Chapter 321

The handle was painted red, and the face of the drum was white. The face of the drum depicted a chubby kid in a red robe, holding a large carp in his arms. There was a red thread on each side of the drum, with a date stone that had been polished smooth. With a gentle shake, the date stone would strike the drum and produce a series of thumps.

A chubby, fair-skinned child with eyes as dark as lacquer lay in the swaddling clothes. Her two little feet were exposed, and they were wrapped around each other. She pursed her lips tightly and blew bubbles. As soon as she saw the rattle drum shake, she would widen her eyes and take a closer look. She would crack open her mouth and laugh silently. Afterwards, she would extend her little hands and grab at it as hard as she could.

Madame Ye carried her granddaughter while old man Ye stood to one side, shaking the rattle drum. When he saw how adorable his granddaughter was, he could not help but smile happily as well. He was just like the child in the swaddling clothes, smiling innocently.

Two days after the news of Ye Xiao 'an's death spread, Yu Junting packed her luggage and rushed off to the Crouching Ox Ridge with her daughter. Although she could not marry into the Crouching Ox Ridge due to her identity and responsibilities, both the Yu and Ye families actually understood her relationship with Ye Xiaotian very well.

She was Ye Xiaotian's actual wife. She could not just stand by and do nothing about her uncle's death. Moreover, Ye Xiaotian was not around, so she had the obligation to show her filial piety in his place. As a result, bringing a child with her was without a doubt the best way for the grieving couple to ease their minds.

People could not always live in the past. When they thought of their eldest son who had passed away, old man Ye and Madame Ye could not help but feel sad. However, the gloom in their hearts gradually dispersed after all. In particular, when they played with their cute granddaughter, they began to smile.

Yu Junting wore a plain gown. She was so gentle and elegant that she seemed like an orchid in an empty valley. Just from her gentleness and gentleness, old man Ye and his wife would never have imagined this nameless daughter-in-law to be so smart, capable, and ruthless. They would never have thought such a delicate and timid girl would actually possess outstanding martial arts.

"Father-in-law, granny, sister Yu …" Duo Ni rushed into the reception room and interrupted the warm and sweet atmosphere. She was rather out of breath, but her cheeks were red. She was unable to suppress her excitement. "My husband has returned!"

Standing to one side, Yu Junting smiled as she watched her in-laws play with her daughter. She immediately beamed. "He's back?"

…

As soon as Ye Xiao 'an and the others arrived at the foot of the mountain, the news had already spread to the top of the mountain. A relatively flat mountain road had been built on the hillside, and the carriage pulled by two horses could go straight up the mountain. Ye Xiao 'an and his men had just arrived at the foot of the mountain. The news had already spread to the top of the mountain. The carriage pulled by two horses could go straight up the mountain.

There were two unfamiliar faces among Ye Xiao 'an's guards. One of them had a long, thin face, delicate eyebrows, and a few playful freckles on the tip of his nose and cheeks. He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He sat obediently on the horse, holding the reins half loosely and half tightly. It seemed that his horsemanship was not up to standard.

The man next to him was a little more muscular than him. He had a dark complexion and was dressed in a cloth robe. His legs were nervously clamping the horse's belly, and he seemed to be even more nervous than him. It seemed that his horsemanship was not very good.

The two of them were not very different in age, but they were a generation apart. The freckled one was the eldest grandson of the old village head, and the dark-skinned one was the nephew of the old village head. They had both followed "Tian Zaixing" out to see the world.

Anyone could tell that Ye Xiao 'an was no ordinary person when he was surrounded by a large group of people in the mountain village. When the old village head heard that he wanted to support his crippled nephew, he immediately shamelessly offered to send two clansmen to take care of Tian Zaixing, so they followed him down the mountain.

Inside the carriage, there was a stove in front of Ye Xiao 'an's knees. The stove had already been fixed to the carriage, so it was not afraid of the bumpy road and the inclination of the carriage.

Tian Binfei turned his head slightly and saw a group of people rushing down the mountain from the window. He steadied himself and said softly, "Stay calm and don't talk too much! If someone asks you something, if you're not confident, just answer them vaguely and tempt them into talking clearly! Remember, you're the lord of Crouching Bull Ridge. If you want to answer, then answer. You don't have to answer any questions from others! "

The muscles on Ye Xiao 'an's face tightened. He nodded forcefully and gulped with difficulty.

Tian Binfei glanced at him. He did not seem too satisfied with how nervous he was. "Didn't you say that you've been pretending with Ye Xiaotian ever since you were young? When you purposefully pretend to be him, even your parents can't tell? Why are you so nervous? "

Ye Xiao 'an smiled bitterly beside him. "That's what you say, but Xiao' an has become a high-ranking official in the past few years. He's different from before. I- I don't know if I can still be seen through if I pretend to be him."

Tian Binfei snorted coldly. "How can they see through you so easily when their first impressions are the strongest? Even if they have some doubts, who's bold enough to say that you're definitely not Ye Xiaotian? Remember, you're the eldest on Crouching Bull Ridge. Now that a brother has passed away, it's normal for you to be in a bad mood. Stay calm! "

"Okay!"

Ye Xiao 'an only replied. He took in a deep breath and exhaled, calming himself down.

