Chapter 70

The scene was so quiet that even the sound of the wind could be heard.

The elderly Mrs. Bai patted her grandson’s hand and looked at the three large sacks, asking, “How about it, grandson? Did your grandma do a good job?”

Bai Ling confidently announced to the surrounding people, “See this? Three full sacks of rice! Pure white rice, not mixed with anything else! Isn’t that sincere enough?”

Shuiqing thought to herself: The rice is good, but using it as a gift of gratitude, and in such a condescending manner, who is this meant for?

Sun Jinhua couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

What could she say? Although she didn’t have rice to eat herself, she suddenly realized that using rice as a gift made her feel less envious.

The onlooking villagers were stunned for a while and incredulously asked, “Is that it?”

“No way, there should be more, right? They just started moving it.”

“For people like us, rice as a gift of gratitude is indeed very sincere, but I never expected rich people to use it as a gift too.”

“Rice is practical, but it feels like something’s missing. Even poor families, if they don’t have this much rice, would at least include a piece of smoked meat. I originally thought wealthy families would give gold, silver, or jewels. Who knew they were simpler than us farmers?”

“So, rich people are the same as poor people…”

Hearing the discussions around her, the elderly Mrs. Bai couldn’t maintain her composure.

Her face darkened as she looked at Bai Ling.

Bai Ling’s expression turned uglier, and she pointed at the people around her, asking, “Don’t think I don’t know. Last night, my servant asked around. Most of your village eats black gruel, and even coarse grains like corn are rarely eaten. Now we bring three sacks of rice all at once, and you’re still not satisfied? Don’t look down on it? Ha, truly, bad people come from poor and backward places!”

Being scolded so directly, the villagers couldn’t hold back.

“Who are you calling bad people?”

“Our village is beautiful, how is it poor and backward?”

“It’s your grand entrance and grand words that made us think it was something precious! If we knew it was just rice, we wouldn’t have been so excited to come and see.”

“Hmph, I can exchange one pound of mushrooms for four pounds of rice. When my family works hard, we can get a sack of rice in a day! In three days, we earn this much. Who are you showing off to?”

The scene turned chaotic as more harsh words were exchanged.

Hearing the villagers talk about exchanging rice, Mrs. Bai’s face turned red and white. She quickly asked her grandson, “Is what they say true?”

Bai Ziqian’s lips curled into a disappointed smile, “Grandma, I always thought my life was important, but it turns out it’s only worth three sacks of rice.”

Mrs. Bai hurriedly tried to explain, “How could that be? Your aunt said the villagers of Shanshui Village are very poor, and rice is already a precious item. We prepared three sacks, which are worth a lot. These villagers should be grateful.”

“Does grandma know what I’ve been eating for the past month?”

“Are you not getting enough to eat?”

“It’s rice and white flour, three meals a day, with meat or eggs. Does grandma think three sacks of rice are enough for the food I’ve been eating these days?”

Mrs. Bai’s face turned pale, then bright red with embarrassment. She stammered, “Your aunt said…”

“Did grandma only listen to aunt? Do you know why even the villagers don’t value these three sacks of rice?”

“Why?”

“Because before, they could exchange one pound of mushrooms for four pounds of rice! A hardworking family could exchange for a sack of rice in a day; the family that saved me was the one exchanging rice with them. Grandma, do you think someone who can exchange four pounds of rice for one pound of mushrooms would value these three sacks of rice? Would they consider the food they eat every day to be precious and be extremely grateful to our family?”

No!

At this moment, Mrs. Bai wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

“If my mother were here today, she wouldn’t let me be in such an embarrassing situation.” Bai Ziqian coldly added.

Mrs. Bai looked at the culprit, Bai Ling, who was still scolding the villagers for being ungrateful.

“Shut up! This was all your idea, you money-grubbing wretch! Haven’t you embarrassed us enough?”

Scolded harshly by Mrs. Bai, Bai Ling shut her mouth, lowered her head, and didn’t dare make a sound.

She had been married to Guangning Mansion for over ten years, and though she didn’t fully understand the village’s situation, she knew enough. She never expected to fail in such a small village, especially in front of her mother!

The Bai family was now led by her mother, and she hoped her mother would give her more money. She had been managing the Wu family for over ten years, and things were getting worse. Even a lot of her substantial dowry had been used up. If she angered her mother, her brother’s dislike for her would ensure she got no more money.

After scolding Bai Ling, Mrs. Bai walked over to the village head and Fan Jinshui, slightly bowing and saying, “This matter was my oversight. Please forgive us.”

Fan Jin stood up and returned the bow, still speaking kindly, “We didn’t expect any reward. This rice, you should take it back.”

The village head remained seated on the cool bed, only speaking, “Yes, other families in the village wouldn’t take in a stranger for so long if they were in poor condition. Your grandson was lucky to meet kind people. Even without this rice, they wouldn’t try to cling to your family. Please rest assured.”

Mrs. Bai felt hot and restless.

For the first time in her life, she didn’t know whether to stand or sit, feeling as if her face had been rubbed into the ground.

Bai Ziqian’s face was red with shame, and he said, “Uncle Fan, Auntie, this was all my grandma and aunt’s decision. When my parents return, they will come personally to thank you!”

In other words, his grandma and aunt were not his parents and didn’t care about his affairs, but his parents would prepare a proper gift.

Mrs. Bai felt her dignity was gone, and today’s events had hurt her grandson’s feelings, but she couldn’t say anything. This matter had been handled poorly.

Shuiqing had been looking forward to the gift a stick of incense ago. She had earned money to build a house, but who would mind having more money? Especially since next year might be a disaster year.

But now she deeply realized that relying on others was not as good as relying on herself! Money, she had to earn it herself.

She declined politely, “No need for more thanks. You should go home with your grandma. You know I’m about to build a house, and it’ll be messy with bricks and mud. Let’s meet again later.”

Facing the thin, dark, nearly crying boy she had lived with for over a month, Shuiqing couldn’t bring herself to be harsh, but her meaning was clear.

Bai Ziqian bit his lip and said quietly, “I’m different from them.”

Today’s embarrassment was great, but it was because he had no power. He wasn’t the one in charge.

“Grandma, let’s go home.” No matter what he said, it would sound like an excuse. What mattered was what he did next.

The luxurious double-horse carriage led the way, followed by one carriage after another, leaving quickly.

The villagers watching the commotion also dispersed quickly.

Sun Jinhua, in a good mood, spat and said gleefully, “I thought your second uncle’s family would get a lot of gold and silver, but they got nothing and fed someone for over a month, wasting food. Isn’t that foolish?”

“We mustn’t do such foolish things in the future.”

“Second uncle’s family is a joke.”

“Absolutely hilarious.”