QWAPMP Chapter 111

Chapter 111: The Eunuch Little Husband

Song Yi got into the carriage, turned around to tell the man behind him not to pay attention to Little Song, but heard the man say first, “Just leave it to me to handle.”

Song Yi nodded lightly, his gaze went past the man, and he glanced at Little Song, who was still struggling to come over. His brows furrowed slightly before being gently smoothed by a finger.

“Go back with Auntie first, I’ll go home when I’m done.” Yan Ye said softly to comfort him, lowered the carriage curtain, and the moment he turned around, the gentle expression on his face immediately disappeared, replaced by a playful expression.

He walked step by step towards Little Song, who kept calling him son-in-law, waved his hand to let the servants release her, and just as a joyful expression was about to appear on Little Song’s face, Yan Ye said coldly, “It’s been a long time, Little Song. You stopped my husband today, are you perhaps here to repay the debt you owed two years ago?”

“What debt? I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Little Song widened her eyes, suddenly thought of something, and immediately retorted Yan Ye’s words.

Seeing her various reactions, she should still remember the matter of that prescription. Yan Ye’s lips curved. “If you don’t understand, then we can go to the county magistrate’s office and explain until you do understand.”

Ordinary people are immediately afraid when they hear about seeing an official, and Little Song was no exception. Hearing this, she grabbed Yan Ye’s arm in fear, “My good son-in-law, you can’t do this. I’m Yi Ge’er’s mother, he will be sad if you do this.”

Hearing her mention that Yi Ge’er would be sad, the smile on Yan Ye’s lips slowly faded. “Although you are his mother, you don’t understand him at all. He wishes you were dead, so how could he be sad?”

“Impossible, how dare he.” Little Song’s eyebrows shot up. As she said this, the look in Yi Ge’er’s eyes towards her in the past flashed in her mind, and she felt an inexplicable chill in her heart.

He’s just a little boy, how could he… how could he wish his own mother were dead?

Thinking of Yi Ge’er’s merciless departure just now, Little Song suddenly knelt down, “We were wrong, good son-in-law, please tell Yi Ge’er we were wrong, and ask him not to disown me, his mother.”

Little Song’s sudden admission of wrong was without warning. Yan Ye stared into her eyes for two seconds, seeing not a hint of guilt, and couldn’t help but let out a scoff. “When he could bring you wealth, you thought he was your boy, and when he couldn’t, you thought he was a jinx. There aren’t many parents like you in this world, how dare you ask him to acknowledge you now?”

At this point, Yan Ye still didn’t see any guilt in Little Song. In her heart, her most important child was her eldest son.

So even at the end, she didn’t forget to ask Yan Ye to tell Song Yi to help his elder brother.

“Yi Ge’er only has one elder brother. He might not acknowledge us, but he can’t not help his elder brother. Has he forgotten that when he was little, his elder brother doted on him the most and often bought him candied hawthorn?”

How many copper coins is a string of candied hawthorn worth? Yan Ye threw five or six copper coins on the ground, his smile intimidating. “I was originally thinking of just driving you out of Nanyang City, but you reminded me of something. You still have an eldest son in Nanyang City, so we might as well drive him away too, to avoid him appearing in front of my husband again and upsetting him.”

Little Song’s face instantly panicked. “No, you can’t do that. My grandson still has to go to school here. You can’t do this, his elder brother hasn’t done anything to wrong him.”

Little Song’s eldest son ran a tofu shop in Nanyang City, which Yan Ye had known about two years ago. Yan Ye didn’t agree that Little Song’s eldest son was innocent. Without the money Song Yi gave him after entering the palace, where would a villager like him get the money to rent a house and open a shop in the county town?

Little Song’s son was a beneficiary, yet he turned a blind eye to Song Yi’s situation after being exiled. When he ran out of money, he would still only ask Little Song and them for it, and Little Song would only squeeze it out of Song Yi.

How could such a person be considered innocent?

Driving this family out of the county town was also very simple; all he had to do was cut off their livelihood.

Yan Ye acted decisively. Also, to prevent Song Yi from encountering them again, he had his servants take the house deed to Little Song’s eldest son’s tofu shop that very day and began driving people out.

However, Little Song’s eldest son was still utterly bewildered, watching helplessly as the shop was taken away. His wife bribed a servant with money to find out the reason for the shop being seized.

“If you want to blame someone for this, blame your old mother for offending our Young Master.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Mrs. Li angrily scolded her husband, “I told you to chase them back in the beginning, but you wouldn’t listen to me. Now look, the shop is gone, I have such a hard life!” The woman started crying as she scolded.

