Chapter 17

What is kissing?

Ge Yue’s words completely stumped Sun Guixiang.

At this time, which proper adult would explain to a little kid what kissing meant—and in front of everyone? Wouldn’t that mean their brain was sick?

Ge Yue did not get an answer. She tilted her head and asked again, “This auntie, do you kiss people?”

“Of course she kisses. How could she not? If she didn’t kiss people, how would the children at home be born?”

“She must kiss a lot at home, right?”

“……”

Ge Yue’s childish words instantly made the people who had come from the bus station burst into laughter.

Those watching the excitement did not mind if things got bigger, and watching the joke of an acquaintance was even more secretly satisfying. Sun Guixiang’s popularity was only average to begin with. Occupying a stall and earning quite a bit of money also invited envy.

“All of you shut up!” Sun Guixiang snapped fiercely, wanting to recover some face. She forced a dry laugh at Ge Yue again. “Have they hugged together? You at least know this, right?”

“I know.” Ge Yue thought for a moment and nodded her little head.

“Then hurry up and say it!”

Ge Yue did not speak. Her large eyes rolled as she looked at the fruit candies in Sun Guixiang’s hand. Sun Guixiang thought she wanted them and quickly held the candies out, yet Ge Yue stepped back several steps in dislike.

She displayed the small water bucket she was hugging for everyone to see. “My candies are better! Fruit candies don’t taste good. I don’t like them!”

Inside the small water bucket were quite a few toys, as well as peanut nougat and animal-shaped biscuits packed in glass bottles. They looked high-class at a glance. Looking down on fruit candies was only natural.

Children were easy to coax. Sun Guixiang did not want all her efforts to go to waste at the last moment. She put on a smile. “Then what do you like? Tell me and I’ll go buy it for you.”

Ge Yue lowered her head to play with the glass marbles. “I want a cloth doll. Big Brother won’t buy it. No money.”

Sun Guixiang’s eyes turned. She took five yuan out of her pocket and waved it at her. “See this? This is five yuan! As long as you honestly answer Auntie’s question, how about I give it to you?”

“Really?” Ge Yue’s large eyes looked at her, appearing very tempted.

Of course…… it was fake, just to trick a child! Victory was right before her eyes. Sun Guixiang worked even harder. “Little girl, don’t you want to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a cloth doll? Once you speak I’ll give it to you!”

Ge Yue shook her head. “Give first, then speak.”

Ge Yuan was afraid Ge Yue would not know her limits and could not help scolding, “Ge Yue, stop making trouble!”

Just now she had still been peeking through her fingers at him kissing his little girl and even knew to say “shameless.” If she really spilled the matter, he would be fine, but what about Ye Wanqing?

He could not bear for her to be pointed at and gossiped about!

“What, scared?” Thinking that the matter of Ye Wanqing’s private life being improper would soon become known to everyone, Sun Guixiang felt greatly relieved. Her expression grew even uglier.

Ye Wanqing was not that worried. She tugged at Ge Yuan’s sleeve and said coldly, “Let her ask. I want to see what she can dig out!”

“Then just wait!” Sun Guixiang glared at the two of them, steeled her heart, and forced the money into Ge Yue’s hand. She tightly gripped her arm, her eyes fanatical as she asked, “Little girl, hurry and say—have they hugged together? Have they kissed?”

Ge Yue tightly held the money and shook her head. “No.”

“How is that possible?!” Sun Guixiang instantly became anxious and stamped her foot. “Children must not lie!”

She had already taken the money yet refused to do the work! Where was her conscience?!

In her anger Sun Guixiang used too much force. Ge Yue struggled but could not break free. With a “waa” she began crying in a heart-rending way.

While crying she also sobbed, “No, there really isn’t!”

“Auntie is bad!”

An adult bullying a five- or six-year-old child not only made the onlookers unable to watch any longer—even Ye Wanqing, who had just been calm, instantly felt extreme heartache.

“Sun Guixiang, this is extracting a confession through torture! Brother Yuan!”

