Chapter 4 – Blood in the Courtyard
Immediately Bai Xia stepped into the courtyard, a sudden blow landed on her head — thwack! — the rough bristles of a broom striking with such force that she fell to the hard ground, dust rising around her like a storm. Her vision blurred, and before she could even react, her grandmother's sharp, aggressive voice pierced through her ears.
Madam Bai — a woman not so old, her black hair streaked with strands of cold white like the last snow on a dying branch — stood before her, eyes blazing with fury.
"You little slut! Just like your mother," she spat, the broom still trembling in her grasp. "All you think about all day is flirting with men!"
Bai Xia looked up at her grandmother's face, twisted with rage and judgment. Behind her, she saw the smug, gloating expressions of her cousins and aunt. Bai Ai and her mother, Gu Yan — both rustic beauties, their charm paling beside Bai Xia's delicate radiance — smirked in satisfaction as though they had caught her in sin.
Out of the corner of her eye, Bai Xia spotted her younger siblings — Bai Yang and Bai Xin. Bai Yang's small fists were clenched, his young face filled with resentment, while Bai Xin's soft cries trembled like fragile petals in the wind as she hid behind her brother.
From the triumphant curve of Bai Ai's lips, Bai Xia instantly understood what had happened. Her good cousin must have seen her giving flowers to that young man but hadn't seen the exchange of money. A plan formed quickly in Bai Xia's mind — if they wanted to act pitiful and shameless, then she would act even better.
With trembling hands, Bai Xia sank fully onto the ground and began wailing miserably, her cries echoing with such sorrow that even the hens in the yard grew silent.
Madam Bai's expression grew darker. "You dare cry? You dare pretend innocence?!" she hissed, and her broom fell again, striking Bai Xia's shoulders, her back, her legs — over and over.
"Grandmother, please stop!" Bai Yang shouted, rushing forward to protect his sister. But this only ignited more fury in the old woman.
"So you dare defy me too?!" she barked and swung the broom toward them both. Bai Xia instinctively shielded her little brother, taking the brunt of the blows.
The commotion drew the attention of the neighbors, and soon people began to gather outside, whispering, peering through the open courtyard gates. The murmur grew until someone called the village chief. When he finally arrived and saw the scene before him — Madam Bai panting with fury, Bai Xia bruised and bleeding — his brows furrowed deeply.
"What is going on here?" he demanded.
Madam Bai froze. Her gaze darted nervously toward the crowd. Seeing how many eyes were fixed on her, she quickly glared back at Bai Ai and Gu Yan, blaming them silently for not warning her earlier. But Bai Ai, full of cunning delight, stayed quiet. After all, ruining Bai Xia's reputation was her goal.
Bai Xia's body was covered in bruises, her lips split, her arms trembling. Bai Yang, too, had a red mark on his forehead — though faint, for Bai Xia had protected him fiercely.
The village chief's expression turned to thunder. "Madam Bai, explain yourself."
Madam Bai stammered, "C-Chief, it's this unruly girl! She's brought shame to our Bai family. Her cousin Bai Ai caught her flirting — even kissing a man outside!"
Gasps spread through the crowd. People exchanged uneasy glances. Some muttered under their breath.
> "Flirting at her age? How disgraceful."
"And her poor family—already shamed enough."
"Tch, such a pretty face wasted on a loose heart."
"Didn't she always act so obedient? I suppose it was just a show."
"Hmph, like mother, like daughter, they say…"
The village chief's eyes flicked toward Bai Ai. "Is this true?"
Bai Ai's eyes glistened with perfectly timed tears. "Village Chief, I didn't want to cause such a scene," she said with trembling voice. "But I couldn't stand by and watch my cousin go astray. It's one thing to flirt with men — but to steal grandmother's money to buy flowers for him? Grandmother even spoke to her kindly, yet she disrespected her! I'm just… disappointed."
Her words dripped with false sincerity, and the crowd's whispers deepened.
The village chief frowned, turning to Bai Xia. "Bai Xia, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Before Bai Xia could speak, Bai Yang leapt forward, anger flashing in his young eyes. "You're lying! My sister can never do such a thing! You're the one who always steals from Grandma!"
Gu Yan's expression twisted in rage. "How dare you accuse my daughter, you little brat!" She lunged forward, hand raised to strike.
But before her palm could meet Bai Yang's cheek, Bai Xia dragged her brother back — and smack! — the slap landed squarely across Bai Xia's already swollen face. Blood splattered from her lips as the sound echoed through the silent yard.
