Chapter 90: The jade is broken, this grudge will not be forgotten
Crack. The sound was incredibly crisp, instantly silencing the small yard. Everyone turned to see Bai Ruozhu’s jade pendant lying on the ground, snapped in two pieces.
Bai Ruozhu’s eyes widened in disbelief. She was desperately telling herself to stay calm, to remain calm. She took a deep breath and glared at Sanlang. Regardless of any familial ties or lineage, she swore never to forgive him for this.
"Worthless scum!" The outrage from Bai Yihong at Sanlang shattering his treasured pendant overpowered his rage for Sanlang’s previous actions. His eyes reddened once again and he lunged at Sanlang. As he did, Bai Yibo tried to hold him back, all the while shouting fervently.
"Father! Second brother is trying to kill your grandson! Help!" Bai Yibo’s scream was as shrill as that of a pig being slaughtered.
The master of the house rushed out, rattan stick in hand. He whacked Bai Yihong, Bai Yibo and Sanlang, all the while scolding them, "I’m still alive! Who asked you to raise your hands! Who asked you to pick a fight!"
Both Bai Yibo and Sanlang managed to dodge quickly, leaving Bai Yihong to take the blows. Bai Ruozhu watched, her heart aching. Why was her father so stubborn?
When she was a child in her past life, she was always beaten by her father, who would hit her for no reason when he was in a foul mood. She had the same mentality as Bai Yihong at that time, believing that she had done nothing wrong, so why should she run? She would rather withstand the beating than bow down.
As the years passed, she came to realize that she had been foolish. What was the point of getting hit if she had done nothing wrong? Seeing her father take the blows now stirred up more emotions within her.
"Father, I’m going to give birth. Let’s leave," said Bai Ruozhu, feeling exhausted. She was also disappointed in the old man - he could enforce the household laws, but Bai Yihong wasn’t the one who should be getting punished today.
Bai Yihong, no longer arguing with his father, rushed over to help his daughter. But heard Bai Ruozhu say, "My water broke, I can’t stand up. Father, get a cart to take me home."
Seeing the wet spot on his daughter’s skirt, Bai Yihong knew he couldn’t delay any further and turned to fetch the cart from the yard. But unexpectedly, Wang’s wife suddenly lunged over and sprawled atop the cart, shouting, "You think you can hurt my son and still use my cart? Over my dead body!"
Cognizant of the gravity of the situation, the old master shouted furiously, "It’s a cart owned by the family! Don’t be ridiculous, let second son take the cart!"
But Wang’s wife had made up her mind not to listen to the old master and continued to lay atop the cart, refusing to let Bai Yihong touch it. Bai Yihong paced anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan. He wanted to pull Wang’s wife off, but she was a woman, his sister-in-law, so he was at a loss about what to do.
Usually, only Lin Ping’er could handle Wang’s wife. But today, Lin Ping’er dared not leave her daughter’s side, fearing that the occupants of the main room would harm her further. These people had already lost all sense of morality.
Just then, the voice of an elderly woman came over the courtyard wall, "Yihong, you can borrow our cart. Hurry and take your daughter home to give birth."
The speaker was the old woman from the neighboring Zhang family. She had originally come to watch the spectacle, but now she couldn’t bear to look anymore and started to mumble to herself as she climbed down from the wall, "What sinners they are, not even letting a woman go into labor. Their hearts are as black as night."
The old woman’s voice carried, and her murmurings were clear to everyone in the Bai family. The old master’s face grew even grimmer - this spectacle had thoroughly disgraced the family.
He cast a bitter glance at his two sons, and two grandsons. It was wrong of Sanlang to take someone else’s things. Even in his thoughts, he didn’t use the word "steal". He refused to admit that any descendant of the Bai family could be a thief. So in his mind, Sanlang had merely "taken" the pendant. He was likewise upset with his eldest son for being unable to control his own son and for his wife’s disruptive behavior. This fiasco would likely compromise plans for the school.
What he didn’t realize was that Bai Yibo had no interest in teaching at the village school. He looked down upon it, feeling that teaching was a thankless, exhausting job. He was accustomed to a leisurely life and was averse to any form of hardship.
The old master turned his gaze to Bai Yihong who had left to fetch a cart from next door. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh, thinking that second son just didn’t realize the importance of family. What was the big deal about a jade pendant? Wasn’t it more important to have a good relationship with his siblings? Now the whole neighborhood knew about the family dispute. They had truly disgraced the Bai family name.
Next his gaze fell upon Silang. He thought this child was ignorant, or perhaps just foolish. Even if Silang knew the truth, couldn’t he have spoken to him privately instead of airing their dirty laundry in public?
Finally, he directed his gaze at Bai Ruozhu. There was no hint of worry or pity in his eyes, only cold blame.
This girl had caused too much trouble. So what if it was a jade pendant? Even if Sanlang had taken it, it was still within family possession. Should she have raised such a fuss? She had completely ruined the Bai family’s reputation.
Bai Ruozhu noticed the look in the old man’s eyes. She turned her head and met his gaze. She saw all of resentment towards her and felt a surge of disdain. The old man may have once been a scholar, but he was indulging in theft. The line of the main house was beyond redemption.
Bai Yihong returned with a cart from next door, carefully lifting Bai Ruozhu onto it. His voice choked with emotion as he said, "Daughter, your parents are taking you home. We won’t put up with this sort of treatment anymore."
After saying this, he suddenly turned around, scaring Bai Yibo into retreating. Bai Yihong went straight for the broken pendant, picked it up and clenched it in his hand.
With red-rimmed eyes, Bai Yihong pushed the cart, carrying Bai Ruozhu out of the house. As he moved, he spoke, "Daughter, your father let you down. I caused you to get hurt. I even let our promise token get destroyed. It’s all my fault."
Listening to this, Lin Ping’er was unable to hold back her tears any longer. Her tears blurred her vision and made her stumble.
And so, the family of three left the old mansion - one with red eyes, one sobbing uncontrollably, and the pregnant Bai Ruozhu lying in the cart, her dress soaked. Many villagers who saw this felt a pang in their hearts. The second family of the Bai’s were such honest people. Who had they offended?
Bai Ruozhu had taken the broken pendant from her father and held it in her right hand. She could not help but let tears stream down her face. She wiped the tears with her other arm. But she still was not strong enough since she let others bully her and her family.
After wiping away her tears, Bai Ruozhu was the first to regain her composure. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "Mother, father, I am fine, just calm down. It’s not worth getting upset over people like them. We will settle this issue properly with them later."
Lin Ping’er finally stopped crying, wiped away her tears, and softly replied, "Alright, we will do as you say."
"Mother, please go to the town now and invite Madam Liu over. Tell her about my condition and I hope she could take care of me until the delivery. If the consultation fee is not enough, add more." Now was not the time to save money. Thankfully, Bai Ruozhu had made some silver from selling dried fish.
"Yes, I’m going to get Madam Liu now." Lin Ping’er quickly reacted, turned, and ran towards the village entrance.