Chapter 2: Worse Than Pigs and Dogs
"Even if she was a foundling, you’ve still raised her for twelve years. How is that any different from a biological daughter? A person can’t be so cruel." The speaker was Uncle Hu, the one who had just gone to the fields to call Mrs. Zhao home.
Liu’s shouting drew the attention of the old woman, who had been hanging clothes in the backyard. Hearing her eldest daughter-in-law’s racket, she quickly dropped the clothes she was holding and rushed out, laundry mallet in hand.
"Who hit you?" The moment the old woman stepped out of the main gate, she saw Liu sitting on the ground, wailing.
Liu pointed at Mrs. Zhao. "Zhao Lan hit me! Mother, you have to stand up for me!"
The moment the old woman saw Mrs. Zhao, her thoughts turned to that damned girl Bai Zhi. ’Of all the times to die, she had to pick now!’ The thought of having to return the ten taels of silver she’d already received made her heart, her flesh, and her entire body ache with regret.
Seething with anger, she brandished the laundry mallet, rushed forward, and brought it down hard on Mrs. Zhao several times.
Mrs. Zhao was completely heartbroken, her mind solely focused on her daughter. She didn’t even notice the old woman charging at her with the mallet. The blows struck her, instantly knocking her to the ground, unconscious.
Uncle Hu, who was standing just outside the courtyard gate, saw what happened and cried out in alarm, "That damned old hag! She’s already killed her granddaughter, and now she won’t even spare her daughter-in-law! Quick, go get the village chief!"
He gave the person next to him a shove and rushed into the courtyard himself, shouting at the old woman, "You old hag, how can you be so vicious? Are you trying to beat Zhao Lan to death?"
The old woman hadn’t expected her to collapse after just a few strikes. ’This daughter-in-law of mine gets beaten all the time,’ she thought. ’She’s tough as leather. How could a few hits knock her down?’
Seeing this, Liu stopped her wailing and scurried over, a worried look on her face. "Mother, if you kill Zhao Lan, who’s going to do the farm work?"
Just then, the girl lying on the straw mat suddenly opened her eyes. She had actually been awake for a while, but her mind was in turmoil. She couldn’t accept the fact that she had gone from being a renowned doctor in the 23rd century to a little girl in ancient times.
She sat up, frowning as pain flared from the injuries all over her body. ’These two women are truly vicious,’ she thought, ’to beat a twelve-year-old girl to death.’
"She’s a walking corpse! A walking corpse—!" one of the villagers watching from outside the courtyard suddenly shrieked.
The old woman and Liu also saw Bai Zhi—who they thought was dead as a doornail—suddenly sit up. The shock sent them both tumbling to the ground.
The old woman shoved Liu forward and shrieked, "It was her! She’s the one who said we should sell you to get the ten taels of silver for Da Bao’s betrothal! It had nothing to do with me! Nothing to do with me!"
Liu scrambled backward, hollering, "No, no, it wasn’t me! It was your grandmother! She said she wanted a new set of clothes made and that selling you would give her the money for it! It wasn’t my doing, I swear it wasn’t!"
Bai Zhi glanced up at them, her eyes utterly cold. ’People like this,’ she thought, ’are worse than pigs and dogs.’
With her head throbbing and her body aching, she had originally planned to play dead and rest a little longer. But after hearing their words, she found it utterly unbearable and forced herself up through clenched teeth.
She couldn’t be bothered to waste words on them. She went straight to Mrs. Zhao to check her injuries. ’A fractured right arm,’ she assessed. ’A large lump on the back of her head with a small laceration and some bleeding. The injuries aren’t severe, just a temporary loss of consciousness. She’ll wake up soon.’
Just then, the village chief pushed his way through the crowd. He saw that Bai Zhi was alive, but she was a miserable sight—covered in cuts and bruises.
Mrs. Zhao was unconscious on the ground, a laundry mallet discarded beside her.
"What’s going on here? Who did this?"