Chapter 320: Conspiring with the Clan’s Grandpa
Bai Ruozhu gave her a cold glance, remarking, "Then you just wait and see." She walked away without another word.
The widow Zhou took pride in what she believed was her victory, holding her head high, her hand resting on her barely protruding belly. She strutted towards Mountain Village, planning to stir up some trouble with Bai Fu. She was certain that she could always get what she wanted with some clamor and fuss.
A wicked smile spread across the widow Zhou’s face at the thought.
However, Bai Ruozhu had no interest in dealing with the widow Zhou. She had plenty of ways to put the widow Zhou in check. But for the time being, she left the widow alone to have her way, while the head of the family, Grandpa, was silent.
When she arrived at Bai Lu’s home, she handed him the invitation card. "Patriarch grandpa, my father specifically reserved a table for your family. You must send more people. It won’t do if it isn’t filled up," she insisted.
Bai Lu, flattered that Bai Yihong’s family esteemed his so highly, stroked his beard and agreed, "Alright, we’ll come early. Zeji’s mother will also come over early to help your family."
"Perfect." Bai Ruozhu did not disagree with him, as she really needed helping hands that day.
While speaking, she glanced around and then gave Bai Lu a meaningful look, indicating that she wanted to talk to him privately. The wily Bai Lu, as one of the elders in Fengye Village, quickly understood her.
He got up and laughingly proposed, "I wanted to stretch my legs anyway. Little girl Ruozhu, let your second grandpa accompany you and walk you to the village exit."
"Thank you, second grandpa," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.
After the two left Bai Lu’s house and reached a deserted spot, Bai Ruozhu quietly explained Bai Fu’s plan to rescue Bai Yibo through switch tactics.
Bai Lu reacted the same as Bai Ruozhu when she first heard of it, exclaiming, "Has your grandpa lost his mind? This is a serious crime punishable by death!"
"Some people have heard rumors, but they’re not very certain. Considering that we don’t have much time, he probably hasn’t done much. Besides, it takes a lot of silver and connections to pull something like this off, and he’s under pressure from the widow Zhou. He simply cannot afford it in such a short time," reasoned Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Lu shook his head, "Not necessarily so. Your grandpa must have some money stashed away. Your grandpa had a certain amount of money saved away privately a long time ago, and he kept it very well-hidden."
At this point, Bai Lu’s face darkened slightly, recalling their father’s favouritism.
Bai Ruozhu paused, comprehending why her grandfather hadn’t returned the money to the widow Zhou. Aside from his reluctant to lose out, he intended to use the money to rescue his favorite son.
"Then we have to find a way to stop him," Bai Ruozhu’s expression turned serious. She couldn’t afford to go soft at this critical moment.
Bai Lu lapsed into a brief silence before asking, "Do you have a good plan?"
Bai Ruozhu whispered her plan, to which Bai Lu expressed surprise, "Wouldn’t this risk others talking about your family?"
"We are in the town, and others can’t talk about us. We just need to explain it properly. But it might cause some trouble for Patriarch Grandpa’s family." Bai Ruozhu looked remorseful. At present, her family’s situation left them with no other choice.
"Don’t say that. He’s my big brother, and his reckless behavior not only harms your family but the entire clan. It’s nothing for me to help. Furthermore, the widow Zhou wouldn’t dare to trouble me. Otherwise, she won’t be able to stay in Fengye Village for long." Bai Lu’s face turned cold, showing his deep distaste for the widow Zhou.
"Thank you, Patriarch Grandpa. After my elder brother’s wedding ceremony, we’ll start. During these few days, I’ll have someone keep an eye on him just in case there are any changes that we might need to intervene with." Bai Ruozhu thought of that sly smile. It seemed that she would have to ask for his help again. He would surely act smug this time around.
"By the way, I haven’t told my family about this, only you. I think the fewer people who know about this, the better," said Bai Ruozhu, her voice lowered.
Bai Lu gave a knowing nod, "You’re doing the right thing."
After discussing a few more points, Bai Ruozhu bid farewell to Bai Lu and returned to Mountain Village to meet up with her elder brother. By the time she reached the entrance of Mountain Village, Bai Zehao was already waiting there.
"Little sister, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time," said Bai Zehao with a sullen face. It looked as if something had upset him.
Bai Ruozhu was taken aback, asking, "What happened, big brother?"
"It’s nothing. I just ran into the widow Zhou and got a few jabs from her," Bai Zehao confessed.
Bai Ruozhu heaved a sigh of relief. She didn’t need to ask to know what the widow Zhou had said to her elder brother.
"I ran into her, too, on my way to Fengye Village. She tried to provoke me. Don’t mind her. People like her will pay for their actions sooner or later."
"She is already paying for them. She wasted 100 taels of silver and didn’t get anything in return." Bai Zehao gritted his teeth, a satisfied expression on his face.
Bai Ruozhu considered her next move and decided on paying a visit to Zhou Deshun’s wife. Zhou Taohua had caused such a commotion earlier that she had forgotten to discuss what she had planned to.
"Big brother, why don’t you go have a look and then find a chance to tell grandpa about your wedding banquet? I just remembered that I was interrupted by Zhou Taohua earlier and forgot to make proper arrangements with Aunt Zhou," Bai Ruozhu suggested.
"Grandpa will definitely not want to come," Bai Zehao replied, his face turning somber.
"Whether he comes or not is his business. We should still extend the invitation," Bai Ruozhu said determinedly.
Bai Zehao nodded in agreement after a moment of silence. "You’re right, I’ll go take a look now."
The siblings reentered the village - one headed for the old mansion, and the other to the Zhou Family.
Luckily, Bai Ruozhu ran into Zhou Deshun and his wife on the road before she reached their house. Zhou Deshun was still carrying his hoe, so it was clear he had just returned from the field.
"Uncle Deshun, Auntie, I was just on my way to find you." Bai Ruozhu quickly approached them after greeting them.
Zhou Deshun looked guilty when he saw Bai Ruozhu. "Ruozhu, I am sorry that we couldn’t control the younger generation of our family. I hope you didn’t mind their rudeness."
"It’s not your fault, so why should you feel guilty, Uncle Deshun? I came to talk about something else." Bai Ruozhu looked around, then tugged gently at Zhou’s Deshun wife’s sleeve and whispered, "Please don’t tell my parents about what we discussed earlier. My second brother’s accident has already upset them enough, and I’m worried something might happen again. I’ve made a plan, so I don’t want them to worry any further."
Upon recalling an incident where Lin Ping’er attacked the gate of the Bai family’s old mansion with a knife, Zhou Deshun’s wife shivered and quickly agreed, "You’re so considerate, I’ll listen to you."
"Also, Auntie, please keep an eye on the goings-on around the old mansion. If anything unusual happens, please let me know immediately," pleaded Bai Ruozhu.
"Alright, I’ll watch closely and won’t disclose anything," Zhou Deshun’s wife agreed, showing that she clearly understood the gravity of the situation.
Bai Ruozhu smiled gratefully at her and said, "Thank you so much, Auntie. I wouldn’t know what to do without your help."
To their surprise, Zhou Deshun’s wife and Zhou Deshun felt a little embarrassed, as Bai Ruozhu held no grudges against them because of Zhou Taohua. They were very touched by her attitude.
At this moment, Bai Ruozhu saw her elder brother walking towards them. But when the man got closer, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help being startled...