Chapter 141: Chaotic Emotions
Mouka gave away the gifts ceremoniously. Refusing such gifts would cause a loss of face for the givers, so Bai Ruozhu had no choice but to blush and accept them, expressing her gratitude toward the couple once again.
The smile on Wan Minglu’s face disappeared. He observed the silver lock and silver bracelets in Ruozhu’s hands, his eyes flashing brightly and then dimming again.
Soon enough, everyone finished breakfast and grabbed their tools to begin working in the fields. Bai Yihong led his wife and children to the old mansion to get their tools. They still hadn’t seen Bai Yibo; probably still asleep considering how "exhausted" he was likely the previous day.
Lady Bai cast a harsh glare on Bai Zehao and snapped, "Where are my dishes? Weren’t they on loan? It’s not like keeping them at your house would make them hatch eggs!"
Zehao thought to himself, could it be that my dishes have been hatching eggs at your house? If we count the previous times, they could form a nest! However, he knew better than to voice these thoughts directly.
"Grandma, didn’t we hire a helper? We need to provide them with meals every day, and we barely have enough dishes. How about you return my household dishes first and I’ll return yours back?" Bai Zehao proposed with a grin.
Lady Bai was washing her face at that moment and promptly splashed a basin of water towards Zehao, who barely managed to dodge in time, which would otherwise have gotten his shoes wet.
"What’s your problem? Are you asking me to return the dishes while you’ve not returned mine yet? Let’s talk again after you return them to me!"
Lin Ping’er tugged at Bai Zehao’s sleeve, signaling him to stop arguing with the old lady and not to waste more time.
The hardworking members of their farm couldn’t afford to waste a minute in the busy farming season. Could they really compare themselves with those who would rather feign sickness than work a day in the fields?
Everyone grabbed their tools and proceeded directly to the fields. The elder chased to the yard’s entrance and yelled from there, "Er Lang, I’ll send your mother to deliver your lunch, and she’d certainly fill it with extra dishes!"
Bai Zepei paused before responding slowly, "Grandpa, Grandma has already been fatigued to sickness. She shouldn’t be burdened any further. Ruozhu has already prepared the meals, and we’re going to deliver it to our helper."
The elderly man let out a few coughs, uncertain whether because he shouted too quickly or was pretending to appear sick. With a faint blush, he insisted, "You’re not still upset about yesterday’s matter, aren’t you? Even if you’re helping me out in the fields, I should still take care of your meals."
Bai Zepei calmly smiled, "Grandpa, you are worrying for no reason. We didn’t take Aunt’s mistake to heart. We genuinely don’t want Grandma to work too hard. Besides, Ruozhu has almost finished preparing the meals, and any more would be a waste."
Upon hearing this, Lady Bai could not help but smile and stepped out saying, "Er Lang, you indeed know how to care for this old woman. So I won’t worry about you all anymore. If there’s anything you need, just come and tell me."
The old man glanced daggers at Lady Bai. He knew his wife tended to be stingy and lazy. Yesterday’s incident provided an opportunity to make amends, yet she ruined it.
In the end, the old man stormed back into the house. He intended to shut himself in and reproach his wife. Nonetheless, he did not wish to lose face publicly.
Bai Zepei continued to walk forward, catching up with the rest of his family in a few steps. A familiar voice from afar, belonging to a fellow villager also working in the fields, called out, "Ruozhu is delivering lunch to you again? You folks really are fortunate. The mere smell of her cooking makes us drool!"
It wasn’t just lip service, nor was Bai Ruozhu’s cooking extraordinarily heavenly. Families in the village simply didn’t bother much about the art of cooking; many just boiled or stewed their meals. Using oil to fry dishes was a rarity. Therefore, compared to Bai Ruozhu’s culinary skills, there seemed to be a world of difference.
Everyone in Bai Yihong’s family started laughing and Lin Ping’er generously responded, "If that’s the case, come and join us for lunch. Don’t hold back!"
Not far away, Madame Bai, who had not yet entered the house, curled her lips, seemingly very dissatisfied with people praising Bai Ruozhu’s cooking. However, thinking of the food Bai Zehao had brought over the previous night, she had to grudgingly admit it was indeed delicious.
"How did that ungrateful Ruozhu cook it? It was really tasty." She mumbled to herself while walking into the house.
Bai Ruolan, who was picking vegetables in the yard, turned green with envy hearing this, fiercely pinching several of the vegetables in her hand, thus wasting some good ones. But she was quickly at peace once more. Now that her father was a scholar, she’d make a worthy match for any suitor. She was determined to marry into the town and become more than a mere farmer’s wife.
On the other hand, what use were Bai Ruozhu’s beauty and competence? Even if her second brother was a scholar too, what good would that do? She was just a wife abandoned by her husband whose whereabouts were unknown, and with a burden at that. How could she compare to Ruolan?
Thinking of this, Bai Ruolan’s movements became gentler and her posture more graceful. Now she was the legitimate daughter of a scholar, she must exude elegance everywhere she went.
Bai Ruozhu efficiently prepared the ingredients for lunch, simmered a soup to relieve the summer heat, and finally took a break. She took Dengdeng to the room to feed him. Dengdeng had been very well-behaved these past few days, seemingly a considerate child.
After Dengdeng had eaten and fallen asleep, she took his dirty clothes to wash. As she felt the clothes, she touched something hard. She was taken aback, reached into the garment, and pulled out the jade pendant.
She let out a small sigh, staring blankly at the jade pendant.
This pendant was flawlessly beautiful. It was best suited for a painted immortal, it seemed wasted on her, an ordinary person. That’s why she had to seize the chance to return it to the sharp-tongued man.
Right, she didn’t even know his surname or name, having seen him so many times, she didn’t know his name, and yet accepted his precious jade pendant. This was really unreasonable.
Maybe because she had seen his appearance, and she was honest and kept her mouth shut? But why did he wear a mask?
Bai Ruozhu guessed he must be an official. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left with Master Li the time he rescued Rongrong. In fact, his position might even be higher than Master Li’s, as she felt Master Li’s reverence for him.
If he wore the mask because he didn’t want to reveal his identity, then why was he frequently appearing in this remote town?
Bai Ruozhu recollected the last time she saw him. He was conspicuous in a crowd despite his mask. Was it because she had once seen his handsome face, or was his aura truly like that of the painted immortal, so cold that she would spot him at first glance in a crowd?
Or maybe it was because of his tall frame, he wore dark clothes and an ugly black mask.
Bai Ruozhu stored the jade pendant in her space. She didn’t want to give Er Lang another chance. Thinking of this, she glanced at the jade pendant, broken in half, that Changsheng had left. She sighed again and found an opportunity to repair the jade pendant. She couldn’t afford a gold-rimmed jade pendant. She could afford a silver one though, and placed a base behind it.
Setting aside her tangled thoughts, she got busy again. Soon, delicious aromas wafted from the Bai family kitchen.
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Maybe everyone’s gone home for the holidays recently, hence fewer people reading books? If you’re busy with the holidays and don’t have the time to read, please still subscribe. When you do have time to come back, the book will be all fattened up for you. Mouka is begging for your attention, don’t leave me...
Also, thank you to the book friends Meng, Buried Under the Magnolia And Never Waking Up, Innocent Face, Poisonous Heart, Ninglu, Ru Xuelei, Baby, and It’s Just A Passing Wind, as well as Elly for the reward. Love you all, mwah~