Chapter (12): They Say the Human Trash Has Changed
Bai Li's supply-laden cart rolled slowly through the village, passing under the watchful, inquisitive eyes of the inhabitants. He intended for them to see. He wanted it known that the second son of the Bai family was no longer the man he once was.
Father Bai and the others had arrived back in the village nearly two hours before him. Word had spread like wildfire, and a crowd had gathered at the Bai residence, fueled by curiosity. However, when the villagers learned that Bai Li had stayed behind in town, their expressions soured with a familiar cynicism. They thought to themselves: In the end, trash remains trash.
The villagers pressed for details on how much the wild boars had fetched. The Village Head, practicing a necessary caution, withheld the true amount and claimed they had earned a little over six hundred silver taels. Even that figure was staggering to the local farmers—a sum they could scarcely imagine possessing. Many felt a sharp pang of envy, but upon hearing Bai Li had lingered in town, their faces twisted into mocking sneers. They assumed those six hundred taels would vanish into the air before the sun set, and they returned to their chores, whispering and scoffing.
The Bai family members looked grim, the Village Head sighed heavy breaths of disappointment, and Xiao Han grew deathly pale. He looked as though his fever had taken a turn for the worse.
Once the crowds dispersed, the Bai and Jiang elders revealed the true earnings to the immediate family. When Xiao Han realized his husband had actually secured over a thousand silver taels, his heart hammered with a new anxiety. A thousand taels could change their lives, but it could also buy many of the women Bai Li so favored. He dared not speculate on which path his husband would choose; he could only wait, suspended in dread.
Father Bai had secretly informed Mother Bai (Mo Hua) that the money notes were safely in his possession. He chose not to tell his other sons or daughters-in-law. He knew money could rot a person's heart with greed, and he didn't want the others to harbor ill will or covet what belonged to his second son.
The only ones wearing smug, knowing smiles were Zhou Shi and Su Shi. Zhou Shi said in a voice dripping with feigned pity, "Aiya... the second brother-in-law said he would reform, but why must he be so wicked? Squanting money like that without a single thought for his two little Ge'er sons."
She cast a look of "sympathy" toward Xiao Han and the children. To a stranger, she might have sounded concerned, but the underlying tone of glee was so sharp that it made everyone else uncomfortable. Bai Jiang, the eldest son, frowned at his wife's words, but remembering his father's order to stay quiet about the silver notes, he remained silent.
Bai Mei, however, could not hold back. The young girl shouted in a fury, "Eldest Sister-in-law! My brother said he was staying to shop! Why must you insist on thinking the worst of him?!"
Su Shi chimed in, pretending to soothe the girl.
"Little sister, your eldest sister-in-law is only saying this because she pities Xiao Han and the children. After all, the second brother-in-law has always been... a bit wayward. Aiya..."
Su Shi shook her head as if the tragedy were too great for words, making Bai Mei's eyes turn red with rage. Suddenly, the girl remembered the incident from the previous evening.
Bai Mei had left the four fruits her nephews gave her in her room, planning to eat them after a long day of farm work. But with the commotion of the wild boars, she hadn't gone to the fields. When she went to check on the fruits before giving her room to Xiao Han, they were gone. Xiao Han and the children hadn't even entered the room yet; only her two sisters-in-law had been in the house. When she confronted them, they claimed they found the fruits in the kitchen and ate them. Impossible! She knew she had left them in her room!
Bai Mei's room had no lock, but she never expected her sisters-in-law to sneak in like thieves. To make matters worse, they had gone crying to Mother Bai, claiming Bai Mein was accusing them of theft. They argued that being pregnant, they couldn't help themselves when they saw fruit in the "kitchen," and that if they had known the fruit belonged to her, they wouldn't have touched it. They turned the white into black, blaming Bai Mei for "misplacing" the fruit and then falsely accusing them.
Fruit was a rare luxury, but Bai Mei wouldn't have been this angry if they had just told the truth. Instead, they had insulted her character, even suggesting that with such a "nasty disposition," no one would want to marry her in the future.
Mother Bai knew her daughter's heart, but with two pregnant daughters-in-law ganging up on one girl, she had been forced to scold Bai Mei superficially to keep the peace. This only made Bai Mei loathe them more. No—she felt utter disgust.
As Bai Mei stared at them with eyes burning like embers, Zhou Shi put on a hesitant act.
"Father, Mother, I am but a daughter-in-law here, but I truly worry for our little sister. Yesterday, she misplaced her fruit and screamed that we stole from her room. And now, look at how she treats us, despite the fact that Su Shi and I are so much older. She has no manners, no respect. I truly fear that when she marries, her in-laws won't take kindly to such a wild temper."
Zhou Shi did not lower her voice; she wanted the villagers to hear. Du Shi and the Village Head's family were still present. Zhou Shi knew the Bai and Jiang families were close. Since the Jiangs only had sons and the Bais had four sons and finally one daughter, a marriage alliance was highly likely. Jiang Qing, the youngest Jiang son, was only three years older than Bai Mei. Marriage talks were probably already underway.
Zhou Shi's mother's side had a fifteen-year-old Ge'er looking for a match, and they had their eyes on Jiang Qing. Thus, Zhou Shi wanted to expose Bai Mei's "flaws" in front of Du Shi, hoping to scare her off so her own relative would have a chance.
Just as Bai Li pulled up in front of the house, these were the words he heard. His eyebrows shot up.
From his memories and his own observations, he knew Bai Mei was spirited and quick-tempered, but she wasn't a liar. If she said she left the fruit in her room, she did. She was a bright ten-year-old; she wouldn't "forget" where she put something. Looking at their characters, it was clear that Zhou Shi and Su Shi were the ones lying. Stealing from a young girl's private room and then gaslighting her was a sign of a truly rotten personality.
