Chapter 110: Posting the List, Heaven is Blind
The Bai family’s neighbor to the east, surnamed Li, were a decent family, and the two daughters-in-law got along well with Lin Ping’er. However, the western neighbors, surnamed Zheng, also seemed fairly decent, the rumors spreading through the village pertained to this Zheng family.
It seemed the fourth Miss from the Zheng family, Zheng Giugiu, had testified that it was Bai Ruozhu who had asked her to call San Lang for help that day, completely denying that he had invaded the people’s homes, and blaming everything on Bai Ruozhu’s schemes!
Upon hearing this, the villagers found it hard to believe and questioned Zheng Giugiu as to why she hadn’t testified in favor of Bai Sanlang or exposed Bai Ruozhu earlier. Zheng Giugiu replied that she thought it was just a matter of passing a message and had left to work on needlework with her close friends right after, which is why she wasn’t at home at the time. Otherwise, she would have definitely testified.
With that explanation, the villagers were less suspicious. Furthermore, Miss Zheng Giugiu was generally straightforward and respectable. She was diligent and polite, with no apparent quarrel with Bai Ruozhu. Therefore, the villagers felt there was no need for her to lie.
Moreover, Zheng Giugiu was about to get married. Why would she stir up trouble arbitrarily if the accusations weren’t true, risking the possibility of damaging her marital prospects?
As the rumors spread throughout the village, Bai Ruozhu was still confined after childbirth, and Lin Ping’er was busy at home. They didn’t get the news right away, so by the time they realized, Wang Shi had already exaggerated and stirred up quite a few stories in the village.
Lin Ping’er was so furious that she started to tremble. Without considering the impact on Bai Ruozhu, she admonished angrily, "Miss Zheng was fine before, why is she now blatantly lying?"
Her voice was loud, surely reaching the Zheng household. However, there was no response from the Zheng house, making her wonder if they were feeling guilty or simply avoiding trouble.
On the other hand, Bai Ruozhu remained calm, having experienced so many incidents already, she could maintain her composure under these circumstances. To put it bluntly, she had become immune to the sting of bites from so many lice.
"Mother, forget it. People will say whatever they want to say. I will deal with them slowly afterward." Bai Ruozhu led Lin Ping’er into the house, feeling there was no point in arguing with the Zheng family since they were not the real instigators.
Her primary task now was to recover from childbirth. Even after her recovery, she couldn’t afford to get angry or neglect taking care of her body. Otherwise, what would happen if her milk supply were insufficient? There was no infant formula available at that time, and if her milk was insufficient, Little Dengdeng would have to drink rice soup. How would the child grow up healthy under such circumstances?
Once she considered her child’s health, Bai Ruozhu put everything else aside. She had not realized the impact of motherhood before, and was surprised by its power. Considering her usual temperament, she wouldn’t have been able to keep her cool.
Due to Zheng Giugiu’s false accusations against San Lang, the family’s mood was slightly down during dinner until Bai Yihong played with Little Dengdeng after the meal. The baby ended up wetting him thoroughly, which made everyone laugh uncontrollably, lightening the mood considerably.
Early the next morning, after washing and having breakfast, Lin Ping’er excitedly said, "Er Lang, finish your meal quickly and go to the town to check the results. Today is the announcement day."
However, Er Lang didn’t seem concerned, leisurely consuming his breakfast. Then he said slowly, "Harvest season is coming soon. There is a lot to do in the fields. I’ll go with father and my elder brother to work on the farm in the morning, and check the results in the afternoon."
Bai Yihong gave a light pat on Er Lang’s shoulder. He was glad his son never forgot about farming and was willing to work hard. He had once feared that his son would become like Bai Yibo, but now he realized those concerns were unnecessary.
"Er Lang, there is no rush. You can check the announcement, and we can carry on with our work." Bai Yihong replied with a smile.
"Father, the list will be posted there. There’s no rush. Let me go to the field and then check it after coming back." Bai Zepei insisted, regretting that he had been blocking himself in the house studying for the examination, causing his father and elder brother to become thinner. Now that he had finished the exam and had some free time, he wished he could make up for it with twice the amount of effort.
"Our children are all very sensible. Let’s just follow his lead." Lin Ping’er said while secretly wiping away a tear.
Bai Ruozhu felt proud to have two such outstanding elder brothers in her family. However, she soon recalled their land in Linjiang Village.
"Father, when Wang Laomo left hastily, he sold this season’s harvest to our neighbors. We agreed to start sowing after the autumn harvest, but I’ve been thinking, and I think we need to send someone to keep an eye on it." She suggested.
Bai Yihong tapped his forehead, "I almost forgot about that. That piece of land is quite good. If we aren’t careful during the harvest and damage the land, then it won’t be worth it."
"With this in mind, do we have enough manpower? In case my grandmother calls us for help, we will be too busy." Bai Zehao frowned. Fortunately, they had managed to complete the construction of the house and could stagger their farming work. However, even then, they were running short of manpower.
When it comes to farming, Bai Yihong is undeniably an expert. He pondered for a moment and said, "In the next few days, we’ll first take care of our own harvest. Afterwards, your elder brother can go to Linjiang Village to supervise it. The main issue is to avoid damaging the land during the latter part of the harvest."
This was a feasible solution, but it meant that the family would have to work tirelessly for a while. Considering this, Bai Ruozhu probably had the lightest workload. She felt a bit guilty about it, counted the days on her fingers, and found that she would have just completed her month-long confinement. So she offered to cook and deliver food for the family.
After the discussion, Bai Yihong took Bai Zehao and Bai Zepei to gather their tools to go work on the fields. However, before they could step out of the door, they heard a commotion outside, followed by the sound of firecrackers being set off somewhere in the village.
Bai Ruozhu gave a start and turned to her second brother, asking, "Could it be coming from the old mansion? Today is the day they announce the examination results, after all."
Bai Yihong had already opened the door and was peering outside. He turned back and said, "It seems like it’s indeed the old mansion setting off the firecrackers. Could it be that the eldest..."
He paused and turned to look at Bai Zepei. If Bai Yibo had indeed passed the scholar’s examination, wouldn’t they have heard about Er Lang’s achievement as well? Was there some sort of mishap?
Outside the door, voices of the villagers could be heard. Someone shouted loudly, "Yihong, congratulations! They say your eldest brother has finally passed the scholarly examination. Now your Bai family has two scholars, truly bringing glory to your ancestors!"
Bai Yihong quickly thanked the person, then turned back to the family and asked, "Should we go and offer our congratulations? It might seem disrespectful otherwise."
Lin Ping’er’s teeth were almost grinding from irritation. Bai Yibo was notoriously unproductive and hadn’t passed any examinations for many years. Why did he suddenly pass now? It just didn’t make sense.
"Did his uncle go to see the results? Was there any mention of whether or not they saw our Er Lang’s name?" Lin Ping’er asked, after some thought.
The room fell silent. Er Lang, however, appeared quite composed and said, "I have confidence in my examination. If something unexpected has indeed occurred, it’s simply that things don’t always go as one wishes. I can always try again in three years. I hope mother and father won’t fret over it too much."