CH 86
Arc 5
Ye Tao caught a common cold and he went to rest after he took his medicine. He was woken up later to eat a bowl of congee, and then he slept soundly all night.
Initially, Ye Ying intended to take care of Ye Tao. She insisted on staying awake all night. Before long, Zhang Yu called her to rest, “We are here, don’t worry, you can go to sleep. Ye Tao is sick, he will feel bad if you get sick too.”
Ye Ying stubbornly refused.
She peered at Zhang Yu. These days, Ye Tao was not the only person tailing behind Ye Wei every day. Zhang Yu did so too. He would be running to offer help to Ye Wei. Clearly, he wasn’t like this before.
She remembered clearly that Zhang Yu wasn’t fond of Ye Wei before. In fact, he was the one that warned her of Ye Wei. But, why was that now his attitude towards Ye Wei changed drastically?
He didn’t help Ye Wei out of politeness, but because he cared for her.
Zhang Yu acted just like her Gege did to Ye Wei.
Ye Ying snapped back to Ye Wei’s words. She said, she would take back everything that should have belonged to her.
If that was indeed the case, she had succeeded.
Her Gege. Her friends. They all stood by her side……
She pursed her lips. It was inevitable she felt sad. She didn’t want to lose any of them.
Jiang Fei had wrapped himself with a quilt, “Well, if you insist. Anyway, I’m out. Ye Wei said she will go to harvest millet tomorrow.”
He anticipated it with great interest, but in the same way, he couldn’t overcome his dread of the tiring work……
Zhang Yu, “Go, rest. Otherwise, you won’t have any energy for tomorrow.”
On the sideline, Tong Ke’s words were dribbling with mockery, “Heh. Seems like a certain someone is vying for the opportunity to be lazy. Just say that you want to sleep during the day so you don’t have to work tomorrow. How difficult is it just to be honest.”
Ye Ying stood up for herself, “I am not searching for a reason to be lazy. I’m just worried about Gege.”
Tong Ke oh’ed. “Your Gege has Zhang Yu to take care of him. What are you doing guarding your Gege this late in the men’s room? If you stay here all night, how can Zhang Yu and Jiang Fei have a good sleep?”You are trying to pretend to be the Holy Mother again? As if I will give you a chance!
Ye Ying: “……”
Cornered by Tong Ke’s reasoning, Ye Ying had to return to their room. Unfortunately, she tossed and turned, but she couldn’t sleep. Her mind was constantly replaying the way Ye Wei glanced at her with disdain. That kind of Ye Wei instilled fear in her, or to be precise, instilled fear of losing everything she had.
……
Ye Tao’s fever went down during the night. The next morning, he woke up on empty stomach. Sadly, unlike in the Ye Mansion, there were no snacks available, nor were there leftovers in the kitchen.
As Lady Luck would have it, Ye Wei got up earlier than usual. She prepared breakfast in an orderly manner. She lit up a fire and boiled a pot of sweet potato porridge. While at it, she kneaded the dough that was set last night and steamed it. Then, she grabbed pickled carrots from the pickle jar, cut it into shreds, and dressed it with some chili oil.
Ye Tao ate three steamed buns and finished two bowls of sweet potato porridge before his hunger satiated. After that, he wiped his mouth and collapsed on the bench to digest the food.
After breakfast, Ye Wei and Grandma Chen readied baskets and bamboo mats to bring to the field. Zhang Yu and Jiang Fei were quick on their feet to help them so as not to let Ye Wei and Grandma Chen do any heavy work. Ye Tao also wanted to help, but he was stopped by Ye Ying. Considering that he had not fully recovered, Ye Ying was worried his cold would get worse in case of exhaustion.
Ye Tao reluctantly obeyed her words. But, he couldn’t just loiter around, so he took a machete to cut firewood. This time, Ye Ying couldn’t persuade him.
“The more I do, the less Ye Wei does.”
Ye Ying：“……”
She was more certain than ever.
Ye Tao truly and genuinely held Ye Wei dear in his heart.
……
This time, Chen Weiguo and his wife took the initiative to help with the work in the field. They brought sickles and smiled widely, “We are all a family. Family should help each other.”
Chen Weiguo’s wife sighed, “You ah, Ma. Why don’t you call us to help you harvest the millet? Isn’t it tiring? If you called us, you wouldn’t have to work so hard. You are already old, don’t force yourself. Honghong, too! How could you let guests do heavy work? Is this how you show your hospitality?”
They were all distinguished guests. Even if she couldn’t entertain them, how could she let them follow her every day to work?
Ye Wei was nonchalant, “You get it wrong. These distinguished guests voluntarily lend Grandma a hand. They didn’t have the heart to see Grandma working hard alone at her age. Even strangers like them are willing to help someone they just know. Can’t you see it. the heart of gold that these distinguished guests have? You shouldn’t rebuke me for lacking hospitality, instead, you should praise them for their good character. Unlike some people who have their conscience eaten by dogs and treat their own blood no better than strangers.”
Chen Weiguo’s smile was pulled down from his face. His wife’s face was no good, “What do you mean by that?”
