NOVPUBChapter 148: Chapter 148 Sibling Conversation
Chapter 148 -148 Sibling Conversation
Bai Song brought Bai Yue and Bai Xiao back home and, with a sullen expression, went to the backyard to chop wood for them.
Bai Xiao could tell that her elder brother was upset inside.
Given Bai Song’s personality, his ability to raise his hand and let Bai Jianguo’s family off so lightly today must have been out of concern for Bai Yue’s future in the village. After all, he had to return to his military unit, and once he left, if the shameless Bai Jianguo’s family came to bully Bai Yue, he couldn’t possibly ask for leave to rush back every time to deal with such matters.
So, he still left some leeway in his actions. Otherwise, with Bai Song’s skills, Bai Shan and Bai Zhuang would probably be beaten so badly that even their own parents wouldn’t recognize them.
The main thing was his current profession. He could beat up Bai Shan and Bai Zhuang, but he couldn’t beat Bai Jianguo and Hao Fang. It was a different matter, and if someone reported it, Bai Song would likely face severe punishment.
Yet, Bai Xiao felt rather relieved. It seemed her elder brother had made progress compared to his past life and had learned such tactics. Just his ability was enough to deter Bai Jianguo’s family, and of course, the villagers. If anyone else thought about bullying Bai Yue, the widow and orphan with no one to care for them, they should be scared now.
“Big brother, are you still angry? It’s all in the past now. Aren’t we as a family living well?” Bai Xiao squatted aside and watched her brother vent his anger on the firewood with his axe.
With one strike of the axe, the wood split in two, and with a couple more hits, the firewood was neatly quartered.
“Brother, it’s not anger at others, but at myself. You’ve been with your uncle and granny for four years, not just for a day or two. Although I, your big brother, didn’t come back often, I still stayed for three to five days each time and yet, I didn’t notice anything wrong with you. What are my eyes for then? My own sister was mistreated by others. If it weren’t for this uniform I’m wearing, I’d have broken Bai Jianguo and Hao Fang’s legs today. They’re so hateful and infuriating.
“They’ve been abusing a child as small as you for four years, not just for a day or two. Doesn’t everyone have a heart made of flesh? Just hearing about those things makes me realize you must have buried a lot more that you haven’t told me. The past four years at their house, you’ve been treated like a slave. I really regret listening to granny’s and uncle’s promises back then, when they assured us that they would take good care of you.
“If I had known it would be like this, I would have begged door to door in the village, even if it meant bowing down to every household, there would be one willing to take you in. You wouldn’t have had to live like that in anyone else’s home. I failed as a big brother. I promised mom and dad that I would take good care of you, but look what I let happen to you. Brother, I truly feel ashamed,” Bai Song said, filled with self-reproach and sadness.
Bai Xiao ran in front of Bai Song with a giggly smile and hugged his arm coquettishly, “Big brother, aren’t I fine now? If you’re still upset, then it’s not worth it. You are getting upset here because of someone else’s mistakes, which is simply not worthwhile. Big brother, you’ve come back not so easily, and I’m about to leave. If you don’t have a good chat with me, I will be the one who gets upset,” she said, puffing out her lips in a pout that amused Bai Song.
“You! What am I supposed to do with you? Look at you now, aren’t you talking back smoothly? During those four years, how could you let granny and uncle bully you? Even if you couldn’t beat them, couldn’t you have told me secretly? With me around, I could have beaten them up badly. I wouldn’t have to wear this uniform; I couldn’t simply watch my little sister suffer,” Bai Song chided Bai Xiao.
Bai Xiao pursed her lips, “Big brother, stop talking big. Why did you go in the first place? Wasn’t it because our family was poor, and after our parents passed away, all the family property was taken over by our uncle and his family? Weren’t you also aiming to support my schooling and find a way to make money? Even if you knew about it back then, you couldn’t have done anything to our uncle, right? The reason I didn’t tell you was that I knew telling you would only make you angry inside. You’ve finally reached this position, and you may be able to stay there in the future. If you get sued by our uncle and grandma because of me and can no longer continue your career, and get demobilized back to our place, what would you do? Even if we went back to our village, we could only farm.”
“The problem is that our family doesn’t even have any land anymore. Are you going to take me out to work? I considered this for years without saying anything. I’m not a child anymore, and now you’re an adult as well. We both need to think more when we consider things. I just hope that before you do anything in the future, you won’t act too impulsively. Think it through. In society, you’ll run into many shameless people like our uncle and grandma. It’s simply not worth it to jeopardize yourself for such people.”
“You should deal with them like I am now, finding a way to make them feel the pain. They hit me, I’ll naturally make them hurt in return, but I definitely won’t put myself at risk.” She was indirectly persuading Bai Song, still worried that her big brother would end up like he did in her previous life, demoted to Yunnan.
Bai Song gave a bitter smile, “Yeah, your big brother is just all talk, he’s really not capable. He couldn’t even protect you properly. From now on, Big Brother will definitely change his temper. Even if he wants to deal with them, he can’t let others catch any weaknesses. Otherwise, he really would have let down our eldest sister and you. Xiao, you’ve suffered!” He was filled with self-reproach. When their parents died, their last wish was for their children to swear to take good care of Bai Xiao. At that time, Bai Xiao was still so young, crying as if she would die by their parents’ bed.
It was indeed as Bai Xiao had said: at that time, Bai Yue and Bai Ju were both married, with their own families to care for. It was impossible for them to shoulder the burden of Bai Xiao. Their family’s two acres of land was enough for him and his sister to live on, but supporting Bai Xiao’s education was extremely difficult.
After all, the village didn’t charge tuition, but there were still costs for textbooks. Each year, you still needed pencils and notebooks, right?
It was then that Bai Song felt truly helpless. Only then did he think about leaving, because he knew there would be an allowance if he went there, and that meant his sister could afford to go to school and have enough to eat. The three siblings discussed for a long time, and finally decided to go see the village chief. Back then, not just anyone could take on that role.
Fortunately, Liu Baoguo was a decent person. Remembering that their parents were good people and wanting to give their family a bit of a lift, he managed to secure a spot for Bai Song.
It was like that time when they finally went to beg at their grandma’s and uncle’s door, producing nineteen yuan for living expenses in order to keep their sister at their uncle’s house.
At that time, they really had no other choice.
Bai Xiao smiled, “Big brother, you need to look forward. Aren’t we living a better life now? Look, I’ve been admitted to university, and it’s to Aviation University at that. Big brother, I’ll be in the same field as you soon. Our eldest sister and second sister’s lives will get better and better, and we’ve already gotten through the toughest times. You also need to do better there, Big brother. You need to work on your education; foreseeably, work will revolve around the four modernizations, and the requirements are likely to be for modernization as well. Don’t let yourself be eliminated because you fall behind. Little sister, I hope your future is ever smoother, and that all our family members’ lives will get better and better.”
Bai Song put his arm around his little sister, and lovingly ruffled her hair, saying indulgently, “You little girl, now you’re even starting to lecture me. See how I’ll deal with you.”
The siblings laughed heartily.
