Bai Ruixue knelt on the ground, holding onto a stool.
Bai Li looked at her, puzzled.
“My husband was tricked by his classmate. Under the pretense of composing poems together, he tricked my husband into signing a written contract. I never expected that the contract was actually a debt owed by a gambling den. The man has already run away. The gambling den can't find him, so they came to the He family to cause trouble, demanding that my husband pay back three hundred taels of silver. Where are we going to get so much silver? The people from the gambling den are vicious and said they would break my husband's legs and sell me to a brothel. I have no choice. Please, parents, help me and lend me the silver. I promise that once my husband passes the imperial examination, I will definitely pay you back.”
These words were taught to her by He Tian, word by word, last night.
"I knew it! She was so determined to marry him back then, but why did she come back all this time? Turns out she's back to her parents' home asking for money. Three hundred taels? You couldn't even sell our whole family for three hundred taels! How dare you ask for that so easily! I, Bai Mudi, didn't raise a daughter, I raised a father! I owe you! I have no money, but you can take my life."
Bai Lizheng's heart, which had softened somewhat, hardened again.
He slammed his hand on the table.
The mother and daughter trembled with fright.
After he finished yelling, he went back inside and lay down.
He stopped paying attention to Bai Ruixue.
"Mother, look at Father, I'm in such a terrible state, and he still won't help me. Mother, please help me, I don't want to be sold into a brothel, and I can't be without my father. Please help me, please help my child, I beg you, Mother, I really have no other choice."
Bai Ruixue launched another attack on her own mother.
She cried and made a scene, complaining about her troubles.
Bai Zhao's clear mind was thrown into confusion by the noise.
“Xiaoxue, I don’t know how to help you. So don’t go back. If you don’t go back, you won’t be sold, okay? Just stay at home and don’t go anywhere. I’m scared if I don’t see you. Xiaoxue, we’re not leaving.”
Bai Zhao held her hand tightly, refusing to let go no matter what.
"Mother, how could I not go back? I'm married now. Please help me, Mother. Do you know where the house deeds and land deeds are?"
She lowered her voice a little.
“House deed? Land deed? What are those? Mother doesn’t know, Mother doesn’t know anything. I’m hungry, I want to eat, food, food.” Bai Zhao shook her head frantically, shaking off Bai Ruixue’s hand.
He muttered to himself as he touched the wall and went to the kitchen.
"Mother, mother——"
No matter how Bai Ruixue called her, Bai Zhaoshi did not turn around.
All she wanted to do was eat.
"You say you love me, but you scold me as soon as you ask for money. What kind of parents are you!" Bai Ruixue stomped her feet in anger.
She gritted her teeth and said fiercely to her mother's retreating back.
"Knock knock knock—"
Sudden.
There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Bai Ruixue asked impatiently.
"Is this the lady from earlier? I'm the coachman. I'm heading back to town. If you're not going back, just settle the fare. If you're any later, we'll be traveling at night, which is quite dangerous. I have things to do at home, so I need to get back quickly."
Hearing the familiar voice, the driver breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully he hadn't picked the wrong person.
He responded loudly from inside.
The driver waited at the village entrance for a long time, but Bai Ruixue did not come out. He had no choice but to pull the oxcart into the village to look for her. He did not know Bai Ruixue's name, nor did he know where her home was. Helpless, the driver asked the villagers. He was lucky and asked just one of the villagers who had just been watching the commotion.
When the villagers heard the driver say that the woman who had just returned from the village entrance was not old, they immediately guessed that it was Bai Ruixue, so they gave him directions.
"Creak—" The door opened, and Bai Ruixue looked at the coachman with a sullen face.
"Why are you rushing me? Are you trying to urge me to my death? I told you to wait at the village entrance for a little while, and you're already getting impatient. How can you expect to have any customers in the future? No wonder you'll just be a lowly coachman your whole life. Here, take the money and go home. I'm never renting your car again."
Since Bai Ruixue didn't receive the house and land deeds, she naturally wouldn't leave.
Anyway, the time isn't until the day after tomorrow.
She planned to take advantage of the darkness to thoroughly search her house.
Having just been upset, she vented her anger on the driver, giving him a severe dressing-down.
The coachman was scolded but dared not retaliate; he was just a poor man living outside the city gates.
If Bai Ruixue slanders him everywhere, how will he attract people in the future?
"Wait a minute, madam, where's the promised ten coins?" The coachman looked at the copper coins in his palm; there were only three.
He asked, puzzled.
"Ten coins for a round trip, am I going back?" Bai Ruixue didn't expect the driver to be so greedy, and her tone became even more rude.
“But I’ll be back empty too, so it still counts as two round trips. If you had agreed beforehand that I would only make one trip, I would have definitely given someone else a ride along the way. You can’t do that. Even if you don’t go back, you have to give me ten coins. How can you give me only three coins? I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
The coachman was so angry at Bai Ruixue's shameless face that his lower lip trembled.
Bai Ruixue didn't want to argue with him any longer and prepared to close the door.
The driver quickly blocked the door, preventing her from closing it.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to rob me in broad daylight? What does it matter to me whether you go back or not? I rent an oxcart in the village for this price, and I'm even giving you an extra coin. Don't be ungrateful." Bai Ruixue was furious.
“What does your village’s oxcart have to do with me? Renting an oxcart in town costs the same for two round trips. Give me the rest of the copper coins, or I’m not leaving your house. What kind of person are you? Are you trying to bully us poor folks? Do you believe I’ll report you to the county government?”
The coachman also got angry.
The two started arguing.
The villagers who had come to watch the spectacle had not yet dispersed.
Just as they were about to leave, they saw another show to watch in front of Bai Lizheng's house. One by one, people pulled out stools from somewhere and sat on the opposite side, watching. A dozen or so people gathered together, pointing and talking.
Bai Ruixue blushed.
"Shut up! What are you doing—" Just then, Bai Lizheng came over.
He was wearing an overcoat, and it was clear he had just gotten out of bed.
"This man didn't pay for the oxcart ride. He agreed to pay ten coins, but only gave me three. Isn't this blatant bullying of us poor folks?" The driver complained, not caring who Bai Lizheng was.
However, he sued the right person.
Upon hearing this, Bai Lizheng felt extremely embarrassed.
"Here are two more coins for you. Hurry back, or it will get dark and the road will be difficult to travel. My daughter is ignorant; she has a problem, she's sick! Don't take it to heart." Bai Lizheng took out nine copper coins from his coat pocket and stuffed them into the driver's hand. He then pointed to his head and said to the driver.
"Oh, so you're her father? Thank you for the money. Let's just forget about it then. I'm leaving. It's really strange how such a polite elder could raise such a brat." The driver put away the coins and got into the oxcart.
As he left, he muttered something under his breath.
These words made Bai Lizheng's face turn black.
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