Chapter 4 - 00: Do you regret it now?
In her predecessor's memory, Bai Ruozhu's father Bai Yihong was a very upright and honest man, who never resorted to violence or anger. Yet today, for her sake, Bai Yihong not only had to fight but also contradicted his own principles by lying.
Bai Ruozhu felt a little heartache. If only her own father could treat her so well. However, she quickly rationalized, wasn't he now her father? Along with a mother who defended her siblings, the life given to her by the heavens in this life was not too shabby.
Liu's wife was still a little unconvinced and murmured under her breath, "Who knows if it is true, even if it is, the man still fled."
Bai Yihong glared at her. His eyes were already big, and now with them wide open, he looked quite frightening, causing Liu's wife to swallow her retort.
"Regardless of what you think, you cannot wrongly accuse young Chang Sheng. When he met with misfortune that day, I went to find the village head, and later, many people followed me to Back Mountain. The signs we saw indicated he might have slid down to the other side of the mountain, which the village head can attest to," Bai Yihong added.
The village head quickly nodded, "Indeed, this is true."
"While the boy Chang Sheng indeed met with an accident, he is blessed and will eventually come back safe and sound." Bai Yihong sighed.
Lin Ping'er also quickly said: "That's right. The boy is blessed. He will surely turn a calamity into a blessing!" After speaking, she gently pulled Bai Ruozhu's hand, afraid she would worry too much about Chang Sheng.
"What blessings, soot-black that one." Liu's wife quietly muttered to herself.
Bai Ruozhu remembered that Chang Sheng seemed to be quite handsome but of unclear origin, which is why Bai Yihong always made him smudge his face black.
She suddenly remembered the jade pendant she had received from Chang Sheng. She immediately showed it to everyone, saying, "This is the family heirloom of Chang Sheng, and also a token he gave me for our engagement. Surely there can be no fake, right?"
Everyone looked at the jade pendant. Bai Ruozhu's pendant was pure white and lustrous, and it clearly had some years. Therefore, everyone stopped doubting Bai Yihong's words. Who would casually gift a family heirloom unless they were truly engaging?
Then, the village chief knocked on his cane and loudly spoke, "Everyone has heard Bai Yihong and Ruozhu explain, nobody is allowed to spread rumors or to cause trouble again!"
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Everyone nodded, concurring with the village chief, and even though Liu San and his wife were dissatisfied, they didn't dare say another word.
"Alright then, today Liu's wife started the fight and injured someone first. As compensation, she should pay half a silver coin to the Lin Family." The village chief proposed after some thought.
"What? Is she worth half a silver coin?" Liu's wife started shouting again.
The village chief promptly knocked the ground firmly with his cane, saying sternly, "So my words don't carry any weight now? If you won't pay half a silver coin, let the Bai Family report this to the officials."
Liu San jumped in fright. If the officials got involved, regardless of the outcome, his wife would end up in jail, a place known to be quite dreadful. Even if she were to get out, she would lose much.
"Chief, please don't be angry. My wife is young and impulsive. We will pay the money. I don't have it at hand, so I need to go back and get it from my mother," said Liu San with an apologetic look on his face.
"Then make sure to send it to the Bai Family as soon as possible, don't delay it until tomorrow," The village head said unabashedly, "Alright, everyone should go back now. Pay attention to your fields as our livelihood depends on them and stop wasting time on these pointless matters."
Seeing the village head had spoken, everyone did not dare to linger. Only after Bai Yihong thanked the village head and paid the doctor's fee did they leave with their family.
"Daughter, don't mind those people. We just need to live our lives well." After returning home, Lin Ping'er carefully tidied Bai Ruozhu's disheveled hair. She said with a heartache, "This injury has taken up a large part of your head, I just hope it doesn't leave a scar."
Bai Yihong was flashing signals at her discreetly, worried that Bai Ruozhu would be more upset. Lin Ping'er realized this too late and felt somewhat regretful.
"Dad, Mom, I'm fine. This minor injury won't leave a scar. Don't harm your health over this incident. We live well, let them stew in their jealousy." Bai Ruozhu couldn't help but offer comforting words to her beloved parents.
Bai Yihong and Lin Ping'er were very surprised. Their daughter had always been sensible, but lately, she had been constantly frowning. They knew the troubles plaguing her but were powerless to help. They had not expected her to have such a change in attitude after this incident. This might have been a blessing in disguise.
"You're right, we're living well and that'll make them furious!" Lin Ping'er was a forthright person. Originally, she had been plotting how to make Liu San's wife suffer, but she changed her mind after hearing Bai Ruozhu's words.
"Darling, you take a rest. I'm going to feed the pigs. Your father, you should go and water the vegetables in the backyard." As soon as Lin Ping'er finished speaking, she led Bai Yihong out of the room.
Lin Ping'er called out to her eldest son, Bai Zehao, to chop wood. Soon, the sound of chopping echoed in the yard.
Bai Ruozhu lifted her head to look at the humble mud house, and her heart ached a little. She lay down on the hard kang bed fully dressed. The sharp sensation immediately hurt her back. The living conditions at home were indeed too simple.
The Bai family was of average means. When they had split from the old mansion, they had built their own house. However, due to financial strain, they could only afford to build three rooms. Lin Ping'er, showing great care for her daughter, insistently allocated one room solely to Bai Ruozhu while the two sons shared a room. However, with their eldest son about to get married and Bai Ruozhu soon to have a baby, their current housing was insufficient.
These things she had inadvertantly heard while passing her parents' window. Lin Ping'er also said that they had just managed to save a little money, but all of it was spent trying to save Chang Sheng. Their current financial situation was tight, they couldn't even afford to build a house, let alone cover the costs of Bai Ruozhu's upcoming childbirth.
The previous Ruozhu often secretly shed tears over this issue, but as the current Bai Ruozhu, she would not wallow in sorrow. Lying in bed, she considered how to improve their current situation and make life at home better.
Just as she was deep in thought, there was a knock at the door. Bai Ruozhu, while supporting her belly, slowly got up and said, "Who is it, please come in."
The one who came in was the knowledgeable Bai Zepei. It's no wonder he knocked so politely. If it had been the elder brother, he would likely have pounded on the door.
Bai Zepei walked to the bedside and took out a bun wrapped in oil paper from his bosom and stuffed it into Bai Ruozhu's hand, "Quick, eat it while it's hot."
The bun was still hot to the touch. Bai Ruozhu looked at her second brother in surprise and couldn't help asking, "Where did you get the money?"
"I earned it by writing letters for others. You need to recuperate from your injury," said Bai Zepei simply, with a tone that did not allow for any contradiction.
Bai Ruozhu indeed was hungry, and just so happened to have a craving for buns. Unable to resist, her stomach unknowingly grumbled loudly. Bai Zepei almost laughed when he heard it, but he restrained himself in order not to embarrass Bai Ruozhu.
Ruozhu chuckled softly, then scratched her head and said, "Thanks, second brother." She then peeled off the paper and began to eat heartily.
Truth be told, the bun barely had any meat and wasn't made of white flour. It didn't taste particularly good, but Bai Ruozhu still devoured it gluttonously.
Bai Zepei looked at Bai Ruozhu somewhat surprised. It had been a long time since his sister seemed to relish her food so much. He couldn't help himself and said, "If you like it, I'll buy you another one in a few days."
Bai Ruozhu hurriedly waved her hand, "I've had enough. If I eat any more, I'll get sick of it. Mom wouldn't want you to neglect your studies by writing letters for others. If you go and buy more, I'll have to apologize to Mom for it."
Bai Zepei didn't argue with Bai Ruozhu on this matter. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Do you regret it now?"