Chapter 976 - 978: Death of the Wang Family_1
"What trouble has our nanny gotten into now?" Bai Zepei’s complexion was very poor as he stood at the door of the room, looking as if he had heard some sort of rumor.
Bai Ruozhu instinctively pulled him aside and asked in a low voice, "Second brother, what have you heard?"
Seeing her like this further convinced Bai Zepei of his suspicions. He snorted coldly and said, "You’ve become more and more fond of making decisions on your own without consulting your second brother."
"It’s a special situation this time," Bai Ruozhu thought to herself. If the news had reached her second brother’s ears, it was likely that many gossips in the village knew too. She needed to hurry and get granny out of here to prevent the Bai Family’s reputation from being completely ruined.
"Come on, don’t hide anything from me," Bai Zepei said with a cold face.
Bai Ruozhu took her second brother to the backyard without Jianqi following them. She spoke in a low voice about the rumors she had heard from Zhou Deshun’s wife, and, as expected, her second brother’s expression became even uglier.
"You didn’t catch wind of anything?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
"No, it’s just that when I heard big brother mention that you were taking granny, I knew there was nothing simple about it." Bai Zepei touched his nose in embarrassment. No wonder Ruozhu didn’t tell him; such matters were difficult to speak of, and Ruozhu certainly couldn’t tell their father, or else Bai Yihong would be greatly distressed.
Although Bai Yihong had been disappointed with granny time and again, after all, she was his mother. Her actions directly affected Bai Yihong, her son.
The siblings did not speak for a while. Bai Ruozhu was annoyed at herself for being fooled by her second brother, and Bai Zepei was pondering whether granny really had anything to do with old man Zhou. After a while, he finally said, "Maybe they have just grown closer, and nothing happened. Still, it’s good to take her away, so as to avoid any rumors or gossip."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, thinking that her second brother’s explanation was most suitable. If anything did happen, they should act as if it hadn’t, or perhaps old man Zhou was just passing by and cozying up to granny, who was happy to be flattered and fawned over for a few days.
"What do you plan to do about the other people at the old mansion?" Bai Zepei asked.
"I won’t take Sanlang with us. We’ve already separated from them, and he’s of age to stand on his own. What’s allotted to the main room is his inheritance. The land has been leased out, so just by himself, he’ll have enough for food and drink," Bai Ruozhu said, a cold light flashing in her eyes. "As for that Zhou widow, I will divorce her directly. If she refuses to leave, I have ways to make her behave."
Bai Zepei nodded and said, "We’ll do as you say."
Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes, "Now you’re not saying I’m taking matters into my own hands?"
Touching his nose with an embarrassed expression and a fake cough, Bai Zepei changed the subject, "When do you plan to take Ruolan to the Wang Family for a visit?"
"These past few days, the house had many visitors. I’ll go tomorrow and then meet with Madam Li and some acquaintances. The day after tomorrow, we’ll leave early in the morning to head back to Beiyu City," Bai Ruozhu said.
Bai Zepei nodded, "Alright, just tell me whatever you need your second brother to do."
Bai Ruozhu’s eyes twinkled as she said with a smile, "Of course I need something. Second brother, write me a character. I want to use your writing for my toy shop, claiming that our esteemed father has played with these toys since he was little, which developed his intelligence and led to his present scholarship."
"..." Bai Zepei was speechless for a long while, thinking how cunning his little sister was. Who did she take after?
Later, Bai Ruozhu had someone send out invitations to host Madam Li, Madam Ding, and several other acquaintances for a gathering at Yingkelai tomorrow at noon. She would be the hostess for a meal, considering it her farewell to everyone before she left.
The night passed without incident, and the next morning Bai Ruozhu went to Bai Ruolan’s room, where she found her with a face full of nervousness and fear. Bai Ruozhu stroked Ruolan’s hair and said softly, "Ruolan, we are going to a faraway place soon, so I thought to take you to see your other relatives. Is that okay?"
"No, I’m scared." Ruolan rejected with fear, shrinking her head into the embrace of the plum tree beside her.
"Don’t be afraid, I will stay with you. Whoever bullies you, I’ll fight them for you, all right?" Bai Ruozhu continued to coddle her like a child.
Ruolan hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding reluctantly.
After taking Bai Ruolan and Plum out, she also called for her eldest brother to accompany them. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the Wang Family in town.
Knocking at the Main Gate, Bai Zehao announced from outside, "Is anyone there? We are here to visit relatives!"
He didn’t like the Wang Family, so his tone was somewhat harsh, almost as if he was there to pick a fight.
Quickly, footsteps were heard from the Yard, and a young man opened the Main Gate.
Bai Ruozhu hadn’t seen this young man before and didn’t know how to address him for a moment.
"Who are you?" The young man had just asked when he saw Bai Ruolan and immediately exclaimed, "It’s cousin Ruolan! Dad, Mom, come quickly and look!"
Startled by his sudden shouting, Bai Ruolan flinched and continued to shrink behind Plum.
Bai Ruozhu hurriedly said to the young man, "Don’t be so loud, you’re frightening her."
The young man showed a contrite expression and said, "Please come inside to talk. I was reckless just now."
At this point, several people came out from the Room, including brothers and sisters-in-law from the Wang Family and a younger girl, presumably Wang Xiujun’s son and daughter.
"Ruozhu and Zehao are here, come in and have a seat quickly," Zhao E was the first to speak. Wang Xiujun was rather embarrassed, considering the previous clash had been so unpleasant.
Bai Ruozhu nodded. She had an okay impression of Zhao E. Seeing that the Wang Family didn’t turn Bai Ruolan away upon her visit, things seemed better than before.
Once inside, Bai Ruozhu got straight to the point, saying, "No need for the trouble of pouring tea; I just brought Ruolan to see you all before we leave. We don’t know when we’ll meet again, so I wanted to bring her over."
Zhao E began to wipe away tears, "It was our fault at the beginning. I can see that you’ve taken good care of Ruolan, thank you."
Wang Xiujun, who had been silent at the side, suddenly said, "Let’s keep Ruolan here; we will take care of her. Even if we’re not around later, my Wang Qiang will continue to look after her. She won’t lack anything for food or clothing."
The young man who opened the door quickly added, "Yes, I want to take care of cousin Ruolan. Last time my sister and I weren’t home, otherwise, we would surely have stopped grandma ..."
He couldn’t continue speaking about it, since it involved an elder and it wasn’t right to say too much even if she was in the wrong.
Wang Xiujun showed a sorrowful expression, saying, "Things have been difficult at home. My dad has also passed away. Last month a letter came from beyond the border, saying my sister fell ill and died. My mom couldn’t take the shock and fell ill herself, and since then she has **** night after night for Xiuxiang and Ruolan, without getting any better."
Bai Ruozhu and her eldest brother exchanged glances. Ruolan’s mother from the Wang Family had died? Could it be too sudden? Even though it was harsh outside the border, she wasn’t at the age where her health was particularly poor, was she?
But who is there to blame? Who asked her to have an unclear relationship with the mountain bandit Xiao He?