Gu Yan had struck with such force that, had it landed on Bai Yang, it might've broken his teeth. Bai Xin wailed and ran forward, clutching her sister, using her dirty sleeves to wipe the blood that stained Bai Xia's mouth.
For a brief, chilling moment, Bai Xia's eyes turned cold — a frost that made even Gu Yan shiver. But it passed quickly, her expression softening again. Perhaps it had just been the light.
Bai Xia turned to the village chief, voice steady despite the pain.
"Sir, I didn't steal from my grandmother. I picked flowers from the mountains this morning — since my cousin didn't let me go to school — and sold them to a young man for two yuan. I planned to give the money to my grandmother, but before I could say anything, they attacked me and my siblings. My cousin… she must have been deceived by someone."
Her words were soft, humble — yet sharp as a blade.
The villagers turned toward Madam Bai and the mother-daughter pair, murmuring again.
> "Didn't Bai Ai say she saw it with her own eyes? How could she, if she was supposed to be at work?"
"That girl's heart is black — framing her cousin like that."
"And Madam Bai always favors her sons' families, never this poor child."
"Tch, I've seen enough. That old woman is cruel."
"Even if it were true, who beats a child half-dead over a rumor?"
Madam Bai's face contorted as if she had swallowed a fly. Her gaze turned to Bai Ai, full of venom. Bai Ai, equally furious, clenched her teeth until her jaw trembled.
"How dare you embarrass me like this!" Madam Bai hissed.
"I—I didn't know there were people watching!" Bai Ai stammered, eyes darting. "How could I have known she'd twist the story!"
"You useless girl! All you ever do is bring trouble!"
Their bickering echoed through the crowd until Gu Yan quickly stepped forward, bowing her head and muttering apologies to everyone — everyone except Bai Xia.
The village chief saw through her act and said sternly, "Apologize to Bai Xia as well."
Gu Yan's lips tightened, but under the chief's hard gaze, she reluctantly muttered, "Sorry."
The villagers' expressions softened toward Bai Xia. Some women offered ointments for her wounds, their faces filled with pity.
Madam Bai, seeing the sympathy growing, felt her pride burn like acid. "Enough! Everyone out of my courtyard!" she snapped.
As the villagers dispersed, the chief turned back. "I expect Bai Xia to resume school once she recovers. It's not easy for our small village to raise such a talented student — especially one with a scholarship."
At that, Bai Ai's expression twisted with jealousy. Why her? Why always her? When Bai Ai heard this, she gritted her teeth in frustration. Why could Bai Xia and her two sisters achieve such outstanding results, while she, despite all her efforts, could not?
Her cousin Bai Xuan, Bai Xia's older sister, had taken the entrance examination alongside her. Yet while Bai Xuan's name shone proudly on the list of top scorers, Bai Ai's results fell short, forcing her to abandon her studies.
Bai Xuan, on the other hand, had achieved perfect marks, earning not only admission into a prestigious university but also a full scholarship. The gap between them was like heaven and earth
Consumed by envy, Bai Ai began to sow seeds of discord within the Bai household. She whispered poison into Madam Bai's ears, urging her to make Bai Xuan withdraw from school under the pretense that "the family needed more hands to work the farm."
Madam Bai, blinded by favoritism, agreed without hesitation. "Why should Bai Xuan go to school when Bai Ai can't?" she reasoned coldly.
Even after that, when Bai Xuan later received a promising job offer due to her excellent results, Madam Bai forced her to give the position to Bai Ai instead.
Bai Xuan could only smile bitterly, swallowing her pain like a cup of cold tea, while Bai Ai basked in a triumph that was never hers to claim.
Even if Madam Bai wanted to stop Bai Xia, she couldn't — not without losing face before the entire village, and Madam Bai cherished her reputation more than gold.
When the yard finally grew quiet again, Madam Bai stormed up, snatching the two yuan from Bai Xia's basket. She even took the mushrooms and most of the ointments, leaving only two small bottles.
"Don't forget to finish the chores before sleep," she barked coldly. "If not — no food for your family!"
Then she left, her back rigid, dragging Bai Ai and Gu Yan inside.
Bai Xia let out a small, bitter chuckle. Even if she worked herself to the bone, the old hag would still find fault. But that was fine.
She touched her cheek where the slap still burned, eyes glinting with quiet fury.
Gu Yan, she thought. I'll return this slap — a million times over.