Chapter 312: Need to Thank the Entire Village
"You are right, let’s invite the entire village." Lin Ping agreed, nodding.
But Bai Yihong was a little worried, "Would our silver be enough?"
Both of them turned to Bai Ruozhu at his question. Bai Ruozhu smiled and said, "It will be enough. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t have suggested it. I received a deposit from Mrs. Lai Fu for making her a hat, and once we deliver the hat, we will receive the rest of the payment. Besides, there’s also the silver we earned from selling hand pie, that should be plenty."
Bai Yihong let out a sigh of relief, "This was an unexpected calamity. We’ve spent a lot, but at least Zepei is okay."
"Yes, as long as my second brother is safe and sound, I’d be willing to spend all we have. Our eldest brother certainly feels the same." Bai Ruozhu added. Her eldest brother was out cutting pig grass and chopping firewood. He said it’s been chaotic these past few days, the pigs at home are starving and they’re on the verge of running out of firewood. He decided to take advantage of the silence to get some."
Lin Ping and Bai Yihong both felt greatly comforted. Lin Ping stroked Bai Ruozhu’s hair and said, "When your father and I see how united you three siblings are, it makes us happy."
Bai Ruozhu gave her parents a mischievous smile and said, "You two should control my second brother more, so he won’t keep bullying me and flicking my forehead. Where are his manners as a big brother?"
Bai Ruozhu was trying to lighten her parents’ mood by joking about her brother. And it worked, both of them couldn’t withhold their smiles. Despite Bai Zepei’s astute demeanor, he enjoys giving Bai Ruozhu surprise flicks on the forehead, which always made everyone at home laugh.
The atmosphere at home lightened up again. Bai Ruozhu smiled and said she would go to prepare the meal. Lin Ping also got up and said, "I will go get some ingredients. We should set up our stall in the afternoon so we don’t lose our regular customers."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help laughing at her mother’s remark, "Mother, can’t you rest for half a day?"
"I’ve been resting for three days and I’m getting antsy. Plus, we have to spend a lot of silver on our banquet, so we must make money quickly." Lin Ping uttered, her eyes gleaming with determination.
Seeing her mother so motivated, Bai Ruozhu didn’t have the heart to dissuade her. All she did was remind her mother to prepare fewer ingredients and to close the stall earlier in the afternoon, so that she could prepare a thank-you dinner for Mr. Xie and his wife.
Once she left the main hall, Bai Ruozhu saw Xiaosi squatting in the yard, scribbling something on the ground with a little stick. Not wanting to interrupt him, she quietly approached him from behind to see what he was drawing. To her surprise, Xiaosi was actually drawing a picture, seemingly of their large family.
Since he had too many people to draw, he put Bai Yihong and Lin Ping at the top. The two were standing side by side; their mouths were drawn in arc shapes to represent smiles.
Beneath them in the middle was Bai Ruozhu, who she could tell instantly as the figure in the middle was holding a little baby, Dengdeng. However, Xiaosi only gave Dengdeng three hairs, which made Bai Rouzhu laugh and reminded her of the character, Sanmao.
The shorter child next to her was Xiaosi, who also drew himself with a curved mouth, reflecting his good mood. On either side were Bai Zepei, Bai Zehao, and Fang Guizhi.
Since the drawing was very simple, just lines connected together, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t tell who was her elder brother and who was her second brother, so she couldn’t help asking out loud.
Xiaosi realized she was standing behind him when he heard her laugh. He replied rather embarrassingly, "The one wearing the straight gown is the second brother."
Well, this little guy is quite observant. Bai Ruozhu nodded, thinking he drew quite well. Even without an art background, he managed to convey each person’s characteristics well.
"Do you like to draw, Xiaosi?" Bai Ruozhu asked gently.
Xiaosi nodded, "Yes, but it wastes paper."
Bai Ruozhu laughed and mussed his hair, making it look like a bird’s nest, "Silly boy, your sister can afford the paper you need."
Xiaosi’s eyes lit up when he heard this, but immediately lowered his head, "No, it’s too wasteful."
What a thoughtful child. Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment and then said, "Then shall we buy the cheapest straw paper? It won’t cost much."
The color of straw paper was too dark, and it tended to bleed easily. Literati wouldn’t use it to write or draw, but it would be enough for Xiaosi to doodle. Plus, she could help him make charcoal pencils, so he wouldn’t have to worry about bleeding.
After thinking for a moment, Xiaosi finally nodded. He would soon flatten his drawings on the ground, but if he drew on paper, even the worst straw paper, he could preserve his drawings and show them to his sister at night.
Bai Ruozhu smiled warmly and ruffled Xiaosi’s hair again, saying, "Go play for a while, then wash your hands for dinner, okay?"
"Okay." Xiaosi responded with a smile. He hasn’t had his sister’s cooking for several days now.
Bai Ruozhu was pleased to see Xiaosi smile more and more. She believed that Xiaosi would completely open up to her soon.
When she entered the kitchen, she saw Fang Guizhi bustling about, her face filled with happiness. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice Bai Ruozhu entering.
Bai Ruozhu wanted to have a chat with her, but Lin Ping soon followed her into the kitchen. Bai Ruozhu didn’t think it would be appropriate to speak now, to avoid her mother developing more negative opinions about Guizhi, which would make their cohabitation more difficult.
She decided she needed to convince Guizhi properly and then help her find a good family to marry into by next year at the latest. Bai Ruozhu didn’t want to play matchmaker for Guizhi now. On one hand, she was afraid of gossip in the town, and on the other hand, they would soon move to Beiyu City. She wanted to find a nice family for Guizhi in Beiyu, so they could still see each other often.
Thinking of this, she started chatting casually with Guizhi. Guizhi was in a very good mood at the moment and babbled nonstop.
"By the way, I met your brother’s wife." Bai Ruozhu hadn’t had the chance to talk to Guizhi about it earlier due to her own worries.
Guizhi’s facial expression changed, and the smile on her face disappeared.
Bai Ruozhu quickly continued, "Wait, let me finish. That woman has your brother wrapped around her little finger. Your mother asked her to pour us a cup of tea and she wouldn’t even budge. Your mother was furious. Serves her right. It’s good to let her taste hardship."
"My brother really likes her a lot. I didn’t expect her to be so high-handed." Guizhi’s expression lightened up again. Like Bai Ruozhu had said, she also found it satisfying.
"Also, I feel that woman is quite dishonest. Your brother is bound to suffer in the end, and it serves him right." Bai Ruozhu said with a naughty grin.
Guizhi is used to Bai Ruozhu’s mischievous smile and laughed along with her. Lin Ping watched their interaction and sighed inwardly, thinking Guizhi was being led astray by Bai Ruozhu.
The three women quickly got the cooking done. After Bai Ruozhu placed the food on the table, she heard footsteps from the eastern courtyard. She knew it was her second brother’s return, so she smiled and went to open the door. But seeing who it was, she froze in place...