Chapter 1025 - 1027: Want to Take Dengdeng as an Apprentice_1
Lin Ping’er clapped her hands laughingly and said, "Little Dengdeng is very smart. He wants to have it both ways, going after both reading and making money. He takes after his mother, with a knack for business and a flair for the written word."
Jiang Yichun wanted to interject from the side, I can do business, and I have literary talent too, alright? But the fact that his son hadn’t grabbed the small sword made him feel somewhat let down. He had thought his son would favor martial arts more and would particularly adore him in the future, but the result...
Bai Ruozhu also laughed until her eyes crinkled, this little guy was indeed greedy, hearing that whatever he grabbed would be his, he immediately didn’t want to be at the slightest disadvantage.
Everyone in the yard was chatting and laughing merrily, but Liu Family muttered softly by the side, "He has no discipline from such a young age and he’s so greedy, that’s not a good sign!"
As everyone was laughing and Liu Family’s voice was very low, no one heard her mutter clearly, but Bai Ruozhu’s hearing was good, and she just happened to catch that sentence, feeling somewhat irritated in her heart.
How could a one-year-old child understand what discipline is or isn’t, and besides, no one said you could only grab one thing and not two. If he knew to use both hands, that also shows the child is willing to think. How is that greed?
Just like in modern times, during a one-year-old child’s checkup, there’s an intelligence test where the doctor will put a small bead into a jar with a narrow opening and say to the child, "Look, there’s a candy bean inside, can you take it out for me?"
The opening of the jar is too small for the child to reach in, so they will pick up the jar and pour out the bead, and this is considered a test passed, of course, the parents should not give any hints during the process.
Then, according to Liu Family’s logic, it would be undisciplined and exploiting a loophole for the child to turn the jar upside down during the test?
Thinking this way, Bai Ruozhu felt like immediately telling Liu Family to get out. What did she mean by "not a good sign"? Did she think she herself was something special? She didn’t feel ashamed at all about cursing a one-year-old baby at her age.
Since there were guests present, Bai Ruozhu didn’t say anything, but she decided in her heart that she would no longer avoid the issue and must find a way to make Liu Family reveal the hidden secret.
Afterward came the lively banquet, and when dish after dish was served, Lady Bo, the doctor’s wife, asked somewhat surprised, "Your family’s dishes look like they are meant for welcoming guests, aren’t they?"
In the Capital, many families enjoy ordering their banquets from Yingkelai. Yingkelai’s business is so good that sometimes you have to book days in advance, but the entire table of dishes looked just like those special to Yingkelai, even though the plates were not from Yingkelai. Could the Bai Family have poached a chef from Yingkelai?
Bai Ruozhu explained with a smile, "This isn’t a banquet ordered from Yingkelai but made by our kitchen maids at home. I’m a shareholder of Yingkelai, and some of the dishes are my own creations, so the chefs at home also know how to make them."
Lady Bo showed a look of amazement, "So, you’re a shareholder of Yingkelai too. I always thought your Hua Xiangrong was making good money, but I had no idea about Yingkelai. That place makes a pot of gold a day!"
Liu Family and Bai Fu showed looks of surprise, neither of them had expected Bai Ruozhu to be able to make so much money by now.
"Madam flatters me, I’m just a minor shareholder and don’t share in much of the profit. It’s just about creating a few dishes to catch the eye," Bai Ruozhu explained promptly.
"That’s because you’re clever and learned. Ordinary people couldn’t come up with that," Lady Bo praised with a smile.
Rarely, both Bai Fu and Liu Family were very quiet, not expressing any differing opinions, but Bai Ruozhu clearly saw Bai Fu’s brows furrow slightly, which he quickly concealed. It seemed he originally had something to say but held back.
Bai Ruozhu felt even more certain that the old master was up to something.
Everyone kept praising the meal endlessly, and after dinner, they sipped some hot tea. Suddenly, Bo Qun took his tea bowl and said, "Yihong, your grandson has good potential. I have no pressing matters in my later years and would like to take on a disciple to teach. What are your thoughts on this?"
Bai Yihong was taken aback and hurriedly looked at Bai Ruozhu. Bo Qun, noticing that Bai Family’s matters were always consulted with Bai Ruozhu, also turned his gaze towards her.
Bai Ruozhu was stunned, but before she could speak, Jiang Yichun preempted her, "On behalf of my son, I thank the Marquis for his favor, but if Little Dengdeng becomes your disciple, it would mess up the seniority. Besides, I would prefer to teach my child myself."
"The Marquis is a General who has fought on the battlefield. It’s a blessing for Dengdeng to be taught by him. How could your few skills compare to his?" Bai Fu suddenly said harshly, criticizing Jiang Yichun as if he highly approved of Little Dengdeng becoming Bo Zheng’s disciple.
Truth be told, Bai Ruozhu didn’t want to agree either. On one hand, Little Dengdeng was still young; he had just turned one, did he need to take on a master for martial arts training? On the other hand, they had only a few acquaintances with the Bo Family, and were strangers to each other. How could she trust her precious son to Bo Zheng as a disciple?
Not to mention Bo Zheng’s character, what if he couldn’t teach properly and the child ruined his health during the fragile years, or picked up bad habits?
Jiang Yichun looked at Bao Fu with a stern face and said, "The old master is right, it’s a blessing for Little Dengdeng to receive guidance from the Marquis, but he is only one year old. It’s too early for martial arts training. It’s not too late to wait until he’s older."
"You..." Bai Fu glared, but he didn’t dare to curse at this son-in-law in front of him. He always felt an intimidating coldness from him, which made him especially fearful.
"Marquis, I think you just want to cuddle a grandson so badly. Seeing how adorable Little Dengdeng is, you couldn’t resist the temptation. Instead of spending your effort on this, you should hasten Jia Yang. Or perhaps going to cuddle your external grandson would be nice," the doctor’s wife said with a smile, smoothly deflecting the topic.
Bo Qun did not show displeasure at being refused and continued to chat over tea, but Bai Fu’s face was filled with discontent, as if Jiang Yichun had spoken some greatly disrespectful words.
When Bo Zheng and his wife were ready to return to the Residence, Bai Fu and Bai Lu among others asked them to stay longer, suggesting they all take the horse carriage back later.
Bai Fu wished to stay to scold Jiang Yichun. Once the others left, he pointed at Jiang Yichun’s nose and cursed, "Don’t be ungrateful. Do you, a petty officer, think you are on the same level as the Marquis? You don’t appreciate others teaching your son. Do you really think your son is that precious?"
Jiang Yichun snorted coldly and said, "Though I may not be a high-ranking officer, I do hold a fourth-rank. You, a mere Scholar, speak with some respect. As for whether my son is precious or not is not for you to comment on. He is indeed too young for martial arts apprenticeship, and it has nothing to do with looking down on anyone."
"You are so full of yourself. Don’t forget that you married into our Bai Family!" Bai Fu yelled.
The faces of everyone in the room turned sour. In reality, Jiang Yichun had never agreed to marry into the Bai Family. Initially, when troubles arose and he disappeared, Bai Ruozhu, who was pregnant, was mistreated; that’s when the talks of him marrying into the family began.
Which man would willingly marry into another family? Plus, Jiang Yichun was a capable man. Lin Ping’er and Bai Yihong both grew worried that he might hold a grudge because of this.
"I married into the second branch of the Bai Family, but that has nothing to do with you. If you want to ingratiate yourself with Bo Qun, go do it yourself. If you want to sell your great-grandson to please someone, you’d better check if you’re qualified enough!" Jiang Yichun exclaimed loudly.