After the rain, the weather showed no intention of cooling down. The scorching sun crawled back out to exert its tyranny. The road outside, washed by the sudden downpour, was now a difficult mix of water and mud. This was especially unfriendly for Lin You'an, who was only eight years old.
Having run so far on pure survival instinct, he finally reached a bend in a small river where he could no longer see the shadow of that dilapidated temple. Only then did he collapse, fear still etched on his face, onto a fallen log by the riverbank.
His thin, frail arms had lost all feeling from clutching the bundle in his embrace so tightly.
"Mmm, hmm hmm..."
The small, indistinct bundle in his arms made whimpering noises. Lin You'an quickly peeled back the layers of ragged cloth, revealing a face that wasn't chubby, but clean, fair, and utterly adorable. The baby's face was flushed red and covered in sweat, likely from being wrapped up too tightly.
"There, there, Wan Wan. Don't cry. Brother will take you home."
Though still a child himself, he comforted the even younger child with practiced ease, his actions suggesting this was a frequent occurrence.
Indeed, it was.
His sister was just over four months old. From the day she was born, he had essentially been the one learning to care for her, following his grandmother's instructions.
This was because their birth mother, Zhou Yuhe, had eagerly remarried just two months after giving birth to his sister, orchestrated by the Zhou family.
He and his sister were the children she had abandoned and discarded.
Their father was dead, and their mother had remarried. The houses and farmland their father had left behind had already been divided up by their uncle's family and their father's elder brother's family.
No one in the clan was willing to adopt two orphans and take on the extra burden. He was far too young to be the head of a household. With no other options, they could only rely on their maternal uncle and aunt for survival.
Fortunately, their grandmother truly cared for the siblings, but she was old and, as Zhou Chengguang's stepmother, held no status in the family. She couldn't protect them.
Otherwise, his sister wouldn't have been sold off by that viperous couple of the Zhou family!
A flash of murderous intent gleamed in Lin You'an's eyes.
He looked down at the infant, who had calmed once more. This was Wan Wan, left to him by his father, his only flesh and blood! He still remembered his father holding him, carefully writing out these two characters for him to see.
Wan Wan, a woman of graceful appearance, virtuous and beautiful.
His father had hoped that his daughter would grow up to be like precious jade, finding a good match.
But she had come so close to being sold by their so-called uncle and aunt for twenty taels of silver as a ghost bride!!
If he hadn't had those prophetic dreams, if he hadn't grown suspicious and secretly listened at his uncle and aunt's window in the middle of the night, if he hadn't managed to steal Wan Wan away... What cruel fate would have befallen them now?
Lin You'an refused to imagine those terrible "what-ifs." He preferred to believe that his father's spirit had sent him those warning dreams!
As the eldest son of the family, he had inherited his father Lin Yuanzhou's intelligence and love for learning. He had started his education at three and began writing at four. By five, he could recite "The Rules for Students" flawlessly with his eyes closed for his father.
Recalling how his father had proudly held him, boasting to his colleagues, "My son surpasses me," Lin You'an felt his eyes grow warm.
All this happiness came to an abrupt end when his father was killed by mountain bandits on his way to the capital for the imperial examinations! Why? Why did those who had once praised him so kindly suddenly change their attitudes?
He sneered, mocking his own naivety and foolishness. If even his own mother, who had always appeared so gentle and virtuous, could change, why wouldn't others?
Thinking of the scenes from his dream, where he had accidentally discovered the truth about Wan Wan being sold by the Zhou family and buried alive as a ghost bride, he had fled from the Zhou household in panic.
He had been naive enough to travel all the way to the county town, begging along the way, to find Zhou Yuhe. But, heh...
With nowhere else to go, he had finally returned to Lin Family Village.
What had he done in his dream?
He had sought help from the clan, invoking his father's connections. He threatened to report to his father's teacher and appeal to his father's classmates for justice. Only under this threat did the clan reluctantly intervene on his behalf.
But he was still too young, unaware of how quickly people forget. In the end, although he managed to reclaim one room to live in, his own youth and lack of adult supervision meant he had to live under the thumb of his father's elder brother, who had seized their family property.
Although at the end of the dream he had managed to make something of himself, he could easily imagine how humiliating and miserable the intervening years must have been.
Suffering, after all, is the greatest force for growth.
"Mmm, hmm, mmm..."
The little bundle in his arms started whimpering again, interrupting his thoughts. Familiar with his sister's habits, Lin You'an quickly felt her diaper. It was dry.
That meant Wan Wan must be hungry.
This child had always been well-behaved and rarely fussy. She would never cry unnecessarily unless she was hungry or needed changing.
"Don't cry, Wan Wan. Brother will get you something to eat right away."
Struggling to hold her with one arm, he reached into his own clothes with the other, pulling out a small cloth bag worn close to his body. This contained all the worldly possessions the siblings currently had.
There were two biscuits left, stolen from the Zhou family kitchen. Beneath them was an exquisitely crafted silver lock pendant in the shape of a ruyi, with his childhood name engraved in the center. There was also a precious household registry document, still bearing his father's name, which had not yet been removed.
He had hidden these things for a long time and now never let them out of his sight. They were the items his birth mother had searched for but never found.
It must be said that Lin You'an was incredibly clever. Even before his father's spirit had sent him dreams, he knew that this household registry document was the key to his and his sister's future survival.
He took out one of the biscuits, now so dry it could be used as a weapon, and held it in his mouth. He carefully repacked the remaining items in the bag, tied it securely, and tucked it back against his heart, where it made him feel safer.
Then he slowly chewed the dry biscuit, softening it bit by bit with his saliva, before feeding it in tiny morsels into his sister's hungry little mouth.
The child was truly easy to care for. She wasn't picky; she ate whatever her brother gave her. Being small, her appetite was also small. After eating about a third of the biscuit, she stopped opening her mouth and whimpering.
The remaining two-thirds of the biscuit went into Lin You'an's own stomach. He had to eat to have the strength to carry Wan Wan back to Lin Family Village.
Fortunately, he knew the route from Zhou Family Town to Lin Family Village well. He estimated that it would take another day or day and a half of walking. They should arrive by tomorrow evening at the latest.
After finishing the dry biscuit, he moved to the riverside. With great effort, he extended his left hand, cupping it slightly to scoop up some clear river water. He drank a few sips himself first.
Then he carefully took another mouthful of river water, warming it in his mouth before feeding it to his sister bit by bit.
