Ye Mo took the bait. He suddenly stood up and demanded, “What? He’s crazy, telling them to work for us!”
He was very crossed. They could get anyone else to work, so why them? What happened to losing contact? What was going on? He didn’t agree to this!
“Mo.” Ye Yang bore no expression, but he apparently wanted Mo to chill, so as not to frighten little Liu Ran.
Aunt Li saw Ye Mo overreacting and said, “Mo, Liu has his reasons.”
She actually knew what Ye Liu’s intention was. He saw that both mother and child had nowhere to go and thought of a way to let them stay, since on the surface Liu Duo wouldn’t want them to! On the other hand, they really needed some help with their business.
Liu Duo also understood the reason behind his temper, so she said, “Mo, right now our relationship with them is that of employers and workers. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Ye Mo merely shot a look at her and said nothing else. Liu Ran lowered his head, feeling awful.
When Ye Liu and Li Wazi returned with their ox-cart, there was less tension in the house, particularly from Ye Mo, who always seemed to have ‘don’t bug me, or I’ll hit you’ written on his face.
“Geez, Mo, who meddled with you? Go on, tell me, and I’ll knock the sense out of them,” Ye Liu giggled. He had been in such a good mood ever since he woke up that morning.
Liu Ran shouted at the sight of them, “Brother Liu, Uncle, you’re back!”
Liu Duo had introduced him to Li Wazi’s family, and asked him to refer to Li Wazi as Uncle, Aunt Li as Aunt, and Little Lian as Sister.
She even told him that when calling his brothers-in-law, he’d have to add their names too, otherwise no one would know who he was referring to. Who allowed her to have four husbands anyway?
Ye Mo chortled at that and sneered at Ye Liu, You’re one to talk! You meddled with me!
Ye Liu and Li Wazi both chuckled. They spoke with Liu Ran, tied their ox to its post, and returned to the house.
Li Wazi walked in front. He understood Ye Mo well enough to know he was in a bad mood.
Li Wazi approached Ye Mo and whispered, “Mo, what’s with the long face at home? Ran Er’s a cute kid. Don’t you like him? He’s your brother-in-law.”
“Brother-in-law? I don’t have one! Liu Duo doesn’t have family! She has me and my brothers!” Ye Mo’s outcry was neither loud nor soft, but they all heard it.
He wasn’t like Li Wazi, who spoke so softly he might as well have been a thief!
Liu Duo heard that and looked at Liu Ran, who was running on low morale. She stood and walked towards him, despite feeling pain and discomfort down there.
“Mo, come with me,” she dragged him by the arm and led him upstairs.
Li Wazi watched them go upstairs. They seemed intimate, he thought, Their relationship seems to have gotten better, hasn’t it? Looks like Mo won’t be a monk any longer.
Ye Liu only giggled to himself and consoled Liu Ran, so that he could care less about what Ye Mo said. That scoundrel didn’t think before he spoke, and whatever he said was terrible! But he was actually good-natured.
On the other hand, Liu Duo brought Ye Mo to the third floor corridor and said to him, “Little Mo, you better watch what you say from now on. Even though I am not related to them anymore, even if our relationship is strictly about employment, bear in mind that Ran Er is still young. So you better not say any terrible things in front of him. All of us have to mind our words.”
She also wouldn’t say in front of Liu Ran that the relationship between them was only business-related. The last time she had said that, Liu Ran looked really upset. She couldn’t bear to see him like that.
She didn’t want him to bear the burden of his elders’ mistakes. No matter what, he was just a little boy who loved his elder sister.