Ye Wei blinked, “What do I mean? I mean that there are people of high moral character, so naturally, there are also people of low moral character ah? Am I wrong?”
“… No, no.” Chen Weiguo’s wife backed down when she caught Zhang Yu and Jiang Fei’s eyes on them. With their attention on them, how dare Chen Weiguo’s wife continued to argue with Ye Wei.
The original plan of ‘educating’ Ye Wei was not accomplished, instead, she was ‘educated’ in turn. She ground her teeth. Couldn’t she see through Ye Wei’s words? She plainly condemned that they had no conscience and no morality and that they treat strangers better than their own blood!
Strangers couldn’t bear to see the old lady work alone. Yet, they, as her son and daughter-in-law, not only kicked their own mother out of the house, but they didn’t even help her one bit!
When Zhang Yu and Jiang Fei looked over, Chen Weiguo’s wife heated a few laughs, “”Okay, okay. Stop gossiping, let’s focus back on working……”
Chen Weiguo gave his wife a look. His wife was greatly aggrieved. Did Chen Xiaohong really regard herself as the eldest daughter of the Ye Family? The Ye Family preferred their Chen Family Ye Ying more than Chen Xiaohong. They loved their Ye Ying and couldn’t put their Ye Ying down for Chen Xiaohong. Chen Xiaohong was not as beautiful as Ye Ying, not as refined as Ye Ying, and not as smart as Ye Ying. Chen Xiaohong was merely an uncouth girl, her existence was humiliating the Ye Family’s name. What was Chen Xiaohong acting proud of!
Chen Weiguo’s wife berated Ye Wei in her heart but worked with a smile on her face.
Ye Wei only gave a fleeting smirk and ignored her. She held a handful of millet and beat it on the basket with a loud “bang bang bang” as the grains fell apart. She smashed it several times to make sure that the grain fell off completely. She then threw the stem aside and repeated her action with another millet.
Grandma Chen was focused on her work. Her back bent as she cut apart the millet.
This was Zhang Yu’s first experience doing such work. Jiang Fei was the same. But, Jiang Fei was brimming with enthusiasm. His eyes sparkled with stars. “When I go back, I think I can write a thrilling ‘If I Am Not Brave’ too!”
Zhang Yu, “……” Should he seek professional help for his friend’s brain?
Zhang Yu was clumsy-handed, but he did his work with absolute concentration. It’s just, he had been squatting for a long time and couldn’t stop the numb feeling spreading on his legs. He took a peek at Ye Wei and Grandma Chen. The two appeared not to have ‘rest’ in their dictionary. One non-stop cutting the millet, and the other smashed the millet with loud bangs.
The sun was shining bright above their heads and the mosquitoes were hungry for food. He hadn’t even worked for that long, but he, a big man, couldn’t stand it for a moment longer. How many hardships had Ye Wei and Grandma Chen tasted to bear this kind of work without batting their eyes?
Still, he insisted on working. Jiang Fei was quickly tired of cutting off the millet. He moved to Ye Wei’s side and requested a shift change. He went to thrash the millet and Ye Wei went to cut the millet. Ye Wei’s movement was nimble. At first, the amount Zhang Yu had collected could keep up with her, but it took no time for Ye Wei to overtake him.
Zhang Yu was dumbfounded. He became even more resistant to rest. But he couldn’t deny that his body was sore. He tried to chase after Ye Wei’s speed but was left to pant like a dying fish.
“Ye Wei.” On the spur of the moment, he called her name.
“Hm?” Ye Wei didn’t even look up at him. “What’s up?”
In actuality, although Zhang Yu had helped Ye Wei a lot these past few days, they hardly talked.
Zhang Yu was a bit self-conscious and ashamed. Ye Wei was purely too lazy to take care of his emotions. There were mountains of work waiting for her, where could she spare time to care about his emotions?
“I apologize for the things I said to you before.” Zhang Yu apologized, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I don’t know anything about you and haven’t even gotten to know you in person. I shouldn’t take it for granted and judge you when I know nothing about you.”
Ye Wei arched her eyebrow and looked up at him, showing a trace of amazement, “You are apologizing to me? Did I hear it right? Is the sun rising from the west?”
Zhang Yu smiled, “Don’t be complacent. I do apologize to you, but I still don’t think your courses of action are completely right. One thing I still don’t agree with is the way you intentionally target Ye Ying. Ye Ying is innocent.”
Ye Wei snorted, “Out of all things I have done after I have been home for so long, that was the one thing you are most upset with? Then, you are apologizing to me right now, what kind of apology are you making?”
Zhang Yu was briefly silent. He used to dislike Ye Wei, mostly because there were too many desires in Ye Wei’s eyes. She was hiding a sharp knife underneath her peaceful persona. She seemed to want everything, and everything she wanted should be in her hands. She repelled Ye Ying and had malice towards her. She desired to get rid of Ye Ying who had seized her life.
That cognition made him believe that Ye Wei was dangerous and terrible. Someone who could hide such sharpness in front of everyone wouldn’t be a good person with a simple mind.
However, this visit totally changed his view of Ye Wei.
