Chapter 170: The Heart is Not Made of Flesh
Bai Ruozhu feigned surprise, "What? Your family is in difficulty and you have to sell Guizhi?"
Facing a woman as avaricious as Guizhi’s mother, you couldn’t easily reveal your flaws. Otherwise, she would endlessly exploit Guizhi.
Guizhi’s mother was a bit embarrassed by Bai Ruozhu’s gaze, coughed a few times and said, "I have no other choice, do I? Guizhi’s older brother wants to get married and the bride’s family requires a dowry. Our family is already impoverished. Even after scraping every cent together, it’s not substantial."
"But, but you can’t just sell Guizhi. If you do, she’ll be estranged from your family for the rest of her life." Bai Ruozhu was so anxious that she was about to cry.
Hearing this, Guizhi’s mother became agitated. She took Bai Ruozhu’s hand and said in a low voice, "You must not disclose this. Guizhi’s father is fatally ill. We need money for his treatment. I want to arrange a decent marriage for her. The groom’s family is offering quite a handsome bride price, but..."
Guizhi’s mother intentionally drew out her words, seemingly to make Bai Ruozhu more worried, "But I later found out that the man is a widower, already in his thirties. Guizhi is at the peak of her youth, isn’t it a waste for her?"
As she spoke, Guizhi’s mother started wiping the corners of her eyes, as if she truly cared for her daughter.
"How...how could this happen?" Bai Ruozhu was at a loss for words, "No, you cannot betroth Guizhi to just anyone." She said in a conflicted tone, "But, it’s still better than selling her to be a maid."
Fearing Bai Ruozhu’s outright refusal, Guizhi’s mother grit her teeth and said, "Guizhi’s father has already accepted the money, but... I heard that the man beat his first wife to death."
"Ah..." Bai Ruozhu exclaimed in a low voice, covering her mouth. Her eyes were full of fear, "Guizhi won’t survive this."
Guizhi’s mother started crying again, "So, I thought, even if she has to be a maid at a good family, it’s better than losing her life. So, Ruozhu, I beg you to help Guizhi."
Bai Ruozhu started crying. As she wiped her tears, she said, "Auntie, is there no other way?"
Guizhi’s mother grabbed her hand and nodded vigorously, saying, "I really have no other choice. I can’t even afford to return the money."
Bai Ruozhu hesitated, then finally nodded her head with difficulty, "Auntie, I agree to your request."
After Guizhi’s mother left with effusive thanks, Bai Ruozhu was panting heavily, almost exploding with rage.
Guizhi’s mother was nothing more than a beast. She clearly knew that Yang Laosan had beaten his wife to death, yet she was till marrying Guizhi off to him for money. She even lied about Guizhi’s father having a terminal illness. Why didn’t she say she was the one about to die?
When Lin Ping’er entered the room, she hurried to comfort Bai Ruozhu, "My dear, it’s not worth getting angry over such a person. I just eavesdropped and I know she doesn’t have a heart. She will pay for this sooner or later."
Bai Ruozhu calmed down her breathing. She couldn’t let her anger over this person affect her breast milk. Wouldn’t that be making her precious Little Dengdeng suffer? Thinking about this, she said to Lin Ping’er, "Mother, I’m not angry anymore. It’s best for Guizhi to have no connection with her family, otherwise she really would be pushed into hell."
"Yes, Guizhi is a blessed child, she will definitely go from hardship to happiness." Lin Ping’er comforted her.
The next day, Bai Ruozhu took Dengdeng and her second brother to the town. Her second brother would be frequently visiting Mr. Xie’s Residence for a while, so Bai Ruozhu took this opportunity to visit Lady Xie.
She didn’t know how long she would be staying in the town, so Bai Ruozhu decided to bring Dengdeng along. After all, the child was well-behaved and Yu Hongxiu liked him especially.
When she arrived at the Xie Residence, Yu Hongxiu ran out in a hurry at the announcement of the maid. Bai Ruozhu noticed that she was accompanied by two maids and took another look at the Xie’s temporary residence; it was rather nice. It seemed that the couple’s living conditions were much better than she had imagined.
The last time both of them had visited the Bai Family for dinner, they didn’t bring any maids. Probably Mr. Xie preferred to keep a low profile, or he didn’t want to create too much distance with the Bai Family, to avoid making everyone uncomfortable.
"Ruozhu, I’ve been waiting for you to come. Hurry up and sit inside with me." Yu Hongxiu came over and took Bai Ruozhu’s arm, even reaching out to play with Little Dengdeng.
Yu Hongxiu held Bai Ruozhu’s hand and led her into the room. After the maid brought tea and dimsum, she dismissed all the maids to make Bai Ruozhu comfortable. Bai Ruozhu was pleased that she could talk easily now. She took out a piece of paper and gave it to Yu Hongxiu, saying, "This is the diet plan I have prepared for you. You should follow this for three days. It is primarily a warming supplement. After three days, I will take the pulse for both you and Mr. Xie, and then decide on a dietary supplement plan."
In reality, she needed to take Mr. Xie’s pulse. But Bai Ruozhu didn’t say this directly. Yu Hongxiu was a smart woman and understood immediately. She smiled and said, "Okay, I will definitely follow your instructions." As she opened the diet plan and read it, she grew even more impressed with Bai Ruozhu. The plan was meticulous, something she wouldn’t have thought of on an ordinary day.
When Yu Hongxiu carefully put away the diet plan, she took out a silver necklace to put on Dengdeng.
"I didn’t have a chance to prepare a gift for our first meeting. This is to make up for it." Yu Hongxiu said smilingly, her eyes full of affection for the child.
"How... How can we accept this? Shouldn’t we be less formal with each other?" Bai Ruozhu glanced at the silver necklace, feeling a little embarrassed to accept it.
Yu Hongxiu gave her a playful scowl, "There’s no need for us to be formal with each other, but this is for the child, representing my blessings. There are rules to these things. When I have a child, you will have to give a gift to my child too."
When Bai Ruozhu heard this, she didn’t refuse anymore. She smiled and said, "Okay, I’ll give a Longevity Lock to your child then."
Yu Hongxiu couldn’t stop smiling. She seemed to envision herself being pregnant in not too distant future.
After Bai Ruozhu had two sips of tea, she explained her purpose. Upon hearing the behavior of Guizhi’s mother, Yu Hongxiu was even more outraged.
"Tell her I will go see the person tomorrow and if he is suitable, I will buy him."
Bai Ruozhu remembered the task Madam Wang had entrusted to her and mentioned it. Upon hearing this, Yu Hongxiu smirked like a sly fox, saying, "Okay, we will go together then, to keep her dangling."
Bai Ruozhu knew that Yu Hongxiu could prioritize and just let her be.
At noon, Yu Hongxiu insisted on having Bai Ruozhu for lunch. As it turned out, Mr. Xie also had the same idea, so Yu Hongxiu ordered the meal to be prepared according to Bai Ruozhu’s diet plan. The four of them sat together and enjoyed a pleasant meal.
In the afternoon, Bai Ruozhu wanted to take her leave. Yu Hongxiu knew she had other things to do, so she didn’t insist on her staying. Instead, she arranged for her own horse carriage to take Bai Ruozhu back to the Mountain Village, while Bai Zepei stayed behind to continue discussing the text with Mr. Xie.
Bai Ruozhu’s return to the village drew a lot of attention because she had traveled in a carriage. Many people were terribly envious. Madam Wang almost followed her all the way to her house, along with a girl clothed in patches, whom she had mentioned as her distant relative.