The man’s face was livid. After a long while, he said, “I’ll go ask them.”

Half an hour later, the couple found Little Song and her husband, along with the dying Qing Ge’er, in a dilapidated temple in the city.

Seeing the festering skin on Qing Ge’er’s body, Mrs. Li walked further away in disgust, afraid of getting infected by being too close.

“Dad, Mom.” Little Song’s eldest son saw the two old people dressed like beggars, and a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes.

But thinking of his wife’s words, that if he dared to bring them home she would take the child back to her parents’ house, he could only swallow the words that reached his lips, not daring to tell them to come home.

Seeing their son come to see them, Little Song and her husband had a joyful look on their faces, thinking he had come to take them back. But Mrs. Li’s words made their smiles disappear.

“Let me ask you, have you offended anyone recently?” Mrs. Li put her hands on her hips, aggressively. “It’s all because of you two old fools that our tofu shop was taken back! How are we supposed to live now!”

Mrs. Li practically screamed the last sentence.

Just then, Qing Ge’er, who had been lying on the ground with his eyes closed, pretending to be dead, let out a hoarse laugh from his throat. Little Song knew she was responsible for the tofu shop being closed and didn’t dare to look at her son and daughter-in-law out of guilt.

Mrs. Li’s attention was completely drawn to Qing Ge’er, not noticing her mother-in-law’s discomfort. Hearing that Qing Ge’er was still gloating, she walked over angrily, “You useless piece of trash that nobody wants, you still dare to laugh.”

Hearing the words “useless piece of trash,” Song Qing thought of his illness, his eyes filled with venomous hatred. He also regretted not choosing to live a good life with that butcher back then, but instead choosing to come and seek refuge with his elder brother with his parents. He thought life would be better in the county town, but unexpectedly he was deceived by a man, fell ill, and contracted syphilis.

After learning that he was infected, Mrs. Li, fearing contagion, immediately chased him and his parents to this dilapidated temple. The money he had stolen from the butcher back then had all been given to his elder brother and Mrs. Li, and now he couldn’t even afford medicine.

Song Qing’s throat emitted an unpleasant sound, “Serve you right, this is your retribution.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Li was so angry she looked at her husband, “Look at your brother, does that sound like something a younger brother should say?”

Song Shan’s gaze towards Song Qing showed dissatisfaction, but he was more anxious about whom his mother had offended to get him involved.

“Mom, what did you do today? Tell me quickly.”

Little Song’s husband saw his son shouting at his wife so loudly and couldn’t help but speak up, “She’s your mother, why are you shouting at your mother?”

Little Song shivered twice, frightened by her son’s roar. “I, I met Yi Ge’er and his husband today…”

Hearing the words “Yi Ge’er,” Song Qing’s eyes opened once again, and he turned his head towards his mother with difficulty.

“I saw that they had money, so I wanted him to help you. Who knew that Yi Ge’er wouldn’t acknowledge us, and his husband even threatened me, saying he would drive our whole family out of the city.” Little Song’s eyes darted around, not daring to tell the truth. She was afraid her son and daughter-in-law would find out that it was because she mentioned them that Yi Ge’er’s husband thought of driving them out of the city as well.

Mrs. Li’s eyes spun when she heard the word “money”, and she asked her husband beside her, “Who is Yi Ge’er?”

The man was also startled for a moment before remembering that the name was very familiar. A tender face slowly appeared in his mind. He pursed his lips, his voice a bit weaker, “My second brother.”

“Why didn’t I know you had a brother?” Mrs. Li asked, then looked at Song Qing on the straw pile with disdain.

Song Shan didn’t respond to Mrs. Li’s words, quietly lowered his head, and even the bit of anger he had felt just now gradually dissipated.

He couldn’t help but think back to when he first learned that Yi Ge’er was going to be sold into the palace. Song Shan was against it. He really liked this brother who was better looking than the other boys, so when he knew his mother was going to sell Yi Ge’er, Song Shan secretly took Yi Ge’er and hid him in the mountains.

They hid in the mountains for a day. Because Song Shan was Little Song’s only son, Little Song went mad when he was missing for a day, begging the village chief to take everyone to look for her son.

Eventually, they were found. Little Song tricked Song Shan into believing she wouldn’t sell Yi Ge’er, only then did Song Shan bring Song Yi back with them.

