Everyone ate with great concentration, their mouths too full to speak.
Especially four-year-old Lu Yu, his chicken-claw-like small hands cupping the bowl as he shoveled food into his mouth. Watching him eat could make even someone with an eating disorder eager for food.
Bai Sheng had tasted various modern delicacies, but the wild vegetable mush tonight tasted incredibly delicious to her, primarily because the original owner's body had been starved for too long.
Bowls and chopsticks were reluctantly placed on the stone table one by one.
Lu Hua, Lu Yun, and Lu Yu wiped their lips and looked at their elder brother in unison.
They knew their eldest brother must have something to say. After all, the sudden appearance of water and fresh vegetables during the meal was too strange.
Such tender green vegetables were something even the county magistrate rarely ate in a year.
As expected, their eldest brother’s gaze swept across their faces, and then he lowered his voice and said solemnly, "Regarding the food we ate tonight, and what we will eat and drink every day from now on, you are not to ask any questions. Eat whatever the family has. When the time is right, Bai—your sister-in-law—and I will explain everything to you. In short, from now on, nothing about our family is to be revealed to outsiders. Do you all remember?"
The three nodded in unison: "We remember!"
Lu Yun said, "Eldest brother, sister-in-law, please don't worry. I can keep a tight lip. I won't say a word to outsiders. I'll also keep an eye on Xiao Yu to stop him from talking."
Lu Yu glanced at Lu Yun, and in his milky voice, retorted indignantly, "Second brother, I don't need you to watch me. I won't say anything. If I say anything, they will come to snatch my food."
"Mmm, second brother believes you!" Lu Yun said like a little adult, patting Lu Yu's small head with a look of affection.
Bai Sheng couldn't help but exchange a smiling glance with Lu Ye.
Although Lu Hua said nothing, Bai Sheng knew she was a girl who kept her word.
Bai Sheng secretly added more water to the basin, and Lu Hua voluntarily took on the task of washing the dishes. However, looking at the clear water, she felt reluctant to use it for washing dishes.
But sister-in-law said that clean bowls could reduce illness, and she wanted to obey sister-in-law. Today, she really liked sister-in-law.
Bai Sheng pulled Lu Ye into their "room," then lowered the straw curtain and secured it tightly.
"Lu Ye, you wanted to know where the water came from, right? I'll tell you now." Bai Sheng walked up to Lu Ye and tilted her head to look at him.
There was no helping it; the two of them had a slightly cuter height difference than the "most adorable height difference" at the moment. In the future, Bai Sheng would only be able to look up to this husband she acquired for free.
Lu Ye looked down, returning her gaze to her bright, sparkling eyes, almost unable to look away. He swallowed and cleared his throat, saying, "If you don't want to say, I won't force you." Ever since he knew she hadn't sold his younger brothers for water, he hadn't intended to pursue the source of the water.
However, only by telling him the truth could he protect her better. After all, carrying water in her body in this desert was no different than an unarmed fat pig walking among hungry wolves, tigers, and leopards. The people of Yellow Sand Village might even tear her apart.
No, not just Yellow Sand Village, but also Tianshui Town, Tasha Commandery, and even the entire Great Xia Kingdom!
"I must tell you," Bai Sheng pursed her lips into a smile, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face. "Your parents brought me home to be your wife. They didn't ask for your opinion beforehand... And you didn't object or send me back immediately, so we eventually became husband and wife in name. Lu Ye."
Bai Sheng mustered her courage and raised her voice slightly, a little embarrassed. "From now on, I might have to stay in your home. As a female slave, I have nowhere to go, and I don't want to be passed around like goods. Moreover, I'm afraid of being thrown into the red tents at the border. However, if you meet a woman you love in the future, you can marry her. Just consider me as part of the family. When the time is right, I will leave on my own. Therefore, since you've accepted me, I should be open and honest."
Lu Ye looked at her intently, frowned, and said in a voice devoid of discernible emotion, "You need not worry. From the day you entered my home, you have been my family, my—wife. From now on, whether I have feelings for you or not, I will never fall in love with another woman."
Bai Sheng bit her lip and nodded solemnly, "Thank you, Lu Ye."
Lu Ye's gaze flickered, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Actually, my mother... was also a slave wife."
Bai Sheng was somewhat surprised, and she seemed to understand why her in-laws had brought the original owner home.
At that time, the original owner was escorted to Tianshui Town with a batch of bonded female slaves. She was displayed on a platform at the town office for unmarried young men to choose from. Only she and a few other female slaves were left behind and then led back to Yellow Sand Village by the village head for a second round of selection. As a result, she was the only one remaining in the end.
No one wanted her!
Even when offered for free as a wife, others didn't want her. The psychological shadow on the original owner must have been immense!
However, it couldn't be blamed on the men for not liking her. Even Bai Sheng herself couldn't stand the original owner's physique—small and scrawny, with dark skin, and two peculiar large dark spots on her face.
She felt it was quite unfair to Lu Ye. The fact that Lu Ye hadn't driven her away strongly proved that he was the least superficial man in the world.
With the original owner unwanted, the village head said that the commandery intended to send women like them to the red tents at the border to be military prostitutes. Those soldiers, who hadn't seen women for years, would find a sow beautiful and would likely be pleased with these unwanted female slaves.
Her in-laws stood among the pointing villagers, watching the original owner shivering, and then their hearts were moved by pity, and they brought her home.
"My mother-in-law is a very kind person, and I... I am very grateful to her," Bai Sheng said sincerely.
Lu Ye's expression suddenly became somewhat sorrowful, but he quickly suppressed it. He managed a smile and said, "My mother was right to save you, and you saved my siblings today too."
Bai Sheng's mind was still swirling with the sorrowful look Lu Ye had just shown. She suddenly remembered that Lu Ye's parents had passed away a few days ago. She silently regretted bringing up painful memories for him! So, she waved her small hand boldly and said modestly, "That was just a small effort on my part, not worth mentioning."
Lu Ye looked at her, his gaze deep.
Bai Sheng immediately reacted, spreading her right palm in front of him, "Here, look!"
On her palm, a small red flower, shining with an enchanting red light.
"What is this?" Lu Ye remembered that Bai Sheng's right palm had no such red flower. When Bai Sheng first arrived, her right hand was injured, and Lu Ye had bandaged the wound for her.
Bai Sheng smiled and said, "This is a space."
"Space? What is that?" Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, his deep black eyes filled with confusion.
"Space... it's like a house within a house, a world within a world. For example, in the cultivation world, a tiny stone might hide a vast world," Bai Sheng didn't know if Lu Ye could understand this explanation.
As expected, Lu Ye's thick eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper.
Bai Sheng felt that it was like playing a lute to a cow to explain what space was to an ancient person. It was better to take him inside to see it.
She stepped forward, hooked her arm through Lu Ye's, and said, "Let's go, I'll take you inside to see, and you'll understand."