The three children at home were growing up, and each needed their own room.
Especially Li Ping, who had been traveling outside with Tong Mo and had learned many new things. The bookshelf in the room was more than half filled with his belongings, and it still wasn't enough.
The courtyard was only so big. Building one floor would leave no space for the children to play.
Building two floors, with three rooms up and down, would not only give the children their own bedrooms but also allow for a study.
In consideration of the pair of flying wild geese and the fox fur cloak sent by Ye Yunniang, Baise agreed. She would go to the Li family to take a look after returning from the borderlands.
It was only then that Ye Yunniang learned that Tie Yi's hometown was in the borderlands.
The matchmaker pushed the door open. "The auspicious hour has arrived. It's time for the wedding ceremony. Where's the bride's red veil? Put it on quickly."
Ye Yunniang picked up the red veil placed on the bed, covered Baise's head with it, and together with the matchmaker, supported Baise out of the bridal chamber and into the main hall.
Inside the main hall, no one sat in the places of honor for the parents; instead, there were two spirit tablets.
One was for Tie Yi's mother, and one was for Baise's father.
Each family contributing one spirit tablet was truly unprecedented.
The matchmaker began the ceremonial calls.
"First bow to heaven and earth."
Tie Yi and Baise faced outward and bowed to heaven and earth.
"Second bow to the parents."
Tie Yi and Baise turned to face the spirit tablets and bowed to their parents.
"Husband and wife bow to each other."
Tie Yi and Baise stood facing each other, raised their hands, and bowed.
"Wait!" A voice from outside interrupted the ceremony. "Tie Yi, I do not agree to you marrying again." A woman ran into the room.
Tie Xiong, who was guarding the door, swiftly caught the woman, pulled the belt from a male onlooker, and used it to bind her.
"My belt!" The robbed man, holding up his pants with one hand, reached out with the other, trying to get his belt back.
Tie Xiong had already used the belt to securely tie up the woman who had come in to cause trouble.
Unable to use her hands, the woman used her mouth. "Tie Xiong, I am your aunt-in-law, wuu..."
Tie Xiong snatched a handkerchief from a woman watching the commotion and stuffed it into the troublemaker's mouth.
The woman who lost her handkerchief was unhappy. "My handkerchief!"
Baise lifted her veil and looked at Tie Yi. "Explain."
"She's the woman I caught committing adultery and divorced." Tie Yi's voice was not low, and everyone inside and outside heard.
The woman wanting her handkerchief stopped pestering Tie Xiong for it. The man who lost his belt also stopped asking for it back.
Everyone's gaze turned to the woman bound hand and foot and gagged.
Mmph mmph mmph...
"Is that all?" Baise didn't believe it.
"The man she committed adultery with was Tie Xiong's biological grandfather." Tie Yi did not acknowledge that man as his own father.
The crowd: ...That's too shocking!
"Bah, Tie Yi, you're talking nonsense. If you weren't impotent, I wouldn't have sought another man. It's all your fault, you useless man." The woman struggled to spit out the handkerchief and retorted.
"Tie Yi, you, mmph..." Tie Xiong picked up the handkerchief from the ground and stuffed it back into the woman's mouth.
Afraid she might spit it out again, he also took a child's hair ribbon and tied it around the woman's head to secure it.
The child whose hair was now loose stared at Tie Xiong: Bad man.
The crowd looked at Tie Yi, pity in their eyes. Such a strong man, yet impotent.
"What are you all looking at? He's my man, not for your eyes." Baise blocked the crowd's gazes.
"Shopkeeper Baise, how did you take a liking to this weakling?"
"If Tie Yi is impotent, how could I possibly marry him?"
The crowd's eyes lit up.
"Is he good?"
"How many times a night?"
"Can he satisfy you?"
"Nonsense. Look at Shopkeeper Baise's rosy, radiant face; he must satisfy her."
