```
Bai Mei's heart leapt with joy as she heard Bai Xiao agree, and a relieved expression washed over her face, softening her demeanor. She unconsciously touched the money in her embrace, thinking that with these funds, she should be able to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
When she thought about the expression on Bai Jianguo and Hao Fang's faces once they discovered she had stolen the family's money, Bai Mei refused to dwell deeper. She felt a gloomy reluctance, reasoning that after all, in her family, as in the village, sons were valued far more than daughters. No one would make an exception for her, a daughter barely regarded. If it were not for Bai Xiao, the burden, and the fact that she was from an outsider's household drawing away the attention of her grandmother and real father, nobody would bother protecting her.