Chapter 191: Dengdeng Eats Tofu.
"Yes, it’s him." Bai Ruozhu didn’t specify who, but Bai Zepei confirmed it already. Being siblings, they understood each other without the need for explicit words.
"This...this is too much of a coincidence, don’t you think? I just saw Master Du a couple of days ago, and he never mentioned studying with Mr. Xie." Bai Ruozhu suddenly recalled the hesitation Du Zhongshu showed back then. Could admitting to studying with Mr. Xie have been that embarrassing for him? Surely not.
"He has no idea that I’m Mr. Xie’s student. Our teacher is a low-key person. If he hadn’t been advised to come here by Lord Meng, he might not even have known Mr. Xie’s name. I think it’s not that he kept it a secret, but that it’s just a pure coincidence." Bai Zepei slightly shook his head and said.
A question appeared in Bai Ruozhu’s mind: if it wasn’t about this, then what was it that Du Zhongshu found hard to express that time?
"I have a business cooperation with him. It won’t affect both of you studying together, will it?" Bai Ruozhu recalled this and furrowed her brows.
Bai Zepei couldn’t resist flicking her forehead again, although this time he did it gently. When Bai Ruozhu realized what he had done, she covered her forehead and yelled indignantly, "Second Brother, you’re bullying me again!"
At her outburst, everyone in front heard her. Yu Hongxiu turned her head and asked with a smile, "What are you two siblings whispering about?"
Lin Ping’er noticed Bai Ruozhu covering her forehead and glared at Bai Zepei, asking, "What have you done to your sister again?"
Bai Zepei said to Bai Ruozhu with a bitter smile, "Your mother does favor you a lot."
Bai Ruozhu, with her hand over her forehead, glared at him, discontentedly retorting, "That’s because you always flick my forehead!"
The rest of the Bai family couldn’t help but laugh. Despite the mature and steady behavior of Second Brother on ordinary days, he recently developed this peculiar habit of flicking Bai Ruozhu’s forehead out of the blue, prompting her to complain many times at home.
Yu Hongxiu was surprised as she glanced at Bai Zepei. She thought that flicking someone’s forehead was something only children would do. Or at least, it shouldn’t be done by someone like Bai Zepei who wore a serious face all day. But she was really envious. The Bai family utterly adored Bai Ruozhu. They treated her even better than her two brothers.
Ever since Yu Hongxiu married into the North, she observed that many places were heavily biased towards males. Especially among the farming families, like Fang Guizhi’s, where fathers would even sell their daughters to arrange a marriage for their sons - it was an incredibly biased behavior. Seeing a family like the Bai’s that lavished their love on their daughter was a rarity.
Yu Hongxiu began to feel envious of Bai Ruozhu. Although her own family was also dotingly fond of her, that was because she was the first legitimate daughter and her mother protected her. Her father just thought she was useful to their family. Otherwise, would he tolerate her feelings and not take concubines?
The group’s laughter and chatting quickly ended the tour of the West Courtyard. Even Bai Ruozhu, who had experienced ancient architecture in her previous life, was impressed by the West Courtyard. It was simple, clean, and although not as luxurious as the Main Courtyard, it was still a suitable place to live. In fact, they would hesitate if the place were too exquisite.
Here, simplicity did not mean being crude. Everything was in place, especially the kitchen, which was spacious with several kitchen stoves. It could be guessed that in the past, meals for everybody in the West Courtyard, including the servants, were made here, which is why the kitchen was made quite large. This was a good thing for Bai Ruozhu, who cooked quickly and could manage several dishes at once. At home, there was only one stove, making her feel inefficient.
"How is it? The only downside is that it’s a bit remote. I don’t have many servants to accommodate here. You won’t mind it, would you?" Yu Hongxiu asked a little worriedly. The West Courtyard was indeed convenient for the Bai family, but she was afraid it might be disrespectful to accommodate them in the servants’ courtyard.
Bai Ruozhu smiled and took her hand, saying, "Why would we mind? Isn’t it up to the owner to decide who lives in their courtyard? We are not aristocrats, we really don’t mind this. It’s just that from now on, we’ll be causing you trouble."
Yu Hongxiu breathed a sigh of relief and replied with a smile, "It’s no trouble. Just make me some good food occasionally."
"Alright, I’ll add extra dishes for you later!" Bai Ruozhu responded with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Yu Hongxiu felt shy and hurriedly said, "There’s no hurry. You’ve been busy all morning. Why not take a rest first?"
"It’s okay. The dish I’ll make is quite simple." Bai Ruozhu gave her a mysterious smile.
It wasn’t until lunchtime that Yu Hongxiu learned that what Bai Ruozhu referred to was hand-grabbed pancakes. Although she felt Bai Ruozhu had taken a shortcut, she was really happy. Having never tasted the pancakes before, she knew they must be delicious considering the Bai’s food stall business was booming. And she could already smell the delicious aroma.
Not only the Xie Couple but also Du Zhongshu, a student Mr. Xie had been introduced to by Lord Meng, joined them for lunch. Perhaps because Du Zhongshu had already been surprised when he saw Bai Zepei, seeing Bai Ruozhu and the other Bai family members seemed quite normal to him.
Mr. Xie laughed and said, "This is really destiny. I just found out that Zhongshu has business dealings with you, Ruozhu. Now that we are acquainted, let’s not be overly formal. Let’s enjoy this meal."
Since everyone was familiar with each other, they began to eat heartily. Yu Hongxiu invited Guizhi to join and sit next to Bai Ruozhu, but Guizhi was still somewhat uncomfortable and behaved rather reservedly.
"Since you’ve moved in here, Guizhi should come and stay with you guys at the West Courtyard. She could be helpful to you on daily basis." Yu Hongxiu suggested.
Bai Ruozhu naturally agreed and quickly thanked Yu Hongxiu. Upon hearing her thanks, Yu Hongxiu frowned and said, "She’s not someone I’ve bought with money. Why are you thanking me? Thank yourself."
That afternoon, the Bai family began to move. According to custom, they had to inform the old mansion. Bai Ruozhu had this in mind, and that’s why she didn’t object when Lin Ping’er suggested she stay at the Xie Residence with her child. If she didn’t go to the old mansion, it would be better - to keep her from any further trouble. Besides, with her second brother accompanying her to meet the old patriarch, what could she possibly worry about?
The West Courtyard was very clean, there was no need for Bai Ruozhu to tidy up anything after settling. So, she carried her child and went to chat with Yu Hongxiu. Yu Hongxiu really adored Dengdeng. Now that he was getting older, she wanted to hold him, but she was hesitant as she had never held a baby before, not knowing where to place her hands.
"Oh, no, I can’t do it. The baby’s body is soft, and I’m afraid I might handle him wrongly." Yu Hongxiu said, yet she gazed longingly at Dengdeng, clearly wanting to hold him.
By now, Dengdeng’s neck had nearly strengthened, so Bai Ruozhu wasn’t worried. She patiently explained to Yu Hongxiu how to hold the baby. Finally, Yu Hongxiu carefully cradled Dengdeng in her arms. As soon as she held him, an extremely radiant smile appeared on her face. Seeing this, even Guizhi longed to hold the baby.
Just when Yu Hongxiu was delighted, Dengdeng suddenly stretched out his little hand and smacked her chest. He did not exert a lot of strength, but he surprised Yu Hongxiu when he used his tender little paw to scratch her chest.
Yu Hongxiu’s face flushed red in an instant. She felt as if Dengdeng had taken advantage of her!