Chapter 330 - A Hint of Loss
The triumphant smile on Jiang Yichun’s face morphed into a bitter one within an instant. Didn’t this woman understand his heartfelt confession just now? She had a real knack for killing the mood!
He wanted to express his dissatisfaction, but he detected a strong fragrance of medicine in the room. His eyebrows furrowed. "Were you preparing medicine earlier? Is it something for burns?" he asked.
Bai Ruozhu had to give him credit for his sharp nose. She had never known who between them had superior medical skills, but she certainly lacked his ability to recognize a medicine by its scent.
"You do have a sharp nose," Bai Ruozhu said, then went to check on her medicine, confirming how well it had cooled.
Jiang Yichun touched his nose and said, "I had intended to find you during the day, so I learned about the Zhang family’s situation. I thought they were more urgent, so I didn’t look for you during the day."
"Huh? What do you need from me?" Bai Ruozhu asked subconsciously. Her heart fluttered a little when Jiang Yichun mentioned that the Zhang family was in a more urgent situation and that he had waited till now to see her.
"My master will be here soon, probably tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. You should prepare something for him," Jiang Yichun said solemnly.
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruozhu instantly felt nervous, becoming somewhat anxious. "This soon?"
Jiang Yichun couldn’t help but smile at her reaction. "No need to be too nervous. My master is very easy to get along with."
Bai Ruozhu thought to herself sarcastically: Really? The high-ranking official from the Ministry of Public Affairs is easy to get along with? Does he think that it’s as easy as placating a three-year-old?
"Also, your grandfather hasn’t done anything outlandish yet. He’s just snooping around. He was just swindled out of two taels of silver," Jiang Yichun added. "Don’t worry, I have cut off his access, he won’t find a new path in the short term."
Not expecting Jiang Yichun to work so efficiently, Bai Ruozhu brushed off his cutting-off method and said joyfully, "That’s wonderful. I can rest easy for a while now. Thank you."
Jiang Yichun’s face showed a smug expression. "So, you’re trying to dismiss me with just a thank you? I have put in a lot of effort on this, even missing out on a good night’s sleep."
Bai Ruozhu initially wanted to give him a kick - to accuse him of trying to take advantage of her again. But then she noticed the faint dark circles under his eyes. Even with his martial artist’s physique, these signs indicated that he hadn’t rested well, probably missing sleep in order to investigate the matter.
She couldn’t bear to see him like this and muttered, "You really don’t need to rush so much. It’s not good for you to exhaust yourself."
Jiang Yichun’s eyes curled up with his smile. He heard her! Bai Ruozhu was worried about him!
"Hmm," he responded agreeably. Then, he leaned forward a little, bringing his face closer as if he were awaiting a reward.
Bai Ruozhu started to blush. In spite of her reluctance, she gave in and quickly pecked his cheek before turning around to hide her embarrassment and check on her medicine again.
Jiang Yichun was looking at Bai Ruozhu’s back, but her flushed ears betrayed her feelings. He almost scooped her up in his arms, but he knew that she would get upset if he jeopardized her medicine. After all, she cared deeply about the mother and daughter from the Zhang family.
Actually, Bai Ruozhu had checked the medicine several times and there was nothing more to see. She was just trying to hide her embarrassment. Her heart pounded unexpectedly; this was the first time she had taken the initiative to kiss a man (except for that time she fed him medicine to save his life, which was pure). Her action was quick, her lips barely touching his cheek. But even in that short moment, it felt like a bolt of electricity coursed through her, almost making her lose balance.
"You should go home and get some sleep. That will give me some time to prepare," Bai Ruozhu said, avoiding eye contact with Jiang Yichun for fear that his intense gaze would scorch her, and that he might suddenly embrace her and start to fool around.
Jiang Yichun had already started reacting to the peck. Bai Ruozhu’s shy demeanor tickled his heart like a cat’s claws. But hearing her say this, he nodded and agreed, "Alright. I’ll inform you when my master arrives. I’ll leave now."
"Alright." Bai Ruozhu nodded with her head lowered.
Jiang Yichun took another glance at her, then reluctantly jumped out of the window and disappeared into the night.
He feared he might lose control and do something that might repulse her. Before officially marrying her, he didn’t want to be seen as a scoundrel. Jiang Yichun helplessly smiled. But how should he quell this growing desire?
Inside the room, Bai Ruozhu was staring at the window blankly. He had left so abruptly that it left her feeling slightly at a loss. She was confused by her own feelings, and felt a faint sense of disappointment.
Touching her heated cheeks, Bai Ruozhu thought she must have been corrupted by that rascal. She was even slightly anticipating his roguish behaviors. Oh no, where was her integrity?
Bai Ruozhu closed the window in frustration and returned to bed. She then quietly entered the spatial realm. With a thought, the situation in the room appeared on a large screen inside the realm. It was brighter and more vivid than what she could observe from outside.
She started organizing the items she had to present to the court: her custom-made suture needles, a couple of catgut sutures, and a small vial of high-concentration alcohol.
Having completed these preparations, she packed everything into a bag and exited the spatial realm. Then she returned to her own bed to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Dengdeng needed to be fed. After feeding him, Bai Ruozhu noticed that the ointment had cooled off completely. She screwed the lids back on each container and decided to give it to Rongrong and her mother the next day. Once she found more precious medicinal ingredients, she would prepare better ointments for them.
First thing in the morning, Bai Ruozhu held Dengdeng in her arms and rushed to the Zhang house with the prepared ointment, without having breakfast. She planned to first spread the medicine on Rongrong and her mother, and then cook them a delicious breakfast. Then she would have breakfast with them.
"You just focus on Rongrong and her mother for these few days. Your father and elder brother would help me with the stall. Don’t worry," Lin Ping’er assured her. Just thinking about the situation of Rongrong and her mother, she felt a sense of unease. She had even cried for a long time after leaving the Zhang house yesterday.
"Hmm, don’t worry, mom. I’ll try my best to cure them." Without wasting any more time, Bai Ruozhu left with Dengdeng for the Zhang House.
Zhang Liliang didn’t expect Bai Ruozhu to arrive so early. He was surprised and deeply grateful. After placing Dengdeng in a corner to continue his nap, Bai Ruozhu washed a pot and boiled water. Once the boiled water cooled, she used it to clean Rongrong’s and her mother’s wounds. She wiped off the residual ointment from before and prepared a medicinal soup for them to wash their wounds. Finally, she applied the ointment she had prepared the previous night.
"This ointment feels cool. It’s much more comfortable than the bitter one we used before," said Rongrong’s mother, sounding amazed after they had applied the new ointment.
Rongrong added, "Sister, did you use fairy medicine to cure us? I feel so much better."