"Oh, why is An Hao moving?" Widow Zhang asked with a grin, digging for answers.
Seeing Widow Zhang looking for trouble as if she had nothing better to do and wanting to watch the fireworks, Bai Xue’s face darkened as she said, "This is our family’s business, and outsiders should not interfere. Everyone, disperse!"
Widow Zhang pouted and left, her hips swaying.
On the road, she told everyone she met, "There’s trouble at the An Family again. That stepmother, Bai Xue, has driven An Hao out of the house. An Hao has run off to the old house to live. They’re in the middle of moving!"
As one of the biggest gossips in the village, once the words passed Widow Zhang’s lips, they spread like wildfire throughout the community.
So, many villagers rushed to Bai Xue’s doorstep to enjoy the spectacle.
Seeing the crowd at her door growing larger, Bai Xue simply turned and went into the house without a word, slamming the door shut behind her.
Angry, Bai Yanjiao followed her inside, "Mom, aren’t you going to do something about An Ping and the others causing all this commotion?"
"What can I do? This is the An Family’s house, and unfortunately for us, mother and daughter, we’re surnamed Bai," Bai Xue said indignantly, purposefully loud enough for An Shuchao to hear.
"Enough! How long are you going to keep this up?" An Shuchao finally lost his temper, throwing his walking stick forcefully onto the ground, "All I did was break a leg, and you’re turning the place upside down. What will you do if one day I’m completely useless, turn the house upside down?"
Seeing An Shuchao angry, Bai Xue swallowed her retort.
"Enough, stop arguing!" Bai Yanjiao, sensing the situation was getting out of hand, quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "We’re all doing this for the family and it’s not easy, but the most pressing issue right now is how to get rid of the crowd at the door. They’re gawking, who knows what kind of rumors they’ll spread next?"
"Don’t mind them; if no one pays attention, they’ll disperse on their own," Bai Xue said angrily before sitting down on the kang bed to sulk.
Seeing the atmosphere in the room turn sour, Bai Yanjiao didn’t linger. She was tired after all the commotion and simply went back to sleep on her kang in her room.
After all, it hardly mattered to her how much stuff An Ping was taking away.
Bai Yanjiao had just lain down and was about to drift off to sleep when someone kicked her door open with a loud bang.
Startled, she quickly sat up and saw An Ping entering with Erzhuzi and Liu Xiaolian.
"Hey, what are you doing? I was sleeping, get out of here right now," she demanded.
"You keep sleeping; who would want to see you, anyway!" retorted Liu Xiaolian, the youngster with a sharp tongue, "With your big pancake face and bucket waist, you really think you’re all that attractive, huh?"
His comment made both An Ping and Erzhuzi burst into laughter.
"Laugh it up, just get out, all of you. If you don’t leave, I’ll scream harassment!" Bai Yanjiao, embarrassed and infuriated by their mockery, threatened.
"Ha-ha-ha!" Liu Xiaolian laughed so hard his stomach hurt, "Harassment? Even if you paid me, I wouldn’t want you! I’d rather go harass an old sow."
"You—you’re picking a fight on purpose!" Bai Yanjiao grabbed a pillow from the top of the kang and threw it at them.
An Ping caught the pillow with one hand and turned to Erzhuzi and Liu Xiaolian, "Enough, stop wasting time with her. Let’s get moving, it’ll be dark soon."
"Right, let’s do this!" Erzhuzi waved his hand, and the three of them started moving things as if looting the place.