Chapter 30: Slapping the Face
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Bai and Liu’s faces instantly darkened. With no one to work their own land, their fields lay empty and fallow, yet here she was, ignoring her own family’s farm to go help someone else?
Fearing Old Li had gotten things wrong, Old Mrs. Bai asked, "That can’t be right. Zhao Lan broke her right arm. How can she farm with just one hand?"
Old Li chuckled. "For a hardworking person, one hand is still enough to get things done. For a lazy person, even four healthy limbs are useless." He shot the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law a sly grin, then shouldered his hoe and headed home.
Liu froze for a moment, then turned to Old Mrs. Bai. "Mother, was he indirectly insulting us?"
Old Mrs. Bai shot her a glare and snapped, "Couldn’t you tell for yourself?"
It finally dawned on Liu. She gritted her teeth. "That damn Old Li has such a nasty mouth. He’d better stay out of my sight from now on."
Old Mrs. Bai hmphed. "And what if you do? You think you can lay a hand on him? Have you forgotten that two of his three sons are pig butchers? Is he someone you can afford to provoke?"
Liu’s bravado instantly vanished. She thought of Old Li’s sons, each one more formidable than the last. Then she looked at her own husband and sons: a lazy glutton of a husband, a good-for-nothing older son, and a scholar for a younger son. The three of them combined wouldn’t be a match for even one of Old Li’s boys.
"I was just talking, that’s all. Why would I go looking for trouble with them?" Liu gave a hollow laugh.
Old Mrs. Bai couldn’t be bothered to respond to her. The anger in her heart burned ever hotter. For Zhao Lan to ignore their family’s land and go work for the Hu family was a blatant slap in her face. The villagers were surely laughing at her behind her back.
"Mother, what do we do now? Should we break down this door and go in to get her?" Liu asked.
Old Mrs. Bai shook her head. "No. This house belongs to Hu Changlin. If you break his door, he’ll make you pay for it. Are you going to pay?"
"So we’re just supposed to drop it?" Seeing the look on her mother-in-law’s face, Liu knew she already had a plan.
Old Mrs. Bai snorted coldly. "Drop it? Nothing in this world comes that cheap. Since Zhao Lan’s hand is well enough to work, then today’s the day we make her and that little slut, Bai Zhi, come home. We can’t let her stay here with the Hu family, giving Hu Changlin a free ride."
Liu’s face lit up at the suggestion. If Zhao Lan came back, that little slut Bai Zhi would naturally have to come back too. Then there would be someone to do the chores, saving her a lot of work.
"So we just wait here, then?"
"Wait for what?" Old Mrs. Bai said. "We’re going home first. We’ll wait for Dazhu and Erzhu to get back from town, then we’ll all come together. We’ll drag her back by force if we have to." She was mainly worried about Hu Feng of the Hu family. She’d heard he knew kung fu. Just the two of them, a pair of women, would be no match for them. But with Dazhu and Erzhu, their odds would be much better.
The sun grew more intense, and Liu was eager to leave. But she was still disappointed about the eggs. "Mother, what about the eggs?"
"Don’t you worry about that," Old Mrs. Bai said. "When Dazhu and Erzhu are dragging Zhao Lan away, we’ll use the excuse of going inside to pack her things. You think we won’t be able to find the eggs then?"
Liu wanted to give her mother-in-law a thumbs-up. ’She really has a plan for everything.’
"What are you staring at me for? Let’s go!" Old Mrs. Bai glared at Liu. ’This woman is so high and mighty when she’s lecturing Zhao Lan and Bai Zhi at home, but the second she’s out the door, she’s a total coward. She’s not all there in the head, completely useless. In the end, I have to be the one to handle everything.’