"Indeed, I’m feeling a bit of a headache, let’s go home. The leftover pancakes can serve as lunch and dinner, and we can send some to Mr. Xie as well." Bai Ruozhu hastily said.
"How about you go with your second brother to rest, and we continue selling? It’s not even noon yet, it would be a waste not to continue. We ourselves can’t eat all of this." Bai Yihong suggested approaching.
Bai Ruozhu felt both anger and urgency, her fury soaring instantly, "Does fatigue mean nothing? What difference does half a day’s rest do? Endless is the silver to be earned, will half a day provide us with a fortune?"
Of course, she might not have been so furious if someone other than her father spoke these words. Who made the old mansion issue affect her father’s family? Her father is still always worrying about them.
"Ruozhu..." Bai Yihong was caught off guard by his daughter’s sudden tantrum, and momentarily didn’t know what to say.
Lin Ping’er and Bai Zehao were quite surprised. Bai Ruozhu was generally cheerful this year and kept good temper, often making jokes and laughing all day. They had never seen her lose her temper with the family, except for those at the old mansion.
"I came here to accompany you all back home. Dad, mom, please listen to me." Bai Zepei frowned slightly, positioning himself in front of Bai Ruozhu, shielding her furious expression.
"Oh, alright then, let’s close shop now." Lin Ping’er, who sensed something was off, immediately concurred.
Fusa from the neighbouring stall asked out of concern, seeing them pack up so early, "Ruozhu, does your family have something going on today?"
"I’m not feeling well, Fusa. I’ll need your help here more." Bai Ruozhu squeezed out a small smile.
"Alright. Rest is the most important. Go home and recover," Fusa, aware of Bai Ruozhu’s recent fatigue, replied without fuss but urged her to rest.
As the family was packing up to leave, there was an uneasy silence. Even Bai Yihong sensed it, he kept glancing at Bai Ruozhu, wondering how he had upset his daughter.
Bai Zepei remained quiet all along the way. He was thinking about how to break the news to his family so it would have less impact. He knew that the official meant well by letting him tell his family instead of having him caught off guard the next day. He couldn’t hesitate any longer.
"Dad, mom, big brother, let’s go inside to talk." Bai Zepei could no longer squeeze a smile and his face looked as grim as Bai RuoZhu’s.
Bai Ruozhu walked into the house holding Dengdeng first. After everyone entered and closed the door, she quickly looked at Bai Zepei and asked, "Is there really a disaster, second brother?"
The whole family was shocked by her words and turned to Bai Zepei.
Bai Zepei forced a smile, "Whatever I say next, I don’t want anyone to panic, especially mom and dad. I don’t want you to be overcome with anxiety."
His words only heightened the family’s tension. Lin Ping’er, impatient as always, stomped her foot and said, "Just spit it out then!"
"There were people who leaked the questions of the last Child Student Exam in our county. Many people bought the questions and passed the exam. My uncle Bai Yibo was one of those who cheated." Bai Zepei gritted his teeth and slowly spoke out.
"What?" Bai Yihong was surprised, "My elder brother taking such risks? That’s simply reckless!"
"I’ve been saying that with his performance for years, there was no way he would’ve passed this time unless he got the questions beforehand. Shameless!" Lin Ping’er exasperated.
Bai Ruozhu was stunned. Her parents might not have recognized the severity of the situation, but she understood right when Bai Zepei mentioned it - why Jiang Yichun mentioned being careful about the old mansion!
She took several deep breaths, but she was still overcome with fury. Raising her feet, she kicked a nearby stool at once.
"Damn Bai Yibo! I knew he would be the death of us one day. I curse that he remains childless! His incompetence led him to fail the exam, but instead of self-reflection, he cheats. Now, he’s ruined my brother’s efforts along with his own." Bai Ruozhu almost used every curse she knew and then burst into tears.
She heard Jiang Yichun mention that a major crisis was coming to the old house, however, she didn’t expect it to be such a big deal, nor having such a significant impact on her family.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ping’er panicked, gripping Bai Ruozhu’s arm and asked, "Ruozhu, will your uncle’s actions harm your second brother?"
Bai Ruozhu, having just woken up Dengdeng who was originally asleep in her arms,was shaken dizzy by Lin Ping’er. The baby, being frightened by all this, began to cry loudly all of a sudden.
The whole family was thrown into chaos. Bai Ruozhu felt a great sense of guilt. She was so consumed by her anger that she neglected to consider the baby and ended up frightening him. Taking a few deep breaths, she reminded herself to stay calm.
Lin Ping’er also realized her impatience. With remorse in her eyes, she looked at Dengdeng and said, "I’m sorry, granny shouldn’t have scared you."
Bai Ruozhu began to soothe the crying child in her arms while Bai Zepei sighed yet again, saying, "Mom, stop questioning Ruozhu. Let me explain things."
Lin Ping’er rushed over again, grabbing Bai Zepei’s arm anxiously, "Speak up!"
"This kind of thing has a stipulation of accomplice liability, and since I was in the same test place as my uncle and I passed as top scholar, how many would believe I didn’t see the test papers from my uncle?" He paused to see Lin Ping’er’s eyes turning red and hurriedly said, "but don’t worry, the high-ranking officials from Tongzheng Division, Director Li, and the teacher are willing to jointly write to plead for me. When the special envoy comes, they will help review my case and clear my name."
It was of little consolation to Lin Ping’er, who suddenly became dizzy and was about to fall backwards. Luckily, Bai Zepei reacted quickly and managed to hold her.
"Mom, are you alright?" Bai Zepei was taken aback. This was the second time this year that Lin Ping’er had passed out. Ever since she collapsed from exhaustion, Bai Ruozhu had been taking care of her, which improved her condition slightly. However, her youth was marked by excessive labor in the old mansion, which left lasting health effects.
Bai Ruozhu hurried over, taking her mother’s pulse. It was just a case of being startled and angry. She asked for the others’ help to move her to the bed and massaged her mother’s acupuncture points. Lin Ping’er woke up soon after.
"I’m going to kill that bastard Bai Yibo!" As soon as Lin Ping’er woke up, she opened her eyes wide, ready to jump out of bed. Her eyes were bloodshot with anger.
The whole family had to restrain Lin Ping’er, who finally burst into tears.
"Why am I cursed with such relatives? My son studies so hard, he works harder than anyone. How could he be ruined by such a beast! Heaven is blind!" As Lin Ping’er continued sobbing, she began shouting again.