Chapter 342: Widow Zhou Comes to Seize Land
Everyone present was left feeling bewildered, vaguely guessing that Bai Lu intended to remove Bai Fu’the figure from the scene, so as to prevent him from causing further trouble.
Bai Ruozhu was secretly amused, her plan that she had discussed with Bai Lu was finally ready to be put into action.
Even though Jiang Yichun had said that Bai Fu’s lifeline was broken, he couldn’t help but hold on to hope, persisting in his reckless attempts to rescue Bai Yibo. Rather than letting Bai Fu do as he pleased, it’d be better to let Bai Lu look after him in Fengye Village under the guise of concern for his "mental state", effectively putting him under house arrest to prevent him from doing something that would harm the entire clan.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t consult with her family about this, as there was no room for negotiation. She also didn’t want her family to be constantly on edge due to Bai Fu’s actions.
Bai Yihong also seemed to realize something. He looked at Bai Ruozhu with a questioning look, and she simply shook her head slightly, signaling for him not to speak. Bai Yihong was momentarily startled, but ultimately remained silent with a stern expression.
"So, you’re all in cahoots, ganging up against me? What a perceptive and considerate son I have brought up! You must be wishing for my death." Bai Fu began to yell, his face flushed red with anger.
Bai Lu quickly rose from his seat and went over to pat Bai Fu’s back in an effort to reassure him, speaking earnestly, "My dear elder brother, we are all getting on in years. Each generation has its own fortune to enjoy, don’t worry so much in the future, and don’t lose your temper over Yibo’s affairs anymore."
Bai Fu was taken aback. He looked at Bai Lu in surprise, could Bai Lu know something he didn’t? Inwardly nervous, he didn’t dare to shout anymore.
"Wow, it’s a full house today, making it easy to find people to make a judgement." A sudden, conversation-breaking voice rang out, pulling everyone’s attention to the Widow Zhou, clad in brightly coloured clothing, making her way towards them.
The people of Back Mountain Village were taken aback slightly. The past few days had seen Widow Zhou give the Bai family’s old mansion a great deal of trouble. Who didn’t know what she was up to? They couldn’t help but cast a sympathetic glance at Bai Zehao. The last thing you’d want on what was supposed to be a happy wedding day was for it to be disrupted by all sorts of unwelcome distractions. Sorry, old Bai mansion, you’ve drawn the short straw.
Bai Fu also looked displeased, "What are you doing here? I’ve already said, I don’t have the money to compensate you. If you insist, take me to the Public Hall. I’ll gladly go to jail with my eldest son."
Widow Zhou replied with a flirty smile, "Well, you were almost my father-in-law, so how could I bear to see you locked up in jail? Besides, don’t you still have your children and grandchildren? If you don’t have the money, it’s fine as long as they do."
"Widow Zhou, if you make a fuss here, you won’t be welcome in Fengye Village anymore." Bai Lu’s face hardened. As an elder, he had the authority to make such a declaration. The villagers of Fengye had long grown tired of people like Widow Zhou. They considered her a disgrace to the village.
Widow Zhou wasn’t fazed. She turned to Bai Lu and laughed, "Elder Wan, you can’t bully people like that. I have the guarantee letter from the Bai family. Even if this goes to the County Government Office, I can still make my case. How can you just kick me out of the village?"
As Li Shunsheng sat drinking, he noticed that the woman who was speaking didn’t seem to know that he was an official from the County Government Office, so he quietly asked Wan Qilao about Widow Zhou’s situation. Wan Qilao shook his head and briefly explained.
After hearing this, Li Shunsheng couldn’t help but sneer. Only someone like Bai Yibo would get tangled up with a woman like that.
After Widow Zhou finished speaking, she took out a piece of paper and unfolded it for everyone to see, "This has the fingerprints of Mr. Bai and Bai Yibo on it. I didn’t just lend them money to repay the Wang Family’s debt for nothing, it was a full 100 taels of silver. Now that Bai Yibo’s fate hangs in balance, I still have to live. If the Bai family can’t repay me with the 100 taels of silver, then they should mortgage me some land."
"Go ahead and sue me in the County Government Office then, the land of my house will not be given to you!" Bai Fu’s face turned red with anger.
"Does your son want to see you in jail? If you don’t want to part with your land, maybe your son will. Besides, your few acres of land aren’t enough to repay me, they should also add the land from the second branch of your family. Oh right, the plot they bought in Linjiang Village should be included as well." With a faintly mocking smile, Widow Zhou looked at Bai Ruozhu while speaking in an unusually loud voice.
Bai Ruozhu narrowed her eyes and glanced at Zhou Dehai who was not far away. Zhou Dehai turned red all the way to his neck. As an intermediary, he always played by the rules. Keeping secrets was a part of his job. But once, while drunk, he had praised Bai Ruozhu, only to be overheard by Tao Hua.
Zhou Deshun angrily looked at his younger brother and said in a low voice, "Look at the kind of daughter you’ve brought up! Back then, Ruozhu treated her for an illness, and she didn’t even say thanks after hearing a rumor. Now, she keeps forcing Ruozhu to treat her again. If Ruozhu refuses, she stirs things up behind her back. Look at who your daughter is mingling with! You better keep a close eye on her and her mother, otherwise your Tao Hua won’t be able to marry into a good family."
Considering his brother’s dignity, Zhou Deshun spoke softly. But Zhou Dehai was already red as a monkey’s butt. He wished he could find a hole to hide in. Having caused such a scene, how could he face Bai Yihong’s family confidently in the future?
Hearing Widow Zhou’s words, Bai Fu was astounded. He looked at Bai Yihong and asked, "When did you guys buy land? Why didn’t you tell me? If you had money to buy land, why didn’t you think of helping your big brother with it?"
Bai Ruozhu took a deep breath and said, "No matter what, Grandpa always manages to bring it back to the Uncle. I bought this land in private, you don’t need to yell at my father. The money for the land was sent by Chang Sheng, who asked me to buy some land and rent it out to supplement our living expenses. We need a lot of money, your Uncle for his marriage, my second brother for his studies, and I have a baby to take care of. Have you ever thought about our family’s situation?"
"Chang Sheng became part of our family, his money is Bai family’s money. He doesn’t have private property. If he bought the land, it belongs to the Bai family." Bai Fu strongly asserted.
Bai Ruozhu scoffed, "If you must say it that way, I won’t argue with you, but since we’ve split from the family, this land has nothing to do with the old mansion."
Though her words were without mercy, they won the approval of many. Bai Fu’s grandfather was indeed being unreasonable.
Meanwhile, Widow Zhou interpjected, "Oh, so you’re willing to watch the old man go to jail? You’re not going to help him repay his debt? That’s not what dutiful children and grandchildren should do."
Bai Fu felt angry at this. Harassed by Widow Zhou, he had also thought about seeking help from the second branch of the family but couldn’t swallow his pride. Now that Widow Zhou directly pointed at the second branch, he felt a stab of satisfaction, hoping that their unworthy children and grandchildren would pay for the land with their own.
Lin Ping’er, holding Dengdeng, came out and glared at Widow Zhou, saying, "Don’t think about our land, you must have heard about my notorious temper. I guarantee that you’ll get the land, but you won’t live to enjoy it."
Widow Zhou patted her chest, "Oh, I’m so scared. But I don’t believe in superstitious nonsense. Whether I’ll enjoy it or not, we’ll see."
Lin Ping’er wanted to say more, but Bai Ruozhu stopped her and looked at Widow Zhou again, "After all that talk, we still don’t know what’s written in that guarantee. Why don’t you read it out for everyone to hear?"