Chapter 56 - 056 Filial Piety Should not be Foolish Filial Piety
Chapter 56: Chapter 056 Filial Piety Should not be Foolish Filial Piety
Chapter 56 -056 Filial Piety Should not be Foolish Filial Piety
Bai Ruozhu’s heart suddenly felt ice cold.
She had seen in period dramas and ancient romance novels, many mentions the time of childbirth would be the most opportune for foul play.
In those tales of palace and household intrigues, weren’t the midwives often bribed, committing misdeeds during the birth process?
However, Bai Ruozhu soon calmed herself down.
If Zhu Pozi was really up to such a scheme, she should have made sure Bai Ruozhu did not see it.
Wouldn’t it be easier to act when Bai Ruozhu was completely off-guard?
Yet, this wasn’t a palace nor a grand mansion, thus it was unlikely for such deep and complex schemes to be plotted.
Bai Ruozhu still felt uneasy.
Zhu Pozi’s smile gave her chills, and no matter what Zhu Pozi was rejoicing in, Bai Ruozhu didn’t dare to gamble with her child’s life.
Bai Zehao too saw Zhu Pozi turn her head and smile at Ruozhu, he was no fool, and he quickly noticed something unusual about Zhu Pozi.
He asked in a low voice, “Ruozhu, what does Zhu Pozi mean by that?”
“The person with her is Ji Wenpo, the midwife my mother asked to help deliver my baby”, Bai Ruozhu quietly explained as she continued to walk.
“What?” Bai Zehao was almost leaping in shock, “What on earth is Zhu Pozi up to?
Is she out of her mind?
You saved the lives of Zhu’s family members.
Her actions are simply ‘biting the hand that feeds’.
Ungrateful and loathsome!”
Bai Zehao rolled up his sleeves, “I will not allow this, I’m going to talk to Zhu Shucha and tell him to control his mother!”
Bai Ruozhu quickly grabbed him, “Don’t be impulsive, we have no proof, only that she seems familiar with Ji Wenpo.
We would be in the wrong if we escalated it now.
Let’s go home and discuss with mother first.
We could always hire another midwife.”
Bai Zehao, upon considering this, thought it made sense, but he was still seething with rage and wishing he could give Zhu Pozi a piece of his mind.
The siblings went back home and related the incident with Zhu Pozi and Ji Wenpo.
Both Lin Ping’er and Bai Yihong became worried upon hearing the news.
“Is Zhu Pozi really trying to harm Ruozhu?
She saved Zhu’s grandson”, Bai Yihong said unbelievably.
“Father, when I saw Zhu Pozi smiling sinisterly at Ruozhu, I knew something wasn’t right”, Bai Zehao added.
Bai Ruozhu also felt unlucky.
Her good intentions of saving a drowning child had led her to cross paths with this scheming, bitter old woman.
What had she done to deserve this?
She heaved a sigh and stated, “Zhu Pozi spoils her grandson and openly scolds and hits her daughter-in-law.
It’s clear she is an unreasonable person.
During the incident with Celebration Eggs, she suddenly turned her anger on me, even saying that as a widow, I’m bad luck.
And since my second brother defended me, she probably felt she had lost face.”
“Even after I saved Celebration Eggs, she couldn’t bring herself to say a word of thanks.
Moreover, she held a grudge against me since the villagers criticised her for her lack of gratitude, and later blamed me for eating their egg-laying chicken as part of Celebration Eggs’s father’s gift.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she’s out to harm me.”
Hearing this, Bai Yihong muttered a curse.
Although he was seldom rude to anyone, Zhu Pozi was someone he also disapproved of.
“The younger generations of the Zhu Family are filial and Zhu Pozi is the authoritative figure, that’s how she’s pampered and behaves this way,” said Lin Ping’er dismissively.
“That’s why, while it’s right to be obedient, it’s not right to blindly obey without reason.
If Zhu Pozi acts unreasonably and Zhu Shucha submits to her because of his filial piety, he will only be enabling her and may bring misfortune to his family in the future,” Bai Ruozhu said slowly, stealing a glance at her father.
“It’s as though we overly pamper a child and do nothing to correct their unbecoming behavior because they are young.
Can such a child turn out well in the future?
The same applies to the elderly,” she continued.
Bai Ruozhu took this opportunity to give her father some advice.
Although Bai Yihong might be a strict person, he is fair and reasonable.
Unfortunately, the elderly lady of the Bai Family wasn’t the most rational, being petty, greedy, and easily provoked.
Who knew what might happen in the future?
Bai Ruozhu did not want her father to be overly tolerant towards the elderly lady out of filial obedience.
Indeed, her words had an effect.
The thought-provoking conversation made her mother, her brother and even her father reconsider their actions.
People at that time followed the virtue of filial piety, obeying their parents’ every word.
But what if their parents were wrong?
Should they continue to obey them in the name of filial piety, or find a different solution?
However, Bai Ruozhu’s words made them see things in a new light.
Continuous approval might do more harm than good to the elderly, and failing to correct their mistakes could aggravate their faults.
Take Zhu Pozi for example, her capricious behavior has offended the Bai family.
If the Bai family were vengeful, Zhu Pozi may face severe consequences in return.
Would Zhu Shucha, as a son, want to see that happened to his mother?
Not wanting to dwell on the topic further, Bai Ruozhu excused herself from the conversation.
She handed the bonus money she had received to Lin Ping’er and said she was tired and needed some rest.
Lin Ping’er let her go deepen in her thoughts on whether to replace the midwife.
On her way out of the main hall, Bai Ruozhu encountered her second brother.
She smiled at him, saying, “Don’t strain your eyes by reading too much, remember to give them some rest.”
Bai Zepei ruffled her hair and laughed, “After hearing your thought-provoking words, I feel like I have learnt more than from ten years of studying.
Surely, taking one day off wouldn’t hurt.”
It seemed that her second brother had overheard everything.
Being as cunning as he is, he must have figured out her intentions.
Bai Ruozhu jokingly stuck her tongue out at him, “If I had known, I should have let you do the talking.
You could have quoted the classics and surely made my point much more effectively.”
“What you said was simple and easy to understand, it was great,” Bai Zepei laughed, “Go and take some rest, you must be tired after all the walking.”
Bai Ruozhu didn’t insist and nodded before heading back to her room.
She didn’t worry much about Ji Wenpo.
Worst case scenario, she would hire another midwife.
Now that they had money, it wasn’t a problem to pay for a better one.
With those thoughts in mind, she drifted off into a deep sleep.
She slept so soundly that she missed lunch.
When she woke up, her mother had brought in a warm plate of food, which she devoured eagerly.
Seeing her eat with such a healthy appetite, Lin Ping’er was relieved that Zhu Pozi’s matter didn’t affect Ruozhu’s mood and appetite.
After finishing her meal, Bai Ruozhu said she intended to take a walk to aid digestion.
Lin Ping’er insisted on going with her, and the two of them walked arm in arm towards the village.
As they approached the riverside, they heard someone calling Bai Ruozhu’s name.
Turning her head, she saw a child climbing a tree, his bare dirty feet swinging freely from the tree branch.
“Bai Ruozhu, I have something to tell you!” Celebration Eggs shouted towards Bai Ruozhu.