Chapter 1010 - 1012: Bite Back, The Bracelet Goes Missing_1
Before Lin Ping’er could answer, Bai Yihong immediately interjected, "Of course she looks like me. It’s often said that daughters resemble their fathers. You turned out so well; you definitely got that from your dad!"
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t hold back and burst into giggles, and even Rongrong’s mother, who was the most reserved at the table, couldn’t help but smile.
Lin Ping’er was already laughing so hard she could barely breathe. She gave Bai Yihong a smack and said, "Since when did you become so confident? You should borrow Ruozhu’s Western mirror and take a good look at your old face. How does Ruozhu resemble you at all? She must look like me, her mother—otherwise, how could she be so pretty?"
Bai Ruozhu laughed out loud again. Alright, her parents were indeed made for each other; not a pair in a family but not through the same door, they both had equally thick skins.
After speaking, Lin Ping’er turned to Little Dengdeng in her arms and said, "Look at your grandfather’s thick face. Let’s be shy." With that, she made a gesture for Little Dengdeng to imitate.
Little Dengdeng, already laughing with eyes squinted, copied the action of scraping a face.
Bai Yihong, not embarrassed in the slightest, widened his eyes and said, "At least Ruozhu’s eyes are very much like mine!"
"Dare you not to bulge your eyes out?" Lin Ping’er scoffed disdainfully.
Bai Ruozhu thought she was going to laugh so hard her stomach would hurt. Actually, all three siblings were quite good-looking, almost a perfect combination of their parents’ best features. Her eldest brother wasn’t particularly handsome, but he was a sunny, broad-browed man. Otherwise, so many people in the village wouldn’t have been keen on matchmaking for him.
The second brother had a softer look, which suited his scholarly identity. The whole person exuded a faint aura of the literary world. Thinking about it, the second brother really looked the most like their mother.
Bai Ruozhu should say that she was a combination of all the good features from her parents’ faces. Her dad was not wrong; her eyes did resemble his, only they were somewhat larger, making her gaze seem more profound.
She also had the high bridge of her father’s nose, but her nose tip was small and exquisite, more like her mother’s.
The rest of the time, Bai Yihong and Lin Ping’er kept arguing about which parts of Bai Ruozhu resembled them; as they argued, the topic shifted to include the eldest and the second siblings. Lin Ping’er claimed the second resembled her in this and that aspect, while Bai Yihong proudly said that the eldest was just like him...
Bai Ruozhu’s mood improved considerably because of her parents’ playful banter, and she soon put this matter out of her mind.
Two days later, Gu Xue’an came to the Bai Residence to learn accounting from Bai Ruozhu, also mentioning Bai Guanghe’s condition. He had woken up somewhat out of sorts that day and was quickly taken back by his family.
Bai Ruozhu was teaching Gu Xue’an how to keep books, knowing that once she learned, she would be able to better scrutinize the account books on her own.
She discovered Gu Xue’an was a smart girl and was not difficult to teach. Guizhi was also called over to learn with them, and she soon became friendly with Gu Xue’an.
"In a few days, it’ll be the fifteenth. How about we go together to Jingxin Temple outside the city to pray and draw fortune sticks? It’s said to be very efficacious there, and there’s a vast maple forest on the back mountain with breathtaking scenery," Gu Xue’an suggested eagerly to Bai Ruozhu and Fang Guizhi after finishing the day’s lessons, inviting them for an outing.
At the mention of the maple forest, Bai Ruozhu’s interest was immediately piqued; she had once been captivated by the scenery of Fragrant Hills in her previous life and wondered what the maple forest behind Jingxin Temple was like.
"Sure, I haven’t had a chance to explore since arriving in the Capital. But I need to bring my son for a stroll too; the little guy is also getting anxious," Bai Ruozhu agreed at once, "just don’t mind if he gets a little rowdy."
