Chapter 1028 - 1030 Dad Is So Pitiful_1
Anyway, Bai Fu thought about what Bai Yuanqing had said; only if Bai Yihong failed to pass the imperial examinations to become a Juren, he could not reveal his true heritage. With Bai Yihong’s intelligence, the chance of him passing the Juren examinations was a joke!
Moreover, as time went by, he also got used to the extra income that the second son brought to the family, he was also worried that if Bai Yihong knew the truth, he would demand the token that had been pawned by him and question his broken promises.
Of course, what he feared most was that it would affect his reputation.
He didn’t fully lack affection for his adopted son, but his fondness for him gradually waned when the adopted son proposed to split the family.
If it weren’t for him, Bai Yihong wouldn’t even have survived, so what if he worked for the family? That was just repaying the kindness he owed. But once he grew strong enough and insisted on leaving to set up his own household, it was clear that no matter how much you raise someone who isn’t your blood, they’ll never become your own.
Later on, when Er Lang passed the examinations to become a student, and then became a Scholar, he was pleased, but he felt more pity for his biological son who was overshadowed. He even thought Er Lang was too inconsiderate, not giving his elder uncle any face.
Afterward, when the third son stole from Bai Ruozhu, leading to her premature delivery, he always believed it was Bai Ruozhu’s fault for not being sensible enough, thinking that Er Lang’s family was too ungrateful.
Until his eldest son was caught in an exam cheating scandal, and after all that followed, his feelings for Bai Yihong were nothing but hatred. He thought if he hadn’t taken in this ingrate, perhaps his son wouldn’t have been banished to suffer at the borders.
As for the Liu Family, she was selfish from the beginning. She agreed to raise another’s child for the sake of silver. At first, she was also afraid that Bai Yihong’s relatives would come looking for him and did not dare to let him starve to death. Later, she felt that having another laborer was not bad, but she did not have much affection for Bai Yihong, and sometimes even felt resentful because she believed it was Bai Yihong’s arrival that had caused the death of her poor Er Ya.
Even after she later gave birth to a daughter, Bai Zhi, these thoughts never changed.
But neither Bai Fu nor the Liu Family had ever thought about the dying wish they had promised to fulfill when they accepted Bai Yuanqing’s silver.
The words coaxed out of the Liu Family left Bai Ruozhu full of sighs. She said to Jiang Yichun, "That Bai Yuanqing was really foolish. How could he trust someone like Bai Fu? It’s simply a case of misjudged trust. He chose not to believe in his own kin, opting to trust someone whose background he didn’t fully understand, ultimately delaying his son’s whole life."
"That Bai Yuanqing is your real grandfather. You can’t speak of him with such disrespect," Jiang Yichun shook his head helplessly.
Bai Ruozhu pursed her lips, "He wanted my father to pass the Juren, but he didn’t know that my father had been so manipulated by Bai Fu that even though he learned to read and write a little, he never really had the chance to learn more. I heard that when my father was young, there wasn’t a School in the village. When he was of age to go to the Private School in Town, my grandparents always said that the family was under financial strain, that it was already a stretch to support my big uncle at the Private School in Town and suggested waiting until the family conditions improved to send him."
Jiang Yichun’s face darkened, also feeling very angry, "Five hundred silver would be enough to study for many years in Anyuan Town. It could have been enough to support your father in becoming a Jinshi."
"Indeed, my father is honest, but not stupid. He’s hardworking and not lazy; had he received an education, perhaps he would have become an officer by now," Bai Ruozhu felt it was extremely unfair for her father.
"So when do you plan to tell your parents about this?" Jiang Yichun suddenly asked.
Bai Ruozhu hesitated. Would her father be able to withstand such a shock and not undergo a significant change in mentality? Moreover, speaking out now would be of no help. The token was gone, and her father couldn’t possibly go looking for his original clan. Would revealing this truth really be good for her father?
But no matter what, her father had the right to know all this.
"I should talk to my mom first, and then gradually break the news to my dad. I’m afraid he might not be able to take it all at once." Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but sigh heavily again.
Jiang Yichun looked up to rub her furrowed brow, gently saying, "Don’t think too much for now. Maybe knowing will be a relief for Dad."
"Maybe. He’s often caught between us and the old mansion, and being torn between two sides isn’t a solution," Bai Ruozhu consoled herself.
That night, Bai Ruozhu called her mother to her yard and then cautiously told her the whole story.
Lin Ping’er slapped her thigh hard midway through listening and jumped up, saying somewhat agitatedly, "I suspected before that your dad wasn’t his own flesh and blood, and I secretly went to inquire. Later, I thought I was just being paranoid, but it turned out to be true! Your grandparents were so biased, it didn’t seem like something they would do to their own son!"
Indeed, her mother had had her suspicions. Even though the old master and the Liu Family were very careful, over time, as they aged, it became harder to conceal their favoritism.
"Now it makes sense, who doesn’t favor their own children, thinking that their own kids are better than others in every way?" Lin Ping’er remarked wistfully.
After Bai Ruozhu finished explaining everything, Lin Ping’er jumped up again and began cursing toward the doorway.
"A pair of old scoundrels, taking other people’s silver and agreeing to their requests, to then treat their child like this — aren’t they afraid that the parents might come back from underground to settle accounts with them? Just for doing such a thing, they deserve to be dragged to Hell and have their tongues ripped out, to be roasted over flames!" Lin Ping’er ranted and raved for quite a while.
Bai Ruozhu knew her mother was angry, and kept patting her back to ease her qi — after all, there was some distance to the main courtyard from where they were, and her dad would not hear. And in the yard, only Nanny Zhang and her trusted dark guards were present, so it certainly wouldn’t get out.
Little Dengdeng, who was crawling around on the mat playing with toys, had his attention drawn by his grandma’s shouting, with a puzzled look on his face, as if wondering why grandma was so angry.
He even put down his toys and walked up to Lin Ping’er, holding onto her knees and looking up at her with an expression that seemed to plead with the old lady not to be angry.
Little Dengdeng’s endearing behavior managed to quell Lin Ping’er’s rage, and she picked up Dengdeng into her arms, asking, "Did grandma’s loud voice scare Dengdeng?"
Dengdeng shook his head, babbling something unintelligibly, and Lin Ping’er, holding him, suddenly teared up, turning to Bai Ruozhu beside her and saying, "Your dad is so pitiful."
Bai Ruozhu felt a surge of sourness in her heart, and her eyes reddened as well, thinking, yes, she and her mother were not disappointed or angry with Bai Fu and the Liu Family — they had long lost all hope for them. They were just sad for Bai Yihong, and they pitied him for what he had gone through in the last forty years.
"No, we can’t tell your dad about this right away; I’m afraid he won’t be able to withstand it," Lin Ping’er said, wiping the corners of her eyes.
"Yes, let’s wait a while and then gradually tell Dad," Bai Ruozhu sighed and said.
That night, after Lin Ping’er returned to the main house, she became somewhat downcast, occasionally stealing glances at Bai Yihong and then sighing silently. Even if Bai Yihong was a bit slow to notice, he sensed something was wrong the next day and quietly asked Bai Ruozhu if her mom was brooding over something.