Chapter 302: Bai Ruozhu is Worth Waiting For
All of the Wan Family’s attention was placed on the memorandum. Wan Qilao took it over, carefully scrutinized it, and couldn’t help but cheer loudly before asking, "Did you write this?"
Bai Ruozhu didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself, "Second Brother instructed me to write it."
Wan Qilao nodded his head, "That’s also quite exceptional. As expected, you are smart and studious. Just by following along with your second brother’s studies you can attain this kind of degree of excellence, it’s truly remarkable."
"Elder Wan overpraises me, I am merely trying to rise against adversity." If it wasn’t because her second brother was in trouble, she wouldn’t really want to place herself in the spotlight — she has always adhered to the principle of keeping a low profile.
Bai Yihong hadn’t said a word all this time, but when he heard Wan Qilao praising his daughter, a faint smile appeared on his face, even happier than if he were the one being complimented.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu acting so modestly, Wan Qilao further admired her, "What you have written is all true, I will immediately sign it for you."
Having said this, he shouted out to the exterior of the room: "Where is Minglu? Bring me a pen to grind the ink."
When Bai Ruozhu first came in, she didn’t notice Wan Minglu, she thought he was working at the County Government Office. When Wan Qilao called out, Wan Minglu brought the pen and ink over, Bai Ruozhu was puzzled, why didn’t he appear earlier, was he hiding something from them?
"Minglu didn’t work today?" Bai Yihong, seemingly having the same line of thought as her, asked Wan Minglu, who had just entered bringing the pen and ink.
Wan Minglu scratched his head, "Not much. Probably just to avoid any associations, my superior gave me the day off."
Bai Yihong sighed, replying, "We are the ones to blame for your inconvenience."
Wan Minglu quickly waved his hand, his eyes widening as he said, "Uncle, what are you talking about? Who’s causing what inconvenience for whom? Aren’t I still on duty tomorrow?"
"Yihong, don’t overthink it. This kid Minglu was complaining about being tired just a few days ago. Now he’s got a day off," Wan Qilao commented, stroking his beard.
Wan Minglu quickly finished grinding the ink and passed the pen and ink to Wan Qilao. Wan Qilao dipped the pen in the ink, signed his name on the memorandum, and pressed his fingerprint on it.
"Thank you, Elder Wan!" Bai Ruozhu gratefully bowed to him.
Wan Minglu looked at Bai Ruozhu and hesitantly opened his mouth but then closed it again. He wanted to say ’Ruozhu, you don’t have to be so polite, we’re all a family here.’ However, considering the sight of the important person holding Dengdeng, he felt he couldn’t say it.
Madame Wan noticed her son’s hesitation and the different expression in his eyes when he looked at Bai Ruozhu. Her heart dropped, so this is the girl her son was interested in!
Madame Wan felt extremely complicated. It wasn’t that Bai Ruozhu was not good. She liked Bai Ruozhu very much and even thought that any family who could have her as a daughter-in-law would be very fortunate. But Bai Ruozhu’s situation was unique, wasn’t it rumored that her sick husband was getting treatment in the Capital? They said a friend would visit her, and once the sickness was managed, he would return, didn’t they?
What was this then? Her son falling for a married woman? Madame Wan became anxious. No, she must counsel him well and make him pull back immediately.
Bai Ruozhu, looking at the pen and ink in Wan Qilao’s hand, suddenly realized a problem, many households in the village probably didn’t have a pen and ink. She was only going to take the memorandum to them, even if they agreed to sign, they wouldn’t be able to.
She blamed herself for not thinking this through. After some thought, she decided to bravely ask, "Elder Wan, could you lend me the pen and ink? I came here in such a hurry that I didn’t bring any with me. I just realized that some households probably wouldn’t have the resources, so I should bring it with me so they could sign."
"You’re too polite, just take and use it," Wan Qilao said, laughing as he passed the pen and ink to Bai Ruozhu.
"In that case, thank you Elder Wan." Bai Ruozhu smiled and made a bow to him.
