Chapter 209: Appeal at the County Government Office
Bai Ruozhu never expected to be shown the door as soon as she arrived. How brilliant must this Doctor Fu’s medical skills be? Throngs of visitors even after his retirement that his family is getting annoyed?
"We are not here for a medical consultation, but to see Doctor Fu. A relative of mine was treated by him six or seven years ago, she asked us to pay him a visit when we are in town, and also express her gratitude." Bai Ruozhu explained with an apologetic smile.
"The old Master is unwell and has retired. Please come again tomorrow." Having said that, the woman directly closed the door on them, refusing to let them enter. How rude could one be?
The siblings looked at the closed main gate, exchanged a helpless glance. It seemed they could only wait until tomorrow.
Despite this setback, Bai Ruozhu decided to proceed as planned. Tomorrow, she must go to the Government Office to appeal her case. Otherwise, if Grandpa manages to bring the Wang Family to the door, their later appearance at the Government Office could be seen as revenge.
After returning home, everyone was surprised to hear that Doctor Fu lived just two houses away, but they also felt helpless hearing that he would not receive visitors.
"Mother, can you ask around in the neighborhood tomorrow, inquire about Doctor Fu’s situation?" Bai Ruozhu suggested to Lin Ping’er.
"Alright, I’ll have a wander around in the morning." Lin Ping’er nodded, she was familiar with such casual social tasks.
The family went to bed early as they had a big task awaiting them the next day.
Early the next morning, the family quickly had their breakfast, and Bai Ruozhu with Bai Zepei went to the County Government Office. They claimed to beat the drum of appeal, however, since Bai Zepei was acquainted with the Local Chief, there was no need for such a complex process. Handing over a note, they met with Chief Li, explaining their situation was well enough.
On their way, Bai Ruozhu asked her brother uncertainly, "Should we tell the truth to Chief Li? Or should we just accuse Niu Pazi of blackmail, and defaming our aunt, then bring out the aunt when they are caught?"
Bai Zepei remained silent for a while, pondering carefully before conveying, "There is no need to say too much, it’s hard for a clear official to decide a domestic dispute. This is too complex to explain in one go."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, that made sense, people often say that grace of bringing up is greater than grace of birth, few knew how the Wang Family abused the child. Instead, they felt the family must have had affection for the child after raising him for six years, and they were the ones ruining family peace.
The pair arrived at the Government Office. Wan Minglu was on duty, seeing Bai Ruozhu, his eyes lit up and he approached, asking: "Brother Zehao, Ruozhu, what brings you here?"
Bai Ruozhu had a fond impression of this honest second brother of the Wan Family. She returned his greeting with a genuine smile, "Brother Minglu, we’ve come to appeal an injustice to the chief."
Wan Minglu was startled, "What happened? Did your old mansion folks bully you again?" His face reddened with anger as he asked. However, once asked, he realized his rashness; these were family affairs, why would you report such things to public officials? Even if you were to complain, you were more likely to take it to clan leader.
"No, someone blackmails us for some silver. When we are taken to the public hall, you’ll see." Bai Ruozhu, wary of time shortage, declined to explain more and bid him farewell before entering the Government Office.
Wan Minglu stood in the same spot, feeling disheartened. He mistakenly thought that Bai Ruozhu did not trust him. Bai Zepei glanced back at him, shaking his head in annoyance. His little sister was absolutely dense when it came to matters between men and women. However, she was unusually clever when it came to everything else - an average man had no leverage over her.
After a salutation, they saw Chief Li. At this point, he was even more enthusiastic towards Bai Zepei, jovially inquiring, "Brother Bai, why are you here so early? Don’t tell me you’ve come to beat the drums of appeal?"
"Indeed, I do have a wrong to be set right. However, I wasn’t there when it all happened yesterday, allow my little sister to explain." Bai Zepei requested, bowing to Chief Li.
Chief Li furrowed his eyebrows, "Who dared to offend Brother Bai? Miss Bai, please be quick."
Bai Ruozhu made a salutation to Chief Li, then began to lay out the facts in an orderly manner.
"Yesterday my dad was pushing a cart at the Market, and he accidentally bumped into a woman. That woman claimed she was severely injured, and my dad, being an honest man, agreed to compensate her. However, he didn’t have enough money on him at the time, so they agreed that he would deliver the money to her home. In the afternoon, we packed up our stall early to visit the woman in Lin’an Village. She refused to let us examine her."
Bai Ruozhu furrowed her eyebrows, "My family had run a stall in town recently, and that woman had visited our stall by coincidence. I got suspicious when I saw her with my aunt, suspecting that she might have ill intentions. However, upon confrontation, she changed her story, claiming to know my aunt and possessing a secret about our Bai Family."
"Oh?" Chief Li became interested. At first, he figured it was just a simple civil dispute, but it appeared to involve serious matters.
Bai Ruozhu continued, "She claimed that she helped my aunt with her childbirth six years ago, and that the child my aunt was supposed to have died inside her. The child she currently has, according to the woman, was swapped from another source. We were all stunned at this revelation. She also claimed that another doctor from Fushou Hall helped my aunt conceal the truth about the stillbirth. Later, she demanded hush money from us, threatening to leak the secret."
"My grandparents are old and frail, my parents fear that the shock will affect their health. Seeing the woman speak so convincingly, they believed her for a moment and gave her two taels of silver." Bai Zepei added, "However, after returning home and giving the matter further thought, it didn’t seem quite right. My mother was present when my aunt gave birth, how could everything be a sham?"
Bai Ruozhu chimed in, "Exactly! Moreover, Fushou Hall is quite reputed, how could any doctor aid in deception? This is why we realised we were fooled." Speaking these words, her face showed a hint of regret.
"The loss of the silver is a petty issue. The reputation of the Bai Family is the greater matter. Indulging such people, making groundless accusations, cannot be tolerated, which is why my parents have requested my assistance to appeal this injustice." Bai Zepei explained.
The sibling relayed the sequence of events in no time. It left Chief Li banging on the desk, "Are there really such audacious old witches out there? I must personally examine her so she can’t harm any more people in the future."
"Your wisdom is admirable Chief." Bai Ruozhu flattered Chief Li at the right moment.
Chief Li immediately called for officers to apprehend the person in Lin’an Village. Coincidentally, the officers dispatched were Wang Luji and Wan Minglu. Once they heard it was a matter concerning the Bai Family, they took it to heart and hurried to Lin’an Village.
In the interval, Chief Li invited the pair to have tea. Shortly, Jiang Yichun, donning a mask, stepped in. He looked quite at ease, getting through without notifying Chief Li.
"Chief, what brought you here? Please have a seat and some tea," Chief Li dashed to his feet, paying respects to Jiang Yichun, forcing Bai Zepei and Bai Ruozhu to rise and pay respects as well.
Jiang Yichun replied indifferently and took a seat, "Also, get me the register for recent criminal cases."
"Yes, I will get it right away." Chief Li left as soon as he finished speaking. As for Jiang Yichun, he suddenly turned to Bai Ruozhu, his eyes shining intimidatingly in a way that made it seem like he could see into the depths of one’s soul.