"A mere girl acting so rebelliously! If your family won't teach you how to behave, I will," Taohua's father declared righteously. However, instead of rushing at Bai Banxia, he suddenly lunged and grabbed the nearby Bai Tian.
Understanding his intent, Taohua's Mother also cried out and charged toward Zhang Lingzhi. For a moment, the room was plunged into chaos.
Bai Banxia shoved Wang Taohua to the ground. With a swift stride, she lunged forward and delivered a sharp kick to the back of Taohua's father's knee. His leg buckled, and Bai Tian hurriedly broke free from his grip.
"Ouch! The Wang family is being unreasonable! They're trying to beat us to death!" Bai Tian hollered, quickly moving to shield Zhang Lingzhi, who was being pinched and struck by Taohua's Mother.
With a backhand reach, Bai Banxia grabbed Taohua's Mother's hair bun and yanked her backward with force. Taohua's Mother shrieked in pain and landed hard on her backside.
"Daughter, you're amazing!" Bai Tian whispered, winking and giving Bai Banxia a thumbs-up. He then pulled Zhang Lingzhi behind his own mother.
Bai Banxia was genuinely amused by her father. She pursed her lips and said, "It's nothing much. When you've been bullied enough, you eventually learn to fight back."
Indeed, in the memories of her predecessor, she had been bullied relentlessly by the village children over the years. This had caused her to become increasingly withdrawn and insecure, often hiding away in silence to daydream.
The onlookers outside were dumbfounded. The Wang family had looked so menacing, yet in the blink of an eye, they had all been knocked flat.
Just then, someone shouted, "The Village Chief is here!"
The crowd parted to make way. Xu Ping'er entered the Bai family courtyard, leading the Village Chief and a neatly dressed elderly woman.
"Isn't that Midwife Zhou? Why did they bring a midwife?" someone asked curiously.
"Oh, haven't you heard? The fat girl from the Bai family got herself knocked up…"
"Village Chief, look at Bai Banxia. I don't know where she learned those moves, but she's hitting people again. Poor Taohua's face has been ruined by her," Xu Ping'er said, getting her accusations in first.
The Village Chief was the most influential person in Baoshan Cun; he made the final call on all major matters.
"Grandpa Village Chief, you must seek justice for me. Bai Banxia injured me like this yesterday, and just now she even tried to strangle me," Wang Taohua began to sob, putting on a show of frailty in front of the Village Chief.
Bai Banxia glanced at Xu Ping'er. No wonder this "accomplice" hadn't appeared earlier; she had been busy poisoning the Village Chief's mind.
"Everyone, get up and speak," the Village Chief said, his voice raspy yet commanding.
Taohua's Mother scrambled up, wailing, "Village Chief, this dead fat pig has been sleeping around and ruined our village's reputation. Not only that, she wanted to kill my Taohua to keep her quiet! You must stand up for us!"
Before Bai Banxia could speak, Zhang Lingzhi grew frantic and roared, "Shut your dog mouth! If you dare slander my daughter’s virtue again, I’ll fight you to the death!"
"Quiet, all of you!" The Village Chief tapped his walking stick on the ground.
He looked at Bai Banxia. "I heard you fought with Wang Taohua and the others yesterday and even injured her face?"
Bai Banxia stood with her back straight. "It was Wang Taohua who led a group to push me into the river. Afterward, I simply invited them to go for a swim as well. As it turned out, Xu Ping'er wouldn't let go of Wang Taohua, and that's how her face got scratched."
"I don't know how to swim; I almost drowned! If you hadn't been so vicious as to harm us, how could such an accident have happened?" Xu Ping'er covered her face and began to cry.
Ignoring her, the Village Chief continued to question Bai Banxia, "Wang Taohua says you had a secret tryst in the middle of the night and are now pregnant. Is this true?"
"Absolutely not. As for whether I'm pregnant, wouldn't a doctor know just by taking my pulse?" Bai Banxia replied.
"Grandpa Village Chief, even if she isn't pregnant, her body is no longer clean. If word gets out, it will shame our village and affect the marriage prospects of the other unwed girls. Who would dare come to our village to propose marriage after this?" Xu Ping'er said, casting a venomous look at Bai Banxia.
