Chapter 229 Going to the Heavenly Doctor Festival
Aunt Ding suddenly understood.
Isn't it precisely because she doesn't know how much money Bai has spent that she's becoming increasingly suspicious and uneasy?
Several times before, when I tried to get Bai to take out the money and check the accounts, she would cry and make a scene, acting as if she had been wronged.
With Young Master Xu present this time, she had no reason to refuse!
"Alright, if I have wronged you, Mother, you can continue to manage the accounts from now on, and I won't say anything more."
Old Mrs. Bai felt guilty and dared not respond.
"Eldest son, let's go home. Are you two going to embarrass your mother to death today?!"
"Huan'er's mother, come home, don't make a fool of yourself." Huan'er's father went to Latin Auntie again.
At that moment, Aunt Ding suddenly thought of Chen Cuihua.
Chen Cuihua is really good; she's doing really well after the divorce.
The imperial court stipulated that women over forty years of age, regardless of whether they had sons or not, would not be forced to remarry after a divorce.
She is only thirty-eight years old this year.
However, Xiao Huan's father is timid, so he can still be scared.
"Li Baolin, I've had enough of you, I want a divorce!"
"What?! You're crazy!"
"I'm not crazy. With Young Master Xu here today, I would never dare to joke. If you try to persuade me again, I'll divorce you. Even if the government finds me another old bachelor, I still won't want to live with you."
In this life, I only had one daughter, Xiao Huan, and no sons, so I lived a miserable life in your family.
I worked every day without a break, and in the end, I ate pickled vegetables and thin porridge my whole life. I've had enough!
So what if I only had one daughter! My daughter is more successful than all those boys.
The more Aunt Ding talked, the more she felt wronged, and eventually she really wanted a divorce.
"I want a divorce! Yes, I want a divorce and I'll go sell seasonings with Cuihua!"
Xiao Huan's father stood there, stunned.
Gu Chengzhou scoffed, "This is the most useless kind of man. He can't even support his wife and children. It's a good thing he didn't have a son. If he had another one, they wouldn't even have enough to eat!"
Xiao Huan's father was so ashamed by what he was said that he didn't dare to utter a sound when he looked at Aunt Ding.
Bai was both flustered and angry. She turned to leave, but Gu Chengzhou stopped her with the hilt of his knife.
"Come on, let's get the money you're keeping and check the accounts!"
"I'm not going, I'm not going! That's our private savings, we can't let anyone see it!"
"Enough with the nonsense! Let our young master settle this matter, let's get to the bottom of it and move along!"
"I'm not commenting anymore, I'm not commenting anymore!"
Xiao Huan ran back, bringing not only the accounts kept by Ding, but also Bai's savings box.
"You shameless brat, where did you find this? Give it to me, give it to me!"
Old Mrs. Bai got angry and bared her teeth and claws, trying to snatch it.
He was then loudly reprimanded by Gu Chengzhou.
Xiao Huan deftly took out a small bag.
Her voice was clear and crisp: "Young Master Xu, this is the account my mother kept. Pumpkin seeds represent one tael of silver, and mung beans are 100 wen. My father always rounds it up for my grandmother, so the total should be thirty-three taels and four hundred wen!"
Xiao Huan's father actually remembered it himself, and the number was the same as the one he remembered.
He earnestly persuaded her, "Mother, open the box. Once we've settled the accounts, we'll go back."
"Brother, you're making Mother lose face in front of the whole village!" The second brother's face was very ugly.
"So what? Didn't Mother ask Young Master Xu to judge this? Can we stop now?"
Bai's eyes rolled back and she fainted.
"Big brother, you've made Mom faint!"
The second son and his wife each grabbed one of Bai's arms and tried to leave.
With a swift stroke of his knife, Gu Chengzhou cleaved the wooden box in two.
"What's the big deal? Do you really need a key?"
This strike not only split the box open but also jolted Bai Shi awake.
She let out a strange cry and fell to the ground, trying to block the box from being seen.
But as everyone had already seen, there were only a few pieces of silver and a few copper coins inside the box, at most two taels!
Also, a dull and broken silver bracelet!
Xiao Huan's father felt like his heart was about to give out.
"Mother, where's the money I gave you? Where's the money?"
"Is there even a question? Li Baolin, this is the good mother you used to be so devoted to, all gone! When you broke your leg, you asked her for even a tael of silver and she wouldn't give it to you. And then, hahahaha..."
Aunt Ding laughed loudly.
The laughter was both ironic and exhilarating.
She felt sorry for herself and her daughter who had suffered for so many years, but at this moment, without money, she felt relieved!
Anyway, having money is the same as not having it. The old woman won't take it out as long as she's alive. It's good that she's gone, as it completely ends the old woman's control of the household!
Anyway, her daughter can earn money now, and she also has a job herding cattle, so no one can take a penny from them anymore!
Xiao Huan's father, however, had red eyes and wouldn't let it go. Those were all the money he had saved up, penny by penny, by working for others outside. How could he be willing to accept that?
"Where's my money? Where's my money, Mom? Where's my money?!"
The second son and his wife kept their heads down and remained silent.
Old Mrs. Bai stopped trying to hide it and got up to curse: "I gave the money to the second son's family! So what! You don't even have a son, so you'll still have to rely on your nephew to support you in your old age. Anyway, that money will go to my grandson sooner or later, so it doesn't matter whether I give it to him sooner or later!"
The second brother quickly chimed in, "Big brother, all the money's gone, but don't worry, my son will take care of you in your old age."
Aunt Ding shouted, "No need! Give us back the money, Li Baolin, think it through. If you make another mistake, I'll have Young Master Xu stand up for me today and we'll get a divorce right now. You and your mother can go live with us!"
Li Baolin finally regained consciousness.
They were determined to get the money back.
As a result, Old Lady Bai is going to jump into the river again.
However, this trick didn't work this time.
The workshop was on the other side of the river. She ran to the riverbank, only to find that no one had followed her.
Even the youngest son and his wife have disappeared.
Her expression was stiff, comical, and bewildered.
By this time, the matter was over. Granny Bai was no longer qualified to manage someone's household and was ridiculed and scorned by the villagers.
Old Lady Bai slunk back home.
But she saw her eldest son carrying her bedding and walking out.
“Mother, I’ve raised you for ten years, now it’s time for the second son to raise you. The magistrate’s son said that the cost of supporting one’s parents should be shared equally among sons!”
“I don’t want the money that the second son took. Consider it as your way of fulfilling your filial duty. I won’t contribute a single penny to support you in the future.”
Old Mrs. Bai rolled her eyes; this time she was truly dizzy.
At this moment, Lu Qingqing and Ji Ruyan were walking on a country road.
Lu Qingqing witnessed the entire incident.
"I didn't expect you to have the patience to handle such trivial matters."
Ji Ruyan smiled and said clearly, "Whether it's a small matter or a big matter depends on how you judge it. If this matter were to happen to Aunt Ding, it would be a very serious matter, and it might even lead to someone's death."
Officials cannot only look up at grand affairs; only by bowing their heads can they see the plight of the common people.
Lu Qingqing stared at his profile for a long time.
Until Ji Ruyan coughed lightly.
"Qingqing, seats have been arranged for the free clinic during the Heavenly Doctors Festival. It's the same doctors who did the disaster relief. Do you want to go?"
"Yes, of course I'll go!"
Lu Qingqing understood what he meant: he wanted people to know that there was a female doctor, the only female doctor, during the disaster relief efforts.
She certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to appear in public, arranged by the authorities.
but……
"There's no one around now, take off your mask and let me see."
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