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

With nothing else to do, Yang Tongchuan told Xiangxi to lie down.

"No, just lying down makes my back ache." Xiangxi was more exhausted than a dog at this time last year, but this year she's so bored she's practically growing mushrooms.

"You need to learn to enjoy life. Look at your father, he goes out for a stroll every day after he's eaten. He goes to this house to play chess, to that house to have some tea, and he doesn't come home until it's time to eat."

"Nonsense! How can I compare to my father-in-law?" Xiangxi ignored him.

Just then, Yanzi brought back a freshly roasted duck. After putting the duck down, she rushed off to make winter melon soup.

At noon, the two ate in the west wing, while Yanzi ate alone in the kitchen.

"Don't you think it's especially peaceful when there are fewer people at home?" Yang Tongchuan tore off a piece of roast duck leg and put it into Xiangxi's bowl.

"It's naturally quieter when there are fewer people, so what?"

"From childhood to adulthood, the house was always a mess. When I was little, my dad worked in accounting, leaving early and returning late every day. I was asleep when he left and I was still asleep when he came back. I rarely saw him. When he was finally home, he would bring his friends over to eat and drink, making the house a mess. Then my mom would get angry and argue with him."

This also caused Yang Tongchuan to be particularly afraid of noise since childhood; he would get angry as soon as he heard any loud noise.

"My brother is like our father; he's loved using an abacus since he was little. He's more resourceful than me and never causes trouble at home. He's better than me."

Yang Tongshan was always considered a good kid by his neighbors, while Yang Tongchuan was the opposite. If a neighbor planted an osmanthus tree in front of their house, he would be so irresponsible as to peel off the bark.

When I was a child, whenever someone lost a chicken or a dog, they would first ask Yang Tongchuan for advice, and he was usually right. That's what reputation is all about.

"Why were you so cheeky when you were little?" Xiangxi laughed so hard her stomach was churning.

"Sigh, my family always controlled me when I was little, and I didn't want them to control me." Yang Tongchuan had always had the idea of ​​taking Xiangxi out to live separately and run their own little home.

I feel more comfortable that way.

However, he has a good relationship with his older brother, and both of their parents are still alive, so separating the family would easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

"Don't you like living with everyone?" Xiangxi actually quite likes the feeling of a big family; it's reassuring.

Xiangxi's memories of her childhood are already very vague.

He can't even remember what his parents look like anymore, and he only remembers a vague outline of the home where he was born and raised.

Every time Xiangxi dreams of walking in that strange yet familiar room from her memories, touching the tables, chairs, and clothes that once belonged to her, she wakes up crying.

That's a regret that we'll never see each other again.

"It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I feel... how should I put it? It's that now that I'm married, I should have my own place." Yang Tongchuan's inherent male chauvinism meant he wanted to live in a detached house.

"That would cost a lot of money. We're barely making ends meet with what we have now, and if we move out, my in-laws will definitely be upset." Xiangxi was quite realistic; he understood all too well what it meant to be unable to cook without rice.

"Well, it's mainly a matter of money." Yang Tongchuan knew that his idea was not yet mature.

The county town is different from the countryside; everything in the county town, from food and clothing to daily necessities, requires money.

Moreover, they currently live in the east of the city, and even if they settle down in the future, they will definitely stay here and cannot move to the west of the city.

"Actually, once the baby is born, if my family can help take care of it, I can go out and earn money. Anyway, I'm just idle at home." Xiangxi used to help his older brother and sister-in-law set up a stall outside to earn money, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with a guy going out to earn money.

"Don't even think about it. Your finger joints are all worn out from working so hard, and who knows when they'll recover. Money is none of your business. Just take care of things at home and the children." Yang Tongchuan's pride got the better of him, and he felt that it was only natural for him to support Xiangxi. Only families who couldn't afford to eat would send their wives out to earn money.

"Okay, I'll listen to you, I'll do whatever you say." Xiangxi said this, but in her heart she was thinking about what she could do to make money in the future.

In the afternoon, someone from the yamen came and took Yang Tongchuan away.

It seems that Tong Shanshan's man finally couldn't hold on any longer and died.

The situation in the case has changed, and Chief Constable Wang asked him to go back.

"No matter what, don't make things difficult for yourself. Help if you can, and don't blame yourself if you can't."

"Okay, I understand. You and Yanzi stay home and lock the door. If that crazy family comes again, don't open the door."

"Okay, go quickly."

Xiangxi was on tenterhooks all afternoon, fearing that things would get out of control.

In the evening, Yang Tongchuan returned with a livid face.

"How is it?"

"This matter has reached the county constable in charge of criminal justice. They are preparing to judge the case. Chief Constable Wang told me privately that Tong Shanshan will be sentenced to two years for adultery, and her aunt will be sentenced to exile if she does not pay compensation, and three years if she does."

"Is it that serious? Where is your uncle? Where is he?"

"I went to the restaurant where he worked to look for him, but the people there said he had quit a long time ago. I also went to his house, but no one was home. I don't know where those two people went."

"Was only the Tong family punished? Since it was adultery, what about the tea merchants?"

"The old man has already passed away, and the other party's family has voluntarily paid the fine, so it's unlikely they will be severely punished."

"This isn't fair!" Xiangxi protested. Adultery is a matter between two people, so why should only Tong Shanshan go to jail?

"Yes, it's unfair, but what can we do?"

Yang Tongchuan thought that he was called over this afternoon to persuade his aunt and uncle to pay the money. He didn't expect that his uncle would just run away with Tong Shenghu.

It's possible that the Tong family father and son didn't come here this morning to borrow money at all; they just wanted to pass the buck to the Yang family. However, they didn't expect that Yang's mother wasn't home, and Yang Tongchuan wouldn't fall for it, so they failed to pass the buck.

By now, the father and son have probably run off somewhere to hide like cowards.

A few days later, Mr. and Mrs. Yang returned from their hometown after visiting the ancestral graves in winter.

Yang Tongchuan told his older brother about it first.

"We're certain we won't ignore the Tong family's situation, so we're just abandoning our responsibilities."

"I think that's the idea too."

"I'll go with you to talk to Mother about this later. No matter how you calculate it, this 150 taels shouldn't be attributed to us. Let Mother be angry if she wants."

Fortunately, Yang's mother was still quite clear-headed. She didn't actually sell everything she owned to raise the 150 taels of silver. Instead, she took out some money for Yang Tongchuan to bribe the jailers and help her aunt and Shanshan suffer less inside.

Yang Tongchuan agreed, but he secretly felt that the money was wasted and the other party might not appreciate the favor.

Finally, as the year drew to a close, the case was adjudicated, and the defendant was severely punished for refusing to pay compensation.

Yang Tongchuan secretly arranged a relatively better hard labor job for Tong Shanshan through bribery, making her do weaving and sewing.

He also took care of his aunt who was about to be exiled.

At this point, my aunt had completely lost her mind, and it was questionable whether she could even complete the two thousand miles.

However, the mess that has been troubling the Tong family is finally over.