Chapter 203: The Secret of the Wang Family
Early the next morning, the Bai Family members were already in the market starting another day of good business. Not until late morning did Mrs. Wang leisurely make her appearance. One hand supporting her waist, she wailed, "I fell and twisted my waist yesterday, I’m afraid I can’t push myself too hard today. But I brought Ruolan along to help out."
Only then did everyone notice Bai Ruolan trailing behind Mrs. Wang. She had her head bowed and body shrunk as if she was timid and afraid of making a fuss. But Bai Ruozhu saw the contempt and anger flashing in her eyes, understanding that Bai Ruolan didn’t want to work and was forced here by Mrs. Wang.
In Bai Ruozhu’s memory, Bai Ruolan was not the kind-hearted type who wouldn’t dare to provoke the second house. Quite the contrary, she disliked Bai Ruozhu immensely. However, a little timid and scared, she didn’t boast as arrogantly as her parents and Sanlang.
In the past, Bai Ruolan’s main method of confronting Bai Ruozhu was by displaying her sour mood. If she wasn’t sulking, she was glaring at her and then walking away as if in disgust. As such, the relationship between Bai Ruozhu and this cousin had been very distant, with almost no dialogue between them.
"Sister-in-law, if you have a twisted waist, you really shouldn’t have come. We’ve got enough hands on deck here. We don’t need your help." Lin Ping’er said.
Mrs. Wang knew that the second house did not welcome her, but she couldn’t admit it. With a smile, she said, "You’re too kind to me, if I hadn’t come, Father would have scolded me for being lazy."
Lin Ping’er gave a helpless smile, saying, "You should sit and rest a while. Let Ruolan wash the dishes, if she can’t manage, you can guide her." After saying this, she even moved a stool over for Mrs. Wang, specifically choosing a more comfortable one with a padded cushion on top.
Mrs. Wang felt that by overdramatizing her condition, she had succeeded in intimidating the second house; none of them dared to mistreat her. She could feel how cunning she was.
Mrs. Wang was assigned a seat by Lin Ping’er with her back towards the street. Since’s Lin Ping’er was not really speaking to Mrs. Wang, it meant that she couldn’t keep her eyes on the street. Bai Ruozhu and Bai Zehao exchanged a look, if the person who was supposed to meet Mrs. Wang came, they should keep a close watch and remember what they look like.
The target was mainly a middle-aged woman, slightly older than Mrs. Wang, with a rough voice.
As Mrs. Wang couldn’t see the street, the person’s arrival wouldn’t get her attention. The main method was to come to the stall to buy food or ask questions to attract Mrs. Wang’s attention. In this way, Bai Ruozhu and the others could easily capture this person.
Nearing lunchtime, a woman indeed began to lurk around suspiciously. She passed by three times, allowing Bai Zehao, who had been watching her closely, to see her face clearly. Even Bai Ruozhu, busy making hand-grab pancakes, had noticed her.
The woman was thin and dark-skinned, with many wrinkles on her face. Her hands were incredibly rough, obviously a result of years of farm work, likely a village woman from nearby. Her eyes were not big, but they were constantly turning towards Mrs. Wang. With her beady eyes always darting about, she seemed untrustworthy.
Perhaps the woman was too eager for the money, afraid that Mrs. Wang might renege on their deal the next day. She ignored Mrs. Wang’s request from yesterday to steer clear of the second house, gathered her courage, and approached, asking, "How much is one of your pancakes?"
Mrs. Wang, who was in the middle of a conversation with Lin Ping’er, tense up as if she had been struck by something. She looked exceptionally nervous. Yet, she somehow managed to maintain an air of calm, making her seem extremely peculiar.
"Auntie, plain pancakes are five Wen each. If you want one with an egg, it’s an extra charge of three Wen. If you want one with meat slices, it’s an additional ten Wen and two Wen if you want one with lotus root slices," Bai Ruozhu responded with a smile and an enthusiastic tone.
However, the thin and dark woman secretly glanced at Mrs. Wang while deliberately raising her voice to say, "That’s too expensive. Never mind, we country folks can’t afford it."
Seeing the woman about to leave, Bai Ruozhu smiled and didn’t stop her. Open prices, clear signs, would it not be unreasonable to say you didn’t bring enough money so I should give you a discount? Would not the other customers revolt?
No sooner had the woman departed than Mrs. Wang stood up and told Lin Ping’er, "I’m going to the toilet."
Lin Ping’er signalled Bai Ruozhu and pulled Mrs. Wang in to ask, "Sister-in-law, you’ve twisted your waist. Can you manage alone? Or shall I go with you?"
Mrs. Wang frantically waved her hands, "I’m fine, I’m fine. You have work to do here, you can’t put your business on hold for me." Leaving no regards to her waist pain, she got up and walked out swiftly.
No sooner had she left than Bai Yihong followed, pushing a cart and claiming to return to the West Courtyard to bring back a pot of hot soup.
Bai Ruozhu also wiped her hands and told her mother, "Mom, please take care of making pancakes. I need to get the afternoon soup ready."
Lin Ping’er gave a slight nod to Bai Ruozhu, indicating that she was leaving the stall and Dengdeng to her responsibility.
Bai Ruozhu swiftly followed. As expected, the two of them went again to the alley from yesterday. It was unfortunate for them that their meeting point was the very place Bai Ruozhu had secretly been feeding Dengdeng. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have discovered their secret.
Bai Ruozhu tiptoed into the alley, ensuring it was safe before hiding in the shadows and entering Space. This space was an excellent and secure eavesdropping spot.
"Older sister, how come it’s only one tael of silver? This isn’t enough," the woman bellowed.
\"What else does your youngest son need to bring a concubine into his room? It’s not his first marriage! My funds are tight right now and I can’t give any more than this. Aren’t you willing? Go ahead and expose me then. Or better yet, you could take your son away, and I’ll have one less mouth to feed," Mrs. Wang said, her tone full of aggression.
"No way, we need at least two taels of silver, or it really won’t be enough. Are you trying to drive me to death?" The woman seemed almost ready to burst into tears.
Mrs. Wang stomped her foot in frustration and said, "I will give you another half tael. There is no more. You better be content with this or give it all back to me!"
Mrs. Wang saw that the woman remained silent, apparently not daring to persist. She glared at the woman and spoke up, "This is the last time. Keep your mouth shut. If you create any trouble, it won’t end well for you!"
Having said this with a huff, Mrs. Wang stomped out of the alley, leaving the woman alone.
As Mrs. Wang receded, the woman spat on the ground and muttered, "What rubbish! If not for me, God knows what plight you’d be in. Trying to act superior in front of me?"
Bai Ruozhu chuckled internally, the woman was indeed greedy. This made handling the matter so much easier. However, she couldn’t show herself now, so as to avoid alarming the parties involved prematurely.
But when Mrs. Wang was talking about ’taking a person away’, who did she mean?
After finishing her rant, the thin and dark woman slinked out of the alley. After turning a corner and nearly exiting the town, she was suddenly hit by a pushcart driven by a hastily moving man.
"Mother, who are you, trying to take my life?" The woman fell to the ground, yelping in pain.
Bai Yihong quickly shoved his cart aside and rushed over to apologize, "I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. Are you okay? Did you get injured? Or should I take you to the clinic?"