She had a lot of hidden desires, but, if he tried to put himself in Ye Wei’s shoes, he himself couldn’t guarantee he could be magnanimous. Could he not resent, could he not hate? Could he just accept everything with open hands without any superfluous desire and treat the person who stole his position with peace?
He couldn’t.
Perhaps, his reaction would be worse than Ye Wei’s.
He couldn’t imagine himself in Ye Wei’s shoes, getting up before dawn to work and being busy all day long without a break. Even during the night when people were supposed to rest, he would be chopping firewood instead of resting. These few days, he noticed that Ye Wei had stacked more than twenty bundles of firewood. It was stacked neat and tidy under the eaves. He could guess why Ye Wei collected as much as she could. She hoped that after she left, Grandma Chen could relax during the night and Grandma Chen wouldn’t have to be afraid of lacking firewood when the winter came and snow covered the mountain.
“I’m sorry,” Zhang Yu apologized again.
“Why are you sorry? Anyway, it’s impossible for me to coexist peacefully with Ye Ying. As long as I live, I will never forget that my parents forsake me in favor of her. They choose to abandon me, just because Ye Ying endlessly wept for everything to stay the same.”
“Ye Ying wouldn’t have thought things would develop like this. It was unintentional on her part……”” Zhang Yu himself could hear that he had no confidence in his words.
“‘It was unintentional on her part?’” Ye Wei laughed unreservedly. Zhang Yu saw a sardonic smile on Ye Wei’s face. Her face was red from the heat and pulps of sweat trailed down her cheeks. Her dark eyes squinted sharply at him, “If it was unintentional, why didn’t she go and have a word with Papa and Mama after they decided not to take me home and leave me to fend for myself? Why didn’t she persuade them to take me home? Why didn’t she at least, for once and only, act like she was willing to switch back with me? Why did she just accept Papa and Mama’s decision with peace of mind? Why did she take it for granted?”
“You people say that she is so good and honest, so kind and beautiful, and so pure and precious. If she lived up to that, why did she have no qualms of conscience and feel it is justified for her to take over my identity and monopolize my parents?”
“Don’t give me ‘Oh, it’s not like that. She has tried to persuade my parents but they didn’t agree’ shit. As long as she really wanted to, what wouldn’t my parents grant her?”
Zhang Yu was driven to the corner. Ye Wei’s questioning had left him with no words. He couldn’t find anything to refute her. He really believed that Ye Ying didn’t mean to let things develop like this in the first place and everything that followed was unintentional on her part, but to say that she was not aware of the things happening was a bit……
He couldn’t form any words to say for a long time. Eventually, he said, “Ye Ying has no bad intentions, she is just…”
“Just what? Selfish?” Ye Wei mockingly smiled, “Who is not selfish? Humans are inherently selfish. They will subconsciously choose the best choice for themselves. I am no different, aren’t I? After returning to the Ye Family, I get to see a wider world and live a better life so I don’t want to go back to the Chen Family anymore.”
Zhang Yu shook his head as he watched Ye Wei’s detached manner, “I know you are not that kind of person. If you really don’t want to return here, you will never return here. But, you are here. You are back. If you really want to leave everything behind, why are you still here working so hard without rest?”
His gaze moved to Grandma Chen, who was still focusing on cutting the millet. After a few days with Grandma Chen, he was aware that Grandma Chen barely spoke. She was extremely quiet as if she didn’t like to talk at all. Even when Grandma Chen was with Ye Wei, she didn’t say more than a few words.
However, it was this quiet old lady who had the courage to steal money for Ye Wei, and it took even more courage to take Ye Wei away from the Chen Family and farmed the field alone to support Ye Wei’s education.
She, Grandma Chen, was the sole reason why Ye Wei was here.
Ye Wei was actually not as cold and heartless as she showed.
Ye Wei: “You speak as if you know me well.”
Zhang Yu: “Mn. I can’t claim that I know you well, but at least a bit is still a bit, right?”
Ye Wei buried her head back in work, “I can understand Ye Ying’s approach. It’s human nature to make the most of the benefits while avoiding harm. But in the same way that I understand her, I hope that she can understand me. She wants to hog what belongs to me, so don’t blame me for targeting her! Zhang Yu. Since you are so protective of Ye Ying, then you should protect her well. Don’t blame me for not warning you if she gets hurt in the future.”
Zhang Yu had a small smile. Even though Ye Wei’s words were full of knives, for some reason, he couldn’t associate her with the dangerous and terrible person he once thought.
When Ye Ying arrived with the kettle and cups, she saw Ye Wei and Zhang Yu immersed in a good chat. She couldn’t hear the content of their chat, but it was evident that Zhang Yu’s attitude towards Ye Wei was no longer the initial tit-for-tat. On the contrary, she saw admiration for Ye Wei in his eyes, and even vaguely some distress. That’s right, it must be distress on his eyes. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have scrambled to help Ye Wei.
Ye Ying’s heart thumped and her complexion sank.
She gathered her emotions back and carried the kettle over, “Rest for a while. Here, have some drinks.”
