“You have whooping cough, and it’s gotten so bad that you’re wheezing too.”
Bai Su understood Sister Liu’s hesitation; she was terrified of getting her hopes up only to have them dashed. Fully aware of how difficult her illness was to treat, Sister Liu didn’t want to put Bai Su in an awkward spot, which was why she ended up comforting her instead.
Bai Su told her the diagnosis. “It’s not that it can’t be cured. It’ll just take more effort. Didn’t my father gather medicinal herbs for you to drink before, and you went several years without another attack? I’ll gather some herbs for you too and prepare them as medicine. Combined with acupuncture and careful treatment, we should eventually be able to cure it completely.”
“Can this illness really be cured?”
He Yan’s mother had been tormented by her illness for days and hadn’t enjoyed a proper night’s sleep in a long time. The medicine Educated Youth Zhou prescribed could only temporarily suppress her coughing and wheezing.
When she heard Bai Su say that proper treatment might cure her illness completely, a spark of hope appeared in her eyes.
Bai Su stayed and chatted with her for a while, and He Yan’s mother gradually became more energetic. As the two women talked about one thing and another, Lihua’s voice suddenly came from outside.
“Mom, are you at Brother He Yan’s house? My aunt and Grandma are here!”
Ever since seeing Lu Qiushuang and the others at the town commune, Bai Su had known that her sister-in-law’s temperament wouldn’t allow her to swallow this humiliation. She would certainly try to stand up for Old Madam Lu.
But Bai Su still had evidence she could use against the eldest son of the Lu family, didn’t she?
She was curious to see exactly how Lu Qiushuang intended to defend her mother.
He Yan’s mother looked worried. “Little Sister, your mother-in-law isn’t an easy person to deal with, and that younger sister-in-law of yours is troublesome too.”
“Don’t worry. They’ve come to give me money. I’ll have Lihua come keep you company later. For now, I’ll go see what they want.”
After reassuring He Yan’s mother, Bai Su left the room and headed home.
Old Madam Lu was already standing outside Bai Su’s door with her hands on her hips, wailing at the top of her lungs.
“Oh, heavens! What terrible sins have we committed?”
“We took in a daughter-in-law who couldn’t even give the Lu family a grandson! That black-hearted wretch first brought death upon Lihua’s father, then attacked me, her own mother-in-law, with a knife! She even went to the commune to report us and have us arrested!”
“That unfilial daughter-in-law wants to destroy the Lu family! She’s trying to kill this old woman and won’t let me have a single peaceful day…”
Lu Qiushuang and her flat-nosed husband, the workshop director, stood beside Old Madam Lu, looking smug as they backed her up.
Bai Su was so amused that she laughed.
“Well, aren’t you all impressive? Go on, wail! Wail louder! Bring every commune member in the brigade over to watch the spectacle.”
“You’re acting so boldly. Does your son know about this?”
“You already have one family member sent away for reform through labor. Would you like to add another?”
Old Madam Lu’s wailing stopped abruptly. She no longer dared to curse!
Lu Qiushuang also glared hatefully at Bai Su. She hadn’t expected her second sister-in-law to have changed so completely.
She had thought that bringing her mother back to the brigade would give them a chance to settle the score. Instead, her second sister-in-law had already moved out of the Lu family’s house with Lihua and her sisters, and she even had evidence against Lu Qiushuang’s eldest brother.
Facing Bai Su’s mocking expression, Lu Qiushuang gritted her teeth.
“Second Sister-in-law, we’re all one family. There’s no need to make things so unpleasant.”
“That’s right, Second Sister-in-law. We’re family. We shouldn’t be fighting like this.”
Realizing that Bai Su had the upper hand, Lu Qiushuang’s flat-nosed husband put on a broad smile.
“Second Sister-in-law, even if you’re upset, there’s no need to move back to your maiden family’s house. Just look at you and the girls, a widowed mother and her daughters without a man in the household. Sooner or later, someone will bully you.”
“Take my advice. Let’s forget everything that happened before and wipe the slate clean!”
A calculating gleam flashed in his eyes as he addressed Bai Su.
“Mother and Eldest Brother were wrong about what happened before. I’ll settle this matter for you. You’ve been arguing for so many days; it’s time to put an end to it. You can’t keep living at your maiden family’s house forever. Move back today.”
