Chapter 18 - 0 Really More Wronged than Dou E
"It's really not a big deal, I was supposed to sell them toothpaste that I'd made, but then that young master said he didn't have the patience to do business and broke our contract, costing me five taels of silver. My temper got the better of me, so I taught him a lesson," Bai Ruozhu said, sticking out her tongue playfully at the end of her explanation.
Bai Linping and Bai Zehao both seemed astounded - it sounded as though Bai Ruozhu had been the one bullying the other party.
Coming to her senses, Bai Linping shot Bai Ruozhu a stern look and said, "You're such a troublemaker, even after they apologized and compensated you, why did you still give them trouble?"
"I don't know, maybe my temper has gotten shorter because I'm pregnant, or perhaps it's because of the dry weather," Bai Ruozhu theorized, fanning herself as she spoke.
Bai Linping hastily took out her fan and began fanning Bai Ruozhu.
"Well, well, look at you, little sister, you're quite tough-tempered these days. Guess I better not mess with you anymore," Bai Zehao jested.
Bai Ruozhu patted her stomach with a worried look. "Could my temper affect the baby's personality? Geez, I should've tried harder to keep my cool."
Bai Zehao waved away her worries, "Oh, no. You've got the sweetest temper. Chang Sheng is nice-tempered too. How could their child be hotheaded?"
No sooner had he said this than he yelped in pain - Bai Ruozhu had noticed their mother surreptitiously pinching Bai Zehao for his tactless remark about Chang Sheng.
To the old Bai Ruozhu, Chang Sheng's name was taboo. But to the current Bai Ruozhu, Chang Sheng was just a name, belonging to a man of whom she had no memory.
"Was Chang Sheng easy-going? After bumping my head, I can't seem to remember much about him," Bai Ruozhu said, touching her head. She wasn't worried about looking suspect to her family now that they'd grown accustomed to her in their daily life, especially since she had a working recollection of most things.
However, Bai Linping and Bai Zehao were concerned. Bai Linping took Bai Ruozhu's hand. "Why didn't you mention it earlier? Should we maybe have Doctor Li take a look at you?"
Bai Ruozhu protested rapidly. Medical consultation required money, and with their financial situation just improving, they could hardly afford it.
"I'm confident that my memories will come back in time. Don't you see that I remember everything else?" urged Bai Ruozhu.
Still unsatisfied, Bai Linping insisted on seeing the doctor. Frustrated, Bai Ruozhu said directly, "If you just tell me more about him, I'm sure I can gradually recall everything. There's no point in seeing Doctor Li, right?"
"Mother, sister has a point. I read somewhere that people in her situation often gradually remember things. Seeing a doctor and taking medication may not be any more helpful," Bai Zehao said.
Bai Ruozhu shot a look of approval at her older brother. He was just as perceptive as her second brother.
With that, Bai Linping reluctantly dropped the matter. "Well, we were afraid that talking about Chang Sheng would upset you. Perhaps it's even a good thing in a way."
When they got home, Bai Linping shared Bai Ruozhu's fuzzy recollection of Chang Sheng with Bai Yihong, who was taken aback.
"Mom, Dad, don't worry about me. Maybe I'll remember everything soon. Can you tell me what happened to Chang Sheng?" Bai Ruozhu asked coyly.
Bai Yihong sighed, "Let me tell you. Initially, I rescued Chang Sheng from the woods - that was my mistake. All that did was invite a heap of troubles."
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Bai Linping didn't say a word, so Bai Yihong carried on with the story.
He explained that Bai Ruozhu and Chang Sheng had gone to the back mountain to gather firewood one day. They had come across a large yellow flower, which Chang Sheng wanted to bring back to plant. They had managed to pick it, but things went off-rails. Bai Yihong's account was rather vague, but Bai Ruozhu, being a grown woman, managed to understand the inferences pretty quickly.
The yellow flower was a Hai Yanghua, traditionally used as an aphrodisiac when animals breed. It's quite rare to see it in the back mountain. Chang Sheng was an outsider who'd lost his memory and didn't recognize the Hai Yanghua. Bai Ruozhu, as an unmarried girl, had no knowledge of these things, and the elders wouldn't talk about it with her. The two unsuspecting youth ended up picking the flower-
As a result of inhaling a great deal of the flower's pollen, Chang Sheng lost control and took advantage of Bai Ruozhu. Bai Ruozhu had a gut feeling about what had happened and rushed home with her bamboo basket. When Bai Yihong saw the Hai Yanghua, he knew something bad had happened.
Upon confirming his worst fears - that his daughter had been violated - Bai Yihong found solace in the fact that they had decided to bring Chang Sheng into their family anyway. So they proceeded to prepare for the wedding, which only took a couple of days.
However, Chang Sheng didn't show up as planned, and Bai Yihong knew something was wrong. With the help of the village chief and other villagers, they searched for Chang Sheng in the back mountain. They found no sign of him, but discovered some traces and a shoe he'd lost, which made them conclude that Chang Sheng must've accidentally slid off a cliff.
While some speculated that Chang Sheng was dead, Bai Yihong's family kept searching for him. Half a year passed without any trace of Chang Sheng, but Bai Ruozhu's belly only grew larger.
Bai Ruozhu listened to the saga in awe. How could the old Bai Ruozhu, a conservative girl, get pregnant before marriage? The whole mess was pure bad luck, and it was hard to explain to anyone. She felt she was wronged more than Dou E.
"Dearest Ruozhu, don't be sad. As long as there's no corpse, there's hope he's still alive. If Chang Sheng is okay, he will eventually come back to find you, I know that boy," Bai Yihong said, furrowing his brows.
Bai Linping glared at him, opening her mouth, wanting to refute him but decided against it to avoid upsetting their daughter further.
"Mom, Dad, I've decided. Regardless of whether Chang Sheng returns or not, our life will go on. I will take care of the child, take care of you two. You don't have to worry or be sad for me. Otherwise, I'll feel guilty." The old Bai Ruozhu might not have realized it, but Bai Ruozhu, having witnessed their daily life, had noticed the gray hair creeping into Bai Linping's temples.
"Okay... okay, let's not dwell on this any longer. As long as our life goes on smoothly, that's all we need," Bai Linping wiped the corner of her eye and murmured.
But privately, Bai Ruozhu's mind was busy mulling over other thoughts. She remembered her second brother had once mentioned that Chang Sheng was not an ordinary man and warned her former self not to marry him. But the old Bai Ruozhu was lovesick and didn't heed his warnings.
As for Bai Ruozhu, she was now an observer of the situation and could think about it more rationally. If Chang Sheng was alive and expected to live with her one day, she wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping on the same bed with a man she had no feelings for, let alone, well, you know.
Just as Bai Ruozhu was pondering the possibility of Chang Sheng's death, the baby in her belly gave her a hard kick. Annoyed, she patted her stomach, muttering, "It's not easy for Mom to carry you, you little ingrate. All you care about is your dad. What if your dad turns out to be a nasty man who wants to take you away from me in the future?"
The baby protested with a series of kicks. Bai Ruozhu couldn't tell whether the baby was objecting to her calling their father a nasty man or the idea of being taken away by him, but it was obvious the baby was overwrought.