Chapter 197: The Benefactor is Here
The table the Lin family lent to the Bai family was rectangular. If squeezed together, the longer side could roughly accommodate four people, while the shorter side could only accommodate two. Jiang Yichun seemed to dislike being too close to others, so he voluntarily sat down at the shorter side. With his extravagant dress and odd mask, no other guests dared to sit next to him.
When Bai Ruozhu saw who was sitting, she was momentarily flustered. Her scrambled eggs were slightly overcooked, and the guest wanted them slightly raw. She sighed softly, thinking, why does nothing good ever come out of encountering this man?
She could only put the egg to one side, and fry another one. After the new egg was done, she had Bai Zehao serve it to the guest.
Even though Jiang Yichun’s mask hid his face, his aura was distinct from an ordinary citizen’s. He attracted everyone’s attention the moment he sat down, and those initially talking loudly immediately quieted down, as if fearing their loud voices would disturb this distinguished guest.
At first glance, Lin Ping recognized Jiang Yichun, and excitedly said to Bai Yihong, "Earl, this nobleman is the one who saved our daughter, Ruozhu!" Seeing Bai Yihong’s slow response, she added, "This was when our Ruozhu saved Rongrong. When the abductors wanted to kill Ruozhu, it was he who stepped forward to save her."
A gratitude appeared on Bai Yihong’s face. He strode forward and suddenly knelt before Jiang Yichun, "Your grace saved my daughter, please allow me, Bai Yihong, to kowtow in thanks!"
The sudden change startled Bai Ruozhu. As a modern-day woman, she found the practice of kneeling abhorrent. The farmer households typically didn’t enforce such traditions, thus kneeling and bowing were foreign to her family. Witnessing her father do so now caused her discomfort and her nose to feel sour.
Her father was kneeling and bowing to express his gratitude to the man who saved her. Bai Ruozhu suddenly felt resentful. Why did he have to trouble her family by coming here? He could have gone to the restaurant, why did he have to disturb their peaceful life?
Followed closely by Lin Ping, Bai Yihong also wanted to kneel down to Jiang Yichun. However, Jiang Yihong reacted swiftly. With one hand, he held Lin Ping up and with the other, he helped Bai Yihong up. No matter how insistent they were about kneeling, they were no match for him.
Bai Yihong was slightly taken aback. He thought inwardly, this nobleman possesses incredible strength, far surpassing that of a farmer like him.
Bai Ruozhu put down her work and strode over. She bowed respectfully before Jiang Yichun and said, "I am grateful for your grace, who rescued me that day. Thanks to you, my child and I are safe."
Jiang Yichun lazily glanced at Bai Ruozhu, was she trying to pretend they were meeting for the first time after their rescue?
"You all are too polite. It’s my duty to arrest criminals. You can get back to work, just prepare me your best pancake," said Jiang Yichun.
Lin Ping was eternally grateful to Jiang Yichun. The moment she heard him, she hurriedly urged Bai Ruozhu, "Ruozhu, what are you dawdling for? Hurry and make the Earl a hand-grabbed pancake. Add eggs, meat slices, and lotus root!"
Bai Ruozhu silently rolled her eyes. She wondered, with so many ingredients, would he be able to eat?
But she quickly prepared the pancake. Just as she was about to hand it over to her older brother, Lin Ping shot her a glance and whispered, "Take it to the Earl, and thank him properly."
Gritting her teeth, Bai Ruozhu took the pancake and soup, but her heart was in turmoil. Based on past experiences, this troublemaker’s appearance surely meant no good.
"Not bad, it smells quite good," he said, his tone was not particularly polite.
Bai Ruozhu stiffened and forced out a "Thank you for your compliments, your grace."
"Having fun swindling a man as a family?" Suddenly, Jiang Yichun’s light voice reached Bai Ruozhu’s ear. Startled, she instantly looked up at him. What the hell was this impostor implying?
She soon realized, however, that everyone else at the table was carrying on with their meal as if nothing happened, apparently oblivious to Jiang Yichun’s words.
She also quickly glanced over to her parents and her snoopy aunt, Wang, who was washing dishes. They showed no reaction, seemingly oblivious to Jiang Yichun’s words!
No, it’s not seemingly, they didn’t hear it. Bai Ruozhu felt a sudden surge of envy and resentment. Was this the so-called secret transmission of sound? Why bother stirring people up like this?
Jiang Yichun’s secret transmission may have been inaudible to others, but if Bai Ruozhu spoke, everyone would hear her. With this thought, Bai Ruozhu felt displeased. She shot Jiang Yichun a glare and returned to her stove to continue making pancakes.
The corners of Jiang Yichun’s mouth slightly curled upward, hidden behind his mask so no one could see. However, he could see the fierce look on Bai Ruozhu’s face before she walked away. He found this woman interesting. Others would be endlessly grateful to him, eagerly currying favor, but this woman either glared at him or tried to negotiate deals with him. Was it because she had a lot of guts, or was it because she was more unrestrained than others?
Wang, who was washing dishes, kept staring over. Her eyes moved back and forth, seemingly lost in thought.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t pay any attention to Wang. She glanced at Jiang Yichun again, her heart swelled with laughter. Hey, if this person wanted to eat, he’d have to push up his mask, exposing his face. What if someone recognized his face? Or if he wasn’t careful, would he smear his mask with oil from the pancake, then had to give up cleaning it off and kept wearing it? Imagine his god-like face all greased up.
Bai Ruozhu’s eyes sparkled with triumph, her mouth turning up at a slight angle, clearly indicating her great mood. She was utterly amused imagining Jiang Yichun scrambling to hide his grease smeared face. But, to her surprise, she wasn’t laughing for long.
She saw Jiang Yichun’s hand reach towards a certain spot on the side of the mask. It seemed he pushed it gently, and the mask part below the chin slowly tilted up, exposing his mouth for eating.
Bai Ruozhu was dumbfounded. Did the mask feature some kind of mechanics? Was it even necessary to be so wicked?
The tilted mask covered a clever angle, and Jiang Yichun lowered his head while eating, so others couldn’t see his face. Even squinting at it, one could only glimpse a small chin.
Just then, Wang finished washing the dishes and came over. She spoke to Jiang Yichun with a smiley face, "Your grace, thank you for saving my niece. This girl loves to get into trouble, she was lucky to meet you."
Jiang Yichun had almost finished his pancake but left a bit. Upon hearing Wang’s voice, he ceased eating. He pushed his mask back down, and replied coldly, "Bai Ruozhu courageously stepped forward and, at her own risk, rescued the kidnapped child. Even the county magistrate praised her virtue. You talked about her making trouble, but I fail to understand. Are you saying when evil people are committing crimes, everyone should turn a blind eye? Where would justice be then? And how can the town truly be at peace?"
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