No one knew how much she hated Bai Banxia. If it weren't for her, why would she have ended up married here?
Bai Banxia felt her hatred and found it strange. In her predecessor's memories, there had been almost no interaction with Xu Ping'er. Was it really just because she had thrown them into the river yesterday?
They had brought that on themselves!
"That's right! Let Midwife Zhou examine her. If she is pure, we will never mention this again. But if she's lost her virtue, she should be kicked out of Baoshan Cun," Wang Taohua chimed in.
"Based on what?" Bai Banxia spat out coldly.
Wang Taohua laughed upon hearing this. "You're feeling guilty, aren't you? You don't dare be examined!"
"Just because you, Wang Taohua, claim to have seen someone meeting a man at night, that person has to undergo an examination to prove their innocence? On what grounds?" Bai Banxia laughed out of sheer anger. "Then I could say you weren't sleeping at home in the middle of the night and were out sleeping around instead. Should you be examined too?"
"Bullshit! How could my Taohua be like you? Look at your age—you're still unmarried. Your father is a piece of work, and your mother has the face of a seductress. What kind of good daughter could they possibly raise?" Taohua's Mother had an incredibly foul mouth.
Bai Banxia looked directly at the Village Chief. "Grandpa Village Chief, if every girl in the village has to be examined just because someone starts a random rumor, what will become of our village?"
At this point, Midwife Zhou spoke up. "An examination takes only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. It can prove your innocence, so why be so agitated? Or do you not trust my character?"
Only a fool would trust her!
Even if this Midwife Zhou hadn't been bribed by the Wang family, wouldn't it be disgusting to be subjected to an examination for no reason?
"If an examination takes so little time, why doesn't Wang Taohua do it? Since she was running around outside in the middle of the night, shouldn't she prove her own innocence? Aren't you afraid Taohua won't be able to get married?" Bai Banxia countered.
"You—"
Midwife Zhou raised her hand to interrupt Taohua's Mother. She then pulled a small vial from her robe and said, "It's understandable that a young lady wouldn't want to be examined. I have a medicine here. Put one drop into water and then add a drop of your blood. If you are pure, the blood and medicine will not mix. If they do, well, there's nothing more to be said."
Ha, isn't this just like the blood-dripping paternity test?
Total nonsense!
Midwife Zhou looked at the Village Chief. "Village Chief, you know my character. What do you think?"
The Village Chief nodded in agreement.
"Bai Banxia, what else do you have to say? You're not feeling guilty, are you?" Wang Taohua asked triumphantly.
Midwife Zhou had already gone into the Bai family kitchen to find a bowl. She soon returned with a bowl of water and added a drop of her medicine.
The medicine was black. When it hit the water, it didn't dissolve but instead formed a small, tight bead.
"It's just one drop of blood. Banxia, stop hiding." Taohua's Mother signaled to Taohua, and the two of them moved to grab Banxia’s hands from both sides so that Midwife Zhou could take the blood.
The corners of Bai Banxia's mouth twitched. Oh, were these two not beaten enough just now? Why don't they learn? Are they really coming forward to get slapped in the face again?
Midwife Zhou took out a silver hairpin and was about to prick Bai Banxia's finger…
Suddenly, Bai Banxia twisted her wrists, easily breaking free from the mother and daughter's grip. She grabbed Midwife Zhou's wrist with one hand and Wang Taohua's hand with the other, forcing the silver hairpin in Midwife Zhou's hand toward Taohua's fingertip.
"Like I said, if anyone is being tested, Taohua goes first. It's just a drop of blood, right, Taohua?" Bai Banxia gave Wang Taohua a sweet smile.
In an instant, Midwife Zhou's face turned pale. She tried to pull her hand back but couldn't move an inch. She cursed inwardly; she had promised Xu Ping'er to do this, but now she was the one being put in an impossible position.
"Ouch… you're asking for death!" Wang Taohua cried out in pain. She couldn't pull her hand back either, wondering how that fat Bai girl had become so strong.
Her finger bled, and the drop fell into the bowl.