Because the three had other things to attend to, the Wan Family didn’t insist on them staying for a meal. The trio left the Wan Family and headed straight to the village chief Wang Shugen’s house.
Wan’s wife seemed a bit distracted. She was so deep in thought that she even forgot to see Bai Ruozhu and the others off. Wan Pei noticed his wife’s unusual behavior and walked over to ask with concern, "What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, she rubbed her temple and said, "I couldn’t sleep well last night. I’m sure I’ll feel better if I get some rest in the afternoon."
Only after hearing this did Wan’s mood relax a bit, and he moved off to mind his own business.
Wan’s wife went around her husband and found Wan Minglu. She directly pulled him into the room for a talk.
"Mom, what’s up? I was thinking of going to the back mountain to cut some grass." Wan Minglu also planned to go out, but his mother pulled him abruptly, and even covertly made him sit down for a talk in the room. He found it all rather odd.
Wan’s wife stared at him intently and asked, "Is the person you have feelings for Ruozhu?"
Wan Minglu’s face flushed instantly. His cheeks turned red up to the roots of his neck. His eyes flickered a bit as he didn’t dare to meet his mother’s gaze. "Mom, what are you guessing? How could that be possible?"
Wan’s wife’s hand hidden in her sleeve clenched tightly. Even if her son adamantly denied it, his reaction gave him away. She knew she had hit the bull’s-eye!
"Stop pretending. I’m your mother, do you think I can’t see what’s in your heart?" Wan’s wife became somewhat angry, and her tone grew, "Ruozhu is a good girl, but she’s married and even has a child. Her husband Chang Sheng is recovering in the Capital. He may be back soon, is it appropriate for you to pursue a married woman?"
Upon hearing his mother say this, Wan Minglu quickly tried to explain: "Mom, I asked Brother Zehao privately. The matter of Chang Sheng being outside was just an excuse by Ruozhu to shut her uncle up. In fact, there has been no news of Chang Sheng for a long time."
"What?" Wan’s wife’s emotions took another turn. Chang Sheng’s whereabouts are unknown, he might never come back.
"But how can you make sure her husband won’t come back? Are you going to wait forever?" Wan’s wife asked.
Wan Minglu’s head hung a little lower as he shyly said, "I want to wait and see. A woman as good as Ruozhu is worth waiting for."
Listening to this, Wan’s wife felt a bitter sweetness in her mouth. Her simple-minded son was actually understanding love, but...
"Does Ruozhu know about your feelings? What if she doesn’t feel the same way, wouldn’t you be waiting in vain?" Wan’s wife recalled that Bai Ruozhu’s glance towards Wan Minglu was too indifferent, she seemed to have no feelings for her son whatsoever.
Wan Minglu appeared a little gloomier. His mother was right, but was he supposed to give up so easily? The scene of the gentleman carrying Dengdeng surfaced again in his mind, causing his heart to sink even more.
Wan’s wife sighed again. Her stupid son was most likely imagining a one-sided love. It might be best to find an opportunity to gauge Ruozhu’s feelings to avoid Wan Minglu wasting his time if it didn’t work out.
After visiting the village chief and a few of the elders at Bai Ruozhu’s house, as soon as Bai Yihong stated their purpose, the village chief and the elders had no objections and signed and printed their names. They even said that if needed, they could rally support in the village. However, just when Bai Ruozhu thought the process was going smoothly, they encountered a household that absolutely refused to sign or leave a handprint.
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Title: "A Strange Love Affair in the Rich Family: My Ghost Marriage Husband"
Synopsis: She: For twenty-three years, she has never dated, always feeling that someone was waiting for her. He: "When I saw you, I knew the person I was waiting for was you. Do you know, I’ve been waiting for you for more than sixty years?" An arranged marriage propelled twenty-three-year-old Mo Ziran into an overnight matriarch with a family tree of her own. The once revered chairman is now her son, and the general manager she admired is now her grandson. But she can’t quite understand how the old man turned into a handsome young lad.