Tian Binfei said, "Right now, it's very easy to deal with the subordinates of Crouching Bull Ridge, and it's not difficult to fool your parents either. However, the person sleeping with you isn't so easy to fool. But that's easy to deal with. Eldest brother is dead, and he needs to go into mourning. We just have to use this as an excuse to avoid sleeping with her. "

Ye Xiaotian had a fourth wife, Duo Ni, right now, so Tian Binfei gave him this reminder. Mourning was not only for parents, but also for uncles, aunts, and elder brothers. However, they were in the second of the five mourning periods, Qi Waning. The period of mourning was changed from three years to one year, and they did not wield a staff (in other words, they did not wield a mourning stick).

As for sleeping with someone, they obviously should not do it during the mourning period. However, many people did not abide by this rule. As long as they did not announce this to the public, no one else would know about it. However, to the fake Ye Xiaotian, this was without a doubt the best excuse to prevent those who were most familiar with him from seeing through his true colors.

Ye Xiao 'an's face suddenly reddened when he heard what Tian Binfei had said. He turned around and glanced at Tian Binfei, saying angrily, "I don't need you to tell me that! I'm not an animal! I won't do something that's worse than a pig or a dog! "

Tian Binfei sneered and said leisurely, "I don't mind if you do it! As long as you have the ability not to be seen through! So, you have to work hard! "

Ye Xiao 'an flew into a rage. His breathing became ragged, and the veins on his forehead bulged. He glared at Tian Binfei viciously and breathed heavily, but he did not lose his temper in the end.

Tian Binfei's eyes flickered, and he suddenly smiled. "Have you calmed down now? You're not panicking anymore, right?"

Ye Xiao 'an was taken aback. He discovered that after being provoked by Tian Binfei, his abnormally nervous emotions seemed to have relaxed.

… …

After arriving in Tongren, Hong Baichuan bid farewell to Ye Xiaotian's group. As soon as he left the sight of Ye Xiaotian's group, Hong Baichuan immediately sped off, heading straight for Tongren city. In the end, he still had to listen to his superior's decision on how to deal with this matter. However, in his opinion, even his superior only had two choices at most.

One: Expose the fake Ye Xiaotian's true colors, or kill him regardless of the cost, completely disintegrating the forces of the Crouching Bull Ridge and preventing him from being used by Yang Yinglong.

Two: Beat him at his own game and treat Ye Xiaotian as the real Ye Xiaotian, allowing him to successfully gain control of the Crouching Bull Ridge. Then, he would use his reluctance to be a puppet and his reluctance to see his brother die a horrible death to Yang Yinglong's schemes to incite him to join the imperial court. That way, he would be even more useful than Ye Xiaotian.

This was because Ye Xiaotian and Yang Yinglong were on opposing sides, while Ye Xiao 'an was already within Yang Yinglong's grasp in his eyes. If he could wrest control over him from Yang Yinglong's hands and launch a counterattack at a crucial moment, he would obviously be more useful than Ye Xiaotian.

Was there a third option? In Hong Baichuan's opinion, there was not. If there were only these two options, then no matter which option he chose in the end, he probably would not be able to do without Hua Yunfei's assistance.

Hua Yunfei was Ye Xiaotian's sworn brother. He enjoyed a very great status among the various organisations of the Crouching Bull Ridge. At the same time, he was responsible for the nurturing and training of Ye Xiaotian's death guards. They possessed great strength, and they were of much greater use than spies like them.

Currently, Ye Xiao 'an stood before Ye Xiao' an's coffin, looking at his own coffin. Another him lay beside it. What did it feel like? It felt like a lifetime had passed!

Ye Xiao 'an saw his family. His father, mother, wife, son, and sister-in-law. They met and talked about his "dead" self. His white-haired parents shed silent tears, while his wife, who always disliked him, cried until her voice became hoarse. Ye Xiao' an could not help but tear up.

Everyone thought that Ye Xiaotian's brotherly love was so deep that he would reveal his true feelings before his brother's coffin. No one knew that the tears he shed right now contained even richer, deeper emotions.

A single slip may cause everlasting sorrow. Looking back, a hundred years have passed. Once a person made a serious mistake or became depraved, it would become something they would regret for the rest of their life, as there was no medicine for regret in the world. When you realised you were wrong, everything that should have been wrong had already been done. There was no turning back to make up for it.

However, that was not the case for Ye Xiao 'an. Everyone believed he was dead, but he was not. He reflected on his dead self with another identity and the various absurdities he had done. This was far more instructive than his parents' education, his brothers' resentment, and his wife's nagging.

He wasn't a wise man who would suddenly come to his senses after being hit on the head, but through this method that others had probably never used before, he was able to see his other self in the coffin. His understanding was deeper than anyone else's. Only now did he realize how wrong he had been in the past.

Ye Xiao 'an raised his head with tears in his eyes and looked at his sorrowful family. All along, it had been his brother who had supported the family. Now that his brother was gone, no matter how stupid he was, he had to take over the burden and continue to protect their home.

Tian Binfei sat in a four-wheeled carriage and quietly waited in a corner of the mourning hall. This carriage had been made by a skilled craftsman along the way. His original four-wheeled carriage had not appeared since he became Tian Zaixing. A "country bumpkin" should not have owned such a carriage.

Looking at the Ye family and Ye Xiao 'an, who was revealing his true feelings, a complicated expression flashed across Tian Binfei's eyes. "This time, perhaps I really have lost! How much can I win this round? How much? "