Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 18 You Will Lose
Hearing Ye Jiayao humming a song, Xia Chunyu, who was leaning on the couch, closed his eyes and said lazily, "It's so noisy."

Ye Jiayao shut her mouth and secretly hid the silver in the cabinet. This was her private money and she had to keep it well hidden.

Xia Chunyu opened one eye and took a look. She looked like a thief, so what good thing was she hiding?

"Go get me a cup of tea."

"Aren't you asleep? Why are you still drinking tea?" Ye Jiayao muttered and went to pour him some water.

"I want Longjing."

Ye Jiayao curled her lips. It was a lot of requests. However, since he was the boss, Ye Jiayao had no choice but to go to the kitchen to get hot water.

As soon as she left, Xia Chunyu got up and opened the closet. He reached in and fumbled around, and took out a handful of silver coins. He weighed them and found that they were about five taels. Wasn't this the amount she lost last night? Where did she get it from? Did she ask Song Qi and the others for it?

Xia Chunyu thought about how she was so distressed that she couldn't sleep last night. She could really do such a thing. Her card skills are really bad, and her gambling character is also terrible. Xia Chunyu sneered in contempt, put the silver into his pocket, and lay back on the couch like nothing had happened.

"Chun Yu, the tea is here."

Xia Chunyu stood up and took the teacup to the study.

Ye Jiayao stood behind the brocade partition and looked around. Seeing that he took out the map to study it again, she tiptoed to open the wardrobe. She had just thought about it and decided that it would be better to hide the silver under the bed.

Eh? Where's the silver? Ye Jiayao searched for it but couldn't find it. She clearly remembered hiding it here. Oh no, he must have found it. How could this guy be so thief!

Should she go and ask for it back? Why not? Although he helped to pay the debt, she had found a way to win it back, so it belonged to her. After some psychological preparation, Ye Jiayao went to ask for the money with confidence.

"Chun Yu, did you take the things I put in the closet?" Ye Jiayao asked softly, trying to soften her tone.

Xia Chunyu didn't even raise his eyebrows and said calmly: "What is it?"

"silver."

"Where did you get the money?"

"I...I won it." Ye Jiayao seemed a little lacking in confidence.

Xia Chunyu finally looked up at her: "It just so happens that you still owe me five taels of silver."

Uh, how could there be such a fussy man?
"I won it with my own intelligence and hard work, okay? You have to give me half at least!" Ye Jiayao said angrily.

Xia Chunyu was speechless, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Oh? With your intelligence? Then tell me, how smart are you? Let me see it."

"It's just rock, paper, scissors. Don't underestimate this simple game. There is great wisdom hidden in this small game. If you don't believe me, let's play a round. If you lose, you have to return the silver to me. If you win, it's yours." Ye Jiayao thought angrily. This was already her biggest concession.

"This originally belongs to me, why should I bet with you?" Xia Chunyu ignored her and continued looking at his map.

Ye Jiayao sat down and complained, "When I was at home, I was supposed to get three taels of silver as a monthly allowance, but my stepmother always found excuses to deduct it. Sometimes she said that she didn't make ends meet this month, and sometimes she said she was afraid that I would be difficult to negotiate with, so she gave it all to the servants, or she simply said she forgot and would give it together next month or something, but she never made up for it. I was too embarrassed to argue with her over a few taels of silver, and I didn't get any share of the new clothes and jewelry my sisters bought me. My grandmother brought me good things, but I never got them..."

"When I was twelve, I fell seriously ill. My father was working in Wuzhou Prefecture, and my stepmother didn't hire a doctor for me. In the middle of winter, I had a fever and was confused. My wet nurse applied cold compresses to me, but she was afraid that dampness would enter my body and make me sicker, so she had to freeze herself in the yard and then come back to hold me to reduce my fever. She went back and forth all night."

"Maybe God took pity on us. After daybreak, my fever finally went away. But my wet nurse has been ill ever since. Whenever the weather changes, her joints ache all over her body... I heard that knee pads made of tiger skin are the warmest, so I've always wanted to buy a pair for my wet nurse, but they cost a lot of money, and I just don't have enough money saved, so I kept putting it off. Last year, my wet nurse retired, and my stepmother treated her like a beggar. I wanted to give her more money so that she could spend her old age in peace, but I couldn't. This time, when I married to Shandong, I thought the hard times were finally over, but who knew I would be kidnapped to the mountains again... In this life, my wet nurse has been the best to me..."

Ye Jiayao seldom searched the original owner's memories, because those memories were not happy ones. She was optimistic by nature and did not like to remember the miserable past. Now, in order to impress him, she recalled the past carefully. The more she talked, the sadder she felt. She had originally saved money just to prepare for escape, but now, as she talked, she felt that if she had the ability in the future, she must repay her wet nurse well.

Xia Chunyu was stunned. He had heard her mention her hateful stepmother more than once. Was she really living such a miserable life? Seeing her sad face, it didn't seem like she was lying to him.

Ye Jiayao was immersed in unbearable memories, her mood fell to the bottom. Suddenly, she thought of something. Her stepmother had always been so stingy and never treated her well. Why did she buy such a generous dowry for her this time? Not only did she give her all the dowry given by her grandparents, but she also gave her her own private money. This doesn't make sense! To please the Wei family? That's impossible! Why was she the only one who was hijacked in the wedding procession, and no property was lost? Is there something fishy here?
When Ye Jiayao thought of this question, she put the matter of asking for money behind her. She quietly got up and returned to the bedroom, where she sat on the couch and continued to think hard. If she could go to the Wei family, maybe she could solve all her doubts.

