Chapter 2 Morning Rise

  Bai Yun was woken up by Bai Jiangshi, and her head stretched out from the pale purple mosquito net. The first thing she saw was a beautiful palace lamp standing in the corner of the room. In the past, her boudoir had also been lit up every night with the same kind of palace lamp. Her mother had passed away early, and her stepmother, afraid that she would be scared at night, always kept the light on for her throughout the night.

  Two little maidservants walked in, carrying washbasins. They were both wearing fine cotton jackets and coarse linen skirts; one had a small silver hairpin on her head, the other wore a silver pin in her hair, simple yet revealing the elegant and refined nature of young girls.

  Baiyun recognized them at a glance: Xinzhan and Yumò.

  In her previous life, she went out to play with her brother and met two sisters kneeling by the roadside. The two sisters were all in mourning clothes, and the elder sister was holding a sign that read "selling herself to bury her father". The madam of the brothel dropped a bag of silver at their feet, and the two sisters hugged each other and cried tears of sorrow.

  Sister said: "Sister, don't go."

  Sister said: "Little sister don't cry, take the silver and go home to help father with the aftermath, the remaining money, little sister keep it for food."

  The old woman urged her sister to hurry up, her sister got up with a sob, took off the hemp clothes on her body, and was about to follow the old woman. The younger sister hugged her sister's feet and cried loudly, saying "I don't want my sister to leave, I don't want my sister to leave..."

  The old woman's eyes gleamed with a sly light as she gazed at her younger sister, who was still quite pretty, and said to her older sister, "Why don't the two of us go back with Mother?"

  Sister hastily pried open her younger sister's hand, her expression stern: "Yanhua Liu Xiang, I've already gone there alone out of necessity, how can I let my younger sister also jump into the fire pit?"

  The old procuress frowned and snorted coldly through her nose.

  Bai Yun was furious, but she immediately asked her brother Bai Zhenxuan to return the money to the old procuress and bury their father after the sisters. Then he took the two back to the White House.

  The Bai family was a family of book collectors, with a long history of learning. Bai Yunnu gave her two sisters names that sounded like the titles of books. Her older sister was called Xin Du, and her younger sister was called Yu Mo.

  At this moment, staring at the heart in front of her eyes, Bai Yun's warm eyes welled up with tears again.

  In her previous life, Zhang Siying oppressed her everywhere in the Zhang family, but this servant girl comforted and consoled her. In the face of Zhang Siying's temptation and bribery, she was unmoved. Who would have thought that this servant girl would be loyal and protective of her master, becoming a thorn in Zhang Siying's side? What's even more hateful is that Yu Mo was used by Zhang Siying and became the executioner who harmed her own sister.

  In her past life, the scene of Xīn Yuè's death appeared before her eyes again. On a winter day, when the family slave pulled Xīn Yuè's body out of the Bi Bo Pool, that beautiful girl was already disfigured beyond recognition, a pitiful sight. She hugged Zhēn Niáng and cried her heart out by the pool.

  At this thought, Bai Yun's gaze at Yu Mo turned cold.

  Yu Mo was just about to put the basin on the washstand, and had wrung out a hot towel to wipe Bai Yunnuan's face. When she lifted her head, she suddenly saw Bai Yunnuan staring at her with a cold gaze, and couldn't help but shiver. She thought to herself: Could it be that Miss found out about the hairpin I hid away the other day? Thinking this, her heart skipped a beat, and the hot towel in her hand fell back into the basin. The water in the basin splashed up and scalded her hand, causing Yu Mo to cry out in surprise.

  "Yu Mo, you've been following Miss for so many years, how can you still be so clumsy?" Bai Jiangshi frowned and scolded.

  Xin Yan quickly walked over to Yu Mo's side, taking over her sister's task, and wrung out a hot towel from the water. The water was scalding, but she endured it, not revealing any discomfort on her face, instead smiling pleasantly. In winter, Miss had a habit of liking hot towels, finding comfort in applying the warm towel to her face. Miss was the benefactor of both sisters, and serving her well

  Haiyuan Wang's Pen is Fun Pavilion

  Miss is her duty.

