"Your money is your own, but you can’t spend it like this. You still have Xiuxiu and Zhengyang to raise." These things must have cost at least a hundred yuan, maybe even more. He couldn’t let his little sister spend all her savings. Otherwise, how would she hold her head up at her in-laws’ house?
Although he didn’t understand why his sister wasn’t living with the Gao family, he figured they had just divided the household.
Since she was managing her own household now, she needed to be even more frugal with her money.
"Brother, we’re a family. There’s no need to draw such clear lines between us." Bai Jiu felt helpless. Why did everyone think she couldn’t afford to raise two children?
Couldn’t they see how fair and chubby she had raised them to be?
Even raising two more wouldn’t be a problem.
"Enough, you have to listen to me on this. Otherwise, you can carry all these things back home." Bai Xingguo couldn’t let his sister be put in a difficult position.
Bai Jiu couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.
"Fine, fine. I’ll just ask Mother for the money later." She really had no way to deal with him.
She filled the grain bins and put the groceries away.
"Brother, do we have any homegrown vegetables?" She had completely forgotten to buy any at the market.
"We do. There are radishes and cabbages in the cellar. I’ll go get them." Of course they grew vegetables. Ever since they moved back to the old house, his mother had converted the backyard garden into a vegetable patch.
They had only managed to survive these past few years thanks to that plot of land.
"Then go grab two cabbages and some radishes. Tonight, we’ll make braised meat with radishes, stir-fry the cabbage stalks with shredded pork, and use the cabbage leaves for a soup. We’ll also stew some chicken soup to nourish Father." She still hadn’t bought everything they needed today. She would have to make another trip tomorrow to stock up on more food.
She had forgotten to buy eggs.
As for the pork bones, they would save them for tomorrow. Making bone broth took a long time, and it was definitely too late for that now.
"Alright, whatever you say." Since she had already bought all of it, he wasn’t going to let his sister and her children eat poorly.
"Zhengyang, go check if your grandpa is awake," Bai Xingguo said happily. Finally, there was laughter in the house again.
Hearing his uncle, Zhengyang immediately ran off.
He returned a short while later.
"Uncle, Grandpa is awake! Grandpa is awake!"
Hearing the news, Bai Jiu immediately stoked the fire. "Brother, go help Father take a bath. He sweated so much; he’ll feel uncomfortable if he doesn’t wash up." She needed to boil more water.
"Should we bathe him in his room or somewhere else?" Bai Jiu asked, unsure of the usual routine.
"Just in his room. I’ll go bring the tub in there," Bai Xingguo said after a moment’s thought.
If he helped his father out to bathe, he was afraid the older man might catch a chill walking back.
It was better to do it in the room. The heated kang bed was running, keeping the room warm. At worst, he would just have to carry the dirty water out bucket by bucket afterward.
"Alright, go get the tub. I’ll mix the hot and cold water and carry it in shortly."
After Father Bai finished his bath, he looked much more energetic. In just half a day, he had undergone a tremendous change.
"My sister is cooking outside. Don’t be in a rush, Father. Stay warm under the covers for now. When it’s time to eat, I’ll have her come in and eat with you," Bai Xingguo said, noticing his father constantly peering toward the door.
He knew his father missed her. While bathing, the old man kept saying he had dreamt of his daughter.
Even when told that she was actually back, he still didn’t believe it because he hadn’t seen her with his own eyes.
"Yes. That was Zhengyang just now, right? He’s grown so much. Go buy some snacks; we can’t let him go without treats." Meeting his grandson for the first time filled Father Bai’s heart with boundless joy.
"Don’t worry, they’re already bought. Don’t fret over it. Just rest up, and I’ll have Zhengyang come in to keep you company."
Bai Xingguo then brought out the medicine his sister had given him. "Father, take this medicine. Sister went through a lot of trouble to get it."
He was afraid his father would be too frugal to take it.
"Alright, I’ll take it." He didn’t want to die yet. He still wanted to see his family reunite.
