Rebirth: My Dear Little Wife Is So Scheming

This string of words had already shocked the villagers. They knew how strict someone could be in child-rearing, but no one thought that the Bai Family could abuse this child so cruelly behind closed doors.

The amount of information was overwhelming, and it was known that Bai Xiao was not Bai Jianguo's child, which truly amounted to abuse.

"This, Xiao, really? During the New Year or festivals, you should at least have some dumplings or something, right? Surely they couldn't have withheld even a mouthful of white flour from you?"

"Yeah, who can't afford to eat these days?"

Bai Xiao wept like a downpour, "Auntie, Ma'am, yes, every New Year or festival, every household eats dumplings, big pieces of meat, and all the dishes that make you drool. But none of that was for me. By the time I got to eat, my grandmother, uncle, and aunt had already finished, and I was left with the leftover soup to go with the leftover mixed flour steamed buns. This was already the New Year for me. At least I could eat the mixed flour bun and mix it with the soup that had a bit of lard in it. I was very content even though there was no meat! At least the soup had some lard. It counted as the New Year for me.

My grandmother said I didn't deserve to eat."

Everyone was shocked. Many people looked at Bai Jianguo and Li Chunhua, "Jianguo, this isn't right. Your family is not poor by any means, not with seven strong workers. Even if Bai Xiao is going to school, he helps during the wheat and autumn harvests and with watering and weeding! This kid has always helped."

"Yeah, not to mention you're receiving nineteen yuan a month from your nephew and niece. Even raising two Bai Xiaos wouldn't be that costly, right? How can you make the kid eat like that, treating him like an outsider in the family? No wonder the child is heartbroken."

"Not giving food or drink and even resorting to beating and scolding, how can you Bai Family be so cruel!"

"Bai Jianguo always cries poverty; how poor can he be? Every year their family makes over a hundred yuan just from selling pigs, not counting selling grain. By year-end there's at least two to three hundred yuan, plus the money from the nephew and niece. How can life be this bad? If life is this bad, I'd like to try it too. Or Bai Xiao, how about you come to my house? Auntie is not like Bai Jianguo. At least you'll have enough buns to eat each meal, definitely to the point of full."

"Yeah, my house works too. With nineteen yuan a month, I can afford to give you white buns every meal, guaranteed not to slight you!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jianguo's eyes widened, his heart raced erratically, and sweat dripped from his forehead like rain as he thought about how to cover this up, how to explain it, so he wouldn't lose face in front of everyone. If he didn't reverse the situation today, his image as Bai Jianguo would be utterly ruined.

He had always maintained an honest and kind image to ensure Bai Shan could participate in recruitment each year and Bai Zhuang could have a chance to learn to drive a tractor. These were foundations he had built to show the village chief and villagers how to recognize their family's children. If things went wrong now, everything for Bai Shan and Bai Zhuang would be over.

Bai Jianguo looked at Bai Xiao with a heartache-stricken face and said softly, "Xiao, I really didn't know about these things. Your grandmother said you didn't like eating with us and that eating reminded you of your parents, making you sad. I thought it was true. I didn't know you were going hungry. Uncle isn't that kind of person. I just didn't know…"

This explanation seemed reasonable. How could a man pay attention to such small matters? Weren't all men working in the fields and doing odd jobs for extra cash? The women in the household took care of things, and Li Chunhua, being both mother and grandmother, did what she wanted. Who could say anything about that?

Bai Jianguo mumbled, "I didn't know! If Uncle had known, I would have gone hungry before letting you go hungry!" This statement shifted all the responsibility onto the old lady, Li Chunhua. Bai Xiao laughed coldly. For the son Li Chunhua cherished all her life, she wouldn't let the blame fall on her daughter-in-law. The scapegoat would always be that old lady.

It seemed Li Chunhua accepted it gladly, and such a twisted mother-son relationship truly left people speechless.

"Uncle, you say you didn't know? Ha, ha. Could you not see when Grandmother hit me? Every time she beat me, it was in front of the whole family, yet you didn't see? Eating at home, you didn't notice? Every time Grandmother steamed buns, she counted them, and if one was missing, I'd get beaten. How could you not know?

Whenever anything delicious was made, it was prioritized for you all. If I dared to hide some away secretly, would there be less physical punishment? You think I'm a three-year-old child. Will a simple 'I didn't know' dismiss everything? If you hadn't allowed it in the house, how dare my grandmother and aunt treat me like this? You know as well as anyone that you're the head of the house!"

Whether Bai Xiao would allow him to clear his name was another matter.

"Uncle, Grandmother, call me heartless or a white-eyed wolf if you like, but if you pity me and want me to survive, then give me the keys to my house. Let me fend for myself instead of being beaten to death by Grandmother now!" Bai Xiao wanted just one sentence from Bai Jianguo.

Before Bai Jianguo could speak, Li Chunhua already said, "Fine, fine. Bai Xiao, you've grown abilities, your wings have hardened. We worked hard to raise you, and now you want to leave; that's not happening. And I'll tell you, I am your grandmother. I've supported you, so you must be filial to me for life. I beat you for your own good. When children are disobedient, who doesn't beat them? If you want to leave and I don't agree, your uncle cannot go against me either."

Madam Wang was about to scold Li Chunhua. What era is this, still using filial piety to threaten a child? Isn't it shameful?

Unfortunately, before Madam Wang could speak, Bai Xiao wrested her hand away, asking Li Chunhua with an air of despair, "Grandmother, are you determined not to let me go?"

Li Chunhua sneered, "I am your grandmother. If you're capable, don't be filial to me. If you dare mention getting the keys and living on your own again, I'll die right here and let the whole village see you forcing your grandmother to death. I want to see how you'll live then." She wasn't afraid Bai Xiao wouldn't break. Bai Jianguo certainly couldn't say anything at this point. She knew her son; he definitely left the bad cop role to her, and she wasn't worried. After all, the villagers couldn't do anything to her—at her age, at worst, she'd be called a shrew.

But she couldn't possibly let Bai Xiao go; if Bai Xiao left, where would the bridal money for their Bai Zhuang come from?

Bai Jianguo feigned concern and pulled Li Chunhua aside, "Mom, don't make things difficult for the child. Even if you can't bear to part from Bai Xiao, you shouldn't make it tough for him either!"

"You stay out of this. Bai Xiao is the one I said for you to raise. All these years, I was strict to avoid implicating you, but whom was I doing it for? Isn't it for this dead girl? Can she really be heartless to such an extent that I am disappointed! After raising her, she turned out to be such an ungrateful person. I don't believe it; she'll really force me to death."