Chapter 202 - 194: Is It My Fault You Have No Food to Cook?
Chapter 202: Chapter 194: Is It My Fault You Have No Food to Cook?
A short while later, as Old Mrs. Bai locked the silver away in her chest, she also grabbed some scattered silver and copper coins. She called for Liu, dragged Ms. Zhang along, and headed to the wooden hut where Zhao Lan and Bai Zhi lived.
By now, the sky had grown completely dark. Zhao Lan and Bai Zhi were already in bed, and the mother and daughter were chatting when, suddenly, a POUND POUND POUND echoed from outside. It was followed by Liu’s distinctively grating, shrill voice.
"Zhao Lan, it’s your sister-in-law! Open up!"
’Sister-in-law? Heh, more like the fox guarding the henhouse!’
Bai Zhi called out, "My mother’s asleep! Whatever it is, come back tomorrow!"
Liu was so dizzy with hunger she could hardly see straight. There was no way she could wait until tomorrow. She needed food now. Immediately.
"Zhi, if your mother’s asleep, talking to you is just the same. Open the door." They had come to realize that the one who really called the shots in this little hut wasn’t Zhao Lan.
Bai Zhi replied, "I’m tired, too. Besides, I have nothing to say to you. Go away."
Old Mrs. Bai had been holding her tongue, but now she couldn’t stand it any longer. "Bai Zhi, is this any way for a junior to behave? Your elders are here, and it’s bad enough you don’t respectfully invite us in for tea, but you won’t even open the door! What kind of upbringing is this? Is this what your mother teaches you?"
Bai Zhi remained in bed, with no intention of getting up. A mocking smile touched her lips. "That’s right. This is exactly what my mother taught me: to be sincere with others and to see them for who they truly are. If someone shows me an inch of respect, I’ll show them a yard. If someone shows me the slightest bit of kindness, I’ll repay them tenfold. As for those who are unkind to me... well, while I can’t repay their malice tenfold, I can certainly keep my distance."
Old Mrs. Bai trembled with rage. ’This Bai Zhi’s tongue is getting sharper and sharper. How did I never realize she had this kind of skill before?’
Liu shrieked, "Bai Zhi, you’re being outrageous! Is that any way to speak to your grandmother? Open this door and apologize to her this instant!"
Bai Zhi almost burst out laughing. "Grandmother? Who’s my grandmother? My mother and I have our own household. We don’t have anyone called ’Grandmother’ here. You must have the wrong place and the wrong people."
Old Mrs. Bai’s voice hardened. "Are you going to open this door or not? If you don’t, I’ll smash it down."
Bai Zhi sat up abruptly, her expression instantly darkening. "Go ahead, smash it. The Bai Family has plenty of money, after all. If you break the house, you’ll just have to pay for the damages. As long as you’ve thought that through, feel free to do whatever you want."
At the mention of having to pay, the strength left Old Mrs. Bai’s hand. She no longer dared to pound on the door, afraid she might accidentally break it and be forced to pay up. In the past, she would have never feared such a threat, but things were different now. That bitch Bai Zhi had significant ties to the Assistant Governor of the government office. If she were to call on Lord Meng again, these old bones of hers would be in for more than they could handle.
The old woman stopped pounding on the door, and her voice softened considerably. She called through the door to Bai Zhi, "Zhi, your uncle ran into robbers today. He was beaten, and they stole all his silver. He’s badly injured, and not only do we have no money to hire a doctor, but we don’t even have a single grain of rice left to cook. Zhi, you can’t just ignore this."
Bai Zhi scoffed. "And why can’t I ignore it? What are you talking about? I wasn’t the one who injured Bai Dazhu, and it’s not my fault you have no rice to cook. What does any of this have to do with me?"