C10 The Kind Sisterinlaw

Mrs. Chen perked up instinctively at the mention of having a say, but quickly realized Mrs. Zhao was displeased, causing her to panic a bit. "Ma, I just... spoke too quickly, I didn't mean anything by it."

"If you didn't mean anything, then stop being so loud and annoying," Mrs. Zhao, though aged, had piercing eyes that could send a chill down anyone's spine. "Yun is specifically requested by the Shang family. If you cause any trouble out of selfishness, I'll make sure Shu breaks your leg!"

Mrs. Chen felt a twinge of guilt at Mrs. Zhao's words and avoided her gaze for a moment. "Ma, how could I have any selfish intentions? You know me, I just speak too quickly. If I've upset you, I deserve to be punished."

"In that case, you can clean the pigsty. Yun, go take a break, but don't slack off on your other chores. You're not married into the Shang family as the Great Madam yet, so don't act like it. The Bai family doesn't support idlers." Mrs. Zhao gave Mrs. Chen a minor punishment and ensured Bai Yun didn't get too comfortable, which seemed to satisfy her. "Why are you all still standing here? Do you want me to escort each of you back to your rooms?"

With Mrs. Zhao's command, and her evident displeasure at Mrs. Chen's earlier actions, no one dared linger. The girl standing on Mrs. Zhao's other side helped her back to the main house. Among the girls in the family, aside from a few men, Mrs. Zhao favored the educated Mu Jin and the fourth house's Bai Wei.

Bai Wei had a gentle nature, making her the most well-mannered among the girls in the Bai family. Mrs. Zhao favored this kind of temperament, and it was Bai Wei who supported Mrs. Zhao back to her room.

Although Bai Yun felt like she had awakened from a long dream, recalling many things about the original owner of her body, those memories weren't truly hers. Trying to remember felt like searching for files on a computer, making it hard to match faces with names in this large family.

But that didn't matter much. The wedding was in three days, and she wouldn't be with the Bai family for long. Bai Yun was usually quiet, keeping her head down and working silently. This demeanor made Mrs. Zhao dislike her, and the other sisters often bullied her, dumping all the dirty and tiring chores on her. So, her slow responses didn't raise any suspicion.

Once the others had dispersed, Mu Jin approached and took Bai Yun's hand. "Auntie, come rest in my room for a bit. At least you can avoid cleaning the pigsty and catch a little more sleep. My husband, you..."

"I'll fetch some water. You take Yun inside," Bai Lian, who was honest and straightforward, said. He wasn't one for many words and didn't even check on his sister before turning to leave.

Mu Jin led Bai Yun to her and Bai Lian's room. Compared to the shabby firewood room, their place wasn't much better. The Third Branch always had the worst conditions in the Bai family. Their room was on the shady side, never getting any sunlight. Even during the day, it was dim without candles, let alone before dawn.

Fortunately, Bai Lian, being a man, had a candlestick in the room. Mu Jin lit it and took Bai Yun's hand, noticing the marks on her wrist from being tied up in the woodshed and the scrapes on her arm from jumping into the well. Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Auntie, why would you do something so foolish? I know you don’t want to marry into the Shang family as a bride meant to counteract bad luck, but you shouldn’t resort to such extremes."