"Not at all, your son seems very well-behaved," Gu Xue’an said, having only seen the cuter side of Dengdeng and unaware of the chaos the little Evil Demon could wreak.
Fang Guizhi, however, spoke up, "I won’t go this time. I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather lately; probably just need to get used to the climate here."
"Then you better get well soon, so you can join us next time. I’ve heard it’s a great place for praying for a good match," Gu Xue’an said in a lowered voice. But she noticed a brief shadow of pain crossing Fang Guizhi’s face and anxiously turned to Bai Ruozhu, wondering if she had said something wrong.
Bai Ruozhu gave her a reassuring smile and said, "Then it’s settled. Let’s all go together on the fifteenth, and we’ll take my family’s horse carriage. It’s got a special play area for children. I’ll come to the Gu Residence to pick you up."
"Alright, it’s a deal."
After Gu Xue’an left, Bai Ruozhu took Guizhi’s hand and said softly, "Have you still not forgotten that person?"
Guizhi shook her head. "I’ve forgotten."
Forgotten, my foot. If she had really forgotten, her reaction just now wouldn’t have been like that.
"Guizhi, you were always such a cheerful person. There’s no need to let yourself be miserable over someone from the past. You have a whole world out there to explore, to laugh and to play in. You should live a life even better than his. That’s the best way to honor yourself." Bai Ruozhu thought to herself that Qin Kaichang might still be on the run, hoping he would end up more destitute than a beggar. Who asked him to be such a scumbag who exploited people’s feelings!
He approached Bai Zepei to win favor with Duke Duan, deceiving his brother’s friendship, and that wasn’t enough; he then got close to Guizhi, deceiving a young girl’s affection. Had Duke Duan not fallen from power so quickly, would he have continued his deception?
Every time she saw that honest and sincere face of Qin Kaichang, Bai Ruozhu felt disgusted. She couldn’t believe that she had failed to see through his true nature.
After hearing Ruozhu’s words, Guizhi nodded. "I’ll get over it soon. It’s just that I’m used to being busy, and when I stop, my mind starts to wander."
Bai Ruozhu laughed, "Some people can’t wait for their boss to give them a long vacation, and here you are, a workaholic, eh? But don’t worry, we’ll soon be opening a Beauty Pavilion here in the Capital too."
Guizhi’s eyes lit up at the news. "That’s wonderful!"
"Since we couldn’t find the Hot Spring Mansion, let’s look for a larger Shop in the Capital and only do beauty treatments, no hot springs," Bai Ruozhu secretly contemplated. No hot springs? There’s still herbal bath therapy. Anyway, she had many more methods to make money.
While they were talking, a morning breeze suddenly burst in, saying anxiously, "Madam, this morning at court, Yang Tianhua presented evidence, claiming that you bribed Yang Hongwen’s concubine to bear false witness, and even produced the jewelry you gave as a bribe, the bracelet rewarded to you at the Empress Dowager’s Birthday Banquet. The master sent me to tell you to quickly check if your things are still there, as the Palace might soon summon you!"
Taken aback, Bai Ruozhu knew that rewards from the Empress Dowager were not to be given away lightly, let alone rewarded to others. She hardly wore the bracelet for fear of damaging it, but she remembered seeing it in her jewelry box just yesterday morning.
"I’ll go and check," she said, and quickly walked towards her Yard. Once back in her Room and upon opening the jewelry box, she indeed found it missing!
"Jianqi! Arrange for someone to investigate who has been near my Yard since early yesterday morning!" Bai Ruozhu’s face turned ashen. A traitor emerged among her ranks, someone who could sneak into her room and steal; might they also threaten the safety of her family?
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Thanks to Book Friends like Ming Yue Tian Kong, "if...", D?n?n?°, "Black and White Piano Keys Play the Blues", and the Princess with a Bald Head for your Rewards. And thank you to all the dear readers for your understanding and support. Mouka will definitely work hard to write more, squeezing out every possible moment!