"Does the hospital have a vehicle to transport them? I’ll pay for it." Bai Jiu thought of the ambulances from the modern era.
The nurse shook her head. "No." How could the hospital afford such a luxury? Even the county didn’t have special transport vehicles. Maybe big cities did?
Bai Jiu burst into tears. What was she supposed to do now? She was completely out of options.
After settling Gouwa down, Gouwa’s father and Weimin came over to check on Xiuxiu and Zhengyang. As soon as they arrived, they saw Bai Jiu squatting on the ground, crying. They quickly asked what had happened. Upon learning about Xiuxiu and Zhengyang’s condition, the two men hated Erzhu to the core.
"Bai Jiu, how about I drive the tractor to take Xiuxiu and the others over?" Weimin asked. It had to be better than waiting here for them to wake up on their own.
Bai Jiu shook her head. "No, we can’t. Xiuxiu and Zhengyang injured their heads. They can’t risk another injury, and riding a bumpy tractor would only hurt them further."
If it were possible, of course she would want to do it. But the nurse had said it was impossible. Now, Gao Weimin was powerless to help.
"Xiuxiu and Zhengyang will be fine. Weimin, thank you for today." Bai Jiu bowed to Gao Weimin. If it weren’t for him, Xiuxiu and Zhengyang might have already stopped breathing.
"Bai Jiu, there’s no need for that," he replied. "Brother Zhijun and I are good friends. Even if it were a stranger, I wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing." After all, lives were at stake. Thinking of Gao Erzhu, Gao Weimin gritted his teeth in hatred. "Bai Jiu, what are we going to do about Erzhu?"
At the mention of Erzhu’s name, hatred surged within Bai Jiu. "I won’t let him get away with this. If anything happens to Xiuxiu and Zhengyang, I’ll make him pay with his life."
Gao Weimin opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Instead, Gouwa’s father chimed in, "Count me in."
Meanwhile, back in the village, Gao Erzhu returned home carrying the rabbit, eager to claim credit.
The village was already in an uproar because Gouwa and Zhengyang had fallen into the water. However, Old Mrs. Song was quite pleased to see the rabbit in her eldest grandson’s hands.
"Where did you get this?" she asked. With so much meat, she could make a good, nourishing meal for Yulan.
"I snatched it. They didn’t want to hand it over at first, but I beat them up and took it," Gao Erzhu said, not feeling the slightest bit of remorse.
His grandmother had always told him that everything belonging to Aunt Bai Jiu was meant for him and Aunt Yulan. That meant whatever Xiuxiu and Zhengyang had belonged to him anyway. Snatching it back was perfectly justified.
"What?" Old Mrs. Song shrieked. "Don’t tell me you were the one who pushed Xiuxiu and the others into the water pit!" While waiting for Erzhu’s answer, Old Mrs. Song’s heart leapt into her throat.
"That’s right!" Erzhu said with a delighted expression. "That useless girl refused to give it to me, so I punched her. Grandma, I’m super strong now! If Gouwa hadn’t helped them, I would have taken it way earlier." His face was full of smugness.
"Hmph, but I didn’t let that useless girl off easy. After grabbing the rabbit, I gave her a good kick too." Erzhu made no attempt to hide his malice; it was written all over his face. He looked just like a little demon.
Even a black-hearted woman like Old Mrs. Song felt a chill run down her spine at the sight of him. Recalling the commotion in the village earlier, a sudden wave of fear washed over her. The rabbit in her hands no longer seemed appetizing.
Would that wretched woman come knocking on their door looking for trouble? Truth be told, after all the fuss Bai Jiu had kicked up recently, Old Mrs. Song had genuinely grown afraid of her.
"You wretched boy, you’ve brought a disaster upon our family!" Old Mrs. Song scolded. But fearful or not, her eldest grandson was still her eldest grandson. She had to find a way to protect him.
Soon, Old Mrs. Song sought out her eldest son, her eldest daughter-in-law, and her husband to discuss the matter.
Upon hearing the news, Old Man Gao marched straight up to Erzhu and slapped him across the face, hitting him so hard his mouth bled.