Bai Li's smile didn't waver, but his estimation of those two plummeted.
Before Zhou Shi could pour more oil on the fire, Bai Li's voice rang out from the front of the house.
"Father! Mother! I'm back!"
Every head in the courtyard turned. Bai Mei's eyes lit up, and she sprinted toward the gate. When she saw him, she practically leaped with joy.
"Second Brother!"
Bai Li acted as if he didn't see the redness in her eyes or the unshed tears. He smiled warmly.
"That's right, Mei'er. Open the gate for your brother. The sun is scorching."
Bai Mei was so happy that her brother hadn't squandered his time in town that her anger vanished. she swung the gates open, and Bai Li slowly drove the cart into the courtyard.
A few curious villagers had followed the cart, eager to see what he had bought. The Bai courtyard was suddenly bustling again.
Mother Bai looked at the cart and, seeing Bai Li alone at the reins, asked, "Second son, why are you driving? Did you hire this? Where is the owner?"
She assumed he had chartered a cart to bring supplies from town.
Bai Li parked the cart in the shade of a tree and answered with a grin, "I bought this cart and the buffalo."
Silence fell. The Bai family, the Jiangs, and the gathered villagers were struck dumb. Xiao Han stood frozen. Had he heard correctly? His husband bought this?
Mother Bai stammered, "Are you... joking?"
Father Bai, being a man of simple tastes, was already eyeing the massive water buffalo with deep satisfaction. It was clearly superior to the Village Head's buffalo, and the cart was of excellent quality.
While the others were still in shock, Bai Li called out, "Third Brother, come here!"
Bai San, the third son, approached tentatively. He didn't expect his brother to hoist a heavy sack of rice onto his shoulders. He let out a startled yelp.
"Careful," Bai Li teased.
"Can't you carry it?"
"No, no! I can carry it!"
Bai Sang replied, regaining his balance. He was a sturdy farmhand; he was just surprised.
Bai Li had intended to put the rice in the kitchen, but remembering the presence of Zhou Shi and Su Shi, he whispered to his brother, "Take it to Mother's room."
This was refined white rice; he didn't want it causing unnecessary drama in the household. He knew Mother Bai's character—as long as it was in her hands, everyone in the family would eventually get a taste of it.
As Bai San hurried to his mother's room, Mother Bai asked, "Second son, what's in the bag?"
Bai Li pulled out the fatty pork and smiled.
"I bought some white rice for my house, and I bought some for you all as well."
"White rice!"
The crowd gasped. Looking at the size of that bag, how many jin must be in there?
Mother Bai was shocked.
"Second son, you... you mean that whole sack is white rice?"
Bai Li didn't answer with words; his smile said enough. Mother Bai looked torn between joy and the sheer "wastefulness" of it. White rice cost twice as much as coarse rice; they could have had two sacks of the latter for the same price.
Zhou Shi and Su Shi's eyes gleamed with greed, while Bai Mei hopped onto the cart, ecstatic.
"Second Brother, what else did you get? There's so much!"
Bai Li patted his little sister's head and whispered, "Stay quiet. Later, come over to my house for some sweet snacks"
Bai Mei understood the signal. With so many people around, her parents and brothers wouldn't take her snacks, but her sisters-in-law had no such shame. She nodded happily.
Bai Li hopped off the cart holding four jin of fatty pork. As he passed Bai Wu (the fourth son), he remembered something.
"Wu-er, go grab the salt jar from the kitchen."
Bai Li and Bai Wu weren't close. In fact, the original Bai Li wasn't close to any of his brothers except Bai Mei. With Bai Wu, there was a certain coldness because the family had spent Bai Wu's school tuition to keep the original Bai Li out of legal trouble. Bai Wu harbored some resentment, but he didn't hate his brother. He scratched his head and headed for the kitchen.
Bai Li turned to Mother Bai and whispered, "Mother, could you help me render this fat into oil? Keep half for yourselves, and we'll use the other half for tonight's dinner. I bought some jars of spirits too. Have Father invite the Village Head's family later. Xiao Han and I will prepare the food. Don't bother cooking dinner tonight."
Mother Bai was still reeling from the white rice. Snapping back to reality, she took the pork.
"That's no trouble at all. I'll do it. But take all the oil; we still have some at home. Buying spirits was a good move; I was just about to tell your father to get some if you had forgotten. I'll come over to help as soon as the oil is ready."
Bai Li nodded. When Bai Wu returned, he took the salt jar and walked back to the cart.
"I bought a large jar of salt. You all take some."
Mother Bai's heart nearly failed her when she heard "large jar of salt." She followed him to the cart. Seeing the massive jar and how Bai Li was aggressively cramming it into her household's container, she slapped his arm.
"Enough, enough! Stop! You spendthrift boy! Why would you buy so much salt? You only need a pinch!"
Bai Li laughed.
"I was thinking of making some salted meats later, so I bought extra."
He signaled Bai Wu to take the overfilled salt jar back to the kitchen. Bai Wu was quick; he vanished with the jar as if he were making a getaway.
Father Bai, the Village Head, and the village men huddled around the cart, debating the fine points of the buffalo's build and the cart's sturdiness. The women and Ge'ers watched Mother Bai and Bai Li.
Bai Li had given the main house fifty jin of white rice, several jin of pork fat, and a hoard of salt. They had expected him to throw the money away on vices. Instead, he had bought an buffalo and cart and provided his parents with essentials that were luxury items to them. It was clear the rest of the supplies on the cart were for his own home.
At that moment, only one thought resonated through the village: The human trash has changed. And he had changed so profoundly that no one could keep up.
With hunting skills that bordered on the supernatural and a newfound filial piety... it seemed he truly was a different man.