Ye Wanqing signaled Ge Yuan, wanting to snatch Ge Yue back from Sun Guixiang’s hands. Unexpectedly they did not need to make a move at all. Ge Yue’s little companions squeezed into the courtyard like loaches.

One after another they grabbed mud and bricks and smashed them at Sun Guixiang. Some even hugged Sun Guixiang’s legs and directly bit down with their mouths.

“Don’t bully Little Moon!”

“Hit her, beat this old witch to death!”

With a group of little brats hanging on her body and beating her, Sun Guixiang was hit several times before she could react. She also became furious and backhanded one little troublemaker on the head. “You little brats have really turned the heavens upside down! Watch me beat you to death!”

Two more children were beaten until they howled loudly. This time Sun Guixiang had truly poked a hornet’s nest and provoked a group of protective mothers.

“Who do you want to beat to death?”

“I can’t even bear to hit my own child myself—who do you think you are?”

Several women swarmed up. One slap from you and one kick from me and they beat Sun Guixiang until she was unrecognizable, rolling on the ground and screaming miserably.

Ge Yuan did not openly make a move. He used clever force to smash two stones over, hitting Sun Guixiang until her face swelled high and she could not even open her eyes.

The scene completely descended into chaos.

Seeing this formation, Liu Lizhen was afraid of drawing fire onto herself. She silently retreated a few steps. After exiting the courtyard gate she disregarded her image and ran away. With the main party gone, those watching the excitement remained happy and no one noticed.

Ge Yuan wanted to chase, but Ye Wanqing pulled him back. “Don’t go. First settle the matters here.”

The accounts with the Ye family—she would settle them after returning.

Ye Wanqing was worried Ge Yue had been hurt by Sun Guixiang. She pulled her to the side to check the situation. “Little Moon, are you okay?”

Ge Yue’s eyes were bright. She smiled and revealed a mouthful of little rice-grain teeth, presenting the tightly clenched five yuan in her hand like a treasure. “Beautiful Sister-in-law, Little Moon can also earn money now! I’m awesome! For you!”

Ye Wanqing: “……”

This…… seemed…… a little……

“Little Moon, well done!”

“Hehe.”

“But how did you think of this move?”

Ge Yue proudly puffed out her little chest. “Learned from Big Brother! Collect money! Don’t acknowledge the account!”

Not far away Ge Yuan’s foot slipped and he almost fell to the ground…… It wasn’t like that! This little girl had learned bad things on her own without a teacher—it had nothing to do with him at all!

“I…… you all……” Sun Guixiang, who had been beaten until she could not get up, had just managed to open her eyes with difficulty when she saw this harmonious scene. Instantly a mouthful of old blood stuck in her throat. Her eyes closed and she fainted.

The people gradually dispersed. The noisy Ge family small courtyard returned to quiet.

Ye Wanqing did not hurry to leave. She hugged the small, soft Ge Yue and sat under the eaves. A pair of almond eyes looked at Ge Yuan, not agreeing with his idea of putting a sack over someone and beating them up to vent anger for her.

“Brother Yuan, there are many ways to vent anger. Are you willing to listen to my suggestion?”

“Speak.”

Ge Yuan felt he was the most obedient…… no, the most respectful of his little girl. Of course he was willing to listen.

Ye Wanqing pressed her lips into a smile, yet her eyes were cold. “Sun Guixiang consecutively gave birth to two daughters. Her in-laws are very dissatisfied with her and instigated her husband to get involved with a widow outside. They had a son, and the child should be half a year old by now. Once this matter is exposed, the Sun family will fight among themselves. There will be no need for us to deal with them at all.”

“That Wang Juan who sets up a stall with me—the woman with the wavy long hair who was cursing the loudest just now—her father is a leader at the bus station, which is how she could get a stall. But her father’s conduct is not good. He accepts bribes. If reported, it will definitely catch him red-handed.”