Lin Guihua was furious. "Dad, why are you hitting Erzhu? He didn’t do anything wrong! Is that meat something those little bastards deserve to eat?"
Hmph! Why should she have to work like a horse at home while Bai Jiu got to call the shots in her own home? It was just a snatched rabbit. It was just a push into the water. What was the big deal? It wasn’t like they died.
"You stupid woman, what do you know?" Old Mrs. Song spat angrily. "Our family is in deep trouble! That wretched woman isn’t going to let us off easily." Her heart ached just thinking about the money that had been extorted from her. And now this had happened? How were they supposed to live in peace?
"Dad, let’s go to the hospital and check on Xiuxiu and Zhengyang," Gao Zhishan suggested, genuinely worried about the two kids. He might have been a coward, but he had a good relationship with his brothers, so he cared about Bai Jiu’s children.
"Go? Why the hell should you go? You don’t even care about your own son! Gao Zhishan, are you even human?" Hearing her husband’s words, Lin Guihua flew into a rage and screamed at him.
"WAAAH!" Erzhu, smarting from the slap, wailed miserably.
"If you dare lay a finger on my son again, I’ll skin you alive!" Seeing her eldest son being bullied by his wife, Old Mrs. Song was thoroughly displeased. She stepped forward and delivered a stinging slap to Lin Guihua, making her yelp in pain. "Hmph! If I ever catch you getting physical with my eldest son again, you can pack up and roll back to your parents’ house!"
Between her son and her daughter-in-law, Old Mrs. Song always chose her son. Among her sons, however, her favorite was her second son; he was successful and filial.
"I understand," Lin Guihua mumbled. After being put in her place, she suddenly became exceedingly obedient.
Old Man Gao sighed. "Lin Guihua, take Erzhu back to your maiden home for a few days. I’ll have Zhishan go pick you up when it’s time to come back."
It had to be said that Old Man Gao was the only one in the family with any real brains. He knew this matter was far from over. Given Bai Jiu’s temper, if nothing serious had happened, they might have gotten away with it. But if Xiuxiu and Zhengyang suffered even the slightest lasting harm, Erzhu’s life would be forfeit. That woman was ruthlessly fierce.
"Dad?" Lin Guihua didn’t understand his intentions, assuming her father-in-law was trying to kick her out.
"Enough, stop whining." Old Mrs. Song, however, had caught on to her husband’s plan. "Hurry up and pack your things. Take Erzhu back to your parents’ house, and don’t come back until Zhishan comes to get you, do you hear me?" Old Mrs. Song’s fear was mounting. There was no telling what that crazy, wretched woman might do.
"Mom?" Lin Guihua’s brain finally started to catch up. "Are you afraid Bai Jiu will come looking for trouble with Erzhu?"
"What do you think?" Old Mrs. Song was thoroughly exasperated with her eldest daughter-in-law. Even though they were from the same extended family and Lin Guihua was her niece, the woman’s brain was utterly useless. Seeing her stand there frozen, Old Mrs. Song bellowed, "Hurry up and go!"
"Right, right, I’m going!"
"Zhishan, escort them back. Make sure to tell your mother-in-law to keep a close eye on Erzhu," Old Man Gao instructed. Erzhu was his eldest grandson, after all, and he was deeply worried about him.
"I got it, Dad."
Watching her eldest son’s family hastily pack up, Old Mrs. Song seethed with anger. "It’s a complete disaster. Why did we ever marry that crazy woman into this family?" She regretted it immensely. She never should have been so greedy for a bargain back then. If she had known better, she wouldn’t have tried to save a little on the bride price; she should have just married a girl with a clean background into the family. Coming from a middle peasant background, that woman was no good after all!
After the family left, Old Man Gao’s gears started turning again. "Give me fifty yuan. I’m going to take a trip to the hospital in a bit."
As soon as money was mentioned, Old Mrs. Song immediately shut the idea down. "What? Fifty yuan? No way! Why should we give her money? She has more money than I do! During the family division, we gave her two hundred, and later another hundred. Add it all up, and she has almost as much money on hand as I do."