Jiang Yichun didn’t take the bundle she handed over, a hint of contempt flashing across his face. "What, you’re trying to bribe me?"
Nevertheless, Bai Ruozhu calmly replied, "I’m just paying the fee."
Ignoring the item she offered, Jiang Yichun looked at her curiously. Despite her persistence, Bai Ruozhu’s arm was beginning to ache. But when she thought of Xiaosi, who could be tormented at any moment, she gritted her teeth and didn’t pull her hand back.
So, Jiang Yichun just coldly observed her, a teasing glint in his eyes. And she, stubbornly holding out her arm, continued doing so until her arm started to shake with fatigue.
Curiously, he looked at her defiant expression, recalling the baby she had held in her arms the last time. Despite being so young, the child had also seemed to inherit some of her stubbornness.
Thinking of the baby, Jiang Yichun felt a softening in his heart. He realized that Bai Ruozhu was still nursing her baby and decided to stop teasing her in order to avoid being seen as a brute that bullied women and children.
Eventually, he accepted the bundle and mockingly said, "Speak up and tell me the favor you want, but if I don’t like the task, I won’t accept the offer." He waved the small bundle in his hand.
Ask... Bai Ruozhu didn’t like the term, but she indeed needed help. Thinking about the injury on Xiaosi, she wondered why she was worried about losing face.
"Indeed, I need your help." She quickly lowered her stance, bowing deeply to Jiang Yichun with a somewhat submissive tone.
Having been used to Bai Ruozhu’s audacity, Jiang Yichun was surprised to see her acting so submissive and lost interest in their conversation.
"Hurry up, I have other things to do." He said impatiently.
Bai Ruozhu knew the risk of this move. If he got upset and talked to others about it, she could be denounced as a perpetrator herself, a ridiculous situation since her target was her own cousin.
However, she had no choice but to take the risk.
"I want you to secretly attack someone. You don’t have to kill him, just injure him enough that he can’t get out of bed for two or three months," Bai Ruozhu said, and after some thought, she added, "It’s my cousin Bai Zehong. Break his leg, or injure him internally, either would be acceptable."
Having heard the plan, Jiang Yichun was amused. He looked at Bai Ruozhu in surprise, then laughed softly, "They say hell has no fury like a woman scorned. Today, I’ve realized that to be true. He’s your cousin, you can actually hurt him like that?"
Bai Ruozhu’s facial expression remained unaffected. She had never considered herself as a kind-hearted person. So, if she was labeled cruel and ruthless, she would take it as a compliment. Besides, she thought that her actions were justified in protecting the vulnerable, so why should she feel awkward?
"Indeed, you’ve already witnessed me harming others before, so you should know I’m a cruel and ruthless woman," Bai Ruozhu responded nonchalantly.
Jiang Yichun found it fascinating and laughed softly, "Others would wish to be called kind and gentle, but you proudly label yourself as cruel and ruthless. You don’t seem to care about your image at all. Are you planning to let things go as they may?"
Bai Ruozhu silently cursed him. "It’s you who should let things go as they may, not me!"
Of course, she didn’t voice these words out loud, just quietly said, "People who are good are taken advantage of. If I can protect my family from being bullied, what’s wrong with being a cruel and ruthless person?"
Jiang Yichun stared at her for a while, as if trying to read something from her face. After a long pause he asked, "Why are you trying to hurt your cousin?"
Bai Ruozhu feared that would not believe her if she mentioned Xiaosi’s injuries. Hence, she replied, "I don’t like him. There’s a feud between our families."
"I believe there’s more to it than that. Wasn’t it because he broke an heirloom left behind by your deceased husband that you harbored a grudge against him?" Jiang Yichun wore a victorious smile on his lips.
Bai Ruozhu looked at him in surprise, "How did you know?"
"I’m in charge of this area, handling all kinds of cases. How could I not know about such a significant incident?" Jiang Yichun said triumphantly.
"Right, I do hold a grudge and I want to take revenge whenever I can. It’ll also prevent him from bothering me frequently." Bai Ruozhu spoke her thoughts. She was not lying. She had always held a grudge about the heirloom, and now with Xiaosi’s situation, it was the perfect opportunity to combine the old and new resentment.
"Why don’t you simply kill him and end it all?" Jiang Yichun suggested, his lips curled in a devious smile.
Suppressing her urge to confront Jiang Yichun, Bai Ruozhu replied, "I only want to teach him a lesson, not take his life. Besides, murder is a serious crime punishable by imprisonment."
"But you don’t think assaulting someone and leaving them bedridden is a criminal offence? I’m an officer for the government office, do you think I’ll condone such a thing?" Suddenly the expression on Jiang Yichun’s face changed. It was gloomy and terrifying as he grabbed Bai Ruozhu by the collar and harshly said, "I’m taking you to the county government prison right now."
This was the second time Bai Ruozhu had been handled like a small chicken by the Jiang family. Even a worm will turn, so she retaliated and shouted, "Go ahead! You have nothing against me. Who would believe that I want to harm others based on your words alone? I can even accuse you of trying to assault me in the back alley. Let’s see who is believed. The worst comes to worst it will be a case of a fish being caught in a dragnet!"
Jiang Yichun saw Bai Ruozhu trying to scratch him but he did not let go. He was a martial artist, and Bai Ruozhu’s attempts to scratch him were simply tickles to him. However, he couldn’t help but laugh when he heard what Bai Ruozhu had just said.
"Assault you? Why are you so confident as a widow with a child? Why don’t we go to the county government office right now and see who they believe? I can have any woman I want. Why would I need to assault you?" Jiang Yichun taunted.
Bai Ruozhu was furious. Suspended in the air, she struggled like a turtle, desperately trying to regain freedom.
"Yes, you can have any woman you want. Just a typical philanderer and scumbag. I wish you would have many more women and get AIDS, syphilis, and gonorrhea!" Bai Ruozhu was livid, she lost her restraint and started yelling abuses.
Jiang Yichun didn’t know what AIDS was, but after hearing about syphilis and gonorrhea, he could guess what she meant. His face turned green. What did she think he was? Did he like filthy women?
Now it was Jiang Yichun’s turn to get angry. He threw Bai Ruozhu on the ground. Caught off guard, Bai Ruozhu fell hard on her buttocks and grimaced in pain. "I’m sure it will bruise," she thought to herself. But when she thought of Xiaosi’s injuries, she felt even more heartbroken.
She thought that she had made this trip for nothing. Xiaosi was still being tortured in the old mansion, and the more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Her tears began to fall.