Unrelated to Your Household
They felt it inappropriate to discuss certain matters with Mrs. Liu, but Mr. Bai was privy to the information, making it more convenient to speak with him, even though it would trouble him.
Both the village head and Elder Zhou felt somewhat embarrassed.
Mr. Bai's emotions were tumultuous, especially when facing these two individuals again, particularly Elder Zhou.
He had been oblivious before and thus had more leeway to weigh his options. However, now that this matter involves his cousin, and to some extent, originated from him, how could he refuse?
He understood the concerns of the village head and Elder Zhou. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Rest assured, I will handle this matter." I have already investigated early on, and they are impostors.
The village head and Elder Zhou's eyes brightened. "Are they truly impostors?"
Mr. Bai nodded, to some extent, yes.
Elder Zhou and the village head breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they were not officials.
Indeed, not officials...
Elder Zhou suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly asked, "Mr. Bai, if they are not officials, why are they investigating my younger brother's affairs?"
"They are not here to investigate Zhou Yin but to find someone," Mr. Bai had already discussed the explanation with Mrs. Liu. "This person has some connection to our family, but we don't know where he is hiding." They knew my aunt had moved here, so they disguised themselves to inquire, using disaster relief as an excuse to check the household registration. Your strong reaction aroused their suspicion.
Elder Zhou was dumbfounded. "Ah, does it have nothing to do with our family?"
For a moment, Elder Zhou felt regret and sorrow. Feeling regret for his impulsive actions yesterday, which led to the brawl, and sorrow for the damage to the houses and the money spent on compensation.
The village head also widened his eyes. It was all a misunderstanding.
Mr. Bai felt somewhat embarrassed as well. "By the way, I heard that the tiles on Elder Zhang's roof were severely damaged." My aunt asked Mrs. Liu to send five taels of silver to you. "Did you accept it?"
Elder Zhou smiled awkwardly. He had always felt responsible for the incident, so how could he accept it? Even though Mrs. Liu insisted on giving him the money, he stubbornly refused.
But now...
Mr. Bai seemed to understand this and apologized, "It was our negligence and a misunderstanding." Please accept this money. I heard that Elder Zhang suffered internal injuries. Should I invite a doctor from the county to come and see him?
Mr. Bai handed Elder Zhou a purse. Elder Zhou hesitated, "No need, no need." The doctor has already prescribed hemostatic medication. He should recover after some rest.
But this time, he didn't refuse the purse.
Mr. Bai breathed a sigh of relief and promised, "I will handle this matter well." Please rest assured, both of you, and please reassure the villagers. This incident is partly our fault.
The village head said, "You can't blame yourselves." It's their malicious intent. "Besides, we are all fellow villagers, and mutual assistance is only natural."
Although they didn't know the exact reason, Mr. Bai thought kindly of it. Although Mrs. Liu had only moved here two years ago, she was a decent person. When the children in the village played with the young master of the Bai family, they often received pastries.
Even when children fought, the old lady never intervened or bullied others.
The village head quite liked this new family.
The two of them felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from their shoulders. It felt as heavy as they came, but as light as they left.
If it weren't for Mr. Bai leading the way, Elder Zhou would have almost burst into laughter. After so many years, he had been pondering who would come looking for his younger brother.
Mr. Bai sent the two off cheerfully. As soon as they left, he saw two children, each carrying a plate, sneaking over from the east, apparently heading towards the west garden.
Mr. Bai: ...
Elder Zhou: ...
The village head glanced at Elder Zhou, then at Mr. Bai, wisely refraining from speaking.
Enlisting the cook to prepare two plates of snacks, Man Bao and Bai Shan Bao avoided scrutiny from Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Zheng by not taking the shortest route from the nearby backyard. Instead, they circled around to the front yard before heading west.
Bai Shan Bao's study was in the west garden.
Quietly slipping past the corridor, using the big tree as cover, the two of them sneaked past the front yard without noticing the three adults standing nearby.
As soon as they entered the west garden, they ran off.
Man Bao held the plate with both hands. Seeing the glutinous rice cakes almost falling out, she slowed down and used her hands to push them back in before continuing to run.
Upon entering the study, Man Bao attempted to grab a snack, but Bai Shan Bao slapped the back of her hand.
He said earnestly, "You must wash your hands first."
"Okay."
Man Bao went to the basin on the side shelf to wash her hands. Soon, she splashed some water, rubbed her hands, regardless of whether they were clean or not, shook them off, wiped them with a towel, and ran back to her seat, ready to eat.
After washing his hands, Bai Shan Bao quickly grabbed his snack and ate it.
"It's delicious."~~"
"Yes, indeed." But Bai Shan Bao restrained himself, saying, "Overeating will make you uncomfortable." Let's eat a few pieces first, then read for a while. How about finishing the rest at noon?
Man Bao was reluctant, but she also knew he was right because she had experienced being overstuffed. She reluctantly nodded and asked, "Okay, which book would you like to read today?"
"I'm reading 'Mozi,' which contains many interesting ideas." If we could create them, the toys would be even more enjoyable than the ones we play with now. "What about you?"
"I'm reading 'Huangdi Neijing.'" I feel like my family is always getting sick. "If I can treat illnesses and injuries, then I won't worry so much when emergencies arise."
"Alright, then I'll make toys for you to play with later." "If I get sick, you can prescribe medicine for me."
"No problem."
"I want sweet medicine."
"Medicine isn't sweet."
"I don't care," Bai Shan Bao said, "I want sweet medicine." "I won't take bitter medicine."
Man Bao thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I remember licorice is sweet." "I'll add a little more when the time comes, and it should be sweet."
Keke: "...Medicine isn't prescribed that way."
But at this moment, the two children obviously didn't know that. They both thought it was a good idea, so they happily took out their books to read.
Mrs. Liu stood outside the window, watching them. Unlike before, today she paid more attention to Man Bao.
She had seen Mrs. Qian before and had always thought Zhou Man didn't resemble her. Despite Mrs. Qian being ill and appearing weak, she was quite resilient.
It was clear that she had been a hearty and robust person when she was young. Little Qian, on the other hand, resembled her.
Zhou Man was petite, yet young, and she had some congenital health issues, which caused her to fall ill frequently. She thought this was normal.
Moreover, she had a pair of eyes that bore a striking resemblance to Zhou Si Lang's.