The next day, Song Shan woke up and couldn’t find Song Yi at home. Little Song initially tried to deceive him, but as Song Shan grew older, Little Song told him the truth.

Later, Song Shan no longer chased after Little Song asking for Yi Ge’er like he did when he was little, and began to gradually forget about this brother.

Even when Little Song sent a letter telling him that Yi Ge’er had committed a crime in the palace and was exiled back, Song Shan didn’t go back to see this second brother he once liked very much.

“Son, Yi Ge’er was closest to you when he was little. Go and beg him, ask him not to drive us away.” Little Song said unwillingly.

If they were driven out of Nanyang City, they wouldn’t know where else to go. They had already sold the house in Song Family Village two years ago.

When Yan Ye left in a hurry, he collected grain from the surrounding villages, but not from Song Family Village, which caused many villagers to resent Little Song’s family. Furthermore, Old Master Li kept sending people to their door every day to demand the betrothal gifts given when proposing to Song Qing. Little Song had already given all the betrothal gifts and money to her son, so how could she afford to pay? To avoid Old Master Li, the whole family traveled through the night to escape Song Family Village, intending to seek refuge with their son in the city, where they also met Song Qing, who had escaped from Butcher Wang. The three of them then entered the city together.

“Listening to you, our brother-in-law is very rich?” Mrs. Li narrowed her eyes.

Little Song was the same kind of person as her, how could she not understand the meaning in her words? She quickly nodded, “Yes, that man is very rich, and he’s a young master.”

Young Master? Mrs. Li was overjoyed. She tugged at her husband’s sleeve. Before she could speak, Song Qing sneered, “So what if that man is rich? He’s going to drive you out of the city! Do you think he’ll help you? Hahaha… cough cough.”

He laughed exaggeratedly, his throat itching, followed by a tearing cough. Only Old Man Song still remembered this was his little boy, walked over and patted his back, helping him catch his breath.

Everyone else looked at him with a mix of shame and anger because he had spoken the blunt truth.

Song Qing saw through Little Song, and also through his eldest brother and sister-in-law. Only this weak father he couldn’t understand.

He thought, if his father hadn’t married his mother, would they not have become like this?

“Don’t listen to this sick weakling talk nonsense. You are his elder brother, his family. It was your parents who did wrong, not you.” Mrs. Li said discontentedly, giving Song Qing another glare.

“Heh, I’m talking nonsense, am I? Brother, you’ve received a lot of money from Mother over the years, haven’t you? How that money came about, you and I both know clearly. And when Song Yi was exiled and mistreated by Mother, did you help him at all?” Song Qing endured the pain in his throat and said word by word, “Actually, we’re all the same. If I were Song Yi, the person I would hate the most would definitely be you. In the whole family, you are the only one who benefited.”

Seeing her husband’s face show guilt after hearing Song Qing’s words, Mrs. Li rushed to Song Qing and slapped him, sending Song Qing’s face turning to one side.

Seeing this, Old Man Song roared at Song Shan, who was frozen in place, “Song Shan, are you still not going to control your wife?”

Little Song pursed her lips, without a hint of pity in her eyes, “Qing Ge’er, say less.”

She had the same idea as Mrs. Li, both hoping that Song Shan would go to Song Yi.

Song Qing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, “Did I say something wrong?”

For a moment, no one could answer his question. Seeing their expressions, Song Qing revealed a malicious smile.

If he wasn’t going to have a good time, then everyone should suffer together.

Mrs. Li and Little Song were unwilling to be driven out of the city just like that. She asked Little Song for the name of Song Yi’s husband. When she heard the name Yan Ye, Mrs. Li felt it was familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

She spent a few pennies to ask the beggars in the city if there was a young master named Yan Ye in Nanyang City.

The beggar took the money and said with a grin, “I don’t know about a young master named Yan Ye, but there is an imperial merchant with that name.”

“Imperial merchant…” Mrs. Li murmured to herself, and suddenly remembered why the name Yan Ye felt familiar, because there was an imperial merchant in their Nanyang City with that name.

Mrs. Li was instantly excited, “Then do you know if this imperial merchant is married?”

“Married, and to a young man,” the beggar said, scratching his head. When the Yan family got married, they distributed porridge at the city gate for three days, so they beggars had full stomachs for those three days.

“Same name, and married to a young man, it must be him.” Mrs. Li was so happy she couldn’t close her mouth. She went back to the dilapidated temple to find her husband and wanted to take people to the Yan family to find Song Yi.