Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 162: Putting on a Sick Act to Save Face



A child crying isn't something that should be ignored, not even by Bai Ruozhu, who reluctantly stood up and excused herself to the others, saying, "I need to go check on the baby, please continue eating."

No one stopped her. Bai Ruozhu went to the room, picked up Dengdeng, and started to soothe her, all the while keeping her ears pricked for any noises in the main hall.

Dengdeng was probably hungry. She became quiet soon after being fed. While nursing, she looked at Bai Ruozhu with wide curious eyes, probably because Bai Ruozhu was crying.

Bai Ruozhu rarely cried for her own sorrows, she was an inherently positive and optimistic person. She returned back even stronger after her transmigration. Today's tears were shed for her family, for the struggles her second brother had to go through, her eldest brother's sacrifices and most importantly, for her parent's hardships.

They had been tormented by the old mansion for over a decade, but the miseries of her parents have lasted much longer, especially her father who has suffered a lot due to the old man's favoritism since his childhood.

Everyone in the main hall fell silent, but the old man was enraged. He didn't feel any remorse or guilt despite his second son's words but instead, he thought that Er Lang was playing tricks and trying to evoke sympathy in front of Mr. Xie.

"What's the point of saying all this? It always sounds like your family is so pitiful, as if I've been harsh on you. Er Lang, the human heart is made of flesh. You shouldn't forget your roots when you achieve some success, nor should you disregard your relatives' plea for the sake of your own benefit." He sighed sorrowfully.

Er Lang had already stopped crying. He didn't wipe the tears from his face but his gaze towards the old man was full of helplessness.

After all this, if people still say you are selfish, your words will be futile. They say human hearts are made of flesh, but so are the palms and the backs of hands. When the old man said these words, didn't his conscience prick him at all?

Mr. Xie, who held Bai Fu in high regard, found it hard to tolerate the injustice his student was facing. He had known Bai Zepei for five years, watched him grow, and was fully aware of his tribulations and his character. However, Bai Zepei never spoke of his family affairs.

He had no clue that Bai Zepei's hardships didn't only revolve around his financial constraints, but also the stress of his family responsibilities.

Humph, he learned a lot about them during this meal.

"Old man, I believe you are mistaken. I see no wrong in one striving for personal benefits. If one doesn't even care about their own benefits, wouldn't they lack motivation?" Mr. Xie said leisurely.

He then gave a faint smile and continued, "Please forgive me for not being able to fulfill your request. I can only recommend my students and can't consider anyone else. Moreover, Zepei has been performing exceptionally well which is key to the recommendation's success.

If I were to recommend someone with mediocre results, then my recommendation would hardly be of any help and it would waste this unique opportunity."

Bai Zepei looked at Mr. Xie with gratitude in his eyes. The fact that Mr. Xie refused the old man's request without any fear of being offensive was essentially a move that favored him. He would remember this kindness forever.

"This...this…" The Old man felt embarrassed after being directly rejected by Mr. Xie. His face turned red, and he was at a loss for words. He wobbled and suddenly fell backwards.

The table was small and everyone was seated closely. Therefore, when the old man fainted, there was no chance for the people sitting next to him to react. Mr. Xie was startled but reacted swiftly and helped prop the old man up. Bai Yibo, on the other side, also quickly reached out and held him up.

"Father, father, are you okay?" Bai Yibo asked anxiously. He stomped his foot angrily and said to Er Lang, "You know grandpa's health condition is not good, so even if you pretend to go along with him, what is the harm in that? Look at what you have done to grandpa."

"Uncle, instead of arguing about this now, why don't we hurry and call the doctor? I will go get Dr. Li," Bai Zehao hurriedly said, leaving his seat to go fetch the doctor.

Bai Ruozhu, who was nursing Dengdeng in the room, heard the commotion and wanted to go stop her elder brother. There was no need to call Dr. Li when she was there, but on a second thought, she decided to stay. It was better for her to go and see for herself. If the situation was critical, she would step in and save the old man. If it wasn't, she would let Dr.

Li handle it. She did not want to help and subsequently stir up trouble.

Truth be told, she didn't have any regards for the old man; she had never considered him as her own blood relative, so she didn't care whether he lived or died. However, after Mr. Xie told her about mourning rituals, she realized that she did not want the old man or the old woman to die.

If they did, her second brother would be obliged to mourn for three years and he would have to postpone the Imperial Examinations.

Even her elder brother's marriage would have to be pushed further. So, with her around, she absolutely won't let anything happen to the old man.

Dengdeng hadn't had enough to eat and was not in the mood to sleep, so she had to carry Dengdeng out to see what was happening.

"What...what happened?" Bai Ruozhu acted as if she was very worried and deliberately moved closer to get a better look at the old man's condition.

When she did, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. The old man's heart was a bit overwhelmed, but it was not a life-threatening situation. At most, he was just feeling a bit faint because of his shortness of breath. It surely wouldn't cause him to faint for a long time. As proof, his eyelids were even fluttering.

She was actually spot on, the old man was truly pretending to be sick without any regard for his dignity.

"Should we pinch his philtrum? It will take Dr. Li a while to arrive," Bai Ruozhu suggested while holding the baby.

"Yes, pinching the philtrum could help," Yu Hongxiu agreed.

Bai Yihong quickly crouched down and started to pinch the old man's philtrum. He was genuinely worried about the old man and applied a lot of pressure. The old man, unable to bear the pain, gasped and cried out. He had no choice but to wake up.

"It really worked. Thank God, grandpa is okay," Bai Ruozhu acted relieved.

The old man sat up, clutching his head and complained about feeling dizzy. There was no way to proceed with the feast as everyone had gathered around him.

At this moment, Dengdeng started crying loudly again, clearly dissatisfied about her feeding being interrupted. Lin Ping'er, who was most worried about Dengdeng spoke up, "Ruozhu, you should take the baby back to the room and comfort her. Don't let her cry and disturb your grandpa."

"I'll go back then. Er Lang, please take good care of grandpa," Bai Ruozhu said and went back to the room holding the baby, with Yu Hongxiu following her, saying, "I'll help comfort the baby as well."

As soon as they closed the door, Yu Hongxiu exhaled in annoyance, "Your grandfather's antics are very irritating. They don't even let one eat in peace. I still wanted to eat some Jinxianyou Tower."

"You noticed it too?" Bai Ruozhu looked at her surprisingly. If the lady could figure it out, even if Mr. Xie was insensitive, he would probably understand the underlying tactics once they go back.

"Ah, my father has five concubines. They fight every day, and I grew up watching them. Don't I even understand this little trick?" Yu Hongxiu snorted, "Your grandfather's skills aren't even comparable to the dumbest concubine in our house."

Bai Ruozhu couldn't help but laugh heartily. If the old man knew that his evaluation was "not even comparable to the dumbest concubine at home", he might genuinely pass out.

----

Many thanks to the readers for periodically rewarding Mouka, especially those who have been consistently generous. I'm ever grateful to you all~

Special thanks to the readers who have rewarded me: Bury Me Under The Peony Tree, Forever Drowsy,『if…』, Meng, I Cry Alone in a Corner, and Baby!


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