Chapter 18: Blow the Roof Off
Mother Ye spoke with tireless coaxing, “Ah, Ning Ger, you mustn’t be ungrateful for your blessings. Zhou Dalang is utterly devoted to you. Everything he’s done—he only did it because he’s deeply in love with you. This is your good fortune! A Ger in this life only hopes to marry into a good family, a good household. Marrying Zhou Dalang is absolutely the right choice. You’ll live well, eat well, enjoy every comfort…”
Through the door, Ye Ning’s voice was cool and calm. “Ye Ning has a weak stomach. I can’t handle so much spicy food. Perhaps it’s Father and Mother who are looking forward to eating well and living comfortably?”
“You—” Mother Ye’s voice immediately pitched high. “What did you just say? Listen to yourself! Is this something a Ger should say? Today you dare talk back to your parents—tomorrow you’ll talk back to your husband! We raised you to this age; now you’re going to marry, shouldn’t we receive some bride price?”
She was about to continue scolding Ye Ning when he added, “So you’ve already taken the bride price from the Zhou family.”
Mother Ye immediately choked on her words, realizing she had let something slip.
Father Ye barked, “Enough! Say nothing more. Stay in your room quietly! Which Ger’s marriage isn’t decided by their parents? We agreed to this marriage with the Zhou family. Whether you want to marry or not, you will marry!”
He went on, “Ning Ger is so stubborn—let him skip a few meals. Today and tomorrow, give him no food. Let’s see how long he can remain obstinate!”
Then came the sounds of Father Ye and Mother Ye leaving, followed by Ye Zhu’s teasing voice, as the whole family went off to coax the third child to eat breakfast.
Ye Ning said nothing. Inside, his mind felt as clear as a mirror; he could see everything plainly, more clearly than ever. The Ye family simply planned to use Ye Ning to secure ties with the Zhou family. Whatever Zhou Dalang did, they weren’t blind—they simply didn’t care. As long as Zhou Dalang shed a few tears and voiced his grievances, the matter would be considered settled. What mattered was that the bride price arrived; then everything made sense.
Ye Ning understood that reasoning with them was pointless. Now, no one could help him—he could only rely on himself.
He looked around the room. Doors and windows were sealed. If he had the body he’d had in his past life—though not muscular, the training from the post-apocalyptic world had given him strength—he could have easily broken through. But unfortunately…
Ye Ning glanced at his current body. It was too frail. His thighs were thinner than most people’s arms, his slender waist could barely be grasped, and he probably suffered from some long-term malnutrition—not something one could fix in a day or two.
With such a delicate body, crashing against the door would be pointless. The windows were sealed too. It would be better to…
Boom—
Thunder rolled. This year, Qingtian Village was unusually rainy.
A torrential downpour swept over everything, instantly wrapping Ye Ning’s small house in a curtain of rain. His house was poorly built; every rainy day, water leaked in—just like now.
Plop—plop—drip…
Water fell from the roof. Ye Ning looked up at the dilapidated roof, raising an eyebrow. The doors and windows were reinforced, but the roof was still fragile. It would be better to leave by the roof—truly, it was the perfect example of the saying: “Flip the roof and escape!”
It was still daylight. Leaving now would guarantee a run-in with Father Ye and Mother Ye. Ye Ning decided to wait until nightfall, when they would be less vigilant, and then escape by flipping the roof.
He wasn’t anxious. He lay down comfortably, closing his eyes to conserve energy. After these busy days at the stall, waking before dawn to catch fish for a rich, flavorful broth, his frail body was exhausted. Lying down, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
“Let me see Ye Ning! Let me see Ye Ning…”
“Uncle, aunt, how could you lock Ye Ning up like this?”
“Zhou Dalang is no good man! If Ye Ning marries him, he’s ruined!”
Ye Ning rubbed his eyes, awakened by the noisy voices, and finally opened them. Leaning to listen, he realized it was his cousin, Zhang Zhiyuan, speaking.
The room was dark. The doors and windows were sealed, not a sliver of light in sight. Ye Ning had slept from day into night. Zhang Zhiyuan had been at the stall all day. Not seeing Ye Ning, he had no choice but to hang the “closed” sign.
Fearing something had happened, Zhang Zhiyuan locked the stall and came to the Ye household to check. Only then did he learn that Ye Ning was being confined, awaiting marriage to Zhou Dalang, without even a single proper meal.
Zhang Zhiyuan was upright and stubborn by nature. He immediately tried to reason with Father Ye and Mother Ye, appealing to both logic and emotion. But Father Ye and Mother Ye were obstinate—they wouldn’t hear a word.
Ye Zhu sneered from one side, “Oh my, cousin, could it be that you’ve taken a fancy to our Ning Ger? But let me tell you something you won’t like—look at yourself first. You’re still living at our house, borrowing space. Ning Ger might have a disability and can’t bear children, but—hee hee—we don’t need someone like you, a poor, bookish scholar, to marry her. People say a scholar is good for nothing, and it really seems true.”
Father Ye had taken Zhang Zhiyuan in because there were hardly any educated men in the village. If Zhang Zhiyuan passed the exams, he could one day repay the family. But now, hearing Ye Zhu’s mockery, alarms went off in their minds. Ning Ger’s appearance, his figure—how much bride price could they get if he married into the Zhou family? If he married Zhang Zhiyuan instead, it would ruin everything!
Father Ye immediately grew fierce. “This isn’t your business. Ultimately, this is a matter for the Ye family. You’re an outsider. If you meddle again, don’t think you can stay in our house. Move out—right now!”
