Chapter 22: The Shamelessness of Lei Shi and the Xiao Family
"Son-in-law Bai! I heard snippets from the doorway—did you just say you have no suspicion toward the Rong family? Does that mean you're accusing your own in-laws?! We are Xiao Han's family, the grandparents of Xiao Fu and Xiao Wu! How could you protect those 'doorstep thieves' while slandering your own kin?!"
Lei Shi's voice was incredibly shrill. When Bai Li looked toward the entrance, he saw that the entire Xiao family had followed her in.
Hearing those words, Bai Li couldn't help but feel a wave of sheer disappointment. He already had a poor opinion of Lei Shi and the rest of the household due to their mistreatment of Xiao Han; now, not only had they stolen his property and refused to confess, but they also had the audacity to come to his home and stir up trouble.
Initially, Bai Li had considered letting the matter slide. He knew his house was insecure and he didn't want a major ordeal. However, he hadn't expected Lei Shi and the Xiao family to be so brazen as to show their faces here with such thick skin.
Bai Li's nature was generally simple; he wanted to live a happy life and rarely lost his temper. But even a man like him had limits. One of the things he found most intolerable was people taking what belonged to him without his knowledge.
He truly had intended to move past this, but his thoughts shifted the moment they arrived to provoke him. If you steal, you should at least have the decency to hide, he thought. But to show up in front of the owner and act indignant is enough to make anyone's blood boil. It was only four or five silver pieces. Bai Li had spent over a thousand silver pieces in a few days without blinking; he wasn't going to lose sleep over this small amount of money. But that didn't mean he could stand by and watch these people parade in front of him.
The smile on Bai Li's face vanished instantly. Village Head Jiang Ren was the only one who truly took notice.
Jiang Ren had observed that ever since the day Bai Li "changed," he always carried a faint, easy smile. Today was the first time he had seen that smile disappear. It was a subtle change in expression, yet it made the Village Head feel strangely uneasy.
Incensed by Lei Shi's words, Yu Long (the wife of the Rong family) felt her rage flare up again.
"Lei Shi! You wretched woman! Your mouth deserves to be struck by lightning! Who are you calling 'doorstep thieves'?! You're the bitch who stole! I saw you! I saw you with my own two eyes!! You're the thief! I saw Xiao Liu, you, and your son Xiao Lian hauling bundles out of Bai Li's house and leaving through the back!! My eyes didn't deceive me, you hag!"
Yu Long was normally a quiet, reserved woman, but she could not endure Lei Shi insulting her character and labeling her a thief. She had seen them steal, yet they were turning around and accusing her. How could she not be furious? If her sons hadn't been holding her back, she would have lunged at Lei Shi and clawed the lying mouth right off her face.
Rong Heng held his mother back, saying, "Mother, the whole village knows our character. Why get angry? It's not even worth the breath!"
Seeing Yu Long shouting until her voice went hoarse, Bai Li could no longer stay silent.
"That's right, Auntie Rong. Why not just sit down comfortably in a chair and listen to the rubbish coming from these liars as if it were idle entertainment? It might actually be quite amusing for you."
Everyone, including the Xiaos, turned to stare at Bai Li. From his words, it was crystal clear: he considered the Xiao family the absolute culprits.
Hearing Bai Li's support, Yu Long's heart eased slightly. She sat down just as he suggested. "You're right! Since I haven't done anything wrong, I should enjoy this lying drama as a spectator!"
The faces of the Xiao family soured immediately. Lei Shi snapped, "Son-in-law Bai! What is the meaning of this?!"
Bai Li felt a wave of revulsion every time the word "Son-in-law" left Lei Shi's mouth. He replied with cold composure:
"I think Auntie Xiao (Lei Shi) knows exactly what I mean. What I am saying is that I already know the truth. It would be best for your whole family to turn around and leave right now. My home does not welcome people of such... character."
He added before Lei Shi could retort:
"And please, stop calling me 'Son-in-law.' It's grating on my ears. Was it not the Xiao family who, disapproving of the match between me and Xiao Han, demanded a hundred silver pieces to sever all ties and even asked the Village Head to bear witness? To call me 'son-in-law' now is truly laughable."
The Xiao family's expressions turned grim. They hadn't expected Bai Li to be this unyielding. They had assumed that if they came back and aggressively blamed the Rong family, Bai Li would at least harbor a seed of doubt toward both households. How could they have known he would completely exonerate the Rongs and pin the blame squarely on the Xiaos?
By now, the entire Xiao clan had crowded into Bai Li's home. The group consisted of Xiao Liu (Xiao Han's father), Lei Su (Lei Shi, the stepmother), Xiao Lian (Xiao Han's elder half-brother), Yi Mian (Xiao Lian's wife), Xiao Ronghua (the third daughter, Xiao Han's younger half-sister), and Xiao Tingting (the youngest son, a Ger, Xiao Han's younger half-brother).
Looking at them, Bai Li couldn't help but wonder: What are they doing, bringing the whole house? They had the gall to bring their unmarried daughter and son to a place where they were shamelessly showing their faces after committing a crime. Weren't they afraid no one in the village would want to marry into their house after this? Were Xiao Liu and Lei Su insane?
Xiao Liu wasn't quite as thick-skinned as Lei Shi, but seeing Bai Li treat his elders with such disrespect made his blood boil.
"You dog of a son-in-law! You dare speak such insolent words to your elders?! Lao Jiu! Your son is being this disrespectful—are you just going to sit there and say nothing?!"
