During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

Ye Qingqing, "..."

I don't believe you for a second!

He ran off without a word, and then came back and had the nerve to ask me all sorts of questions!

She snorted unhappily.

"You've been wandering around for most of the afternoon? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

Ye Dazhuang fell silent again.

Ye Qingqing simply turned around to face him, and said with a displeased expression,

"Your expression tells me something's up! Tell me, what have you been up to?"

Ye Dazhuang avoided her gaze and looked towards the alleyway beside him, his voice muffled.

"I really didn't do anything."

Ye Qingqing beckoned to him with her finger, "Come on, look me in the eyes and say it."

Ye Dazhuang looked into her eyes, his face expressionless.

Ye Qingqing waited a few moments, but seeing that he still acted like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, her anger flared up.

"Fine, you won't tell, huh?"

She nodded, her tone turning colder, "Then let me ask you, did you run into anyone this afternoon?"

Ye Dazhuang's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Ye Qingqing caught it in that instant!

Her heart sank. "Holy crap? You really ran into someone! Who?"

Ye Dazhuang remained silent for a long while before whispering a sentence.

"I don't know him."

"Don't you recognize me?"

Ye Qingqing repeated those two words, her eyes full of scrutiny as she looked at him. "Why are you hiding if I don't know you? Why have you been gone all afternoon if I don't know you?"

Ye Dazhuang fell silent again.

Looking at his stubbornness, Ye Qingqing suddenly felt like a fool.

She treated this man as family, as one of her own, and never hid anything from him.

But he was different; he kept something on his mind and wouldn't tell her a single word.

"Ye Dazhuang!"

Ye Qingqing said angrily, "Put your hand on your heart and tell me, ever since I picked you up from the woods and brought you home, how have I treated you?"

Ye Dazhuang looked up at her, his lips moved slightly.

"fine."

"Then what's wrong with you that you can't tell me?"

Ye Qingqing looked him straight in the eye, her face full of displeasure, and said, "Are you afraid I'll find out? Or do you think I don't deserve to know?"

"no."

Ye Dazhuang shook his head heavily, "Qingqing, that's not what I meant."

"So what do you mean?"

Ye Dazhuang fell silent again.

Ye Qingqing waited for a while, and seeing that he didn't intend to speak, the anger in her heart suddenly subsided.

Forget it, what's the point of arguing with someone who's so tight-lipped?

They've just lost their memory, they're not stupid. Maybe they'll remember who they are someday and leave!

What will I, Ye Qingqing, be then?

"Alright, let's go back."

Ye Qingqing muttered a few cold words to herself, then turned and left, "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. I'm too lazy to ask."

He didn't even turn his head.

Ye Dazhuang stood there, watching her back, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

He wanted to catch up and say something, but his feet felt like they were nailed to the ground, and he couldn't move them at all.

He knew she was unhappy.

But he didn't know how to say it.

He said he met someone on the street that afternoon. When that person saw him, his expression changed drastically, and he called out a name that was completely unfamiliar to him.

It is said that his mind is in complete turmoil, he doesn't know who he is, what kind of person he was before, or whether he will bring trouble to the Ye family.

These words were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single one.

Ye Dazhuang... no, he should probably be Xiao Chengran.

Xiao Chengran was afraid that if he spoke out, everything would change.

He remained silent for a while, then finally started walking and followed at a distance.

The two returned to the shop one after the other, neither of them speaking a word along the way.

The nameless fire in Ye Qingqing's heart suddenly died down by half, replaced by an indescribable feeling.

The two returned to the shop one after the other.

Li Chunyan was busy weighing dishes for the customers when she saw the two of them returning together. She greeted them with a smile, "Er Yatou's back? Did you have fun at Zhen's place?"

"It's alright," Ye Qingqing replied casually, then went behind the counter to pour herself a cup of hot tea to warm her hands.

Just as he took a sip, Zhao Lao Er rushed in from outside, holding a large red invitation card in his hand. His face full of surprise, he exclaimed, "Master! Master! Someone from the Zhao residence just delivered this; they said it's for you!"

Ye Qingqing took the invitation and saw that it was written neatly and politely. The gist of it was: The old lady is hosting a family banquet at her residence tonight and invites Miss Ye to attend.

The inscription reads: "Zhao Family Residence".

Ye Qingqing held the invitation in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly.

I just found a jade pendant today, and you're treating me to dinner tonight?

That old lady moves way too fast!

"Second Sister, who sent the invitation?" Li Chunyan leaned closer to look. "The Zhao family? Which Zhao family?"

"Which Zhao family could it be?" Ye Qingqing put the invitation on the table. "It's Old Madam Zhao who went grocery shopping today."

Li Chunyan's eyes lit up. "Oh my! That's a wealthy family! They're inviting you to dinner? That's wonderful!"

Ye Qingqing pouted, "What's the big deal? I'm not even familiar with them."

"You need to visit more often if you're not familiar with them!" Li Chunyan said with the air of someone who'd been there all along. "The old lady thinks highly of you, how can you not give her face?"

Ye Qingqing thought about it and agreed.

They just sponsored such a large deal and sent a very polite invitation; if she doesn't go, she'll seem ungrateful.

Let her go. It's just a meal. She's not going to sell you off.

As evening fell, Ye Qingqing changed into clean clothes, told her elder brother and sister-in-law what was going on, and went to the Zhao residence.

The Zhao family mansion was located at the east end of the town, occupying almost half of the street. It had a vermilion gate and high walls, with two stone lions squatting at the entrance, making it very imposing.

Ye Qingqing gave her name, and the doorman immediately and attentively led her inside.

Passing through the screen wall and around the covered walkway, one sees pavilions, towers, artificial hills, and flowing water all the way, clearly indicating that this is a respectable and wealthy family's residence.

Ye Qingqing remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was secretly astonished—the Zhao family was even more extravagant than she had imagined.

The old lady was already waiting in the flower hall.

She changed into an ochre-red brocade robe with the character "福" (fortune) on it, her hair was neatly combed, and she sat in the main seat. When she saw Ye Qingqing come in, a smile immediately appeared on her face.

The night was deep, and there were hardly any people left on the town's streets.

Ye Qingqing walked in front, and Ye Dazhuang followed behind, keeping a distance of two or three steps between them, and neither of them spoke.

Only the snow underfoot crunched underfoot.

Ye Qingqing took a few steps, then finally couldn't help but stop and turn back to look at him. "When did you get here?"

Ye Dazhuang also stopped, his eyelids drooping. "It's been a while."

"How long is 'a while'?"

"...I arrived shortly after you went in."

Ye Qingqing calculated that she had stayed in the Zhao residence for at least an hour.

In other words, this person stood in front of someone's gate for more than an hour, braving the cold wind of the twelfth lunar month.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart—a mix of sourness and bloating—but she said irritably, "Are you stupid? Don't you know how cold it is outside? Couldn't you find a sheltered place to wait?"