Even in a famine, there's no panic; the eldest sister has stockpiled plenty of money and grain.

Jiang Bai nodded and said to Liu Shi apologetically, "Third Grandmother, could I borrow your broom for a moment?"

"What's wrong with this?"

Liu deftly handed Jiang Bai a new broom and a dustpan.

"Thank you, I'll return it to you tomorrow."

Having borrowed the items, Jiang Bai thought he should clean the house thoroughly that evening.

Jiang Lu took Jiang Songwen from Jiang Lu's arms, and then, carrying the wet clothes, broom, and dustpan, headed towards home.

The road was not smooth, just like the bumpy fate of the three siblings, which was full of twists and turns.

"Mother, is she gone?"

Liu's eldest daughter-in-law came out of the house. She was a grandmother herself. She peeked out the door and saw the two sisters walking unsteadily. The two girls had been well taken care of before, but they had both lost weight since their parents had passed away not long ago.

It's also pitiful.

They hadn't come out before because they were afraid that having too many family members would frighten them. Only after the family members left did they all come out.

"Let's go. They're pitiful too. We'll help them as much as we can in the future!" Liu sighed.

Thinking about how it hadn't rained for months, he frowned again.

The family members nodded, but like Liu, they were worried about the crops in the fields, and the whole family was not happy.

When the three siblings arrived home, an aunt was standing in the yard with some things at her feet. She came to greet them when she saw them return.

“Da Ya, this is the grain and firewood we brought back from your grandma’s house. We also carried a bucket of water from the kitchen. You should cook something to eat first, and once you’re full, your grandma can return the grain she took.”

Thinking of the commotion they caused when they went to move the grain, the aunt looked at the three siblings with pity.

Getting Wang to return the things she moved out will probably not be easy.

Every family has its own troubles. They can help for a while, but not forever. I don't know how these siblings will survive.

"Thank you so much, Auntie. I'm so grateful for your help today."

"Don't thank me. It's getting late, and I still have things to do at home, so I have to go. You guys pack your things and I'll head back now."

After watching the person leave, I put away the things I had brought back.

A bundle of firewood, two or three pounds of broken rice, a little oil and salt, a handful of green vegetables, two stools, a few sets of bowls and chopsticks, and a pot.

Let's cook first!

The environment was eerily quiet. The two went to the kitchen to start a fire and cook. They put a small handful of rice in a large pot of water, brought it to a boil over high heat, removed some firewood, and simmered it over low heat.

Jiang Songwen sat quietly to the side, staring blankly ahead, neither speaking nor moving.

"Sister."

The firelight illuminated Jiang Lü's face, where the redness and swelling had turned into purplish-blue. Silent tears fell, as if calling out to Jiang Bai, or perhaps to someone else.

Ugh.

Jiang Bai sighed.

“I am not your older sister.”

She couldn't lie to the child; her older sister had already died when she hanged herself.

As if her suspicions had been confirmed, Jiang Lu burst into tears.

Jiang Bai stirred the pot of soup, offering no words of comfort. The pain of losing a loved one cannot be alleviated by a few words of consolation.

"My...my elder sister...is she...is she dead?"

"Yes."

"then who are you?"

"Me? My name is Jiang Bai, the same name as your older sister. She invited me to protect you."

"Then will you leave?"

"of course not."

In the exchange of questions and answers, neither of them noticed that Jiang Songwen, who had been in a daze, had a tear slide down his cheek. At only five years old, he had already understood the meaning of death after experiencing his father's death.

He didn't understand why his second sister would ask if his eldest sister was dead when she was standing right in front of him.

But when he heard the word "yes," he felt a deep sadness, his eyes stung, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

Of course, he didn't have many feelings at the moment, because the little boy was still immersed in his own world; it was just his physiological instinct that made him shed tears.

Children are innocent, but that doesn't mean they're stupid.

Each of them drank several bowls of porridge that was as clear as water. The two sisters then tidied up the house. Apart from the large items, most of the smaller items had been moved away. After putting things away, Jiang Bai had a clear idea of ​​exactly what had been moved from the old house.

Jiang Lu was exhausted after a busy day, both physically and mentally. She fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed.

It's fortunate that when Jiang Bai hanged herself, she was half-dead, and the people in the old house thought it was bad luck, so they didn't move her things from her bed, giving the three siblings a place to sleep.

Jiang Lu and Jiang Songwen lay obediently on the bed. Even in her sleep, her brows remained furrowed. The death of her father, the disappearance of her mother, the death of her sister, and now her brother was in this state. This child was stronger and smarter than she had imagined.

After learning that her older sister's body had been taken over by someone else, she did not hysterically question whether it was because she had taken over her sister's body that her sister had died, nor did she angrily yell at her to get out of her sister's body. Instead, she calmly asked a few questions and then accepted the reality.

It wasn't that she didn't want to question or shout, but that she didn't dare.

She didn't know if her questioning and roaring would anger the wandering ghost living in her sister's body.

She could only choose the way that was most advantageous to herself, which was to pretend that nothing had happened, to accept the fact obediently, and then to call this wandering ghost "elder sister" in the hope that she would protect her and her brother as she said.

So she lowered her guard, lay down in front of Jiang Bai with a look of complete trust, pretended to be asleep, and casually dropped the household registration documents that could determine the fate of her and her brother on the ground.

She's gambling, gambling on the future.

Jiang Bai picked up the household registration documents from the ground with her slender fingers, turned her head to look at Jiang Lu, whose eyelashes trembled as she lay on the bed with her eyes closed.

The household registration documents were unfolded before Jiang Bai's eyes. Jiang Anliang's name was still on them. Because the household registration here was only done once a year, and Jiang Anliang had just died last month, his name had not yet been removed from the household registration documents.

Jiang Bai's pupils dilated suddenly when his gaze fell on the name of Song Yining, Jiang Anliang's wife and Jiang Bai's mother, and his fingertips tightened unconsciously.

She had always believed that Song had disappeared naturally, and she had not found anything unusual in Jiang Bai's memories.

The scratches on the three characters "Song Yining" on the household registration document were so clear that they all pointed to one thing: Song was not missing, but had been sold.

Who would sell her? Besides Wang, who had the household registration documents, who else could it be?

This is a respectable woman; buying and selling a respectable woman is a serious crime. Isn't she afraid of being punished by the authorities?

Or has the imperial court collapsed to the point that it no longer cares about things like buying and selling innocent women, which could cause unrest among the people?

No wonder, no wonder they couldn't find Song Shi after searching for several days, and then the old family came to their door to snatch the deed. It seems that Song Shi had already been hidden away by then, just waiting to seize the household registration documents so they could sell her off.

They have such a vicious mind.

"Who goes there?" A strange noise came from outside the courtyard. Jiang Bai coldly rebuked and quickly opened the door to enter the courtyard.