Yunxiang had always been straightforward and aggressive, a fierce protector of those she held dear. In Banyuepo Village, she was famous for her fiery temper, earning the nickname “Little Pepper.”

Whenever the original owner and Ye Sangyan faced bullying, Yunxiang was always the first to shield them. To Ye Sangwan, who had grown up alone as an orphan in her previous life, this rare display of concern was touching.

Just as this warmth settled in her heart, a wave of dizziness hit her. The world around her darkened, and she nearly collapsed.

“Sister Wan Ya!”

A firm hand grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. The fresh and pleasant scent of soapberry mixed with an aggressive masculine fragrance filled her senses. The warmth of his breath caressed her cheek, sending a jolt through her body as if an electric current had coursed through her veins. Her heart pounded wildly in response.

Ye Sangwan quickly regained her composure. “Yunxiang, I’m fine. I haven’t been bullied by anyone at the old house.”

Yunxiang’s sharp eyes narrowed. “Fine? Look at you! The back of your head is bleeding, and your arms… they’re stuck together with dried blood! Does it hurt?”

Ye Sangwan felt Yunheng’s presence pause beside her. Instinctively, she took a step back, creating distance between them.

She reached up to touch her head, fingers coming away sticky with blood. Feeling awkward, she quickly changed the subject. “Yunxiang, help me wake Ah Yan later. I’ll go find Grandpa Song to help with the bandaging.”

Grandpa Song was the village’s barefoot doctor. Though aloof, he treated most injuries out of goodwill, and more importantly, he was cheap. However, seeking him out was just an excuse. Ye Sangwan was a doctor herself, and this minor injury was nothing to her.

Yunxiang’s lips curled into a teasing grin. “Let my elder brother go with you!”

Ye Sangwan’s face instantly heated up. The words “future sister-in-law,” a joke Yunxiang had once made to the original owner, echoed in her mind on repeat. Just as she was drowning in her embarrassment, a sigh came from above her head.

She didn’t need to look up to know Yunheng was probably feeling troubled and a little impatient.

Quickly, she waved a dismissive hand. “I can go by myself.”

But before she could take a step, a strong hand grasped her wrist. She turned to meet Yunheng’s cold gaze.

“Must you always be so distant with your fiancé?”

“I… I…” Ye Sangwan stammered, her face blooming red like a rose.

She didn’t even know how she ended up being led back to the Yun family’s house. When she was finally seated, she snapped back to reality, only to find Yunheng personally tending to her wounds under Chen Ru’s curious gaze. The realization sent another wave of embarrassment crashing over her. Why had she been so cowardly?

She observed his movements in a daze. His hands were steady, skilled—even more practiced than she had been during her internship.

Chen Ru, Yunheng’s mother, finally broke the silence with a laugh. “You two seem busy. I’ll go check on the fire in the kitchen.”

She placed her embroidery cloth aside and swiftly exited, her steps light and hurried. Yuen Heng’s mother is different from the peasant women in the village. She never goes out of the house. She stays at home every day to make clothes and embroider handkerchiefs. She raised five children by herself and had money to build a tile house.

Ye Sangwan chuckled at her antics, but a sudden sting made her gasp. “Hiss!” all because Yun Heng who was applying medicine to her, accidentally touched the wound.

Yunheng’s hands halted immediately. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” she lied. If she had stayed still, she wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place.

Silence settled between them again, thick with unspoken words. To break the awkwardness, Ye Sangwan suddenly recalled something. “That stone you threw earlier… it saved me. I didn’t get a chance to thank you.”

Remembering his earlier words, “Must you always be so distant with your fiancé?” she quickly added, “I’ll treat you to roast chicken tomorrow!”

As soon as she said it, she noticed the tension in Yunheng’s posture ease slightly. Was he about to get angry just now?

Then, out of it h to show off, or maybe due to the favour of throwing that small stone, she blurted out without thinking , “Can I see your legs?”