Father Bai (Bai Jiu) was a simple, traditional farmer. In normal circumstances, he wouldn't stand for his son treating in-laws this way. However, the Xiaos' demand for a hundred silver pieces and this ugly theft filled him with loathing. Instead of being angry at his son's "disrespect," he was furious that they dared to curse his son.
"Lao Liu, everything my second son said is the absolute truth! You have no right to curse him. It's your family that has committed these dog-like acts!"
Bai Li was slightly surprised to see his mild-mannered father scolding others so openly. Xiao Liu was even more shocked; he hadn't expected Bai Jiu to snap back at him.
"What dog-sh*t talk are you spewing?! We didn't do a thing!!"
Bai Li wasn't happy about his father being insulted. He signaled for Father Bai to stop talking. Seeing the gesture, Father Bai subsided, sitting there with a dark, scowling face.
Bai Li looked at Xiao Liu with agonizing patience. "Uncle Xiao, you have never once acknowledged me as a son-in-law. Why do you insist on lying without any fear of Heaven? You may be thick-skinned enough to deny it, but everyone knows this burglary was the work of the Xiao family."
Initially, Xiao Liu hadn't wanted to follow Lei Shi's plan. But once he had seen the quality of the goods in Bai Li's house, his greed had won out. Even though they had taken the things, Bai Li's complete lack of "face" toward the family made him see red.
Xiao Liu opened his mouth to deny it again, but Lei Shi beat him to it.
"Son-in-law Bai, I know you're being misled by what the Rongs and others are whispering. Our family is quite successful in this village, so people look for any chance to tear us down. You can't just believe hearsay. As the saying goes, 'Bones may break, but the flesh remains joined'—we are your family! You must consider that."
Bai Li and the others found this sentiment utterly ridiculous. Mo Hua felt that if Bai Li hadn't kept his hand on her shoulder to signal silence, she would have cursed Lei Shi's shamelessness loud enough for the gods to hear.
The third daughter, Xiao Ronghua, chimed in with a look of aggrieved indignation.
"That's right, Brother-in-law. The Xiao family is your family. How could we possibly do such a thing? The Rongs are just telling lies. Brother-in-law, you have to reconsider!"
Her voice was soft, sounding as though she were helplessly enduring a false accusation, tugging at one's heartstrings. This third daughter of the Xiaos had a remarkably clear, sweet voice and was quite pretty; people in the village often referred to her as the village beauty.
Bai Li finally understood why they had brought the unmarried children. They were trying to use "beauty" as a weapon. Lei Shi was truly calculating.
The original Bai Li had spent his whole life chasing skirts and actually preferred women over Gers. Since Xiao Han was good-looking, the original Bai Li had been obsessed, but in truth, he had liked Xiao Ronghua even more than Xiao Han. Had he encountered her that fateful day instead of Xiao Han, the old Bai Li would have followed the same path.
So, the Xiaos thought he was still the same man and were trying to spring a "honey trap." It wasn't a bad plan; if the original Bai Li were standing here, Xiao Ronghua's plea might have worked. Unfortunately for them, the Bai Li standing before them was a gay man.
A woman's wiles had zero effect on him. And even if he weren't gay, he wasn't a man devoid of reason; such petty tricks were useless.
Without a hint of softness, Bai Li snapped at Xiao Ronghua, "This is a conversation for elders! How does an unmarried girl like you have the gall to jump in and argue?!"
Moreover, this wasn't just any conversation—it was a dispute over theft. How could a young maiden involve herself in such a sordid debate?
In rural villages, while such etiquette wasn't always strictly followed, having it pointed out was incredibly embarrassing. Bai Li's sharp rebuke made it seem like Xiao Ronghua was aggressively picking a fight; her face turned bright red instantly. Even Lei Shi was stunned. She hadn't expected Bai Li to scold the daughter she barely raised her own voice to in front of a crowd.
"Bai Li!! Our Ronghua was just saying a few words because her family is being falsely accused! What authority do you have to scold her?!"
Bai Li's patience had reached its limit. This group was like a bunch of parasites—hard to shake off, circling the point without ever hitting it. He grew tired of the politeness.
"Lei Shi, I don't want to waste any more words on this circling nonsense. If you hadn't come to my house today, I would have let this matter go. But since you have no sense of shame, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Lei Shi, however, was not intimidated; her confidence remained unshaken. She had initially hoped to win him over and had even let Ronghua speak, but she hadn't expected this "trash" son-in-law to be so fierce. Since the soft approach failed, she tore off her gentle mask.
"I have no idea what you're talking about! If you're so certain it was us, why don't you report it to the court? I wonder, though, if the Magistrate would let you off for leaving your house completely unsecured while you went gallivanting off!"
Commoners lived in terror of the magistrate's court. The villagers began to murmur among themselves, wondering if this really would escalate to that level.
Village Head Jiang was also deeply uncomfortable with the Xiaos' stubbornness. He had hoped they would simply return the items and end it here without involving the law. But it seemed Lei Shi's head was made of stone.
Bai Li ignored Lei Shi and turned to the Village Head.
"Uncle Jiang, it seems these people's confidence stems from the fact that I left the house unsecured. If I were to report it, the Magistrate would undoubtedly point out my negligence. That's why they aren't afraid of me going to court. But while I acknowledge my mistake and wouldn't want to go to court myself, I wonder... what if a 'concerned bystander'—someone who couldn't stand to watch such blatant shamelessness—was the one to report the crime? I wonder if the outcome would change then."