Chapter 371: Begging won’t Help
As Bai Ruozhu and Fusa were approaching the stall, Zhu Jiapozi was sitting at the table. However, there was no pancake in front of her, nor any bowls or chopsticks. Zhu Shucha was standing by her side, looking extremely uncomfortable.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu glance that way, Fusa asked with curiosity, "Do you know that old woman?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "She’s from the same village, but not a good person."
Having heard this, Fusa did not ask further but threw Zhu Jiapozi a hostile look.
At that moment, Zhu Shucha saw Bai Ruozhu, he hurriedly took a couple of steps forward to greet her.
"Ruozhu, you’re back. My mother wants you to see her illness." Zhu Shucha is a straightforward person and his intention was clear as soon as he started to speak.
Bai Ruozhu smiled and said, "Uncle Zhu, what are you talking about? I am not a doctor. How would I know about diseases? When did you arrive? Have you tasted our pancakes yet?"
Zhu Shucha’s face turned red, he stammered, "No...not yet. We ate too much before leaving home, my mother says she feels bloated."
Bai Ruozhu smiled and didn’t say anything. She could tell at a glance that the two didn’t order anything from her stall. That didn’t matter, after all, not everyone is willing to spend the money. But Zhu Jiapozi, you’re here to ask a favor, yet you don’t buy any food and take up a seat. Don’t you feel inappropriate?
Zhu Jiapozi turned towards Bai Ruozhu and said, "Did you see from the very beginning that I was going to go blind?" She asked quite bluntly, her tone very hostile, as if the problem with her eyes was caused by Bai Ruozhu.
As if Bai Ruozhu had the time to harm her. Medicine costs money too. Using it on Zhu Jiapozi felt like a waste.
"How would I know there’s something wrong with your eyes? What’s happened to your eyes?" Bai Ruozhu pretended not to know and asked.
"Humph, stop playing innocent. When you said I’d better not come to beg you, wasn’t that a threat? Tell me right now, what’s the matter with my eyes? If not, I, I will accuse you at the Government Office. I’m sure it’s you who harmed my eyes!" Zhu Jiapozi not only blamed Bai Ruozhu for her eye issue but also started shouting.
Zhu Shucha’s face flushed and tried to dissuade his mother, "Mom, don’t talk nonsense! Ruozhu has nothing to do with your eye disease. She didn’t even touch you or feed you anything and she hasn’t been back in the village for a while."
Zhu Jiapozi glared at her son fiercely, "Don’t be traitorous. Even if she didn’t trick me, it’s her curse that did it." Then she turned to Bai Ruozhu and demanded, "You must cure my eyes right away, otherwise I’ll accuse you at the Government Office!"
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh, "If that’s what you want, go and accuse now. I can’t wait for the official to sentence you for false accusation. You have an eye disease but you don’t seek medical treatment from doctors. It’s useless to keep bothering me. I do know some medical skills, but I can only treat minor conditions like headaches and fevers. I can’t cure big problems like eye diseases."
Lin Ping’er also stepped forward and said: "Since Ruozhu can’t treat you, you should leave now, don’t delay our business."
Zhu Jiapozi gave Lin Ping’er a sidelong glance and said, "Is this how you treat your customers? If Bai Ruozhu doesn’t cure my eyes, I won’t leave today."
Even the usually good-tempered Bai Yihong was displeased this time, "Aunt Zhu, you’re being unreasonable. When your grandson almost drowned, my daughter kindly saved him, but instead of being grateful, you’ve been causing trouble for my family. We don’t bother arguing with you because we are from the same village. Now that your eyes are problematic, how dare you blame my daughter again?"
"Enough of that! If it has nothing to do with her, why were my eyes fine before she threatened me, and now I can’t see clearly after only a few days?" Zhu Jiapozi was rather obstinate, "I’m just asking her to treat me. I’m being nice not asking her to reimburse me."
Bai Zehao quickly lost his patience and declared, "Dad, there’s no point talking to such people. Just drive them out."
Heading straight for Zhu Jiapozi to push her out, Zhu Shucha had no choice but to step in and plead with a forced smile, "Zehao, don’t do it. My mother has a bad temper, please bear with her."
Bai Ruozhu used to think Zhu Shucha was a good person, at least he wasn’t like his mother. But now she was getting annoyed with Zhu Shucha for being a foolishly dutiful son.
"Uncle Zhu, if you’re truly filial, you wouldn’t watch your mother make a scene here. If you don’t take her to see a doctor soon, don’t blame us for driving you both out." After Bai Ruozhu said this in a cold tone, she picked up a rag to clean the table. But somehow, the rag was always being whipped in Zhu Jiapozi’s direction, not letting her keep sitting by the table.
"If you’re not eating, don’t take up a seat. You’re affecting our business." Bai Ruozhu had already managed to make Zhu Jiapozi leave her spot.
Seeing the Bai family’s reaction, Zhu Shucha didn’t dare to indulge his mother anymore and forcefully dragged Zhu Jiapozi away.
"Mom, stop causing trouble. Let’s go to Fushou Hall first. If it’s serious, we should get it treated right away." Zhu Shucha suggested.
But Zhu Jiapozi didn’t want to listen to him. She turned around to curse at Bai Ruozhu, "You wicked woman, you’ve blinded me. Even as a ghost, I will not spare you!"
Even as she was being dragged away by Zhu Shucha, her malicious curses could still be heard.
Wan Caiyue, who had been standing on the side, was dumbfounded. She couldn’t help but voice, "Ruozhu saved Zhu family’s only grandson. Just for that, Zhu Jiapozi shouldn’t curse like that, should she?"
"Who knows what she’s thinking. On the day my sister saved someone, she felt my sister had disrespected her. She has been causing trouble for our family from time to time. She’s truly malicious." Bai Zehao responded indignantly.
Lin Ping’er furrowed her brows, handed Dengdeng to Bai Ruozhu and whispered, "Does she really have a problem with her eyes?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded and said, "It’s Green-blind Disease. She’s not a recent sufferer. Treating it is not easy, but early treatment is certainly better than delaying."
"Serves her right. It’s karma." Said Lin Ping’er, spitting out a mouthful of saliva.
"She wouldn’t be like Zhou Taohua, refusing to spend money on treatment when she’s ill and wants to take advantage of Ruozhu to cover the silver and medicine bill, right?" Caiyue furrowed her brows. The Zhou Taohua incident had been told to her by Bai Zehao, Caiyue was extremely disdainful when she learnt about it. Zhou Taohua was ungrateful. She didn’t owe you any favors for helping you once. Yet, instead of thinking about returning the favor, you took advantage and exploited her. What kind of behavior is this?
Bai Ruozhu shrugged, "The treatment for Green-blind is quite expensive. Even if I knew how to treat it, I don’t have the medical materials. Why should I cover her medicine? I am not running a charitable institution."
The entire family nodded. No one sympathized with Zhu Jiapozi. On this point, at least, they were all in agreement.
The customers who had come to eat also got an idea of what was going on. Knowing that Bai Ruozhu was knowledgeable in medicine, they looked at Bai Ruozhu with more respect.
"Missy, can you check my daughter-in-law’s pulse to see if she’s pregnant?" A woman who had finished her pancake suddenly asked.