Chapter 257: Subdue 257 Chapter 257: Subdue 257 “Ye Wenzheng suddenly seemed to have struck it rich, no one knew where his money came from, and there were even those who suspected he had turned to thievery. So many decided to steer clear of him in secret…”

Just then, Ye Wenzheng happened to arrive.

“Aunt Xiaojiu.” Ye Wenzheng called out from the doorway.

“Oh!” Ye Qinghua stood up straight, feeling the awkwardness of talking about someone only to be caught by the person herself.

Worried that Ye Qinghua would feel uncomfortable, Ye Jiu stood up and said to Ye Wenzheng, “Let’s go out and talk.”

“Hmm.” Ye Wenzheng nodded.

Outside, Ye Jiu asked Ye Wenzheng, “Is everything settled at home?”

“Yes, my mother knows it was Aunt Xiaojiu who helped us and she asked me to thank you on her behalf.” Ye Wenzheng took out an indenture contract from his chest and handed it to Ye Jiu, “This was written with the help of the Clan Leader, and I’ve pressed my thumbprint on it. Please keep it, Aunt Xiaojiu.”

“What?” Ye Jiu took it, glanced at it, then casually tore it up, though feeling gratified inside.

No matter what, this incident showed that Ye Wenzheng wasn’t untrustworthy, and Ye Jiu hadn’t helped the wrong person.

“Aunt Xiaojiu… you…” Ye Wenzheng looked at Ye Jiu with complex emotions in his eyes.

“The indenture contract is not important.” Ye Jiu took out a bottle of liquid from her chest and handed it to Ye Wenzheng, “This is poison. Dare you drink it?”

Ye Wenzheng’s feet suddenly stepped back two paces, then he swallowed hard, his expression becoming more resolute as he took the bottle from Ye Jiu’s hand and drank it down.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll poison you to death?” Ye Jiu asked with a half-smile.

“If Aunt Xiaojiu wanted to harm me, she would have simply refused to help me,” Ye Wenzheng replied.

Ye Jiu stretched out her hand, intending to pat Ye Wenzheng on the shoulder as encouragement, but because of her height, she had to give up and let her raised hand fall back down, saying, “You will never regret the decision you made today. As long as you don’t betray me, the poison won’t take effect, so you needn’t worry.”

Whether he would regret it in the future, Ye Wenzheng did not know, but at the moment, he was grateful. “Is there anything Aunt Xiaojiu would like me to do?”

Ye Jiu felt that the way Ye Wenzheng addressed her was awkward, so she said, “From now on, just call me Auntie like Wenqing and the others do.”

“Yes, Auntie,” Ye Wenzheng said immediately.

Ye Jiu thought for a moment, then instructed, “In the next few days, look around to see if there’s any land for sale, preferably large plots of good farmland. Also, check in town to see if there are any somewhat remote houses for sale. If there aren’t any, renting one will do as well.”

Ye Wenzheng took note and nodded in agreement.

Then, Ye Jiu took out a bottle of ointment from her chest and handed it to Ye Wenqing, “I heard Ye Yun got injured. This is a medication for wounds; it will help her recover faster if you apply it, and your mother can use it on her head too.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Ye Wenzheng accepted the ointment, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Now, talk was cheap. He could only vow silently in his heart to always work hard for Auntie to repay her kindness.

Old Man Ye had marked out the land; it was all uncultivated land priced at two taels of silver per acre, including a pond, totaling fifteen taels.

Listening to Old Man Ye agonize over whether to go to the County Office to process the land deed tomorrow or to prioritize the farm work, Ye Jiu had a flash of inspiration and said, “Dad, since the land has already been divided, processing the land deed isn’t a difficult task. Just let Wenqing go with the Clan Leader. He is already grown up, and as our family’s eldest grandson, it’s time for him to learn to handle things on his own.”