"I... I don't know."
Ye Yunniang said that she didn't have feelings for him in her heart. It was a lie. But if she said she did, it didn't seem right either.
"I shouldn't have agreed to let you go to the dilapidated temple," Cai Damei sighed.
"Mother, it was my own wish to go," Ye Yunniang said. What had happened was not Cai Damei's fault. It was her own wavering and soft - heartedness.
"Have the noodles first. After that, we'll talk," Cai Damei told Ye Yunniang to have her meal first.
Ye Yunniang lowered her head and finished the noodles. Then she washed up and tidied the kitchen. She sat down in front of Cai Damei.
"Your relationship with him..."
"There's nothing between us anymore. He's gone," Ye Yunniang said, feeling a pang in her heart.
"Not coming back?"
Ye Yunniang nodded and then shook her head.
"Tell me everything that happened at the dilapidated temple," Cai Damei said.
Ye Yunniang recounted what had happened at the dilapidated temple the day before yesterday. Of course, she wouldn't tell the things that she couldn't.
After listening, Cai Damei was silent for a long time before she spoke, "He's right. We shouldn't get involved with the Jiang Family."
The dirty business of wealthy families was beyond the understanding of small - household people like them.
Ye Yunniang understood, but she still worried about Jiang Tingjun and wondered how he was.
"You don't need to breast - feed anymore. It's time to wean the baby," Cai Damei suddenly changed the topic and talked about weaning.
Ye Yunniang murmured in agreement. It was indeed time to wean the baby.
"You stay at home and rest. I'll go to the doctor to get some medicine," Cai Damei said as she got up and walked outside.
"Mother, are you sick? Where do you feel uncomfortable?" Ye Yunniang asked worriedly.
"I'm not uncomfortable. I'm getting the medicine for you," Cai Damei replied.
"What medicine do I need?" Ye Yunniang was puzzled. She felt fine.
"Contraceptive soup," Cai Damei dropped these three words and left.
Ye Yunniang was stunned. She looked down at her belly and reached out to touch it.
"Yunniang, give me a child."
"Yunniang, give birth to a child that belongs to you and me."
"I'll give you all my treasures."
Jiang Mingzhe's words echoed in her ears.
"Mother," Pan'er's voice interrupted Ye Yunniang's recollection.
"Mother," Pan'er ran into the room, holding a bamboo dragonfly in her hand. "Mother, let's play together."
Looking at Pan'er, Ye Yunniang suppressed the little ripples in her heart. She couldn't let Pan'er down anymore.
"Okay, let's play together," Ye Yunniang gathered herself and accompanied Pan'er to play.
Cai Damei came back with the medicine. She boiled it and brought the bowl of medicine to Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang took the medicine bowl and without hesitation, drank the bitter soup in one gulp.
Cai Damei took the bowl and walked out of the side room, heaving a long sigh. She didn't want to do this either, but she had to.
Inside the side room, Ye Yunniang bit her lips and shed tears.
She kept murmuring in her heart, "Sorry, sorry..." After all, she was selfish.
Half a month passed. After some twists and turns, Ye Yunniang successfully weaned the baby.
Ye Yunniang discussed with Cai Damei about starting some kind of business.
"Mother, how about we buy a shop? We can either do business ourselves or rent it out. We'll have a monthly income," Ye Yunniang suggested. She was a bit worried about keeping the silver notes at home.
"Not now," Cai Damei said.
Ye Yunniang had just left the Jiang Family. If she went to buy a shop with money now, it would be like telling others that their widow - and - orphan family had money.
Ye Yunniang thought about it and realized that she was being a bit too hasty.
"Okay, we won't buy a shop. Then, what kind of business should our family do?"
"It's hot now. It would be a torture to go out and work. Let's wait until it gets cooler," Cai Damei said, feeling sorry for Ye Yunniang who had lost weight because of weaning. She thought she should first nourish Ye Yunniang before talking about work.
"Damei, are you at home?" A voice came from outside the door.
Cai Damei got up and walked out. She opened the courtyard gate. "Aunt Zhang, why have you come? Come in and sit down."
"No need to sit. Damei, I'm here to exchange some pickled vegetables with you. My daughter Qiaoya is pregnant and she just wants to have a taste of your pickled vegetables," Granny Zhang said, holding a bowl in one hand and an oil - paper package in the other.
"Qiaoya is pregnant. Congratulations," Cai Damei said as she took the bowl and went into the house to scoop up a full bowl of pickled vegetables.
