Chapter 125 Dengdeng Got Scared
The old man was taken aback, not expecting Bai Ruozhu to suddenly bring this up. He had always been selfish, Zheng Family’s Fourth Miss’s reputation had nothing to do with him. Did she not call for Erlang, ruining Erlang’s reputation?
Even now, the old man still believed in Erlang, but fortunately, Erlang was a quick thinker and dared to swear and curse. The ancients believed in oaths, which made them more believable.
"That’s your question, how could you deceive that Miss and now want to ruin her reputation? Are you ready to be thrown in boiling oil and have your tongue pulled out after you die?" The old man’s tone really seemed to wish for Bai Ruozhu to be thrown in boiling oil and have her tongue pulled out. Bai Ruozhu didn’t know when it started, but the old man hated her so much.
What had she done to provoke such hatred from the old man? Because she had a jade pendant given by Chang Sheng that seemed to be worth a bit of money? Or because Erlang saw the riches and decided to steal her jade pendant, while she didn’t resist and handed the jade over willingly? Or because Erlang snuck into her house to retaliate, and she carefully protected herself and her child, preventing him from succeeding?
Bai Ruozhu disdainfully sneered in her heart. The old man, as a family head, thought that everything a son did was right, but prejudice should not be extended to the standards of morality.
Holding a grudge against her because of his grandson’s indiscretions, Bai Ruozhu found not just amusing but disgusting. It’s as if you’ve spoiled your child and when they go out and do bad things, you blame the victims for standing up and not accommodating your child. What kind of logic is that?
"Children should not discuss supernatural and strange powers. Grandpa, how did you forget this?" Bai Ruozhu was not angry, her face still adorned with a faint smile. It wasn’t worth getting upset with such people.
"Since grandpa says I have contacted Zheng Giugiu, why not let her come forward and confront the situation? Before, I was too lazy to deal with this during confinement. Now that the confinement period is over, it’s time to settle the matter." Bai Ruozhu’s tone remained indifferent, "Since that Miss is willing to bear false witness for others, she should be prepared for the impact on her reputation."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ping’er immediately said, "I’ll go find the Zheng housemaid right away. Let’s not confront her here in the yard, let’s do it on the main road in the village. I’ll call the village head as well, and discuss it clearly. Our Bai family members should not be falsely accused by others!"
Her last sentence was what she heard from people in the village, saying the old man felt wronged for Erlang and said, "Our Bai family members should not be falsely accused by others."
This time, the old man was so angry that his beard was askew. This was because his facial muscles were twisted. He slapped the table again and shouted, "Every single issue has to be made a fuss in the village. It’s this attitude that has lost the face of the Bai family!"
"Dad, what issues have we made a fuss about in the village? When Erlang stole the token of betrothal from our Ruozhu, we just came to talk in your yard." Lin Ping’er was not afraid of the old man and directly retorted.
"Second son, control your wife. She starts talking back to me now. Do you even have any respect for me, your father?" The old man roared.
Bai Yihong gave Lin Ping’er a look, hinting her not to continue. Then he said to the old man, "Dad, Big Bro’s wife is just too anxious. Ruozhu just finished her confinement and is still breastfeeding. What if she gets slapped and the kid starves, what then?"
Little Dengdeng suddenly started crying, whether he understood or it was because the old man’s shouting was too loud. His cries were exceptionally pitiful.
Bai Ruozhu comforted Little Dengdeng with heartache, took a step back to put some distance between herself and the old man. Didn’t this man understand that there was a small child present when he started yelling?
The old man frowned, apparently not sympathizing with the pitifully crying Little Dengdeng at all, only finding him extremely annoying.
Bai Ruozhu also started to get annoyed. If no one cared for her child, she would!
"Grandfather, the child is crying badly. I’ll take him home first. As for the matter with Zheng Giugiu, I’ll find the village chief to bear witness later, and I will necessarily give Erlang an explanation. At that time, you can decide whether you want to enforce the family law on me or not." Bai Ruozhu said, not taking notice of the old man as she turned to leave.
The old man pointed at her and shouted from behind, "Did I allow you to leave? What kind of attitude is this?"
"Dad, the child is just a month old, can you be a little more considerate?" sighed Bai Yihong. After saying that, he chased after Bai Ruozhu with an air of concern. He wondered if his little grandson had been scared?
All the family members, being worried for the child, immediately left the old mansion with Bai Ruozhu and headed home with a gust of energy.
When they returned home, they found that Little Dengdeng had not only defecated but also urinated, for some unknown reason, his stool was a bit loose.
"It can’t be, I’m paying attention to what I eat, the baby can’t possibly have diarrhea, right?" Bai Ruozhu was a bit confused. She had studied medicine, but not nursing, so taking care of a child still needed to be learnt from scratch.
Lin Ping’er cleaned Little Dengdeng’s little bottom and changed him into a clean diaper, before lovingly picking him up and saying, "It might have been from your grandpa’s yelling, they say when children get scared, their stool can be a bit loose."
Bai Ruozhu remembered Little Dengdeng also urinated a lot, an image of "scared to pee..." popped up in her mind. She felt her mother’s explanation held some merit.
"Mother, take care of Little Dengdeng at home later. I don’t want to bring the child with me. My grandpa keeps yelling, what if he frightens the child and he falls ill?" Bai Ruozhu said unhappily.
Lin Ping’er was worried about her daughter and grandson, but she couldn’t leave them in the care of Big Bro or Erlang, could she? In the end, she had no choice but to nod and agree.
"Little sister, were you not just trying to buy time with grandpa, or have you decided not to let Little Dengdeng enter the Bai Family’s Ancestral Hall?" Erlang, who had been silent, suddenly asked.
With his question, the family quieted down and looked at Bai Ruozhu, waiting for her response.
"Yes, I don’t plan to let Little Dengdeng enter the Bai Family’s Ancestral Hall. I want to start my own household in the future by doing business, so I can be a merchant." Bai Ruozhu firmly stated, without a hint of hesitation.
Bai Yihong was alarmed and said, "Scholar, farmer, craftsman, merchant; merchants are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Would that...would that not be good?"
Bai Ruozhu shook her head and sighed. "With the old man and Eldest Brother’s family obstructing us, even if we forcefully have Little Dengdeng enter the Bai Family’s Ancestral Hall, we would be ostracized by the Bai Clan. I don’t want my child to be lower-class for no reason."
Actually, she didn’t think being a merchant was bad, but the family may not be able to accept it. She thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I can buy more good land and become a landlord, then wouldn’t I be a farmer?"
Buy more good land... The whole family stared blankly at Bai Ruozhu, did she sleep too much recently and was now sleep talking? It was not easy to afford even their current few acres of land.
"You just wait and see, there will be money and land, the old days are not far away." Bai Ruozhu guessing everyone’s thoughts, smirked at them and said in a grumpy manner.