Xia Chunyu saw her leave silently, but felt a little uneasy. He took the money not because he was stingy, but because he didn't like her using this method to make money. If she needed money, she could just ask him generously.

Xia Chunyu thought for a moment, put the map away, locked it in the cabinet, followed her, put the silver on the low table in front of her, and said, "I'll return the silver to you. If you need silver in the future, just ask me directly. Don't have any crooked ideas."

Ye Jiayao sneered in her heart. Is this a crooked idea? It's not stealing or robbing. You are bandits who always rob others. What should I say?
Ye Jiayao hung her head and said dejectedly: "Forget it, I think I will never see my nanny again in this life, so what do I need this money for?"

Seeing her like this, Xia Chunyu was not used to it, and consoled her: "Who knows what will happen in the future! Take it first! If you have a chance and you don't have money, won't you regret it again?"

Ye Jiayao deliberately hesitated for a long time before putting the silver away.

Xia Chunyu snorted coldly and warned: "Don't play rock-paper-scissors with others anymore."

"Oh!" Ye Jiayao nodded obediently, and then asked, "Can I play with you?"

Xia Chunyu's eyes twitched: "I'm not that boring." Ye Jiayao wrinkled her nose: "Are you afraid of losing?"

Xia Chunyu glanced at her with disdain: "Will I lose?"

Do you think I am those two idiots like Song Qi and Peng Wu?

Ye Jiayao smiled and said, "I guarantee that you will lose."

Xia Chunyu was aroused by his desire to win: "What if I win?"

Ye Jiayao thought for a moment and said, "If you win, I'll give you a massage for a quarter of an hour tonight. How about that?"

A picture emerged in Xia Chunyu's mind: he was leisurely leaning on the couch reading a book, and she was kneeling beside him, massaging his legs and back with her soft little hands, smiling at him from time to time to please him. Well, this bet is interesting.

"Two quarters of an hour." Xia Chunyu stretched out two fingers and bargained.

Ye Jiayao hesitated for a moment: "Okay, two quarters of an hour is two quarters of an hour, but what if you lose?"

Xia Chunyu said generously: "If I lose, I will give you another five taels of silver."

Ye Jiayao's eyes suddenly glowed green: "Deal, come on, let's play a round to decide the winner."

Xia Chunyu's facial muscles twitched unnaturally. This was what it meant to be blinded by money. This was what she looked like.

After a while, someone rolled on the couch with laughter, holding ten taels of silver, while someone else went out with a gloomy face.

Peng Wu followed the third in command cautiously.

"Peng Wu."

"exist."

"You and Song Qi lost to your sister-in-law?"

Peng Wu said honestly, "My sister-in-law took all the winnings last night."

"What did you offer?"

"Hammer." Peng Wu said unhappily.

Uh… Xia Chunyu was puzzled. He also played a hammer. What was going on? Was it a coincidence? Or did she cast a spell on them? Otherwise, why did she look like she was sure to win? It was as if she had expected him to play a hammer.

Peng Wu wondered in his heart, could it be that the third in command also lost to his sister-in-law?

“Third brother, third brother…” The second in command came towards him.

Xia Chunyu stepped forward and said, "Second brother."

"Third brother, I was just about to look for you. The spy we sent to Xinyi is back, but he is seriously injured and can't go up the mountain. The eldest brother asked us to go down the mountain immediately." said the second in command.

The matter was urgent and could not be delayed. Xia Chunyu immediately ordered Peng Wu: "Go back and tell your sister-in-law."

Ye Jiayao got the message and asked, "Did he say when he would be back?"

Peng Wu said, "No, but if we go down the mountain now, we won't be back until tomorrow at the earliest."

Ye Jiayao was secretly happy that she was finally free tonight.

After dinner, Song Qi and Peng Wu went to play double knock with others. The yard was empty. Ye Jiayao was a little scared, so she hid in the room early and closed the doors and windows.

The night was long and she couldn't sleep. Ye Jiayao ran to the study to find a book to read. Yesterday, she took Chunyu's rattan paper to make poker cards, so Chunyu banned her from entering the study without his permission. However, since he was not here tonight, she was just looking for a book and would not rummage around. He wouldn't know.

There were not many books on the bookshelf, about a dozen in total, all of which were profound military strategies. Ye Jiayao flipped through them but couldn't understand them, so she put them back.

Oh, yes, a map. If she wants to escape, she must have a map, otherwise she will be in the dark and won’t know where to go.

Ye Jiayao began to look for the map, but couldn't find it. Finally, her eyes fell on the locked cabinet, and she thought it must be locked inside. Ye Jiayao was discouraged and slumped in the chair, muttering to herself: How annoying! Why lock it?

She picked up a pen holder to play with. This pen holder made of bamboo was very delicate, with exquisite twelve zodiac animals carved on it, which looked lifelike. Ye Jiayao turned it around and didn't know where she touched. With a click, the base and the body of the pen holder separated, revealing a piece of paper folded into a small square.

(End of this chapter)