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Chapter 6: A Day Later\n“Child, eat a little more, your wound will heal faster!”\n
Grandmother Li Ciying worriedly examined the wound in between Bailians eyebrows, her hands twisting in distress. Now that her fiance, Scholar Zhang Youen, had placed first in the county level imperial examination and was now a celebrity in the Wuming Village. Now that his fiance’s face had been disfigured along with her reputation, Widow Zhang must be having second thoughts…\n
“I’m full, Grandmother should eat instead.” Bailian tenderly looked at the wizened woman in front of her and couldn’t bear seeing such a kindhearted elder suffer.\n
Bailian could tell, just based on the previous owner’s memories, that this Grandmother was extremely hardworking and compassionate. Due to Li Ciying’s self-sacrificing spirit and unselfish habits, she never expected any kind of rewards. Over the years, the Main Branch was highly overbearing and tyrannically exploited the Third Branch.\n
Li Ciying’s father had been well known for his keen foresight and clarity in all matters, which is why he had requested that the Li Family give Li Ciying the position of Secondary Equal Wife to spare her from future hardship. But who would have thought that his good intentions would have turned into this? \n
After thinking to this point, Bailian’s face contorted into a cold smirk, since this girl had given up her body to save Bailian from the brink of death, she would ensure that the girl’s family would live in comfort, without any suffering for the rest of their lifetime! \n
“Want to eat more?” Grandmother Li Ciying’s affectionate tone and anxious face made it obvious that she felt that if Bailian ate more food, she would heal and recover faster.\n
“I’m so sleepy…”. Bailian yawned, feigning drowsiness and went through the motions of a person about to rest for the night.\n
Bailian had never been good with straight confrontations and overly- pushy people, so her solution was to evade Grandmother Li Ciying’s attempts to feed her more by sleeping.\n
Hearing that she was sleepy, Grandmother Li Ciying quickly took the porcelain bowl from Bailian’s small hands and delicately tucked the blanket firmly around the girl.\n
“Older Sister, you’re fine now right?”\n
Yuhang tugged Yuyang closer to the bundled up mound on the bed; anyone could see that the two brothers were very concerned for their sister.\n
“Don’t worry, everything will be alright by the time you wake up tomorrow morning!” Bailian grinned at her two lovable brothers.\n
If it wasn’t for her pesky wound still bleeding, Bailian would have long pounced out of bed to explore the situation outside. After stuffing herself with that sweet and juicy dragon fruit from her dimensional space, she felt that her condition had greatly improved.\n
Sadly, people in ancient times were highly superstitious and believed that any supernatural happenings were the work of witches or demons, so she could only momentarily hide her space, or she might get burned at the stake!\n
“Really? Then my sister should go to sleep right now!”\n
When Yuhang gullibly believed in Bailian’s assurances that she would be healed after just a night’s sleep, he quickly urged Bailian to sleep and gingerly patted his sister’s arm.\n
Seeing his brother’s cautious movements, Yuyang mimicked his actions and also went to pat Bailian. \n
“Really? Sister, go to bed now!”.\n
After witnessing the sibling’s solidarity and deep love for each other, Grandmother Li Ciying felt her throat choke up and hot tears threatened to spill out from her eyes. She just couldn’t understand, she had always been the one on the backstep, constantly laboring for the household. But just why was it so hard for the Third Branch that they were even denied a full meal?\n
“Concubine Mother, Fifth, I’m back!”\n
A down-to-earth, honest-looking man walked in with the heavily pregnant Madam Zhao closely trailing behind. \n
“Fifth, you feeling better? Does it still hurt?” Madam Zhao warmly held Bailian’s small hands in her own, gently stroking her daughter’s hand.\n
Anyone could tell that the entire Third Branch deeply cared for the original owner and Bailian suddenly felt that the original owner had been a very lucky person. She was surrounded by people who truly cherished her and thought of her as a precious treasure. \n
“I’m feeling a lot better now!” Bailian beamed at her father in assurance and without anyone noticing, smoothly slipped her hand to Madam Zhao’s wrist to secretly take the pregnant woman’s pulse.\n
Madam Zhao’s physical constitution was currently serious and she had been suffering from malnutrition as well as a lack of rest for a long time. It seemed that Bailian would have to take her Mother to get treated sometime, but it would be hard to invite a Physician with the Li Family breathing down their necks.\n
“Bailian, Father has brought back today’s lunch!”\n
Completely satisfied by his daughter’s energetic response, the sincere and reliable Third Branch Master stretched out his hands to reveal three pieces of steamed bread made from coarsely ground cornmeal.\n
Bailian grimaced and looked out the door to see that the sun had already set, lunch at this time?\n
“Father had to return the borrowed banquet tables and stools to the villagers who lent them, and before I knew it several hours busily passed by, which is why I only just got back. Lian’ er, are you hungry?”\n
As Bailian was curiously peering to look outside, seeing that something was not right, the Third Master thought that his daughter was uncomfortable because she was famished.\n
“I’m not hungry!” Bailian shook her head slightly, “I’m just feeling a little sleepy, Father and Mother should eat first.”\n
