Chapter 9
Who was This? Who was This?
Lu Jiao felt guilty. Though she wasn’t the one who hit them, she was in the body of the woman who did.
“Don’t be scared. I won’t hit you.”
She took out her hand and patted the Fourth Born’s head. The Fourth Born shuddered but seemed to have felt better. There was now some light in the way he looked at Lu Jiao. He couldn’t help but touch Lu Jiao’s hand, though he then retreated his hand before Lu Jiao could speak.
Then again, he extended his hand to touch it as if he had discovered a fun toy.
Lu Jiao let him play his own game.
After the Third and Fourth Born were done with their bath, Lu Jiao realized that the four quadruplets did not look identical. The First Born looked like Xie Yunjin. While the Second and Third Born looked a lot like each other, they didn’t look like their father. Still, they were very handsome.
Lu Jiao stared at them and discovered that they actually looked very much like the self she was in her previous life.
Lu Jiao couldn’t help but touch her fat face. Could it be that after she lost weight, she would look like the person she was in her previous life? If that was the case, then there was no need to worry. She was very pretty in her previous life.
Out of the four kids, the most beautiful was the Fourth Born. The Fourth Born had large eyes and the end of his eyes slightly pointed upwards. Though young, he appeared very chivalrous.
Just how deviously handsome will this child grow up to be? Lu Jiao thought about it and couldn’t help but pinch this little guy’s face.
The Fourth Born lifted his head and innocently looked at Lu Jiao. That loveable face of his made her want to put him in her pocket.
Lu Jiao pondered if Xie Yunjin would allow her to take Fourth Born when they separated. However, she decided there was no way he could let that happen and gave up.
She sighed and her gaze landed on the First Born’s wounded hand. She took some antibiotics and applied them to his hand. Then, she found a clean cloth and bandaged him up.
Logically, the First Born was injured and shouldn’t take a bath. But he was far too dirty and it was difficult to even look at him. There was dirt on his hand and if that got into his skin, he may get an infection.
“Okay. I’ve applied some medicine. Remember, don’t get it wet again. Only use your hand once it heals, got it?”
Right now, Lu Jiao’s eyes appeared kind and her tone was gentle. The First Born got lost in her eyes and couldn’t react for a long time. Who was this? Who was this?
Afterward, Lu Jiao got up to wash the children’s dirty clothes. These little boys didn’t have many clothes and if she didn’t wash them now, they won’t have clothes later on. So, she better wash them and hang them to dry. Luckily it was summer and they’ll dry quickly.
In the future, she’ll go into town and get each of them two new sets of clothes.
Lu Jiao got up and was ready to wash the clothes when a group of people outside the walls started to march in. These people spoke loudly as they gossiped, “That woman, Lu Jiao, is taking it too far. She has money but isn’t using it to help Yunjin? She’s also starving Yunjin? Does she want to kill him so she can remarry?”
“That woman was evil to start with. She’s just gotten worse over the years. The Xie village will not allow such women to exist.”
“Let’s throw her out. Throw her out!”
“The Xie family cannot have its reputation ruined because of that woman. If our reputation is ruined, we won’t be able to marry our sons and daughters off in the future.”
“Hmmph, she refused to use her money. My second brother had to take out our family’s money to treat my third brother. I caught him red-handed.”
The woman speaking was Xie Yunjin’s youngest and only sister, Xie Lan.
Xie Lan’s words made Xie Erzhu blush. He blushed, “I didn’t steal our family’s money. I didn’t. I…”
Xie Lan didn’t let him finish before he went off, “If you didn’t steal our money, where did you get the money to buy third brother medicine? I heard that woman doesn’t use her own money to buy third brother medicine.”
Just then, the crowd looked over to the shortest woman in the group, the wife with the maiden name Ruan.
Lady Ruan had her hair brushed back and her thin face was tense. Her triangular eyes drooped down and she appeared very unhappy.
“Mother, you must teach that woman a lesson this time. Also, tell that woman to pay up her five taels of silver.”
Lady Ruan heard her daughter’s words and her face got even darker. The moment she entered the courtyard, she saw the fat Lu Jiao.
