"Doctor Bai, what did you say?" Sister Wei did not understand. It wasn’t that she didn’t hear, she just couldn’t fathom whether Bai Xiao’s brain had taken in water.
How dared she say such things, wasn’t she afraid of ruining Colonel An’s reputation?
"Sister Wei, please take Huzi back first. We are busy here and don’t have time to keep wasting it with you. If you make me speak in a less polite manner, I can do that too." Bai Xiao looked directly into Sister Wei’s eyes, unflinching, her gaze as piercing as a flame.
"Doctor Bai, why would you talk like that? Isn’t that deliberately belittling our Hu Biao? Bullying his wife and child, even if you are the Chief’s daughter-in-law. But we are all wives, you’re insulting my man here." Sister Wei was quick to react, immediately pulling Hu Biao into the conversation.
"Sister Wei, in what sentence did I belittle Comrade Hu Biao? I simply asked you to take your child and go back first to avoid any potential injuries. Isn’t this for Huzi’s own good? You also said Huzi is young and at a mischievous age. I am truly considering what’s best for Huzi. Here, we are either dealing with knives or hot oil, my whole intention is for you and your child’s benefit. Everybody, judge this, what’s wrong with what I said?" Bai Xiao said serenely, not intimidated in the least.
"But... But I’ve already said I would look after the child myself, there’s no need for you to!" Sister Wei felt utterly overwhelmed.
"Exactly, you are watching your own child, it is inconvenient here with so many people around. You live just across the door, it’s very convenient to go back and forth." Bai Xiao opened the door wide, standing by it as she watched Sister Wei; that first impression Sister Wei made on her was indeed lasting.
She had decided that in the future, she must keep her distance from Sister Wei. Having such a neighbor too close was definitely not a good thing. Just one meal could bring out troubles; her and An Zhiyuan’s reputations were already being dragged into this. Who knows what else might happen in the future.
Sister Wei, in a fit of pique, scooped up her child, "Fine, we’ll leave. You don’t have to ask us, we won’t come. Huzi, they look down on us; let’s go home, so your dad doesn’t lose face any further. What life-and-death experiences? Pah, they’re just looking down their noses at us. Deep down they despise us common folks." She stormed out, cursing as she went back to her home.
With a loud slam, the door was forcefully shut as if to let everyone know she felt wronged.
Bai Xiao shrugged her shoulders and closed the door.
"Doctor Bai, don’t mind her. She’s not a bad person, but she has some ways that are really annoying. No one in this courtyard likes her; don’t take it to heart." He Hua, the wife of Captain Wu who had come together earlier, said as the pleasant atmosphere of the meal was abruptly ruined.
Bai Xiao shook her head, "It’s okay, I’ve only just found out what kind of person Sister Wei is."
Everyone had already started getting busy with high spirits.
Shu Yun glanced at Bai Xiao and Liu Yun, who were bustling about in the kitchen, and whispered to He Hua and Zhang Han, "I’ve heard about this Doctor Bai, they say she’s formidable, daring to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Chief among landmines, facing life and death. She wouldn’t be afraid of a Sister Wei. Wei Jianling is being foolish; doesn’t she consider that her own husband is under the Chief’s command? With all this fuss, what good does it do her own husband?"
Rolling out dough, He Hua’s hands rolled back and forth, forming a perfect circle of dough while Shu Yun and Zhang Han were busy making dumplings, "Let’s not talk about that. Sister Wei, well, she really knows how to make an unpleasant scene. If Sister Wei came to my house and started taking things out of the cupboards as soon as she arrived, I’d probably slap her right away. She has no manners at all. Doctor Bai has been quite patient already."