Chapter 169: More Competitors
In Jiang Yichun’s eyes, the woman before him was bold and reckless, even carrying a touch of a man’s swagger. So he never expected Bai Ruozhu to start crying like that. For a moment, he was stunned and lost, not knowing what to do.
"I... I didn’t say I wouldn’t help. Please, stop crying." He was, after all, flustered. His tone wasn’t the usual calm and indifferent one.
He had initially wanted to tease her a bit, not understanding why he had that narrow thought. He just found this bold woman amusingly interesting. However, he didn’t know she would burst into tears suddenly.
Bai Ruozhu was crying emotionally while listening attentively. Hey, she heard it right! Jiang Chang’s tone changed. Could that mean he’s willing to help now? Bai Ruozhu suddenly stopped feeling upset. It was the first time she knew how powerful tears were as a weapon. If she had known, she would’ve cried from the start.
However, Bai Ruozhu being strong-willed and independent, once she was no longer sad, she couldn’t keep pretending to cry even if she wanted to. She quickly stopped sobbing.
Jiang Yichun was torn. He wanted to put her down, but he ended up making her fall on her butt because he suddenly used all his martial artist’s strength. Now, it looked like he was the one bullying a woman.
He wanted to help Bai Ruozhu up, but felt it would seem inappropriate. What if she accused him of taking advantage of her? In the end, all he could do was stand awkwardly to the side and say, "Are you alright? Quickly, get up."
Bai Ruozhu sat on the ground and glared at him, "Why don’t you try falling like this and see if it hurts?"
Jiang Yichun touched his nose, thinking to himself that as a martial artist, he had experienced much worse falls. But he didn’t voice it out loud, knowing he’s at fault and didn’t want to upset her again.
Bai Ruozhu wasn’t a delicate woman, so she got up from the ground and dusted off the dirt on her butt. She winced due to the pain, but didn’t dare to rub her bottom in front of a man.
When she looked up after adjusting her clothes, she noticed that Jiang Yichun had put his mask back on, as if trying to conceal his embarrassment and insecurity.
She recalled the tone and expression Jiang Yichun had when he said, "Stop... stop crying," and found it amusing. So, this man does have moments when he can’t act arrogantly, bullying others with his caustic tongue.
"You really can’t take a joke." Jiang Yichun replied in his irritating tone after putting on his mask again.
Bai Ruozhu glared at him and said, "I was just teasing you. Can’t you take that?"
Jiang Yichun chuckled softly, "Now you’re the one asking me for a favor."
"Who says you won’t need a favor from me in the future?" Bai Ruozhu retorted without hesitation, believing that this man should be treated without charity because he is indeed asking for it.
Jiang Yichun laughed louder but didn’t retort. He recalled what his father told him when he was a child: Never underestimate anyone. Destiny’s unpredictable, no one can foresee their future.
Feeling that too much time was wasted, because he still had official duties to attend to, he lifted the bundle in his hand and said, "I’ll accept your stuff. You can wait for the news at home."
Waiting for news implies waiting for news about Sanlang’s injury. Bai Ruozhu couldn’t conceal the excitement on her face. She bowed deeply again to Jiang Yichun. This time, the gratitude came from the heart.
"Thank you." She said it with a smile. But when she raised her head, Jiang Yichun had disappeared.
Bai Ruozhu can’t help but admire him. It really is beneficial to have martial arts skills, being able to come and go without a trace. If she had martial arts skills, she could handle Sanlang on her own.
With her pressing matters settled, Bai Ruozhu returned to the Back Mountain Village in high spirits. As soon as she got home, her mother whispered to her, "Guizhi’s mother was just here. I told her you were in town, and she seemed really excited. She asked if you went to visit the Xie’s, and I just nodded."
Bai Ruozhu wasn’t worried about missing Guizhi’s mother’s visit. This way, by keeping Guizhi’s mother in suspense, she would be even more interested.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door. When Lin Ping’er went to answer, she found that it wasn’t Guizhi’s mother, but old lady Wang.
Seeing that it was old lady Wang, Bai Ruozhu was slightly disappointed. Having used her once, she wouldn’t ignore her, so she quickly invited old lady Wang into the house for tea.
"Ruozhu, I heard that you and Mrs. Xie are very close?" old lady Wang asked immediately after sipping her tea.
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "What’s the matter, Granny Wang?"
"My relatives from another town are very poor, and the wife has been sick for a long time. Their land has been sold, and they’re almost out of food. So, they thought of sending their daughter out to be a maid. At least it would save the family from starving to death." She finished and asked hastily, "Has Mrs. Xie chosen a maid already?"
Bai Ruozhu wasn’t sure if Wang really had such a relative or if Guizhi’s mother had commissioned her to ask, so she simply said, "Somebody has recommended, but Mrs. Xie said she would personally check when she has time."
Upon hearing this, old lady Wang became anxious and quickly grabbed Bai Ruozhu’s hand, "Ruozhu, we have a good relationship. You must recommend my grandniece. Her family is waiting for the money to save a life."
Bai Ruozhu pretended to sip her tea in order to slip away from Wang’s grip, then smiled bitterly and said, "Granny Wang, I can recommend her for you, but the final decision still lays with Mrs. Xie."
"Even if you could put in a good word for us, that would be great. I’ll bring her over tomorrow for you to take a look." Old lady Wang smiled till her eyes narrowed.
After seeing off old lady Wang, Bai Ruozhu thought there was a high probability that Wang’s relative did want to sell her child due to poverty. Bai Ruozhu felt a bit emotional, realizing some people are forced by life to sell their children, while others like Guizhi’s mother do it for money.
In the afternoon, Guizhi’s mother indeed came again. Bai Ruozhu happened to be in the room feeding Dengdeng, so she wasn’t in a hurry. She just asked her to wait in the main hall while drinking tea. When Bai Ruozhu finished feeding Dengdeng and went to the main hall, Guizhi’s mother’s face was already filled with anxiety.
"Ruozhu, I heard you picked the relative of the Wang family?" Guizhi’s mother didn’t bother beating around the bush and asked directly.
Bai Ruozhu feigned surprise, "I’m not in charge of who to pick. I just promised to recommend her to Mrs. Xie. Shouldn’t Mrs. Xie decide who to choose as the maid herself?"
Guizhi’s mother noticeably breathed a sigh of relief. She then looked around and saw that the men of the Bai Family were not at home, and Bai Ruozhu’s mother was busy in the kitchen. Lowering her voice, she said, "Ruozhu, you and Guizhi grew up playing together. This time, you must help Guizhi."
"What’s wrong with Guizhi? Did her cold symptoms come back?" Bai Ruozhu asked, pretending to be worried.
"No, no, it’s just that her father wants to send her to suffer." Guizhi’s mother spoke, wiping away fake tears. "Alas, it’s all because we’re poor. I was thinking, if she ends up with a good household, she might even live a better life than ours."