Chapter 3 - 00 Who is the Child’s Father
Liu San was choked by the words and his face turned red. He glanced at his wife with a somewhat resentful look.
Just then, Bai Zehao, who had gone to fetch the doctor, returned with Dr. Li. As Dr. Li began to treat Bai Ruozhu's wound, all the Bai family members were too anxious to care about Liu San and his wife, they gathered nervously around Bai Ruozhu to listen to what Dr. Li had to say.
"This wound is deep and the weather is hot. It might leave a scar." After inspecting Bai Ruozhu's forehead, Dr. Li said candidly. The medicine had stopped the bleeding, but the weather was too hot to bandage it.
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruozhu's mother broke down and hugged her, saying, "My poor daughter, who has always been so kindly to others, was intentionally harmed by such evil-hearted people."
Bai Ruozhu patted her mother's hand. A scar was not beyond removal, and she was not too concerned about her looks. She didn't want her family to be overly heartbroken over it.
"Ahem, everything else is fine. There's nothing to worry about." Dr. Li coughed awkwardly, avoiding the topic. What he referred to was the baby in Bai Ruozhu's belly. He had heard about her situation and felt it was inappropriate to mention it directly.
Bai Ruozhu touched her belly with a daze. After such a severe fall, the baby did not suffer any harm. Was it because her predecessor had been trying to protect the baby until her death? Or was it because the fetus had a strong will to survive?
The warmth emanating from her belly filled her with unexpected affection. This was something she had never experienced before. People always say that a woman's maternal instinct is natural, she never expected that hers would be so suddenly triggered. Even though the child was not hers, she started to care for the little life inside her.
But, who is the father of this child? Bai Ruozhu began to search through the memories of her predecessor.
As it turns out, the child in her belly had an extraordinary origin. A year and a half ago, her father, Bai Yihong, went hunting in the mountains. Instead of returning with game, he came back with an injured young man draped over his shoulders. The young man was severely injured, and while he survived, he lost all memory of his past, even forgetting his own name.
Yet, this young man was sincere and hardworking, easily winning the affection of Bai Ruozhu's family. Bai Yihong even named him Chang Sheng, showing his hope for the young man's peaceful future.
After a year of living together, the Bai family grew increasingly fond of Chang Sheng. Bai Ruozhu also developed strong feelings for him. After discussing with his wife, Bai Yihong made the decision to betroth his daughter to Chang Sheng. The couple thought that it would be a good arrangement since Chang Sheng had no family of his own.
Bai's wife was initially reluctant due to Chang Sheng's unknown origin, but she finally agreed under Bai Yihong's insistence. However, before the wedding day could arrive, Bai Ruozhu's virginity was broken during one of their trips to gather firewood in the mountains.
Subsequently, Chang Sheng disappeared. When Bai Yihong led a search party for him, all indications pointed to Chang Sheng accidentally rolling off a mountain. Despite this, the villagers failed to locate him despite looking at all possible spots. Some speculated he was rescued by people from another village, others speculated that he was taken by a wild beast and yet others thought that Chang Sheng, being an outsider, had left purposely.
Meanwhile, Bai Ruozhu's belly gradually began to show.
It has been almost half a year since Chang Sheng vanished, and there was still no word from him. The only thing he left behind was a jade pendant that he had secretly given to Bai Ruozhu. Bai's wife shed countless tears for him and Bai's father was filled with self-reproach.
As Bai Ruozhu thought of Chang Sheng's face, she could only recall a blurred smile. It seemed that Chang Sheng was very charming when he smiled. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall his face clearly. Perhaps because the events surrounding Chang Sheng had brought so much pain to her predecessor, that all memories of him were blurry.
Something about her predecessor's memories didn't add up though. Bai Ruozhu remembered her predecessor as a well-behaved, shy young woman. How on earth did she end up getting intimate with Chang Sheng before the wedding and becoming pregnant? Unfortunately, her memories about this were also blurry. She figured she could inquire with her family at a later time.
Touching her belly, Bai Ruozhu sighed softly. Her transmigration journey had truly been unfortunate. Without ever experiencing love, she was already expected to bear and raise a child. Rumor has it that giving birth in ancient times was akin to a dangerous trek through the lore known as "the ghost gate". She wondered how much suffering she would have to endure.
Just as she was feeling sorry for herself, the little life in her belly moved. Bai Ruozhu had never experienced such a feeling in her twenty-something years of life. She looked down at her belly in surprise, an unexpected wave of emotion rising in her heart. Was the little one trying to comfort her?
The Bai family members were relieved to learn that the baby was unharmed. However, the matter couldn't just end like this. Bai Zepei said to his mother, "Mother, you take Ruozhu back to rest. We will handle what follows. Whether we're making amends or paying compensation, we'll see to it."
"What compensation? I got hurt too. Why doesn't she pay me?" Liu San's wife mumbled discontentedly in a low voice.
The village head was eager to have the matter resolved. Seeing Liu San's wife stirring up trouble again, he used his walking stick to thump the ground and reprimanded her, saying, "That's all your own fault. Why bother others for no reason?"
Being somewhat fearful of the village head, Liu San's wife dared not talk back when scolded by him. She slipped behind Liu San, looking like a wronged wife, and acted as if she was the one who had been picked on and bullied.
Bai's wife had no patience to waste on Liu San's wife. Now, she was more concerned about Bai Ruozhu's health. After saying goodbye to the village head, she was about to lead Bai Ruozhu away when Bai Yihong called out to them, "Wait, I have something I want to say!"
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Bai Ruozhu and her mother both looked at Bai Yihong in surprise. Why had he suddenly stopped them? The village head was also very surprised. What else was there to say?
Bai Yihong looked around at the gathering of onlookers, cleared his throat, and loudly declared, "Since everyone's here today, let me, Bai Yihong, make things clear, to prevent any further slander being cast upon my daughter."
At this point, he glared fiercely at Liu San and his wife. It was clear to everyone at this point that there was bad blood between the Bais and the Lius, and that Bai Yihong was very protective of his daughter.
"I arranged Ruozhu's marriage myself. My wife and I love our daughter and didn't want her to get married and leave, so we decided to bring Chang Sheng into our family. Although Chang Sheng has no parents, the situation was a bit embarrassing, so we didn't hold a large wedding feast in the village. But the two children have officially married in the ancestral hall, and I even had my good friend Zhou Deshun serve as a witness. Feel free to ask him." Zhou Deshun was a close friend of Bai Yihong.
"I've made myself clear today. If anyone dares to say that my daughter isn't officially married in the future, don't blame me, Bai Yihong, for being ruthless!" Bai Yihong's voice was loud and assertive, showing that he was willing to challenge anyone who dared to besmirch his daughter's reputation.
Bai Ruozhu looked at Bai Yihong in surprise. In her predecessor's memories, there had never been a wedding, nor had Zhou Deshun been invited as a witness. It turned out her father was telling a lie to protect her!