C6 The Firewood Room

In wealthier families, a farm girl would only be accepted into the household to counteract bad luck. This meant she had to be the legitimate wife, with all the pomp and circumstance of a grand wedding—three letters, six ceremonies, four gifts, five gold pieces, and an elaborate procession. Such a wedding was something the folks in a rural village like Xiaokan had never witnessed in generations. They didn't care if the groom might die soon; marrying into a wealthy family as the main wife was seen as a path to a better life.

Even if, on the wedding day, the bride had to bow to a rooster instead of her future husband, or if the groom was a frail, dying man, it didn't matter. All they saw were the silver coins that came with the marriage proposal, money they could never earn from a lifetime of farming.

Shaang Zhi delivered the message and hurried back to avoid being discovered by the elders of the Shaang family. Su Ye pondered for a long time. Honestly, even if she planned to go to the Shaang family to find Shaang Tao, she didn't want to marry a stranger. She had thought about escaping since she managed to sneak out, but it didn't seem wise. Bai Yun's memories only contained Xiaokan Village, and beyond it was an unknown world.

This wasn't like modern times, with surveillance cameras on every corner and police officers nearby. Women's status was particularly low, and no one would care if something happened to her. Bai Yun, though small in stature, was quite pretty, and without any money, she had no idea how long it would take to reach the nearest town.

The Bai family would surely come looking for Bai Yun once they realized she was missing, and who knew what dangers lay ahead. Initially, she was worried about marrying into the Shaang family, fearing Shaang Lu might take advantage of her. But now it seemed he was a gentleman, and given his condition, it was unlikely they would consummate the marriage. It would just be a ceremonial affair. All things considered, marrying Shaang Lu was the best way to find Shaang Tao.

Since she had no idea how to return to the real world, she decided to treat this like a club activity. Besides, she hadn't been warned she was a character in this novel, surviving against all odds like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

As Bai Yun walked back, she mused about how having the novel in hand was useless if she had to make up the story herself. She was a fashion magazine editor, not a scriptwriter—this was asking too much of her! As she neared the Bai family home, she caught a whiff of something and looked up to see flames in the distance. Wasn't that the firewood room?

A chill ran down her spine. If she hadn't untied herself and slipped away, she might have been burned alive. Even in a novel, this was too much. The firewood room had plenty of flammable materials but no source of ignition. How could it catch fire?

The incident with Lin Mu pushing her into the well seemed suspicious. As far as she remembered, Lin Mu and Bai Yun had always been like siblings, and Bai Yun had feelings for her cousin. Lin Mu must have sensed that. Even if he didn't reciprocate, there was no reason for him to harm her. Bai Yun surviving the fall into the well and then being locked in the firewood room that caught fire in the middle of the night—it all seemed too coincidental.

The village was small, and even though it was late at night, the glow of the fire and the smell of burning wood woke many people. Soon, there were sounds from every household, with people shouting that there was a fire.

Bai Yun wasn't in a hurry to return. She quickly hid in the bushes, watching as everyone rushed to the Bai family home to help put out the fire. Only then did she carefully slip in through the back door, crouching in a corner to assess the situation before deciding her next move.