The next morning, before daybreak, Bai Ruozhu was awoken by some noise in the yard. She had spent the night in distress and worry, but forced herself to fall asleep to gather energy. Counting sheep into the thousands didn't seem to help and it was apparent that the rest of the family had not slept well either.
She sighed softly, picked up Dengdeng for feeding him. Even when sleepy, Dengdeng managed to feed on her, given the day ahead. She wanted to make sure he was full to avoid any top-ups that might interfere with her tasks.
When she came out of the room after feeding him, she saw her mother already in the kitchen preparing food. Her eyes were swollen and darkened -- an apparent sign of staying up the whole night crying.
"I am preparing some good food for your second brother so that he does not starve in jail," her mother Lin Ping'er explained, with a hoarse voice.
