Chapter 203 - 195: What if Xiao Feng Starves?
Chapter 203: Chapter 195: What if Xiao Feng Starves?
Liu shrieked, "Bai Zhi, have you no conscience? That’s your uncle! How can you just call him by his name like that? He’s your father’s own brother!"
Bai Zhi gave a cold laugh. "Don’t try to shut me up with that old song and dance. I’m not buying it."
’When my mother and I were suffering, did any of you in the Bai family ever treat us like family? Did Bai Dazhu ever pity our suffering, even though my mother was his third brother’s wife and I was his third brother’s daughter?’
’His own brother? Hah, the nerve!’
Ms. Zhang had expected this outcome, so she wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Naturally, she didn’t share the same fury as Old Mrs. Bai and Liu. What was there to be angry about? This was the most normal and reasonable result. If the roles were reversed, wouldn’t they have done the same thing?
Ms. Zhang whispered to Old Mrs. Bai, "It looks like getting her to give it to us for free is impossible. We might as well ask to buy some rice from her. I heard the price of rice outside has skyrocketed. If we don’t buy some soon, I’m afraid this little bit of silver we have won’t be enough to buy anything at all."
Old Mrs. Bai had brought silver with her when she left, just in case that wretched girl Bai Zhi refused to give them grain for free. It turned out her prediction was right.
Old Mrs. Bai gave two dry coughs, then shouted toward the house again, "Fine! Even if you don’t feel sorry for your uncle, I want to buy rice from you now. You wouldn’t refuse to sell it, would you?"
Bai Zhi said, "I don’t run a rice shop. Is it so strange that I won’t sell rice?"
Every word was a barb that left the old woman nearly sputtering with rage. "Bai Zhi, don’t you go too far! Your uncle is gravely injured, and you won’t even show a shred of concern. Fine. But now I want to buy rice with money, and you still refuse to sell? Are you really trying to drive our whole family to its death?"
Bai Zhi got down from the bed and, wearing her cloth shoes, walked step by step to the door. She still didn’t open it, speaking only to the dark wood of the door panel. "I’m driving you to your deaths? You’d better get something straight. Who was it that drove whom to their death? I was just lucky enough to survive, to claw my way back. I have nothing to do with you Bai family anymore. You go your way, and I’ll go mine. We have nothing to do with each other."
"Your son was beaten and injured, but I wasn’t the one who sent people to beat him. The Bai family has no rice for the pot, but I wasn’t the one who took your rice. What does your fate have to do with me?"
Liu raged, "When all is said and done, you just refuse, is that it?"
Bai Zhi replied casually, "That’s right, I refuse. My rice isn’t for sale, no matter the price. Go ask someone else. As long as you have enough money, why would you be afraid of not finding rice to buy?"
The problem was, they were afraid their silver wasn’t enough.
Old Mrs. Bai roared, "Fine! Fine, you wretched girl! You’d better remember what happened today! One day, I’ll make you come crawling back and beg me!"
Bai Zhi sneered. "I’ll be waiting for that day. I can’t wait, in fact."
Old Mrs. Bai and Liu were trembling with rage, but what could they do? All they could do now was run their mouths, getting a cheap thrill from slinging a few curses. What else was there?
They had arrived with their heads held high but left with their tails between their legs.
They had originally thought that by appealing to their status as elders and to morality, Bai Zhi and Zhao Lan would have to at least show some consideration for Sanzhu’s sake.
But who would have known that this wretched girl Bai Zhi’s heart could be so hard? There was no room for negotiation at all.
"Mother, what do we do now? Xiao Feng is still starving. He didn’t practice his writing at all today. He said he’s so hungry he doesn’t even have the strength to hold a pen. How can we go on like this? What will we do if Xiao Feng gets sick from hunger?"