Mother Xiang looked at her dazed daughter, who was still holding an exquisite box in her hands.
"What’s wrong?" she quickly asked. Without waiting for a reply, Mother Xiang opened the box herself.
Xiang Gaoli didn’t stop her. She had felt a bit guilty accepting such an expensive item anyway, and she wanted to ask for her mother’s opinion.
Upon learning it was a gift from Bai Jiu, Mother Xiang sighed. "It seems Bai Jiu is quite something. People used to say she’d become a burden to her maiden family, but now, it looks like they are the ones benefiting from her." She couldn’t help but marvel at how successful the Bai family’s daughter had become.
To give away something as valuable as a watch so easily meant she had plenty of good things on hand and certainly wasn’t lacking in money.
"Treat Bai Jiu well from now on. She considers you family, so don’t do anything foolish," she advised her daughter earnestly.
"What are you saying, Mother? My relationship with Jiu’er is great." Xiang Gaoli was sensible and understood exactly what her mother meant. "I always remember how good she is to me. Mother, what do you think I should give her in return?"
In their region, there was a custom for a newlywed bride to give greeting gifts to the younger generation. Even though Bai Jiu didn’t lack anything, Xiang Gaoli still had to give her something. The items she had previously prepared clearly wouldn’t do anymore.
Mother Xiang also found herself in a dilemma. Their gifts truly couldn’t compare to what the Bai family’s daughter had given.
"Let me discuss it with your father when he gets back," she said, unable to come up with a good idea on the spot.
Bai Jiu had no idea that her wedding gift had thrown the Xiang family into such a dilemma.
Currently resting at home to recover from her illness, she casually helped her family prepare all the food for the upcoming New Year. The food previously made for the wedding had also been frozen, simply waiting for the joyous day to arrive.
That noon, Bai Jiu was granted a rare permission to go outside. She was planning to find a way to sneak some fruit out of her spatial dimension to eat. Not eating any fruit in the dead of winter left her feeling incredibly parched.
Before she could even step out, the courtyard door was pushed open. Seeing the person who returned, Bai Jiu was taken aback.
"Xingguo, why are you back?" Because his wedding was fast approaching, Bai Xingguo rarely took time off work.
"Great news, Jiu’er! The verdict for the Gao family mother and son is out. Both got the death penalty!" Bai Xingguo was thrilled for his younger sister. No one was more excited than him to see those who bullied her finally get their comeuppance.
Bai Jiu was stunned for a moment, but her shock was quickly replaced by joy.
"We’re eating meat tonight!" With a grand wave of her hand, she decided on a lavish dinner for the evening.
Seeing her reaction, Bai Xingguo was the one who stood there in a daze. Fortunately, a voice snapped him out of it.
"Xingguo, come in for a moment," Father Bai’s voice sounded from behind them.
"Go on, Xingguo. I’m going out to buy some groceries so we can celebrate." Bai Jiu was genuinely happy. She hadn’t expected the verdict to come down in just two days. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, and this news was truly the perfect appetizer.
Bai Xingguo nodded. "Alright, but don’t buy too much. The house is already overflowing with the things you bought." Unable to stop his sister’s hoarding habits, he could only offer a word of caution, afraid she would spend recklessly out of excitement.
"I know!"
They really didn’t lack anything at home, but she just couldn’t resist the urge to shop.
After Bai Jiu left, only the two children, Bai Xingguo, and Father Bai remained in the house. The children were practicing their calligraphy in the room. Father Bai didn’t disturb them, instead pulling Bai Xingguo into the kitchen.
"The verdict for the Gao family mother and son is out?" Father Bai had held his tongue for days. He had been quite worried, but now that the sentence was actually handed down, a new sense of unease settled in his heart.
"It’s out! I rushed back to share the good news the moment I heard," Bai Xingguo said, his face beaming with joy.
