Bai's grandfather hadn't expected Bai Yihong to stand his ground so defiantly. Seeing the stubbornness in his son's eyes, he couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart. "Very well, so you're determined to protect that girl? Even going so far as to disregard me, your father?" he said.
"I dare not do such a thing, Father. I only ask that you do not take the rumors and slanders about Ruozhu to heart. The girl has done nothing wrong," Bai Yihong, stood perfectly still, not minding how fervently Lin tried to pull him away. He appeared ready to confront his father.
Racing out, Bai Yibo and his wife, Bai Wangshi, came upon the scene. Bai Yibo shouted at Bai Yihong: "What is the meaning of this, brother? Are you not aware of the disrespect you're showing? How dare you defy our father's wishes!"
In his rage, Bai's grandfather, despite acknowledging that Bai Yibo's shouting was not helping, cleared his throat and commanded, "Everyone, inside the house! Stop this bickering!"
Ruozhu followed behind her parents as they entered the house. She took note of the wound Bai Yihong received on her behalf and her heart ached. To know that he could have evaded but chose not to avoid the blow made her feel pitiful. Her father had only chosen to absorb the blow to appease his own.
"Sister-in-law, why won't you reprimand your brother? There's no excuse for speaking to our father that way. Furthermore, it was your own daughter that caused this scandal and dragged us all into it. We've all lost face." Wangshi, full of sarcastic venom, spoke to Lin.
Ruozhu found these words displeasing. She respected her grandfather out of respect for her father. But who did this Wangshi think she was to speak in such a way?
Ruozhu was well aware of what concerned her grandfather at this moment. She immediately turned her gaze on Wangshi and said, "Aunt, could you repeat what you just said? I didn't quite catch that."
Undeterred, Wangshi retorted arrogantly: "Clearly, you didn't hear me the first time. Let me repeat myself. You caused us all embarrassment, and have made association with us a burden!" She yelled so loud it was as if she were using a megaphone.
Bai's grandfather lifted his stick and swung it at Wangshi. "Silence! Who asked you to speak? Get out!" he demanded angrily.
Even though Wangshi had a quick reaction, she couldn't avoid getting a little bit hit. The stick stung her leg and she wailed.
"Father-in-law, what are you doing? You can't show such blatant favoritism! Yibo is an imperial scholar. He just lost his face and has not dared to go out. Recently, he received a job offer for a teaching position, but that opportunity fell through because of this incident. Can't I say just a few words?" Wangshi wept and spoke at the same time. Interestingly, her crying didn't affect the volume of her voice.
The grandfather was so angry that he wanted to stitch her mouth shut. She didn't even understand the basic principle of not airing one's dirty laundry in public—what a disgrace!
In the background, Ruozhu chuckled. This aunt of hers truly wasn't skilled in dealing with conflicts. No wonder she was always defeated by her mother.
"What are you talking about, sister-in-law? Our family has already explained the situation to the village chief. We even have the witness and the token. Now, you're spreading rumors, if someone hears them, they may think you want to defame your own niece." Lin, being both bold and articulate, immediately hit back.
"Aunt, which school did you just mention? I'll go into town and explain things to them later. I wouldn't want to hold up my uncle's future." Ruozhu added, feigning concern.
Wangshi didn't expect Ruozhu to respond this way and was at a loss for words. Ruozhu chuckled to herself; Wangshi was making things up on the spot. Considering her uncle's everlasting status as a scholar, who would hire him as a teacher? Wasn't that just a way to mislead people?
Wangshi was about to curse at Ruozhu when the sound of her father-in-law tapping his cane on the floor interrupted her. "Elder sister, can't you hear me when I speak? Go help your mother cook. Are you standing here because you're trying to avoid doing work?"
Bai Yibo hurriedly gestured to Wangshi, urging her not to anger Bai's grandfather further. Wangshi shot Ruozhu a spiteful glance before leaving the room.
"Enough of this nonsense. Don't you think I know what's been happening in your household? If it was truly a marriage ceremony, wouldn't you have informed me?" Bai's grandfather was very concerned with face, so he lowered his voice when he spoke. Despite the rage he felt, he didn't want his words to travel beyond the room. As he held back his outburst, his face began to turn red.
Feeling a bit cornered, Bai Yihong replied, "Father, it's true. If you don't believe it, you can ask Zhou Deshun. Chang Sheng's marriage to our family was matrilocal. I know you don't like this kind of arrangement. We didn't tell you just to prevent you from getting angry."
Bai Fu swung his cane again. Instead of aiming at someone, he hit the floor hard. "Fine. You're so protective of that shameless wench that you don't even respect me, your father?"
Ruozhu knew it was inappropriate for her to interrupt when the elders were speaking. For the Bai family, led by Bai Fu, a scholarly individual, this was particularly important. He held to the saying: 'At mealtime, do not speak. On retiring, do not argue.' However, Ruozhu was dissatisfied with this situation. Regardless, she kept her eyes down and patiently endured the admonition. All of a sudden, she heard the sound of the cane hitting flesh. When she looked up, she realized it wasn't her that had been hit, but her elder brother, Bai Zehao.
Bai Zehao, who was tall and strong for Mountain Village standards, was quick to step in front of Ruozhu. He glared angrily at their grandfather and, in doing so, astonishingly managed to intimidate him.
"Big brother, are you okay?" Ruozhu cried out in surprise. The sound of the previous beat had been quite loud. Their grandfather had put all his strength into that strike. She hastily pulled on Bai Zehao's shoulders to check him. Despite the severe pain, Bai Zehao managed to grit his teeth and conjure up a strained smile. "I'm fine," he reassured her. "Just be careful not to get hurt."
Ruozhu felt a prickling sensation in her nose. Her father and brother had both been wounded because of her. Even though the real cause wasn't her fault, the distress she felt in her heart was unspeakable.
"Oh, is that how it is? You've all turned against me for her. Fine then, from now on, you are no longer a part of the Bai family!" Bai Fu spoke angrily, throwing his cane to the ground.
Although Ruozhu initially didn't want to confront her grandfather, fearing that it would only escalate the situation further, at this point she couldn't hold back anymore.
She stepped from behind her elder brother and stood face to face with her grandfather. "Grandfather, you mentioned that my father doesn't listen to you. But do you ever listen to us? You'd rather believe the slanderous words of outsiders than the words of your own children and grandchildren. Would you really beat to death your own great-grandson because of the gossip of others? Don't forget, Chang Sheng married into our family. My child will carry the Bai surname!"
This outburst from Ruozhu left her grandfather blinking at her in surprise. He shifted his gaze between her and her belly, deep in thought.
The rest of the family didn't dare to make a sound, fearful of provoking the grandfather further. Bai Zehao had his gaze intently focused on the cane in his hand, worried that it might once again be used to harm his baby sister.
However, Ruozhu stared back defiantly. She had done nothing wrong—why should she back down?