Chapter 223: Is there something wrong with being passionate?
Bai Ruozhu took the initiative to prepare a lavish meal. In addition to the nourishing dishes from the menu she created for Mr. Xie, there were also some newly added dishes. With kitchen maids in the kitchen to help her prep, she wasn’t too busy and also managed to find time to nurse Little Dengdeng.
During lunch, Yu Hongxiu came close to hugging and kissing Bai Ruozhu. Even Mr. Xie, although somewhat grumbling, said, "There’s too much food for just a few of us, it’s a bit wasteful. From now on, invite your family to dinner and make more, the more people the livelier it is."
Bai Ruozhu chuckled to herself. Born from a farming household, Mr. Xie particularly disliked wastage.
"Ah, we can continue to eat the leftovers tonight. Now that the weather is cool, the food won’t spoil, so this is Ruozhu’s good intention, don’t discourage her." Yu Hongxiu said naughtily, sticking her tongue out at Bai Ruozhu.
"The Mistress makes a valid point; I’ve been too naggy and will definitely rectify this. Ruozhu, don’t take it to heart." Mr. Xie lightened up the mood by making fun of himself.
Bai Ruozhu laughed, "You are too kind, Sir."
She genuinely admired Mr. Xie. A man like him would also make a good husband in modern times being easy-going and free from insufferable male-chauvinism. He loved his wife, knew when to admit his mistakes and give way, most importantly, he didn’t take concubines. His relationship with Yu Hongxiu was very good which made his being ten years older than her a non-issue.
As Bai Ruozhu ate, she pondered. Could she meet a kindred spirit in this life?
In her past life, she was too busy earning money to date. In this life, she wanted to marry a good man, but the problem was her status. Did she not have a destiny line signifying love? Bai Ruozhu covertly glanced at her palm. A destiny line was clearly there.
"Ruozhu, eat your vegetables. Did you fill up in the kitchen?" Yu Hongxiu teasingly offered a piece of vegetable to Bai Ruozhu, who was only spooning rice from her bowl, absent-mindedly.
Bai Ruozhu snapped back to reality and started to eat heartily. She will handle whatever happens in the future. After all, she was only sixteen in this life, fresh and young. Even after giving birth, she is still a fresh and juicy fruit. She had been taking herbal supplements to recuperate; she had regained her pre-pregnancy figure, no one could tell she had given birth.
But... but one place was bigger... Which was quite... inconvenient.
After lunch, Bai Ruozhu let Little Dengdeng sleep for a while. When she woke up, she found Xiaosi wasn’t sleeping. Instead, he was quietly tracing characters at the table.
No, it wasn’t actual tracing. ’Tracing’ involves filling an outline of characters with ink in a booklet to practice writing. Xiaosi was replicating this on the table without ink, clearly, he was reluctant to use the tracing booklet.
Looking at him, Bai Ruozhu thought of her studious second brother. She suddenly felt that Xiaosi seemed to really enjoy reading and writing; maybe he could be as articulate as his second brother in the future.
Xiaosi turned around and noticed Bai Ruozhu observing him. He hastily put away his book and pen and turned his head away. Bai Ruozhu still noticed his blushing ears; this little guy even knows how to be shy.
Bai Ruozhu walked over, looked at the not yet dry writing on the table, pat Xiaosi’s head and said: "Nicely done, our Xiaosi might be a famous calligrapher in the future."
This must be Xiaosi’s first encounter with calligraphy; he probably hadn’t had many opportunities to try before. Yet, despite being a beginner, the characters he copied were quite good, even better than Bai Ruozhu’s first try at using a writing brush.
Upon hearing Bai Ruozhu’s praise, Xiaosi was overjoyed, "Really?" he asked her, with a gleam in his eyes that seemed to clear them of the dullness they typically held.
"Really, when did I ever lie to you?" Bai Ruozhu nodded solemnly.
Xiaosi became even happier, even revealing a hint of a smile.
Looking at the simplest word "up" on the table, Bai Ruozhu was keen to teach Xiaosi, she asked: "Do you know how to read this character?"
"Up." Xiaosi answered.
Bai Ruozhu was stunned, she thought no one at the old mansion had given Xiaosi literacy lessons.
"How many other characters do you recognize?" Bai Ruozhu encouraged him.
Xiaosi, under her encouragements, pointed to the characters on the table and read them one by one. The more Bai Ruozhu heard, the more astounded she was; she hadn’t expected Xiaosi to recognize so many characters.
"Did someone teach you before?" Could it be the old master had given him literacy lessons?
Xiaosi shook his head, "No, I learned by watching third brother."
"You must love reading and writing very much. Would you like me to send you to school?" Bai Ruozhu was excited. Whether it was Xiaosi’s tenacity or his photographic memory, both were his strengths and Bai Ruozhu was naturally pleased for him.
Xiaosi nodded yet shook his head again, "No, school costs money."
Unable to help herself, Bai Ruozhu laughed, "Don’t worry, your sister is a rich lady with lots of silver."
She currently had dozens of pieces of silver, enough to send Xiaosi to school.
Xiaosi still seemed a bit hesitant. Bai Ruozhu didn’t push him further, she said with a smile, "You can stay home and learn characters from me first. After the New Year, we can send you to school, alright?" She wanted to use these months to help Xiaosi adapt more and be willing to interact with others. If she sent him to school alone right now, she wouldn’t be at ease.
In the blink of an eye, it was the next day. The Bai family went to set up their stall, Xiaosi came as well. Bai Ruozhu brought Little Dengdeng to the market and let Xiaosi keep an eye on him.
Not long after the stall was set up, customers came in droves and business was as good as usual. Then a familiar figure visited the Bai family’s stall once again.
Bai Ruozhu noticed him even before he approached. Numerous people bustled around them, but he always stood out from the crowd—perhaps because of that odd wooden mask he wore or his aloof aura that clashed with the small town ambiance.
The moment Bai Ruozhu saw him, she knew he was there for her food. She immediately greeted him with a big smile. Without asking what he wanted to eat, she got busy preparing the most luxurious stuffed pancake made with meat and eggs.
"Honored Guest, please have a seat. The pancake will be ready soon!" Bai Ruozhu welcomed warmly. Her attitude was a stark difference from last time Jiang Yichun visited. Even Lin Ping’er was taken aback, wondering what got into Bai Ruozhu today; she was aloof last time Jiang Yichun visited.
Jiang Yichun was also surprised, even a little uncomfortable. As soon as he sat down, Bai Ruozhu brought over the extravagant pancake and served him a bowl of soup.
"Honored Guest, enjoy it while it’s hot. If it’s not enough, just let me know." On saying so, Bai Ruozhu thanked Jiang Yichun with a warm smile. Her eyes curved beautifully as she beamed.
Jiang Yichun looked at her suspiciously, wondering if she had taken the wrong medication. Was she plotting something?
Bai Ruozhu had already turned her attention to making pancakes for other customers. She hadn’t noticed Jiang Yichun’s puzzled look, much less imagined what he was thinking. Otherwise, she would be upset again. Was it wrong for her to be hospitable to him? Did he deserve to be scolded or what?