Chapter 937 - 939 - What is it Really for? Money_1
After the Tu Family people had left, Jiang Yichun quietly said to Bai Ruozhu, "Don’t mention Madam Tu’s affairs anymore in the future. She has suffered a great deal, and also... act as if you know nothing, to avoid causing embarrassment to the Tu family people."
Bai Ruozhu’s mouth fell open in shock, and also...
She thought of how proud a person Madam Tu was, and wondered if she could accept it?
"Don’t take the responsibility upon yourself. If anyone is to blame, it’s her cousin who was greedy for vanity, helped Duke Duan scheme against her. By the time you were rescued, she had already been in trouble," Jiang Yichun said.
Bai Ruozhu nodded slightly. She felt sympathy but did not think herself a savior.
Beiyu City had returned to normal, but the atmosphere in the Bai Family was still somewhat somber. The dark guards had already found some news - Niu Cuicui had not been in contact with any suspicious people. Shortly after they left Anyuan Town, she had gone to a pancake stall to look for them.
It was also because Linjiang Village had suffered at the hands of bandits that Niu Cuicui was suddenly reminded of the past. Her husband had internal injuries from the bandits and did not last long before he passed away. Afterwards, her son also became frightened, cried every night, and soon passed away as well.
She then left her daughter with her husband’s family and started looking for Xiaosi everywhere.
Naturally, she first learned of Xiaosi’s situation from Niu Pazi. And with her husband dead, she had less to worry about. Having lost one son, she became determined to find the other and bring him back.
If you asked her about her daughter, the reality was that at that time, peasant families valued male offspring more, believing that having a son was crucial for support in old age. That’s why Niu Cuicui was determined to find her son.
She inquired everywhere in Anyuan Town, did laundry and odd jobs for others, and after so long, she finally found her way to Beiyu City, only to encounter Duke Duan’s rebellion and almost lost her life.
Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched as she thought that Niu Cuicui really had terrible luck.
"Master, she’s still being held at the Government Office. It’s said that she doesn’t have the money to pay the administrative fees for her identification papers," Jianqi reported.
"Really? As far as I know, the fee for handling the papers isn’t much, and there are regulations set by the Imperial Court, right?" Bai Ruozhu asked, puzzled.
"Indeed, it only costs two hundred coins. It’s just that she doesn’t have a penny to her name," Jianqi added.
Bai Ruozhu’s face fell upon hearing this, "She’s penniless and still insists on finding her son at any cost. If she really takes Xiaosi away, how can she take care of him without any money? Or does she expect that we, out of affection for Xiaosi, will give them a sum of silver before they leave?"
Upon investigation, Niu Cuicui indeed hadn’t been in contact with Duke Duan or any other individuals with ulterior motives, but her actions were really hard not to be suspicious of.
If she truly wanted to take the child back, she would have to consider her current capabilities, right?
"Isn’t it that she knows our family is well-off and wants to benefit from that, which is why she’s so adamant about recognizing Xiaosi?" Lin Ping’er felt a bit distressed, "If it’s really about the money, we can give her some silver and ask her to not bother Xiaosi for now. Later, when Xiaosi is grown, and if he wishes to find her, he can do so."
"Wait two days. I’ll go to the Government Office to get her out, then we can talk," Bai Ruozhu said.
The entire family was in full agreement that it was good to leave Niu Cuicui hanging for a few more days.
Two days later, Bai Ruozhu called for a manager to go to the Government Office to pay the money for Niu Cuicui and get her identity papers sorted out, then brought her to meet Bai Ruozhu.
"I heard you’re now penniless. Do you plan to recognize Xiaosi and take her away with you?" Bai Ruozhu asked directly.
Bowing her head and fidgeting uneasily with her hands, Niu Cuicui said, "She is my only son, and your Bai Family still has two sons. Why can’t you give him back to me?"
"Give him back to you? You don’t have a penny to your name. How are you going to take him? Are you planning on begging all the way back to Linjiang Village?" Bai Ruozhu asked. "Even if you do go back, how will you explain Xiaosi’s identity to everyone? The Imperial Court is already displeased with some of the Batianzhai bandits escaping their purge. What if they find out about Xiaosi’s identity?"
With a snort, Bai Ruozhu continued, "If you truly had your son’s best interests at heart, you wouldn’t have caused such a scene at my doorstep when the situation was so tense. Xiaosi has never had your concern since he was born. Now you remember him because you no longer have any sons, and you want to claim him as an object that belongs to you. But have you thought about his feelings, his future?"
"You’re only doing this to comfort yourself, completely disregarding the danger it may bring him!"
Niu Cuicui’s face turned from white to red as she was scolded by Bai Ruozhu, and she retorted angrily, "All your words just mean you don’t want to return my son, right? Just because your family is rich now, it doesn’t give you the right to bully others like this!"
Bai Ruozhu sneered, "Then what proof do you have that he is your son? We’ve already settled Xiaosi’s identity in the Public Hall, and Niu Pazi did not claim him as her grandson. If you really take this matter to the Government Office, we will not acknowledge it, and you will have no way to prove your claim."
"We can do a blood test to determine kinship," Niu Cuicui said nervously.
Bai Ruozhu sneered again. She wasn’t afraid of a blood test, but she didn’t want to make things too difficult for Niu Cuicui; she was merely trying to scare her.
"You’re only looking for your son because you want someone to take care of you in your old age. Xiaosi is not in Beiyu City anymore; he has taken a master and gone to study abroad. Just because you want someone to provide for your old age, you’re dragging him down. It could endanger his life. Isn’t that a bit too selfish?" Bai Ruozhu said and then took out several silver banknotes. "Here are two hundred taels of silver. If you’re worried about having no one to care for you in your old age, this money is enough for you to start a small business to sustain yourself. If you don’t wish to run a business, you could buy some land near Linjiang Village and live off the rent as a landlord."
Attracted by the silver banknotes, Niu Cuicui’s eyes couldn’t help but sparkle. The most her family had ever saved was ten taels of silver, and now in front of her were two hundred taels!
Watching her expression, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but find it amusing. She added, "Take the silver and promise you won’t disturb Xiaosi for ten years. After ten years, I will tell Xiaosi about his origins, and whether he wants to see you will then be his own decision."
"I’m not selling my son for money," Niu Cuicui protested, although her eyes remained glued to the banknotes.
"I won’t tell him about the money," Bai Ruozhu stated.
With a conflicted expression, Niu Cuicui eventually took the banknotes and agreed to Bai Ruozhu’s terms.
After reporting the outcome to her family, everyone sighed, thinking that money was probably Niu Cuicui’s main motive after all. If she truly cared for the child, she wouldn’t have come to claim kinship at this time. They wondered, if the Bai Family had been penniless, whether she would have come at all.
The matter with Niu Cuicui came to a close, and Beiyu City gradually returned to its former atmosphere. In the blink of an eye, the opening day of the Study Palace arrived. Normally, this event would have nothing to do with Bai Ruozhu, but the Head of the Literary Academy personally invited her, insisting that Bai Ruozhu and Tu Ying give speeches at the opening ceremony.