This domineering shrew had long coveted his family's land, preying on Ye Chen's orphaned status. She had arbitrarily altered field boundaries and deliberately planted fruit trees on their plot, a cruelty that contributed to his grandparents' deaths from grief. After he entered university, Lin Cuie often called, claiming she wanted to "cultivate his land," but he'd insisted she consult his uncle, who had defied pressure to safeguard it for years. Now Lin Cuie's venom escalated, feigning innocence. "Ye Xian, you bastard! I just want a patch of Gousheng's land to grow vegetables! What's it to you? You uprooted my crops! Look at you and your sickly wife—can you even farm? Why let it lie fallow if you won't let me use it?" Inside, Ye Xian trembled with rage. "I'd rather give it to a stranger than you! You demolished Gousheng's pigsty, claiming it was agricultural land, but now your family has built a house on that very spot!" He choked, "I promised Brother Ye Yunshan on his deathbed to protect Gousheng and his land. You'll have to step over my corpse to take another inch, Lin Cuie!" Though guilt pricked her, she blustered on. "What's it to you? You share the same surname, but you're not real family! Why should you hoard his land while I can't? I'll say it plain—you've leeching off his land for fifteen years, and now you're even exploiting *him*! Think I don't know the truth? Ye Xin and Wang Cui have been married for years without children—he's impotent, isn't he? Then Gousheng goes 'mad' for six months, and suddenly Wang Cui's with child. Need I spell out who the father is?" *Damn!* Ye Chen, about to reveal he'd regained his senses, froze, stunned by the bombshell. *Could it be true?* He smiled bitterly. *How will I face them when they learn I'm no longer 'foolish'? Best to keep up the act.* "You foul-mouthed wretch! How dare you!" Wang Cui appeared at the door, clutching a six-month-old infant, her face flushed with fury. "Whether I'm lying is for you to ponder," Lin Cuie sneered. "Back to the matter of my crops—you owe me compensation. Ten yuan per plant, one hundred plants total. That's one thousand yuan." "You're being unreasonable! You planted on Gousheng's land without permission—I spent days tilling that soil!" Ye Xian thundered. Seeing his uncle cornered, Ye Chen shambled forward, feigning idiocy. "Ah, perfect timing—Gousheng's back!" Lin Cuie declared. "Let's settle this fairly: the Ye family has held Gousheng's land for fifteen years, yet look at his tattered clothes! Ye Xian can't even buy him a decent outfit. I propose the land be returned to the collective, leased out, and the income used for Gousheng's living expenses. The village would care for him better than you—you give him nothing, let the land lie waste, and dare to stop others from using it! You call yourself a teacher?" Ye Xian clutched his chest, coughing violently, as Lin Cuie strode up to Ye Chen, grabbed his waistband, and leered inside. "Poor Gousheng—your pants are so torn, your 'bird' is out for air! Come to Auntie's later, and I'll sew your trousers… and feed you something meaty." Ye Xian and Wang Cui were too outraged to speak. Then *smack!* Ye Chen's palm sent Lin Cuie sprawling. She lay stunned, her ample girth jiggling, as the crowd erupted in laughter. They'd long resented her but feared her husband, the village chief. Now, even the meekest couldn't suppress their snickers. "How dare you! You taught him to hit me! I'll make you pay!" Lin Cuie screeched. "Gousheng, *they're* the liars—Auntie's been good to you! Remember the watermelons I gave you?" Turning to the onlookers, she accused, "They're the real villains! They starve him, clothe him in rags, and steal his land!" "No! Uncle and Sister-in-law are the kindest! They cook fish congee for me every day! Uncle bought me new clothes for my wedding—said I can't wear them till I have a wife!" Ye Chen snarled, lashing out with a kick. Lin Cuie yelped and scrambled away, no one lifting a finger to assist her. "Ye Xian, you'll regret this! That land will be reclaimed—I'll see to it!" As the crowd dispersed, Ye Chen entered the house for breakfast. "Old Ye, what shall we do? Before, she'd at least ask to plant on a patch—now she's grabbing land outright! With Zhao Dong as chief, we can't fight them," his aunt fretted. Ye Xian sighed, "I'll die trying to protect it. I'm late for class—have to go." "Uncle, I can protect our land," Ye Chen insisted. But his uncle just shook his head, sighing, clearly dismissing the words of a "fool," and limped out. Soon, his aunt left for the fields too. "Gousheng, here's warm milk—drink up," Wang Cui said. Their eyes met, and memories sharpened, stirring a pang in him. He forced a vacant grin, downing the milk without meeting her gaze. At twenty-eight, she was luminous—fair-skinned, lithe, with full lips that looked striking in lipstick. Even in simple shorts, post-childbirth, she radiated maternal warmth. "Thanks, Sister-in-law." She'd always been generous, feeding him breakfast daily and sharing her post-partum milk—costly, nutrient-rich stuff. Yet she'd heated a bowl for him every morning, building his strength over six months. He licked his lips, startled—the milk carried a subtle sweetness and *primordial yang energy*, instantly transforming the pathogenic qi from Lin Wan into healing energy. Purer than ordinary yin-yang qi, it needed no refinement by his Yin-Yang Pearl, flowing directly into his cultivation. *No wonder my Yin-Yang Eyes awakened so swiftly.* Gratitude swelled—but ordinary milk lacked such potency. *Unless this is raw, unprocessed…*
