Lu Ye withdrew his thoughts, steadied his mind, and said to Bai Sheng, "I am grateful that you can be honest with me. However, from now on, you must never tell anyone else about what happens to you. People's hearts are greedy, and fortune and disaster are interdependent."
Bai Sheng blinked and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, because I value my own life." Having regained her vitality, how could she not cherish it?
Lu Ye nodded with relief, then his brow suddenly furrowed as if he had thought of something. "Also, in Huangsha Village, you will see many pitiable people. They may be thirsty and hungry, on the verge of death, but you must not be overly compassionate. Otherwise, the ultimate pitiable person will be you!"
"Mm, I understand," Bai Sheng nodded. She had deeply experienced this in her previous life. To save a so-called best friend, she had donated bone marrow. But when she unfortunately contracted cancer, everyone avoided her like a plague, including the sister who had received the bone marrow.
The world's indifference and human warmth and coldness – no one felt it more profoundly than she did.
"If, I mean if, you insist on saving some people, you must protect yourself first. No, no, if you insist on saving some people, please tell me first!" Lu Ye seemed determined to ward off all possible dangers that Bai Sheng might face.
Bai Sheng looked at his worried expression, her eyes slightly moist. This young man in front of her, although he did not love her and only held the title of husband, took her as his responsibility and protected her with all his might.
"Lu Ye, don't worry, I will protect myself," Bai Sheng said, her eyes moist, doing her best to smile so that her inner feelings were not revealed.
"Mm, just remember what I said," Lu Ye nodded. After surveying the space once more, he said to Bai Sheng, "Let's go out. Get some rest early tonight, tomorrow... we have to bury our parents."
Bai Sheng's heart trembled. She finally remembered that her in-laws had been dead for three days, and their bodies were still at home. They should be buried as soon as possible.
Three days ago, her in-laws had passed away. Lu Hua and her two siblings, along with the original host, were all on the verge of death from thirst. Lu Ye had no opportunity to grieve or cry. Thirsty and hungry, he held onto the last shred of his strength and ran for a whole day in the desert, finally finding a cactus that could be eaten, temporarily saving his still-living family members.
The next day, Lu Ye again toiled outside for a whole day searching for food and water. On the third day, he encountered the incident of Lu Hua being sold.
The bodies of his parents had thus been left at home for three days and three nights.
In fact, it was not just Lu Ye's family. Most people in Huangsha Village were the same. The desert, already barren, had been dry for two years. People were busy struggling to survive, having no time even for grief and sorrow. In these times, a death in the family had become a commonplace occurrence.
Leaving the space, Lu Ye told Bai Sheng to take her younger siblings to sleep first, while he went out to attend to some matters.
This time, Bai Sheng agreed without asking further questions. Everyone needed their own personal space, and it was not convenient for her to interfere in every matter concerning Lu Ye.
The dilapidated straw mat for sleeping was a bit dirty. Bai Sheng had wanted to bring out some water to wash it, but it was not yet appropriate to be particular. Otherwise, the younger siblings would become even more curious about where so much water had appeared from.
Shaking the sand off the straw mat, Bai Sheng let the three younger siblings lie down first, and she lay down beside Lu Hua.
"My brother... must have gone to fetch stones," Lu Hua sighed, her voice slightly choked.
"Fetch stones for what?" In the dim yellow lamplight, Bai Sheng turned her head and looked at Lu Hua in confusion.
Lu Hua raised her hand to wipe her eyes. "Mother and Father are to be buried tomorrow. After the grave pit is dug, stones need to be placed inside, otherwise, with a strong sandstorm, Mother and Father will be blown out."
Bai Sheng understood. What Lu Hua was referring to was the stone burial common in desert regions, where stones were built up along the four walls of the grave pit. After the body was buried, it would be pressed down with stones, and a tomb mound would be piled up.
The purpose of doing this was to prevent the corpse from being exposed after the wind and sand blew away the soil.
"Is it to fetch stones near the big sand pit?" In the original host's memory, there was a mine a few miles away from Huangjia Village. The stones dug out from the mine shaft were dumped in a large sand pit about two miles outside the village.
"Mm," Lu Hua nodded.
"Sister, we won't have parents anymore, will we?" Four-year-old Lu Yu asked with a crying tone.
Lu Hua nodded tearfully, "Mm, we won't have parents anymore. Mother and Father starved to death for us, they died of thirst..."
"Wah... I miss Mother and Father, I want Mother and Father..." Lu Yu cried out loudly.
Lu Yun also sobbed quietly.
Soon, the three children were all crying together.
Bai Sheng's nose also felt a little sore. She sighed helplessly, got up, picked up the youngest, Lu Yu, into her arms, gently patted his scrawny, skin-and-bones back, and coaxed him softly, "Oh, oh, it's okay, it's okay, don't cry. Our little Yu Yu is the best, Mother and Father have just gone to another place. That place is very happy, with lots of sweet water, and all sorts of delicious food. Mother and Father are happy there!"
"Mother and Father are bad,嗚嗚... they have so much delicious food and didn't take Xiao Yu... Yu to eat together."
Bai Sheng almost burst out laughing. This little glutton, crying for his parents, yet not forgetting about food.
"Mother and Father have gone to another world. You can only go there if you lose your life in this world. Xiao Yu Yu still has a long, long life to live, you definitely can't go now. Mother and Father will wait for you there."
"Sister-in-law, can... can you be... my mother?" Lu Yu asked, sobbing.
"Why?" Although this was not a suitable moment for laughter, Bai Sheng's stomach hurt from suppressing her amusement.
"Because you hold me like my mother held me," Lu Yu said.
Bai Sheng's smile stopped abruptly. She pulled Lu Yu tighter into her embrace and coaxed him in the gentlest voice, "Xiao Yu Yu, Sister-in-law is your elder brother's wife. You cannot call Sister-in-law 'Mother'. But, don't worry, Sister-in-law will dote on you and love you like a mother from now on, okay?"
"Mm, okay," Lu Yu replied with a trembling, tearful voice.
After coaxing Lu Yu, Bai Sheng looked up and saw Lu Hua and Lu Yun also gazing at her expectantly, like two puppies eagerly awaiting a pat on the head.
Alright, tonight she would be their temporary mother. After coaxing Lu Yu, Bai Sheng also hugged Lu Hua and Lu Yun respectively.
Although Lu Hua was 10 years old, her personality was too soft, and she lacked affection.
Lu Yun, who was usually like a little adult, had also broken down under the influence of his sister and brother, crying with sobs.
Bai Sheng told the three children that from now on, she would love them like their mother.
The three children clung to Bai Sheng like damp candy.
Bai Sheng felt suffocated by their embrace. Thinking of Lu Ye's thin body toiling to move stones piece by piece, she felt even more breathless.
She had the space, and moving stones was effortless. She had to go and help Lu Ye. However, it was late at night, and the three children were not safe at home. She could only take them with her. After all, children were easily coaxed.
"Many hands make light work. How about we go help your elder brother move stones?"
"Okay, Sister-in-law, I've wanted to go for a long time," Lu Hua replied eagerly.
Lu Yun also said, "We can't always let Big Brother be the only one working hard. Sister-in-law, let's go quickly."
"I'll go help Big Brother too!" Lu Yu raised his little fists.
"Let's go, let's go help your elder brother!" Bai Sheng sat up with a smile.