Lu Yao was about to continue teaching her children crafts after they had played for a while when she saw someone coming down the corridor.

She looked closely and instantly stood up, rushing to the door to wait for the person to arrive.

It was none other than her brother, Lu Mingxiu.

The jailer led him there, gave a few instructions, and then stepped aside, not interrupting the reunion of the siblings.

“Brother, how did you get here?” Lu Yao was a little excited.

After their parents died, they lived with their grandparents and their elder brother’s family. It was fine when their grandparents were alive, but after they passed away, their lives became increasingly difficult. Especially her elder brother, who was seriously injured in the disaster, leaving him with a lingering illness. He often had to see the doctor and take medicine, which made her elder brother’s family even more unhappy.

The two siblings had depended on each other for all these years, and their bond was very strong. When Lu Yao agreed to her elder brother’s wife marrying into the Shen family, one of the reasons was that her elder brother’s health was deteriorating and he needed money for treatment.

When he learned that his younger sister had agreed to her elder brother’s wife’s arrangement for his sake, Lu Mingxiu almost collapsed. He was filled with self-reproach and regret. As an elder brother, not only had he failed to take care of his sister, but he had also made her sacrifice herself for him. Thankfully, the Shen family was full of problems, but her brother-in-law was a good man, and the couple’s relationship was very good. This made him feel a little better.

This morning, his elder brother’s wife and the others, for the first time ever, had taken the initiative to go to his courtyard to gloat and mock him. He only learned about the Shen family’s downfall then. Although he rarely went out, he couldn’t sit still.

The Shen family’s matter was a big deal. Many people had gathered to watch the spectacle in the morning. He only needed to inquire a little to find out that his younger sister and her husband were also imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. He immediately went to the prison to find out what was happening. He came in a hurry and didn’t bring anything, so he was delayed until now.

“Are you all alright?”

Lu Mingxiu carefully examined Lu Yao, then looked at Yunhao and Yueyue, who had run over as soon as they knew it was their uncle, to make sure they were unharmed and in good spirits. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He also saw that the four of them were together, and he understood why he was able to enter so easily.

He winked at the servant behind him, who understood and quickly placed the package he had brought in front of the cell door, opened it, and handed the things inside one by one: “I heard about your situation, Master came to the Heavenly Prison to inquire and then went to buy these things.”

Lu Yao looked at the pile of food and supplies. After a rough calculation, she realized that this pile, plus the money spent on inquiring and visiting, must have cost a lot. Her eyes were a little red. Had her brother spent all his money?

Lu Mingxiu didn’t care at all: “See if you need anything else, I’ll bring it over.”

Lu Yao directly refused: “It’s enough.”

She had everything in her space, but here, there were eyes everywhere. She could carefully make some small moves with food, but she couldn’t conjure up clothes and blankets. With her brother’s gifts, their lives would be much easier.

“Brother, you spent all your money, what about you…” Lu Yao was very worried.

“Don’t worry about me.” Lu Mingxiu didn’t want to dwell on the topic, so he turned to talk to his two nephews.

Because of his health, Lu Mingxiu rarely went out. He didn’t see Yunhao and Yueyue often, but he would often have people bring them things. Therefore, the two children were very familiar with and fond of this uncle who they didn’t spend much time with. It had been a few months since they last saw each other, and they were very happy to see him here.

Lu Yao smiled helplessly. Her brother, although thin and frail, was very stubborn. Once he made up his mind, no one could easily change it.

Seeing that she was no longer dwelling on the money, Lu Mingxiu finally had time to talk to her.

Lu Yao was amused by her elder brother’s childish behavior.

Fine, as long as he was happy, she wouldn’t say anything else.

They talked for a while, but they didn’t mention anything about the Shen family. This time, their family was completely implicated. What would happen in the end was not something they, ordinary people, could decide.

Lu Mingxiu felt very guilty. It was his fault as an elder brother, he was useless, not only could he not protect his sister, but he also dragged her down. If… his younger sister didn’t have to marry into the Shen family, then she wouldn’t be in this situation now.

Now, he could only hope that the Shen family wouldn’t really get into trouble…

His gaze fell on the man standing silently beside him, his expression complex.

Because of this man, his sister was implicated. It was a lie to say he wasn’t resentful, but the other man was also an innocent victim, so he couldn’t vent his anger on him.

Shen Yanrong was also heartbroken. Facing his brother-in-law, he could only apologize. Anything else would sound pale and powerless. If he could, he would even wish that the other man could hit him or scold him, maybe that would make him feel better.

“Alright, we’re all family, about the future…” Lu Mingxiu sighed, “We’ll take things one step at a time.”

Knowing that his sister and her family were alright, he felt relieved. He couldn’t stay in the Heavenly Prison for long, so he said a few more words and left under the jailer’s guidance.

Lu Yao began to tidy up the things Lu Mingxiu had brought.

The blanket, she put it directly on the bed, so they could use it tonight. The pastries, she, the two children, and Shen Yanrong each took one, and the rest was saved for when they were hungry. The money…

???

!!!

Lu Yao didn’t expect him to leave money besides food and supplies. Her heart felt more complex. Her silly brother, he usually copied books for people to earn a little money, and his life was pretty good. But he had been taking medicine all these years, and it was impossible for him to save any money. Where did he get so much money?

“Brother, this…” Shen Yanrong also saw what was inside and felt even more guilty and self-reproach. It was all his fault. If he had cut ties with those people sooner and more decisively, could they have avoided this disaster?

Lu Yao slapped him on the back: “What are you thinking about!”

They exist to create opportunities for the male lead, to contribute to his success. How could they possibly escape the arrangement of the plot?

She even felt that everything that happened in her family was arranged by the plot in advance.

If she hadn’t transmigrated and accidentally regained her memories, she, with only the experiences and memories of this era, and the man who had been suppressed by the protagonist, would probably have gone head-to-head with him out of desperation for survival. Then, their fate…

Lu Yao dismissed the thought.

Times had changed. She would never allow herself and her family to fall into that situation again.

The Shen family women watched with longing as the family of four next door ate with gusto.

“Ya Lan, when will Jiaojiao come?” Wang Lao Tai Tai couldn’t help but ask.

Jiaojiao was Wang Ya Lan’s eldest daughter, Shen Yu Jiao. She was the favored eldest daughter of the Shen family, and she was married to the favored younger son of the Minister of Works. All their hope now rested on her.

“Jiaojiao is definitely busy finding connections. How could she spare the time to see us?” Wang Ya Lan guessed what Lao Tai Tai was thinking and comforted her, “Those who are incompetent can only make a show of it.”

Wang Lao Tai Tai agreed wholeheartedly.

Hmph, what good was it to have someone send blankets and food? They still couldn’t get out!

Those ungrateful, heartless bastards, they had food and blankets and didn’t give any to her, the grandmother. When they got back, she would make her son sever ties with them!