Chapter 158: Always Making Others Feel Sorry
Bai Ruozhu was amused by Yu Hongxiu’s antics. She pulled out a basin, which still had some jelly left, and quickly cut a similar piece to replace the one that was eaten.
Yu Hongxiu patted her chest, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Bai Ruozhu’s large basin, a clear "I want to eat more" expression on her face.
Bai Ruozhu laughed and scooped a spoonful for her, "You can’t eat anymore, otherwise, you won’t have room for the other delicious dishes. Don’t forget your big crab."
Yu Hongxiu wiped her mouth and nodded, "You’re right. Your cooking is excellent, I must save room to taste every dish."
People who love cooking naturally enjoy it when others praise their skills, so Bai Ruozhu was in particularly good spirits. Amidst the laughter and chit-chat, work didn’t feel tiring at all.
Somehow, the conversation turned to their respective marriages. Yu Hongxiu blushed and said, "Let me tell you a secret, I was initially unwilling to marry Xie Dun." Xie Dun was Mr. Xie’s formal name.
"I’m the only daughter of my parents, who didn’t want me to get married too early. So, I didn’t begin to discuss marriage until I was eighteen. At that time, Xie Dun was in the south handling official business with Sir Meng. Somehow, Sir Meng thought of pairing me with Xie Dun. When my father met Xie Dun, he was very pleased and told me about him. When I heard that he was eleven years older than me, I got angry and accused my parents of not loving me, as they were making me marry an old man."
Yu Hongxiu chuckled at her own story, her cheeks turning red.
"Mr. Xie doesn’t look like an old man at all, he seems about the same age as my older brother," Bai Ruozhu cleverly added.
Yu Hongxiu shot her a glance, "Don’t try to butter me up. However you look at it, he doesn’t seem to be a 20-year-old youngster, does he? Anyway, I made a fuss about it at the time, but when I actually met Xie Dun, I realized I had been mistaken. It’s not bad marrying someone mature and steady."
"Yes, you can tell that Mr. Xie is very caring," Bai Ruozhu added cheerfully.
Yu Hongxiu’s face flushed again. She playfully hit Bai Ruozhu and asked, "What about your own marriage situation? I heard your husband moved into your family and then disappeared under unfortunate circumstances. Don’t fault me for being blunt, but don’t you have any plans?"
Bai Ruozhu gave a bitter smile, "I already have a child, what else can I do?"
She was indeed unlucky. Even if she had gotten married after crossing over, it wouldn’t have been impossible for her to remarry. The social norms in Danliang were liberal; divorce and remarriage weren’t unusual.
However, she was already pregnant when she crossed over. Now that she has Dengdeng, even if others don’t mind that she has a child, she still has to consider if the one she remarries will genuinely care for Dengdeng. She doesn’t want Dengdeng to suffer in the future.
Yu Hongxiu sighed with her, grabbed Bai Ruozhu’s hand and said sympathetically, "You’re such an outstanding person, I’m sure you’ll find a good match in the future."
Bai Ruozhu laughed and nodded. She herself didn’t mind too much, but why were other people feeling so sorry for her?
Before they could continue their conversation, Lin Ping’er walked in, smiling, "You two seem really engrossed in your chat. Aren’t you preparing for mealtime?"
Bai Ruozhu laughed and said, "Okay, we will serve the dishes now. Sister Hongxiu, you go and sit at the table. Later, please tell me your comments on each dish. Don’t just praise them, also tell me your suggestions so that I can improve."
"Sure, sure. Hurry up and come eat with us. It’s good to have someone to chat with," Yu Hongxiu said with a laugh.
"Your older brother has gone to invite your grandfather. We should set up the cold dishes first," Lin Ping’er said, giving Bai Ruozhu a meaningful look. It wasn’t appropriate not to invite the old master, but there seemed to be a difficult situation ahead.
Bai Ruozhu gave her mother a slight nod and started serving the cold dishes. Bai Yihong brought out the good wine and poured some for Mr. Xie and his wife.
The timing was just right. Footsteps were heard from outside. It was Bai Zehao who had brought the old master back. However, his face didn’t look too good, because not only had the old master come, but Bai Yibo had also come.
Bai Zehao found an excuse to go to the kitchen and sullenly said, "Little sister, I couldn’t convince Uncle to stay away."
Bai Ruozhu lowered her voice and responded, "How is this your fault? He’s so thick-skinned, who could stop him?"
Bai Zehao initially felt guilty, but hearing Bai Ruozhu’s words, he couldn’t help but laugh, feeling much better.
"Big brother, go sit at the table. If uncle says something wrong, don’t argue with him or criticize him; instead, try to smooth things over," Bai Ruozhu handed a plate of dishes to Bai Zehao and whispered instructions to him.
"Why go through all this trouble?" Bai Zehao disapproved.
"How would outsiders know about our conflicts with the old mansion? They only see what’s happening today. Our primary task is to host the guests, not quarrel with uncle. The main goal is to ensure our guests enjoy themselves. We can’t let our quarrels affect the guests’ mood. We can discuss other matters later," Bai Ruozhu whispered in explanation.
Bai Zehao looked embarrassed, "Little sister is more sensible. I was thinking just about my own pride."
Bai Ruozhu patted her older brother, "Don’t flatter me. I also want to kick uncle out, and I don’t even like grandfather, but there’s no other choice."
One thing Bai Ruozhu didn’t say explicitly was that Mr. Xie, who had performed the rites of filial respect three times, was clearly deeply pious. If they embarrassed the old master, it would be disrespectful, and might upset Mr. Xie, even affecting Bai Zepei’s good standing in his eyes.
Bai Zehao brought the dish to the table. Bai Zepei was outside introducing everyone to Mr. Xie. Mr. Xie politely greeted the old master. Both being scholars, the old master was technically Mr. Xie’s elder.
As Bai Yibo was older than Mr. Xie and also a scholar, Mr. Xie was equally polite towards him. Lin Ping’er looked at Bai Yibo’s smug smile and felt annoyed; she simply ran into the kitchen to help Bai Ruozhu with the work.
Bai Ruozhu also advised her mother. Originally, she wanted to seize the opportunity to stop Bai Yibo from cozying up to Mr. Xie, but after learning that Mr. Xie had followed the rites of filial piety three times, she had to adjust her tactics.
After listening to Bai Ruozhu’s explanation, Lin Ping’er quickly understood. However, she still wasn’t comfortable with the situation, "So we’re just going to let that kind of person have free reign?"
"Mother, Mr. Xie is a worldly man; he’s even been to the south on official business. Hasn’t he seen all kinds of people? Do you think a person as unstable as uncle can hide from him? For all we know, the impression uncle leaves may not be a good one!" Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.
Thinking of Bai Yibo’s arrogant manner, Lin Ping’er couldn’t help but nod. She couldn’t stand seeing him behave like that, let alone Mr. Xie. Thinking this way, Lin Ping’er’s mood improved.
Bai Ruozhu worked fast, and soon the dishes were served. Mr. Xie continually nodded in approval, "Zepei, why didn’t you invite me to dine at your house earlier? You truly lack respect for your teacher."
Everyone knew Mr. Xie was joking and indirectly praising the delectable food. Everyone from the Bai family was ecstatic. Unfortunately, at this moment, an untimely voice rang out...