"Mom." Xiang Gaoli was already embarrassed, and hearing her mother say this made her even more self-conscious.
Mother Bai immediately came to her defense. "You can’t scold her, Mother Xiang. I was the one who told her to go rest. She woke up at the perfect time. Gaoli, go wake Xingguo up. We’re about to have dinner."
Seeing this, Xie Mei was delighted, though she didn’t show it on her face.
Father Bai and Father Xiang didn’t care about these women’s squabbles. The two men drank tea and chatted. In the past, the two of them definitely wouldn’t have had much in common. But after experiencing so much, Father Bai was no longer the pedantic scholar he once was. He understood the ways of the world now, and the two chatted happily.
"We have to have a good drink tonight. We won’t rest until we’re drunk," Father Bai said. After being nagged for so many days, it was rare to indulge himself on his son’s wedding day. Besides, his old lady wouldn’t scold him today either.
"No problem! But I heard from Xingguo that you injured your health earlier. Will you be okay?" Father Xiang asked with some concern.
Father Bai patted his chest. "What problem? I’ve completely recovered."
That night, the two families truly ate from the same pot. From now on, any minor squabbles would just be internal family matters.
Nobody sought Bai Xingguo out for drinks that evening, as he still had a wedding night to attend to.
The Xiang family also headed home after dinner. Before they left, Bai Jiu asked Mother Xiang about buying a job. Unfortunately, there weren’t any for sale at the moment. Mother Xiang told her to wait a bit longer. Bai Jiu didn’t mind.
However, she had to return to the village the next day. She hadn’t been able to stay long last time, and this time she needed to tidy up her house. Furthermore, she wanted to go back and let Aunt Peng and the others who cared about her know she was safe. This was especially true for the neighbors living next door; she didn’t know how worried they must have been.
The next day, upon hearing that she was heading back to Gaocun Village again, her family was extremely worried. Ultimately, they decided that Bai Xinghua would accompany her.
Bai Jiu had no objections. She had already delivered most of the gifts last time, so this trip was merely to pack up some household items and bring them back.
Along the way, Bai Xinghua was thrilled, constantly asking questions.
"I don’t mind if you want to go up the mountain, but heavy snow has blocked the paths now. It’s quite dangerous. Let’s wait until spring," Bai Jiu said. In the dead of winter, who knew if there would be large wild animals roaming about? Getting hurt would be disastrous. Even someone like her, who had a supernatural advantage, didn’t dare venture deep into the mountains; at most, she would stroll around the outskirts of the village. She absolutely refused to go any deeper.
Otherwise, she definitely would have gone up the mountain to try her luck. After all, the environment hadn’t been polluted by industry yet, and there were likely some aged, high-quality medicinal herbs growing there. Hoarding them now would be incredibly useful in the future. She did have an idea, though she still needed to ask around first.
Hearing that they couldn’t go this time, Bai Xinghua felt a bit disappointed. But he knew his sister was just worried about him, so he didn’t press the issue. "I’ll listen to you, Jiu."
The two of them rode a single bicycle, which was draped with the thank-you gifts Mother Bai had prepared. These were meant to thank the fellow villagers who had originally escorted Bai Jiu to the hospital. Among them, Aunt Li and Aunt Peng’s gifts were the most generous.
Bai Jiu didn’t try to hide her return to the village. Plus, since she was being driven by an unfamiliar young man, quite a few people who heard the news came out to watch the commotion.
"Jiu, are we going home now, or are we going to find the production team captain?" Bai Xinghua asked, unfamiliar with the roads.
Bai Jiu thought for a moment. "Let’s go home first to divide the items. It’s not good to carry everything door-to-door." It wasn’t that she was stingy. Times were tough for everyone right now, and she was afraid of inciting jealousy, especially since she had fallen out so fiercely with the Gao family. She didn’t care about herself, but she worried that if she still lived in the village, the children wouldn’t be able to bear the gossip. Although she planned to leave the village, it was still up in the air whether it would succeed. If it didn’t, she would have to stay in the village for at least another two years.
"Oh, which way?"
"This way. The road is a bit rough. I’ll get off in a moment, and you can ride over by yourself." This wasn’t the main road in the village, and it was genuinely difficult to navigate a bicycle here. There was even a section where they would have to push the bike, otherwise, they wouldn’t make it up the slope.
"Jiu, why are you living out here? Wouldn’t the Gao family let you stay?" He knew she had separated from the family, but he didn’t realize she wasn’t living in the Gao family home. He had been there before, and no matter how he looked at it, there was enough room.
"I don’t want to live there. It’s annoying." Thinking of the Gao family, Bai Jiu’s expression soured.
Seeing her somber tone, Bai Xinghua didn’t dare press further. However, he figured it was for the best that she moved out to live alone with the children. If the conditions were too poor, he and his brothers could just come over and help her repair the house. Anyway, she had also mentioned wanting to buy a job, so perhaps she would be able to move back home then. Compared to her living in the village, he much preferred her living back at home.
Upon returning to the dilapidated courtyard, Bai Jiu saw two heads bobbing around next door to her small yard.
"Uncle Wu, Uncle Li, aren’t you cold?" Seeing there were no outsiders around, Bai Jiu walked straight toward the two of them. Naturally, she didn’t hide anything from her younger brother.
When Uncle Wu and Uncle Li saw Bai Jiu approaching, they hastily glanced around. "Child, what are you running over here for?" they said nervously as she came closer.
"There are no outsiders around," Bai Jiu said. Hearing their words, her heart felt warm. This kind of care brought her a deep sense of comfort.
"That’s my younger brother, Xinghua. He’s one of us." Seeing them looking behind her, Bai Jiu quickly explained. Hearing this, the two men finally let out a genuine sigh of relief.
"Are you alright? Have you completely recovered? How’s your health? Did it leave any lasting issues?" the two elders immediately bombarded her with questions.
"I’m fine. The illness is gone, and my health is great." As she spoke, Bai Jiu even hopped twice. "No lasting issues." She had medicine in her hands; how could it possibly leave any lasting issues? She wasn’t even afraid of pneumonia, much less a high fever.
"Alright, stop hopping. We believe you." Seeing that she was just the same as before, the two of them put their minds at ease.
"You go back first. We can chat more tonight." Even if no one was around, they didn’t dare stand too close to Bai Jiu for fear of bringing her trouble.
"Alright. I actually brought some grain back for you. It’ll help you nourish your bodies. Spring will be here before we know it, and it’ll be tough if your bodies can’t keep up when the time comes."
"Okay." The two were delighted and didn’t stand on ceremony with her. Being too polite would just distance them.
Bai Xinghua hadn’t approached. Looking at Elder Wu and the other man’s attire, Bai Xinghua had his suspicions. Coincidentally, his sister also returned after exchanging just a few words with them.
"Jiu, who are they?" Bai Xinghua asked worriedly as he watched their retreating figures.
"They were sent down here. They’re all unfortunate souls," Bai Jiu didn’t hide it from him.
Bai Xinghua gasped. "Jiu, how dare you!" These were not people to associate with. If anyone found out...
"It’s fine. It’s remote here, and people rarely come around. Besides, the people of Gaocun Village are actually quite decent. They might not be friendly to them, but they aren’t as fanatical as the people in the city." She had learned this from the original owner of her body. Otherwise, these old, weak, and sick individuals wouldn’t have been able to survive until now.
"That’s good, but it’s still best to keep your distance," Bai Xinghua couldn’t help but advise. He was genuinely afraid.
"Mm, I know." Bai Jiu didn’t argue with him and readily agreed. As for whether she would actually do it, that was another matter entirely.