“Even teeth and tongues sometimes clash. How can a family expect to live together without the occasional disagreement…”
Bai Su remembered that Lu Qiushuang’s husband was called Yan Weicai.
He was about to continue his long-winded speech when Bai Su interrupted him.
“Yan Weicai, are you my husband?”
Yan Weicai froze, finding her question completely bewildering.
Lu Qiushuang was so angry that she nearly started swearing.
Was this woman trying to seduce someone again?
How shameless and improper!
But Bai Su didn’t give her a chance to speak.
She turned to Yan Weicai.
“Who do you think you are? You’re not my husband, so what gives you the right to make decisions for me?”
“Do you think this is your little corner of the food-processing factory, where everyone has to show you respect?”
“People who know you understand that you’re just a workshop director at the food-processing factory. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were a county leader!”
“You’ve even decided you can make decisions for me.”
“Who gave you such an inflated sense of importance?”
“You want me to move back into the Lu family’s house so you can trick me into handing over that written confession. Then you’ll control me again and make money by arranging marriages for Lihua and her sisters, all to pay for Lu Dajun’s wedding and let your entire family continue living off us. What a clever little scheme you’ve worked out!”
Bai Su gave a cold laugh.
“Lu Qiushuang, didn’t I already tell your eldest brother that if any of you dared come to my house and cause trouble, I’d immediately take that written confession to the commune and have him arrested for reform through labor?”
“I have witnesses too. Several of them!”
“If he ends up at the commune this time, he won’t get off so easily. You might have insisted that the money from selling Lihua was merely a bride price, but the evidence in this case is undeniable. Congratulations! Your family is about to gain another reform-through-labor prisoner.”
Old Madam Lu was so furious that her eyes rolled upward, and Lu Qiushuang was on the verge of launching into a tirade.
Yan Weicai, meanwhile, found the whole situation downright uncanny!
He hadn’t seen his formerly honest, dull, and quiet second sister-in-law for some time. How had she suddenly become so sharp-tongued?
Since a gentle approach wasn’t working, he would have to take a harder line.
He shot Old Madam Lu and Lu Qiushuang a meaningful glance, signaling them to keep quiet.
“Second Sister-in-law, have you really thought this through? Do you insist on taking matters this far? Think about what the people in the brigade will say if you report your mother-in-law and sister-in-law to the police, have them arrested, and then send your eldest brother-in-law to the commune authorities too.”
Yan Weicai warned her, “Do you really think you can live well as a woman raising Lihua and the others on your own?”
“Oh? Are you threatening me?” Bai Su laughed.
“I’m already a widow. What good is a respectable reputation going to do me? If people know I’m not someone to mess with, won’t that make life easier for a widowed mother and her daughters?”
“How much is a reputation worth anyway? If you want to ruin mine, go right ahead.”
“No matter how bad my reputation gets, surely it’ll still sound better than being a reform-through-labor prisoner? The commune members in our brigade aren’t fools. They’re not going to believe everything a family of convicted offenders says.”
Bai Su kept referring to them as a family of reform-through-labor prisoners.
Not only were Old Madam Lu and Lu Qiushuang furious, but even Yan Weicai was tempted to strike her.
Nothing he said could get through to her. This woman was so unyielding that he could hardly recognize her.
Yan Weicai threatened her.
“Second Sister-in-law, don’t make me do this the hard way. You’re being unreasonable, but I won’t hold it against you. I’ll help you move back right now…”
Before Yan Weicai could finish speaking, a roguish laugh came from the bottom of the slope.
“Well, well! Those are some bold words. Who’s threatening to punish my Auntie Bai?”
Before Bai Su could give Yan Weicai a piece of her mind, He Yan climbed out of a small car that had stopped at the bottom of the slope.
He was accompanied by a man who looked like a government official and another man with a tall, imposing build.
He Yan was already quite tall, standing at around 1.8 meters, but the man walking beside him was half a head taller.
The contrast made the official-looking man accompanying them seem almost insignificant.
The newcomer had thick eyebrows, large, expressive eyes, and sharply defined facial features. He also possessed the firm, commanding bearing of a soldier. His appearance was so striking that it was difficult to look away.
Even Bai Su, who had seen plenty of handsome men in modern times, was stunned by both his looks and his imposing presence.