She first poured Grandma Chen a cup. As for Chen Weiguo and his wife, she didn’t bother to pour them drinks. Anyway, they came over at once the moment they saw her. She was upset in her heart because she was aware that they just pretended to have a good heart when it was actually rotten inside. The only reason they were nice to her was that she was the adopted daughter of the Ye Family and she still had values in their eyes.
Ye Ying didn’t have much reaction to Chen Weiguo and his wife’s attempt at making a chat. They were not pleased, but they couldn’t get angry at her. In their heart, they scolded Ye Ying a million times, but outside, they still had to be a licking dog[1]
After Ye Ying poured water for Grandma Chen, she poured another cup for Zhang Yu, “Isn’t it tiring? Here; Take a rest if you are tired. Don’t put up a front or you will fall sick like my Gege.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not pushing myself,” Zhang Yu comforted, “I’m in good health, I won’t be down easily by this kind of work.”
Ye Wei, a girl, could persist. As a man, how could he lose to her?
“Mmmm. If you feel uncomfortable, please make sure to tell me.”
“I will, rest assured.”
He accepted the cup Ye Ying gave to him. He turned his head and handed the cup to Ye Wei, indicating her to rest. Ye Wei didn’t try to be polite and gulped it in one go. Ye Ying was stunned by Zhang Yu’s fluent action. She stared at Zhang Yu, then at Ye Wei. Ye Wei smiled at Zhang Yu and thanked him, treating Ye Ying as air.
Ye Wei handed back the cup to Zhang Yu and Zhang Yu took it back, he asked, “Do you want another cup?”
Ye Wei shook her head, “No.”
Jiang Fei jumped over, “IwantIwantIwant. I want a cup!”
Chen Weiguo’s wife rushed to pour Jiang Fei a cup. Jiang Fei was not polite either and emptied it in one gulp.
Ye Ying parted her lips but couldn’t say anything. She felt lost in her heart. She was perturbed. She told herself not to overthink, but she couldn’t stop herself from overthinking. Why did Zhang Yu suddenly treat Ye Wei so well? Did he fall for her?
In the past, as long as she showed a little bit of unhappiness, Zhang Yu would always be the first to find out and comfort her. But recently, when she was clearly in a bad mood, Zhang Yu seemed to be oblivious about it, he didn’t notice it nor did he come to comfort her like before.
She stared at Zhang Yu, but Zhang Yu had taken the sickle to resume cutting the millet. He was engrossed in his work and didn’t give another look at her.
Under the blazing sun, he had a less scholarly aura than usual, but the noble and radiant young man was still the same man who made people’s hearts skip a beat.
Her eyes shifted to Ye Wei again, only this time, Ye Wei returned a faint glance at her. Ye Ying saw the malicious smile hidden in the depth of Ye Wei’s eyes, as if she was taunting and ridiculing her. Ye Wei mouthed to her, “Mine.”
Ye Ying’s breath hitched.
Hers!
Ye Wei was going to steal back what was hers!
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Footnotes
[1] 舔狗 – tiǎn gǒu. A person who puts down his/her dignity to cater to others even though knowing the other party doesn’t like him/her. Sucker. Fawner. Lackey. ↵
Ry’s Lei’s Corner
The word used for distress in this and previous chapters are not exactly distress? It’s 心疼 (lit. heart hurts (for)); To feel sorry for sb / to be distressed / pity. There is definitely affection involved for you to 心疼 for others. Zhang Yu and Ye Tao gradually cared for Ye Wei, they no longer treat her as outsider thus their hearts hurt for her.
Welcome to today’s episode on how the world doesn’t revolve around you, Ye Ying.
I said that I’m taking over but frankly, I just edited the drafts Ry has done lmao, but hey.
Anyway, copied from my other post, Suzume is airing in my country and I got to watch it some time ago. Previously, when watching the trailer, I rolled on the ground bc what the heck, the ML turned into a chair-kun? Where did Makoto Shinkai-sensei even get the inspiration to turn the ML into a chair. I’m crying. Hilarious chair-kun aside, I can see why Suzume is popular in Japan, and even called a love letter from Makoto Shinkai to Japan. Unlike Kimi no Na Wa and Tenki No Ko, Suzume focuses more on the adventure part with a tidbit of romance. The story dealt with natural disasters and the places where the ‘worms’ appeared was where real-life earthquakes took place in Japan. From Kyushu/Kumamoto (2016), Kobe (1995), Tokyo (1923), and Sendai (2011). Each earthquake was worse than the last. As an overseas fan, I didn’t really catch the deep emotions because I only know it from a text, but I get the gits why it is impactful for the native. The animation is undoubtedly beautiful, it is Makoto Shinkai’s movie, after all. The OSTs are bangers. RADWIMPS never disappoints. My only letdown was the OST “Suzume” only fully played once in the credit.
Likes and comments are very much appreciated because the notifications remind us we still have ongoing translations in hands. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
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Whenever I scrolled the Superchat of “The Memory Lost in Space” on weibo, I see fellow sufferers of Yin Nanzhao. It has been nearly 5 years since MLiS was officially published and the people simping for Yin Nanzhao never stop. I just hope to see a spin-off where my baes is happy, please. Where art thou, fanfiction author.
If you like what I do please consider buying me ko-fi! Who needs sleep, anyway.