"Take this first and let her try if she can eat it. If she can, I have plenty of pickled vegetables at home," Cai Damei said as she handed the bowl to Granny Zhang.
"Okay, I won't be polite to you," Granny Zhang said as she took the bowl and handed the oil - paper package to Cai Damei.
"I made these dried meats this morning. Try the taste," Granny Zhang stuffed the oil - paper package into Cai Damei's hand and then turned to leave.
Cai Damei opened the oil - paper package. There were seven or eight pieces of dried meat inside.
The spicy smell was so strong that it made one's mouth water.
"Yunniang, come and try the spicy dried meat made by your Aunt Zhang," Cai Damei said.
Ye Yunniang picked up a piece. It smelled spicy but wasn't that spicy when eaten.
It was very chewy and the more you ate, the more you wanted.
"Mother, what does Aunt Zhang do?"
"Her family slaughters pigs and sells meat. Sometimes, when the meat can't be sold out, she's afraid it will go bad. So she comes up with ideas to make different kinds of food. Her specialty is this spicy dried meat," Cai Damei said. Then she told Ye Yunniang about the residents in Sunset Lane.
Sunset Lane was not big, with seven or eight yards in a row. The Li Family's yard was in the middle, which was Yard No. 4.
Yard No. 3 on the left was empty all year round.
On the right, Yard No. 5 was occupied by Old Man Xu and his wife. Their son, Xu Damai, was already married.
His wife, Liang Maimiao, had given birth to two sons and a daughter, named Xu Dalei, Xu Erlei, and the newly - born Xu Sanmiao.
Erlei was about the same age as Pan'er, and they played well together.
Liang Maimiao was very kind - hearted and welcomed Pan'er to play at her home.
Sometimes when Cai Damei was too busy, she would send Pan'er next door and ask Liang Maimiao to take care of her.
The Xu Family set up a noodle stall on the street in front of the lane.
Next to the Xu Family was Yard No. 6, which was Granny Zhang's family.
Granny Zhang's husband had died early. She had raised three sons and a daughter on her own.
Her three sons, Zhang Da, Zhang Er, and Zhang San, were all married and had children. Her sons, daughters - in - law, and grandchildren were all very filial to her.
Granny Zhang lived a rather comfortable life. The only thing that bothered her was her daughter, Qiaoya.
Qiaoya married Fang Xiaowen, the only son of the Fang Family who lived in the neighboring Morning Glory Lane.
At that time, the Fang Family married Qiaoya because they noticed that Granny Zhang had given birth to three sons, and her sons had also given birth to sons one after another after getting married.
The Fang Family hoped that by marrying Qiaoya, they could change their fate of having single - heir for six generations. However, after five years of marriage, Qiaoya hadn't gotten pregnant.
Both the Fang and Zhang families were very worried.
Last month, Qiaoya finally got pregnant, which made Granny Zhang so happy that she went to the Fang Family three times a day, bringing food and drinks, hoping that Qiaoya could give birth to a son.
Since Qiaoya found out she was pregnant, she had been suffering from morning sickness. She vomited whatever she ate.
She had lost a lot of weight, and Granny Zhang was extremely worried.
As soon as she heard that her daughter wanted to eat Cai Damei's pickled vegetables, she quickly came to exchange for them.
"Granny Zhang is generous and straightforward. She's worth getting along with," Cai Damei said.
After talking about Yards No. 5 and No. 6, Cai Damei told Ye Yunniang about Yards No. 1 and No. 2 at the head of the lane.
The residents of Yard No. 1 were the Ma Family. The man, Ma Kouzi, was extremely stingy. His wife, Niu Dajiao, was very gossiping. She would sit at the door every day, sizing up the passers - by and gossiping about them behind their backs.
Ma Kouzi and Niu Dajiao had two sons.
The eldest son inherited his father's stinginess. His original name was Ma Liang, but everyone called him Ma Xiaokou.
Ma Xiaokou's wife, Chunxing, was lazy and gluttonous.
The younger son, Ma Hui, was a nice and hard - working young man. He worked as a waiter in a restaurant. However, because of the bad reputation of his parents and elder brother and sister - in - law, he was still unmarried at the age of 23.
Yard No. 2 was rented out. There were three families and more than ten people living inside. They often quarreled over water usage, clothes - drying, and cooking.
The favorite thing for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the Ma family to do is to crouch behind the wall, watch the quarrels in Courtyard No. 2, and then spread the stories with added exaggerations.
They tell the tales from one end of the lane to the other.
Courtyard No. 7 is also rented out. At this point, Cai Damei paused.
"Stay away from Courtyard No. 7."
