Chapter 240: Dengdeng Decides on the Remarriage
Seeing his reaction, Wang Luji knew he guessed correctly. He sighed slightly and said, "Even if you have such thoughts, you can’t be so obvious, can you? Ruozhu’s status is not simple; you don’t want to upset her."
As they had been getting along very well recently, becoming good friends, Wang Luji felt bold enough to caution Wan Minglu like this.
Wan Minglu lowered his head for a long while without speaking, his hands’ actions also coming to a halt. Finally, he sighed, "I didn’t want to, I just lost myself for a moment there. I will be more careful in the future."
Wang Luji felt Wan Minglu should be aware that it was not simply a matter of being careful. Lowering his voice, he said somewhat angrily, "She is a married woman. What would happen if her husband returns?"
"That won’t happen, there has been no news for so long. I asked Brother Zehao, he said the letters she gets are just to appease relatives. Also, isn’t it possible for her to divorce? I’ll just wait." Wan Minglu had a renewed spark in his eyes, a hint of sweetness on his face.
Wang Luji was left in a daze, finally patting Wan Minglu’s shoulder, "Ruozhu is a good girl. You should find an opportunity to express your feelings to her. If she has feelings for you too, it will be worth the wait."
Wan Minglu nodded vigorously, "I will find a way to tell her." Even though he said this, his face turned red.
When Wan Minglu finished applying the medicine and came out, the Bai family seemed to have returned to normal. Bai Yihong asked, "Minglu, how is it? Nothing serious, right?"
A hearty smile spread across Wan Minglu’s face, "Nothing serious, the medicine Ruozhu gave me helped instantly, it’s very effective." He added, directing a passionate gaze towards Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu was so flustered that she did not dare to raise her head, fearing that Wan Minglu’s enthusiasm would scare her.
"As long as you are alright." Bai Yihong, seeing Wan Minglu’s gaze, commented somewhat helplessly.
Luckily, Wan Minglu managed to control his emotions afterwards. The meal was still lively, but it felt a bit off. Perhaps because the usually vibrant Bai Ruozhu had become quieter.
Lin Ping’er glanced discreetly at her daughter, unsure what she was thinking. Was she upset, or shy?
After sending off Wang Luji and Wan Minglu, Lin Ping’er visited Bai Ruozhu’s room for a private conversation. Bai Ruozhu knew what her mother would speak about and felt somewhat helpless.
"Ruozhu, you are so smart, you surely must have figured it out by now, haven’t you?" Lin Ping’er asked softly.
Bai Ruozhu scratched her head awkwardly, smiling awkwardly, "Mother, I’m quite slow when it comes to these matters."
Lin Ping’er gave her a look; she knew.
"Mother has no other intentions. Your father and I are very open-minded. If you think Minglu is a good boy, we would support you," Lin Ping’er spoke earnestly.
Bai Ruozhu gazed at her mother in surprise. Weren’t people in ancient times supposed to be more conservative and not accepting of such situations? After all, Wan Minglu was the elder brother of her future sister-in-law. If the two of them got together, wouldn’t that be like exchanging spouses? She remembered a TV drama from her previous life where the man the protagonist loved was the elder brother of her future sister-in-law. The protagonist, in order to marry that man, even schemed to eliminate her yet-to-be-married sister-in-law (Does this sound familiar? It’s a Korean drama, do you remember it?).
"Mother, whether or not you are still thinking about Chang Sheng, if Chang Sheng does not return, can you wait forever? Even if you don’t mind wasting your years, what about Dengdeng? Do you want Dengdeng to go on without a father?" Lin Ping’er became somewhat agitated towards the end, after taking several deep breaths, she calmed down.
"Mother..." Bai Ruozhu sighed, "I can’t even remember what Chang Sheng looks like or his details. What’s the point of holding onto his memory?"
A look of delight crossed Lin Ping’er’s face. She thought Bai Ruozhu had seen reason.
"However, the matter of remarriage is serious, it can’t be rushed. Otherwise, it will give others a chance to speak ill of us. And even if I were to remarry, I would need to deeply consider whether the person could truly care and provide for Dengdeng. I can’t bear to see him suffer," Bai Ruozhu said seriously.
Lin Ping’er nodded, "You are right. Looking at Minglu’s behavior, it seems he genuinely likes Dengdeng."
Bai Ruozhu twitched the corners of her mouth, "Mother, let’s put aside the matter of Brother Wan for now. I know he is a good person and we know each other very well. However, I don’t have such thoughts for now, at least not for the next one or two years. I regard him as a brother and don’t want to delay his marriage. Aunt Su is expecting him to get married soon."
Lin Ping’er sighed somewhat regretfully, and tentatively proposed, "Why not give it some more consideration? After all, it’s not yet time for us to give them a response."
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, just as she was thinking about how to explain it clearly to her mother, Dengdeng suddenly burst into cries.
"Mother, you should go back to your room and rest. I need to soothe the child. Tomorrow morning, I still need to attend to my patients," Bai Ruozhu hurriedly ushered her mother out.
By saying she had to tend to patients, she was referring to the wife of County Magistrate Li, whom Yu Hongxiu had arranged for a consultation at the Xie residence the next morning.
After she held Dengdeng and comforted him for a while, seeing that he didn’t need to pee or was hungry but was still crying because he was upset, she thought it was strange and asked, "Dengdeng, do you not want mother to remarry?"
Dengdeng continued to cry without giving any response, and Bai Ruozhu chuckled to herself, thinking that she was treating the child as if he could understand her.
The conversation was interrupted by Fang Guizhi entering the room. She comforted Dengdeng, "Poor baby, what did she do to you? Why are you crying so pitifully?"
Bai Ruozhu gave her a glance, "What can I do to my son? It’s like you’re talking about your son."
As Fang Guizhi was not yet married, her face reddened at Bai Ruozhu’s words. She quickly changed the topic and asked, "What are your thoughts about today’s events? It seems your parents like Brother Wan."
Bai Ruozhu rubbed her temples. Why was everyone concerned about this matter today?
"For now, I don’t want to remarry. Dengdeng still misses his father, let’s talk about it in the future," Bai Ruozhu replied.
Strangely, Dengdeng’s crying subsided considerably, and he switched from wailing to whimpering.
Fang Guizhi didn’t think much of Dengdeng’s reaction, assuming he was tired of crying. She continued, "But they are all saying that Chang Sheng might not come back at all."
"Well, then let him not return. I will consider remarrying in a few years. By then, Dengdeng will have his own opinions. I will let him choose, he has to like whoever I choose," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile, unsure how serious she was. Interestingly, Dengdeng in her arms stopped crying completely and even started laughing.
"Heh, your son understood that, he’s quite pleased. It seems that whoever wants to marry you in the future will have to win over this precious son of yours!" Fang Guizhi clicked her tongue as she said this.