Ye Tao caught a common cold and he went to rest after he took his medicine. He was woken up later to eat a bowl of congee, and then he slept soundly all night.
Initially, Ye Ying intended to take care of Ye Tao. She insisted on staying awake all night. Before long, Zhang Yu called her to rest, “We are here, don’t worry, you can go to sleep. Ye Tao is sick, he will feel bad if you get sick too.”
Ye Ying stubbornly refused.
She peered at Zhang Yu. These days, Ye Tao was not the only person tailing behind Ye Wei every day. Zhang Yu did so too. He would be running to offer help to Ye Wei. Clearly, he wasn’t like this before.
She remembered clearly that Zhang Yu wasn’t fond of Ye Wei before. In fact, he was the one that warned her of Ye Wei. But, why was that now his attitude towards Ye Wei changed drastically?
He didn’t help Ye Wei out of politeness, but because he cared for her.
Zhang Yu acted just like her Gege did to Ye Wei.
Ye Ying snapped back to Ye Wei’s words. She said, she would take back everything that should have belonged to her.
If that was indeed the case, she had succeeded.
Her Gege. Her friends. They all stood by her side……
She pursed her lips. It was inevitable she felt sad. She didn’t want to lose any of them.
Jiang Fei had wrapped himself with a quilt, “Well, if you insist. Anyway, I’m out. Ye Wei said she will go to harvest millet tomorrow.”
He anticipated it with great interest, but in the same way, he couldn’t overcome his dread of the tiring work……
Zhang Yu, “Go, rest. Otherwise, you won’t have any energy for tomorrow.”
On the sideline, Tong Ke’s words were dribbling with mockery, “Heh. Seems like a certain someone is vying for the opportunity to be lazy. Just say that you want to sleep during the day so you don’t have to work tomorrow. How difficult is it just to be honest.”
Ye Ying stood up for herself, “I am not searching for a reason to be lazy. I’m just worried about Gege.”
Tong Ke oh’ed. “Your Gege has Zhang Yu to take care of him. What are you doing guarding your Gege this late in the men’s room? If you stay here all night, how can Zhang Yu and Jiang Fei have a good sleep?”You are trying to pretend to be the Holy Mother again? As if I will give you a chance!
Ye Ying: “……”
Cornered by Tong Ke’s reasoning, Ye Ying had to return to their room. Unfortunately, she tossed and turned, but she couldn’t sleep. Her mind was constantly replaying the way Ye Wei glanced at her with disdain. That kind of Ye Wei instilled fear in her, or to be precise, instilled fear of losing everything she had.
……
Ye Tao’s fever went down during the night. The next morning, he woke up on empty stomach. Sadly, unlike in the Ye Mansion, there were no snacks available, nor were there leftovers in the kitchen.
As Lady Luck would have it, Ye Wei got up earlier than usual. She prepared breakfast in an orderly manner. She lit up a fire and boiled a pot of sweet potato porridge. While at it, she kneaded the dough that was set last night and steamed it. Then, she grabbed pickled carrots from the pickle jar, cut it into shreds, and dressed it with some chili oil.
Ye Tao ate three steamed buns and finished two bowls of sweet potato porridge before his hunger satiated. After that, he wiped his mouth and collapsed on the bench to digest the food.
After breakfast, Ye Wei and Grandma Chen readied baskets and bamboo mats to bring to the field. Zhang Yu and Jiang Fei were quick on their feet to help them so as not to let Ye Wei and Grandma Chen do any heavy work. Ye Tao also wanted to help, but he was stopped by Ye Ying. Considering that he had not fully recovered, Ye Ying was worried his cold would get worse in case of exhaustion.
Ye Tao reluctantly obeyed her words. But, he couldn’t just loiter around, so he took a machete to cut firewood. This time, Ye Ying couldn’t persuade him.
“The more I do, the less Ye Wei does.”
Ye Ying：“……”
She was more certain than ever.
Ye Tao truly and genuinely held Ye Wei dear in his heart.
……
This time, Chen Weiguo and his wife took the initiative to help with the work in the field. They brought sickles and smiled widely, “We are all a family. Family should help each other.”
Chen Weiguo’s wife sighed, “You ah, Ma. Why don’t you call us to help you harvest the millet? Isn’t it tiring? If you called us, you wouldn’t have to work so hard. You are already old, don’t force yourself. Honghong, too! How could you let guests do heavy work? Is this how you show your hospitality?”
They were all distinguished guests. Even if she couldn’t entertain them, how could she let them follow her every day to work?
Ye Wei was nonchalant, “You get it wrong. These distinguished guests voluntarily lend Grandma a hand. They didn’t have the heart to see Grandma working hard alone at her age. Even strangers like them are willing to help someone they just know. Can’t you see it. the heart of gold that these distinguished guests have? You shouldn’t rebuke me for lacking hospitality, instead, you should praise them for their good character. Unlike some people who have their conscience eaten by dogs and treat their own blood no better than strangers.”
Chen Weiguo’s smile was pulled down from his face. His wife’s face was no good, “What do you mean by that?”
