“Are You Possessed?”
Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya rushed straight at Jiang Ji. Not caring that their little hands were greasy with oil, one grabbed his waist while the other clung to his thigh.
They chattered all at once:
“Ge, ge, why are you back at this hour?”
“Ge, ge, I missed you so much!”
Ye Li watched the scene, his gaze settling on Jiang Ji’s face.
He had inherited the original owner’s memories and knew what this bargain husband looked like. But memory was like watching a film—no matter how vivid, it couldn’t compare to seeing the real person standing before him.
His husband had long brows and slightly narrow eyes. With his high-bridged nose and somewhat thin lips, his features gave him a naturally stern look.
But he was strikingly handsome.
Sharp, sculpted features. Bright, alert eyes. And at well over six feet tall, he only had to stand casually in the doorway to make it hard for Ye Li to look away.
What a devastatingly handsome man.
Just a bit too thin. He wore a cross-collared robe resembling a Daoist’s garment. The already loose body and wide sleeves hung off him like cloth draped over a bamboo pole.
Ye Li’s eyes traveled down from head to toe, then back up again—twice. The more he looked, the more satisfied he felt.
He lifted his left hand and poked Ye Liang on the shoulder. “Big Brother, go put in a few good words for me.”
“Last time he came back, he saw me hitting Xiaomai and Yage’er. He wasn’t happy. Just tell him I’ve turned over a new leaf and started life anew.”
“Eh! Alright.” Ye Liang agreed readily, beaming as he walked toward Jiang Ji.
Now that Li-ge’er could earn money and got along well with Xiaomai and Yage’er, the only thing he worried about was whether he and Xiao Ji could get along. He must praise Li-ge’er more.
Meanwhile, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya tugged Jiang Ji toward the kitchen. Ye Liang said, “Xiao Ji, you’ve come at just the right time. Wash up and sit down for some soup. Li-ge’er stewed bone broth—just smell it, it’s fragrant.”
Then he turned and called for Ye Li to hurry and serve Jiang Ji a bowl.
“Alright.” Ye Li adopted an obedient expression and briskly entered the kitchen.
Jiang Ji’s brows drew together faintly. His gaze shifted away from Ye Li and toward Ye Liang, his elder brother-in-law.
Aside from Ye Li—the fool—the rest of the Ye family were kind-hearted. Ye Liang treated him like a younger brother, and he respected Ye Liang in return.
He gestured for Ye Liang to step inside. “Second Brother Liang, let’s go in and sit. But… what’s going on? For a moment, I thought I’d walked into the wrong house.”
Ye Liang burst out laughing.
The sound startled Jiang Ji.
The Ye family’s poverty and endless labor had worn Ye Liang down until he looked far older than his years. He was usually taciturn, his expression weary.
This was the first time Jiang Ji had heard him laugh so loudly and freely.
Still smiling, Ye Liang explained, “Xiao Ji, you didn’t go to the wrong house. Li-ge’er’s temper has changed. He even knows how to make tofu now.”
“The tofu puffs he fries are extremely popular. They let him and the Ye family earn dozens of wen every single day!”
“…”
Jiang Ji was stunned. His slightly narrow eyes widened considerably.
The fool could not only make tofu—but earn dozens of wen daily?
“Ge, ge! What Second Brother Liang says is true. Eat some meat—Li-ge bought it this morning.”
Jiang Mai tried to stuff the half-gnawed bone he was holding into his elder brother’s hands.
That person had washed his hair; he was willing to help speak well of him.
Besides, as that person had said, it wasn’t flattery. He was telling the truth!
Jiang Mai’s words shocked Jiang Ji even more.
The last time he’d come home, he’d seen the fool raising a thick stick and striking Xiaomai with savage force—as if he meant to devour him alive!
But now Xiaomai was…
By then, Jiang Ya had already tugged him to the kitchen doorway.
Ye Li was placing a bowl of bone broth onto the table. Seeing him standing there, he smiled and said, “Husband, have some soup.”
“?”
Jiang Ji looked as though he’d seen a ghost. “Are you possessed?”
Ye Li: “…”
The corner of his mouth twitched. He set the bowl down, straightened up, and glared at Jiang Ji.
“That’s right. Not only am I possessed—I’ve also cast a gu spell on Xiaomai and Yage’er. Now they listen to me completely. Afraid?”
Jiang Ji: “…”
Now it was his turn to be speechless.
Yet strangely, he felt relieved.
Yes. This was more like it. Calling him “husband” had nearly scared him to death.
“Alright, alright. Xiao Ji, wash up and eat. You must not have had lunch,” Ye Liang said with a genial laugh, smoothing things over.
At once, Jiang Mai piped up, “Ge, I’ll fetch water for you to wash your hands.”
He shoved the big bone into Jiang Ji’s hands and ran toward the well. As for talk of spells and obedience—never mind. The fool had truly changed; he wouldn’t expose him.
