Chapter 89 - 089 Nobody Can Have It
Bai Ruozhu responded to the fury with a scornful laugh. She snorted contemptuously, saying, "Why would I need to frame you? There’s nothing about you worth my framing."
At this, San Lang jumped up, interpreting Bai Ruozhu’s words as a suggestion that he was inferior to Da Lang and Er Lang, amounting to nothing. She wouldn’t even deign to slander him.
"I swear to God I didn’t conspire with Xiaosi to frame you. Dare you swear you didn’t steal my jade pendant?" Bai Ruozhu preempted him before he could speak.
San Lang was left speechless. Bai Ruozhu’s cold laughter rang out, "If I conspired with Xiaosi to frame you, may I die a miserable death. If you stole my jade pendant and blamed it on Xiaosi, may you die a miserable death!"
Originally, Bai Ruozhu did not want to speak so absolutely. However, San Lang’s actions were utterly despicable in her eyes—stealing from his cousin, calling his six-year-old brother an "idiot" and blaming him for his own transgressions. Such behavior was simply despicable, reprehensible!
San Lang’s eyes reddened with rage, and Mrs. Wang began berating Ruozhu, "Who do you think you are, you disaster-bringing star, a burden, a trashed good-for-nothing? How dare you curse my son? I will fight you!" She charged forth as she finished.
Lin Ping’er could not stand others insulting her daughter in this way. With a roar, she blocked Mrs. Wang, and the two women began to brawl.
The patriarch stomped his foot in frustration. Unfortunately, his hands were tied. His yells went unheeded. While he could discipline his sons and grandsons, he couldn’t intervene in a fight between his daughters-in-law. Instead, he called for the old lady to intervene; however, she, being averse to trouble, had already concealed herself pretending not to hear, and Bai Ruolan was hiding in the kitchen, afraid of being accidentally scratched and ruining her chances of making a good marriage in the future.
By this time, the neighbors, having heard the commotion, began to peek over the walls and through the cracks in the door at the old Bai mansion. Seeing the fight, they found the whole situation incredibly exciting.
The patriarch, seeing no one heed his calls, angrily stomped off into the house, presumably to fetch a rattan stick.
Bai Yihong was shaking with anger, protesting loudly, "San Lang stole my daughter’s betrothal token, and still thinks he is right? That was what Chang Sheng left for Ruozhu and her child! Anyone with a conscience wouldn’t dare touch it! Why should Da Sao turn around and smear my daughter? I’ve been good to my eldest brother’s whole family, and today, I will seek justice!"
Bai Yihong, a naturally honest man, usually avoids arguing with people. However, being honest doesn’t mean he is devoid of temper. In fact, when a genuinely honest man loses his temper, it’s all the more frightening. His booming voice unexpectedly terrified both Mrs. Wang and Bai Yibo.
With that, the room fell silent once again. Just then, the expressionless Fourth Young Master cut in, "I didn’t lie. When you hid the jade pendant, you ripped a bit of your clothing, leaving a piece of fabric behind."
All eyes turned to San Lang, and sure enough, a piece of his garment was torn off, which didn’t look like normal wear and tear, but more like being scratched by a tree branch, missing a small piece of fabric.
Bai Ruozhu looked at Fourth Young Master, people who call him dumb are the real fools. How smart the Fourth Young Master is, thoughtful and observant even at a young age! Isn’t he intelligent? He’s just introverted and doesn’t want to interact with others.
Mrs. Wang angrily pointed at Xiaosi and yelled, "You, ingrate! Is your loyalty outwards, against your own family!"
"Xiaosi doesn’t lie. Is it wrong for him to tell the truth? If you don’t believe it, I’ll go to the officers right now and have the high officials judge this case!" Bai Ruozhu retorted.
The moment the officers were mentioned, San Lang’s nerves were again triggered. With a beast-like roar, he suddenly rushed over, fiercely shoving Bai Ruozhu. Bai Ruozhu was utterly unprepared for San Lang’s violent act. While Lin Ping’er was grappling with Mrs. Wang, and Bai Yihong was confronting his elder brother, Bai Ruozhu was pushed by San Lang and fell flat on the ground.
She let out a horrified scream subconsciously. The stupefied Xiaosi suddenly seemed to go mad, howling and charging at Sanlang. Using his tiny six-year-old body, he actually knocked Sanlang over.
Xiaosi fought Sanlang like a madman. But after all, he was small and weak. When Sanlang reacted, he punched him and sent him flying, a bruise instantly swelling in his eye socket. However, Xiaosi did not cry or make a fuss. Even his face didn’t show the slightest sign of fear. His fierce gaze was like that of a predator, causing even the fiercest Sanlang to feel a little uneasy.
Worried about her daughter, Lin Ping’er fiercely ripped a handful of hair from Mrs. Wang and lunged towards Bai Ruozhu.
"Ruozhu, are you okay?" Lin Ping’er’s lips trembled in fear. Her daughter and grandson couldn’t get hurt!
Bai Yihong’s eyes turned bloodshot. He immediately charged at Sanlang, who was still sitting on the ground, lifted him up, and landed a punch on his belly. Sanlang, who didn’t do much farming, didn’t have the strength to compete with Bai Yihong.
"You wretch, I’ll teach you a good lesson today!" Bai Yihong was truly enraged. Bai Yibo also rushed over to join the fray while cursing. The three of them fought in a frenzy.
"Ouch, my hair! Lin Ping’er, you crazy woman, are you trying to kill?! How can you bully my Sanlang like this? I won’t live anymore. I’m going to hang myself at your Bai Family mansion and let everybody see how you second room drove us mother and son to death!" Mrs. Wang sat on the ground, clutching her head that had lost some hair, wailing.
Being supported by Lin Ping’er, Bai Ruozhu managed to sit up, but she almost passed out. Given her heavy belly, it would’ve been hard for her to get up had no one been there to help. She clutched at her belly, her face pale and brows furrowed. "Mother, my belly hurts..."
At a second glance, Lin Ping’er saw the light pink stain on Bai Ruozhu’s skirt. Her water had broken—it was light pink because there was blood in it!
"Your water broke. Don’t worry, I’m taking you home," Lin Ping’er reassured her daughter, although her own hands had begun to tremble, and she was even more nervous than Bai Ruozhu.
Usually, childbirth follows not long after the water breaks. But there are dangerous situations where the water breaks yet labor does not commence and the child refuses to be born; that is the worst-case scenario. Without modern medical technology, broken water may cause intrauterine infections or choking due to decreasing waters, especially in abnormal situations like Bai Ruozhu’s sudden fall.
As a timid woman, Old Lady Bai anxiously shouted the moment she saw Bai Ruozhu in this condition, "Stop fighting! Don’t let any life be lost here! Get Ruozhu home quickly for her labor!" Truth be told, she was afraid of being haunted by Bai Ruozhu and her child should they die in the old mansion.
Hearing this, Bai Yihong had no mood of fighting Sanlang anymore. He turned around to check on his daughter, yet unexpectedly, Sanlang clawed his way up from the ground, grabbed a stone from somewhere, and furiously swung it at Bai Yihong’s head!
Luckily, Bai Yihong sensed the breeze behind him and managed to swerve slightly. Although the stone still landed on his forehead, drawing blood, it was a lot better than it hitting him directly at the base of his skull.
Upon seeing her father assaulted by Sanlang, a horrified shriek escaped Bai Ruozhu’s throat, but it was already too late.
Sanlang threw away the stone and viciously slammed his hand onto the ground, yelling, "If I can’t get it, no one should expect to have it!"
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