Ye Ming now had a rough idea of the situation, and thankfully didn't resort to directly chastising the burly man.
Otherwise, he'd be terribly guilty later when he found out.
"What's your name?"
"Master, my name is Yang Xiong, and my daughter's name is Yang Xiaohui."
"Yang Xiaohui, what a nice name. That sounds exciting."
Seeing his daughter praised by Ye Ming, Yang Xiong felt a sense of opportunity.
A smile crossed his face, though his illness and starvation made him look even uglier than tears.
"Master, are you thinking of buying my daughter?"
"Dad, I don't want her to be a maid. I want to stay with you."
"Don't be ridiculous. Have you forgotten what I told you?"
Seeing her father's frail appearance, Yang Xiaohui, despite her heartbreak, said nothing.
"I'll buy her, but not as a maid."
"Master, a concubine is fine. But my Xiaohui still has a year until she reaches marriage. You'd buy her and raise her. She's so beautiful."
Ye Ming frowned. Did he look like someone who liked children?
Well, whatever he thought, explanations were pointless.
"Here, here's one tael of silver. Use this to bury your mother properly, and buy yourself some suitable clothes."
Ye Ming then pulled out a few cold medicine pills from his system.
"This is medicine for the cold. It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not, you're dying anyway."
"I have no reason to lie to you. When you recover, bring your daughter to me in Qingshi Village."
Yang Xiong looked at the silver in his hand, then looked up at Ye Ming, a little incredulous.
He couldn't believe Ye Ming would give him one tael of silver.
This way, his mother could have a better burial.
Even if it was poison, it was a blessing, at least it would make his death less painful.
"Master, please take Xiaohui away. It's early spring now, the ice and snow are melting quickly, and it's freezing. If you don't take her, I'm afraid she won't survive the night."
Ye Ming couldn't do any of this.
Originally, he had wanted to take Yang Xiong and his daughter back home and find them a place to live.
Now he had no choice but to take Yang Xiaohui back home. How would he explain this to Xiaorong?
"Master, please!"
"Xiaohui, please beg Master!"
Yang Xiong prodded Yang Xiaohui with his stick, and she reluctantly knelt before Ye Ming.
"Alright, alright, I'll take her back."
"Remember this: if you're not dead tomorrow, follow this road and find me in Qingshi Village."
"Raise your own daughter, and as for this money, work to pay off my debt!"
Ye Ming's words stunned Yang Xiong for a moment, but once he came to his senses, he kowtowed to Ye Ming with tears streaming down his face.
"Thank you so much, Master, for sparing my life. If I, Yang Xiong, were still alive, I would definitely come to Qingshi Village to find you and work for you!"
"Okay, I'll wait. You, come with me."
Looking at his daughter standing still, Yang Xiong quickly prodded her with his stick.
"Hurry and follow Master. Why are you still standing there?"
"Dad, I can't bear to leave you!"
"Why should I? I'll come find you tomorrow."
"Alright, let's go."
Yang Xiaohui knew this farewell would likely be forever.
She'd seen so much along the way.
"Dad, I'm leaving now."
Yang Xiaohui walked over to Ye Ming, glancing at Yang Xiong reluctantly. Then she followed him.
"I hope I can really survive."
Yang Xiong collected Ye Ming's silver and cold medicine, then dragged the old woman's body toward the city gate.
With the silver, he could go into the city to buy burial supplies for his mother.
In Qingshi Village, as Ye Ming arrived outside his home, he heard a fierce argument.
"You little bitch, why are you denying us mother and son a meal?"
"I've raised Ye Ming for so many years, what's wrong with eating his food?"
Su Xiaorong was almost in tears. If Wang Da Jiao and her son had just worked and come to eat, she wouldn't have cared.
But these two had just done nothing and, instead of saying anything, had come into the kitchen, trying to steal her husband's hunt.
Seeing the arrogant Wang Da Jiao and her son, Aunt Huang shielded Su Xiaorong behind her.
Aunt Li and Aunt Zheng even blocked Wang Da Jiao's way with sticks.
"Wang Da Jiao, don't think we don't know. Ye Ming isn't your son at all."
"You've treated him like a slave for so many years. If there's anything he owes, it's Ye Ming you owe."
"How dare you come here with such a face?"
Wang Da Jiao had originally come in expecting to be the boss, but when Li Ruhua pointed her nose and scolded her, she instantly lost her temper.
"Li, Zheng, get out of the way. This is my family business!"
Li Chunhua and Zheng Huai saw Ye Ming, standing behind Wang Da Jiao and her son, tactfully moved aside.
Wang Da Jiao, however, thought they were scared and felt very proud.
"That's right, get out of my way."
"Son, catch this little bitch and teach her a lesson. Let her know what happens if she disobeys me!"
Ye Qingshan's face was filled with excitement and obscenity. Su Xiaorong had been well-treated by Ye Ming recently.
Her skin was fair and rosy, and she looked prettier than those whores in the brothel.
"Oh my God!"
Ye Ming, who had originally wanted to chase them away, could no longer bear the sight.
He flew over and kicked Ye Qingshan twice.
He kicked Ye Qingshan to the ground and made him spit out blood. "Oh, you little beast, I'm going to fight you!"
"Oh, and you old beast, you dare to attack my wife!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
Ye Ming pressed Wang Dajiao on Ye Qingshan's body and slapped her hard.
Several of her teeth were pulled out.
"Oh, you little beast, are you going to beat me to death?"
"Ye Ming, you bastard, if you dare, let go of me and my mother. Let's fight!"
"Husband, stop it! Someone's going to die!"
"That's right, Brother Ming, stop it!"
After a furious outburst, Ye Ming finally let go of Wang Da Jiao, whose face was covered in blood.
"Dare to lay hands on my wife? I'll kill you the next time I see you!"
"Auntie Huang, please help me throw them out."
"Okay," the three aunts said with a smug look on their faces.
"Wang Da Jiao, please go ahead. You're not welcome here!"
Wang Da Jiao, hurt by Ye Ming's blow, felt a little frightened. But her arrogance didn't diminish in the slightest.
"Wait for me, you guys. If you don't do well, you guys won't be able to escape!"
"Let's go!"
"Damn it! Are you looking for death by dithering?"
Seeing that Ye Ming was about to hit them again, the two of them fled in disgrace.
Once outside the courtyard, their terrified eyes turned to resentment.
"Mom, are we just going to let Ye Ming go?"
"Son, I feel like he kicked all my bones!"
Wang Dajiao glanced at Ye Ming's yard.
"Don't you like that little bitch?"
"You find your brothers in the county and take care of that little Jianren while that little Chu Shen is not at home!"
"Let's see if this little Jianren is insulted and this little Chu Shenhai wants it."
"Mom, stop talking. You're leaking words now."