Although Zhou Huangmei had her pair of silver earrings stolen, her father-in-law said he would make it up to her with new jewelry.
She was naturally very happy.
She was humming a little tune while cleaning up the kitchen.
He looked incredibly happy.
“My dear wife, don’t be sad. Our children are all debts. We’ve already paid off our debts. You see? We gave her a chance! It’s just that she’s useless! Ten taels of silver is enough for her to live comfortably for two or three years, but if she can’t keep the silver, there’s nothing we can do. We can’t let her drag down the whole family. Look at Ruiji, and look at Xiangsong and Xianglin. Can you bear to see them killed by Ruixue?”
Bai Li was holding Bai Zhao's hand as they sat on the bed.
He patiently and earnestly advised her.
"Don't say anymore, I know what's going on. You all think I've gone crazy thinking about my daughter, but I'm not crazy. I'm just sad, sad that my own flesh and blood has abandoned its home. If I were really stupid, I wouldn't have told you what I told Xiaoxue. Forget it, I'll just pretend she's dead. Xiangsong is fifteen now. I should find him a wife as soon as possible after the autumn harvest when things are less busy. If he gets married early, I can help him take care of the children while I can still move around."
After Bai Zhao finished speaking, she slowly lay down, closed her eyes tightly, and said no more.
In the dimly lit room, one could hear her breathing, which was uneven in depth.
Bai Lizheng didn't press her any further.
He quietly tidied up the house, quickly washed his face and feet, and went to bed.
He turned around and touched his wife's pillow; it was soaking wet.
“Sigh, we’ve done everything we could. Go to sleep, you’ll be fine once you’re asleep. When you wake up, it’ll be a new day. You won’t have a daughter anymore. Our daughter is dead and can’t come back. Think about Reggie and her family, who isn’t filial? Even Huang Mei is a good daughter-in-law. This child is rotten to the core, we might as well not have her. Don’t think about it anymore, let’s go to sleep, let’s pretend we never gave birth to her.”
While comforting Bai Li, he also gently patted Bai Zhao's arm with his right hand.
We took photos in this casual, half-hearted manner for about fifteen minutes.
Their breathing gradually became heavier.
Bai Ruixue had just reached the city gate when she was lucky. She had just been checked by the guards and entered the town when the city gate closed.
If it had been even a few moments later, we would have had to spend the night outside the city.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the city gates slam shut.
She touched her still-flat belly and headed straight for the He family's house.
Once inside the alley, you can see the thug called Knife, sleeping against the wall, covered with a thick coat.
He looked like a beggar.
Bai Ruixue tiptoed over, but still woke him up.
He saw that the knife was staring intently at her.
Bai Ruixue felt a little scared.
"Husband, I'm back! Open the door!" She hurriedly knocked on the He family's door. As soon as she finished speaking, He Tian opened the door. He looked surprised and happy, but somewhat haggard, showing that he hadn't had a good rest in the past two days.
He Tian stayed in the courtyard the whole time.
He dared not go out, much less sleep.
Today, he waited from morning till night until Jiao'er called him to go back to sleep. Only then did He move his feet. But as soon as he reached the door, there was a knock on the door, and then he heard Bai Ruixue's voice.
In an instant, the sound entered his heart like heavenly music.
He Tian strode to the door, opened it, and completed the whole action in one smooth motion.
It only took three seconds.
"Xiaoxue, you're back! How did it go?" He Tian asked Bai Ruixue impatiently before even letting her in the door.
"Let's go inside and talk, my stomach is a little upset." Bai Ruixue winked at him.
He Tian then realized what was happening.
"Oh dear, my brain! How could I forget you're pregnant? You must be exhausted. Come in and rest for a while before we talk. The time is almost up, so there's no rush." No wonder they're a couple; Bai Ruixue only needed one look to tell He Tian what to say.
She walked through the door and only relaxed after it closed.
The two entered Song's room. She was still awake, and Jiao'er came in with them.
Bai Ruixue raised her neck and chin, looked at Jiao'er with a smug expression, as if to say, "You good-for-nothing, you can't help your husband at all. You're just a maid, how dare you compare yourself to her?"
Jiao'er lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.
She can't afford to offend Bai Ruixue right now.
Let's just wait and see.
In the small room, each of the four people was preoccupied with their own thoughts.
"Well? Tell me quickly." He Tian was getting anxious when he saw that Bai Ruixue hadn't spoken for a long time. He tugged at Bai Ruixue's sleeve, urging her to speak quickly, his face showing impatience.
“My husband, my parents won’t help me, but for your sake, I took the land deeds and house deeds. Look, we have thirty acres of land, plus the house, which should fetch at least a hundred taels of silver. But we don’t have any more money. Let’s use this money to pay back the gambling den first, and then we can rent a house. Oh, and I also took ten taels of silver. This money is for you to study. Once you pass the imperial examination, there will be plenty of people eager to give you gifts.”
If Bai Lizheng saw this scene, he would probably be so angry he'd vomit blood.
He deliberately put the ten taels of silver in the cabinet.
He knew his own daughter perfectly well.
He had long guessed that Bai Ruixue would rummage through the cabinet. This ten taels of silver was his way of severing the last bit of affection he had for his daughter, and also his way of leaving Bai Ruixue a way out.
He probably never imagined that his daughter would be so foolish as to leave him no way out.
"That's all? Sigh, it seems our house is doomed." He Tian took the house deed and land deed with delight, but Song Shi looked bitter.
She didn't seem very satisfied.
"Well, we can't borrow any money anyway, so let's use this money to pay off the debt first. As for this house, I've lived here since I married into the family, and I can't bear to leave it..." Madam Song looked around the room and thought of her husband who had died young.
She wiped away her tears.
As people grow older, their lives become increasingly miserable.
If she had known, she should have remarried while she was still young.
But when she thought of He Tian when he was a child, she couldn't bear to part with her young son, and she couldn't bear to see him suffer.
Mrs. Song was truly heartbroken.
"Mother, I'm sorry. Don't worry, I'll buy our family back sooner or later. No, I'll buy you a bigger house so you can enjoy your old age in peace."
He Tian knelt beside Song's bed. This time, he truly knew he was wrong, and he was truly afraid.
He will never easily trust others again.
“My son, with your words, I’m not afraid of anything. So what if we stumbled this time? At least we’re safe. After we pay off the debts tomorrow, we’ll rent a house. You should study hard, pass the imperial examinations, and bring honor to the He family. Then my life won’t have been in vain.”
Thinking that her son had come to his senses, Mrs. Song wiped away her tears and finally managed a slight smile.
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