Chapter 268: Bai Yibo Wants to Divorce His Wife
Lu Donghai, still but a child and rather chubby, was no match for Xiaosi. Xiaosi quickly snatched the hat back and returned it to Niuniu.
"Thank you, Brother Xiaosi." Niuniu sniffed somewhat chokedly, her hair painfully tugged on.
The cap returned to Niuniu’s head, but her timid nature led her to hide behind her mother after thanking Xiaosi.
Meanwhile, Lu Donghai abruptly sat on the ground. A substantial amount of dust kicked up as his plump bottom hit, and he once again burst into tears, shouting, "The fool hit me, the fool hit me!"
Bai Ruozhu could no longer hold back, addressing him, "When did your fourth uncle hit you? You’re so young and already spouting nonsense, cursing people as soon as you open your mouth. What are we to do with you in the future?"
Bai Ruomei, her face cycling between white and red, pulled Lu Donghai up, sternly warning, "If you continue to misbehave, I won’t take you out anymore. I’ll take you to the doctor."
The thought of seeing a doctor seemed to terrify Lu Donghai intensely. He didn’t dare to cry loudly again but tearfully and meekly looked up at his mother, unable to get up from the ground. Finally, Bai Ruomei, with a tender heart for her sick child, picked him up. Perhaps afraid of him causing further trouble, she held him tight in her arms.
"Ruozhu, Xiaosi, don’t take it to heart. This child is the Lu’s only grandson, and he’s terribly spoiled by his grandparents. He’s also been ill lately and has become a bit bad-tempered. I apologize for him," Bai Ruomei said in a hushed voice.
Xiaosi left without acknowledging her words, and Bai Ruozhu, unwilling to quibble with a child, sternly commented, "It’s hard on you, Sister Ruomei. However, only if we educate children well from a young age can they have a good temperament in the future."
"Yes, yes, you’re right, Ruozhu," Bai Ruomei said appeasingly, forcing a smile.
At this point, Lin Ping’er gestured to Bai Yihong, instructing, "The soup is almost gone, go get another cartload."
Seeing that Bai Ruomei had other motives for her visit, Lin Ping’er feared Bai Yihong might soften and be taken advantage of. Thus she preemptively dispatched Bai Yihong. Grasping her intent, he gave an apologetic scratch of the head, excused himself to Bai Ruomei and left with the cart.
A shadow of disappointment crossed Bai Ruomei’s face, but she quickly concealed it.
When someone came about the small hats, Fusa called out, and Bai Ruozhu invited Bai Ruomei to sit inside the stall. She prepared a naan for Bai Ruomei but warned that it contained a lot of oil and wasn’t suitable for Lu Donghai in his condition.
"No, no, I’ve already eaten. I couldn’t possibly impose," protested Bai Ruomei, shaking her head. Her arms full with the weighty Lu Donghai, it was inconvenient for her to make dismissive gestures.
"Sit down and rest. Ruozhu is quick, it will be ready in a moment. You can also taste it and see how it is," Lin Ping’er said with a smile, persuading her to sit. Indeed, Bai Ruomei looked quite tired and thus ceased declining.
Bai Ruozhu quickly prepared a naan stuffed with egg along with a bowl of soup for her. Bai Zehao served it but, disliking Lu Donghai, left to play with Dengdeng after delivering the meal.
Having taken a bite of the naan, Bai Ruomei appeared a little absent-minded. She finally said, "Second Auntie, I actually came today to ask a favor of you."
Bai Ruozhu and Lin Ping’er exchanged glances. Lin Ping’er managed a thin smile and replied, "We’re family, there’s no need to act so formal. If you need something, just say it, and we’ll see if we can help."
Bai Ruomei sensed their guarded stance. With a silent sigh, she acknowledged that her parents had severely offended them. Notably, her mother couldn’t control herself and even allowed members of the Wang family to disrupt the second household’s stall. Couldn’t they see that the second household was unbeatable now?
Bai Ruozhu gave her mother an approving look. Her mother had become quite adept at choosing her words carefully.
"This is a difficult matter for me to discuss." Bai Ruomei, being the eldest granddaughter of the Scholar and having received schooling, had an air of a lady from a scholarly family as soon as she opened her mouth.
Bai Ruozhu inwardly muttered, if it’s difficult to speak, then don’t speak. She didn’t particularly hate Bai Ruomei, but it was also hard to say that she liked her.
"It is..." She started to tear up, "The old mansion wants to divorce my mother. I was hoping you could plead on her behalf. Back then, she should not have kept you all in the dark. But she has been married into the Bai Family for over twenty years. If she gets divorced, what will she do?" Bai Ruomei was nearly in tears; she kept her voice very low, afraid that others might hear her.
Bai Ruozhu and Lin Ping’er were both taken aback. They hadn’t heard anything previously about the old mansion wanting to divorce Mrs. Wang. In the Public Hall, Bai Yibo had always protected Mrs. Wang and had long known about Xiaosi’s backstory. Why did he suddenly want to divorce his wife now?
Bai Ruozhu didn’t pity Mrs. Wang. It was a case of ’you reap what you sow.’ She was just curious why the old mansion had suddenly changed its mind and wanted to divorce her so heartlessly.
"That can’t be right. I remember my eldest uncle had known about Xiaosi’s situation for a long time and was very protective of his wife," Bai Ruozhu asked.
"I don’t know what my father is thinking. All of a sudden, he’s become so determined. It must be that Grandpa and Grandma persuaded him," Bai Ruomei said, shaking her head.
"How can we plead for your mother? Don’t you know how much the old man despises us? I’m afraid that trying to help your mother might end up hurting her instead," Lin Ping’er thought for a while and began to refuse. Even if it was convenient for her to plead, she wouldn’t be willing.
Bai Ruomei started to wipe away her tears. Unlike most women who would cry and wail, she cried silently with her eyebrows lowered. Her graceful posture and movements made it easy for others to feel sympathetic towards her.
"I know my mother was foolish. She shouldn’t have been against you all. But considering our family’s status, this decision to divorce isn’t right. We can’t count on my father now. That’s why I can only beg my second aunt’s family to plead for her," said Bai Ruomei, lowering her head.
Bai Ruozhu realized what she was up to. Bai Ruomei wasn’t trying to get them to help; she wanted Bai Zepei to do it. Right now, the only person who had a say before the old mansion was Bai Zepei. Since Bai Ruomei couldn’t find Bai Zepei, she had come to the stall to ask Lin Ping’er and the others.
Lin Ping’er looked at Bai Ruozhu in a state of vexation. Bai Ruozhu slightly nodded at her. Lin Ping’er thought for a while and said, "We’ll try to persuade him, but we can’t guarantee the old mansion will decide otherwise."
Bai Ruomei gratefully looked at them and said, "If Erlang could help, it would be even better. He’s highly knowledgeable. I’m sure he could reason with Grandpa."
See, the fox had finally shown its tail.
Bai Ruozhu looked at Bai Ruomei with a surprised expression. "Sister Ruomei, don’t you know about my second brother’s disagreement with Grandpa? At the banquet on the first day of the month, when Grandpa didn’t let my father take a seat, my second brother insisted on giving up his place for my father. Grandpa was furious."
Bai Ruomei’s face changed. The old man favored boys over girls and did not invite her, a married granddaughter, to the banquet. She really didn’t know about this!
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