"Aren’t you sleeping?" Fu Sheng asked again.
I shook my head.
Standing up, I brushed the dust from my clothes.
"I’ll be right back," I said. "I want to see someone."
Fu Sheng looked at me for a moment.
"Bai Ming?" he asked calmly. "You want to warn her, right?"
I hummed softly.
"Mm. I’ll be right back."
I turned to leave, but after taking two steps I suddenly stopped.
Then I turned around again.
Before Fu Sheng could react, I leaned forward and quickly pecked his cheek.
His eyes widened slightly.
I smiled as if nothing had happened and quickly walked away before he could say anything.
---
Not far from our campsite, Bai Ming was still awake.
The small fire beside her had already burned low.
She was quietly clearing the place where she had just finished cooking.
A small pot sat beside her, and a few bowls were stacked neatly.
Not far from her, Fu Qin and Fu Lin were already asleep under a blanket.
Their small bodies were curled together, breathing softly.
When Bai Ming noticed someone approaching, she looked up.
Her eyes widened slightly when she saw me.
"Sister-in-law?" she said in surprise.
I walked closer and smiled lightly.
"Can I sit?"
Bai Ming quickly nodded.
"Yes... of course."
She moved slightly and made space for me.
I sat down beside her.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I looked at the small pot beside her and joked lightly.
"You cook this late every night? At this rate, you’ll become the best cook in the barren lands before we even arrive."
Bai Ming didn’t laugh.
Instead, she lowered her head slightly.
Her expression turned serious.
"I never deserved it," she said quietly.
I tilted my head.
"Never deserved what?"
Bai Ming looked at me.
"The kindness you show me," she said slowly.
"And the way you and Fu Sheng helped me today."
Her fingers tightened slightly on the cloth in her hand.
"After everything I’ve done to you... and the way I treated you before..."
Her voice became lower.
"I never deserved it."
For a moment, I simply stared at her.
Then I suddenly laughed.
Not a mocking laugh, but a light one.
Bai Ming looked confused.
"Why are you laughing?" she asked quietly.
I waved my hand lightly.
"Because you’re thinking too much."
She frowned slightly.
I leaned back a little and looked at the weak fire in front of us.
"You didn’t stab me, poison me, or push me off a cliff," I said casually. "So why are you acting like you committed some unforgivable crime?"
I coughed slightly, "Yah maybe at some point you paid someone to kidnap me and almost framed me but I’m smarter and always escaped your foolish schemes."
Bai Ming lowered her eyes.
"You still treated me badly before," she muttered.
The original Su Long was mean to always everyone. Having an affairs with Fu Fong despite him having a wife... It’s understandable that Bai Ming might had some grudges against her.
But there is never a good reason to pay evil with evil. If I was ever in that situation I would have left Fu Fong and ran away with my children.
What was the need of being and fighting for a man that didn’t even care about me. A complete waste of my time.
I shrugged.
"People change."
Then I looked at her again.
"And besides... you have enough problems already. I’m not someone who enjoys adding more."
Bai Ming stayed quiet for a moment.
The fire crackled softly between us.
After a short pause, my expression became a little more serious.
"There is actually another reason I came to see you tonight," I said.
She looked at me.
"What is it?"
I rested my arms on my knees.
"Earlier tonight, Master Fu told us something about the barren lands."
Bai Ming listened quietly.
I continued,
"Life there is not easy for women."
Her fingers paused slightly.
"Sometimes families sell daughters for grain when they are starving," I said calmly.
"Some women are forced to marry to repay debts."
Bai Ming’s face slowly became still.
"And some," I added softly, "are taken advantage of simply because they are alone and weak."
The wind moved gently through the trees around us.
I looked at her seriously.
"That’s why... it might be better for you to find someone you can settle down with."
Bai Ming looked at me in surprise.
"If you have a husband, people will bother you less," I continued.
"Life might still be difficult, but at least you won’t be completely alone."
Then I glanced at the two small children sleeping nearby.
"If you don’t want to think about yourself," I said quietly, "then think about them."
"They are still very young."
Bai Ming followed my gaze.
She looked at Fu Qin and Fu Lin sleeping peacefully under the blanket.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
The silence stretched between us.
Finally, Bai Ming spoke.
"I understand what you are saying."
Her voice was calm.
"But all my life... I have been tied to a man who only showed me cruelty."
Her eyes looked distant as she spoke.
"I finally escaped from that."
She slowly shook her head.
"I’m not going to enter another one."
Her voice was firm now.
"Even if it means protecting my children all by myself, I will do it."
She looked at her sons again.
"I will work hard," she continued quietly. "I will find a way to earn enough to support them."
Then she looked back at me.
"But remarrying..."
She shook her head again.
"I am not interested."
Hearing her words I lowered my head slightly and a small smile appeared on my lips.
Low-key I love strong women but I fear that she isn’t getting my point just yet. I understand what she meant but she also has to understand that All men are the same.
You just have to find the one for you.. some are lucky and find them at first try while some.... Don’t!