TNIBFT -Chapter 254 Interlude

“Really?”

Ye Shuangxue’s big eyes fixed on Qin Fengyi. Ever since her father had started being better, her life had felt like a dream—suddenly wonderful.

She had her father’s love, and now, unexpectedly, she had her mother’s care too.

Everything she had once envied was now hers, yet she still feared that her father might leave, that her mother might abandon her, and that everything could vanish in the blink of an eye.

“We’ll buy it, and you’ll see once you wear it.”

Qin Fengyi ruffled her daughter’s hair, then got up and walked toward the shop.

The store was old and tucked away in a quiet spot.

The clothes were simple, without elaborate designs—just large and small sizes, all women’s clothing. Ye Tian felt it wasn’t very convenient, so he decided to wait by the door.

“Dad, why aren’t you coming in?”

Her daughter stood at the entrance, waving to Ye Tian.

Ye Tian awkwardly shook his head. Ye Shuangxue trotted over with her little legs, grabbed his hand, and pulled him inside.

The shop’s interior was dimly lit.

Before Ye Tian’s eyes had adjusted, the sound of women’s laughter reached his ears.

“Hehehe…”

Seeing Ye Shuangxue pull Ye Tian inside, a middle-aged woman in a gray cotton jacket glanced him up and down, then laughed heartily. Her skin was fair, her features delicate, with crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes and streaks of gray in her hair—every detail revealing her age.

The shop was clean and well-organized, and her neat appearance gave a favorable impression.

“Look at her—such a thoughtful daughter,” the shopkeeper said with a smile to Qin Fengyi, then continued, “Your husband is a good man. A man who accompanies his wife and daughter to buy clothes—I’ve never seen that. Big sister, you must cherish him.”

“Husband?”

Qin Fengyi quickly looked at Ye Tian, suspicion coloring her cheeks.

“He… he actually…” Qin Fengyi stammered, unsure how to explain.

The shopkeeper, busy picking out clothes, laughed, “Did the couple have a quarrel?”

“Which couple doesn’t argue?”

“When you’re together, cherish each other. In this world, having someone who understands you, someone who knows when to warm or cool you, is a blessing. One day, if they’re gone, even if you want to treat them well, there’s no one left.”

The shopkeeper spoke to herself, not even glancing at Ye Tian or Qin Fengyi.

She was certain it was just a couple having a little spat.

Qin Fengyi awkwardly stood beside Ye Tian, too embarrassed to look at him.

“Yes!”

“The shopkeeper is right. You’d better treat me well from now on,” Ye Tian said with a smiling gaze toward Qin Fengyi.

Qin Fengyi’s eyes widened; she was both shy and shocked, not knowing what Ye Tian was thinking.

Ye Shuangxue’s curious eyes flicked between Ye Tian and Qin Fengyi.

“Auntie, are the clothes ready?”

Following the shopkeeper closely, Ye Shuangxue grew impatient.

Seeing her daughter genuinely excited, Qin Fengyi didn’t hesitate—she threw out a large silver ingot.

“This…”

“This is too much!”

The shopkeeper was flustered, about to return the money, when a man suddenly barged in and snatched it away.

The shopkeeper recognized the intruder and scowled with anger. “Li Da! Return the silver to the customer immediately!”

“Hand it over!”

The middle-aged man who had just barged in had a rough cloth tied around his forehead. Ugly as he was, he was also lecherous, and two fat, big-eared henchmen trailed behind him. The shopkeeper’s wife lunged at him, but she was no match. Gloating, he shoved the silver into his pocket and waved off the shopkeeper’s wife: “The money the customer gives you is yours.”

“So what if I take your silver?”

Saying this, Li Da glanced at his two henchmen behind him and let out a lewd laugh.

Qin Fengyi and Ye Tian exchanged a glance. They guessed this pair must be husband and wife. They never expected that such a beautiful, refined, and articulate woman would be married to a man like him.

“And tonight, I’m taking you to bed!”

Li Da boasted, eyes filled with contempt as he looked at the shopkeeper’s wife, continuing in his sloppy, arrogant manner: “No need for a big ceremony. After all, you’re a widow. Me sleeping with you? That’s a blessing you earned over eight generations.”

“You—”

“You’re dreaming!”

The shopkeeper’s wife’s chest heaved with anger, her eyes sharp and icy as she stared at Li Da.

Li Da sneered: “Times have changed. Before, if the soldiers collected your silver, they’d look after you a bit. But now the city lord is different. That soldier wouldn’t dare take money. If I just kneel once at the city lord’s mansion, those bastards’ heads would roll instantly. Don’t give me that act of a loyal, virtuous woman. And this shop? From now on, it’s all mine.”

“You’re a woman, showing yourself off just to seduce men, aren’t you?”

“You old hag!”

The shopkeeper’s wife clutched her chest in fury, tears welling up in her eyes. Her lips trembled as she said, “If you dare touch me, I’ll die right in front of you.”

“Get out! You better get out of here!”

“Hmph!”

Li Da didn’t take it seriously at all. He leered at his two companions: “Haven’t you two wanted her for a long time?”

“Tonight, after I’m done, you two can have her—but the money I lent you? Consider it written off!”

Ye Tian felt his brain shrinking!

How could such shameless people exist in this world? Bullying a widow like the shopkeeper’s wife, taking advantage of her being defenseless, forcing marriage, seizing property, and even expecting her to sell herself to pay off his gambling debts?

Qin Fengyi’s face turned icy.

Ye Shuangxue furrowed her small brows, glaring fiercely at Li Da.

Seeing there were still other people in the shop, Li Da snatched the clothes from the shopkeeper’s wife and threw them at Ye Tian’s feet: “Here’s your clothes—get out!”

“No more business today!”

Ye Tian’s expression changed.

The next second, the arrogant Li Da got kicked squarely in the groin by Qin Fengyi: “Aaah…ah, ah!”

His face flushed like a pig’s liver, legs clamped tight, thrashing wildly on the spot, pain contorting his face. Large patches of blood and urine stained his pants.

The two henchmen behind him glanced warily at Qin Fengyi and threatened: “Bitch, do you know who we are?”

“You dare strike here, in our territory?”

“Smack!”

Before they could finish speaking, Ye Tian slapped one of them hard. The man staggered, footing unstable. Ye Tian positioned himself in front of Qin Fengyi. His tall, broad-shouldered figure shielded her. Qin Fengyi pressed against Ye Tian’s back, feeling a warmth emanating outward, as if being protected could feel like this.

Looking at Ye Tian’s profile, Qin Fengyi saw his thin lips slightly pursed, sharp gaze radiating a sense of authority.

“Didn’t your mother teach you to speak properly?”

Ye Tian rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, grabbing the thug by the collar and punching him repeatedly—enough to make him question his life choices.

The other henchman, seeing this, scrambled out in fear using both hands and feet.

Ye Tian, exhausted, finally let go of the beaten thug, whose face looked like a mashed pig’s head.

“Sorry to drag you into this!”

The shopkeeper’s wife looked ashamed, her graying hair disheveled, momentarily at a loss for words.

“The clothes got ruined by those scoundrels!”

Ye Shuangxue’s small face fell as she looked at the two pieces of clothing on the floor—one large, one small—stamped with footprints and torn. The little one looked genuinely disappointed.

Seeing Li Da lying on the ground, whining, Ye Shuangxue stormed forward and slapped him across the face: “Shut up!”