Chapter 51 - 51 51 Accompanying
Chapter 51: Chapter 51 Accompanying Chapter 51: Chapter 51 Accompanying Early the next morning, there were quite a few early risers because they had to catch the village’s public bus. This day, there was only this one trip, and if they missed it, their only option was to walk to the town or the county, which was a journey of more than 60 li through mountain roads. If anyone had business to take care of in the town or county, they had to take this bus.
So, early in the morning at the bus station, they actually ran into many familiar faces.
Liu Baoguo and Li Chunhua, with Liu Hong, spotted Bai Xiao immediately. Li Chunhua came over to greet him, “Xiao, where are you headed?” Remembering what Bai Xiao had said, Li Chunhua knew Bai Xiao had Liu Hong’s best interests at heart.
“Auntie, I want to go to the town to visit my second sister, Bai Ju. I’ve received my acceptance letter but haven’t had the chance to tell my brother and sister. It’s a good opportunity to send a telegram to my brother when I’m in town. And since my second sister got married, I haven’t visited her home. I feel it’s not right, so I want to take this opportunity to visit relatives.”
“That’s great! Your second sister will definitely be happy to see you, now that you’re so accomplished. Your parents, resting in peace, would also be comforted. Okay then, your uncle and I are heading to the county. Tomorrow, we’ll post a notice of honor for you in our village. You are the pride of our village,” said Li Chunmei, not forgetting this important detail. Although she was just a rural woman, she understood the concept of reciprocation well.
Liu Baoguo, having been the village chief for so many years, noticed a familiar figure swiftly board the bus, “Hey, isn’t that Bai Mei? In this scorching heat, with a scarf wrapped around her head, where is she going?” He was certainly not mistaken in recognizing someone.
Li Chunhua, who was also in a hurry to get on the bus, was surprised and wondered to herself. Everyone from the Bai Family was at the county hospital. The tractor driver had returned and said that the doctor claimed it was a stroke. If they had sent her later, the old lady would have passed away; she had to be hospitalized for a few days.
However, she quickly came to terms with the situation, probably due to concern for Li Chunhua. It made sense to go and visit.
After all, Li Chunhua had always been good to the children, and it was only natural for them to be close to their grandmother.
Upon boarding the bus, they saw Bai Mei with a scarf wrapped around her head. In this weather, wearing a scarf was definitely eye-catching—who else would wrap a scarf around themselves in such heat? But Bai Mei didn’t seem to mind, even thinking she had done a good job of hiding herself. She was sneaking around, hiding behind people, facing away from the inside of the bus as if she didn’t want to interact with others.
Bai Xiao couldn’t help but find it amusing.
So there was such a tactic?
What on earth was Bai Mei up to?
“Bai Mei, where are you going?” Li Chunhua tapped Bai Mei’s shoulder. Did this child really think everyone on the bus was blind?
Startled, Bai Mei turned around and saw it was Li Chunhua, managing an awkward attempt at a smile which looked even uglier than a cry, “Auntie! It’s you. I’m just going to…,” in a moment of quick thinking, “visit my grandma, yes, I’m going to see my grandma.”
Such an excuse seemed plausible.
“If you’re visiting your grandma, you’re visiting your grandma. What are you afraid of? With that getup, people who don’t know any better might think you’re dodging debts!” Li Chunhua joked, startling Bai Mei.
“No, what debts would I be dodging? I’m just worried about my grandma. She’s getting on in years, and I don’t know how she’s doing. I can’t rest easy without visiting her!” Bai Mei had completely regained her composure. Perhaps she was initially scared, but as she spoke more and more, she threw caution to the wind, assuming no one knew what she intended to do.
“Indeed, you should visit her!” Li Chunhua said with a smile, appreciating that the children of the Bai Family were thoughtful—it reflected well on Li Chunhua.
Bai Mei fell silent, turning her head to look out the window, occasionally casting sideways glances at Bai Xiao, wondering what Bai Xiao was up to!
No, she knew where Bai Xiao was going!
She was going to see her sister; Bai Xiao had a sister, Bai Ju, who was married and lived in town.
She had been harmed by Bai Xiao to the point of fleeing, yet Bai Xiao could calmly visit her sister. Why did all the good things always happen to Bai Xiao? Bai Xiao clearly wasn’t a Bai family member, but she could still enjoy the genuine affection from Bai Song, Bai Ju, and Bai Yue. Bai Mei suddenly thought of how to deal with Bai Xiao—wasn’t Bai Xiao at her sister’s house?
She would go too. She didn’t believe that after exposing the fact that Bai Xiao wasn’t a Bai family member, Bai Ju would still treat Bai Xiao with heartfelt kindness. She wasn’t foolish; she wouldn’t let Bai Xiao have it easy.
Why was Bai Xiao cherished from childhood, held in the palm of her uncle’s hand, treated like a treasure, and why did the aunt prefer to starve herself than let Bai Xiao go hungry? The whole family adored her like a treasure. Why should an outsider enjoy the treatment of a Bai family princess?
She couldn’t accept it.
Now that she had been made miserable by Bai Xiao, she wouldn’t let Bai Xiao have it easy.
“Xiao, are you going to visit your second sister? Ever since she got married, I haven’t had the chance to see her—not because she’s too busy, but because when she comes, I’m not at home. Since you’re going to visit her, let’s go together. After all, we’re family. If we don’t visit, I’d feel terribly ashamed!” As she said this, Bai Xiao suddenly realized that Bai Mei wasn’t completely useless; at least she had a sharper tongue than Hao Fang.
Li Chunmei nodded in agreement, “We’re all family, flesh and blood. It’s only right to visit!” No matter how times change, in the eyes of ordinary people, family is still family, connected by bone and sinew, and no one would mind the closeness of kin.
Liu Baoguo also nodded. Although he disapproved of Li Chunhua’s behavior, Bai Jianguo was quite popular in the village after all, and none of his children were arrogant or tyrannical. If they could get along well with Bai Xiao and show unity, there would be no reason for them, as outsiders, to obstruct it.
“I didn’t expect Bai Mei to come to her senses overnight.”
Bai Xiao’s face was expressionless, but inside she was impressed. Just yesterday, Bai Mei had been caught in such a disgraceful situation. Most girls would not even think about stepping outside, much less wish they could die to escape the shame that would ruin a woman completely in this lifetime!
Even if she managed to get married, she likely wouldn’t be well-regarded by her husband’s family, and the scandal could become a handle for the mother-in-law to suppress her. Yet there Bai Mei was, able to go out the next day full of energy. She really did have a thick skin.
Bai Xiao also deeply understood how much of a failure she had been in her past life—she didn’t truly understand Bai Mei at all.
Bai Mei’s resilience was absolutely strong.
If she hadn’t been reborn, she probably would’ve been entirely controlled by the Bai family by now, not knowing what she would’ve become. She fell far short when compared to Bai Mei!
“Sure, Sister Bai Mei, if you don’t mind joining, I’m of course welcoming!” It was just Bai Mei trying to cause trouble.
She wanted to see what other ways Bai Mei intended to dig her own grave. If yesterday’s incident hadn’t taught Bai Mei a lesson, then it seemed she had been too soft-hearted, or perhaps hadn’t gone far enough.
Well then, let’s see as we go.
Let’s see what other schemes Bai Mei has up her sleeve.
What do you think?
Total Responses: 0