Chapter 228: Let Bai Yihong Give a Speech
In Mountain Village, Elder Wan of the Wan Family was especially happy today. The village school was to officially open tomorrow morning, providing a place for the village children to study. Perhaps in a few years, there would be a few more child prodigies, or even scholars.
He stroked his beard, thinking that he should have a private chat with the scholar, Wu. Children must be educated not only academically but also morally. They mustn’t have another scholar like Bai, the eldest of the Bai family, who was a scholar but brought no benefit to the village, only causing trouble.
At the same time, Wan Su was worried about when her second son would agree to get married. Nowadays, it was important to ask for the child’s opinion before making such decisions, and she couldn’t force him into marriage. It was often said that a twisted melon was not sweet, and she did not want to jeopardize her son’s future happiness.
Wan Minglu was also very happy tonight, often seen with a smile on his face, sometimes sitting alone laughing to himself. Upon seeing this, Wan Su’s eyes widened, her second son seemed to have finally matured and appeared to be in love!
Wan Su asked Wan Minglu to help her with some chores, but actually, she wanted to have a private chat with him.
"Minglu, do you have someone in your heart? You are my son; there is nothing I can’t figure out. Do not deny it." Wan Su said in a low voice, fearing that her second son might feel embarrassed if others in the family heard it.
Upon hearing his mother’s words, Wan Minglu blushed instantly. The evening sky had now turned completely black and the yard was poorly lit, so Wan Su did not clearly see his flushed face.
"Mother, don’t worry about it," said Wan Minglu, hanging his head, taking a long time before finally squeezing out these words.
"Oh my, can’t you even tell your mother? Tell me, who do you like? You should propose early, lest that person be taken by someone else, then you’ll have regrets," said Wan Su, expressing disappointment in her son.
Wan Minglu’s face turned even redder, "Mother, please don’t ask anymore, it’s too early. I will definitely tell you when the time comes. I need to get some sleep, I have chores to do tomorrow." He then hurriedly escaped.
Watching his retreating figure, Wan Su raised an eyebrow, "Humph! He is my flesh and blood, and I don’t understand him? I must keep an eye out, we definitely need to find out which girl he has feelings for."
...
The next morning, Bai Ruozhu’s family dressed in new clothes and took a donkey cart back to Mountain Village. They did not bring Xiao Si, fearing that Bai Yibo would bear a grudge and cause trouble for Xiao Si; hence, they left him behind to stay with Fang Guizhi in the West Courtyard.
Xiao Si seemingly also didn’t want to return to the old mansion, as if he felt once he returned, he might not be able to escape again. He simply said that he was fine staying home and practicing his calligraphy.
Bai Ruozhu was holding little Dengdeng, who was dressed in a beautiful red thin jacket and wore a red satin small hat sewn by Guizhi, looking especially festive.
Hello Speaking of which, Bai Yihong was the most spirited of the day, seeming to have become five or six years younger. Even Lin Ping smiled at his vitality and told Bai Ruozhu, "Look at your father, he’s so happy."
Bai Ruozhu was quite content with her father’s current state, him being invited by the village head to attend the school opening ceremony indicating his increasing reputation in the village. For Bai Yihong, who had always been neglected by his parents, this wasn’t just satisfaction of vanity but a sense of belonging and recognition from others. It truly marked a new beginning for him.
The family also didn’t return empty-handed. They bought some dim sum and fruits for the old mansion. Whether the old mansion would accept them was their decision, but Bai Ruozhu felt that the old lady would certainly not let them go to waste.
Additionally, they brought gifts for a few families in the village who had been good to them, including the Zhou Deshun family, neighbor grandma Li’s family, and the Zhang family, who had lent them a pushcart when disaster struck at the old mansion.
Soon after, the family arrived at Mountain Village. Bai Yihong went to the village chief’s house with his two sons, while Bai Ruozhu and her mother went to the homes of the families they were good with to deliver the gifts they brought. Since, after going to the old mansion, there was no guarantee that any of the gifts would be left.
Zhou Deshun’s wife was pleased to see the two of them and invited them into the house. During the conversation, Mother Tao Hua also came out to greet them but seemed quite reluctant. Bai Ruozhu politely addressed her without saying much. Soon, Mother Tao Hua slipped back into her house, and neither she nor Tao Hua were seen again after that.
Zhou Deshun’s wife shook her head helplessly, not knowing what else to say. Bai Ruozhu did not care how Mother Tao Hua and her daughter felt about her. She was more afraid that Tao Hua would become too close to her and she would have to avoid her.
"Let me tell you, Mrs. Wang has been sent back to her parents’ home to recover, and your uncle has also been bedridden for a few days now, but he should recover today. Your grandma goes around blaming Mrs. Wang and you guys every day, but since Wan Erlang works at the county government office, he comes back and explains the situation to the villagers, so nobody accuses you of being wrong. Instead, people look down upon Bai Yibo and his wife even more," Zhou Deshun’s wife said in a low voice.
"We are truly obliged to Minglu, otherwise no matter what we said we wouldn’t have been able to clear our name," said Lin Ping appreciatively.
Bai Ruozhu thought about Wan Su’s worries and pondered, ’Wan Minglu is actually quite good. I wonder what kind of girl he will like. His standards seem to be quite high, just like my second brother, he doesn’t rush to get married either, look how anxious it makes his mom.’
After chatting with Zhou Deshun’s wife for a while, the mother and daughter took their leave to visit other families. However, they made plans to watch the school opening ceremony together later.
The two went to other families and had a good time chatting with all of them. Everyone said that Dengdeng had grown a lot in a few days, but Bai Ruozhu, who held Dengdeng every day, didn’t notice much difference.
By the time the school opening ceremony was about to begin, Bai Ruozhu, her mother, and Zhou Deshun’s wife had already found a good place to stand. When they looked around, they saw that many people had come to see the ceremony - the old and the young, all from the village. The entrance to the school was packed and those who came late couldn’t see inside, so some even climbed trees nearby to get a better view.
Today, the village head was exceptionally happy, his face full of smiles. He didn’t urge people to work on the farmland. As he put it, no one should miss such a wonderful day.
When the auspicious time arrived, the red firecrackers were lit and made a loud bang. Bai Ruozhu hurriedly covered Dengdeng’s ears for fear of frightening him. But as it turned out, Dengdeng was quite brave, watching the firecrackers with great interest and excitement, showing no fear at all.
The village children covered their ears and shouted joyfully. For peasant families, buying firecrackers to set off was a rarity. Even during the New Year, not every family could afford to set off firecrackers, so the village kids found the firecrackers extremely fascinating.
Subsequently, the ceremony proceeded, and the village head introduced Scholar Wu to everyone. Wu said a few words, then the village head suddenly looked at Bai Yihong and said, "The establishment of our village school owes much to Bai Yihong. Today, let’s have him say a few words to everyone!"
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