Chapter 85: The Silver in Hand Flew Away Again
After some internal debate, she finally relented, forcing a fake smile onto her grim face. "We can talk this out, we can talk this out. I was just confused for a moment, but I understand now. I completely understand."
Yang Sigeng didn’t actually want to report them to the authorities. Ten taels of silver was no small sum, and he wasn’t about to just let it go. It would be best if they were willing to return the full amount.
"Then cut the crap and return the Silver in full," Yang Sigeng said frankly. "Out of respect for the village chief, we’ll let this matter go."
The village chief nodded. "That would be for the best. Mrs. Bai, aren’t you going to go get the Silver and return it to him?" The village chief knew all too well about Old Mrs. Bai’s extremely greedy nature. Once money entered her pocket, getting her to take it out was no easy task. Today, she was up against a formidable character like Yang Sigeng. If it had been anyone else, it was truly uncertain who would have ended up with the Silver in the end.
In front of someone like Yang Sigeng, there was no point in Old Mrs. Bai trying to play tough or act shameless. It was obvious Yang Sigeng was even tougher and more shameless than she was. Her usual bag of tricks was utterly useless against him.
With no other choice, she could only go into the room and retrieve the neatly wrapped ten taels of silver. The pain in her heart was like having her own flesh carved off.
Yang Sigeng snatched the small cloth pouch from her hand, opened it for a look, and hefted it. The weight was right.
He cupped his fist toward the village chief. "Many thanks to the village chief for stepping in on my behalf today. I’ll take my leave now." A slight smile finally broke through Yang Sigeng’s stern expression.
The village chief nodded. "Go on home. But you must remember, don’t be so impulsive next time. Things can be talked through peacefully."
Yang Sigeng nodded repeatedly. "The village chief is right. Farewell." He was naturally respectful of the village chief, but he didn’t really take the man’s words to heart. ’Some people can be reasoned with,’ he thought, ’but with others, you have to teach them a lesson before they’re willing to listen to reason.’
Once Yang Sigeng and his men were gone, Old Mrs. Bai’s vicious expression returned. She pointed a finger at Bai Zhi and cursed, "Look what you’ve done! You let the Silver I had in my hands slip away! What are you going to do about it?"
Bai Zhi shrugged, her expression coolly indifferent. "Grandma, you should be reasonable. How is this my fault? You’re the ones who injured me. You’re the ones who arranged the marriage. You’re the ones who took the money. Now that the engagement is off, it’s ultimately because of your own cruelty and heartlessness. What did any of this have to do with me from the start?"
Old Mrs. Bai’s heart was now filled with venomous hatred. How could she possibly listen to reason? She bent down, picked up a wooden club dropped by Yang Sigeng’s men, and raised it to strike Bai Zhi and Zhao Lan. "I’ll beat you two bitches to death today to appease the hatred in my heart!"
Doctor Lu and the village chief hurried forward to stop her. Doctor Lu said, "Old Mrs. Bai, don’t blame me for not warning you. You’ve already beaten Bai Zhi so badly she can no longer bear children. And Zhao Lan’s hand is crippled; she won’t be able to do heavy labor in the future. If you injure that hand again, she might not even be able to hold her own rice bowl. Will you be able to take care of her for the rest of her life?"
Those words were like a thunderclap, exploding over the heads of the Bai family and leaving them stunned and reeling.
Zhao Lan was the Bai Family’s main workhorse. ’If she can’t work the fields, who will?’
’Her hand is crippled? Doesn’t that mean she’ll never be able to work the fields again?’
Bai Dazhu and Bai Erzhu’s expressions couldn’t have been more bitter, their hearts filled with regret. ’Why didn’t we go easier on her that day? What are we supposed to do now?’