Chapter 141 - 133: The Bai Family’s Widow

Chapter 141: Chapter 133: The Bai Family’s Widow

Zhao Lan sneered. "I know exactly what you’re up to. You don’t need to say all this. All right, you can go now. This place is too small for so many people."

Of course, Old Mrs. Bai wouldn’t stand for that. She reached for Zhao Lan’s hand again, only for Zhao Lan to coldly shake it off. "Mrs. Bai, I, Zhao Lan, may be slow, but I’m no idiot. I can still tell right from wrong. I know perfectly well why you drove our Zhi’er away, and I’m crystal clear on why you’ve come to bring me back to the Bai Family. No matter how pretty your words are, someone still has to believe them."

She pointed toward the door. "Why don’t you go tell it to the other villagers? Repeat that whole spiel you just gave me and see if anyone believes you—well, maybe some will. A three-year-old might."

Liu’s expression immediately changed. "Zhao Lan, don’t be so ungrateful. It seems you’d rather do this the hard way."

Zhao Lan snorted coldly. "Then I’ll wait for that punishment and see just how it tastes."

Old Mrs. Bai’s temper flared as well. Her face darkened as she glared at Zhao Lan. "Zhao Lan, don’t you forget that you are the Bai Family’s widow, the wife of my dead son! That girl, Bai Zhi, grew up eating our Bai Family’s food! What, now that your wings are strong, you think you can just cast aside the Bai Family?"

Zhao Lan shook her head. "Wrong. We aren’t the ones casting off the Bai Family—the Bai Family cast us off. The day the family was divided, the entire village saw it. Who was it that couldn’t wait to drive Zhi’er and me from your home?"

’She had thought that facing the Bai family would make her as impulsive and furious as she used to be. But now, she found she was surprisingly calm. Perhaps it was because she had given up all hope for them. To her, the Bai family members standing before her now were no different than strangers on the street.’

"Zhao Lan, are you in there?" Hu Changlin called from outside.

Zhao Lan called back, "I’m here." She turned to Old Mrs. Bai and Liu. "You should go. And don’t bother coming back. From now on, let’s stay out of each other’s way and live our own lives."

Hearing the conversation inside, Hu Changlin quickly came to the doorway. When he saw Liu and Old Mrs. Bai, his face immediately fell. "Didn’t you already go home? How did you find this place? What on earth are you trying to do?"

In his hands, Hu Changlin held a plate with two hard-boiled eggs, two steamed buns made from white flour, and a bowl of thick white congee, all giving off a faint, delicious scent.

Thinking of their own situation at home—congee as thin as rice water, stir-fried wild vegetables replaced by bland, boiled ones that left you hungry the moment you finished—and then looking at what Zhao Lan had, the difference was night and day.

The displeasure on Liu’s face vanished, replaced by a forced smile. "As it happens, we haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Why don’t we just eat here with Zhao Lan?"

Hu Changlin’s face was cold. "Who could possibly eat while looking at you two? It’s enough to make someone throw up. Get lost, and stop dawdling."

Old Mrs. Bai’s face darkened. With one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Hu Changlin, she snapped, "Hu Changlin, you watch your mouth! We’re here to see Zhao Lan, not you. We’ll stay as long as we please. It’s none of your damn business!"

Standing behind them, Zhao Lan gave a sudden, hard shove, pushing both women out the door. She followed them out and, with a sharp CLICK, locked the door behind her.

She turned to Hu Changlin. "Brother Hu, I just remembered something I needed to talk to you about. Why don’t we head to the main house? We can talk while we eat."