Chapter 258 - Ancestral Shrine Plaque

The woman at the door—Wang Cuihong—could not hide the surprise on her face upon hearing Ye Beizhi’s words.

"You’re looking for me?" Wang Cuihong took another step back, her gaze on Ye Beizhi growing more wary. "I don’t know you. What do you want with me?"

Wang Cuihong appeared to be in her early thirties. Although time had etched its marks on her face, traces of her youthful beauty could still be seen in her features.

"Niu Dayong..."Ye Beizhi lowered his head slightly, staring at Wang Cuihong. "Was my battalion commander."

"Dayong..." The woman seemed momentarily dazed when the name was mentioned. She took a closer look at Ye Beizhi and cautiously asked, "You, you are...?"

"Ye Beizhi."

"Ah—it’s you!" The woman covered her mouth, exclaiming, "You’re the one who sends me—"

The woman abruptly stopped speaking. She glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, but lowered her voice anyway. "You’re the one sending me money every month?"

Ye Beizhi silently nodded. "I’ve been on the road these past few months... so there’s been a delay." With that, he pulled a stack of silver notes from his coat and handed them to Wang Cuihong.

At that moment, a woman’s voice rang out from the courtyard behind Wang Cuihong. "Wang Cuihong—who’s out there?"

Wang Cuihong’s expression turned flustered, and soon someone quickly emerged from the courtyard.

The woman appeared a few years older than Wang Cuihong, with a sharp chin, prominent cheekbones, and eyes fixed in a perpetual squint.

Ye Beizhi heard Fang Dingwu whispering to Chi Nanwei behind him, "That woman’s face screams trouble—she didn't get a face like that from being nice."

Ye Beizhi couldn’t help but give the woman’s face a good once over after hearing that.

The woman’s expression changed the moment she saw the three of them. "Wang Cuihong! Your husband is not home, so who gave you permission to open the door for a man?!"

Wang Cuihong’s face turned red, then pale. She gave Ye Beizhi an embarrassed smile before pulling the woman aside to whisper a few words. The woman’s expression gradually softened, and when her gaze landed on the silver notes in Ye Beizhi’s hand, a smile immediately spread across her face.

She shot Wang Cuihong a reproachful look, as if blaming her for not explaining earlier, then walked toward Ye Beizhi with a fawning demeanor. "You must be Master Ye?"

Ye Beizhi’s face remained expressionless as he gave a faint nod.

"Oh dear—look at my poor judgment!" The woman lightly brushed her face with her hand and quickly opened the door wide. "Didn’t even realize we had such an esteemed guest—please, come in."

Ye Beizhi accepted her hospitality and stepped inside. Fang Dingwu and Chi Nanwei followed him in.

Although the newly built house was the best house in the village and housed the ancestral shrine of the Niu clan, it was still in the countryside. No matter how good the house was, it could only be so impressive.

Nevertheless, the yard had been renovated into a three-entry, three-exit complex, complete with a modestly sized inner yard.

The woman led the three of them into the inner courtyard and sat down at the table there, only to realize there wasn’t enough seating.

The woman glanced around but couldn’t find another stool, so she said to Wang Cuihong, "Why don’t you stand? We can’t have our guests standing, can we?"

Wang Cuihong was about to nod, but Fang Dingwu couldn’t stand it anymore. With a sarcastic tone, he said, "My brother came here to chat with his sister-in-law. If she doesn’t sit, how could we dare to sit?"

The woman’s face showed a flash of awkwardness, and she gave an embarrassed laugh. Wang Cuihong quickly waved her hands, saying, "No need, no need. You all sit; I’ll just stand..."

Ye Beizhi’s gaze shifted slightly, glancing at the woman who sat there smugly.

The woman noticed Ye Beizhi’s look and immediately understood. She quickly stood up and said, "

Ah... haha

, well, Cuihong, you sit down. I’ll go grab another stool from inside."

The woman threw a subtle glare at Wang Cuihong, made an awkward and shabby bow to Ye Beizhi, and swayed her hips as she left.

Wang Cuihong forced a smile at Ye Beizhi. "Ye... Master Ye, please don’t mind her."

Ye Beizhi pointed to the chair across from him. "Sit."

Wang Cuihong couldn’t quite figure out the temperament of this man she had never met before and nervously sat down. This man had sent her letters and silver notes every month for years, but the letters were always brief and sometimes didn’t even include a message—just a thin stack of silver notes. In a way, he was still a stranger to her.

The four of them sat around the table in silence.

Ye Beizhi suddenly broke the silence. "You remarried?"

Wang Cuihong was startled and quickly raised her head. Then, as if feeling guilty, she nodded. "

Ah, ah

... yes."

"Hmm..." Ye Beizhi nodded as well.

Another long silence ensued.

"Then..." Ye Beizhi tapped his fingers on the table. "Is your husband treating you well?"

Wang Cuihong bit her lip, closed her eyes, and nodded. "He... he’s alright. Thank you for your concern, Master Ye."

"Hmm..." Ye Beizhi nodded again.

"Actually—" Wang Cuihong opened her eyes, staring at the tips of her shoes under the table. "I didn’t plan to remarry at first..."

Wang Cuihong closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Fang Dingwu couldn’t bear to see Wang Cuihong in such a state. He slammed the table and roared, "Sister-in-law, just speak your mind—has this family treated you poorly? I, Fang, will stand up for you today. What’s the harm in burning down their ancestral shrine with a single torch?!"

Wang Cuihong was startled and quickly waved her hands. "Please don’t say that, brave one—this is the ancestral shrine; it cannot be burned!" After saying that, she glanced at Ye Beizhi and smiled apologetically.

"It’s like this... After Dayong passed, Master Ye sent money every month. As a woman, I couldn’t hunt or farm, and it was thanks to Master Ye’s support that I managed to get by. Later, I saved up some of the silver to build a cenotaph for Dayong. Since he was also part of the Niu family, I thought he should have a plaque in the ancestral shrine... But..."

"The clan elders disagreed," Ye Beizhi said with a nod.

Wang Cuihong forced a smile. "I couldn’t bear a child for Dayong, and he was the only male in his family... his line has now ended." The beautiful woman worn down by the years broke into tears. Covering her face, she sobbed, "I... I had to do something for him..."

"I see..." Ye Beizhi patted Wang Cuihong on the back. "Is the battalion commander’s plaque in the shrine?"

The woman took a deep breath, turned her back to the group, and wiped her tears. Her eyes still red, she forced a smile and nodded firmly. "Yes, it’s in the shrine."

"Outrageous!" Fang Dingwu, already fuming, roared, "A bunch of opportunistic scoundrels! And who was that nasty woman from earlier?"

Wang Cuihong soothed Fang Dingwu, "Please don’t be angry, brave one. I’m doing quite well now, so there’s no need to worry. That woman is my elder sister-in-law and the main wife of my husband, Niu Fangshi. Her maiden name is Xiuju."

"Fang Xiuju," Ye Beizhi repeated the name aloud, then looked at Fang Dingwu. "She's part of your family."

Fang Dingwu paused, then spat heavily on the ground. "

Pah

—who the hell wants a family like that?!"