Ye Wei blinked, “What do I mean? I mean that there are people of high moral character, so naturally, there are also people of low moral character ah? Am I wrong?”
“… No, no.” Chen Weiguo’s wife backed down when she caught Zhang Yu and Jiang Fei’s eyes on them. With their attention on them, how dare Chen Weiguo’s wife continued to argue with Ye Wei.
The original plan of ‘educating’ Ye Wei was not accomplished, instead, she was ‘educated’ in turn. She ground her teeth. Couldn’t she see through Ye Wei’s words? She plainly condemned that they had no conscience and no morality and that they treat strangers better than their own blood!
Strangers couldn’t bear to see the old lady work alone. Yet, they, as her son and daughter-in-law, not only kicked their own mother out of the house, but they didn’t even help her one bit!
When Zhang Yu and Jiang Fei looked over, Chen Weiguo’s wife heated a few laughs, “”Okay, okay. Stop gossiping, let’s focus back on working……”
Chen Weiguo gave his wife a look. His wife was greatly aggrieved. Did Chen Xiaohong really regard herself as the eldest daughter of the Ye Family? The Ye Family preferred their Chen Family Ye Ying more than Chen Xiaohong. They loved their Ye Ying and couldn’t put their Ye Ying down for Chen Xiaohong. Chen Xiaohong was not as beautiful as Ye Ying, not as refined as Ye Ying, and not as smart as Ye Ying. Chen Xiaohong was merely an uncouth girl, her existence was humiliating the Ye Family’s name. What was Chen Xiaohong acting proud of!
Chen Weiguo’s wife berated Ye Wei in her heart but worked with a smile on her face.
Ye Wei only gave a fleeting smirk and ignored her. She held a handful of millet and beat it on the basket with a loud “bang bang bang” as the grains fell apart. She smashed it several times to make sure that the grain fell off completely. She then threw the stem aside and repeated her action with another millet.
Grandma Chen was focused on her work. Her back bent as she cut apart the millet.
This was Zhang Yu’s first experience doing such work. Jiang Fei was the same. But, Jiang Fei was brimming with enthusiasm. His eyes sparkled with stars. “When I go back, I think I can write a thrilling ‘If I Am Not Brave’ too!”
Zhang Yu, “……” Should he seek professional help for his friend’s brain?
Zhang Yu was clumsy-handed, but he did his work with absolute concentration. It’s just, he had been squatting for a long time and couldn’t stop the numb feeling spreading on his legs. He took a peek at Ye Wei and Grandma Chen. The two appeared not to have ‘rest’ in their dictionary. One non-stop cutting the millet, and the other smashed the millet with loud bangs.
The sun was shining bright above their heads and the mosquitoes were hungry for food. He hadn’t even worked for that long, but he, a big man, couldn’t stand it for a moment longer. How many hardships had Ye Wei and Grandma Chen tasted to bear this kind of work without batting their eyes?
Still, he insisted on working. Jiang Fei was quickly tired of cutting off the millet. He moved to Ye Wei’s side and requested a shift change. He went to thrash the millet and Ye Wei went to cut the millet. Ye Wei’s movement was nimble. At first, the amount Zhang Yu had collected could keep up with her, but it took no time for Ye Wei to overtake him.
Zhang Yu was dumbfounded. He became even more resistant to rest. But he couldn’t deny that his body was sore. He tried to chase after Ye Wei’s speed but was left to pant like a dying fish.
“Ye Wei.” On the spur of the moment, he called her name.
“Hm?” Ye Wei didn’t even look up at him. “What’s up?”
In actuality, although Zhang Yu had helped Ye Wei a lot these past few days, they hardly talked.
Zhang Yu was a bit self-conscious and ashamed. Ye Wei was purely too lazy to take care of his emotions. There were mountains of work waiting for her, where could she spare time to care about his emotions?
“I apologize for the things I said to you before.” Zhang Yu apologized, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I don’t know anything about you and haven’t even gotten to know you in person. I shouldn’t take it for granted and judge you when I know nothing about you.”
Ye Wei arched her eyebrow and looked up at him, showing a trace of amazement, “You are apologizing to me? Did I hear it right? Is the sun rising from the west?”
Zhang Yu smiled, “Don’t be complacent. I do apologize to you, but I still don’t think your courses of action are completely right. One thing I still don’t agree with is the way you intentionally target Ye Ying. Ye Ying is innocent.”
Ye Wei snorted, “Out of all things I have done after I have been home for so long, that was the one thing you are most upset with? Then, you are apologizing to me right now, what kind of apology are you making?”
Zhang Yu was briefly silent. He used to dislike Ye Wei, mostly because there were too many desires in Ye Wei’s eyes. She was hiding a sharp knife underneath her peaceful persona. She seemed to want everything, and everything she wanted should be in her hands. She repelled Ye Ying and had malice towards her. She desired to get rid of Ye Ying who had seized her life.
That cognition made him believe that Ye Wei was dangerous and terrible. Someone who could hide such sharpness in front of everyone wouldn’t be a good person with a simple mind.
However, this visit totally changed his view of Ye Wei.
