Chapter 43: Apology
“Having a meal?”
Bai Erniu walked straight into the courtyard with a smile on his face. However, when he saw that Su Mulan and the others were eating flatbread and winter melon stew with tofu instead of the usual black steamed buns and boiled vegetables, his smile froze slightly. He gripped the cloth bag in his hand tighter.
“Yeah, Erniu, is something the matter?” Su Mulan’s tone was somewhat indifferent.
Zhang was his wife, and her behavior, openly gossiping and causing trouble outside, was partly due to Bai Erniu’s influence.
Moreover, Bai Erniu’s usual conduct in the village was not very upright; he was known to be opportunistic and lacked loyalty, and was not well-liked by the villagers.
Su Mulan didn’t have a good impression of Bai Erniu either.
“About what happened this noon…” Bai Erniu looked somewhat embarrassed, his face tinged with guilt. “I truly apologize. You know how my wife is…”
“Well, I don’t know what else to say. Anyway, I’m really sorry about it. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Bai Erniu handed the cloth bag in his hand to Su Mulan. “We’ve just ground some newly ground corn flour at home. Here’s a bit for you, consider it as an apology.”
Su Mulan pursed her lips and glanced at the cloth bag.
The cloth bag in her hand was light and seemed quite full, estimated to weigh about four to five jin (2-2.5 kg).
No need to mention, it’s definitely because of the trouble caused by Zhang that Bai Kangyuan is displeased, and Bai Erniu is worried about how it might affect his ability to earn money in the future, so he quickly came over to apologize.
If Su Mulan accepts this gesture, it would be akin to accepting his apology, and the two families would reconcile.
But if she doesn’t accept it, Bai Erniu has already made his visit and done what he should do. If she stubbornly refuses, that’s her business. He’s being sensible and can’t be faulted in the slightest.
Looking at it more closely, others might say that Zhang is Zhang and Bai Erniu is Bai Erniu. Even between spouses, one can’t always control the other completely. Holding a grudge against Bai Erniu would be petty and narrow-minded.
After thinking it over for a while, Su Mulan, guided by the principle of not refusing benefits that come her way and not wanting to appear insincere given Bai Erniu’s earnestness, reached out and accepted the cloth bag. “Since you’re so sincere about it, if I were too polite, it might seem a bit insincere. I’ll accept it.”
“Lixia, go pour it into the jar.”
Su Mulan instructed Bai Lixia with a turn of her head.
Bai Erniu clearly hadn’t anticipated Su Mulan would accept the gift so readily. His smile showed a hint of embarrassment. “Well, it’s the least I could do. From now on, I’ll also make sure to keep my wife in line. You can rest assured about that, sis.”
“Bai Erniu usually works outside and has seen a lot of the world, so his perspective is definitely broader than most. He knows what needs to be done and what should be managed, so naturally, I trust him,” Su Mulan remarked.
Regardless of the reasons behind it, Bai Erniu’s visit to apologize was a gesture of goodwill, and Su Mulan didn’t dwell on the matter excessively.
Seeing Su Mulan’s response, Bai Erniu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Watching Bai Lixia finish pouring out the flour and bringing over the bag, Bai Erniu didn’t linger. He took the bag and said, “Alright, you all continue your meal. I’ll head back now; dinner is ready at home as well.”
“Take care on your way, brother Erniu,” Su Mulan symbolically escorted him to the door. After watching Bai Erniu walk away, she returned to the courtyard and then finished the remaining winter melon tofu with the four children.
After the meal, they cleaned the pots and washed the dishes, boiled some hot water, and helped the children take a warm bath. Su Mulan also assisted Bai Shuiliu in applying medicinal alcohol.
Bai Erniu returned home and casually tossed the cloth bag aside in the yard.