Chapter 106: Suspicious Osmanthus Cake
Oh, San Lang can be clever sometimes, betting confidently that Bai Ruozhu wouldn’t dare to come out. Bai Ruozhu was curious though, would San Lang dare to publicly damage her reputation in retaliation if she did appear?
Her intuition told her he would. San Lang didn’t have a good reputation to begin with, and rumors about him stealing from his cousin had only worsened it. And the fact that he dared to come back to Bai Ruozhu’s house for revenge showed his desperation.
So, Bai Ruozhu decided not to stoop to the level of a madman, and continued to enjoy the show while eating her dried fish.
San Lang’s words did stun a few, but Grandma Li and Mrs. Qin did not believe his words.
"I watched Ruozhu grow up, she’s not that type of person. Who has time to deal with you during confinement?" Grandma Li said dismissively.
Mrs. Qin agreed, "Exactly! Who would be so foolish as to invite an enemy over during confinement, putting oneself in danger? Your story is full of holes!"
Bai Ruozhu was pleased with Grandma Li’s and Mrs. Qin’s support; the eyes of the masses were indeed sharp.
San Lang, for a moment, did not know how to refute, realizing it was not wise for him to linger. Being watched, he couldn’t keep searching through the house. He glowered at Grandma Li and said, "She’s the one who’s been scheming against me. I can’t be bothered arguing with women like you!"
After saying this, he swiftly climbed over the wall and out of the Bai’s yard, then ran off into the distance.
"Why does he run away if he’s so confidently claiming his innocence? It’s clear he’s guilty." Mrs. Qin spat out in disgust.
Only then did Bai Ruozhu understand how San Lang had gotten in. She was surprised at his wall-climbing skills and knew she would have to be more cautious in the future. Though she wanted to thank Grandma Li and Mrs. Qin, she thought there would be opportunities later. What if San Lang had not gone far, or was hell-bent on revenge? Once she was in sight of others, she couldn’t suddenly disappear into her space, otherwise, her biggest secret would be exposed.
Fortunately, Bai Yihong and Lin Ping’er returned soon after. Before they reached their home, they were told by villagers that there had been an incident at their home. They rushed home in a panic.
Upon entering the house, they called out Bai Ruozhu’s name and ran to her room. Only after seeing her and Dengdeng safe and sound did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ruozhu, what happened? Why would someone say there was an incident at our home?" Lin Ping’er wondered who would make such a false alarm, suspecting that there must be some place not right.
Bai Ruozhu asked her parents to sit down and explained San Lang’s vengeful visit.
"Fortunately, Dengdeng started fussing earlier, so I took him to the backyard to play and managed to hide just before San Lang came in. It’s interesting that Dengdeng stopped crying as soon as the villain came." Bai Ruozhu lied a bit, saying she had hidden herself so San Lang couldn’t find her.
Listening to it, Lin Ping’er patted her chest, "Oh my god, if he had found you, he would have done something outrageous. There’s no saving that kid San Lang now!"
"I’ll go to the old mansion right now and talk to father about this!" Bai Yihong, trembling with anger, stood up, preparing to go to the old mansion to confront San Lang.
"Dad, hold your horses. San Lang didn’t steal anything valuable from us, just a few copper coins and some of Er Ge’s books. I believe it’s better if you don’t get involved in this. When Er Ge gets back, he won’t let it pass so easily. Besides, once he finishes the Rural Examination, he’ll have some free time," Bai Ruozhu didn’t underestimate her father, but admitted the fact that even he had no way around grandpa’s favoritism.
However, things would change if her second brother stepped in. She always had the feeling that as long as Er Ge was willing, he could teach San Lang a lesson.
Moreover, she could understand Er Ge. If someone were to destroy her medical books, she would definitely want to teach the person a lesson herself. Thus, she believed that Er Ge would also want to deal with the matter personally.
Of course, she wouldn’t let San Lang off the hook easily, either. However, she would wait until her confinement was over before slowly settling scores with him.
"Er Ge has been quite exhausted recently, shall I go instead?" Bai Yihong was a bit uncertain.
Lin Ping’er rolled her eyes at him, "Don’t you understand your two sons’ temperament? Er Lang definitely wants to handle this himself, otherwise, he would feel frustrated. Isn’t San Lang shameless? It’d be somewhat understandable if he had just looked for the silvers, but to destroy Er Lang’s books simply because he couldn’t find silvers... I suppose teaching him about the sages was in vain."
"I really wonder what grandpa would say about this act of destroying books, and I’m curious whether he would still cover for San Lang." Bai Ruozhu sneered as she recalled how grandpa had covered up for San Lang when he had stolen from her. Grandpa took sides, accusing her of overreacting over San Lang’s prank of taking the Jade Pendant, as if she was the one who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong.
"Alright, we’ll wait for Er Lang to deal with this. Those books can’t be destroyed in vain," Bai Yihong calmed his anger and agreed with his daughter’s viewpoint.
...
Meanwhile, in Anyuan Town, Bai Zepei was preparing to rest early when a waiter knocked on the door and said, "Sir, our shopkeeper heard you are taking the Rural Examination tomorrow, so he sent a special dimsum to wish you success!"
Bai Zehao opened the door to receive the dimsum and thanked the waiter, "Please pass our thanks to the shopkeeper for his kindness."
After the waiter left, Bai Zehao placed the dimsum on the table. It was a common Osmanthus Cake, and it smelled quite fragrant.
"Er Di, give it a try. This restaurant is rather considerate," Bai Zehao said with a smile.
Bai Zepei, who had already gone to bed, replied without turning his head, "I already brushed my teeth; I’ll pass."
Seeing him tired, Bai Zehao didn’t say anything more and ate two pieces with tea. Then he brushed his teeth as Bai Ruozhu had taught and went to bed.
The next morning, Bai Zepei got up very early and went to the exam place. Originally, Bai Zehao was supposed to accompany him, but couldn’t because he was suffering from diarrhea. Bai Zepei frowned when he heard this, doubting the cause a bit, but the examination was imminent and he couldn’t afford to delay.
"Big brother, go to the clinic, then ask the restaurant about the Osmanthus Cake we ate last night," Bai Zepei suggested.
Bai Zehao, with his hand on his stomach and a little pale, asked, "You mean the restaurant served us spoiled dimsum?"
"I suspect that the dimsum was not provided by the restaurant, and even that waiter might not be from the restaurant. Little sister had advised us to stay in a good inn. This is the best inn in town, and I don’t think such things would happen here," Bai Zepei said before leaving, leaving Bai Zehao standing in the room, appearing to remember the face of the waiter.
"Ouch, here it comes again..." Bai Zehao moaned, rushing toward the toilet once more.
Bai Zepei went to the exam place and soon saw Bai Yibo, who seemed surprised and took a few more glances at him. Bai Zepei narrowed his eyes, probably aware of something. Seeing Bai Zepei looking at him, Bai Yibo chuckling twice, walked over and said, "Er nephew, could you lend me one of your brushes for the exam?"