Qi Jiao poured some golden olive oil into a large porcelain basin, then added the sieved lye and kept whisking.
Whisking by hand was a strenuous task.
She could only hold on for a short while before her arms started to ache.
Thankfully, there was the burly Pei Xia.
Qi Jiao just blinked at Pei Xia and shook her sore arms.
Pei Xia immediately felt concerned. "Let me do it. Jiao Niang, just tell me what to do."
Qi Jiao was delighted. She sat on a small stool and directed him, fanning him and wiping the sweat off his brow from time to time.
The sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting shifting shadows on the two of them.
The young couple was so loving and intimate that it was truly a pleasant sight.
Tang Guiniang and Aunt Zheng watched them affectionately and didn't bother them. They went back inside to chat.
Zheng Huier and Leng Yao stayed at the Ye family's place for a night with the Ye brothers.
After breakfast, Leng Yao stayed at home to help Jiang Yuniang take care of Qin Jie'er.
The three Ye brothers and Jiang Yuniang went to work in the fields.
Huier's in - laws had their own things to do and left early. Seeing that she couldn't be of much help, Huier came over.
Aunt Zheng had sharp eyes and quickly pulled her into the room.
"Why did you come back?" Aunt Zheng asked Huier impatiently.
Huier saw Tang Guiniang sitting on the edge of the couch, holding an embroidery hoop and smiling.
She arched her eyebrows, greeted her aunt, and then replied, "Third Brother, my elder brother and sister - in - law have gone to the fields. Qin Jie'er is playing with my second sister - in - law at home. I couldn't be of much help, so I thought I'd come back to see Sister Jiao Niang making olive soap today."
Aunt Zheng tilted her head towards the window. "Sit in the room. Don't go and bother them."
Huier let out a chuckle. "I know even if you don't tell me."
So the three of them sat in the room chatting.
Aunt Zheng had seen how much Pei Xia doted on Jiao Niang.
She couldn't help but worry about her daughter and son - in - law's married life.
Aunt Zheng: "Huier, tell me the truth. Does that Third Brother treat you well?"
Huier was helping Tang Guiniang trace embroidery patterns. Hearing this, she looked up and replied without hesitation, "Of course he does. Otherwise, why would you pick him as your son - in - law?"
Aunt Zheng paused for a moment and thought it made sense.
Since her daughter got married to Third Brother, she seemed to have filled out a bit more. Her complexion was rosy, and she didn't look like someone who was being mistreated.
Tang Guiniang sized Huier up carefully and said with a smile, "Our Huier is such a lovely girl. Third Brother would cherish her too much to do anything bad."
Huier blushed deeply under the teasing of the elders. "Oh, I shouldn't have come."
Her thoughts uncontrollably drifted to the days and nights after marriage.
Third Brother was always chattering away on normal days, his words flowing like a river.
But once they were in the bed - curtains, he became silent and only worked hard silently until she couldn't bear it anymore and kept begging for mercy before he stopped.
To be honest, Ye Pa was gentle, domineering, and very considerate in that regard.
At first, Huier found it uncomfortable, but later she tasted the sweetness, and the two of them became inseparable and their love grew stronger.
Aunt Zheng was a very responsible mother.
She thought Huier was only sixteen years old and had a slender build, so it was not suitable for her to conceive too early.
So she had asked Qi Jiao for a contraceptive prescription early on.
Now Aunt Zheng asked Huier, "Has Third Brother taken that medicine?"
Huier glanced at her mother, blushed slightly, and nodded.
Aunt Zheng smiled with relief. "Third Brother is a sensible one. I'll cook later. You take the food to them in the fields."
Huier agreed and said no more.
On this side, Qi Jiao and Pei Xia worked together for most of the day. Finally, they whipped the soap solution well and poured it all into clean long molds.
They put it in a cool place to dry and take shape. After half a month, the olive soap would be ready.
Aunt Zheng cooked lunch.
Qi Jiao felt sorry for her hard work and took over cooking dinner for everyone.
On rest days, when the young people came back, the Ye and Pei families would always get together for a meal.
