As soon as the officer spoke, Bai Ruozhu almost thought he was summoned by her second brother, but when she glanced in his direction, he was looking back at her, his gaze filled with questioning. Apparently, her second brother also thought she had summoned the officer.
Both of them shook their heads faintly at each other—it seemed that the old man next door had summoned the officer after all.
Old Lady Bai didn’t agree with the officer’s words at all. She believed that the second house’s refusal to let her manage the family affairs and control the money was ungrateful. How could they be good to her?
Of course, she dared not say what she was thinking out loud.
"Officer, could you please be considerate? How about we compensate you with some money?" Bai Ruozhu asked carefully.
The officer pondered before saying, "I’ll ask Old Master next door. If he agrees to settle it privately, it’s for the best. If not, your Old Lady will have to wait at the Government Office. She is really old now, so it can’t be blamed on others if she is not peaceful."
Old Lady Bai was unconvinced and murmured, "Lots of people in our village argue late into the night, but I’ve never heard of anyone reporting to the authorities."
Bai Ruozhu gave her a stern glance. She was here trying to plead, but the Old Lady was making things difficult!
Before the officer could respond, an old voice rang out from the main gate of the Bai residence.
"There’s no need to settle it privately. I don’t lack that bit of silver. Just take her away according to the usual rules," said Old Master Su from next door loudly. "You dare to mention the village? This is Beiyu City, no one cares about your concerns. You’re a troublemaker no matter where you go. Ever since your first day here, I haven’t been able to sleep well because of your noise. I’ve been tolerant until now."
Bai Ruozhu looked over. This was the first time she had seen the old man next door. He seemed to be about 60 or 70, his hair and beard both white, but he looked sturdy and his voice was loud.
Upon hearing this, the officer grabbed Old Lady Bai’s arm and said, "Stop wasting your breath, come with me to the Government Office."
Like Bai Ruozhu, Bai Zepei worried that if the Old Lady fell ill, she could not be taken away. He quickly went over to Old Master Su and bowed, saying, "Elder, our grandmother is not good at minding herself. We will advise her properly. Also, she heard about an accident in our family today and couldn’t control her emotions. We hope you can understand."
Old Master Su glared at Bai Zepei, "It was your family that had an accident, with people being captured by the Turkic people. She has been shouting about it so much that I have been constantly worried that the Turkic people are coming again and can’t rest. Either you get rid of her, or move out entirely, otherwise, I’ll talk to Meng Family myself!"
Bai Ruozhu and Bai Zepei looked at each other. This Old Master Su didn’t seem simple, it looked like he could persuade the Meng Residence just by making an appearance.
Bai Zepei could only continue to apologize to Master Su. He even offered to compensate 20 pieces of silver. Old Lady Bai winced when she heard this, but Old Master Su claimed he never lacked money. In the end, Old Lady Bai was still taken away.
As she was being led away, Old Lady Bai said to the officer, "I’ll go, there’s nothing serious about it. I also want to file a complaint with the Old Master that my children and grandchildren are ungrateful. They knew very well that the Turkic people were after us, yet they still put me in the main house as a decoy. I wasted my years raising this son!"
Bai Ruozhu could only hold her forehead. The Old Lady was truly lacking in brains. She was about to enter the prison of the Government Offices and even if she was to be tried tomorrow, she would still be punished. Instead of expecting her children and grandchildren to save her, she was cursing them for everything. Anyone with any sense would not do so, right?
Old Master Su started laughing coldly, "You’re calling your children and grandchildren unfilial, but aren’t they willing to pay money to save you? Having to deal with an old woman like you, your children and grandchildren are also quite pitiful."
Bai Ruozhu almost wanted to go and shake Master Su’s hand, saying, "Old man, your words make perfect sense."
As Old Lady Bai was taken away, it would be inappropriate for no one else to go. In the end, Bai Yihong, being her son, had to follow.
Old Master Su also went back to his residence with a cold huff. It seemed he didn’t particularly like the Bai Family, but also wouldn’t go cause trouble without reason.
Lin Ping’er asked Bai Ruozhu worriedly, "What if he really goes to the Meng family? Wouldn’t it be bad if we’ve caused trouble for the Meng Family?"
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, "Everything will be fine once my grandmother leaves."
Lin Ping’er sighed, "Let’s go back and sleep, we have to rush to the government office tomorrow morning. I predict we’ll definitely be fined. Well, consider it as spending money to avert disaster."
No one slept well in the yard that night. Who could sleep well after being startled in the middle of the night?
Early the next morning, Bai Ruozhu, Bai Zehao, Bai Zepei, and Lin Ping’er headed to the Government Office. As they arrived, they saw Bai Yihong leaning against the outer wall and dozing off. As it was a chilly winter morning, he was huddled up due to the cold, looking pitiful.
Lin Ping’er’s heart ached a little and she sniffled. She went over to wake Bai Yihong, saying, "We’ve brought you some hot soup, quickly drink it to warm your body."
With bloodshot eyes, Bai Yihong nodded and sniffled. He’d caught a cold. Bai Zehao quickly took out the hot food box and gave the soup to him. After drinking it, he warmed up a little.
The Government Office soon opened its doors. The officer led Old Lady Bai up. She also had not slept well. Her hair was a mess, her complexion was a bit pale, the wrinkles on her face seemed deeper, looking quite haggard. But aside from Bai Yihong, everyone else seemed unable to sympathize with the Old Lady—especially after she declared while being taken away yesterday that she would lodge a complaint against them for being unfilial.
Yes, even if they were unfilial it was because of the pressure the Old Lady put on them. If she had gotten along with everyone when she first arrived, like Aunt Lin who minded her own business, even if she didn’t lift a finger to help with work, no one in the family would have said a word about it.
The officer reported yesterday’s incident to the court, who looked at the Old Lady below and said, "Considering your age, we won’t beat you. You will only be fined 10 pieces of silver. Have your family bring the sum."
Old Lady Bai, who had stayed in jail for half the night, had considerably calmed down. She knelt down on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, sir. Thank you for sparing my life."
The officer almost laughed out loud. Disturbing the peace wasn’t a capital offense. What life was there to spare?
Bai Ruozhu handed the money to her father and said, "Dad, you go and pay this, then take grandma home." She sighed silently. The Old Lady had been here just a few days, but she had already lost 10 pieces of silver and created trouble with the neighbor. Who knew what would happen if she stayed longer?
Bai Yihong quickly entered the hall to pay the silver, respectfully thanking God for his mercy, before going to help the Old Lady up. But the Old Lady slapped his hand away, saying, "I don’t need your help! It’s you unfilial children and grandchildren who got me into this mess!"
After speaking she returned to kowtowing before the court and saying, "My lord, you must help this old woman, I want to sue my ungrateful children and grandchildren!"
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I need to apologize to everyone. I took my child out this morning, and I didn’t expect it to be scorching hot. We got a bit of heatstroke when we got home, and I felt sick and dizzy, then accidentally fell asleep until now... Mouka will update as soon as possible...