Chapter 180: The Self-Indulgent Sarcastic Man
Yu Hongxiu, with laughter in her eyes, winked at Bai Ruozhu and said, "Ruozhu is quite meticulous in her own way, so you, as a big brother, should refrain from lecturing her. Otherwise, I may have to borrow your teacher-wife’s style to discipline you."
Everyone laughed, and Mr. Xie chimed in, "Zepei, you’re unfortunate. Since my wife views Ruozhu as a sister, your status as an elder brother has greatly diminished."
The playful comment sounded awkward but entertaining. Only a progressive person like Mr. Xie could utter such an expression. In the case of the old-school people like Mr. Bai, they would stick to their ’execution over humiliation’ philosophy. Was his disposition compatible with being a man of letters?
Since Yu Hongxiu was still concerned about her pregnancy, she urged Mr. Xie to sit down quickly and asked Bai Ruozhu to take his pulse.
After checking Mr. Xie’s pulse, Bai Ruozhu found that her suspicions were more or less confirmed. The effects of the past three days of dietary adjustments were minuscule. After all, food was not magical medicine; it was unlikely to have significant effects in only three days. Moreover, Mr. Xie’s issue was not some common cold or cough.
However, his condition was not severe. With proper health adjustments, they would undoubtedly be able to conceive a child quickly.
"How is my husband’s health?" Yu Hongxiu asked worriedly, noting Bai Ruozhu’s silence.
"Mr. Xie is in good health overall but suffers from slight malnutrition, possibly due to his vegan diet over the years. He needs more nourishing food," Bai Ruozhu explained.
Mr. Xie himself agreed with this, nodding and saying, "I didn’t take it seriously before. But now Hongxiu won’t let me be careless anymore. This time I will listen to her and take better care of my health."
Bai Ruozhu gave a slight smile, thinking how intelligent Yu Hongxiu was for not mentioning the delicate subject that might make Mr. Xie uneasy.
She pondered for a moment, wrote down a diet plan, prescribed some medication for Mr. Xie, and handed them both to Yu Hongxiu.
"Follow this regimen for seven days, and I will check the pulse again after that."
Bai Ruozhu then checked Yu Hongxiu’s pulse again and, smiling, said, "Madam is in excellent health, even better than Mr. Xie."
Yu Hongxiu laughed and scolded Mr. Xie, "See, this is what happens when you don’t eat properly and refuse to consume more meat and protein as I advise."
Mr. Xie, feeling a bit embarrassed, stood up with a hearty laugh, bowed to Yu Hongxiu and said, "From now on, I will follow all your instructions, dear. Please refrain from nagging."
"Look at you all, he’s irritated by my chatter." Yu Hongxiu smiled as she spoke. Despite her complaints, her tone was saturated with happiness.
Fang Guizhi watched the couple quietly, feeling extremely envious. The husband and wife shared such delightful sentiments. Would she ever have a chance to marry a good man? She bitterly thought, she must be content with anyone as long as he wasn’t abusive.
Bai Ruozhu also admired the Xie couple, wondering if she would meet someone in the future with whom she could share love, laughter, and friendly banter.
Since Bai Ruozhu was preoccupied with her business commitments, she did not stay for lunch. Yu Hongxiu was also focused on taking care of Mr. Xie’s health and didn’t push Bai Ruozhu to stay. She only urged Bai Ruozhu to visit them often, implying that being too courteous could distance them.
After leaving the Xie Residence, Bai Ruozhu began strolling around the West Market. The market primarily catered to common people and included vegetable and meat vendors, as well as snack stalls. She recalled the delectable wontons and sugar-coated haws she once bought there.
Well, thinking about the wontons reminded her of a green onion leaf-issue. If she hadn’t had that leaf stuck in her teeth, ruining her smile, she wouldn’t have been embarrassed.
Remembering this, Bai Ruozhu thought of Du Zhongshu, whom she hadn’t seen for a while. She wanted to express her gratitude but was unsure whether he was back yet. Accordingly, she decided that after completing her business, she would visit Du Family’s Pharmacy.
After circling the West Market thrice and analyzing the flow of people and the available spaces, she finally chose a relatively small spot. She noted it down, planning to apply for it at the county government office shortly.
In Anyuan Town’s West Market, aside from the temporary small booths set up for selling vegetables, all others required approval from the county government office. This was unless you were selling items carried on your back such as sugar-coated haws and walking through the streets and alleys. Even in such cases, taxes had to be paid, although these were much less than those for setting up a booth.
She asked around and found out that applying for a booth was not expensive. A silver or two would cover the application fee and then a monthly booth tax of three hundred coins had to be paid. The prices were reasonable.
Just when she had picked a spot and was ready to leave the West Market, a tall figure suddenly blocked the sunlight above her head. She instinctively took a step back and looked up to find that it was the masked man known for his sharp tongue.
Hey, he threw a small stone at her the last time and dragged her to an alley to talk. Now he was blocking her way in the middle of the street. She just couldn’t understand his logic.
If Jiang Yichun knew what Bai Ruozhu was complaining about, he would surely roll his eyes and say: Who asked you to find me last time when I was surveilling someone in secret? Could I walk around with ease?
"What, came to thank me?" Jiang Yichun’s voice was as cold as ever but carried a hint of smugness. He felt he had handled the matter cleanly, and Bai Ruozhu must be genuinely grateful to him.
Bai Ruozhu instinctively touched her nose. Should she tell this self-absorbed man that she was just looking for a booth? After thinking about it, she still bowed to Jiang Yichun and said, "Thank you, sir."
Although this guy got her in quite a mess at the old mansion and caused her to declare independence, she frowned and ground her teeth thinking about the trouble she had been put through whenever she got mixed up with him.
Jiang Yichun’s face behind the mask was smiling. "There’s no need for formalities." He heard the sound of grinding teeth and felt Bai Ruozhu’s resentment. He wondered, what’s she thinking? Isn’t she truly thankful to me?
Bai Ruozhu felt that it was inconvenient to talk in the middle of the street. She paid her respects to Jiang Yichun and then said goodbye.
Jiang Yichun strangely watched her walk away, then headed towards the county government office, only to soon realize that Bai Ruozhu was headed in the same direction.
When Bai Ruozhu reached the entrance of the county government office, she ran into an old acquaintance, Wan Minglu, who had helped them out during their busy harvest season!
"Brother Wan, you’ve become an officer?" Bai Ruozhu looked at Wan Minglu, now dressed as an officer, with a surprised and happy expression. Brother Wan was a good person, and she was genuinely happy for him.
Wan Minglu saw Bai Ruozhu’s eyes lighting up. He laughed and said, "I’m still in the probation period, not a proper officer yet."
"You’re hardworking and diligent. You’ll definitely pass the probation period," Bai Ruozhu reassured him with a smile.
This compliment had Wan Minglu almost floating with pleasure. Ruozhu was complimenting him; he surely hadn’t misheard? An excited Wan Minglu showed a silly grin.
Then another officer came out and on seeing Bai Ruozhu exclaimed, "Isn’t this Madam Bai? Are you here to see the officer?"
Bai Ruozhu turned to see that it was Wang Luji, the officer Officer Li had assigned to escort her to Fushou Hall after the kidnapping incident - yet another familiar face.
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Thank you to my book friends, ’Bury Me Under the Qiong Flower Tree Forever’, ’Stay’, ’"if..."’, ’Dream’, ’Situations, Locked Love’, and ’Me Crying Alone in the Corner’ for their rewards. Love you all, muah~