Zhao E’s face turned ever grimmer, and her eyes quickly turned red, while she said, "We didn’t do anything wrong, this time it really is..."
She found herself unable to continue as tears began to slide down her cheeks.
Bai Ruozhu chose not to inquire further about the Wang Family’s affairs. She merely wished to solve Bai Ruolan’s problem as quickly as possible, so she asked, "Where is Ruolan’s mother? Given Ruolan’s current situation, she ought to be taken care of, right?"
"Xiuxiang, she was... she was thrown into jail and is about to be exiled," Zhao E managed to reply.
"What?" Lin Ping’er instantly thought, ’Would Wang Xiuxiang be so infatuated that she’d follow Bai Yibo even into exile? But that would bring harm to her family. How could she even think of such a thing? Besides, the exiled territories are vast. The chance of ending up together is almost non-existent.’
However, something else occurred to Bai Ruozhu. Her expression turned serious and her heart heavy at the thought. If Wang Xiuxiang was indeed exiled, then Bai Ruolan would be left without both her father and mother. How would she cope? Would she have to rely on her maternal grandparents?
"What’s going on here?" Lin Ping’er couldn’t help but ask.
Zhao E looked embarrassed and murmured, "With these recent purges of bandits, Xiuxiang got tangled up with a mountain bandit which implicated our family and we were punished."
Just as Bai Ruozhu had guessed.
"My grandparents are old and can’t take care of Ruolan. And I’m sure you’ve heard about the woman my elder uncle has brought home. She definitely won’t treat Ruolan well. Given Ruolan’s current situation, can you help take care of her?" Bai Ruozhu said.
As soon as she completed her words, a shout from Wang Jiapo came from inside the house. "Why should the Wang family have to look after the offspring of the Bai family? Bai Yibo and my daughter are divorced! The child belongs to the Bai family. It’s not our place to interfere!"
So, Wang Jiapo had been eavesdropping on them the whole time, choosing to stay hidden.
"Doesn’t Ruolan carry your family’s blood as well? She still calls you ’granny’. How can you be so heartless? Weren’t you very fond of Ruolan’s mother? With her mother gone, couldn’t you help to look after her daughter?" Bai Ruozhu wasn’t addressing Zhao E this time. Instead, she was speaking directly to Wang Jiapo inside the house.
"My daughter? Of course, I would care about her! But I don’t want anything to do with the offspring of that Bai family!" Wang Jiapo emerged from the house, resolute in her tone. She stood at the door, hands on her hips as she shouted.
Bai Ruolan’s face showed clear terror. Whether it was due to Wang Jiapo’s ghastly expression or her booming voice, Ruolan covered her ears and shrank to the floor, screaming.
Having experienced Bai Ruolan’s behavior before, Bai Ruozhu and the others were used to it. But it was the Wang family’s first time witnessing it, and it shocked them.
"Lower your voice, can’t you see you’ve frightened her?" Bai Ruozhu glared at Wang Jiapo.
Wang Jiapo snorted dismissively and muttered, "Acting like a good person now, huh!"
Bai Ruozhu ignored her and squatted down to pat Bai Ruolan gently on her back, saying, "It’s okay, don’t mind them. Be brave, Ruolan."
When Wang Xiuxiang went home earlier to tell her family about Bai Ruolan’s condition, she wasn’t clear. So, neither Zhao E nor Wang Jiapo had fully understood. Had Ruolan turned into a fool? Reduced to the state of a child who gets easily frightened?
It took a while for Bai Ruolan to stop screaming. However, she hid behind Bai Ruozhu, clutching her clothes to shield herself, her entire body trembling. It was clear she was still very scared, but her emotions had calmed down considerably.
Zhao E looked sympathetically at Bai Ruolan and asked softly, "How did she end up like this?"
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, "She became oxygen deprived for too long when she attempted to hang herself. It damaged her brain."
Zhao E let out a long sigh, "Poor child." She turned to her mother-in-law and asked, "Mother, perhaps we might..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Wang Jiapo interrupted her, "Perhaps, what? There’s no ’perhaps’ about it! Your father and Xiujun are injured and bedridden. After the large penalty that was imposed on our family, where would we get the money and spare time to look after an idiot?"
Wang Jiapo spat out her words, her evil eyes glaring at Bai Ruolan. She placed special emphasis on the word ’idiot’, her face full of contempt.
At that, neither Lin Ping’er nor Bai Zehao could remain silent. Bai Zehao was even ready to advance on her, cursing, "How could you call yourself her granny, cursing her like that? Where’s your conscience? Did you feed it to a dog?"
"She bears the surname Bai. My daughter and Bai Yibo are divorced. She’s a part of the Bai family. Her grandparents are alive. It’s not our place to worry!" Wang Jiapo screeched back.
"You’re the one who’s about to die first, you heartless old witch!" Lin Ping’er was so angry she started cursing Wang Jiapo openly, her sleeves rolled up, ready to fight.
Zhao E was glaring angrily at Wang Jiapo, shouting, "Mother, what nonsense are you spewing? If you won’t take care of Ruolan, we will. After all, she’s our niece!"
Hearing this, Wang Jiapo abruptly sat down on the ground, wailing loudly, "Why have I been cursed with such a fate? No one listens to me. Why bring an idiot back home? You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you? I might as well hit my head against the wall and kill myself!"
Fine, Wang Jiapo was clearly the type to resort to crying, creating a scene, and threatening suicide. She continued to utter the word ’idiot’ over and over.
Bai Ruozhu noticed Bai Ruolan’s hold on her clothing tighten as the poor girl trembled even more. Anger rising within her, she grabbed Bai Ruolan’s hand, saying, "Don’t be scared. Let’s go. Such a heartless old woman won’t end well. Let’s just wait and see!"
Bai Zehao managed to hold his mother back. Otherwise, Lin Ping’er would have rushed over to fight Wang Jiapo.
"Serves you right!" Lin Ping’er spat in disdain.
The three of them left with Bai Ruolan, the sound of Wang Jiapo’s cursing trailing behind them. Bai Ruozhu scoffed. Had Wang Jiapo forgotten about her stroke a while back? If not for her intervening, Wang Jiapo would be left with a droopy mouth and crooked eyes by now.
However, considering Wang Jiapo’s character, she was convinced that a second stroke was not far off.
"So, Ruozhu, what are you planning to do? Take Ruolan back to the old mansion?" Lin Ping’er asked anxiously as they walked.
Bai Ruozhu had decided on her plan of action. Her inherent softness and the empathy she felt as a mother made it particularly difficult for her to bear the sight of Bai Ruolan in her current state.
"If the Wang family doesn’t want to care for her, then we will. It’s not as if we’re lacking food," Bai Ruozhu said with a huff. She thought about it, even if Zhao E argued with Wang Jiapo and stubbornly kept Bai Ruolan with them, would Wang Jiapo really treat Bai Ruolan well? The girl was already in this state, how could they let her life get any worse?
Neither Lin Ping’er nor Bai Zehao opposed her. Bai Zehao even smiled, saying, "I agree with Ruozhu’s plan. We’ll take care of her. If she gets better in the future, that’ll be great. If not, it’s just one more mouth to feed and we can handle it."
Bai Ruozhu gave her brother an apologetic smile. When a family took on an extra mouth to feed, it usually fell on the eldest son to bear the burden. In her anger, she had made the decision without consulting her brother.