Jiang Ya, for his part, had no idea what a gu spell was. But he was indeed willing to listen to Ye Li now.
He tilted up his little face and grinned. “Ge, Li-ge is really good! He washed my and Second Brother’s hair, let me gnaw on big bones, and even gives us wages!”
“One wen a day! Second Brother and I have already saved fourteen wen!”
That left Jiang Ji so shocked he couldn’t speak.
It was unbelievable.
The fool could do such things?
Ye Li shot Jiang Ya an approving look. Not bad. Small as he was, his mind was clear—no unnecessary chatter, straight to the important points.
He then glanced at Ye Liang.
The moment Ye Liang caught his eye, he spoke up as well. “Xiao Ji, Li-ge’er is about to fry tofu puffs later. Seeing is believing—he’s truly changed.”
“But we’ll talk about that after you eat. Xiaomai’s brought the water—wash your hands first. We’ll sit and talk while we eat.”
“Big Brother, hurry and wash up!” Jiang Mai came running with the basin.
Jiang Ji’s thoughts were in disarray.
He listened to Jiang Ya’s nonstop chatter as he washed his hands, then took a seat at the table.
The bone broth before him was milky white, dotted with shimmering beads of oil and several red dates floating on top. Two large bones lay within, along with plenty of corn kernels.
The rich aroma rose straight into his nose, making his stomach growl even louder.
He truly hadn’t eaten lunch.
These past days, he’d been restless with anxiety, afraid the fool was mistreating his younger brothers. He’d wanted to come home.
But his studies were heavy, and the imperial examinations were his only path forward. He couldn’t neglect his proper duty.
He also had a copying job in hand; if he missed the deadline, his payment would be cut in half.
More importantly, he had no good solution to the fool’s abuse of his brothers.
After days of torment, he’d finally thought of a plan last night.
This autumn, he would take the prefectural exam. Before that, the fool would return to the Ye family, and his two younger brothers would move to their Second Uncle’s house.
If he passed and became a xiucai, fulfilling the fool’s expectations, he would force him to reform.
Moreover, he would no longer need to report daily to the private school; he could study at home. With him there, his brothers would no longer be beaten.
If he failed, then he would stop studying altogether.
If the fool had truly changed, they would muddle along.
If not, he would divorce him. From then on, he and the Ye family would owe each other nothing.
With his status as a tongsheng and his strong body, he could farm during the busy seasons and find work in the county during the slack months. Bringing his two brothers along, they would not starve.
Once the idea had surfaced, it refused to be suppressed.
He had tossed and turned until midnight. This morning, he’d asked his teacher for leave, stayed in his dormitory to finish the copying job, turned it in at the bookshop for payment, and hurried home.
Today, he had intended to send the fool back to the Ye family.
But judging by the current situation, his plan seemed unnecessary…
“Eat. Why aren’t you eating?” Ye Liang urged when Jiang Ji sat silent and unmoving.
Jiang Ji snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at him, then lifted his spoon and took a sip.
“Good, isn’t it? Li-ge’er used to deliberately cook poorly. He was afraid that if the food tasted good, Father and A’Die would make him cook every meal,” Ye Liang said with a chuckle, explaining the sudden improvement in his younger brother’s cooking.
Of course, this was the excuse Ye Li had fed the Ye family.
Jiang Ji’s eyes shifted, turning to look at Ye Li across the table.
His gaze held obvious suspicion.
Ye Li was gnawing on a bone. Sensing the stare, he looked up.
Their eyes met.
He swallowed his mouthful and declared with righteous confidence, “Don’t believe it? Fine. That’s the truth.”
There was no way to explain it clearly.
So he absolutely must not show the slightest trace of guilt. He had to act utterly brazen—believe it or not, as you please.
Sure enough, at those words, Jiang Ji instantly lost the desire to probe further. He withdrew his gaze and focused on his soup.
Ye Li quietly exhaled in relief.
This bargain husband clearly wasn’t easy to fool—he mustn’t start digging deeper.
Truth be told, he still hadn’t come up with a particularly convincing explanation for why he suddenly knew how to make tofu.
Watching them, Ye Liang advised gently, “Xiao Ji, Li-ge’er’s temper has changed. He’s very kind to Xiaomai and Yage’er now.”
“He just hasn’t spent much time with you, and since you quarreled before, he’s a little impatient with you.”
“He’s a ge’er—you should be more tolerant. Don’t argue with him.”
At that, Jiang Ji couldn’t help recalling the earlier “Husband, have some soup.”
His grip tightened on his spoon.
The fool had been trying to make peace.
And he had responded by asking if he was possessed…
He lifted his eyes toward Ye Li.
But Ye Li was looking at him too.
Their gazes collided without warning. Before Jiang Ji could decide what expression to show, Ye Li rolled his eyes at him, then lowered his head and resumed gnawing on his bone.
…
Jiang Ji rubbed his nose and lowered his eyes to his soup.
His fault.
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