"Of course, I heard their entire conversation, even if they spoke quietly, but my hearing is good."
"Ten silver coins gone, wife, youâre going to have to make it up to me," Ye Ziâan muttered, leaning back in his chair, "I wonât even mention Yangyang, but especially Lele, heâs really got a knack for this. As soon as I gave Yangyang the silver coins, he comes in stretching out his little hand, with that look and expression, and so I gave out another five coins. All he did was say a few words, and he had five silver coins in his hand."
"Hehe, doesnât it feel different, getting schemed by your son?" Yang Chuxia chuckled, "Itâs good to be smart, they wonât be taken advantage of easily in the future."
"Thatâs easy to say, but it makes me feel less accomplished as a father." Ye Ziâan sat up straight, gently touched Yang Chuxiaâs now-prominent belly, and spoke softly, "At least we have a daughter, our daughter will definitely be gentle and lovely."
"You keep talking about having a daughter, but what if itâs a son?"
"A son?" Ye Ziâan was taken aback. He hadnât considered that it might be a son, ok? After a moment of thought, he said, "Isnât Mu Shaolingâs wife coming over for her confinement? When the time comes, weâll see whether Dongyang gives birth to a boy or a girl. If itâs a girl and ours turns out to be a boy, we could just swap them."
"Pff..." Yang Chuxia laughed and tapped his forehead, "Keep dreaming."
"Sigh, sons just arenât as cute as daughters. Mu Shaoling still has a daughter." Although, he had always doubted whether she was really Mu Shaolingâs daughter.
"...You better not let your son hear you say that." Yang Chuxia said, and yawned, "Iâm feeling a bit sleepy."
"Then letâs go to sleep earlier."
Ye Ziâan saw that her eyes were already brimming with tears after only a short while, so he helped her lie down, went to fetch some water for washing up, and only then climbed into bed himself.
The night passed without incident, and they continued their journey the next day.
After the incident in Gaoshui County, Yang Chuxia was afraid of similar encounters, and thus did not stop anywhere along the way, heading straight for Quanya County.
Eager to get home, they didnât even stop in the county town but went directly to Wangquan Town, lingered for half an hour, and then the whole party grandly made their way towards Yangshu Village.
"Mom, are we almost home?"
The road the carriage traveled on grew narrower, with villages appearing sporadically on both sides, smoke swirling up, and occasionally the sound of calls for children to come home for dinner.
"Yes, weâre almost home. After passing this village, just ahead is our Yangshu Village." They had already reached Liâs Village; just ahead was the small bridge, the very one where they caught Old Lady Hua back in the day.
"Ah, I wonder if Uncle Qingtong will still remember me." Yangyang said with a pang of worry as he saw the smoke rising outside.
Lele just rolled his eyes, "Do you think Uncle is like you, always forgetting things?"
"Nonsense, when do I always forget things?" Yangyang retorted, turning his head and glaring with wide eyes.
"You donât even remember what you ate the night before last!" Lele said indifferently.
Well, Yangyang indeed couldnât remember what he ate the night before last, pursed his cheeks all the way, and finally managed to point his finger and say, "I donât remember because that thing wasnât important. I do remember last time I borrowed a silver coin from you and paid it back. My brain is meant to remember important things."
Lele nodded his head in approval and said sagely, "Brother, thatâs a good habit. I can lend you money with peace of mind in the future, at least you wonât forget that you owe me money."