Chapter 128: Being a Mother is Not Easy
While some villagers followed the village head to enjoy the spectacle, Bai Ruozhu’s family thanked their neighbors, particularly the Li family, and returned home under the resentful gaze of Zheng Giugiu.
"Little sister, I didn’t expect your investigation to be so thorough. You just finished your confinement period today, where did you find the celebration eggs from?" Bai Zehao asked with both admiration and curiosity.
"I had Guizhi find them for me. He confesses all in exchange for some dimsum. I just didn’t want to draw him into the chaos of the crowd earlier, so Zheng family won’t bear a grudge against him as well," Bai Ruozhu replied.
Bai Yihong nodded. He observed his daughter’s thorough methodology. Lin Pingr also silently agreed, aware that despite her daughter’s confinement, she had still managed to clear her name and exude the aura of a "Female Zhuge".
"I can’t wait to see what excuse our father will make for Sanlang this time," Lin Pingr remarked with a disdainful snort. She even threw Bai Yihong a resentful side-eye.
Bai Yihong cringed slightly before saying, "There’s nothing more left to handle at home, right? I’ll go tend to the fields."
Bai Zehao quickly reached for his tools as though intending to join him. Meanwhile, Bai Zepei mentioned his need to drop by the town, to dispatch a letter to his teacher expressing his gratitude. "I’ll plan a formal trip to Beiyu City to offer my thanks once the farming season ends," he explained.
If it weren’t for the shortages at home, Bai Zepei would have set off to thank his teacher the moment his results arrived. However, traveling to and from Beiyu City would require more than a day, hence, for now, a letter would have to suffice.
Bai Ruozhu gaped at her second brother. She had no recollections of his teacher from her past life. All she knew was that a year ago, a family in Beiyu City had persuaded him to become their tutor. He corresponded with her brother through letters, providing him instructions from time to time.
She assumed that the teacher must have been tremendously significant. Regardless of Bai Zepei’s abilities, it was improbable for him to score first in the Child Student Exam, just from his solo studying in Back Mountain Village. His high scores in political strategy would undoubtedly have been impossible without his teacher’s guidance.
Political strategy was akin to current affairs. During such times of limited access to information, knowledge about current affairs was hard to find without a solid network.
The thought of it ignited in Bai Ruozhu the desire to meet Zepei’s teacher. However, the significant distance between Beiyu City and Back Mountain Village made the journey less than ideal considering her current circumstances.
After Bai Zepei set off for the town, and her father and elder brother left to farm, Bai Ruozhu took over the kitchen. As she looked after the children, she also began preparing meals for the family. Given that the hectic autumn harvest was causing the family to fatigue, she planned to provide some nourishing food for the household in advance.
Grabbing a large fish from her space, she quickly cleaned it. She boiled the fish head and fish bones with the fresh ones to make soup whilst utilising the fish meat to make fishballs. Once the soup was ready, she disposed of the oversized fish head and bones that she’d taken from her space. She feared that their size would lead to questioning from her family members.
As her hands busied in the kitchen, her mind was also at work - what business should the family begin once the autumn harvest ended? Establishing successful business operations would provide a stable financial source for her household. This would finally empower her father to journey to the Study Palace, accompanied by Zepei.
She was currently earning revenue from the toothpaste; however, her father did not consider it as a steady source of income. Her soups and dried fish, which remained hidden, were also not considered. As such, she had to ponder over the situation keenly.
Given that food was a basic necessity, she initially targeted the food business. She planned to start with a small venture before gradually expanding it.
Could she sell small wontons? Owning to her fresh soup, her wonton soup was sure to be superior to that of others. However, would that be too obvious?
Or could she sell delicate dimsums? She shook her head. The villagers initially prioritised filling their stomachs. Moreover, it wouldn’t be right for her to compete with Bai Ruomei’s business.
That’s right - she could make hand-grabbed pancakes with her family! Although their preparation was effortless, they could be seasoned with salt infused with her fresh soup. Who wouldn’t find them delicious? They could also serve a bowl of soup alongside the pancakes. She could prepare medicinal soup, which could also be sold for money.
Once this idea had formed, Bai Ruozhu felt an energy surge all over her body. She quickly located some medicinal materials and started boiling a pot of medicinal soup. Lin Pingr, assuming that her daughter was unwell and preparing medication in the kitchen, stormed in to question her. Seeing Bai Ruozhu light-heartedly humming a melody while working, Lin Pingr finally felt some peace.
"Ruozhu, are these medicinal materials really okay to put in the soup? Are you sure there wouldn’t be any issues?" Lin Pingr questioned apprehensively.
"Mother, these are nourishing herbs. This is called a medicinal meal, which will be beneficial for the body," Bai Ruozhu replied, heartily humming a ditty.
While Lin Pingr had no clue about the song Ruozhu was humming, she felt that her daughter had indeed changed. Could she remain ordinary after being enlightened by a celestial being? At this moment of joy, Lin Pingr began humming along with Bai Ruozhu’s melody.
In reality, Bai Ruozhu was humming the modern hit song "Little Apple", and it was fortunate that she had not sung the lyrics. Otherwise, Lin Pingr might have been taken aback, and might have suspected her daughter of being bewitched and sought medical advice.
Hence, when Bai Yihong and Bai Zehao returned home, all sweaty from a hard day’s work, they heard the bizarre rhythm sung by the mother and daughter in the house. Bai Zehao even faintly heard Bai Ruozhu singing the phrase "fire, fire, fire".
He scratched his head, wondering if Ruozhu needed more fire for cooking. He quickly placed his hoe aside and rushed into the kitchen to aid with the fire.
"Big Brother, do not add more wood! You will fry the dish too much," Bai Ruozhu exclaimed. She observed that her brother was acting uncharacteristically energetically. However, his zeal was not helpful; instead, it was detrimental.
"Ah? Didn’t you say ’fire, fire, fire’?" Bai Zehao asked, puzzled.
Bai Ruozhu felt as if black lines were forming on her forehead. ’Wow, Big Brother. Do you have to be this cute? If you keep adding fire, the food will be burnt.’
"No, no, we have enough fire. hurry and go wash up. We will have dinner once Zepei comes back," Bai Ruozhu said. Unsure how else to explain, she resorted to pushing her elder brother out of the kitchen.
Bai Zehao scratched the back of his head. Had he misunderstood Ruozhu’s song about ’fire, fire, fire’? Why was she singing such a strange tune?
Upon the sight of the overly-fried green veggies in the wok, Bai Ruozhu discreetly stuck her tongue out. In the future, she must refrain from singing whilst cooking. Not everyone can comprehend the profound meaning of pop songs...
Not long after, Bai Zepei also returned home. The family gathered around to enjoy their meal. As usual, the household men ate more than they usually did. Each kept proclaiming how tasty Bai Ruozhu’s cooking was. This prompted Lin Pingr to accuse them of not appreciating her cooking, as they seemed to find new ways to dislike her food. However, she, too, had to admit that Bai Ruozhu’s cooking was indeed delicious as she piled more food into her bowl.
As an affirmed foodie, at this moment, Bai Ruozhu wasn’t paying attention to her family’s high praises but rather, she was deeply occupied with her meal. She was nearly sticking her face into the bowl, was it okay for her to have a crush on her own cooking?
Just then, little Dengdeng started crying. Bai Ruozhu’s face fell as she said, "Oh no, the little master is hungry. I’ll go take care of him...."
Ah, being a mother is not easy indeed!