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

“Da Ya and Er Ya are children we’ve watched grow up, and there’s also San Wa Zi.”

"Don't worry about it, we know what we're doing."

They're all people who love to join in the fun. It's a rural place, nothing new happens here. They've finally managed to have this one. So why would these young women, wives, and idle men want to leave?

Unfortunately, the village head was helpless. He was just watching the show and couldn't very well use a stick to drive people away. He also didn't dare to offend the public.

"I'm coming."

After waiting for a while, two people came running from a distance. The one in front was carrying a four or five-year-old child. Even before they arrived, the stench of excrement and urine could be smelled from afar, and everyone instinctively covered their noses.

This child is Jiang Songwen.

The one holding him was Er Mao, the young man the village head pointed out who had gone with Jiang Songzong to get the contract.

He didn't mind the smell and just carried the person over.

"Make way, make way quickly."

He carried the person and quickly walked through the crowd, shouting indignantly, "Grandpa, Seventh Grandpa is such a jerk!"

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?"

The clan chief sternly rebuked him, stopping him from saying anything more. Then, when he saw the child in the man's arms, he fell silent.

"This...this is Awen?"

Upon hearing the name A-Wen, Jiang Lu excitedly stood up. She swayed slightly from kneeling for so long, but she didn't care and rushed over, excitedly shouting, "Ah..."

He choked up after uttering just one word. He stared blankly at Awen in Er Mao's arms, his clothes dirty and smelly. His eyes were staring straight ahead, not looking at anyone. There were so many people around, chattering away, but he didn't react at all.

Jiang Bai was a step too slow, but he was also stunned when he saw Jiang Songwen.

This is not normal of him.

In the original owner's memory, Jiang Songwen was a cheerful child. At only five years old, he would talk all day about protecting his mother and supporting his older sister when he grew up.

If he got something good, even if he didn't eat it himself, he would save some for his two older sisters and his mother.

But now, the doll seems to have lost its soul. Its eyes are unfocused, and its clothes are loose and baggy. In less than ten days, it has become so thin that it looks like a completely different person.

"Awen, Awen, it's my second sister."

Jiang Lu walked ahead, her hand trembling as she reached out to Jiang Songwen, tears streaming down her cheeks and into her mouth.

It's so bitter, so incredibly bitter.

It was even more bitter than the bitter melon she accidentally chewed that year.

"Ah Wen, boohoo, look at your second sister, please talk to her, okay?"

Jiang Bai felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on her heart. The thin child stared blankly ahead, his eyes unblinking. She felt a lump in her throat, unsure whether it was the body's emotions or her own.

In my memory, there seems to be a child who used to call her "elder sister" in a lively way, but after some things happened, he also became mentally challenged.

How could human nature be so evil?

She murmured silently.

"Er Ya, take A Wen downstairs and clean up."

She was wrong. She shouldn't have chosen such a gentle approach to get the contract. She should have rushed to the old house, beaten up those people one by one, and taken back what they had stolen.

"Sister, there's nothing left in the house." Jiang Lu cried even more desperately. Firewood, food, furniture, money—they had all taken it all. There was only a little moldy food and scraps of firewood that had kept Jiang Bai and her sister going for the past few days, but they were long gone.

Jiang Bai closed her eyes, concealing the violence within them, afraid that she might not be able to resist taking action.

Thinking about how my two children, who had lost the protection of their parents and older sister, would have lived such a life if I hadn't been born, I wonder what their lives would have been like.

"Dear uncles and aunts, is there anyone willing to lend a hand and take my little brother to clean up this mess?"

She didn't want him to experience the strange looks from others here, even though he was still young, even though he might not understand anything now, she didn't want him covered in excrement and urine, being stared at like a monkey.

"Little Bai, come to my house, it's close by."

A woman in her sixties stepped forward, wiped away her tears, smiled at Jiang Bai, and took Jiang Songwen from Er Mao's hands without any hesitation.

"Thank you, Third Grandmother." This woman was none other than her grandfather's third sister-in-law.

"Brother Er Mao, go wash up too. Thank you so much this time."

After thanking Third Aunt Liu and bowing solemnly to Er Mao, Jiang Bai turned his gaze to Jiang Songzong, who had rushed over, after the two left. He walked up to him, extended his fair hand, and said coldly, "Give it to me."

Jiang Songzong pursed his lips, clenched the contract in his hand, and refused to hand it over.

"I'll say it again, give it to me."

Jiang Bai's eyes were like hidden blades, piercing Jiang Songzong's heart and making him feel cold. He subconsciously stretched out his hand, revealing the yellowed paper.

"Little Bai..."

“Grandpa, when my father was alive, he also addressed you as Uncle.”

"He's been gone for less than a month, his body is barely cold, and you're already joining them in bullying us orphans?"

She snatched the contract from Jiang Songzong's hand, turned to look directly at the clan chief, and then at the village head and the other clan elders beside him.

"Or do the elders also think that the three of us siblings should just let them bully us like this?"

No one dared to meet her gaze.

Seeing Jiang Songwen's appearance, they felt ashamed!

"Grandpa, I've made up my mind. I'm going to find a husband to marry into my family."

what?

what?

what?

Everyone present was shocked. The most shocked person was not the Jiangjia Village people present, but Ji Yanwen, who thought that after this matter was settled, he could finally marry a wife.

He looked at Jiang Bai in disbelief, but Jiang Bai didn't look at him.

She stood there with a determined look on her face, clearly not joking.

"No, I won't agree."

Before anyone else could react, Jiang Anlin roared, drawing everyone's attention.

"You won't agree? What right do you have to disagree?"

Jiang Bai sneered.

"Not only do I want you to marry into my family, but I also want you to return everything you took from our house, untouched."

She had intended to take it slow, but these people were inhuman, torturing a five-year-old child.

"Don't even think about it."

Jiang Anlin was so angry that his face turned red. If it weren't for the clan leader being there, which gave him some reason, he would have rushed forward long ago.

Although he might not be able to beat Jiang Bai even if he rushed forward, he would never agree to let Jiang Bai marry into the family, because that would mean that they would really have no way to take possession of the third branch's property.

"Shut up."

"We old folks aren't dead yet, who gives you the right to speak here?"

The clan chief's voice trembled, showing that he was also quite frightened.

Then he looked at Jiang Bai.

The girl stood there, seemingly blown away by a gust of wind, yet she was as resilient and tenacious as the wild grass in the field.

He could no longer deceive himself into thinking that Lao Qi and his wife, as well as An Liang's two older brothers, could take good care of the children he left behind. Perhaps Jiang Bai taking in a son-in-law was the best solution at the moment.

"Little Bai, do you know what it means to be a son-in-law?"