Chapter 154: Accomplice of the Thief
When Bai Ruozhu heard someone yell out "Catch the thief", she became nervous at first but then remembered that she had put the silver in the ’space’. What was there to be nervous about? With this thought, she relaxed.
But just as she did, she felt a strong gust of wind. She turned her head and, oh my, the thief was headed straight for her, about to crash right into her!
Luckily, Bai Ruozhu reacted quickly. She quickly stepped to the side and out of the way. Just as she let out a sigh of relief, she slipped and started to fall backward.
Why did these things always happen to her? Coming to town meant either encountering child kidnappers or thieves. Why were all the roads she walked on accident-prone? And how could she have slipped just after avoiding a collision? She braced herself for a painful fall.
Just as she closed her eyes, surrendering to fate, she felt herself being lifted. The anticipated pain did not come. Instead, she felt herself hanging mid-air.
Opening her eyes, she found someone had picked her up, but unfortunately, she was grabbed by the back of her collar. She hung in the air like a chicken about to be slaughtered.
She turned her head and saw that it was Jiang Yichun who lifted her. She felt a wave of relief and thought happily that she could finally deliver the dried fish to him.
Perhaps, because the way that Jiang Yichun held Bai Ruozhu looked unseemly, or Bai Ruozhu’s terrified facial expression, the onlookers who initially were focused on the thief turned their gaze to her. Someone even shouted out, "This woman is definitely the thief’s accomplice. Let’s see how the officer disciplines her!"
"She looks so clean and neat, and yet she does such things. One look and you can tell she’s not a respectable woman." someone else chimed in.
Bai Ruozhu had to hold her tongue with the indignity of it all. Am I not a respectable lady? You and your entire family are not respectable! She wondered if her misfortunes knew any bounds. Would she ever dare to venture into town for fun again?
No, she had to come into town for business in a few days.
With this in mind, Bai Ruozhu had a brainwave and she shouted back in defense, "What nonsense is this? I’m here to deliver goods to the officer!" Having said this, she glared at Jiang Yichun, hinting for him to put her down.
Jiang Yichun, seeing Bai Ruozhu’s reaction, had a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. But it was concealed by his mask, so no one else noticed it.
As soon as Bai Ruozhu’s feet hit the ground, she hurriedly took out the small bundle she carried, extracting the twenty pieces of dried fish she had set aside for him. "Sir," she said, "Here is the dried fish you ordered."
Jiang Yichun looked rather bemused as he received the dried fish. After all, he had been in the middle of catching criminals. His men were still out arresting the thief. What was he supposed to do with this dried fish?
But if he refused to take the fish, it would confirm the accusations of Bai Ruozhu being the thief’s accomplice. In the end, he reluctantly accepted, remarking dryly, "You sure know how to pick your moment."
The onlookers, now convinced she was not the accomplice, stopped staring maliciously at Bai Ruozhu. Still, some murmured, "She does not know how to choose a good time for delivery. What would happen if she hindered the officer?"
Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes internally. She wished she could have chosen a better time too. She did not wish to face a thief either. Was she too favored by the heavens?
In the end, however, there was no risk, and Bai Ruozhu breathed a sigh of relief. She bowed to Jiang Yichun, "Sir, I will take my leave now."
Jiang Yichun gave a slight nod of approval as he still had official duties to attend to. Bai Ruozhu quickly left, moving as fast as if she was escaping from a plague. This made Jiang Yichun’s mouth twitch - those in the know would comprehend that she was avoiding him, while others might think she was fleeing.
When Bai Ruozhu had not gone far, she saw the officer leading the handcuffed thief towards Jiang Yichun, shouting, "Sir, he’s caught!"
The surrounding crowd cheered, "The officer is wise, he caught the sneaky thief!"
Bai Ruozhu hurried away from this troublesome spot. She thought Jiang Yichun must be feeling rather upset. It’s not wise to catch a criminal while holding a handful of dried fish!
But that man was kindhearted, pulling her up when she fell. Otherwise, she would have had a nasty fall. But why did he have to hold her up like a chicken? It embarrassed her so much that people mistook her for the thief’s accomplice.
Lost in her thoughts, Bai Ruozhu reached Back Mountain Village. As soon as she got home, she saw Tao Hua’s mother, and slapped her forehead as she remembered she forgot to change Tao Hua’s bandages. She was too distracted, worrying about Guizhi’s problem.
"You’re back, Ruozhu? Did you go to town to buy medicinal materials? Tao Hua had a good sleep last night, and her swollen foot has reduced a lot today." Seeing the improvement, Tao Hua’s mother flashed an especially warm smile at Bai Ruozhu. Bai Ruozhu noticed a basket full of eggs in her yard, probably a gift from Tao Hua’s mother.
"I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I’ll prepare the medicinal materials for you. You can go home and start brewing the medicine for Tao Hua. After feeding my baby, I’ll come over to your place to change Tao Hua’s dressing." Bai Ruozhu thought of a compromising solution since Little Dengdeng would be hungry soon.
"Good, good. I don’t want to trouble you," said Tao Hua’s mother, wringing her hands in embarrassment.
Bai Ruozhu quickly gathered some medicinal herbs, packaged them for Tao Hua’s mother, then instructed her on how to brew the medicine. Once Tao Hua’s endlessly thankful mother had left, Bai Ruozhu turned her attention to Little Dengdeng.
She picked up Little Dengdeng, who began to make grabbing motions with his small hands and smacking his lips, signs that he was hungry.
"My little foodie, you only think about your mother when you’re hungry." Bai Ruozhu chided gently, poking his forehead lightly.
Unexpectedly, the little guy pouted and started crying miserably. He didn’t cry unless he was extremely hungry or uncomfortable. Bai Ruozhu didn’t expect him to bawl just from a light poke.
Panic-stricken, Bai Ruozhu quickly checked his diaper. It was dry and clean. So why was he crying? Could he be feeling wronged?
Lin Ping rushed over with an aggrieved look on her face, "Ruozhu, you’re not being a good mother. Why did you make the baby cry?"
Bai Ruozhu was left speechless, looking at her mother in shock. Wasn’t it supposed to be mothers siding with their daughters?
Eventually, Bai Ruozhu gave in. She took Little Dengdeng back to the room to breastfeed him. But the little guy was stubborn, refusing to feed, and cried even more vigorously, almost to the point of choking.
"Okay, okay, it’s my fault. I should’ve stayed with you, and I certainly shouldn’t have scolded you. Dengdeng, you’re a good boy. You shouldn’t cry like this," Bai Ruozhu was forced to admit fault. It was indeed a blow to her dignity as a mother.
Surprisingly, after a few soothing words from her, Little Dengdeng’s crying finally subsided, and he quietly resumed feeding.
Bai Ruozhu was at a loss for words. The little fellow was too young, yet he knew how to act like a spoilt brat. That meant in the future, she had to be careful never to wrong him.