Before the crowd could react, Bai Banxia shouted toward the outside, "Oh my, this is bad! Taohua’s blood has merged with the medicine! Didn't Granny Zhou say that if they merge, it proves she isn't pure? So it turns out, Taohua, you…"
She deliberately dragged out her voice. Bai Tian, who was standing by her side, leaned over to take a look. Sure enough, the black medicinal juice and the fresh blood had merged into one. He also raised his voice and shouted, "Oh my, they really did merge! Isn't this a case of the thief crying 'stop thief'?"
The father and daughter pair each had a louder voice than the other, as if fearing the people outside the courtyard wouldn't hear them. They even mimicked Taohua’s earlier "Oh my," which actually made some of the onlookers want to laugh.
"Bai Banxia, you tampered with it!" Wang Taohua was exasperated, her small face turning a deep shade of crimson, making the three scratches on her face look even redder.
"The water was fetched by Granny Zhou herself, the medicine was poured by her, and the silver hairpin she used to draw the blood was in her own hand. Don't tell me you don't trust her… character?" Bai Banxia emphasized the word "character" heavily, grinning at Midwife Zhou after she spoke.
Midwife Zhou’s face turned a bruised purple. She was so angry she nearly fainted, yet she was unable to find any words to retort.
The Village Chief tapped his cane and said, "Enough. Medicine isn't necessarily accurate. Let’s not mention the physical examination again. This matter ends here."
He would have to be a fool not to see through the situation by now. Saying this was also a way to give Midwife Zhou a graceful exit. Regardless, Midwife Zhou was a skilled midwife, and anyone in the village who had a child in the future would still need to invite her.
He then looked at Bai Tian. "We are all from the same village; let’s not spoil the harmony. Taohua’s facial injuries are quite serious. The Bai family should pay some medical expenses."
He wanted to minimize the issue and settle it quietly, expecting the easy targets to just take the loss.
"No way!"
"No way!"
The first "No way" was shouted by Wang Taohua; she was unwilling to let it go.
The second "No way" was naturally spoken by Bai Banxia. Even if she had money, she wouldn't let Wang Taohua benefit from it.
Her predecessor had only been a bit plump and had merely given Brother Xiulin a handkerchief to wrap a wound. What deep-seated hatred could Wang Taohua have had?
Yet Wang Taohua had slandered her reputation and nearly taken her life.
Even if her predecessor hadn't drowned, what would her life have been like now?
Bai Banxia took a deep breath. Since she had taken over this body, she would seek justice for that poor girl.
"I didn't cause those scratches, and I won't pay her a single copper. Furthermore, I’m going to sue her for spreading rumors and defiling my reputation," Bai Banxia said loudly. "If Grandpa Village Chief won't handle it, I'll go to the county yamen and beat the drum to cry for justice. We'll see if the County Magistrate handles it!"
She shot a provocative look at Wang Taohua. "I've heard that for slandering someone's purity like this, the light punishment is dozens of strokes with a board, and the heavy punishment is exile beyond the pass. Otherwise, if everyone can try to kill people with their words in the future, where would the justice be?"
"What purity do you need, you fat pig who can't even get married off?" Wang Taohua snapped back, but her voice was noticeably quieter than before. The mention of beating the drum at the yamen to cry for justice genuinely frightened her.
Bai Banxia stretched her wrists. "Such a foul mouth. It seems you still haven't learned your lesson."
Wang Taohua hurriedly hid behind her mother. "What do you want to do?"
"That's enough, Banxia girl. You should forgive people whenever possible," the Village Chief said slowly.
"That phrase should be given to the Wang family, along with another: 'Harming others only harms oneself,'" Bai Banxia replied, showing no sign of backing down.
The Village Chief’s face darkened, and he stared intently at Bai Banxia. If this matter reached the county yamen, it would reflect his incompetence as the Village Chief.
Therefore, he was somewhat displeased. How had the Bai family’s Fat Girl become so ungrateful and disrespectful?
"Girl, leave a line of retreat in your dealings; don't be too heartless," the Village Chief said slowly.
"The courtesy that should have been shown was shown long ago, but one’s integrity cannot be lost!"
