Chapter 206: Eyelid Twitching
The old man who was questioned looked at them and couldn’t help but show his approval. "Your family is full of honest people. Not everyone would take the initiative to compensate after causing an accident. But don’t blame me for not warning you. Niu Pazi is quite cunning, don’t let her frame you."
"Oh?" Bai Ruozhu looked surprised and said, "My father said the injuries looked pretty serious. Niu Pazi had been lying down for half a day and couldn’t get up. She also said it was severe and asked us to pay more for her medical expenses."
The old man laughed heartily, his smile filled with disdain. "That’s exactly it. Why don’t you have a doctor examine her? If her injuries are severe, you should compensate accordingly. But if there’s nothing wrong, you are just being swindled by her."
Bai Ruozhu gave the old man a courtesy bow, expressing her gratitude. "Thank you, sir, for the reminder."
The old man waved his hand and replied, "I’m just meddling. Please don’t mention what I’ve told you."
"Of course, we won’t." Bai Ruozhu hurriedly reassured him.
The family exchanged glances before bidding farewell to the old man and heading towards Niu Pazi’s place.
"This Niu Pazi seems to have quite a bad reputation." Bai Zehao muttered in a low voice once they were some distance away.
"Anyone who can join hands with your aunt-in-law to engage in underhanded dealings could never be a good person." Lin Ping’er grumbled, as she clearly disapproved of the Wang Family.
After hearing this, Bai Ruozhu quietly reminded them, "Don’t tip her off prematurely, otherwise we won’t be able to find the truth."
The whole family nodded together in agreement. In no time, they reached Niu’s house.
Bai Yihong knocked on the door, and the person who came to open it was a young man still in his prime, dressed in new clothes, and wearing a joyful expression on his face.
"Are you here to congratulate us?" asked the young man, under the impression that they had come to deliver their wedding wishes.
Bai Yihong hurried to follow Bai Ruozhu’s previous coaching and said, "I accidentally bumped into Niu Pazi in town today. I initially planned to come over to apologize tomorrow, but I felt restless and decided to come today with my wife, to give Niu Pazi some money for medical treatment."
Upon hearing this, the youth looked delighted. His mother had mentioned earlier that a honest man was planning to come over to compensate, and true enough, the man had shown up at their doorstep.
"Oh, do come in. My mother is resting in the house. I am Niu Yugu, and I am soon to be married, which is why I mistook you for relatives who came to deliver wedding wishes." Niu Yugu welcomed the Bai family inside with a beaming smile.
Bai Ruozhu and her mother exchanged looks - this was Niu’s younger son, the one Niu Pazi wished to find a stepmother for.
As the Bai family entered the yard, they heard Niu Yugu bellow to his mother inside, "Mom, the people who bumped into you today are here!"
Bai Ruozhu twitched her lips. His notification was all too obvious. Sure enough, she heard footsteps inside the house, and it seemed that Niu Pazi was so eager that she bumped into something.
By the time the Bai family entered the house, Niu Pazi was already lying on the kang (Chinese brick bed), pretending to be severely ill. A few feet from the kang, a stool lay knocked over on the ground, presumably the object that Niu Pazi had just collided with.
Despite their realization that Niu Pazi’s sickly condition was just an act, the Bai family decided not to expose her. Niu Yugu saw the stool on the ground and silently cursed his mother for her clumsiness, but fortunately, the Bai family didn’t seem suspicious.
"Niu Sister-in-law, I am profoundly sorry about today. When my wife and child learnt that I hurt you, they gave me a good scolding, saying that I was careless." Bai Yihong addressed Niu Pazi.
Mumbling some vague response, Niu Pazi said, "It’s good of you just to have come. But my back hurts so severely that I can’t move. I’m sorry that I couldn’t stand up to greet you."
Lin Ping’er hurriedly said, "Please, don’t move. Otherwise, we’ll feel even worse. Sister, did you get a doctor to check on your back? If not, we can call for one to look at you?"
Niu Pazi, who until now had only been concerned with lying still on the kang to further her sick act, hadn’t been paying attention to who had entered her house. When she heard Lin Ping’er’s voice, she finally took a close look at her guests. She gave a start, looking quite shaken.
"You...you..." she turned to look at Bai Ruozhu, recognizing the woman who sold flatbreads very clearly. Wasn’t this the cousin of Wang Family’s?
Bai Ruozhu also wore a surprised expression, "Ah, aren’t you the aunt who came to our stall to ask about the flatbreads today? What a coincidence!"
Seeing that the Bai family genuinely did not seem to be there to inquire about the Wang Family’s affairs, Niu Pazi breathed a sigh of relief. She no longer wanted to hold on to them for compensation but instead wished to send them off earlier, so as to ease her nervousness.
"Ah, so you’re the family who sells flatbreads! You are all honest folks. Even though your father accidentally bumped into me, I’ll be fine after a few days of rest. There’s no need to compensate." Niu Pazi said.
Niu Yugu was visibly displeased when he heard this. Had his mother gone mad? Wasn’t she planning to ask for a hefty compensation? Why did she change her mind just because she recognized them? They were already not well-off. How could they pass up on an opportunity like this?
"Mom, you had difficulty sleeping because you were in pain just a while ago. We need to prevent the accident from causing any lasting issues. Moreover, I’m going to be busy preparing for my wedding in the next few days. If you’re not well, things at home will definitely be in a state of chaos." While he spoke, Niu Yugu kept throwing meaningful glances at his mother as if saying he was afraid she would miss his hints.
Niu Pazi felt incredibly guilty at this point and tried to signal her son to stop. Thus, ensued a comical situation where both of them were blinking excessively at each other like they had developed a twitch. Barely able to suppress their laughter, the Bai family almost gave themselves away.
"Oh, I remember you. You know my aunt-in-law. I saw you walking with her today. Hasn’t she come to deliver wedding congratulations?" Bai Ruozhu utilized this opportunity to initiate questioning since she could hardly contain herself
Niu Pazi was stunned. Her face was filled with absolute horror. Seeing his mother’s reaction, Niu Yugu also quickly understands the situation. His mother had gone to town today to get money from that woman, right? Although his mother didn’t explain how she managed to get the money from her, as long as they had money for his wedding, he didn’t care.
"Auntie, why are you sweating? Could it be that you don’t know my aunt-in-law, and you followed her to the toilet in secret?" Bai Ruozhu asked innocently, "I clearly saw you trailing her into the alley. Could it be that you..."
"I don’t know what you’re talking about, nor do I know any aunty of yours," Niu Pazi regained her composure and insisted that she didn’t know Wang Family’s matriarch.
"That’s odd. Now that my sister mentioned it, it reminded me as well. I had thought it strange when our aunt didn’t introduce us to a friend she encountered. Could it be that she did not know you at all and you were following her to steal her silver?" Bai Zehao exclaimed, "I must go and ask my aunt about it. Father, you should report to the authorities. We cannot let the Bai Family be schemed against!"
Niu Yugu hastily blocked the door, shouting, "Are you trying to slander us because you hit my mother and do not want to compensate?"
Bai Ruozhu gave him a cold look. "Then let’s report to the authorities together. Let the officers decide. If we injured someone, we will pay the necessary compensation. But if someone stole things, they must be flogged and sent to jail!"
By now, Niu Pazi was panicking. She waved her hands and said, "I don’t need you to compensate anymore. Just go, don’t bother me!"
"That’s not satisfactory at all! We must get to the root of the matter. What if you stole something from my sister-in-law? Let’s go. We should explain everything to the government office!" As Lin Ping’er spoke, she went over to the kang to help Niu Pazi get up.