C11 A Little Warmth

"Besides, no matter what, marrying into the family as the main wife is better than staying here with the Bai family."

Bai Yun, though not overly pampered in reality, had never really been hurt before. Her arm was already aching, and even though Mu Jin was careful, Bai Yun couldn't help but wince and pull back.

Mu Jin quickly let go and sighed softly, "Aunt, just listen to me. No matter how bad things are with the Shang family, it's better than the Bai family. At least you'll have a hot meal."

"Plus, the Shang family paid fifty taels of silver for you. They won't care whether you agree or not. If you resist, you'll only suffer more. When have you ever healed from the injuries you've gotten here with the Bai family? Even after being pulled out of the well, they couldn't resist kicking you a few more times. Just look at all these bruises."

Before Bai Yun could respond, Bai Lian came in, carrying a basin of water and some other items, which he dropped on the table. "It's still early. Get some rest. I'm heading to the river to fetch water."

He didn't wait to see if Mu Jin or Bai Yun wanted to speak and turned to leave. Mu Jin picked up the items Bai Lian had brought in and found some herbs and half a bun wrapped in oiled paper. "He's such a quiet guy, worried about you but never says a word. He brings you herbs and food, yet still acts so indifferent."

Bai Yun was aware of this; Bai Lian had picked up some traditional male attitudes, but he was much better than other uncles and cousins. He understood that Mu Jin marrying him was a compromise and treated her fairly well. As for his sister, Bai Yun, while he didn't overly protect her, at least he didn't treat her like a servant as others did.

Yesterday, when Bai Yun jumped into the well, everyone else just shouted and did nothing to help. Only Bai Lian, who was working in the fields, rushed over upon hearing the news and jumped in to save his sister. There was also that half bun wrapped up—men usually didn't come back from the fields for lunch, so the women would bring food to them. It seemed Bai Lian had saved it especially for her.

Su Ye felt unexpectedly touched. Bai Lian, not being much of a talker, still managed to care for his sister in such a harsh environment. He truly was a good-hearted person. Everything Su Ye had been through that day, along with the anxiety of suddenly being thrust into a novel, made her even miss her brother, Su Mu, who often caused trouble for their parents.

Although Su Mu always took her money for granted, thinking it was his, and over the years their relationship had become strained as he kept asking for more, they had once been close siblings.

Su Ye was always a beautiful girl, and during her school days, she often caught the attention of some troublemakers who would whistle at her. Whenever Su Mu found out, he was ready to confront them, saying, "Only I can mess with my sister; no one else should even think about it." Although Su Ye used to roll her eyes at his dramatic words, she now believed that even with their strained relationship, if Su Mu knew the Bai family was mistreating her, he would undoubtedly show up to cause a scene. That rascal couldn't stand outsiders bullying his sister and would do anything to stop it.

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