Chapter 155: Welcoming Honored Guests with Yellow Chrysanthemums and Fat Crabs
When Bai Ruozhu went to the Zhou Family’s, she brought a few batches of medicine and instructed Tao Hua’s mother to give Tao Hua the medication on time.
She had a look at Tao Hua’s injury, took her pulse and found that Tao Hua’s resistance was quite good, her recovery was very ideal, as Tao Hua’s mother had mentioned the swelling on Tao Hua’s leg had significantly subsided, but the foot still seemed a bit swollen.
Bai Ruozhu continued with Acupuncture and then changed Tao Hua’s dressing. This time Tao Hua didn’t cry out as much and even said, "It seems to be much better, applying the medicine doesn’t cause as much pain anymore."
"I will change the dressing for you again tomorrow. Afterwards, you can just crush the herbal medicine and apply it yourself. Don’t get it wet and don’t walk on it, it should be better in about five days." Bai Ruozhu told her as she was tidying up.
"Sister Ruozhu, you are too skilled. I think your medical expertise is even better than Doctor Li’s!" Tao Hua now looked at Bai Ruozhu with pure admiration.
Bai Ruozhu quickly shook her head and said, "I’m not a doctor. How can I compare myself to Doctor Li? I’m busy around the house and can’t really become a full-fledged doctor."
She certainly didn’t want to offend Doctor Li for no reason. While treating people could make money, it also came with great risks. She didn’t want to bring too much attention to herself.
Upon hearing this, Tao Hua quickly shut her mouth, blaming herself for saying the wrong thing in her excitement.
On the second day, Bai Ruozhu changed Tao Hua’s dressing, handed over the herbal medicine to Tao Hua’s mother, and completed her task. When she got home, Bai Zepei was heartily conversing with the family. Bai Ruozhu found it rare to see her elder brother in such a good mood.
"Mr. Xie replied to me that I don’t have to go to Beiyu City. They are coming back in the next few days to handle some matters. They will be staying in the town for a while." Bai Zepei told Bai Ruozhu as soon as she got home.
"That’s great. Why don’t we invite Mr. Xie and his family to our house for a feast?" Bai Ruozhu suggested with a smile.
Bai Zepei nodded, "Alright, but it will be a bit of hard work for our mother and little sister."
Lin Ping’er was also very happy, "What’s hard about it? Mr Xie is your teacher, it’s only right that we invite him home for a meal. It’s rare to have such a good opportunity."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t say anything, she was considering how to save Fang Guizhi.
In her previous life’s memories, Mr Xie had quite a reputation in the town. If he was introduced as the teacher of the main suspect and worked as a western seat for the rich families in Beiyu City, his reputation would undoubtedly get better. If Mr. Xie’s family wanted to buy a famous maid who was smart and knew how to work, and Mr. Xie was willing to offer a good price, wouldn’t Guizhi’s mother be tempted?
Since Bai Ruozhu didn’t know Mr. Xie very well, she privately asked her second brother’s opinion to see if it would be inappropriate.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Zepei said, "Our teacher’s wife is very kind, she will definitely help. I will talk to her when the time comes. You can start preparing."
"That’s great." Bai Ruozhu was so happy that she almost jumped up. She felt the huge rock on her chest instantly disappeared, and she felt much lighter.
Bai Zepei looked at Bai Ruozhu with amusement, "You are still as childlike as before, not a bit mature."
Bai Ruozhu pouted. In an instant, Dengdeng’s mother became a mother without having ever been in love. How could she adjust to this?
Two days flew by, Bai Zepei went to the town to greet Mr. Xie, and when he came back, he brought two bags of dimsums, saying that Mrs. Xie had given them for their family.
Bai Ruozhu tasted a piece of the dimsum, and it was rich but not greasy, obviously bought from the town and probably brought over from Beiyu City. All the dimsums were made of mild ingredients, with no cold or allergy-prone ones, which suggested Mrs. Xie was a considerate person.
Although she had never met Mrs. Xie, Bai Ruozhu was extremely curious about her brother’s teacher’s wife.
Bai Zepei invited Mr. Xie and his family for a meal the following noon. The Bai family got busy preparing, making sure to get all the ingredients ready beforehand, intending to serve a delicious and grand meal.
Bai Ruozhu speculated that Mr. Xie must have tasted many delicacies while living in the rich families in Beiyu City and having meats was no surprise to him. Therefore, the meal she prepared for him had to be something special to show sincerity.
Given limited resources in the village, Bai Ruozhu said to her mother, "Mother, please take care of Dengdeng. I need to go to the market to see if there is anything fresh I can buy."
Lin Ping’er planned to go herself, fearing Bai Ruozhu had been running around too much and was tired. However, she wasn’t as good a cook as Bai Ruozhu, so it was best for Bai Ruozhu to go to the market herself.
"Okay, but return home as soon as possible. Choose a comfortable carriage, don’t save money at the expense of your health." Lin Ping’er expressed her concern. After experiencing a sick spell herself and causing the whole family to worry, she finally realized that health is more important than money.
Bai Ruozhu headed to the West Market in the town with some silver. As she was wandering around, she noticed someone selling green multi-legged creatures, which gave her an idea that she hadn’t thought of.
What that person was selling was crabs. It was the perfect season for eating crabs, and she also had big fat crabs in her spatial pond. She couldn’t eat crabs while breastfeeding, so she had forgotten about this delicacy.
Just thinking about the golden crab roe, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help salivating. She was very fond of hairy crabs in her previous life. It would indeed be torturous to watch others eat them without being able to enjoy them herself tomorrow.
She observed quietly for a moment, there weren’t many people buying crabs. Ordinary villagers didn’t eat crabs, so they weren’t popular. Only a few well-off families sent their servants to buy some.
Feeling relieved, Bai Ruozhu decided to make a dish with the fat crabs in her pond for sure, it would definitely be special. However, she wasn’t sure about Mr. Xie and his wife’s preferences, so one crab dish was not enough.
She went around again, bought some pig’s blood and stomach to make Spicy Duck Blood, and also bought some large duck pears before leaving the town.
As she was almost home, she took some crabs from her space, eight in total, four male and four female. She drew a lot of attention walking into the village holding the crabs.
"Oh, what are you holding there, girl from the Bai family?" an old woman asked curiously.
Being in the remote Back Mountain Village, they didn’t see many new things like those in Anyuan Town. The older generation rarely ventured out, so it was normal for them to have never seen a crab.
"These are crabs I bought. We are having a guest at our house tomorrow, my elder brother’s mentor, and my mother has instructed me to prepare some nice dishes for him." Bai Ruozhu explained.
"Your elder brother’s mentor must be quite a big shot, then! That really is an important guest." The old woman mumbled to herself, seemingly forgetting to ask more about the crabs.
Bai Ruozhu saw the gossip in the old woman’s eyes and chuckled to herself. It looked like the news of Mr. Xie’s visit to their house would spread earlier than expected.
Of course, all of this was done to plot Fang Guizhi’s rescue, but this inevitably meant that the folks from the old mansion would come over to join in the excitement.