Bai Banxia continued, "In the past, I was young and thought that if I endured being bullied, it would pass. And the result? They slandered my purity and pushed me into the river, nearly drowning me. So I’ve realized: I won't provoke others if they don't provoke me, but if they do, I will certainly strike back!"
The onlookers outside were all stunned. Who in the village dared to not give the Village Chief face? The Bai family’s Fat Girl was becoming quite something.
Today, Bai Banxia wanted everyone to know that she was no longer a pushover!
Old Mrs. Bai, who had been silent until then, opened her mouth to scold Bai Banxia, but she was pulled back by Bai Tian, who shook his head at her.
Bai Banxia saw everything and thought to herself that only her father could manage the Old Lady.
After a long moment, the Village Chief helplessly withdrew his gaze and looked at Taohua’s father. "The girls' squabble ends here. Take Taohua back to recover from her injuries."
"So my Taohua was injured for nothing?" Taohua’s father was indignant.
The Village Chief glared at him. "Didn't we say she was accidentally injured by her sister-in-law? Go home and deal with it yourselves."
Regardless of how dissatisfied the Wang family was, the Village Chief simply flicked his sleeves and left. Midwife Zhou also felt she had lost face and followed closely behind him.
"Bai Tian, I, Wang Er, will remember your family. Just you wait," Taohua’s father spat out a final word before leading the grumbling Taohua and her mother away.
Old Mrs. Bai sighed repeatedly. "Now look what happened. We've deeply offended the Wang family. Wang Er made his threat; what will we do in the future?"
Bai Tian cleverly poured a cup of water for the Old Lady and handed it over, saying, "Don't worry, Mother. He was just looking for a way to save face."
The Old Lady rolled her eyes at him, but after all, her youngest son had nearly been beaten and had fainted from fright; she couldn't bring herself to scold him.
Instead, she turned to glare at Zhang Lingzhi and cursed, "Banxia has gone crazy, and you've gone crazy too? You didn't know how to stop her? Not only can you not produce a son, but you've raised such a troublemaker. The family is about to be ruined by you lot."
Bai Tian hurriedly winked at his wife. "Don't just stand there and make Mother angry. Go do some work!"
Zhang Lingzhi understood and ran off with Bai Banxia in a flash. Bai Banxia was still thinking about the Bai Zhi she had gathered; she told her mother and went to the backyard.
After some effort, Bai Banxia finally finished preparing the harvested Bai Zhi.
Bai Zhi could not only be used in medicine but also for dietary therapy. Once she finished processing it, she would try taking it to the town’s pharmacy to exchange for some silver.
By the time she finished her work, the sky had already darkened, bringing the first formal dinner in the Bai family since her transmigration.
The Old Lady’s anger flared up again the moment she saw Banxia. When she saw Banxia’s mother going to serve the meat dish, her eyes nearly bugged out, as if she feared Zhang Lingzhi would steal a bite in the blink of an eye.
Bai Banxia glanced at the Bai family’s meal. It wasn't much better—only one dish that barely counted as meat: wild vegetables stir-fried with lard residue, and the lard residue was pitifully scarce.
Additionally, there was a small fish placed on the men's table.
Old Mr. Bai was helped out by the eldest uncle, Bai Shan. He looked even worse today.
"Everyone, sit down and eat," Old Mr. Bai said feebly.
Everyone sat down to eat. At the Old Master’s table, besides the Old Lady, the rest were the men of the house: Banxia’s father, her eldest uncle, her second uncle, and her second uncle’s son, Sanlang.
The eldest uncle’s eldest son, Dalang, had married a wife before the new year. These past two days, his father-in-law’s house was being repaired, so he and his wife had gone back to help.
The eldest uncle’s second son, Erlang, was not at home. He was the most successful among the Bai family’s grandchildren, currently in town apprenticing with a master to learn bookkeeping; he was set to become an accountant in the future.
Bai Banxia sat at a small table with her mother, her eldest aunt, and her second aunt.
Only after the Old Master picked up his chopsticks did the others dare to move, but they quickly began eating like a whirlwind.
Before Bai Banxia could even react, not even the soup was left in the dish of lard residue…
"Cough, cough…" The Old Master suddenly began to cough violently.
"Old man, what’s wrong? Did a fish bone get stuck?" the Old Lady asked while patting his back.
But the Old Master’s face slowly turned red; he was completely unable to answer her, and his breathing became labored.