Chapter 27 - 0 No Pay Without Work
Chapter 27: Chapter 027 No Pay Without Work
Chapter 27 -027 No Pay Without Work
“Thank you for the reward, Mr.
Bai.” Zhou Fu said happily.
Bai Zehao took a sideways glance at his sister.
Just as she said, he could hear the hint of joy and even familiarity in Zhou Fu’s voice.
Money indeed makes things easier.
“Brother, don’t be frugal with copper coins.
We will have more dealings with Mr.
Du in the future, and he certainly won’t be able to come each time.
He will likely send this servant to deliver messages.
It’s necessary to have a good relationship with the servant.” Bai Ruozhu had said so before they left home.
Bai Zehao was a cautious and attentive person who had studied under Scholar Grandpa since he was young.
However, he grew up in an agricultural family and had not had much contact with the outside world.
Thus, he was ignorant about the practice of rewarding servants among wealthy households.
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Luckily, his sister was smart, Bai Zehao thought gratefully.
This time, without any further delay, the group took a horse carriage to the Commerce Association.
Du Zhongshu presented the prepared contract to Bai Ruozhu.
After quickly scanning through it and finding no issues, she passed it to her elder brother for a second look.
Bai Zehao was touched that his sister sought his opinion.
He scrutinized every word, and after finishing, he nodded at Bai Ruozhu, indicating that there were no issues.
Bai Ruozhu briskly signed the contract with Du Zhongshu, inscribing her name and pressing her thumbprint in red clay.
Only then did Du Zhongshu know Bai Ruozhu’s maiden name, Ruozhu.
Does it symbolize resilience like a bamboo?
He recalled Zhou Fu’s words: Bai Ruozhu had accepted a son-in-law into her family, but unfortunately, he had disappeared shortly after their marriage.
Yet, she, now heavily pregnant, had bravely faced the rumors in the village and persevered.
Moreover, she did not resent or pity herself; instead, she strived tirelessly for the child in her belly and her family.
In contrast, as a young master who grew up in luxury, what had he accomplished?
If he had worked harder, would his parents have had a better life in Du Family?
If he were more successful, perhaps his mother could face fewer concubines and sigh less?
Or if he were more accomplished, would his sister have better marriage prospects?
“Alright, thank you, Mr.
Du.” Bai Ruozhu handed him the contract.
Snapping back to reality, Du Zhongshu quickly inscribed his name and pressed his thumbprint.
The contract was in duplicate, with each party retaining a copy.
The Commerce Association kept records for both parties.
Every year, they paid a document preservation fee and safeguarded the contract.
Bai Ruozhu meticulously dried the contract before storing it.
Then, they exited the Commerce Association building.
“Mr.
Du, these are my preliminary ideas.
I’ve written them down for your reference.
Feel free to ask me if anything isn’t clear.” Bai Ruozhu handed Du Zhongshu a neatly folded piece of paper.
Surprised that Bai Ruozhu had everything ready, Du Zhongshu’s face lit with joy.
After quickly perusing the paper, his surprise turned into sheer ecstasy.
“Are these all your ideas?” Du Zhongshu questioned animatedly.
“No, they were discussed within my family.” She didn’t lie; she had genuinely sought her family’s opinion, and they all agreed that the ideas were good, so they were discussed in a way.
Nodding continuously, Du Zhongshu commented, “The Bai family truly appreciates education.
Living in the Mountain Village seems such a waste of talent.”
Bai Zehao had mixed feelings.
He knew what his sister meant by the word “discussed.” Their whole family believed in her ideas.
But just because they found them good didn’t mean others would too.
Now that the young master of the noble family believed in her idea, Bai Zehao realized that his sister was even more remarkable than he had thought.
He regretted not having contributed much, which caused his conflicting emotions.
He hated himself for not studying more in the past to help his sister.
But he realized it wasn’t too late.
Everything would be fine as long as he worked hard.
“Mr.
Du, that’s too much.
My father highly values farming,” Bai Ruozhu laughed.
As an Agricultural and Scholarly Family, they couldn’t neglect their farming duties.
“Right, right.
I was too quick to judge.” Du Zhongshu chuckled sheepishly, resembling a teenager, which he was – just seventeen or eighteen years old.
Even though Du Zhongshu invited them to a meal at the restaurant, after some thought, Bai Ruozhu replied, “Thank you for your offer, Mr.
Du.
But the further I am into my term, the less energetic I feel.
I’d like to head home and rest now.”
After hearing Bai Ruozhu’s words, Du Zhongshu felt it improper to insist further and arranged for the carriage to send them back to the Mountain Village.
Bai Ruozhu asked their driver to stop the carriage near the entrance of the village, instead of directly in front of their house to avoid unnecessary attention.
It was bearable once or twice, but if a carriage was seen repeatedly, who knew what the villagers might gossip.
Bai Zehao agreed with his sister but felt sorry for Bai Ruozhu and worried that the walk home might tire her.
Bai Ruozhu made a face at her brother, “Brother, how did you fall for my bluff?
I am in good shape; I just didn’t want to take advantage of people and eat that meal.”
“So that’s why.
You made me worry for nothing.” Although Bai Zehao chided her, he was smiling.
Knowing that his sister was fine brought immense relief.
“As they say, one should work to earn one’s keep.
When our toothpaste makes money and we get a bonus, we could ask Mr.
Du to treat us for a meal then.
That would be truly justified,” Bai Ruozhu said, rubbing her belly.
Just now, she had been so conflicted.
As a foodie – and a pregnant one at that – refusing the delicacies at the restaurant was as agonizing as demanding her life.
Luckily, her principles won over her cravings, and she returned home.
Before they reached home, they saw their mother anticipatively looking towards the entrance of the village.
Only when she spotted them did she heave a sigh of relief.
Lin Ping’er practically ran over and held onto Bai Ruozhu’s arm.
“My girl, are you tired?” Lin Ping’er asked with concern.
“Mother, I’m not that delicate.
Don’t worry.” Bai Ruozhu shook her arm, pouting playfully, only to notice the white strands in her mother’s hair.
There seemed to be more of them.
A pang of guilt shot through Bai Ruozhu.
Had her mother been worrying more recently?
Why had her hair greyed so much quicker?
Given her current situation, it was impossible for her parents not to worry.
The three of them entered the house to find her father and second brother waiting for them.
Their mother had cooked a feast.
Bai Ruozhu sniffed appreciatively; she had made the right decision to not go to the restaurant.
No gourmet dishes could ever compare to her mother’s love-infused cooking.
Although her mother’s culinary skills were…
Well, their meals had become much blander recently, as otherwise, Bai Ruozhu would retain water.
Furthermore, Bai Ruozhu had prepared some soup base.
With that, their food was now flavored just right.
It couldn’t be too bad, right?
The family was about to start eating when a knock sounded on their door.
A woman’s bold voice asked, “Is Ruozhu back?
Have you all had dinner?”
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My apologies, dear readers.
I am sorry that yesterday’s update didn’t come through as planned.
I was upset and neglected to notice it.
My child was too naughty yesterday, and after a stern scolding, he finally calmed down and went to sleep after crying for two hours.
But afterwards, I felt sorry and had a tough night.
It’s so heartbreaking …