Chapter (13): The Hunter's Tale of Zhou Shi and Su Shi
Bai Li didn't actually enjoy flaunting his wealth. He simply wanted to repair the tattered reputation of this body, which the original Bai Li had utterly ruined.
After admiring the buffalo and the cart with great satisfaction, Father Bai turned to him and asked,
"Second Son, how much did this buffalo and cart cost you?"
Father Bai knew that Bai Li had left with over fifty silver taels. Looking at everything he had bought, he suspected there wouldn't be a single copper coin left.
Bai Li looked at the sturdy buffalo and replied,
"I paid thirty silver taels for the buffalo. I tried to haggle a bit, but the owner wouldn't budge. I liked the animal so much that I just bought it. As for the cart, it was the standard market price."
Father Bai and the Village Head nodded in unison, their approval of the purchase evident.
"Thirty silver taels isn't a bad price at all,"
Father Bai remarked.
"This buffalo looks incredibly strong, and the cart is well-made."
The Village Head added, "Indeed. Your buffalo is young and powerful; you'll be able to work him for many years. My old buffalo at home is getting on in years—the difference is clear just by looking at them."
Mother Bai, however, couldn't understand why they were so pleased. All she could think about was the fact that nearly fifty silver taels had vanished into an buffalo and a cart.
"You boy! We already have a cart at home, and the Village Head has an buffalo we can use. Why did you go and buy another one without saying a word? It's such a waste of money!"
Father Bai frowned at her words. He knew that if Bai Li had consulted him, he likely would have stopped the boy out of fear of spending so much. But the purchase was made. There was no changing it now, and besides, the quality of the buffalo and cart was undeniable.
"It's already bought and sitting in the yard,"
Father Bai countered.
"Why are you still grumbling? The whole village has to share a single buffalo. Now that he's bought one, others can rent it from us."
This was a valid point. Because of the Xiao family's exorbitant fees, no one wanted to rent their buffalo. Everyone in the village relied solely on the Village Head's buffalo. Having another available would make life easier for everyone.
A villager close to the Bai family chimed in, "That's right, Auntie Bai! We're actually happy there's another buffalo in the village. We wouldn't expect to borrow it for free, either."
Hearing this, Mother Bai seemed to relax slightly. Seeing her soften, Bai Li offered further comfort.
"Mother, in the future, when I catch game, I'll be taking it to the port city to sell. The family cart and the Village Head's buffalo are shared by the whole village; I can't just take them whenever I need. Since I had the money, think of it as an investment for our future convenience."
At this, Mother Bai finally surrendered.
"Fine, what more can I say? Since you've bought it, take good care of that buffalo. Feed it regularly; don't neglect it."
"I will. Well, we should be heading back now."
Before leaving, Bai Li didn't forget to take the boiled wild boar offal his father had prepared for him. He also borrowed a knife, as the cooking knife at his own house was in poor condition.
The Bai family couldn't fathom why Bai Li was so obsessed with offal, but as long as he wasn't squandering money, they let him be.
When Bai Li climbed back onto the cart, he was surprised to see that Xiao Han hadn't moved an inch. He had said they were going home; had Xiao Han not heard him? Even the little ones were staring at him with curious eyes.
"Xiao Han, bring the children over."
At the sound of Bai Li's voice, Xiao Han snapped out of his daze. He led the children to the cart and, watching Bai Li's cues, helped them climb up.
Since there was only one cart in the whole village, the children had rarely experienced a ride. They were buzzing with excitement the moment they were settled.
Bai Li looked at the fidgeting little Ge'ers with a smile.
"Sit still, or you'll fall off."
Terrified by the warning, the little ones immediately gripped the railings of the cart. It was a sight so endearing that no one could help but smile.
The villagers thought to themselves that the little Ge'ers from Bai Li's house were truly adorable. Bai Mei couldn't resist showering her nephews' cheeks with kisses. She wasn't one to play favorites, but she felt no such affection for the children in the wombs of Zhou Shi and Su Shi. Perhaps it was due to the mothers' unpleasant personalities.