She had a lot of hidden desires, but, if he tried to put himself in Ye Wei’s shoes, he himself couldn’t guarantee he could be magnanimous. Could he not resent, could he not hate? Could he just accept everything with open hands without any superfluous desire and treat the person who stole his position with peace?
He couldn’t.
Perhaps, his reaction would be worse than Ye Wei’s.
He couldn’t imagine himself in Ye Wei’s shoes, getting up before dawn to work and being busy all day long without a break. Even during the night when people were supposed to rest, he would be chopping firewood instead of resting. These few days, he noticed that Ye Wei had stacked more than twenty bundles of firewood. It was stacked neat and tidy under the eaves. He could guess why Ye Wei collected as much as she could. She hoped that after she left, Grandma Chen could relax during the night and Grandma Chen wouldn’t have to be afraid of lacking firewood when the winter came and snow covered the mountain.
“I’m sorry,” Zhang Yu apologized again.
“Why are you sorry? Anyway, it’s impossible for me to coexist peacefully with Ye Ying. As long as I live, I will never forget that my parents forsake me in favor of her. They choose to abandon me, just because Ye Ying endlessly wept for everything to stay the same.”
“Ye Ying wouldn’t have thought things would develop like this. It was unintentional on her part……”” Zhang Yu himself could hear that he had no confidence in his words.
“‘It was unintentional on her part?’” Ye Wei laughed unreservedly. Zhang Yu saw a sardonic smile on Ye Wei’s face. Her face was red from the heat and pulps of sweat trailed down her cheeks. Her dark eyes squinted sharply at him, “If it was unintentional, why didn’t she go and have a word with Papa and Mama after they decided not to take me home and leave me to fend for myself? Why didn’t she persuade them to take me home? Why didn’t she at least, for once and only, act like she was willing to switch back with me? Why did she just accept Papa and Mama’s decision with peace of mind? Why did she take it for granted?”
“You people say that she is so good and honest, so kind and beautiful, and so pure and precious. If she lived up to that, why did she have no qualms of conscience and feel it is justified for her to take over my identity and monopolize my parents?”
“Don’t give me ‘Oh, it’s not like that. She has tried to persuade my parents but they didn’t agree’ shit. As long as she really wanted to, what wouldn’t my parents grant her?”
Zhang Yu was driven to the corner. Ye Wei’s questioning had left him with no words. He couldn’t find anything to refute her. He really believed that Ye Ying didn’t mean to let things develop like this in the first place and everything that followed was unintentional on her part, but to say that she was not aware of the things happening was a bit……
He couldn’t form any words to say for a long time. Eventually, he said, “Ye Ying has no bad intentions, she is just…”
“Just what? Selfish?” Ye Wei mockingly smiled, “Who is not selfish? Humans are inherently selfish. They will subconsciously choose the best choice for themselves. I am no different, aren’t I? After returning to the Ye Family, I get to see a wider world and live a better life so I don’t want to go back to the Chen Family anymore.”
Zhang Yu shook his head as he watched Ye Wei’s detached manner, “I know you are not that kind of person. If you really don’t want to return here, you will never return here. But, you are here. You are back. If you really want to leave everything behind, why are you still here working so hard without rest?”
His gaze moved to Grandma Chen, who was still focusing on cutting the millet. After a few days with Grandma Chen, he was aware that Grandma Chen barely spoke. She was extremely quiet as if she didn’t like to talk at all. Even when Grandma Chen was with Ye Wei, she didn’t say more than a few words.
However, it was this quiet old lady who had the courage to steal money for Ye Wei, and it took even more courage to take Ye Wei away from the Chen Family and farmed the field alone to support Ye Wei’s education.
She, Grandma Chen, was the sole reason why Ye Wei was here.
Ye Wei was actually not as cold and heartless as she showed.
Ye Wei: “You speak as if you know me well.”
Zhang Yu: “Mn. I can’t claim that I know you well, but at least a bit is still a bit, right?”
Ye Wei buried her head back in work, “I can understand Ye Ying’s approach. It’s human nature to make the most of the benefits while avoiding harm. But in the same way that I understand her, I hope that she can understand me. She wants to hog what belongs to me, so don’t blame me for targeting her! Zhang Yu. Since you are so protective of Ye Ying, then you should protect her well. Don’t blame me for not warning you if she gets hurt in the future.”
Zhang Yu had a small smile. Even though Ye Wei’s words were full of knives, for some reason, he couldn’t associate her with the dangerous and terrible person he once thought.
When Ye Ying arrived with the kettle and cups, she saw Ye Wei and Zhang Yu immersed in a good chat. She couldn’t hear the content of their chat, but it was evident that Zhang Yu’s attitude towards Ye Wei was no longer the initial tit-for-tat. On the contrary, she saw admiration for Ye Wei in his eyes, and even vaguely some distress. That’s right, it must be distress on his eyes. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have scrambled to help Ye Wei.
Ye Ying’s heart thumped and her complexion sank.
She gathered her emotions back and carried the kettle over, “Rest for a while. Here, have some drinks.”
She first poured Grandma Chen a cup. As for Chen Weiguo and his wife, she didn’t bother to pour them drinks. Anyway, they came over at once the moment they saw her. She was upset in her heart because she was aware that they just pretended to have a good heart when it was actually rotten inside. The only reason they were nice to her was that she was the adopted daughter of the Ye Family and she still had values in their eyes.