  Xin Yan walked quietly in front of Bai Yunnuo.

  The white cloud warms up at first sight, and the cold face like frost will smile.

  "Let Rain Ink go out, and Heart Refine will stay to serve me in dressing up." Bai Yun Nuan just didn't want that ungrateful and disloyal servant to be in front of her eyes.

  "Yes." Yu Mo bowed his head and backed out with a hint of resentment.

  "Stop her, let Zhen Niang bring over Miss's breakfast, millet porridge, meat buns and flower rolls that Miss loves to eat. Just have Zhen Niang send them over, you go to the outer courtyard and tell Master and Young Master that Miss is already up."

  He left with a gloomy face, his eyebrows low and his eyes cast down.

  Baiyun Nuan gazed at her mother and Xinzhan in front of her, her heart racing with excitement. Her mother's face was as white and crystal clear as the finest jade, without a single blemish. Xinzhan had an oval-shaped face, long eyebrows that reached his temples, plump red lips, and delicate skin as white as snow. His eyes were like two sparkling springs. It was great to be reborn, the tragedy hadn't occurred yet, the people she loved were still alive, and everything could still be changed. She must cherish and protect them well based on her past life's experience, not letting their tragedy repeat itself.

  Bai Yun gently lifted her face and let Xin give her a wipe.

  Rinse your mouth, put on clothes, sit in front of the dresser and let her mother dress her up. Xīn Yuè is ready to help beside her.

  On the dresser inlaid with mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell, a set of rhombus-shaped copper mirrors wrapped in brocade and a large red lacquer carved plum blossom jewelry box were placed. Bai Yun was taken aback for a moment. In her previous life, her mother had passed away when she was five years old, and the White family had already declined at that time. In this life, her mother said that she was in her teenage years, thirteen years old, an age when marriage could be discussed. And on the dresser, there were still valuable dressing boxes that could be placed, it seemed that the family's situation was not bad, and looking at her mother's skin, which was slightly plump, with a new lotus flower on her cheek, a nose like goose fat, wearing a light blue brocade embroidered with flowers, shining brightly, she looked more delicate than a flower. Now the White family's economic prospects should be very prosperous.

  Perhaps in this life, her father won't marry her off to the Zhang family for a hefty bride price. In her past life, Zhang Siying always cursed the Bai family, saying they weren't marrying off their daughter but selling her instead.

  Isn't it a sale? 100,000 taels of silver, and you get two books as dowry.

  Thinking of this, Bai Yun's heart felt stuffy and anxious.

  Baijiang saw her daughter staring blankly at the new dresser, and smiled: "Do you like it? Look, your eyes are fixed on it. It's a thirteen-year-old birthday gift from your brother."

  "The young master loves Miss the most." Xīn Yuè chuckled and responded from the side.

  "It doesn't matter, as long as they are brother and sister who love each other, that's my blessing."

  "Madam is a blessed person, not only do the young master and miss adore you, but also the old master treats madam with utmost care." Baisan sincerely praised, making Madame Baijiang smile with joy.

  Bai Yun's warmth reminded him of his mother's death in his past life, and he couldn't laugh happily with his mother.

  At this moment, she couldn't wait to see her brother Bai Zhenxuan. In her past life, her brother had gone to war in place of their father and ended up dying on the battlefield. This lifetime, not only were her mother and heart's desire still alive, but so was her brother. Heaven had shown mercy, and this lifetime, she would do whatever it took to protect her loved ones.

  In the outer courtyard, her brother Bai Zhenxuan was standing, seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a embroidered sable cloak, a magnificent crown and court shoes, with elegant eyebrows and beautiful eyes, his demeanor was divine, like the beauty of the morning sun's clouds and mist, like the flight of the red phoenix over the Penglai Island, truly only the four words "a jade-like young master" could describe him perfectly.

  Bai Yunnu was already so excited that she had tears in her eyes when she saw Bai Zhenxuan, and she flew towards him like a butterfly, calling out sweetly: "Gege——"