VIP Chapter 124: Everything Is in Chaos

Sitting in his chair, Ye Xiaoxuan felt as though he wanted to shrink his head right back into his chest. His face was flushed crimson, and he didn't dare utter a word. Jia Ran was in an even worse state; she was so embarrassed she looked ready to crawl under the table.

Ye Dajun, oblivious and boisterous, tugged on Ye Xiaoxuan's arm and asked, "Did you really kiss Jia Ran last night?"

Ye Xiaoxuan felt like taking off his sneaker and stuffing it into Dajun's mouth. He kept his head lowered and hissed, "Shut up!"

Unfazed, Ye Dajun kept pulling his arm, insisting, "Where did you kiss her? How come I didn't see it?"

Ye Xiaoxuan was on the verge of losing his mind. He turned toward the door and shouted, "Silly Girl!" Silly Girl, who was standing in the courtyard clutching a chicken leg, called back, "What do you want?"

Ye Xiaoxuan shoved Ye Dajun and yelled at her, "Go take your brother and go play!" Silly Girl promptly ran inside, grabbed Ye Dajun’s shirt, and asked, "Do you want to eat a chicken leg?"

Ye Dajun looked disgusted. "You've already bitten into that!" Then, having a second thought, he turned back to Ye Xiaoxuan, "What am I supposed to do playing with a simpleton? I'm asking you a question!"

Ye Xiaoxuan shoved and pushed him until he was out the door, muttering under his breath, "You might as well go play with her! Your IQs are about the same anyway!"

Father Ye and Uncle Ye continued to drink in silence. Jiang Guihua and Dajun’s mother sat staring blankly at the table full of dishes, neither daring to reach for their chopsticks. Ye Xiaoxuan and Jia Ran sat like caught criminals, their heads bowed, not daring to steal even a single glance upward.

Eventually, it was Dajun’s mother who broke the stifling silence, sighing, "I told you! Sooner or later, those two were going to cause trouble!"

Jiang Guihua replied, "So let them. They’re family anyway; it’s just a matter of moving a pillow."

Father Ye said indignantly, "You make it sound so easy! What will the villagers say? A brother and sister suddenly moving in together to live as a couple—what kind of look is that?"

Uncle Ye set down his wine glass and sighed, "Those things can be resolved; there’s no blood relation, after all. The problem is, what about that girl in the city? She nearly died once for Sanzi already—do you think she can handle this shock?"

Jiang Guihua slammed her hand on the table and said to Ye Xiaoxuan, "You reckless kid! Say something! What’s your plan? Tell us so we know what to expect!"

Ye Xiaoxuan had been hoping his family would take this seriously, but now that the issue was out in the open, he found himself wanting to retreat. However, given the current situation, if he didn't provide some sort of answer, the parents weren't about to let them off the hook.

Ye Xiaoxuan steeled himself, grabbed Jia Ran's hand, and looked up at the group of parents. "I’ve actually had it planned for a long time. Don’t get yourselves worked up; I’ll give you a solution, and then you can all relax."

Jiang Guihua tapped her chopsticks and scolded, "Then stop stalling! Hurry up and tell us, what are your plans?"

Ye Xiaoxuan gripped Jia Ran’s hand tightly. "No plans. Don't worry about it. This is our business; it's useless for you to fret."

Jiang Guihua and Dajun’s mother’s eyes widened, and they pointed at Ye Xiaoxuan, scolding, "What kind of nonsense talk is that!"

Uncle Ye gently tapped the table with his glass and said to them, "Sanzi is right—it’s not our place to interfere! Most importantly, interfering is useless!"

Father Ye nodded and said, "They’ve been as close as a single person since they were kids. You can't separate them, so what’s the point of talking? If you really want to manage someone, focus on the eldest son! He’s getting as dim-witted as Qi the Fool; what girl would want him?"

Hearing that the target of the conversation had shifted, Ye Xiaoxuan felt a wave of relief. He glanced into the courtyard and chuckled, "Doesn't look like that—there’s a girl right there willing to play with him!"

Jiang Guihua nodded, "It’s a pity she’s not quite mentally sound. Who knows if it’s hereditary if they ever have children?"

Dajun’s mother rolled her eyes at her. "That depends on whether it’s congenital or acquired. But looking at her, I think she might have suffered some kind of trauma. Her face is too pretty; if it were congenital, she wouldn't look like that!"

Uncle Ye rolled his eyes at the two women. "Can you two old biddies stop for a second? This Silly Girl only arrived last night, and you’re already planning for her? Are you both that desperate?"

Father Ye sipped his wine. "Exactly! What’s the rush? The eldest is only twenty-one; he’s two years away from marriage. And these two younger ones—forget about it, that’s way off! Right now, the priority is to earn more money and get the house built!"

Uncle Ye said to Ye Xiaoxuan, "The land swap must go according to plan. It’s already been agreed upon, and we’ll hand it over after the autumn harvest."

Father Ye nodded. "The main thing is what Old Master Tian said: if we fertilize it early along with the orchard, we can improve the soil simultaneously. He ordered five hundred extra seedlings and needs the space right now!"

Ye Xiaoxuan realized he couldn't object. The burden of supporting two families now rested on his shoulders, along with the future of his brothers. Ye Xiaoxuan felt the weight on his shoulders had never been as heavy as it was at this moment.

Jia Ran sensed his worry, squeezed his palm, and gave him an encouraging smile. Ye Xiaoxuan smiled back and shook his head slowly, signaling that he was fine.

*Vroom! Vroom!* A motorcycle suddenly roared into the yard, nearly scaring the chickens onto the dining table! A person climbed off the back of the motorcycle—it was Yuan Caiyi, the village beauty. She smiled at Ye Xiaoxuan and said, "Sorry to disturb your meal. She bumped into me at the village entrance, and so..."

Following her gesture, a girl dressed in pink denim stepped off the bike. She took off her helmet, shook her short hair, glanced at Ye Xiaoxuan, and shouted toward Ye Dajun, who was playing with Silly Girl in the yard: "Brother!"

Ye Dajun gasped in surprise: "Guan Ling?! Why are you here?"

Guan Ling pouted. "Didn't you tell me to come over and hang out whenever I had free time?"

Ye Dajun nodded quickly. "Right! You're not working today, are you? Oh, by the way, I told you I wanted you to meet my sister! Jia Ran, this is my sworn sister, Guan Ling. She’s a police officer!"

Guan Ling walked over to Ye Xiaoxuan, huffed, and said, "I thought she was your girlfriend just now. Turns out she’s a cousin. I was going to say, a girl this pretty could never fall for you!"

She turned to Jia Ran with a smile, "Little sister, I’m Dajun’s sworn sister, twenty this year. You look younger than me, so I’ll call you little sister from now on!" Jia Ran smiled and replied, "Okay, then you can be my older sister!"

Dajun’s mother stared at Guan Ling, her eyes gleaming. She leaned over to Jiang Guihua and whispered, "Tsk tsk, this girl is pretty, isn't she? And she’s a police officer! My blockhead son has some skills—I don't even know when he managed to hook her!"

Jiang Guihua curled her lip. "Why do I get the feeling she’s interested in my boy instead?"

Father Ye sighed, "Oh boy, these relationships are getting messy!"

Uncle Ye added, "This isn't even the messy part—the main act hasn't even arrived yet!"

As he spoke, a car door slammed outside. A Jeep pulled up at the entrance, and a person stepped out. Uncle Ye slapped his own mouth hard. "Look at me and my big mouth! Well, that’s it—everything’s in a total mess now!"