“And also……”

These people openly and secretly spread gossip about her, and even gave her no face to her face, thinking that because she did not refute them she had no way to deal with them.

Really no way? How was that possible!

Liu Lizhen was someone who liked to talk about household trivialities. In her previous life Ye Wanqing had not fallen out with the family, so she had heard many of these “strange anecdotes” of the bus station from Liu Lizhen’s mouth and knew a great deal of gossip.

This gossip, after the events had occurred, was gossip. Before the events occurred it was leverage, and the power of exploding it was no less than a nuclear weapon.

For the people who wanted to create trouble for her, she did not mind at all letting them taste what true desire to cry but having no tears felt like. She also did not feel guilty, because she did not actively harm people or create gossip. She was only Nature’s transporter.

Ge Yuan nodded and answered heavily, “I understand. Leave these matters to me.”

He would definitely handle them well.

“Brother Yuan, do you feel my heart is not good?” Ye Wanqing suddenly asked.

“How could that be? Beautiful Sister-in-law, you’re the best! You’re beautiful!” This time before Ge Yuan could express his loyalty, Ge Yue widened a pair of eyes, raised her hand, and answered first.

The little one’s soft, sweet baby voice was simply sweet enough to reach Ye Wanqing’s heart, making her unable to resist kissing her little face. “Little Moon is also beautiful, and very good.”

“Hehe.”

Ge Yuan: “……”

Ye Wanqing smiled and glanced sideways at him, then turned her head and pecked him once on the face as well. “Brother Yuan is also amazing, and very good.”

Ge Yuan…… Ge Yuan’s face turned red.

“You…… don’t talk nonsense. How can a grown man be called good?”

“Then what should it be called?” Ye Wanqing modestly sought advice.

Ge Yue once again raised her little chubby hand to answer first. “Rogue! Hooligan! Ugly beard!”

Ge Yuan gritted his teeth. “Ge Yue, is this how you trap your older brother?”

“Hehe.”

“Hahaha……”

A burst of cheerful laughter rang out in the quiet small courtyard. The previous unpleasantness was swept away completely.

Sun Guixiang fainted and was carried back home.

When they saw her carried through the door, her face bruised and swollen with injuries all over, the Sun family immediately wanted to find people to settle accounts. But after hearing the whole story, no matter how unreasonable they were they did not dare confront a group of fiercely combat-capable mothers. They could only swallow their grievance and accept it.

Anyway, no bones were broken and no blood was shed. Nursing for a few days would be fine—just nurse her.

It was just that this woman was ignorant, randomly causing trouble with people and delaying business!

When Sun Guixiang woke from her coma, what greeted her was an enamel cup smashed over by her mother-in-law. “You can only birth money-losing goods, can’t earn more money than others, yet you have the ability to go make trouble with people. Is there something wrong with your brain? Getting beaten and even giving away five yuan for free—idiot!”

Her father-in-law did not curse or hit people. He only pulled his son over and lectured him thoroughly.

After the lights were turned off at night, Sun Guixiang was again tidied up by her husband who had a belly full of suppressed anger. Two slaps were the light part—she was also kicked once in the waist, injury upon injury.

She lay on the bed, tears flowing continuously, and suddenly began to hate Ye Wanqing.

If it were not for Ye Wanqing, she would already be selling sour plum drink and oden by now. With more money earned she would have face in her husband’s family, and her daughters’ days would also be a bit better. How would she have fallen into such a situation?

If it were not for Ye Wanqing’s instigation, how would that several-year-old little girl have cheated her of money?

It was all Ye Wanqing’s fault!

Once her body recovered and she could get out of bed, she would definitely spread Ye Wanqing’s ugly affairs until everyone knew!

Yet what she never expected was that no matter how well she planned in her heart, the facts would be completely different from what she imagined.

When Ye Wanqing walked to the bottom of the bus station dormitory building and went up to the second floor, she ran into Grandma Chen who looked anxious.

“Wanqing, you’re finally back.”

