Chapter 314: More Hand-held Pancake Stalls
Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched. This guy was doing it on purpose, always bothering her in the middle of the night. How could his sleep be poor? Additionally, he himself understood medical skills. Did he need someone else to take his pulse?
Everyone looked at Bai Ruozhu, and Bai Ruozhu had no choice but to say, "Alright, I’ll check for you later."
It wasn’t long before Bai Zehao returned from outside and joined Bai Zepei’s drinking party. Seeing the men drinking, Bai Ruozhu simply went into the kitchen and served herself some food. After eating, she returned to her room to feed Little Dengdeng.
When she came out, Jiang Yichun was looking straight at her, saying, "Miss Bai, please take my pulse."
The corner of Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched again, "Alright."
She walked over, lifted her hand, and tapped on his wrist and then said, "The adult has no physical ailments. You have just been overthinking. Try to worry less, and you’ll be able to rest well."
The corner of Jiang Yichun’s mouth, hidden behind his mask, lifted. This woman was implying that he was overthinking.
"So, that’s it. I understand." Jiang Yichun’s tone remained indifferent, and bystanders couldn’t tell what his emotions were. But Bai Ruozhu knew for sure that he must be grinding his teeth.
Thinking about this, Bai Ruozhu’s mood improved. Who asked him to deliberately create problems?
After the meal, Bai Zepei sent Mr. Xie and Jiang Yichun out. Mr. Xie was overjoyed that the problem of his wife’s pregnancy had been resolved, and his student had been released without charge. He had celebrated by drinking a few more cups of wine. When leaving, he was almost floating, and Bai Zepei had to help him steady.
While Jiang Yichun also drank a lot, his eyes were clear, and his steps were steady. It seemed as if he was not affected at all. Bai Ruozhu thought to herself that this guy could really hold his alcohol.
Bai Zepei accompanied Mr. Xie to the East Courtyard, then walked Jiang Yichun out separately. But Jiang Yichun said, "That won’t be necessary."
Still, Bai Zepei followed him. Seeing no one around, he said, "You and my sister are close, aren’t you?"
Jiang Yichun stopped, turning to stare directly at Bai Zepei. He knew that Ruozhu’s second brother was very shrewd.
"Yes, I admire her very much," said Jiang Yichun.
This surprised Bai Zepei a bit. Then a faint smile appeared on his face, "You must have silently prompted her." He didn’t ask; he stated it as a fact.
Jiang Yichun chuckled, "You’re a smart man. No need for me to spell things out. A brilliant woman like Ruozhu is not easily suppressed by ordinary people."
Bai Zepei lowered his head, hiding the surprise in his eyes. He had the same thought but didn’t expect it to be shared by this man.
However...
"You’re right. But considering the risky tasks you undertake, how can you protect her?" When it came to his sister, Bai Zepei’s spirit rose, and he wasn’t afraid of offending Jiang Yichun with his words.
Jiang Yichun paused, his gaze turning somewhat icy as he looked at Bai Zepei. After two seconds, he said, "It won’t be long before my situation changes. And no matter when, I can protect her."
His gaze was sparkling when he said this. Bai Zepei looked into his eyes, and felt a strange sensation in his heart.
"You remind me of someone..." Bai Zepei uttered suddenly.
"Oh?" Jiang Yichun looked at him with some confusion.
"Can you take off your mask?" Bai Zepei suddenly asked.
A chill flashed in Jiang Yichun’s eyes. Even if Bai Zepei was Bai Ruozhu’s brother, he couldn’t break the rules of the Tongzheng Office!
"Aren’t you aware of the Tongzheng Office’s rules?" Jiang Yichun’s voice became icy in an instant; there was even a hint of killing intent.
Intimidated by the murderous aura, Bai Zepei stepped back. He realized that this man was decisive and extraordinary. He was somewhat worried about his sister, but he also believed that only such a man could be worthy of her.
He thought for a moment and then asked, "Has Ruozhu seen your face?"
Jiang Yichun didn’t answer, but nodded slightly.
Bai Zepei took a quiet breath, deciding he had been overthinking. If he were Chang Sheng, Ruozhu would recognize him as soon as she saw his face. Even if her memories of Chang Sheng were blurry, he didn’t believe she wouldn’t remember something upon seeing the real person.
...
On Bai Ruozhu’s side, she had no idea about the covert battle between her older brother and Jiang Yichun. She was busy preparing to set up her stall. Bai Yihong was slightly tipsy, so she didn’t ask him to accompany her. She, Lin Ping’er, Bai Zehao, Xiaosi, and Little Dengdeng, who was there for moral support, pushed the cart out the door.
Before they arrived at their stall, Fusa excitedly greeted them, saying, "I heard about it all! Your second brother was released on the spot. They even said you might close up the stall to celebrate. I didn’t expect you to set up so soon.
Bai Ruozhu smiled, "I wouldn’t be able to stop my mother. She insists on earning more silver. How have things been these past few days? Have the hats almost sold out?"
"Not bad. I’ve quickly added some simple styles to the mix." Fusa ran to her stall and handed Bai Ruozhu a purse, "This is the money from the hat sales. You should keep it so we can settle the account later."
Bai Ruozhu felt somewhat embarrassed as if she couldn’t wait to talk about their partnership’s business, making it appear as though she was after the money.
She pushed the purse back, "You keep it for now. We can settle the accounts when you come over to my house this evening. I think it’s time we shared profits."
Bai Zehao quickly set up the push cart and placed the iron pan on it. Bai Ruozhu also went to start making the hand-grabbed pancakes. The first two she made, she gave to the Lin Family as a thank you for their help these past few days.
Fusa and her husband didn’t stand on ceremony. The hand-grabbed pancakes were just too delicious. They’d been without that smell for several days, and they were feeling out of sorts because of it.
Soon, a customer arrived, and it was a regular one.
"I’m glad to see your stall open again. I thought I wouldn’t be able to eat this anymore!" The regular customer said with great emotion.
Bai Ruozhu smiled, "No, no. We just took a two-day break. What do you want to eat today?"
"I’ll have one with meat!" After speaking, the customer lowered his voice, "I don’t think you know? A new hand-grabbed pancake stall opened not too far from here. They started this morning, even set off firecrackers to celebrate."
Lin Ping’er’s face changed and she hurriedly asked, "Whose shop is it? There used to be no such shops. Are they deliberately copying us to steal business?"
But Bai Ruozhu was not anxious, she shrugged nonchalantly. She had thought about this happening a long time ago. It would have been strange if no one was envious. She had fresh soup flour, and it was a special product of the Space. Other people’s hand-grabbed pancakes could not easily compete with hers.
"I don’t know whose shop it is, but their prices are cheaper than yours, and they also offer a bowl of soup." The customer spoke a little sheepishly, "To be honest, I went to eat there this morning. It’s just that your stall wasn’t open, and I was craving your food."
Bai Ruozhu smiled at him, "That’s okay. Honestly, how did the taste compare to ours? You can just tell the truth."
She understood that if the taste had been better than hers, the customer wouldn’t have come to her stall again.