Mother Ye had long since stopped wanting Zhang Zhiyuan freeloading in their home, but she couldn’t speak up against Father Ye while he had already spoken. She muttered instead, “Exactly. Who Ning Ger marries is our business. You’re always following him around. People will gossip, you see? Zhou Dalang doesn’t mind—it’s already excellent.”
Although Zhang Zhiyuan was somewhat rigid and stubborn, he was also clever. When he first entered the house, Father Ye and Mother Ye had been counting the bride price, their lips curling with barely concealed delight. Zhang Zhiyuan had understood everything immediately. His mind felt like an ice chamber, a chill rising like white smoke.
Hearing their argument, Ye Ning raised his voice. “Cousin, you should go home. Don’t get involved.”
Zhang Zhiyuan nodded. “Your little nephew came here seeking refuge. I’m grateful to Uncle and Aunt for your help these past few days. I shouldn’t bother you further. Since you’ve spoken, I’ll leave.”
His tone shifted slightly. “But Ye Ning must never marry Zhou Dalang. I cannot let the Zhou family mistreat him!”
Then, raising his voice, he declared, “Ye Ning, don’t worry! I will find a way to save you!”
“You fool! Get him out!”
“Out! This is Ye family business—you, an outsider, have no say!”
“Really, a toad wanting swan meat. Take a look at yourself before dreaming so high!”
After a brief commotion, the voices faded into the distance. Clearly, Zhang Zhiyuan had been driven away. Ye Ning listened for a while through the door, shaking his head in helplessness. Trying to reason with his cousin, or with the Ye family, was utterly pointless.
Outside, heavy rain poured. Zhang Zhiyuan ran out and was instantly soaked through, like a drenched chicken. His hair plastered to his face, he looked completely disheveled—not at all like a refined scholar.
He had been staying with the Ye family in Qingtian Village. Now, turned out, he had nowhere to go. He had considered going back to the noodle stall to take shelter from the rain. But then he thought about the Ye family’s words—they had spoken harshly, constantly criticizing his relationship with Ye Ning. His own reputation was secondary, but Ye Ning was a Ger; his honor was vital.
If Zhang Zhiyuan stayed at the stall, who knew what slanderous gossip might arise? Gritting his teeth, he decided to leave the stall entirely and head toward the Jiang household nearby.
He sought a clerical job at the Jiang household, arranged to start in a few days, living and eating there. Though it wasn’t yet time, Zhang Zhiyuan was desperate and had no choice but to boldly approach the Jiang family.
Bang, bang, bang—
Zhang Zhiyuan lightly knocked on the door.
“Who is it? Knocking in this heavy rain…”
Someone inside muttered. Soon, the door creaked open, and Cheng Zhao, holding an umbrella, peeked out.
“Eh?” Cheng Zhao’s eyes widened in surprise. “Third Young Master Zhang? How come it’s you?”
*
Night had grown increasingly dense. Father Ye and Mother Ye, still fuming, spat insults at Zhang Zhiyuan before retreating to their room to sleep. Soon, apart from the sound of rain and occasional thunder, the entire Ye household fell silent. Not a single sound could be heard.
Ye Ning waited quietly for a while, making sure everyone in the house was asleep. He pulled over a chair to the cabinet, nimbly kicked up onto it, grabbed the cabinet’s corner, and in one fluid motion leapt again to perch atop it. His movements were agile and light, like a small cat.
The roof was dripping already. A small hole had formed, and Ye Ning raised his hand to poke it with some force. Sure enough, with little effort, the hole widened further, creating an opening through which rainwater poured in torrents.
Ye Ning faced the rain, a faint smile curling his lips. He slipped through the hole, grabbed the edges, and scrambled lightly onto the rooftop. Climbing roofs had been trivial for Ye Ning during his survival struggles in the apocalyptic past; the Ye family’s roof was not high, making the task even easier.
Moving lightly, he leapt from the roof directly onto the courtyard wall—no need to climb over it. Convenient and efficient, he jumped down to the ground and glanced back one last time at the dilapidated Ye household before disappearing into the rainy night.
Ye Ning planned to head to his noodle stall first to avoid the rain. The downpour was so fierce that he was already drenched. Though not particularly delicate in general, his current frail frame could not withstand getting soaked.
That night, Qingtian Village was shuttered and silent. As Ye Ning ran toward the northern edge of the village, he suddenly heard whimpering cries and loud, carefree laughter.
The cries were terrified, and the laughter wild and unrestrained.
“Oh my, what’s this? A delicate young man out here, all alone at this hour? Lost, are we? Come, let me guide you back, warm you up! Ahahaha—”
“Let me go! Help…help me!”
“Hahaha, that little voice is so sweet. Keep calling! You didn’t even check who I am. I, Zhou Dalang, am a local big shot in Qingtian Village. Stick with me, and you’ll eat well and live luxuriously!”
Zhou Dalang. It was him again.
Ye Ning froze immediately. Beyond the thick curtain of rain, Zhou Dalang, flanked by two followers, had cornered a young, frail man against the wall. Zhou Dalang tossed his oilskin umbrella aside and lunged forward impatiently.
The two followers laughed heartily. “We’ll go over there and keep watch. We’ll come back after the master is done.”
The followers moved off a short distance, and Zhou Dalang’s laughter grew even more arrogant. Ye Ning narrowed his eyes, glancing down at the ground. The heavy rain had broken branches, and a thick one, as large as Ye Ning’s arm, lay on the wet earth.
Bending slowly, Ye Ning reached down amidst the brazen laughter and picked up the sturdy branch, weighing it lightly in his pale, delicate hands.
It was thick. It was heavy enough.
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