"If there had really been an assault by a wild beast, there would have been smoke rising for days by now. If I may speak frankly, it must be another one of that dreadful girl's pranks."
Auntie Lin did not miss the chance to tarnish Bai Feiyin's name. Her voice was sharp and eager, as though she had been waiting for this very opportunity.
After hearing her words, several of the village women immediately nodded their heads in agreement.
"She's right. If something truly had happened to the Bai family, wouldn't we have seen their house in ruins by now? Someone would have run down to call for help and alert the entire village."
"Auntie Lin has made a good point," another woman added thoughtfully. "Just yesterday, I saw their eldest son and the third one helping out at the community hall. They were also working hard in the fields afterward. It couldn't have been anything serious."
This time, even Auntie Lu, who usually opposed Auntie Lin's barbs, found herself unable to refute it. She pursed her lips and nodded in reluctant agreement, her expression showing some hesitation. The shared concern among the group began to wane.
"Hmph! I don't know what's going on in their household, but because of it, I ended up sleeping in today!" Auntie Wang spoke with a discontented frown. "I almost missed coming along with you all."
Her words, however, made the others exchange looks and stifle their laughter.
Who is she trying to fool? Auntie Wang being late has nothing to do with anyone else. Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe that excuse.
Behind their polite silence, everyone was thinking the same thing.
Old woman, you've always been tardy. That's just your nature. Don't drag others into it.
As everyone turned to glance at her with skeptical eyes, someone eventually broke the tension with a sigh.
"Let's stop thinking about other people's troubles. Maybe they just overslept or had a small emergency at home."
"Let them worry about their own lives. We should hurry up and clean the area so we can return before lunch."
The rest agreed with this suggestion, not wanting to waste any more time speculating. With nods and murmurs of assent, they resumed their tasks.
Meanwhile, none of them noticed the sharp, frosty gaze of a young lady hidden behind a curtain of trees, watching them in silence.
***
Inside the Bai family's home, the entire household had indeed overslept—just as the villagers had guessed. Strangely, their rooster had not crowed that morning, as it usually did to signal the start of the day.
Considering how exhausted they had all been over the past several nights—working late and rising early—it was not surprising that everyone had fallen into a deeper slumber than usual.
However, what truly delayed them that morning was not fatigue. It was the unexpected shock they received when they hurried into the kitchen, hoping to grab a quick bite before rushing out to work.
"Ah Ye, can you hit me real quick? I think I might still be dreaming—ow!"
Before Bai Fengyu could finish speaking, his younger twin brother, Bai Yehan, had already punched him squarely in the gut.
"Ah Ye! You brute!" Bai Fengyu winced, staggering back a step. "That hurt!"
With a yawn and an indifferent expression, Bai Yehan replied, "Eldest Brother, you were the one who asked for it. Now you know it's real. You should thank me."
Bai Fengyu stood there, his face reddening in frustration. "You punched me so hard, and now you want me to thank you?!"
He pressed his lips into a tight line, clearly trying to restrain himself in front of their parents. He exhaled heavily and muttered to himself.
Fine. I won't argue with you today. You witty rascal. Be grateful I'm in a hurry.
But when Bai Fengyu turned to look at the table, his complaints abruptly stopped.
The crude wooden table they had always used—the one with scratches and uneven legs—was now covered with a luxurious tablecloth. On top of it were neatly arranged dishes.
Steaming rice, golden fried meat, soft buns, fragrant soups, and vegetables seasoned to perfection. There were even dishes they had never seen before, rich with oil and spices.
Bai Fengyu instinctively wiped at the corner of his mouth.
If this isn't a dream, then what in the world is going on?!
And yet, the biggest shock wasn't the food. It was the young girl standing beside their parents, moving gracefully between them as though she had been part of the family for years.
She was about twelve or thirteen years old, tall for her age, with a refined yet grounded aura that didn't match the rustic setting. With those callous hands, the young girl was not a noble but she carried herself with the ease and confidence of one.
Bai Fengyu's brow furrowed.
Where have I seen her before? And why… why does she look so much like my third brother?
His eyes flicked between the girl and Bai Yehan. A cold chill trickled down his spine. Suddenly, sweat began to bead on his back as he arrived at a terrifying conclusion.
"M-Mother? Father?" Bai Yifan suddenly asked in a shaky voice. "Did you have another daughter you never told us about?"
The room fell silent. Both Bai Fengyu and Bai Yifan stared at their parents in panic.
There are already five of us siblings. Are we really adding a sixth?
Mother, Father—we know you love each other dearly, but you should have thought more about the future!
Bai Fengyu's knees went weak.
Six children? Ha...
Mother, father, that's too much!
This son... I will never get married at this rate. I'll just be raising younger siblings until I'm old and gray.
Just as Bai Fengyu was wallowing in misery, Little Chenchen opened his mouth.
"Pretty sister, are you here to marry one of my big brothers?"
"…"
Everyone in the room stiffened.
Mother Bai, who was also momentarily caught off-guard, quickly grabbed a drumstick and stuffed it into Chenchen's mouth.
"Mmm—!"
"Shh, shh. Eat, baby. Eat. Don't talk nonsense," she said with a nervous laugh.
She kept piling more food into his bowl to keep him distracted as if saying, 'Eat, baby. Eat. Please just fill your mouth, and save your mother from having a heart attack from hearing your tales.'