After tidying up the room, Bai Xingguo cracked the window open a sliver and carried the bathtub out.
Once outside, the savory aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen was impossible to hide.
"Sister, Father misses Zhengyang and Xiuxiu. Let them go in and keep him company." The moment Bai Xingguo entered the kitchen, he passed the message to Bai Jiu.
Bai Jiu naturally had no objections. "Sure, it’ll be a while before the food is ready anyway." Since she was cooking quite a feast tonight, it wouldn’t be done immediately.
"Zhengyang, Xiuxiu, why don’t you go into the room and keep Grandpa company?" Even though she had agreed, Bai Jiu still asked for her children’s input.
The two children were very sensible and, of course, were happy to oblige.
"Okay, Mother. My sister and I will go right now."
"We need to bring tasty treats! Grandpa must be hungry after sleeping for so long. I’ll share my snacks with him," Xiuxiu said, eager to spend time with the old man.
As she left, she didn’t forget to grab her stash of snacks.
"Alright, take them all." Among the snacks she had bought, the rice cakes were soft and perfect for an elderly person to eat.
However, it wouldn’t be good to eat too much. "Make sure you only give Grandpa a little bit. We’re going to eat dinner soon."
Having had a fever for so many days, his stomach hadn’t had a single drop of rich food. Eating too much right now would cause indigestion.
"Mhm, I’ll just give him a tiny bit." Xiuxiu pinched her fingers together to show how little.
Watching the two little ones skip happily toward the main house, a rare smile appeared on Bai Xingguo’s face.
"You’ve raised Xiuxiu and Zhengyang very well, sister." The children’s behavior reminded him of Bai Jiu when she was little.
"It’s not about teaching them anything. Village kids run wild, so they aren’t afraid of strangers." Bai Jiu didn’t feel like she had deliberately taught them much.
They were still young; there wasn’t much need for strict teaching yet anyway.
"By the way, Brother, when I went out to get firewood earlier, I saw someone climbing the wall next door. Who lives there?" Bai Jiu asked, recalling what she had witnessed.
Upon hearing this, Bai Xingguo’s smiling face instantly darkened.
"Hmph, the people next door are up to no good. All they do is spy on our house every day. It seems the smell of your cooking meat drifted over." Just thinking about their neighbors ruined his mood.
"Don’t worry, your big brother is here." No matter what situation the Bai Family was in, they were good, upstanding people. Did those neighbors really think the Bais were afraid of them?
But Bai Xingguo had underestimated human nature.
Some people became terrifying even to themselves when consumed by jealousy.
Sure enough, catching a whiff of the meat, the family next door was like cats smelling fish. If they couldn’t get a bite, they wouldn’t be able to rest easy.
BANG BANG BANG.
Just as Bai Xingguo finished speaking, someone started pounding on the courtyard door.
"You little brats! What kind of good food are you hiding in there? Hurry up and bring it out for everyone to taste!" Along with the knocking came a shrill, acrimonious voice from outside.
Listen to that. How utterly shameless.
Bai Jiu paused what she was doing and looked at her brother.
Seeing the suppressed rage on his face, she knew this wasn’t the first or second time this had happened.
It seemed they frequently bullied her family.
"Brother, keep an eye on the fire under the pot. I’ll go take a look." A shouting match? Hah, she was never afraid of that.
"Don’t go, sister." Hearing that she was going to open the door, Bai Xingguo immediately stopped her.
"I’ll go."
But Bai Jiu had no intention of letting her brother handle it. This person had likely bullied him plenty of times already. "She’s just an old woman. What use is there in you going? I’ll handle it."
The members of the Bai Family were all gentle by nature. In the past, they had always been known as an amiable household.
Therefore, when it came to arguing, it had to be her.
No matter how shameless or vicious this person was, could she possibly surpass Old Mrs. Song?
Shoving the spatula into her brother’s hands, Bai Jiu marched outside.