Liu Duo slept well that night and woke up really late the next day. All the walking in town the day before had exhausted her.

She went for breakfast after washing up. As she ate, she saw Ye Yang packing, "Yang, what are you up to?"

"I'm going up the hills," he said as he busied about, not even looking up.

He needed to hunt more game and earn more money, otherwise Liu Duo could not have polished rice to eat. He used to worry about weak-bodied Ye Ling before, and now he had Liu Duo to care for.

"Oh," she replied absent-mindedly.

We bought polished rice yesterday, and now Yang's going up the hills again? Seems like money was really hard to come by!

"What about Liu and Ling? I don't see them," Liu Duo asked again.

"Washing clothes by the river."

"Oh," she quickly ate her meal and finished with the dishes. By then, Ye Yang had prepared all the essentials he needed for hunting.

"Let's go, we're heading the same way," he said, assuming Liu Duo did not want to left alone at home.

"Coming." She followed Ye Yang and closed the door behind her.

————

There were quite a few people doing their laundry by the river - about seven or eight of them. Among the men, there was Ye Liu, Ye Ling, and another one who was about fifteen or so.

The rest were women and unmarried girls.

"Little Duo, you came! I heated breakfast for you. Have you eaten?" Ye Ling came to her side.

"Yes, I did," she smiled.

"I'm off." Now that he had brought her over, Ye Yang turned and started towards the hills that were not so far away.

"Yang, stay safe, and don't work too hard," Ling advised him. Every time Yang went up to the hills, Ling would get worried.

Ye Liu stood up and added, "Yang, stay safe. Safety first."

"Right," Yang nodded and left.

Liu Duo felt reluctant, seeing Yang leaving in such a hurry. She did not know him very well, but he was important to her. After all, he was one of her four husbands.

She ran up ahead, chasing after him. "Yang..."

Yang heard her voice and stopped in his tracks. "What's wrong?"

She stopped before him and took his hand as she said, "Yang, come back early, alright?"

In the past, his brothers would say so too, but he never felt anything. Now that it came from Liu Duo, he suddenly did not feel like leaving.

"Alright."

"Take care. Don't get hurt!" Liu Duo said worriedly.

"Alright." He touched her head, and left.

Seeing her reluctance to part, Ye Liu chucked, "Little Duo, don't be sad. Yang's not here, but you still have me! I'll stay by your side. What's more, Yang will return in a few days."

"Duo Er, Yang will come back in three or four days. Don't worry," Ye Ling consoled.

"Alright, let's wash the clothes," Liu Duo crouched down to help with the laundry.

Beside them, several women whispered amongst themselves, "That's the shared wife of the Ye family. She's quite pretty."

The unmarried girls were not convinced. "Not in my books. How is she pretty?"

"But she is!"

The women spoke again, "Didn't you hear? She tried to run away, yet how come she's so attached to the eldest brother?"

"She might be faking it, waiting for the right moment when the brothers lower their guard, and then make a run for it!"

...

Listening to the blabbermouths talk, rumours flying, Liu Duo pretended not hear anything. Ye Ling got a little angry, but he wasn't very good with words, so he kept himself busy. The sooner he finished washing, the better.

Ye Liu asked Duo Er, "Little Duo, do you smell that?" as he pretended to fan the air around them.

"What?" Neither Liu Duo nor Ye Ling smelled anything. Where would the stench come from?