Chapter 71: Ruining One’s Own Reputation

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Ruining One’s Own Reputation

"Zhi? What are you doing here?" Doctor Lu asked in surprise when he saw her stop his cart.

Bai Zhi smiled. "Doctor Lu, could we speak in private for a moment? I have something I need to tell you."

’Is she here about the wild ginseng?’ Doctor Lu wondered. The plant was right there in the bundle he was holding. ’Does she want it back?’

Puzzled, Doctor Lu got off the cart and followed Bai Zhi to the shade of a tree. "Zhi, what is it?"

Bai Zhi leaned in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Doctor Lu looked astonished and quickly waved his hands. "That’s out of the question! If word of this really gets out, how will you ever get married? Your reputation will be completely ruined."

Bai Zhi shook her head. "I’ll worry about the future when it comes. Right now, I don’t want to be sold off by Grandma and Aunt. My aunt is going to Baiyang Village today to arrange a marriage for me. To put it nicely, she’s ’arranging a marriage.’ To put it bluntly, she’s selling me. I just want to stay by my mother’s side and repay her for raising me."

Hearing this, Doctor Lu was so angry he gritted his teeth. "The Bai Family is truly heartless! They’re capable of any despicable act. And to think your mother works herself to the bone for them every day. It’s just not worth it."

He turned and stared at Bai Zhi. "Zhi, have you really thought this through? Once you do something like this to ruin your own reputation, there’s no turning back."

Bai Zhi nodded. "I have. I don’t care about my reputation. As long as I can live a good life with my mother, I’ll be content."

Doctor Lu understood her feelings. A reputation, important as it was, meant nothing compared to survival. He was very familiar with Baiyang Village. The village was full of bachelors; some couldn’t get married because they hadn’t earned enough money, while others couldn’t find a wife even if they had it.

They were all old bachelors who had a bit of money, so why weren’t any women willing to marry them?

Besides the village’s bad feng shui, there was a much bigger reason: these old bachelors were incredibly violent. For them, hitting women was as common as eating a meal. An untold number of young women had been abused to death, and many others who couldn’t bear the torment had secretly run away. That’s how the old bachelors of Baiyang Village got their evil reputation, which made finding a wife more and more difficult. Consequently, the bride price kept getting higher. Now, anyone willing to marry their daughter into Baiyang Village was doing it for the money.

Doctor Lu glanced at his ox-cart waiting for him in the shade nearby and lowered his voice. "Zhi, don’t you worry. Leave this to me. In a little while, a few of the village women will also be heading to town. I’ll find a chance on the road to leak some information. With mouths like theirs, I’d wager this whole affair will be all over Huangtuo Village in less than a day."

Bai Zhi grinned from ear to ear. "That would be perfect. The faster the news spreads, the better. My aunt went to Baiyang Village today. Once she strikes a deal, someone will likely come to our village within a couple of days to make inquiries about me."

The two of them whispered for a few more moments. Seeing someone walking toward them, they finally separated.

Doctor Lu left on his ox-cart. Zhao Lan grabbed Bai Zhi’s arm and asked, "Zhi’er, what were you just whispering to Doctor Lu about?"

Bai Zhi knew she shouldn’t hide this from Zhao Lan, so she told her everything.

Zhao Lan was so panicked she started to run after Doctor Lu, but Bai Zhi forcefully held her back. "Mother, don’t be so anxious! Just listen to me first."

Zhao Lan said anxiously, "How can I not be anxious? You foolish girl, you have no idea what you’re doing! Do you have any idea how important a girl’s reputation is? If this really gets out, how will you ever get married?"