Chapter 6: My Daughter Is Still Alive
The old woman and Liu were still terrified just thinking about it. That little bitch, Bai Zhi, had already faked her death once, giving them the fright of their lives.
As Doctor Lu was setting Mrs. Zhao’s broken arm, Bai Zhi assisted him. Her movements were remarkably skillful. Doctor Lu watched her, inwardly surprised. ’This girl’s technique looks so practiced,’ he thought. ’It doesn’t seem like her first time doing this. Is it just a coincidence?’
Just as the wound was bandaged, Mrs. Zhao slowly regained consciousness. Her eyes immediately fell on the empty straw mat beside her. Disregarding the pain from her arm, she scrambled to her feet. "My daughter? Where did my daughter go?"
"Mom, I’m right here." Bai Zhi was standing behind Mrs. Zhao. Looking at her mother’s frantic back, Bai Zhi’s heart ached.
’Her parents had divorced when she was very young. Her father remarried, her mother remarried, and she became an unwanted child. Growing up in an orphanage, she had never known what it felt like for a parent to be so worried about her. This feeling—it was so good.’
Mrs. Zhao hurriedly turned around. Seeing her daughter standing right there, alive and well, she began to laugh through her tears. She pinched herself hard with her uninjured hand, not letting go until the skin turned purple. "It hurts. I’m not dreaming. I’m not dreaming! My daughter isn’t dead! My daughter is still alive!"
She wanted to pull her daughter into an embrace but was afraid of touching her injuries. Instead, she could only grip her hand tightly, refusing to let go as tears streamed down her face. "Zhi’er, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m useless. I couldn’t protect you. I’ve made you suffer."
Bai Zhi shook her head. Seeing Mrs. Zhao’s raw emotion, her own eyes reddened. "I’m fine. I’m really okay now."
Seeing this, the old woman on the side quickly called out to Doctor Lu, "Well, it looks like she’s fine after all! No need to treat the injury. You can just go home!"
"Absolutely not!" Doctor Lu wasn’t about to let the old woman off the hook. "For treating a broken bone, plus my consultation fee... you don’t have to pay the full four taels of silver, but it can’t be any less than two taels."
"What?" the old woman shrieked. "She’s already awake, and you still want two taels of silver!"
"She is awake, yes, but I used Bone Healing Ointment and a high-quality splint on her. That alone costs at least one tael of silver. Add the one tael for my consultation fee, and the total is two taels. Not a single coin less." Doctor Lu’s expression was stern, leaving no room for argument.
The old woman was seething, but with so many people watching, she couldn’t possibly refuse to pay.
’Hmph! Just you wait until you’re recovered. I’ll show you how I deal with you!’ The old woman shot a glare at the frail, swaying Mrs. Zhao, then gnashed her teeth. Finally, she went into her room, took out the savings she had hidden for years, and handed it to Doctor Lu.
Just then, Mrs. Zhao released Bai Zhi’s hand and walked over to the village chief. "Village chief, while you’re here today, I would like to formally request to split our household. I hope you can oversee the process for us."
These were words she had kept buried in her heart for a very, very long time, and today, she had finally said them aloud.
Ever since Sanzhu’s death, she and Zhi’er hadn’t lived a single good day.
Every time she saw her mother-in-law and eldest sister-in-law beat and curse Zhi’er, she wanted to split from the household. But she always lacked the courage and never dared to say the words out loud.
When she saw Zhi’er lying lifeless on the straw mat today, she had wished she could trade her own life for her daughter’s. Now that Zhi’er was alive again, she could no longer let her live under the watch of those two wicked women. Otherwise, sooner or later, Zhi’er would die at their hands again.
The village chief could certainly understand Mrs. Zhao’s feelings and supported her decision wholeheartedly. Those two vicious women were getting more and more outrageous. They treated their own children like precious treasures but didn’t see other people’s children as human.