Ahem, ahem... Ye Yunniang was choked into a fit of coughing by Li Pan's words.
"Who told you Granny was keeping a lover?"
"No one needed to tell us. We figured it out ourselves." Li An's reply left Ye Yunniang even more puzzled.
"How did you figure it out?"
"Granny isn't marrying Master Bao, she's keeping him in the No. 3 courtyard next door. When she's happy, she stays at No. 3 for a few days; when she's not, she comes home. What else is that if not keeping a man?"
Ye Yunniang: Well said.
"Do you know Master Bao's status?"
"The Prefect of Jiangcheng."
"The local magistrate of Jiangcheng."
"Since you know, do you think your granny could afford to keep a prefect?"
"If she's not keeping him, then why aren't they getting married? Isn't that just playing around?" Li Pan's words left Ye Yunniang speechless again, not knowing how to respond. Finally, she uttered, "Adult matters, you children wouldn't understand."
"It's you adults who always think we children don't understand," Li An retorted.
"This matter is a bit complicated. For the specifics, you should ask your granny." Ye Yunniang pushed the question to Cai Damei.
"Granny will also say it's an adult matter and children shouldn't ask." Li Pan didn't need to ask to know how Cai Damei would answer him.
"Then don't ask. Stop talking about your granny's affairs. Now let's talk about you two scrimping on yourselves." Ye Yunniang cleared her throat, steering the topic back. If she let them continue, she felt she wouldn't be able to face Cai Damei and Bao Min anymore.
"We don't know when the drought will end. Everything is expensive now, so we thought we should save where we can. Anyway, at the academy, we can mooch meals off others." Li An sounded quite pleased with himself towards the end.
Since starting to mooch meals, he had discovered a new world.
Li Pan nodded; eating others' food was delicious.
"That's not right." Ye Yunniang did not approve of her two sons' behavior.
"Alright, we won't mooch off others anymore." Li An and Li Pan agreed.
Seeing her two sons not argue back but obediently agree, Ye Yunniang was very satisfied and decided to share a little news with them.
She got up, went to the hidden compartment of her dressing table, and took out a small box.
"Open it."
Li Pan and Li An glanced at it, and Li Pan reached out to open the box.
Their eyes and mouths widened. They looked at the box, then at Ye Yunniang.
"Mother, are... are... are these all real?!" Li Pan stammered.
Ye Yunniang nodded. "Real."
"Our family has this much money!" Li An exclaimed, touching the banknotes in the box. They felt wonderful.
"He gave it to me for expenses." As she spoke, Ye Yunniang held up one finger.
"Second Uncle." Li An stated with certainty.
"Mother, are you going to marry him?" Li Pan thought of something.
"I haven't thought about it." Ye Yunniang's answer met with Li Pan's disapproval.
"Mother, don't learn from Granny, being irresponsible to people and doing that playing-around stuff."
"It's a bit complicated between him and me," Ye Yunniang explained.
"What's complicated? Unless he... he has a wife." Thinking of this, Li Pan's expression changed. "Mother, you can't be someone's concubine. I won't allow it."
"Mother won't be a concubine. Second Uncle's wife ran off with my scumbag father."
Li Pan turned to look at Li An. "Your father? Your Second Uncle's wife?" The relationship was a bit complicated.
Li An hummed in agreement. "They ran off together with their private savings."
Li Pan looked back at Ye Yunniang. "Mother, what's the situation?"
"You're still too young now—"
"I'm not young anymore. My granny said I'm the head of the household. I need to know the specifics." Li Pan retorted.
"Let me explain." Li An was about to speak, but Ye Yunniang reached out and covered his mouth.
"I'll tell it." Ye Yunniang pondered where to begin.
"Mother, start from the beginning. I want to know everything." Li Pan wanted to untangle all the twists and turns.
"From the beginning means starting from when I applied to be a wet nurse at the Jiang residence." Ye Yunniang recounted how she and Cai Damei came to Jiangcheng with Li Pan, and how later, to earn money, she entered the Jiang residence as a wet nurse and unexpectedly got to know Jiang Mingzhe.
Of course, the specifics between her and Jiang Mingzhe were glossed over or even omitted.
After listening, Li Pan and Li An fell into deep thought.
"What are you two thinking about?"
"What is Old Man Jiang's third hidden treasure?" Li Pan blurted out.
"Probably nothing more than gold, silver, jewels, antiques, paintings, or rare medicinal herbs," Li An recalled, thinking of his scumbag father's private stash.
Ye Yunniang, who had originally been worried her sons might not accept the situation: ...
"Whatever it is has nothing to do with us."
"It does."
"Yes, it has a lot to do with us."
Ye Yunniang was puzzled. "What does it have to do with us?"
"Jiang... my foster father said whoever digs up the treasure gets to keep it?" Li Pan's words confused Ye Yunniang.
"Who is your foster father?"
"His Second Uncle." Li Pan pointed at Li An.
"You should say, foster father is Pingping's dad." Li An rolled his eyes.
"You acknowledge him?" Ye Yunniang was very surprised by her two sons' attitude towards Jiang Mingzhe.
"Pingping said when you meet a sucker, you should say nice things to them. Squeeze more treasures out of them to enrich yourself."
"Where did Pingping hear such things?" Ye Yunniang wondered who had corrupted her youngest son.
It must be that poisonous-tongued Tong Mo. She really shouldn't have agreed to let him take care of Pingping. He had taught her good son bad ways.
"Mother, your youngest son doesn't need anyone to teach him." Li Pan thought of his shrewd little brother and felt his mother's understanding of him was too one-sided.
Li An didn't speak, but his expression agreed with Li Pan's words. Their little brother put on an act as a good baby in front of their mother and granny, but in private, he was extremely sharp.
"Alright, alright, it's getting late. You two should go back and rest." Ye Yunniang didn't want to suffer any more blows.
"Mother, we haven't had dinner yet." As Li Pan's words fell, a loud gurgling sound was heard.
"Now you're hungry?"
"Mhm, hungry." Li Pan honestly admitted.
"Mother, I want to eat your fried eggs." Li An made a request.
"Mother, I want fried eggs too." Li Pan swallowed his saliva.
"Alright. Mother will go fry eggs for you right now. I'll fry them with sesame oil." Ye Yunniang got up and went to the kitchen.
She fried eggs with sesame oil, and also warmed up some porridge and steamed cornbread buns.
She stuffed the buns with dried vegetable and cured meat dices. The two children took a bite of bun, some egg, and then a sip of porridge.
So delicious.
After eating and drinking their fill, Ye Yunniang watched the two children wash up and sent them back to their room to rest.
Coming out of the main room, Ye Yunniang didn't return to the side wing. Instead, she went to the backyard, arriving at the door between No. 3 and No. 4.
"Is Guard Luo there?"
Luo Xin jumped out from the shadows. "What is it, Madam Ye?"
"Guard Luo, do you know the situation with Liang Hemiao?"
"In July, Liang Hemiao had a dispute with someone and miscarried. Her life in the Xing family became even harder.
Recently, Liang Hemiao has curried favor with Xing Jinxiu, and her life has improved a lot. She is pregnant again." Luo Xin quickly relayed Liang Hemiao's recent circumstances.
"Is the child Xing Yuanchang's?"
