Chapter 147: Did Something Happen to Guizhi?
"Should I give you a few needles too?" Bai Ruozhu teased Rongrong with a mischievous smile.
Terrified, Rongrong quickly hid behind her mother and shook her head vigorously, saying, "No, no, I don’t want to be needled."
Lin Ping’er playfully swatted Bai Ruozhu and laughed, "You’re teasing children now, even though you’re a mother yourself. You’re still as mischievous."
Bai Ruozhu giggled and began to wipe clean and put away the silver needles one by one.
Feeling curious, Lin Ping’er watched for a long time. She seemed to feel a bit lighter, as if the treatment really worked.
That night, the family was relieved to hear that Bai Ruozhu had treated Lin Ping’er with acupuncture and that Lin Ping’er no longer needed to stay in bed all the time. All she had to do was pay attention to recovery.
With a beaming smile, Bai Yihong said to Bai Ruozhu, somewhat sentimentally, "Our Ruozhu is becoming more and more capable. We won’t have to worry about illness in the family from now on."
Bai Ruozhu gave her father a reproachful glance and said, "I would rather that no one in the family gets sick. In the future, I will have to keep you all in good health. Prevention is always better than cure."
Bai Zehao nodded vigorously, "Especially for mom and dad. They take their health for granted."
It wasn’t that Bai Yihong and Lin Ping’er were careless, it was just that they had been so worn out when they were living in the old mansion; even if they wanted to, they had no energy to take care of their health. Luckily, they moved out.
Early the following morning, Bai Ruozhu took out the dried fish she had prepared, feeling a bit conflicted. In her hurry yesterday, she forgot to arrange when to deliver the fish. If she delays for too long, it will seem as though she’s trying to renege on the deal. However, something about the idea of going to town again today makes her feel uneasy.
Of course, she had made up her mind to deliver the items directly to Officer Li at the government office. She didn’t want to look for that Jiang surnamed man in town. While she was grateful to him, the thought of the feeling she would have in his presence was unbearable, so she decided to avoid going to town.
What to do?
Bai Ruozhu suddenly thought of Fang Guizhi. Previously, Fang Guizhi had been the one to sell the dried fish for her. Why not entrust Fang Guizhi with the task of delivering the fish to the government office?
Wait a minute. Bai Ruozhu suddenly realized something. She hadn’t seen Fang Guizhi for a while now. She remembered that Guizhi hadn’t visited her since she was recovering from childbirth before the busy farming season.
It’s normal for Fang Guizhi to be too busy to visit during the farming season, but she had never stayed away this long. Even when threatened with having her legs broken by her mother, she would still come over to chat.
What’s going on? Nothing bad has happened, has it?
With this concern in mind, Bai Ruozhu quickly put away the dried fish. After letting her mother know, she prepared some green vegetables and eggs and went towards Fang Guizhi’s house.
Normally, she wouldn’t voluntarily go to Fang Guizhi’s house because Guizhi’s mother didn’t like her. Especially since her pregnancy, Guizhi’s mother had even stopped them from associating with each other. If Bai Ruozhu were to visit Fang Guizhi, it might lead to Fang Guizhi being scolded or beaten by her mother.
To avoid causing trouble for Fang Guizhi, Bai Ruozhu never took the initiative to go to Fang Guizhi’s house, it was always Fang Guizhi who came to the Bai’s house. But now, having not seen Fang Guizhi for so long, Bai Ruozhu was worried that something might have happened to her, so she braced herself and went, bringing along some gifts.
She soon arrived at the entrance of Fang Guizhi’s house. Knocking on the door, she called out, "Is Auntie Fang home? I’ve come to see Guizhi. She’s helped me a lot before, so I’ve brought some things for her."
Bai Ruozhu felt that if she didn’t mention the gifts, Fang Zhou, Fang Guizhi’s mother, might not let her in.
As expected, there was a response from inside, and Fang Zhou came over to open the door. Her eyes immediately fell on the basket that Bai Ruozhu was carrying. Without any hesitation, she grabbed the basket, saying, "You’re really kind. On behalf of our Guizhi, I thank you."
"Auntie, where is Guizhi? I’d like to talk to her." Bai Ruozhu asked cautiously, smiling ingratiatingly.
Fang Zhou still looked gloomy, firmly blocking the courtyard gate.
"Guizhi caught a cold. We don’t want her to infect you. You’re breastfeeding now, it’s not easy. You should visit her when she gets better." said Fang Zhou.
"It’s alright, I know how to treat illnesses. Let me have a look at Guizhi. Last time, I was the one who saved Xi Dandan from drowning." Upon hearing about Fang Guizhi’s cold, Bai Ruozhu became even more worried. This was a time when medical advancements were limited, and even a simple cold could be life-threatening.
Frustratingly, after hearing this, Fang Zhou still wouldn’t step aside. She still firmly guarded the door, saying, "We’ve already consulted with Dr. Li. It’ll take a few days of medication for her to get better. You should hurry back. I have matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you."
Having said this, she abruptly closed the courtyard gate. If Bai Ruozhu had not been quick to react, her nose would have been bruised. Bai Ruozhu called out, "Auntie!" and pushed the door. She found that the gate had been firmly bolted from the inside.
This is indeed strange.
Bai Ruozhu thought Fang Zhou’s reaction was extremely unusual, especially when she offered to treat Fang Guizhi’s illness. It seemed as though Fang Zhou was avoiding her like the plague, hurriedly shutting the door and running away, dead set against her entering the house or seeing Fang Guizhi.
Bai Ruozhu was mindful that she hadn’t got her basket back from Fang Zhou. Once again, she knocked on the door, calling out from outside, "Auntie, you haven’t given me back my basket."
She thought Fang Zhou would open the door again, allowing her to press for some answers. Perhaps she might even spot some inconsistency. But to her surprise, with a loud thud, her basket was thrown from inside the courtyard wall straight to the ground outside.
Bai Ruozhu was dumbfounded. Without even opening the door, she resorted to throwing. Weren’t they afraid that their neighbours would see and say that the Fang Family had no manners when it came to treating guests? What on earth was Fang Guizhi’s mother up to?
Standing in the same place, Bai Ruozhu thought about it for a long time but couldn’t quite figure it out. However, she felt that she was on the verge of unravelling the mystery, and her worries increased. In the end, she could only pick up her basket and head home.
Upon her return, she told her mother about what had happened at Fang’s house, expressing her suspicion that something strange was going on. Lin Ping’er also began to worry about Fang Guizhi and suggested going to the village to gather more information.
Fearing it might tire her mother out as she was still recuperating, Bai Ruozhu immediately objected, "No, you stay home. Let me go out for a stroll with Dengdeng after I finish feeding him. We’re bound to hear something."
Having been kept under control by her daughter for the past few days, Lin Ping’er had no choice but to agree obediently.
After feeding Dengdeng, Bai Ruozhu took him for a walk. People they met along the way all praised Dengdeng’s looks. Being a mother, she was naturally glad to hear her child being praised, and her mood improved an iota because of this.
In her previous life, Bai Ruozhu didn’t have many close associations in the village, so even after a round of walking, no one offered her any secrets or gossip. In the end, she decided to visit Zhou Deshun’s family, hoping to find out more from Zhou Deshun’s wife.
When she arrived at the Zhou’s house, she saw a crowd of people gathered for some excitement. Zhou Taohua was squatting at the door, clutching her head and wailing, while a dog was hopping over her. People were talking and laughing around her, apparently finding the whole scene amusing.
Bai Ruozhu was completely taken aback. What on earth was going on?