“What’s wrong?” Ye Wanqing pointed upward. “There’s more trouble at my home again.”

“Isn’t that so?” Grandma Chen stepped aside to let Ye Wanqing enter. “I’ve already heard about your family’s matters. Your parents will probably lecture you hard tonight. Why don’t you sleep at my place tonight?”

Ye Wanqing shook her head and smiled. “Grandma, thank you, but I still have to go back. It has to be faced eventually.”

“That’s fine too. Then take it easy yourself.”

“Mm.”

When Ye Wanqing reached the corner of the stairs and saw Grandma Chen still worriedly watching her leave, her heart suddenly felt warm. She waved at Grandma Chen again.

She knocked on the door. The person who opened it was Ye Mingzhu.

The moment she saw Ye Wanqing she lowered her voice and asked, “Sister, why did you make Mom and Dad angry again? Aren’t you afraid of being punished by kneeling?”

Ye Wanqing stepped past her into the house and said lightly, “This isn’t a matter of whether I make them angry or not.”

“Then what is it?” Ye Mingzhu asked.

Ye Wanqing did not answer.

Liu Lizhen was just coming out of the kitchen holding a cup of tea, looking as if she was about to deliver it to Ye Xiangdang. The moment she saw her, two knives shot out of her eyes. “Ye Wanqing, you still dare to come back!”

“If you don’t want to see me, I can leave right now.”

Liu Lizhen could not help sneering. “Where do you want to go so late—to that wild man’s house? You think just because he protects you now he will treat you well for a lifetime? Let me tell you, without your maternal family’s support, there will come a day when you cry!”

“Enough!” Ye Xiangdang shouted in reprimand. “Don’t say these angry words. Family matters are easy to resolve. The whole family should sit down and talk properly.”

He pointed his chin at Ye Wanqing. “Come over and sit.”

Ye Wanqing sat down.

Liu Lizhen placed the teacup in front of Ye Xiangdang and coldly snorted. “I think she should kneel!”

Ye Xiangdang ignored her and looked at Ye Wanqing with disapproval as he said earnestly, “Right now the bus station has all kinds of talk. If you continue setting up the stall in the waiting hall, you will inevitably hear a lot of gossip and also suffer grievances. Don’t set up this stall anymore. Hand it over to your mother and let your mother worry about it.”

“It just so happens that your Uncle Wang called today and said Wang Jiabao has agreed to the marriage. The Wang family will also give five hundred yuan as betrothal gifts along with a bicycle, a watch, and a sewing machine for you. The Wang family’s conditions are not bad and they value you—certainly better than that little hooligan who has nothing. Of course, if you’re unwilling I can refuse this marriage, but you absolutely must not associate with that little hooligan from the Ge family anymore!”

“We as parents are all doing this for your good. Right now you don’t understand our painstaking efforts. Once you have children you will understand.”

Really?

If she had not exerted extreme restraint, Ye Wanqing would almost have coldly laughed out loud.

“These two matters need not be mentioned again in the future. I agree to neither.” She stood up and walked toward the room, her attitude resolute.

Having learned the Ye family’s intentions, she decided that no matter how difficult it was to find a house or how inconvenient it was to live alone, she had to move out as soon as possible. This matter had to be done quickly, otherwise who knew what they might do!

“You stop right there!” Liu Lizhen was so angry she wanted to hit someone. Ye Xiangdang pulled her back. “Forget it.”

“How can we just forget it? That stall can earn……”

“Enough! Is talking to her useful? Talking to her is not as good as going to the station to talk.” Ye Xiangdang picked up the teacup and took a sip. Seeing that Liu Lizhen still looked completely clueless, he said helplessly, “She’s just a child. If the station wasn’t giving face to me, how would they have given her a stall? The child is ignorant and can’t be reasoned with. Just go find the people in charge.”

“That’s right!” Liu Lizhen suddenly understood. “I’ll go find people tomorrow!”

Ye Mingzhu, who was sitting to the side and had overheard everything, quietly walked toward the room.