Ye Ying didn’t have much reaction to Chen Weiguo and his wife’s attempt at making a chat. They were not pleased, but they couldn’t get angry at her. In their heart, they scolded Ye Ying a million times, but outside, they still had to be a licking dog[1]
After Ye Ying poured water for Grandma Chen, she poured another cup for Zhang Yu, “Isn’t it tiring? Here; Take a rest if you are tired. Don’t put up a front or you will fall sick like my Gege.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not pushing myself,” Zhang Yu comforted, “I’m in good health, I won’t be down easily by this kind of work.”
Ye Wei, a girl, could persist. As a man, how could he lose to her?
“Mmmm. If you feel uncomfortable, please make sure to tell me.”
“I will, rest assured.”
He accepted the cup Ye Ying gave to him. He turned his head and handed the cup to Ye Wei, indicating her to rest. Ye Wei didn’t try to be polite and gulped it in one go. Ye Ying was stunned by Zhang Yu’s fluent action. She stared at Zhang Yu, then at Ye Wei. Ye Wei smiled at Zhang Yu and thanked him, treating Ye Ying as air.
Ye Wei handed back the cup to Zhang Yu and Zhang Yu took it back, he asked, “Do you want another cup?”
Ye Wei shook her head, “No.”
Jiang Fei jumped over, “IwantIwantIwant. I want a cup!”
Chen Weiguo’s wife rushed to pour Jiang Fei a cup. Jiang Fei was not polite either and emptied it in one gulp.
Ye Ying parted her lips but couldn’t say anything. She felt lost in her heart. She was perturbed. She told herself not to overthink, but she couldn’t stop herself from overthinking. Why did Zhang Yu suddenly treat Ye Wei so well? Did he fall for her?
In the past, as long as she showed a little bit of unhappiness, Zhang Yu would always be the first to find out and comfort her. But recently, when she was clearly in a bad mood, Zhang Yu seemed to be oblivious about it, he didn’t notice it nor did he come to comfort her like before.
She stared at Zhang Yu, but Zhang Yu had taken the sickle to resume cutting the millet. He was engrossed in his work and didn’t give another look at her.
Under the blazing sun, he had a less scholarly aura than usual, but the noble and radiant young man was still the same man who made people’s hearts skip a beat.
Her eyes shifted to Ye Wei again, only this time, Ye Wei returned a faint glance at her. Ye Ying saw the malicious smile hidden in the depth of Ye Wei’s eyes, as if she was taunting and ridiculing her. Ye Wei mouthed to her, “Mine.”
Ye Ying’s breath hitched.
Hers!
Ye Wei was going to steal back what was hers!
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Footnotes
[1] 舔狗 – tiǎn gǒu. A person who puts down his/her dignity to cater to others even though knowing the other party doesn’t like him/her. Sucker. Fawner. Lackey. ↵
Ry’s Lei’s Corner
The word used for distress in this and previous chapters are not exactly distress? It’s 心疼 (lit. heart hurts (for)); To feel sorry for sb / to be distressed / pity. There is definitely affection involved for you to 心疼 for others. Zhang Yu and Ye Tao gradually cared for Ye Wei, they no longer treat her as outsider thus their hearts hurt for her.
Welcome to today’s episode on how the world doesn’t revolve around you, Ye Ying.
I said that I’m taking over but frankly, I just edited the drafts Ry has done lmao, but hey.
Anyway, copied from my other post, Suzume is airing in my country and I got to watch it some time ago. Previously, when watching the trailer, I rolled on the ground bc what the heck, the ML turned into a chair-kun? Where did Makoto Shinkai-sensei even get the inspiration to turn the ML into a chair. I’m crying. Hilarious chair-kun aside, I can see why Suzume is popular in Japan, and even called a love letter from Makoto Shinkai to Japan. Unlike Kimi no Na Wa and Tenki No Ko, Suzume focuses more on the adventure part with a tidbit of romance. The story dealt with natural disasters and the places where the ‘worms’ appeared was where real-life earthquakes took place in Japan. From Kyushu/Kumamoto (2016), Kobe (1995), Tokyo (1923), and Sendai (2011). Each earthquake was worse than the last. As an overseas fan, I didn’t really catch the deep emotions because I only know it from a text, but I get the gits why it is impactful for the native. The animation is undoubtedly beautiful, it is Makoto Shinkai’s movie, after all. The OSTs are bangers. RADWIMPS never disappoints. My only letdown was the OST “Suzume” only fully played once in the credit.
Likes and comments are very much appreciated because the notifications remind us we still have ongoing translations in hands. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
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Whenever I scrolled the Superchat of “The Memory Lost in Space” on weibo, I see fellow sufferers of Yin Nanzhao. It has been nearly 5 years since MLiS was officially published and the people simping for Yin Nanzhao never stop. I just hope to see a spin-off where my baes is happy, please. Where art thou, fanfiction author.
If you like what I do please consider buying me ko-fi! Who needs sleep, anyway.
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