The two families had a good relationship and lived close to each other. Eating together helped strengthen their bond.
Thinking that the Cai family had taken good care of the olive grove, Qi Jiao also invited them.
As the sun was setting, the dinner table was set in the small courtyard. Everyone ate and chatted, enjoying themselves in a harmonious atmosphere.
Suddenly, they heard someone knocking on the door vigorously outside.
Pei Li was sitting closest to the gate. He got up first and asked as he walked, "Who is it?"
No one answered outside, but the knocking became even more urgent.
Pei Li said impatiently, "Stop knocking! I'm coming!"
Pei Xia was more cautious. He stopped Pei Li and motioned with his eyes for him to take a look over the wall.
It was dinner time. Most villagers were at home having dinner.
If someone had something to do and came to the door, they would just shout.
Why didn't the people outside say a word?
Pei Xia was very perceptive and asked Pei Li to take a peek over the wall first.
Pei Li came back quickly. His face looked a bit grim. He lowered his voice and said, "A group of strange men has come. They are wearing ordinary cloth clothes, but their looks are fierce. They should not be from Yinhai."
Pei Li observed carefully, and Pei Xia's face darkened slightly.
In all his years, he knew that there were bandits and outlaws who disguised themselves as ordinary people and broke into houses to burn, kill, and rob. Moreover, Baiyun Village was close to the sea. Maybe these people came from the sea.
Qi Jiao could tell something was wrong just by looking at Pei Xia's face.
She quickly got up and told Jiang Yuniang, who was holding the baby, to hide in the inner room.
All the other women at the table also went into the house.
The Ye brothers immediately found some handy weapons and came to the door warily.
Qi Jiao stepped forward and whispered in Pei Xia's ear, "If they are not bandits, they might be the ones who tried to harm Seventh Brother Fu last time."
Yinhai had always been peaceful. The most likely thing was that the news that Seventh Brother Fu was still alive had leaked out.
The knocking on the door was intense and frequent, as if they would break in if the door wasn't opened soon.
Pei Xia gave her a reassuring look and then pushed Qi Jiao into the house.
Pei Xia told the Ye brothers to act according to the situation and then went to open the door.
The door suddenly opened, and Ni Er, the leader, looked a bit startled.
He saw a row of strong men standing behind Pei Xia, blocking the view of the courtyard. He immediately smiled and apologized. "Sorry to bother you. We are just passing merchants. We stopped at the shore to replenish supplies. But when we counted the number of people before setting off, we found that a little brother was missing. We have no other intention. We just want to find out the whereabouts of that little brother as soon as possible."
"Have you seen him, sir?"
As Ni Er spoke, the thin and dark scar - faced man behind him took out a scroll and unfurled it. It was clearly the likeness of Seventh Brother Fu.
Pei Xia remained calm. He looked at it carefully, then looked up as if recalling, "Sorry, I haven't seen this person."
He turned around and called Ye Pa and the others over. "Come and take a look. If we can help find the person, it'll be a good deed."
The thin and dark man sneered. Paying five thousand taels of silver for Seventh Brother Fu's life was surely a "good deed", wasn't it?
Ye Pa and the others understood the seriousness of the situation and all followed Pei Xia's example, saying they didn't know anything.
Ni Er's face darkened.
That day, his subordinate reported that Seventh Brother Fu had fallen into the sea.
He was overjoyed and was about to go claim the reward.
Unexpectedly, that useless subordinate said that although it was true that Seventh Brother Fu had fallen into the sea, his life or death was uncertain. He had seen a man rescue Seventh Brother Fu.
Since the task had failed, they had to make up for it quickly.
After they landed, they searched several villages in Yinhai but found nothing.
Just before setting off, a boatman at the dock said he had seen Seventh Brother Fu.
The boat's captain quickly gave the boatman a warning look.
Without any coercion, just a bit of temptation.
The boat's captain easily spilled the beans and told them about the day when the eldest son of the Pei family had a shipwreck at sea and all the subsequent events.
Ni Er got the news and led his men straight to the Pei family.