I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

To say that Yang Tongchuan is a bit dirty is an understatement.

If he weren't wearing that constable's uniform, even if you threw him into a beggar's den right now, Xiangxi might not be able to find him at first glance.

Yang's mother told Yanzi to quickly boil water for her bath.

The eldest sister-in-law went to cook, while Xiangxi helped Yang Tongchuan change clothes, shave, and take a bath.

We can talk about it after we've finished getting ready.

When Xiangxi was helping Yang Tongchuan take a bath and scrub his back, she noticed that there were several bruises on his back.

Only after asking did I learn that they had just solved the previous case of the stolen corpse.

Last time, Yang Tongchuan said to Constable Wang, "Is it possible that the corpse thieves aren't after the corpses, but after the living people?"

Following this line of thought, the two conducted their investigation and finally obtained some information from the concubine of the wealthy businessman who reported the case.

The wealthy businessman who filed the report had a minor altercation with a colleague from a neighboring county at a banquet last month.

The reason was simply that this wealthy businessman had taken away business from his competitors.

This is a common occurrence in business; there's nothing to be surprised about.

The two of them followed this lead and investigated further.

It turned out that the colleague got angrier and angrier after going back, and some of his cronies gave him a dirty trick.

This friend knows a little about feng shui.

The wealthy businessman's business was so successful because his deceased wife's grave was well-placed, possessing the auspicious energy of "five ghosts bringing wealth."

Tell him to find someone to destroy the grave of the wealthy merchant's deceased wife, dig up the coffin, and bury her in a new, extremely unlucky place where the family has been ruined. That way, the wealthy merchant will never be able to recover.

He does not mean that.

After drinking several jugs of wine, his companion, emboldened by the alcohol, actually got his household servants to do the deed.

Yang Tongchuan and his men had been out there for so long to keep watch. Since they didn't know where the coffin was hidden, they could only wait for them to take it out and be buried in the ominous place, so they could catch them red-handed.

"How did you get these bruises on your back?" Xiangxi asked tenderly, stroking the bruises.

"I'm not sure either. Maybe I bumped into it when I was fighting with those people." Yang Tongchuan didn't feel much pain, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

"Hurry up and wash, I'm starving and want to eat something." Yang Tongchuan's stomach was already rumbling.

Xiangxi had no choice but to speed up her work and quickly clean Yang Tongchuan.

It just so happens that we have some leftover steamed buns from tonight.

The eldest sister-in-law cooked a few more quick dishes, and Yang Tongchuan ate his fill.

Xiangxi poured him a glass of warm wine.

This is what the busman is offering. After being out in the cold for so many days, having a little alcohol to warm up won't hurt.

After eating and drinking his fill, Yang Tongchuan lay down on the fragrant big bed.

comfortable.

"Captain Wang said that once this case is solved, there will probably be a reward." Although Yang Tongchuan's monthly salary as a constable is low, he has a lot of extra income. When he's lucky, his extra income can even be higher than his monthly salary.

"I'd rather you didn't earn this reward and just stay safe and sound." Xiangxi didn't hear Yang Tongchuan's reply, so she went over to check and found that he had already fallen asleep.

How tired must they be? They were talking one minute and then fell asleep the next.

Xiangxi covered him with the blanket and lay down on the other side.

Listening to Yang Tongchuan's snoring, Xiangxi felt incredibly at ease.

We're finally back safe and sound.

The next morning, Xiangxi woke up to a strange yet familiar pain.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Yang Tongchuan lying on top of him, eating meat.

Seeing that Xiangxi had woken up, Yang Tongchuan felt no shame and began to devour her with even greater gusto.

Xiangxi initially wanted to tell him to keep his voice down, but then she thought better of it. He had suffered so much outside for so many days, so she didn't want to spoil his fun.

She wrapped her slender arms around Yang Tongchuan's neck, leaned forward, and gently kissed the corner of his lips.

Yang Tongchuan was born in the Year of the Dog; once something is within his grasp, it won't run away.

Xiangxi caught it in one bite.

Xiangxi indulged him and stopped trying to avoid him, letting him do whatever he wanted.

Sensing Xiangxi's cooperation, Yang Tongchuan excitedly picked the person up.

This will facilitate further exploration.

After a thoroughly enjoyable and harmonious experience, Yang Tongchuan felt refreshed and ready to get out of bed.

After finishing his meal, he rushed to the yamen (government office) to collect his reward.

Looking at his smug expression, Xiangxi couldn't reconcile the image of the previously serious and intimidating Yang Tongchuan.

Sure enough, Yang Tongchuan returned with his tail between his legs in the evening.

Each constable who participated in the operation was rewarded with one tael of silver. Constable Wang, seeing that Yang Tongchuan had contributed a lot, secretly gave him an extra five hundred coins.

Yang Tongchuan didn't know how much the wealthy merchant who reported the case gave him in total, but he received as much as five taels.

He took home a total of six and a half taels of silver.

The whole family was very happy.

Yang's mother took three taels for household use, and let Yang Tongchuan keep the rest.

Yang Tongchuan put five hundred coins in the money box by the bedside for Xiangxi to use when she needed to buy things.

The remaining three ounces were placed in the bottom box of the large box.

There are already almost seventy taels in this box.

Most of it came from his wages and crime-solving bonuses, and a portion from his illicit income.

For example, if someone outside wants to pass a message to a family member in prison, they have to find connections and make some concessions.

Or, if someone makes a mistake and is to be punished with a beating, the family will put money in their pocket so that the person administering the punishment will hold back.

What could have been a serious injury has been reduced to a minor injury that can be healed with rest.

There are countless similar cases in government offices.

In addition, the head constable would also share some scraps of meat with his men at places like gambling dens and docks, as a form of tribute to those above.

Yang Tongchuan didn't tell his family any of this.

He believed that his older brother was the same way; otherwise, where would his sister-in-law have gotten the money for those fertility-enhancing herbal soups over the years?

Xiangxi sat in the small living room of the bedroom, mending the constable's uniform that Yang Tongchuan had torn during the operation.

He didn't know how much money Yang Tongchuan had saved, nor was he interested in knowing.

Xiangxi didn't care about managing money at all; he didn't want to bother with it.

-----------

Life in the Xiang family was no longer so easy.

With Xiangxi gone, we've lost one of our workers.

My sister-in-law was holding the baby, watching the older one, and also helping out at Xiangqiang's stall. She didn't have a proper postpartum period and was in pain all over her body all day.

"Don't get up, sleep a little longer." Xiang Qiang got up before dawn.

He now runs his stall alone, and sometimes when he's too busy, he has to get up early to prepare.

We're no longer making the small-sized sesame cakes that cost two coins; we've switched to the three-coin ones.

We only stock a small amount of noodle soup each day, and rush back as soon as it's sold out.

Bao'er plays by herself in the yard every day now, getting as dirty as a mud monkey, but she doesn't care anymore.

The newborn baby has been given the nickname "Gui'er," but the formal name will be chosen by a cultured gentleman later.

Xiang Qiang didn't see her brother-in-law when she set up her stall a few days ago.

They seized the opportunity to ask the other patrolling constables and learned that Yang Tongchuan had gone to another place to handle a case and had not yet returned.

Xiangqiang was especially happy to finally run into his brother-in-law today. He cooked a big bowl of noodle soup to entertain him and also brewed a pot of fresh tea.