Chapter 21: Five Taels Is Just for Damages!

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“Impossible! You’re lying. Granny would never just abandon me.” Bai Ruzhu’s face drained of color, unable to believe it. Granny had clearly said she was the one most like her and that she would wait for her little uncle to prove himself. She was even going to make her the lady of the manor! How could she leave without a word? Even if she left, she would surely take her and little uncle with her.

Bai Ruyu didn’t care what she thought; settling accounts was the priority. “Who knows what she’s thinking? But the house has already been searched, and you’ve left everything in a mess.” She lifted her chin toward those nearby. “Father, Mother, go take a look and see how much damage has been done. Our family is already poor; we can’t afford to replace anything.”

Bai Xiuming and Mrs. Jiang nodded and began pacing around the yard, while Ergou and Sanwa stood guard beside little Ya.

“Bai Ruyu! Don’t go too far! No money to buy? Granny just came by this afternoon with money.” Bai Feijing scowled as he held Bai Ruzhu on the ground, his eyes practically shooting fire! When did this girl become so shameless? How dare she bring up money in front of them!

A glint flashed in Bai Ruyu’s eyes, her face full of confusion. “Money? Your Granny only gave our family ten taels. What good is that? Just thinking about it makes me angry!”

[Everyone at Pingchuang Fei: I suspect the streamer is secretly causing trouble!]
[Heavenly King Covering the Earth Tiger: No doubt about it, with the streamer’s style, they’re definitely stirring up mischief behind the scenes!]
[Most Outstanding Liu’er: Upstairs, watch your words—this streamer takes revenge seriously, be careful.]
…
Did these netizens think she couldn’t see them? How dare they insult her openly!

Seeing Bai Ruyu’s expression darken, clearly very upset, the two on the ground exchanged puzzled glances. What was really going on? Why was it different from what Granny had said?

Bai Ruzhu’s eyes were bloodshot, her mind unhinged. “My Granny clearly brought a hundred taels! How could it only be ten? You’re lying!” Before Granny arrived, she had even shown her the money—it was definitely a hundred taels. How had this vile woman reduced it to ten?

“Lying? If Zhang’s family had honestly brought a hundred taels, why would I have chased her away and barred her from the door? Ten taels and you expect our family to forgive you? Not a chance! Besides, if you don’t compensate for the damage today, I’ll report it to the authorities! If our family suffers, you won’t have it easy either!” Bai Ruyu glared back without a hint of weakness.

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Her words reminded the neighbors of when Mrs. Zhang came to give money earlier—Miss Yu had angrily driven her out.

“Hey! I remember, they argued for quite some time right at the door.”
“Mrs. Jiang kept turning over the cloth bundle old Mrs. Zhang handed over, examining it back and forth.”
“Miss Yu’s face wasn’t looking good at all back then.”

Aunt Ma and the other women nearby craned their necks, speaking loudly as if afraid not to be heard.

At this moment, Jiang and Bai Xiuming came out of the house. Approaching the gate, Bai Xiuming bowed slightly to the clan elder and village chief. “Village Uncle, Clan Elder, a young member has inspected the damages; the total value is five taels.”

Hearing this, Bai Feijing and Bai Ruzhu’s pale faces eased slightly. Five taels, for a poor family, was a year’s worth of expenses. For them, it wasn’t much.

“Five taels is five taels!” Bai Ruzhu ripped off the silver bracelet on her wrist, snarling, “This bracelet alone is worth at least six taels. I’ll compensate you with it now!” When she found Granny, she would settle the scores with these people. Not just the silver bracelet—Bai Ruyu’s silver chain would be hers too!

“Hey! Five taels is only for the damages.” Bai Ruyu glanced at the bracelet and shook her head. “You can forget about us forgiving your family over this. You’ve damaged our reputation, frightened me, and caused all sorts of troubles. Adding it all up, it has to be at least twenty taels.”

[Waiting for the Rain: Twenty taels? That’s too little. It should be at least a hundred.]
[Under the Camphor Tree: Same here! A thousand taels wouldn’t be too much!]
[Puff of Mianyang: To the above two, can you be realistic? Don’t want to live in the village anymore?]
[Master Has Money: Exactly, why must everything be done openly?]
…
The live chat instantly split into two camps—some felt Bai Ruyu wasn’t ruthless enough, others thought she was right to act cautiously since she still had to survive in the village.

A faint smile flickered in Bai Ruyu’s eyes. Indeed, only old fans really understood her, even if they weren’t very long-time followers.

“Twenty taels?! Why don’t you just rob them!” Bai Feijing suddenly jumped up, pointing angrily at Bai Ruyu’s nose.

Bai Ruyu clutched her chest and stepped back. “Twenty-five! You scared me!”

Ergou hurried over to support her, panicking. “Big Sister, Big Sister, please don’t be hurt!”

“You… you’re extorting us!” Bai Feijing’s chubby cheeks twitched, his fingers trembling. Such a shameless woman! How dare she openly extort them!

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Bai Ruyu leaned on Ergou’s shoulder, clutching her chest weakly.

“Ow! My head hurts badly. Maybe it hasn’t fully healed, and now I’m frightened again. I should probably go to the clinic.”

Before Bai Feijing could speak, Bai Xiuming and Mrs. Jiang rushed over to their daughter, examining her closely.

“Daughter, how are you feeling?”
“I told you to see a doctor, but you refused. Look at this…”
Their mother was on the verge of tears.

Bai Ruyu turned her head and winked subtly at the two, mouthing “I’m fine.”

“We agreed on compensation beforehand. Besides, what Miss Yu said is true! Your disturbance has damaged their reputation and frightened them. Twenty-five taels is already generous!” The clan elder’s face was cold, his tone icy.

Bai Ruzhu bit her lip, silent. This old man was clearly favoring Bai Xiuming’s family. No matter what she said now, it was useless.

Bai Feijing’s expression stiffened. He wanted to argue but was cut off.

“Big Brother, let’s compensate!” Bai Ruzhu immediately interrupted. “For Granny’s sake, even if it costs my life, I’m willing.”

Tears streamed down her face as if they were worthless. She pressed her lips tightly and removed the hairpin from her head and the jade bracelet from her other hand, holding them in her palms like a rag doll.

She stepped slowly toward Bai Ruyu and the others.

“I-I’m sorry, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Big Sister. My brother and I were just too worried about Granny, that’s why we acted so foolishly.”

Bai Ruzhu lowered her head, sobbing as she apologized, as if she were the one wronged.

The people around her felt a pang of sympathy.

Even Bai Ruyu had to admit, the girl’s acting and mindset were impressive.

“Miss Zhu, just being worried about Mrs. Zhang’s safety doesn’t justify pressuring a junior like this.”
“It was just a search of the yard, and some things were accidentally damaged. No need to be so unforgiving.”
“Oh! Some people really have black hearts, bullying the Bai family’s two youngsters with no one to back them.”

Bai Ruzhu kept her head down, a faint smile curling at the corners of her mouth. It seemed her sweet words over the years had their uses.

She wanted to see how Bai Ruyu would handle the scorn of half the village.

That little bitch Bai Ruyu!
Would she still dare to take this money?