Bai Jiu rolled her eyes at her. "If you have nothing to do all day, go compost manure. Stop squawking blindly here." Her reputation as a shrew had long spread, so what did she have to fear? If she wasn’t fierce enough, who knew how badly these people would bully her in the future.
Granny Hu walked away in tears. She couldn’t afford to offend Bai Jiu. She hadn’t lived long enough to deal with someone who constantly threatened to drag entire families to their graves. Life was just starting to look up; she still wanted to live for a few more years.
"Wang Qiuyue, I’m warning you one last time. If you mess with me again, I’ll beat you so hard even your parents won’t recognize you." People like her just needed a good thrashing. Once Wang Qiuyue was beaten into submission, she would never dare to act up in front of Bai Jiu again.
"You." Wang Qiuyue was seething with hatred. Unable to win in a fight or an argument, she could only retreat. However, this matter was far from over.
"PTOOEY!" Bai Jiu spat at her retreating back. "Toad."
"Thank you, Ms. Bai." Aiguo was not a man of many words, nor did he wish to argue with the village women. Thus, he usually avoided them. To think that two steamed buns would actually attract someone’s envy.
"It has nothing to do with you. Hurry up and eat, it’s getting cold. Here is a bottle of hot water for you to drink. If you have nothing else to do later, head back early so Aunt Peng won’t worry." Bai Jiu handed the hot water she had prepared for Xiuxiu and the others to Aiguo.
"Yeah, I’ll go back after the fish distribution. Ms. Bai, I have a lot of work points this year. Do you have enough fish? If not, you can have some of mine." Aiguo was truly grateful.
"No need." If she didn’t have enough, she would just spend money to buy more, saving herself from others’ gossiping. She wasn’t afraid, but she didn’t want to implicate others either. "Keep it for you and Aunt Peng to eat. There isn’t much meat to go around all year, so take the fish and properly nourish your bodies. If your health breaks down, you’ll regret it for a lifetime."
After that minor interlude, the fish distribution went quite smoothly. The Gao family also ran into Bai Jiu, but none of them dared to get too close. They all avoided her like they were seeing a vicious wolf. Bai Jiu was actually quite happy that they were so self-aware. It would be best if they had no ties for the rest of their lives.
"Mom, can we finish all this fish?" Zhengyang asked worriedly, looking at the large sack of fish his mother was carrying on her back. Fish was delicious, but once winter passed, it would easily spoil.
"It’s fine, Mom has a plan." The snow here was quite heavy, and the temperature was frighteningly low. Bai Jiu had long decided to build a cellar during the winter. When the time came, she would fetch ice from the river and store it inside. It should easily last until the following year. She wanted to use her spatial dimension as little as possible. After all, there were plenty of smart people in the world, and with Xiuxiu and Zhengyang slowly growing up, it was time to start being more discreet about certain things. Furthermore, she was considering the matter of leaving the village. She had no idea what the procedures were for transferring a household registration in this era.
Before Bai Jiu could sort all these things out, the Bai Family arrived. In the original owner’s memories, the Bai Family rarely contacted her. It wasn’t that they refused to acknowledge her as their daughter, but rather that they were afraid of implicating her if they got too close. The Bai Family’s class status wasn’t that good. Although they weren’t considered bad elements, they were still classified as middle peasants. One had to know that in this era where poor peasants reigned supreme, middle peasants were hardly any better off than bad elements.
"Jiu."
The next day, while Bai Jiu was at home processing the fish she had brought back, she heard a familiar voice ring out from outside the courtyard. Triggered by the voice, the original owner’s memories tumbled around in her mind. In the brief moment Bai Jiu spaced out, a man walked in.
"Xingguo." Perhaps because the original owner’s emotions still lingered, Bai Jiu unconsciously called out. Her eyes turned red as she looked at the person walking toward her. "Xingguo." Without another word, Bai Jiu ran toward the man. Once she reached him, however, she abruptly stopped, completely at a loss for what to do.
"Jiu." The man wasn’t faring much better, clearly overwhelmed with emotion. If it weren’t for their family circumstances, how could they have ever married off their only sister into the countryside? Although their family had been classified as middle peasants, that was only after they had pulled some strings. Once their status was finalized, fear drove them to find a different way out for their beloved sister. In the city, it would have been difficult for Jiu to find a good match, and the people around their neighborhood harbored deep malice toward their family.
"Come inside, Xingguo, hurry inside." Bai Jiu wiped the tears from her face, having snapped back to her senses by now. She was no longer entirely driven by the original owner’s emotions. Of course, she also had a very favorable impression of the family members from the original owner’s memories. If possible, she could use her maiden family’s help to leave the village.
Xiuxiu and Zhengyang had stayed home today. Seeing a stranger come in, both of them remained on guard.
"Xiuxiu, Zhengyang, hurry and greet your uncle. This is your Uncle Xingguo," Bai Jiu immediately introduced him upon seeing the children’s wary expressions. From the time they were born until now, they had only met him once, and they were still very young back then. Bai Xingguo, on the other hand, was overjoyed to see his niece and nephew, and didn’t forget to offer the gifts he had brought.
"Hello, Xiuxiu, Zhengyang. I’m your Uncle Xingguo, and these are gifts for you." Bai Xingguo squatted down to speak to them at eye level. Although he had come in a hurry, he hadn’t forgotten to prepare gifts for the two children. Their parents back home had desperately wanted to come visit, but they had never found the opportunity. Even though they were city folks with jobs, they worked the hardest and most exhausting jobs while still being looked down upon, so they rarely went out or asked for time off.
Bai Jiu had also gleaned some information about the Bai Family’s situation from her memories. It was indeed not easy for them. The two children didn’t immediately accept the gifts. Instead, they looked at their mother. Only after Bai Jiu nodded did they take them. "Thank you, Uncle Xingguo."
"Good kids." Seeing their adorable appearances, Bai Xingguo couldn’t help but pat the tops of their heads affectionately.
"You haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll cook a bowl of noodles for you." Bai Jiu didn’t know how to break the awkwardness for a moment. She couldn’t help it; even though he was the original owner’s relative and she liked him, they were ultimately still strangers to her.
Bai Xingguo waved his hand. "There’s no need, Jiu. I’m here for a reason." Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t have come to find her, as he didn’t want to disrupt her life. Living here was still better than being at her maiden home. Besides, Gao Zhijun was a good man. Even though his work kept him from coming back much throughout the year, he sent all his wages home. He wouldn’t mistreat Jiu and the children.
"Jiu, pack your things and come back with me. Father is dying." Thinking of the purpose of his visit, Bai Xingguo could hardly contain his sorrow. The family had money, but money couldn’t buy back their father’s health. When the weather turned cold a few days ago, he had been assigned to the night watch, but...
"What?" Bai Jiu was shocked by the news. In the original owner’s memories, Father Bai was a perfectly healthy man. Although the family had suffered a heavy blow, he shouldn’t be dying at this age.
"What happened?" Bai Jiu asked anxiously.
"I can’t explain it clearly right now. Just pack up and come back with me first." Bai Xingguo felt a surge of sadness at the thought of his bedridden father.
"Okay." Bai Jiu didn’t dawdle. She immediately packed the valuable items in the house, then gathered two sets of clothes for herself and the children. In no time at all, she had everything packed up.