Chapter 175 Xiaosi Laughs
"Our eldest brother is terribly timid. Upon seeing the condition of Er Lang’s leg, he got so frightened that his whole body started trembling. I called for him to carry Er Lang; I held his upper body, while he supported his buttocks and legs. But before we even lifted him, elder brother’s legs gave out and he toppled. That could have been forgiven, but then, as we were ready to leave after much difficulty in lifting, a bird’s call from an unknown source spooked elder brother out, and his legs buckled again. This time he fell and worsened Er Lang’s leg injury," Bai Yihong recounted.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t contain her laughter. She could probably picture Bai Yibo frightened out of his wits, and the injured Er Lang being further harmed by his own father.
"Er Lang awoke in pain and started screaming and crying again. Elder brother took quite a while to get up, insisting that there was a ghost. He said he had twisted his ankle. I was urging him to quickly carry Er Lang down the mountain, and he was shaking all over. So it wasn’t long before he dropped Er Lang’s leg again," Bai Yihong went on, shaking his head. His elder brother really was too cowardly.
The faces in their family held smiles—none of them imagined Bai Yibo could be so timid.
"Maybe he’s so afraid of ghosts and gods because he’s done too many shameful things," Bai Zepei commented with a smile, sounding less cold than before.
"What happened next?" Lin Ping’er asked, her interest piqued, and urged Bai Yihong to continue the story.
"Afterwards, Er Lang was in so much pain that he kept shrieking. His father had another tumble after seeing a squirrel, he hugged his head crying ’ghost’ again..." As Bai Yihong continued, he too broke into laughter; the scene was just too ridiculous.
Bai Ruozhu was so amused she was on the brink of tears, "So Er Lang’s leg was hurt again?"
"Yes, Er Lang was in terrible pain. He complained that his father was always dropping his injured leg and asked if his father could switch positions with me."
Bai Ruozhu laughed even louder, "Ha-ha, so if his father held the head part, wouldn’t the part dropping and hurting be his head?"
"No. He didn’t get a chance to drop him because he didn’t have the strength to even lift the upper half of Er Lang’s body. In the end, I had to carry Er Lang down the mountain while he only supported the broken leg from the side. It was a terribly arduous journey," Bai Yihong replied, shaking his head.
"Dad, you weren’t scared though, right? How is Er Lang’s injury now?" Bai Zehao asked, also chuckling continuously.
Bai Yihong shook his head, "Why would I be scared? He was just scaring himself. We frequently go to the Back Mountain to gather firewood, and we are used to seeing birds and squirrels every day. He is just too pampered."
"Indeed. It’s good for him to endure some hardships. We should have insisted he carry his own son today. He wanted us to expend all our energy and doesn’t even feel embarrassed about it!" Lin Ping’er stated indignantly. She also poured Bai Yihong a glass of water, sympathizing with him for his tiring journey.
Bai Yihong took a sip of water and continued his story. Upon their arrival at the foot of the mountain, they saw their grandfather and the doctor. Their grandfather shed tears immediately upon seeing the bloodied and disheveled Bai Yibo. He lamented how pitiful it was for his eldest son to have suffered such misfortune.
Only the doctor had the guts to say impatiently, "Should we treat the leg or not? Do you want to live your young life with a limp or what? Hurry and carry him home!"
In the end, a brave young man and Bai Yihong carried Er Lang back home. Er Lang groaned painfully the entire way, and as it had already gotten dark, many people could not see clearly. Rumors circulated wildly the next day. Some even claimed that Er Lang’s leg had been eaten by a demon. But those were afterthoughts.
After Bai Yihong delivered Er Lang to the old mansion, he told his grandfather that he needed to return home and let his family know he was okay. His grandfather, with an annoyed look, thought that if it weren’t for his family’s heartlessness, his eldest son wouldn’t have come to such grief. Upset, he insulted Bai Yihong in front of everyone. Bai Yihong, not being talkative and eager to return, didn’t argue with him.
When he tried to leave the mansion, his grandmother stopped him. Her dim eyes stared at him imploringly as she said, "Er Lang, you’re his uncle, you must be more attentive to your nephew’s situation."
Bai Yihong, feeling rushed, quickly responded, "Mother, didn’t I do my best already? Didn’t I carry him down myself?"
"Can physical effort suffice? Our circumstances at home are becoming worse, and treating Er Lang will require a significant amount of silver. Can’t you help out as an uncle?" His grandmother blocked the exit, giving him the impression she wouldn’t let him leave unless he agreed.
After giving it some thought, Bai Yihong reasoned that when a relative falls sick, it was customary to bring some presents when visiting. So he said, "I’ll come with Da Lang’s mother tomorrow to see him. We will bring a gift for the sick." In those times, visiting gifts—known as ’sick-visiting gifts’—could be some food, like eggs, dim sum, or a certain amount of silver. The amount would depend on the visitor’s financial situation, the severity of the patient’s illness, and local tradition. However, in that region, giving a hundred coins was considered quite generous.
"What?" His grandmother exclaimed anxiously, her speech shifting to the local dialect, "How much do you plan to give for the sick-visiting gift? He’s your nephew after all, so you must give him two taels at least!"
Bai Yihong was stunned, "What? Two taels of silver? Where am I going to get that much money?"
He wasn’t lying; although his household was better off than before, the silver coins were earned by Bai Ruozhu. She had spent a fair amount on building houses, a dowry for Da Lang, and the purchase of land. The profits from the sales of the toothpaste formula belonged to Bai Ruozhu; he never considered them his. He even thought they should be saved up for her.
"Now that Er Lang has become a Scholar and can receive official rations, why can’t you spare the amount? Is your wife not allowing you?" His grandmother narrowed her eyes, assigning blame to Lin Ping’er.
At this point, Bai Ruozhu comically rubbed her forehead. Did that mean she had suffered a major loss this time? However, considering the reduced beatings Xiaosi would receive, she didn’t mind parting with a bit of money.
In the end, Bai Yihong practically fled the old mansion, feeling increasingly disappointed in his parents. Still, he was a dutiful son and wouldn’t begrudge his parents their due respect or say anything ill about them.
While he explained the situation, he left out his grandmother’s demands. However, Lin Ping’er was furious when she heard the story and started cursing, "Er Lang breaking his leg is retribution. He even abused his own younger brother. Surely the Mountain God could not tolerate such behaviour and decided to teach him a lesson. Why should we have to pay for it?"
"Indeed, the doctor’s fees wouldn’t be that high. A few tens of coins should more than suffice," Bai Zehao added.
"My grandmother said he needs to recover his physical strength, and it will take a while for the bones to heal. Moreover, they’d be one man short for labour in the old mansion," Bai Yihong said helplessly.
Everyone sneered. Since when did Er Lang count as a working hand? With his cowardly nature?
Quietly listening by the side, Xiaosi suddenly asked Bai Ruozhu, "So, if my third brother’s leg is broken, does that mean he can’t beat me anymore?"
The room fell silent and everyone suddenly remembered that Xiaosi was still in the room. Considering that they had been discussing his own father and brother, the situation quickly became awkward.
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "That’s right. He can’t get out of bed, and if you stay away from him, how can he hit you?"
At that moment, Xiaosi’s lips curled upwards slightly, revealing a stiff smile.