Chapter 200 - 192: Pig Head Bai Dazhu
Chapter 200: Chapter 192: Pig Head Bai Dazhu
Bai Erzhu sprinted away, terrified. He clutched the silver in his tunic, his heart pounding. ’This is the Bai Family’s last lifeline. If it gets stolen, how will we survive?’
Perhaps he was running too fast, because he tripped on a branch and went tumbling to the ground. When he finally scrambled up, wincing in pain, he realized no one was chasing him.
Dazhu was nowhere in sight. They were brothers, after all, so Erzhu was worried. But he didn’t dare go back to look for him, nor could he just return home. He found a secluded patch of tall grass and hid.
He lost track of time as the sky slowly darkened. There was still no sign of Dazhu. A terrible fear seized him. ’Did those two beat him to death?’
’What should I do? What should I do?’
Just as he was squirming with anxiety, he heard footsteps in the distance. He quickly ducked lower, not daring to make a sound.
His eyes were glued to the approaching figure. The clothes looked so familiar, like they belonged to Dazhu. But that face... it was swollen like a pig’s head. You couldn’t tell it was Dazhu at all.
When the figure drew closer, he finally got a clear look. It was definitely Dazhu, but his face was beaten almost beyond recognition.
Seeing that no one was following Dazhu, he finally gathered his courage and jumped out of the grass.
The sudden movement scared Dazhu half to death; he thought he’d run into another robber.
"It’s me, Brother! I’m Erzhu!" Seeing his brother cowering on the ground with his hands over his head, he rushed to help him up.
Dazhu looked up, completely stunned, blinking his eyes that were swollen into narrow slits. "Erzhu? What are you... How...?" He suddenly came to his senses, scrambled to his feet, and shoved Erzhu away. "You rotten Bai Erzhu!" he roared. "While I was getting beaten to a pulp, you ran away! Are you even my brother?"
Bai Erzhu forced a laugh. "Of course we’re brothers. Otherwise, why would I be here waiting for you?"
But in his heart, Bai Dazhu understood. If their roles had been reversed, he would have run too. Staying would have only meant getting a beating himself. Those two men were vicious. If they had resisted too much, they might have even been killed.
He sighed and glared at Bai Erzhu through his swollen eyes. "What about the silver? You didn’t lose it, did you?"
Bai Erzhu quickly shook his head. "No, I didn’t lose it. It’s right here." He pulled the silver from his tunic and handed it to Dazhu. ’I don’t dare keep it,’ he thought. ’It’s no use for me anyway. It has to go to Old Mrs. Bai in the end.’
Bai Dazhu didn’t hesitate. He took the silver and stuffed it into his tunic. "Good thing we split up. Otherwise, we’d be completely broke. We wouldn’t be able to face everyone at home, and we’d lose the house for sure."
The two brothers returned to the Bai residence, dejected. The entire Bai family was waiting anxiously at the courtyard gate. The sight of Bai Dazhu’s condition gave them all a terrible shock.
Old Mrs. Bai rushed forward and grabbed Bai Dazhu’s hand. "My son, what happened? What in the world happened to you?"
Bai Dazhu recounted what had happened on the road. When Old Mrs. Bai heard the story, she was so furious she nearly fainted. "What did you say? The ten taels of silver were stolen?"
Bai Dazhu pointed to his own face. "What do you think? Why else would I be hurt this badly?"
Liu pointed at Bai Erzhu. "Why are you the one hurt so badly," she asked her husband, "while he’s completely unscathed?" ’It makes no sense,’ she thought. ’If they ran into robbers and both brothers were there, it’s impossible that they’d only beat Dazhu! This isn’t as simple as it looks!’