Chapter 101: You Stole Money

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: You Stole Money

Uncle Hu nodded and went into the house to get the money.

Bai Zhi then said to Hu Feng, "Go let them in." She glanced at the delicious feast on the table and smiled. "This is a perfect opportunity to provoke them. Let them see what kind of life Mom and I are living now that we’ve left the Bai Family."

Hu Feng frowned. ’Is this girl ordering me around like a servant?’ he thought.

Though displeased, he obediently rose and left the main hall.

Hu Feng stood in the courtyard, his cold gaze sweeping over the Bai family members before he said coolly, "Come inside to talk." After uttering those four simple words, he turned and went back into the house. The dumplings were still hot, and he had no desire to taste them cold.

As he entered the house, he saw Bai Zhi pouring black vinegar into a small bowl and placing it beside the dumplings.

Bai Zhi smiled. "Dumplings and vinegar are a perfect match."

"Really?" He sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and grabbed a dumpling with delicate skin and a plump filling. He dipped it in the vinegar sauce before popping it into his mouth.

The moment his teeth pierced the dumpling skin, the tang of the vinegar on his tongue mingled with the flavors of chive and pork. He couldn’t quite describe the taste—it was an unimaginable delight.

Seeing Hu Feng staring at the dumpling in a daze, Zhao Lan quickly asked, "Is it not good?"

Hu Feng shook his head. "No, it’s incredible. Better than anything I’ve ever eaten."

Zhao Lan had been dying to try one, and Hu Feng’s reaction made her mouth water even more. But remembering the Bai family would be walking in any second, she held back and didn’t touch her chopsticks.

Bai Zhi placed a dumpling in the bowl in front of Zhao Lan and smiled. "Go ahead and eat, Mom. I’m more than enough to deal with them. You just eat and watch the show; you don’t have to say a thing."

Zhao Lan knew Bai Zhi now had what it took to handle the Bai family. Her daughter’s confidence meant she already had a plan worked out. Greatly relieved, she nodded. "Alright. I’ll do as you say."

She picked up the dumpling and took a bite. It was so delicious she nearly bit her tongue.

The Bai family walked in at that exact moment. Their eyes fell upon the feast on the table, lingering especially on the half-eaten morsel in Zhao Lan’s chopsticks—a pale wrapper filled with vibrant green vegetables and succulent meat. The aroma was so tantalizing it could steal a person’s soul.

They all swallowed hard. What kind of life was this? Such a lavish spread! Their Bai Family didn’t eat this well even for New Year’s.

They had originally thought that after leaving the Bai Family, Zhao Lan and Bai Zhi would become beggars. They’d have no house to live in, no food to eat. They’d become the laughingstock of the village and disappear from their lives completely.

But who could have known? They hadn’t become destitute as expected.

They had a house to live in—and were even about to own a house of their very own. They had food to eat—and it was a hundred, even a thousand times better than what the Bai family ate.

Old Mrs. Bai’s initial shock slowly turned to rage. She pointed at Bai Zhi and snarled, "You wretched girl! Out with it! Did you steal my silver?"

Bai Zhi popped a slice of chili-fried pork into her mouth, then slowly turned her head. A half-smile played on her lips as she looked at Old Mrs. Bai. "Oh? So, you’ve lost some money?"

Old Mrs. Bai jutted out her chin. "Of course! I came to find you precisely because I lost money. Don’t you dare deny it."

Bai Zhi asked, "And how much money did you lose?"

Old Mrs. Bai glanced at the dishes on the table. ’To afford a meal like this,’ she thought, ’would cost at least one tael of silver. Add that to the money for the property... that has to be at least twenty taels of silver.’

"Thirty taels. I lost thirty taels of silver." She calculated silently. ’If they’re planning to buy land, they must have money to build a house, too.’