Father Bai shot him a mildly exasperated glare and glanced outside. Seeing that no one was around, he couldn’t help but say, "No matter what, those two are Zhengyang and Xiuxiu’s grandmother and second uncle. Do you think the children will blame Jiu’er when they grow up?"
Over the past few days, he had discussed this very issue with his wife countless times late at night. At first, she didn’t think much of it. She only felt that their daughter had suffered a terrible injustice and nearly lost her life, so those people deserved to face the firing squad. But after he brought it up so often, she eventually realized the gravity of the situation.
Indeed, no matter how terrible they were, those people were still the children’s biological grandmother and uncle. They were small and naive now, but what about when they grew up? Would they blame their mother?
"They wouldn’t dare!" Bai Xingguo flared up the moment he heard this. His sister had almost been killed by them. If she couldn’t even seek justice for that, she might as well give up on living. She’d just be a pushover for anyone to mold and crush at will.
"If they ever harbor such thoughts, then I’ll feel it was entirely unworthy for Jiu’er to raise them." Bai Xingguo’s previous joy completely vanished. Although he spoke fiercely, he was actually quite worried deep down.
They naturally favored their own family. He loved his sister dearly, but he was also afraid.
"Tell me, what kind of mess is this?" Father Bai let out a heavy sigh.
For a moment, Bai Xingguo didn’t know what to say. But no matter what, Bai Jiu was undoubtedly the most important person in their hearts. After reining in his emotions, Bai Xingguo immediately headed back to work.
Father Bai returned to the room to accompany the two children as they practiced their calligraphy.
"Grandpa, you’ve sighed twenty-three times already." Zhengyang put down his pen and stared intently at his grandfather sitting nearby.
Father Bai felt a bit awkward under the boy’s unwavering gaze, but he quickly chuckled.
"Have you finished writing?" Adult matters should be resolved by adults. The children were still young and shouldn’t be dragged into their problems. He figured that if these children turned out to be unreliable in the future, he would just have Xingguo and his brothers work harder to ensure their sister always had a secure foundation to fall back on.
"I’m finished. Grandpa, can you tell me why you’re sighing?" Though Zhengyang was young, he was mature for his age. Seeing his grandfather like this, he easily guessed that something was weighing on his mind.
His mother had just been in a terrible accident a few days ago, which had scared him half to death. If something happened to his grandfather now, he would simply cry himself to death.
Father Bai patted the top of his head. "Grandpa is fine. Come, let me see if your handwriting has improved."
Beside them, Xiuxiu wrote slower than her brother, and her handwriting wasn’t as neat. It couldn’t be helped; she had less strength and found gripping the pen a bit strenuous. Plus, the little girl didn’t particularly enjoy writing to begin with. There was no point in forcing her. If she was slow, then so be it.
Compared to the anxious Father Bai at home, Bai Jiu was having the time of her life outside.
Not only had she managed to snag a bunch of good items from the market, but she also took out at least ten pounds of large apples from her spatial dimension. Each one was the size of an adult’s fist, exuding a fragrant and incredibly tempting aroma.
She had completely tossed Bai Xingguo’s earlier warning to the back of her mind.
She had originally planned to swing by the Public Security Bureau, but she recalled what Sister Li had told her earlier. If the Gao family mother and son were truly going to face the firing squad, they would definitely be taken to the reservoir over by the regimental farm. That area was specifically designated for executions.
Therefore, even if she went, she wouldn’t be able to see them. Simply getting the news was good enough.
Meanwhile, the Gao family had been notified to claim the bodies. They just hadn’t expected it to happen on this particular day.
Old Man Gao and Gao Zhishan went to collect them. A mourning hall was set up at their house, but unfortunately, no one came to pay their respects. The two were hastily buried.
The villagers all fell silent at the realization that people who had been alive and well right in front of them just a few days ago were suddenly gone.
It was safe to say that this was the quietest New Year Gaocun Village had ever experienced. Even back in the days when they had to resort to eating tree bark to survive, it had been livelier than this.
But that was digressing.