Remembering Bai Zhi’s smug face, as well as her poisonous words and calmness during separation. Bai Erzhu believed his wife’s statement: “I believe you.”
Bai Erzhu sighed and asked: “What will we eat for dinner?”
Mrs. Zhang shook her head: “Why are you asking me? I am not the head of the family. You should ask your Niang. Last time, I asked her to sell that jade pendant she discovered to buy grains. But, she refused, she would rather borrow grains to other people as if she likes returning them. The price of grains just increased today, it’s not guaranteed that it will lower tomorrow, what will she do by then?”
Bai Erzhu pulled his wife’s sleeve and said with some difficulties: “I think it’s still better to go to your brother’s house and borrow some grains. Last time, when I saw him at the entrance of the village, he was carrying 2 bags of grains. It will take him a couple of days to finish it. Why don’t you go and find him? I’m sure he will lend you some.”
Mrs. Zhang immediately knitted her eyebrows and said: “No, you haven’t even returned the grains you borrowed last year. And I don’t think you have any plan to return it. Do you think my brother is a rich man? Do you think it’s easy to farm and raised 3 children alone? When we were staying in his house for these couple of days, did you send us some grains?”
Seeing his wife so angry, Bai Erzhu’s neck shrank. He busily whispered: “I was wrong, I was wrong.”
Mrs. Zhang coldly added: “I’m not the only one who has a maternal family. Isn’t your niang also have a brother? Isn’t first sister-in-law also have a brother? How come I don’t see them going to their family to borrow some grains or oil? But you, you people always ask me to go back to my family and borrow things.”
“It’s not bad to borrow, but as a saying goes, return what you borrowed on time, you may borrow again next time. But, what about you people? You only think of borrowing, but never thought of paying back. Do you think everyone is so stupid to lend you things again?”
Bai Erzhu folded his ears and climbed up to the bed again. He was very hungry. He only had rice soup for lunch. He thought he would be able to have a good meal for dinner, but it seems he couldn’t even eat rice soup tonight.
*
In the Hu family.
Old Lady Bai and Mrs. Liu went to the cabin house where Zhao Lan and Bai Zhi lived. When they saw the cabin house was locked, they knew right away that they were in the front house. So, they went back to the front yard again.
However, no one was in the front house. The door was opened, but no one was in the living room too.
Old Lady Bai called out people twice, but no one answered her. So, they simply went inside.
In the living room, there were two doors closed.
Mrs. Liu opened her mouth and said: “Why are the doors closed in a broad daylight? Are they doing something that other people not allowed to see?”
Hu Changlin and Zhao Lan were both widowed for years. Now that Zhao Lan was free again. The dry wood can make an intense fire. If people will say nothing happens between them, it will be really unreasonable.
Old Lady Bai’s face became sullen, she doesn’t know what to say. But, Mrs. Liu busily opened her mouth: “Niang, let’s rush to the room, once we caught them in the act, we can ask them for grains or money. What do you think?”
Old Lady Bai’s frowning eyebrow relaxed, she thinks this idea was very good. So, she immediately nodded her head: “Let’s do it.”
And so, the two of them pushed open the door and rushed in.
Originally, the two of them thought they would see two people entangling themselves together in the bed. But, who would have thought, no one was inside.
Mrs. Liu busily said: “This must be Hu Feng’s room. They should be in the other room.”
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law busily opened the other door and rushed in. They put their eyes directly towards the bed.
It just a pity, no one was in the bed at all.