The warmth in the air immediately dropped. A familiar frost settled over Yunheng’s features, his narrowed eyes turning cold.

Ye Sangwan held her ground, meeting his icy stare. She took in his sharp features, each perfectly aligned with her aesthetic preference. But she quickly snapped out of it thanking her self-control. This man had no interest in a green bean sprout 🌱 like her, and she was well aware of it.

With a sigh, she relented. “If you don’t want to show them to me, then forget it. No need to be so fierce.”

Yunheng remained silent, expression unreadable, as he packed up the medicine. Ye Sangwan sighed dramatically. “I just wanted to see if your leg could be cured, but if you don’t want my help, then stay a cripple forever.”

His lips parted slightly, but he said nothing. Instead, his gaze landed on a half-embroidered handkerchief beside him. The intricate pattern of butterflies dancing among hibiscus flowers was stunning, a testament to Chen Ru’s exceptional embroidery skills. In the modern world, such craftsmanship would sell for a fortune.

Regret filled Ye Sangwan’s heart. If only she knew how to use that profitable silk factory she might just need to lay down and count money….. but hey who has easy life especially in times like these with chaos rampant.

She covered her chest as if mourning a lost treasure and went to the kitchen to bid Chen Ru farewell. Despite Chen Ru’s attempts to make her stay, she politely declined and disappeared into the night.

As she walked, deep in thought, her mind returned to Yunheng’s rejection of her help. If she couldn’t repay her debt to him, perhaps she could help Chen Ru. Years of embroidery had surely damaged her eyesight, and she had plenty of lutein in her space that could help. The only issue was figuring out how to explain its sudden appearance.

A soft call interrupted her musings. “Eldest sister!”

She turned sharply and slapped her forehead her in self-blame. How could she have forgotten about Ye Chuan? This is the original owner’s younger brother Ye Chuan, who was forced by Zhao to catch a pheasant everyday, so why was he here naturally because it is impossible to hunt a pheasant everyday especially for a little boy like him making him afraid to go down the mountain to report.

The boy stood there, his small frame barely able to carry the bundle of firewood on his back.

“Chuan!” Feeling guilty, she walked up to him and took the heavy load from his hands. “Come, let’s go home and eat.”

“Eldest sister, did you come to pick me up?” His wide eyes shone with surprise.

She smiled, ruffling his hair. She couldn’t admit she had forgotten him. Right?

Seeing Ye Sangwan’s silent smile, he blamed himself “But I didn’t catch the pheasant,” he muttered. “Are we going to starve again?”

“Silly Chuan.” She pulled him into a side hug. “From today on, we will never go hungry again.” Ye Sangwan looked at the sensible and sweet child making her feel pity for him and couldn’t help wanting to protect him. Ye Chuan opened his round eyes: “Why? Has grandma changed for the better?”. “No. Anyway, your elder sister will protect you in the future!”

Behind them, a shadow moved. Yunheng watched them from the darkness, his heart stirring as he observed Ye Sangwan’s unwavering determination. The sight of her walking ahead, with Ye Chuan trailing beside her, overlapped with a memory buried deep in his mind.

Is it really you?

—

When they arrived home, Ye Sangwan was greeted by the sound of muffled sobs. Ye Sangyan and Xu Dani had woken up, their cries echoing through the small house as Yunxiang tried to comfort them.

Ye Chuan immediately panicked. “Eldest sister, is Grandma here to steal from us again?”

Ye Sangwan sighed and thought about it feeling that she should not keep the child in dark about what happened to father and elder brother “No, Chuan. It’s Dad and Big Brother… Something happened to them. Just like Mother, they won’t be coming back.”

After a moment of silence tears welled in Ye Chuan’s eyes. “Are they in heaven too? Mom said she would watch me grow up in heaven.” While speaking the two of them simultaneously looked up at the same time one in hope of finding his mother, father and elder brother somewhere in the vast starry night and other lamenting the loss of the family determined to work hard for those that are still alive and live up to the expectations of original owner and her family.