"Not necessarily. Thirty is like a wolf, forty is like a tiger. Shopkeeper Baise is at that tiger-and-wolf age."
"If you've seen Master Tie the blacksmith work, you wouldn't doubt it."
"All those muscles, slurp, really makes one's heart itch."
"Hmm, want to touch them."
"Want a taste."
"Who said 'a taste'? Daring to covet my man." The originally calm Baise rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight.
Ye Yunniang beside her pulled Baise back forcefully. "It's an auspicious day; shedding blood is inauspicious."
Baise suppressed her anger. Fine, she'd settle scores slowly later. She shouted to the matchmaker, "Continue the ceremony!"
The matchmaker, who had been enjoying the drama, swiftly switched her expression. "Husband and wife bow to each other."
Ye Yunniang very quickly covered Baise's head with the red veil again, and the ceremonial music resumed playing.
Baise and Tie Yi, husband and wife, bowed to each other.
After the ceremony was complete, Baise did not return to the bridal chamber. Instead, she and Tie Yi together toasted the guests until the banquet ended.
"Should I stay to keep you company?" Ye Yunniang asked, concerned.
"No need. What haven't I been through? This is a small scene to me." Baise waved her hand dismissively, telling Ye Yunniang to go home.
Ye Yunniang took the children and left.
Worried at heart, the next day after returning from the embroidery shop, she went directly to No. 8 Courtyard.
The main gate was locked.
"Madam Ye, Master Tie's family left early this morning. Here's a letter for you from Shopkeeper Baise." A young woman walked out from No. 7 Courtyard and handed a letter to Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang took the letter. "Constable Tie left with them too?"
"Yes, they took the woman who made trouble yesterday and all left." the young woman replied.
Ye Yunniang thanked her and turned to leave.
"Madam Ye, wait." the young woman called out to stop Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang turned back, waiting for her to speak.
"My name is Qiongniang. My grandmother was an embroiderer. I learned some needlework from her," Qiongniang said, somewhat embarrassed, and lowered her head.
Ye Yunniang understood her meaning. "You can bring your embroidery work for me to look at first."
"Okay, I'll go get it right now." Qiongniang ran back into her room, came out holding her latest embroidered handkerchiefs, pillow towels, sweat towels, and other small items.
Ye Yunniang examined them carefully and picked out a few pieces.
"Embroidery of this quality, the shop will accept."
"Alright, I understand." Qiongniang looked at the ones Ye Yunniang had selected, memorizing the shop's acquisition standard.
"Bring these pieces to the Baise Embroidery Shop tomorrow, and we'll discuss the price in detail."
"Yes, yes, yes, I'll go tomorrow morning." Qiongniang agreed repeatedly.
Ye Yunniang returned home and opened the letter.
In the letter, Baise said she, Tie Yi, and Tie Xiong were going to the borderlands, and their return date was uncertain.
She entrusted the embroidery shop to Ye Yunniang's care. If she didn't want to manage it, she could just close it for a while.
Ye Yunniang was worried about Baise. But she didn't know the specific address of Tie Yi's hometown and could only wait for their return.
Cai Damei entered the room to tell Ye Yunniang that the cellar had been dug.
Ye Yunniang followed Cai Damei to the backyard to see the cellar.
The cellar entrance was in the corner where sundries were placed by the wall of Cai Damei's house.
Unless pointed out, it would be hard for outsiders to discover there was a cellar here.
Pulling open the cellar door, they walked down the steps into the cellar.
The cellar was even larger than their main house, divided into two rooms.
Pushing open the left-hand room, it was already filled with sacks.
"Here we store rice, wheat, dried taro, sorghum, corn..." Cai Damei told Ye Yunniang the types of grain stored in this room and their placement.
After looking at the left-hand room, they came to the right-hand room, which had rows of empty shelves.
"This room needs the two of us, mother and daughter, to fill up."
"Don't worry, Mother, I will definitely fill it up."
