Doctor Reborn as a Peasant Girl? Time to Get Rich

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Refusing a Toast Only to Drink a Forfeit

Fortunately, they’d had the foresight that morning to leave the eggs at Uncle Hu’s house. Even if those two went and turned the place upside down, they wouldn’t find so much as a single eggshell.

Bai Zhi walked out of the room, beaming at the old woman and Liu. ”Grandmother, Aunt, you’re both such busy people. How could we trouble you to get our things for us? We’d be so embarrassed.”

Nowadays, the very sight of Bai Zhi made Old Mrs. Bai’s skin crawl. It was even worse when Bai Zhi smiled at her; a shiver went down her spine, a mix of indescribable revulsion and a faint, inexplicable fear. She didn’t dare to look Bai Zhi in the eye and waved her hand impatiently. ”Cut the crap. You can do this the easy way or the hard way. Hand over the keys. How can we let the Bai family’s property just sit in someone else’s house? If an item or two goes missing, won’t we have to spend silver on replacements?”

’The nerve of her to say something like that.’ None of Bai Zhi and Zhao Lan’s clothes were a good fit or even intact. They were old and baggy, covered with patches—clearly the tattered rags the rest of the Bai family refused to wear, all fobbed off on this mother and daughter.

Bai Zhi turned to Zhao Lan. ”Mom, since Grandmother and Aunt are free right now, just let them go. I’m not done with my work yet, and with your hand, you can’t help. It’s a perfect chance to trouble them for once.”

Zhao Lan hadn’t yet figured out what was happening, but if her daughter had spoken, she must have her reasons. Without another word, she took the key from her inner robes and handed it to Liu.

Liu snatched the key and, without another word, rushed out of the courtyard with the old woman, heading toward Hu Changlin’s house.

Zhao Lan pulled Bai Zhi aside and quickly asked, ”What’s going on?”

Bai Zhi leaned close to her ear and whispered, ”They’re most likely after the eggs Yingzi brought over this morning. It’s fine. Let them search. There’s nothing in that room anyway.”

Understanding dawned on Zhao Lan, and a mocking smile touched her lips. ”It looks like they’re doomed to return disappointed.”

Bai Zhi helped Zhao Lan back into the house. The room was already clean. She had thrown out all the soaking-wet straw from the bed, leaving just a couple of old garments spread over the bare wooden planks.

”Mom, please sit. I’ll get some water for you to wash your face.” She said she’d fetch water, but then she realized there wasn’t a single basin in the room. Their only one had been taken to the wooden house.

Seeing her daughter’s fallen expression, Zhao Lan quickly said, ”It’s fine if there’s no basin. Just wet a cloth for me to wipe my face. That’ll be enough.”

Bai Zhi said nothing. She took the cloth and went outside, her slender fingers gripping it tightly as anger smoldered and grew inside her. ’I can’t even imagine what kind of miserable life the original Bai Zhi and Zhao Lan must have endured in this family.’

Cloth in hand, she headed straight for the main house. In its back courtyard stood a large water vat, which was usually kept full. Fetching the water to fill it was a task that fell almost entirely to Bai Zhi and Zhao Lan, a ceaseless chore they performed year-round. The men of the family would see them but never once lifted a finger to help, as if it was simply the mother and daughter’s ordained role to do all the household labor.

Bai Zhi walked directly to the vat. Before she could even lift the lid, Bai Xiaofeng’s voice drifted over from a small, covered shed in the courtyard. ”Bai Zhi, get over here and grind my ink.”

Bai Xiaofeng did his daily schoolwork in this small shed. The main house was dim, and to save money on lamp oil, Old Mrs. Bai had made Bai Dazhu and Bai Erzhu build a small canopy in the courtyard. They placed a wide wooden table under it, creating a space especially for Bai Xiaofeng to practice his calligraphy and study.

Bai Zhi shot him a glance but otherwise ignored him. She lifted the lid of the water vat, scooped out a ladleful of water, soaked the cloth, and wrung it dry.