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

I've made myself very clear.

Ye Qingqing looked at him and sneered indifferently, "I told you this at the manor yesterday, you don't forget, do you?"

Okay, I know you're forgetful, so I'll say it again: I absolutely didn't mean anything to you!

I don't want to take up too much of your time. Take these things back with you and don't come back again.

The courtyard suddenly fell silent, then erupted into chaos with a loud "boom"!

"Second daughter won't agree? Has she gone mad!"

"That's the Zhao family! The Zhao family, a prominent and influential family in town!"

"Is this girl out of her mind? A young master personally came to propose marriage, and she's not happy? Who does she think she is!"

"Absolutely! She's just a hunter's daughter; it's such a blessing that Young Master Zhao took a liking to her. Why is she putting on airs?"

Zhao Yuanlang's smile finally crumbled.

He forced a smile, but a hint of coldness crept into his eyes.

Looking at Ye Qingqing, his voice was relatively gentle, but it already carried a subtle hint of coldness.

"Miss Qingqing, may I ask why? Is there something I haven't done well enough, or do you think I, Zhao Yuanlang, am not good enough for you?"

After he said that, the surroundings fell silent again.

Everyone stared at Ye Qingqing, waiting to see what she would say!

Even the young master of the Zhao family is not good enough for her, so who else does she want to marry?

Why not marry the emperor and become an empress?

Ye Qingqing looked at him coldly, her disgust reaching its peak.

She didn't want to waste her breath; she'd already said all that, so why was this person still shamelessly spouting off a whole bunch of things?

She glanced at the throng of people around her, then at Ye Dazhuang standing at the gate of the courtyard. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Ye Dazhuang's arm, pulling him to her side.

Ye Dazhuang was taken aback.

"Young Master Zhao, didn't you ask why?"

Before Ye Dazhuang could react, Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow at Zhao Yuanlang and said with a half-smile,

"To be frank, it's because I've already made a lifelong commitment with Brother Dazhuang."

The courtyard suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Ye Dazhuang was startled and turned to look at Ye Qingqing, his deep eyes filled with shock.

Ye Qingqing gripped his arm tightly, staring straight at Zhao Yuanlang.

"Did you hear that? Do I have to say it again? Brother Dazhuang and I... have already pledged our lives to each other!"

May I ask if Young Master Zhao knows what a private engagement is? If not, I can explain it to you. We two...

"That's enough!"

Zhao Yuanlang's face finally darkened completely.

He glanced at Ye Qingqing, then at Ye Dazhuang, the last trace of a smile vanishing instantly, replaced by a gloomy, almost distorted expression.

He stared at Ye Dazhuang for several seconds, then suddenly let out a sinister laugh.

"Him? Qingqing, are you kidding me? You're telling me you're engaged to this guy who has nothing?"

Whether he is or not is none of Young Master Zhao's concern.

Ye Qingqing scoffed and said disdainfully, "I don't need to explain my business with him to an outsider like you."

Zhao Yuanlang's face flushed red and then turned pale, his chest heaving as he tried to suppress his anger.

He stared intently at Ye Qingqing, then suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with barely suppressed ferocity.

"Ye Qingqing, I'm speaking to you politely to give you face! You're just a country girl from a hunter's village, and it's your good fortune that I, Zhao Yuanlang, am willing to marry you!"

I'm warning you, don't you dare be ungrateful!

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Youliang's expression suddenly changed.

Not only her, but the villagers who were watching the commotion all fell silent, not daring to utter a sound.

"cut……"

Ye Qingqing chuckled softly.

"I'm sorry, I'm the kind of person who likes to be ungrateful! Please take the things, Mr. Zhao, turn left as you exit, I won't see you out."

Zhao Yuanlang stood there, his face turning pale and then flushed, his chest heaving several times, clearly suppressing his anger.

He stared at Ye Qingqing for a long while, then turned his head to glance at Ye Dazhuang, a twitch at the corner of his mouth revealing a smile that was hard to tell whether it was mockery or resentment.

"Great, excellent!"

He nodded, his voice cold and sinister, and pointed a finger at Ye Qingqing's nose, shouting.

"Ye Qingqing, you've got guts."

Ye Dazhuang suddenly moved, "Put your hand down!"

"Big Zhuang!"

Fearing complications and making things even more difficult to manage, Ye Qingqing quickly grasped his hand and shook her head.

Ye Dazhuang narrowed his eyes slightly and frowned deeply.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, even Zhao Yuanlang, with his thick skin, couldn't bear being rejected outright.

He snatched the red envelope back from Ye Qingqing's hand, turned and took two steps toward the courtyard gate, then suddenly stopped, turned back and gave her a sinister look.

"Ye Qingqing, I, Zhao Yuanlang, am putting this out there... one day, I will make you kneel at my feet, begging for my life!"

After saying this, he angrily flicked his sleeve and walked out of the courtyard without looking back.

The two servants looked at each other in bewilderment, then hurriedly picked up the gift box from the ground and followed after them in a flurry.

The green-curtained carriage rumbled away from the courtyard gate, the sound of hooves fading into the distance along the village road until it could no longer be heard.

The courtyard was quiet for a while.

Someone took a soft breath, and the crowd instantly erupted into chaos, as if a pot had been boiled over.

"My God, has Er Yatou gone mad?"

"Did you see that? Young Master Zhao's face turned black when he left! Oh no, Second Sister has really offended him!"

"What's wrong with that second daughter of mine? Others would kill for something like this, why isn't she interested?"

"What do you know? Didn't you hear her say that she and that Dazhuang have already secretly pledged their lives to each other!"

"What a joke! How could Ye Dazhuang, a poor boy, compare to the young master of the Zhao family?"

Ye Youliang stood at the entrance of the main room, still clutching the corner of the red envelope in his hand, his face showing both embarrassment and difficulty.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then didn't know what to say. Finally, he sighed and waved to the crowd of onlookers.

"Alright, alright, everyone disperse, there's nothing to see here."

Mr. and Mrs. Ye quickly stepped forward to greet them.

"Everyone, go back! Go do what you need to do..."

The crowd slowly dispersed, but everyone secretly thought that Er Yatou was crazy!

The courtyard finally became quiet.

Ye Qingqing loosened her grip on Ye Dazhuang's arm and then noticed that his palms were covered in sweat.

Ye Qingqing couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She wasn't nervous at all, so why was he?

I'm just using him as a shield. He's not really afraid that I'll cling to him, is he?

"Big Zhuang, why are you looking at me like that?"

Ye Qingqing felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and frowned as she explained, "I'm sorry, I just temporarily filled in for you, don't overthink it."

Ye Dazhuang's brows furrowed even more.

He hesitated, his heart pounding, wanting to say something but unsure how to begin.

Honestly, he would rather Ye Qingqing was telling the truth!