Waitng until Xiao Han was safely seated, Bai Li started the cart and slowly drove away from the Bai family home.
He had noticed since returning to the village that Xiao Han looked troubled. It seemed even worse than before he had left for the city. Before the trip, Xiao Han had seemed a bit excited about the wild boars; why did he look so dejected now?
It wasn't glaringly obvious, but to someone already sick and brooding, the sadness lingered on his face.
From what Bai Li knew, Xiao Han was quiet and reserved. His somewhat timid nature often invited bullying—a result of growing up with a stepmother and then suffering abuse at the hands of his husband.
Feeling a pang of pity, Bai Li couldn't ignore him. Once they reached a secluded stretch of the road, he asked, "Xiao Han, is your fever getting worse?"
Xiao Han, lost in thought, jumped slightly, not expecting Bai Li to speak to him.
"N-no... I'm feeling better."
It was a useless answer, and Bai Li didn't believe it for a second. At that moment, Bai Mei, who had been playing with the children, remembered something.
"I just remembered, Second Sister-in-law! Last night, I couldn't sleep and got up for a drink of water. I saw Eldest Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law coming back from your room. What were they doing there?"
Xiao Han hadn't expected Bai Mei to know. Neither had Bai Li. As far as he knew, Xiao Han had little to no interaction with those two. If Bai Mei had seen them while getting water in the middle of the night, it meant it was very late. Why go to Xiao Han then? If they had something to say, why couldn't it wait until morning? Or was it something that couldn't be said in the light of day?
Bai Li recalled how Zhou Shi had spoken to Bai Mei earlier, remembering how poisonous her tongue could be. These people certainly weren't offering words of kindness. He knew from his inherited memories that they had loathed the original Bai Li.
Even though Bai Li had sensed the tension, Xiao Han tried to cover it up.
"T-they... they just couldn't sleep because of their pregnancies, so they were taking a walk."
Neither Bai Li nor Bai Mei believed him. Bai Mei proceeded to tell her brother how Zhou Shi and Su Shi had stolen her fruit and how they had behaved over the eggs during last night's dinner.
"Second Brother, you have no idea. Those two are something else. They were actually trying to compete with two-year-old children for eggs! Mother wanted to give an egg to Second Sister-in-law because he's sick, but she couldn't even do that because of their complaining. Even when Mother said the eggs belonged to you, they wouldn't believe it, claiming she was being biased toward your family. They only shut up when Mother scolded them, but I know they weren't satisfied. There's no way their visit to Second Sister-in-law last night was for anything good."
Bai Li sighed. How did the Bai family end up with two people like that? The Bais were simple-hearted people; these two were completely out of place. Zhou Shi was greedy and sharp-tongued, while Su Shi was more of a calculating opportunist who followed the wind. Bai Li worried they would cause major trouble in the future.
"Xiao Han," Bai Li said firmly.
"I'm telling you now, those two are no good. Don't get close to them. Avoid them as much as possible and don't take what they say to heart. We have officially split the household; we live separate lives now. Their words aren't law, and I am trying to change. We just need to live our own lives well. Listening to their poison will only lead to doubt and misery."
Hearing this, Xiao Han realized he truly had been overthinking things. His husband had genuinely begun to change. Today proved it—he hadn't gone to the city to gamble or carouse; he had come straight back after shopping.
Furthermore, he was prioritizing the children. Why would he suddenly sell them? With the money Bai Li now possessed, there was no reason to. He had been letting his fears run wild.
"I... I understand," Xiao Han whispered.
Bai Li drove the cart peacefully. Hearing Xiao Han's response, he felt that the man was remarkably obedient. Why had the original Bai Li ever wanted to mistreat such a gentle spouse?
Bai Li then turned his warning to Bai Mei.