“Alright, then Lian’ er should quickly and go to sleep!”\n
The Third Master felt sad that his daughter still hadn’t fully recovered and thought that once he had free time, he would go pick some nice nourishing red jujubes for his weak daughter to eat.\n
“How come there are only three buns?”\n
The one who spoke just now was Yuhang, who pulled Yuyang with him and fixedly stared at the three buns in his father’s outstretched hands. They both hadn’t eaten all day, so they were ravenous for food.\n
The Third Master resignedly explained the situation to his family, his eyes full of guilt, “Matriarch Wang…seeing how we got fresh vegetables yesterday, she gave us these three steamed cornmeal buns. Father instructed us that from now on, we should go and retrieve our meals from the kitchen instead of the main house in the future”.\n
“Whatever, at least we won’t have to enviously watch the Main House feast on all the good things they eat…” Yuhang dragged Yuyang with him, grumbling irritably under his breath.\n
Every day, no matter which family member went to retrieve their meal portion, it was always the same old steamed cornmeal bun for each person. Once in a while, they would also receive some pickled side dish, but that was only once in a blue moon.\n
However, the Main Branch’s table was always laden with fragrant stir-fried vegetables and nutritious rice congee, but the Third Branch only watched, never getting the chance to even lick a single drop.\n
Madam Zhao helplessly stroked her belly and weakly asked, “But the children, they need more, can we…”\n
“No! Mother of my children, I know your intentions…but we aren’t allowed to act out of our own accord or ideas.” The Third Master nimbly set the three buns down on the rickety table and empathetically squeezed his wife’s hand.\n
The simple and forthright Third Master had never dared to entertain the thought of splitting from the Main Family, it was just too scary! With a wave of their sleeve, the Li Family could easily drive him, a bastard, out of the residence and thrash his kids as punishment.\n
“This is all my fault ah!” Tears slowly trickled down from Grandmother Lic Ciying’s eyes. Every time she saw the desolate situation she put her family in, her guilt gnawed her from the inside out. She hated her incompetence, hated that she had ever fallen into that river in the first place!\n
As Bailian was currently faking sleep and hearing this, the corners of her mouth turned down. She felt that the Third Master was not so incorrigible and foolishly filial to the Li Family, but rather he had been smothered for too long, constrained by the traditional notions of being an obedient son.\n
“Yuyang, let’s go to Mother and Father’s room to eat, sister is still sleeping,” Yuhang asked his younger brother.\n
“Okay,” The Third Master glanced at the quiet sleeping lump on the bed and then obediently walked away with Madam Zhao to the next room. \n
After making sure that everyone had left the room, Bailian’s eyes fluttered open. After listening to the conversation from earlier, she was saddened at the Third Branch’s dire straits, heart wrenching in sympathy for the family’s plight.\n
This family was so good-natured, but they just live too miserably ah!\n
Bailian, with arms behind her head, reclined relaxedly on the hard bed. She regretfully shook her head, thinking that if she could somehow become a stunning beauty or stumble upon some wealth, she could easily take the Third Branch with her and escape from the oppressive Li Family.\n
“Look at the time, why are none of the pigs fed?! Are you all dead ah?!”\n
A spiteful old lady’s voice traveled into the room from outside, causing Bailian to frown slightly. This Li Family really knew how to pester people! From early morning to now, they had just taken a quick lunch break and now they had to start working again? \n
“Yes, I’ll go right now….”\n
Grandmother Li Ciying was the one who replied to Matriarch Wang’s heckling. After hurriedly gulping and scarfing down their meager food, the rest of the Third Branch hastily rushed outside to finish the rest of the chores for the day.\n
Bailian flipped over onto her side, with a small fluffy cloud carefully hidden in her hand.\n
“Squeak~”\n
“Go outside and observe the situation, careful not to get discovered by anyone. Your main focus is sniffing out where that old lady’s hoard of treasures is.” Bailian instructed as she carefully set Li Shu on the bare wooden floor.\n
“Squeak Squeak~” Li Shu received the command and with a blinding flash of brilliant white light, flew out of the room and the Li Shu in Bailian’s hand disappeared along with that flask of white light.\n
Bailian ran over to the door and peeked outside, before tiptoeing back into bed. Since it was inevitable that the Third Branch would split in the future, she might as well prepare some silver and assets.\n
Besides, this Li Family was truly too greedy and callous to their benefactors. When Grandmother Li Ciying had married over, her dowry should have been enough to let her live comfortably for an entire lifetime. But now that she had lost all of it, Bailian wouldn’t let the Li Family peacefully live on while the Third Branch suffered in their stead!\n
Hours later, when stars could be seen twinkling brightly up in the raven night sky, Grandmother Li Ciying quietly entered the room and laid beside Bailian, but not before making sure that the blanket was tucked snugly around the small girl.\n
Once Grandmother Li Ciying’s breathing became deep and even, a white, fluffy mouse crept back into Bailian’s hand and was instantly transported into the dimensional space.\n