead of following him around!

Looking at herself, she might already be pregnant, but no one seemed to care! Her husband acted like a plot had succeeded rather than being concerned about her health, even letting her go with the matriarch to manage the businesses!

However, it wasn’t good for the matriarch and others to know too early either. They would become overly anxious, and she would be confined to bed all day, which would be miserable!

So, she resigned herself to the role of the strong daughter-in-law. In some ways, this husband of hers was quite good. When the time was right, he would reveal more to her. There was no rush.

Sigh! But she still found her husband very strange!

As Qi Tianlei had said, no one expected her to become a business prodigy overnight. In the days that followed, she just needed to follow the matriarch and be an echo. Especially since Ke Shizhao followed them closely, eager to showcase his abilities, she had no room to shine!

Was Ke Shizhao trying to intimidate her or make her admire him? Whenever he received the matriarch’s approving nod, he would glance at her proudly, almost flirting, ignoring the presence of their elders. What was more interesting was that whenever he looked at her, she could feel Aunt Fang’s disapproving glare, as if accusing her of infidelity.

Yuhu found Aunt Fang’s attitude intriguing. She was just the matriarch’s maid who had risen to a position of equality, but there was still a difference between master and servant. Why did she dare to criticize Yuhu with such audacity? And in situations where Yuhu had done nothing wrong! She remembered Fang Xiaoqiao’s possessive attitude towards Ke Shizhao. Could they be worried she would steal Ke Shizhao, their “golden son-in-law”?

Indeed, the Fang family had everything they needed, except for a change in status. If Fang Xiaoqiao married Ke Shizhao and he inherited the Qi family’s assets, they would become the rulers. It seemed the matriarch’s intention to elevate her had faced opposition from many.

Thinking carefully, the tangled relationships also involved interests. So, who had the most to gain from wanting Tianlei dead?

“Bingyan, this ‘Dali’ is the most profitable business managed by Shizhao. From now on, you will come here to learn from him, understand his business tactics. Got it?” The matriarch patted her hand, smiling.

‘Dali’ was a furniture business, employing top carpenters to make tables and chairs. Yuhu stood at the entrance, not observing much but rather noticing the sealed houses on either side with furniture signs hanging above. Why were they closed and sealed? Was ‘Dali’ doing so well that other businesses couldn’t survive and had to move? On such a prosperous street, even if they didn’t sell furniture, they could still make a good profit selling something else!

Ke Shizhao squeezed over again, proudly saying, “I’ve already bought the land of these two houses. We’re just waiting for renovations. By the end of the year, I want ‘Dali’ to be the largest among the fourteen businesses here, pushing ‘Hongtu’ out of this county!”

“Is ‘Hongtu’ planning to expand into Fulin County? Are they really going to confront the Qi family?” Yuhu was about to ask when suddenly a ragged boy charged at them from the side, shouting angrily, “Ke! Give back my parents’ lives!” He brandished a shiny knife, charging towards them.

But the boy didn’t get within three steps of Ke Shizhao before two strong men knocked him to the ground! After being punched several times, he was dragged to the ground, his face buried in the yellow dirt.

“Shizhao, what’s going on?” Old Madam Qi asked, frowning.

“Old Madam, you go inside and have some tea and rest. It’s just a little rascal who doesn’t know his place trying to extort us. I’ll give him some food and send him away,” Ke Shizhao said with an evil grin, waving his hand for the servants to step back.

Old Madam Qi nodded. “Don’t bother with the authorities! We don’t want to ruin the Qi family’s reputation. Send him away quickly before he disrupts our business.”

“I understand.”

As soon as the Old Madam and her entourage went inside, Ke Shizhao kicked the boy, making his nearly lifeless face turn upwards.

“Stop kicking him!” Yuhu scolded quietly from behind him.

Ke Shizhao noticed she hadn’t gone inside and stood there, arms crossed, laughing, “You’re so compassionate, cousin-in-law, but don’t forget, he tried to kill me! Not sending him to the authorities is already a huge favor. Do you expect me to thank him for attacking me?”

The boy struggled to sit up, cursing through his pain, “Ke Shizhao! As long as I live, I’ll make sure you die horribly!”

“You? Don’t make me laugh! Huang Jingtang, your family business failing is not my fault! Blame your gambling-addicted father for squandering everything! Now you come to kill me for the debts your family owes me? How ungrateful!” Ke Shizhao mocked.

“You—” the boy roared, charging at him again, but Ke Shizhao’s fist knocked him down once more.

The boy looked like he hadn’t eaten in days.

Yuhu couldn’t stand it, stepping between them. “He’s just a child. What do you gain by beating a child?”

“For you, I can let it go,” Ke Shizhao said, teasing her with a tap of his folding fan under her chin.

Yuhu glared at him, but he leaned closer, whispering in her ear, “You’ll be mine sooner or later! So beautiful, so fragrant, I’ll show you what a real man is compared to that sickly guy…” He laughed as he walked into the house, not giving Yuhu a chance to react; but then, unexpectedly, he slipped at the threshold and fell flat on his face on the hard stone floor! The attendants quickly surrounded him, shouting in concern.

Yuhu instinctively looked up at the second-floor railing of the inn to the west and was not surprised to see Liu Ruoqian leisurely eating peanuts. He raised his cup to her, and Yuhu’s mood instantly lifted! Unable to react to Ke Shizhao’s flirtation in the busy street, she was fuming when a peanut shot at Ke Shizhao’s ankle, causing his mishap.

One day, she would pay him back with interest! No one could bully her and get away with it!

But now, her mind was on the boy. After being beaten by Ke Shizhao, he fell unconscious. She couldn’t just leave him there. Whose child was this? She looked again towards Liu Ruoqian, who signaled that he would handle it. Relieved, she followed the attendants into the store.

She believed Ke Shizhao wasn’t an honest businessman, using unscrupulous means to succeed. The boy’s family probably fell because of him—suddenly, she thought of Ji Lianlian; wasn’t her family also destroyed by the Qi family? Aunt Shu always spoke bitterly of the Qi family; even Tianlei’s actions puzzled her!

At least she knew the Qi family’s ruthless methods would eventually cause problems. Even the seemingly kind Old Madam had no pity for a destitute boy. That’s the face of the rich!

What were Tianlei and Liu Ruoqian planning amidst all this?