She nodded. “Yes. And they’re watching over us. So Chuan must grow up strong. So that mom, dad and elder brother can rest assured “

Ye Chuan nodded “I will! I will grow up quickly to protect the eldest sister, the second sister and the eldest-sister-in-law! I’ll protect you all! I am a man and elder brother said man cannot cry they become stronger.”Yunheng watched from afar, his heart tightening as he took in the scene.Ye Sangwan, you’re stronger than you look.

When Ye Dashan left, Ye Chuan was only two years old. He may not have any impression of his father, but for his elder brother, Ye Chuan is still full of attachment. He clenched his fists to hold back tears, blinking his eyes and staring at Ye Sangwan.

Ye Sangwan was heartbroken by his gaze…

Such a sensible child the youngest brother made Ye Sangwan couldn’t help but touch his furry head again:”Then Chuan, go wash your hands quickly, I will go to coax the eldest sister-in-law, and Chuan will coax the second sister, okay?”

Watching Ye Chuan’s thin figure go into the kitchen, Ye Sangwan went to Xu Dani’s room with mixed feelings.Ye Sangwan persuaded for a quarter of an hour, and finally used the safety of Xu Dani’s baby to temporarily appease Xu Dani.But for a bride who was less than 20 years old, her husband died less than a year after she married into the Ye family. In addition, the fetus in her belly was unstable, Zhao’s endless torture, and she had to raise her sister-in-law and brother-in-law. How helpless must Xu Dani be?

If the original owner had a cowardly character, once Xu Dani, half of the pillar of the family, fell, I am afraid that in a few days, the remaining five people in the Ye family’s main house would starve to death at home.

She came to the kitchen alone, and Yunxiang seemed to have left.

She had not eaten for a day, and the unique fragrance of the chicken made her drool. No! To be precise, it was the original owner’s body’s instinctive reaction.

Think about it, the original owner hasn’t eaten meat for nearly half a year. The last time was the night before the eldest brother left. The taste of the pheasant stewed with mushrooms is still deeply engraved in the original owner’s memory.

It’s all because of poverty.

She silently picked up the bowl of clear soup on the stove and slurped it down. Only when she finished drinking could she vaguely see a thin layer of broken rice at the bottom of the bowl.

On the dining table next to her, Ye Sangyan carefully took out two thumb-sized pieces of chicken from the earthenware jar and put them in Ye Chuan’s bowl. She looked nervous, as if she was dividing some delicacy.

“An’er, eat quickly! This chicken is delicious!”

Ye Chuan smiled at her, “Second sister, eat too.”

“I’ve eaten! Chuan, eat!”

Ye Sangwan glanced at her bowl. There was not a drop of oil or water left. She must have been reluctant to eat it.

Ye Sangwan closed her eyes and couldn’t help but take two bowls from the space under the guise of cupboard. She served a bowl of chicken soup to Ye Sangyan and Ye Chuan respectively. “You two are weak, drink the chicken soup to replenish your body.”

“Eldest sister, this chicken soup is precious, let’s leave it for my sister-in-law to drink for a few more days!”

Ye Sangwan shook her head and insisted: “The weather is still hot, and this chicken soup will definitely go bad if it is left overnight. You should drink it while it is hot, and take the rest to our sister-in-law’s room later.”

Ye Chuan looked into the earthenware jar, turned around and took a clean bowl from Ye Sangwan and scooped a bowl for her, “Eldest sister, drink it too. I will definitely be able to hunt a pheasant tomorrow, and then we will stew mushrooms…”

Ye Sangwan felt a warmth spread through her chest as she looked at the determined little boy in front of her. She reached out, gently ruffling his hair, a soft smile tugging at her lips.

“Alright, Chuan,” she said, her voice firm yet filled with affection. “Tomorrow, we’ll have another feast.”

The flickering oil lamp cast long shadows on the walls, the quiet night wrapping around them like a fragile promise. No matter what hardships lay ahead, they would face them together—one meal, one step, and one day at a time.