"Mother—my father is awake! He is alive, mother… my father is alive..."
The second child's little legs carried him stumbling toward the petite figure entering their small yard.
It is his mother, his heart longing for a safety and heaven's embraced of the adult.
"Mother… my father, he will beat you, woohoo…?" The boy sobbed again, clutching at his mother's waist like a lost cub finding its home.
This time, he could no longer hold it in.
His small body shakes miserably, as though the world is ending around him.
He kept mumbling the same thing over and over, the truth he could not change.
That his father was alive.
That his dear mother would be beaten.
That his little brothers would be sold.
A young woman in her early twenties stood there, her hair tied in a messy bun.
Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, her lips cracked, her face streaked with tears and marred by the faint scratches of fingers.
She looked fragile, so small and thin, so thin it seemed even the wind could carry her away.
This was Mu Ruying, returning from her parents' house with a dreading heart and tearful eyes.
Seeing her second son crying pitifully, she pulled him into her arms, offering a small comfort she herself could barely afford.
"Ah Yan... mother is here, don't cry, don't cry. Mother is strong, I can bear your father's anger. Your father... it is good that he is alive. Ah Yan still has a father, so you should be happy."
Mu Ruying whispered softly to her son, patting his back with trembling hands.
As if her words could comfort the young one, and convince herself she would be alright.
Deep inside, she knew her body would ache later, perhaps even worse, but all she prayed for was that her husband's rage would not reach the child growing in her belly.
"Mother...mother..."
"Shhh... don't cry."
"Ruying, why are you here... why did you come back now? Didn't I tell you not to return unless I called for you? I saw that bastard, he's still alive, he didn't die! He'll beat you again if he sees you!"
Mu Yanying whispered the last words with difficulty.
He kept glancing toward the kitchen, afraid that bastard of a brother-in-law, Wan Zheng, might hear him and make things worse.
It's just, he couldn't stop himself from lightly scolding his sister who had just shown up.
A while ago, just as the Mu family had settled into their rooms for the night, the sound of heavy knocking startled the whole house.
Outside stood the only daughter of the Mu family, shaking uncontrollably as she miserably confessed her sins.
As the eldest Mu son, Mu Yanying had agreed he would be the one to check if his sister's bastard husband was truly dead, and he did not blame his sibling for what had happened.
In fact, when he heard it, he felt glad inside, because at last his sister's life could become much easier.
Even without that bastard of husband, Mu Yanying believed he could support the whole family along with his sister's children.
However, the bastard was still alive and could still move around, surely having survived the blow.
Mu Yanying could only sigh in regret.
He knew his sister was not strong enough.
What could a mere mortal girl like her possibly do against her cultivator husband?
Her strike was nothing more than a punch against the sky.
"I cannot help worrying for my children, brother… that's why I came back. If my husband is alive, isn't that a good thing..." Mu Ruying responded as she wiped away her tears, bitterness heavy in her heart.
The thought of that man still being alive terrified her even more.
The fear of being condemned by everyone for killing her husband was replaced by the dreadful certainty of endless beatings to come.
The very idea already made her body ache and her spirit sink into despair.
Why was her married life filled with nothing but suffering?
Mu Ruying felt tears rising again, unable to endure any longer.
But the soft little hands clinging to her reminded her of what mattered most, her children.
Mu Yanying, upon seeing his sister's distressed face, felt his heart ache as his left hand curled into a fist.
He truly hated the young master his sister had married.
If only they had not allowed her to enter this marriage, her life would not have turned out like this.
"What are you still doing outside? Put the children to sleep already, there are so many mosquitoes that will bite them."
Wan Zheng's steady voice suddenly cuts through the night, announcing his unwelcome presence to the others.
The three standing near the small wooden gate freeze in place.
"Husband…" Mu Ruying whispered, her anxious gaze landed on the figure who just stepped out of the kitchen.
The person's forehead was damp, and they held a small cloth in his hand.
Wan Zheng, now fully awake, had washed away the sticky blood on his forehead and face twice to clear the lingering drunkenness from his body.
Though he still felt hot and sweaty from the summer night, and the unfamiliar ancient clothes clung uncomfortably to his skin.
He felt much better than before this time.
Wan Zheng actually wanted to take a quick bath.
But there was no water available, and with the sky already dark, he would have to wait until tomorrow.
When the others arrived in the yard, Wan Zheng had already heard them, but he didn't go out immediately.
He finished his business first inside the kitchen.
By the time he finished, he was already standing, silently listening to the three figures whispering and talking about him.
It's not that he wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Wan Zheng couldn't help but observe the woman supposed to be his body's original wife, Mu Ruying.
Under his quiet gaze, he had already decided that in this second life, he would have a family to take care of.
He knew he could leave and abandon this stranger's family for a better life.
However, according to the memories of the original Wan Zheng, the life of an abandoned wife and her children would be harsh.
They would suffer under the eyes of everyone in the village.
The daughters would struggle to marry to a good family or lack standing in their husband's family without strong support from their father.
The sons could be bullied, and the young wife left alone would become a target for lustful gangsters, widowers, and corrupt officials seeking a concubine.
In other words, they would be humiliated and left vulnerable to everyone.
Wan Zheng felt no attachment to these people, even if the children were biologically related to his body.
Yet, he was not ruthless enough to abandon them without food, decent clothing, or shelter.
Since he would take over this body, he needed to maintain a good reputation before leaving them.
Walking back into his room for a good sleep, his eyes caught the slightly open door next to his door.
From the slightly open door, little eyes stared at him from the darkness.
He knew these were his other children, peeking out curiously.
Seeing him looking at them, those eyes went wide, and they quickly shut the door in fear.
Wan Zheng: "..."