Chapter 68: A Scolding to the Face

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: A Scolding to the Face

Under the dagger-like stares of Old Mrs. Bai and Liu, the mother and daughter shuffled out of the courtyard, baskets on their backs. The main village road lay just outside. Most of the villagers’ houses were built along this road, which made it easier to haul back crops with oxcarts during the harvest.

It was still early, and many villagers were heading to the fields outside the village with farm tools on their shoulders. When they saw the mother and daughter’s wretched state, they all stopped to ask what was wrong.

"Zhi, you and your mother are in such a state. Why are you out and about?"

Bai Zhi’s eyes were red as she said, "We’ve run out of wild vegetables at home, so Grandma told us to go dig for more. Thank you for your concern, Uncles. We have to go, or we’ll be punished for being late." Bai Zhi was already incredibly frail, and her gaunt little face was covered in injuries. Her beautiful eyes were brimming with tears, making for an indescribably pitiful sight.

Watching the mother and daughter limp away, the villagers sighed and shook their heads. "Such a good child. How can the Bai family be so cruel?"

"You said it. That whole family is a bunch of lazy bums, not a single one of them does any real work. The fields, the house, inside and out—don’t this mother and daughter manage everything? And in the end, this is what they get. It’s truly disheartening!"

"It’s a miracle Zhao Lan can endure it. If it were any other woman, she probably would have abandoned the family and left long ago. Couldn’t she find a good husband anywhere else? But she insists on staying here to be treated so horribly by the Bai family."

"Abandon them and leave? That’s easy for you to say. If Zhao Lan left, what would happen to Zhi? With a family like the Bais, do you think anything good would come of her?"

Ms. Zhang happened to be returning from washing clothes at the river. Overhearing the villagers’ discussion and seeing them cast strange glances her way, she was furious. While she was a member of the Bai family and had never been particularly pleasant to Zhao Lan, she had never bullied her as brazenly as her mother-in-law and first sister-in-law had. More importantly, she had never laid a hand on Bai Zhi. But now, she had to carry their bad reputation too, which naturally left her fuming.

She shot the villagers a vicious glare, then picked up her wooden basin and hurried home. The moment she entered, she started yelling at Bai Erzhu, who was stretching lazily in the courtyard. "You useless thing! All you know is how to eat and sleep! What time do you think it is? The hardworking people have already finished in the fields and come home."

Bai Erzhu was completely baffled by her tirade. ’Is this woman crazy?’ he thought. ’Yelling at me first thing in the morning. This is completely out of the blue.’

"What are you staring at me for? Was I wrong to yell at you? I, Zhang Shumei, must have been blind to marry a man like you!"

While Bai Erzhu and Ms. Zhang weren’t what you would call an affectionate couple, they rarely argued. Ms. Zhang’s temperament was different from Liu’s; she wasn’t the type to nitpick over every little thing.

So, after being berated by Ms. Zhang today, Bai Erzhu was utterly confused. He had no idea what had gotten into her.

"Look, woman, if you want to yell at me, fine, but you could at least tell me why. Starting a fight for no reason is just baffling."

Ms. Zhang snorted coldly and threw the wooden basin to the ground. Planting one hand on her hip, she pointed at Bai Erzhu with the other. "Baffling? I think *you’re* the baffling one! Your wife is out there having people point fingers and curse her to her face! You’re my husband, so where are you? When our family can’t even afford to fill the pot, you’re the man of the house, so why don’t you think of a solution? You always make me, a woman, go back to my parents’ house to borrow grain. Have you no shame?"

Bai Erzhu finally understood. She had been humiliated outside and was taking her anger out on him.

"Who dared to curse you to your face? Tell me, and I’ll go give them a piece of my mind for you."