"Mei'er, the same goes for you. You'll be married and leaving this house in a few years; you won't have to deal with them much longer. Today, Zhou Shi was intentionally bad-mouthing you because the Village Head's family was there. They are already married, but you are still a young maiden. If you stoop to their level and argue, it's your reputation that will suffer. If they look for trouble, just come to my house and leave them be."
Bai Mei blushed, not expecting her brother to be so blunt. She wasn't blind to the elders' intentions; in rural villages, marrying within the community was common. But thanks to Bai Li's insight, she realized Zhou Shi had been trying to disgrace her in front of her potential future in-laws. She couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
"Zhou Shi is part of the Bai family now! How could she do such a thing?"
Bai Li pondered this, searching his memories for more on Zhou Shi. She wasn't originally from Nanchang Village. She came from a village across the river, and her marriage to Bai Jiang hadn't been entirely straightforward.
Bai Jiang was a simple farmer, much like Father Bai. He had wanted a quiet, steady wife. Zhou Shi had approached him first. Knowing the Bai family owned the most land in Nanchang Village, she had set her sights on entering the household. She had played the part of a quiet, dignified woman so well that the simple Bai Jiang couldn't see through the ruse. When Mother Bai looked for a bride for her eldest son, Bai Jiang suggested Zhou Shi.
Zhou Shi's only miscalculation was that the Bai family's wealth was largely superficial. On the inside, there was little left because the original Bai Li had squandered so much of it. Once she was through the door, her true colors began to show. In his memories, Bai Li could recall Bai Jiang often sighing in private.
Then there was Su Shi. He and Zhou Shi were from the same village and had been childhood friends. Zhou Shi had acted as a matchmaker for Bai San, pulling Su Shi into the family. Mother Bai hadn't liked Zhou Shi constantly praising Su Shi at first. She felt guilty for not vetting Zhou Shi properly and didn't want to make the same mistake twice. But as Zhou Shi persisted, Mother Bai looked into Su Shi. He was a "hidden deep" type—on the surface, his reputation was spotless. Zhou Shi frequently engineered "accidental" meetings between Su Shi and Bai San until they finally married.
The original Bai Li might have been a useless scoundrel, but having spent time in the city and met all sorts of people, he was somewhat street-smart. He had known Zhou Shi's character early on because one of her brothers-in-law was a gambling addict. That man had told the original Bai Li all about her. But, being the selfish person he was, the original Bai Li had simply forgotten to mention it to his family. And so, Zhou Shi had entered the house.
Bai Li cursed the original Bai Li of his body under his breath. If the original had just spoken up, things might have been different.
He then remembered that the Zhou family had an unmarried Ge'er. Connecting the dots with Zhou Shi's behavior today, the answer became clear.
"The Zhou family still has an unmarried Ge'er, don't they?"
Bai Li's question confused Bai Mei at first. Then, the realization hit her.
"Second Brother... are you saying Zhou Shi wants to send her relative into the Jiang family?"
Jiang Qing was the only eligible bachelor left in the Jiang house. Since Zhou Shi had been in the Bai family for years, she was well aware of the bond between the Bai and Jiang parents. Bai Mei was shocked, but the logic was sound.
"She entered our family at fifteen and she's nearly thirty now," Bai Mei fumed.
"She's eaten the Bai family's food as long as she ate her own family's—how could she do this to us?"
Zhou Shi wanted to steal Bai Mei's fiancé for her own kin. It was disgusting.
Bai Li agreed it was a likely motive. The Jiang family had once tried to put Jiang Qing through school, but the boy hated studying. When Bai Wu dropped out, Jiang Qing had cried and begged to be a farmer instead, even enduring a beating from the Village Head. In the end, they had given up on his schooling.
Regardless, Jiang Qing was literate. In this world, as long as you could read and write, you could find a good position in the city. Literacy was highly respected. Since Jiang Qing was the most likely candidate to succeed the Village Head among his brothers, Zhou Shi had certainly picked a prime target.