Lady Ruan’s face was full of disgust.
“Lu Jiao, how dare you! You have the money yet you don’t buy my son medicine? Tell me, what is your intention? Are you trying to kill my son?”
Lady Ruan was furious as she stared at Lu Jiao.
Lu Jiao narrowed her eyes and scanned the crowd. Other than members of the Xie family, there were some people from the village. These people all stared at her with much unfriendliness. Some even sneered.
Lu Jiao glanced around and ignored those from the village. She focused on Lady Ruan, the leader of the pack.
“Mother, you’re talking to me about the five taels of silver you gave us when you forced us out? Yes, I didn’t use that money to buy medicine. The reason why I didn’t use that money was all because of your family. Your son was heavily injured and instead of taking out money to pay for your son’s treatment, you moved your son out. You only gave us five taels of silver. Let me ask you – how much medicine can we get with that?”
Lu Jiao didn’t let Lady Ruan speak. She then looked over to Xie Erzhu, “Second brother, how much medicine can you get with five taels of silver?”
Xie Erzhu became flushed and didn’t dare to look at those around him. He felt extremely embarrassed by all of this. Their third brother was chosen as a scholar, so the whole family grew glorious. Yet the moment their third brother was hurt, their parents shunned him from the family and only gave him five taels of silver.
If it weren’t for his own savings, only death awaited their third brother.
After he heard what Lu Jiao had asked, he whispered, “That’s enough for three days of medicine – the most basic kind. If you want to buy higher quality medicine, the doctor said one portion is five taels.”
Inside the courtyard, all the villagers gasped.
Three days of medicine costs five taels of silver? And that was the most basic type? If good medicine cost five taels for one day alone, just how much would Yunjin’s injuries cost the family? His injury was an endless hole.
Though they were shocked to hear how expensive Yunjin’s injury was, the fact that the Xie parents shunned their son still felt unacceptable.
Yunjin was very unlucky to have such parents. Many people sighed for him.
Lu Jiao looked over to Lady Ruan and stated at a slow pace, “Mother, look at my family. There’s one man injured and four young boys. If I used all that silver for medicine, the rest of us would starve to death.”
The crowd looked over to Lu Jiao and the four unsettled little boys. The sight of the boys shocked them.
Not only was Lu Jiao herself squeaky clean and looked fresh from her bath, but the four little boys were also squeaky clean.
Lu Jiao appeared a little different now?
Everyone shared that thought. At the front of the crowd, Xie Lan spoke up, “Lu Jiao, even if you only had five taels of silver, you should hurry and buy medicine for my third brother first. My second brother had to steal money from our family to buy medicine. How’s that acceptable?”
Lu Jiao looked over to Xie Erzhu in shock. The money he used to buy medicine was stolen?
Xie Erzhu’s face instantly turned red. He couldn’t help but get angry, “I told you, I didn’t take money from the family.”
Xie Lan furiously screamed, “Then where did you get the money to buy third brother medicine?”
Frustrated, Xie Erzhu stared at Xie Lan, “Third brother gave me that money as support from before. He saw that I was exhausted from working all day and slipped me some money to buy food. I didn’t buy food and saved the money instead.”
Xie Erzhu’s words changed the expression on Xie Lan’s face. She acted as if she had just discovered evidence to use against him.
“Well, well, well, second brother. It is our family rule that nobody should have a secret stash of money. You dare to hide money.”
Just then, Lu Jiao spoke up.
“Xie Lan, your second brother has a good conscience. I want to ask you, where is your conscience? Your third brother has always spoiled you and your fourth brother. When your third brother got injured, you guys shunned him and until now, none of you came to visit him. Do you have any conscience?”
Xie Lan’s face dropped as her gaze threw daggers at Lu Jiao.
This fat b!tch. Statements like that would tarnish her reputation.
The more Xie Lan thought about it, the angrier she got. She wanted to speak but Lu Jiao gave her no opportunity, “It is no wonder that you’re already 17 yet still unmarried. I see it’s because you have no heart and nobody dares to marry you.”