Chapter 339: The Bliss Cultivated Over Several Lifetimes
Bai Ruozhu agreed with their words in her heart, but her face cooled slightly and she sternly said to Xiaosi: "Don’t be so reckless in the future. You’re no match for him, what would you do if you were injured? Always act according to your abilities."
Xiaosi obediently nodded, saying, "Sister, I won’t do it next time."
Bai Ruozhu’s face lit up with a smile again. She ruffled Xiaosi’s hair, saying, "You’re a good boy. Your sister believes in you. Go and play. If anyone comes to find you, just say you haven’t touched him, and don’t mention that you were trying to cause him trouble."
"Exactly, what trouble could he cause for Sanlang at his age?" Jin’s lady chimed in from the side.
Xiaosi smartly nodded again and then ran out to play. Bai Ruozhu peeked outside the kitchen and happened to see Jiang Yichun returning. She felt even more certain in her mind.
Sanlang isn’t a fool, and he’s not holding crutches for the first time. Why would he hit his own leg for no reason? It must have been Jiang Yichun who did it secretly.
She gave him a grateful smile. His help in protecting Xiaosi showed that he had her in mind. Thinking of this, Bai Ruozhu was in a great mood, with her smile becoming even brighter.
Jiang Yichun saw her smile and couldn’t help but laugh himself. It seemed that this woman still had a conscience. It was worth it for him to care for her and protect her little brother.
Soon, Li Shunsheng brought Jiang Yichun to the table. The first wave consisted of six tables. The leading table was for the village chief, Wan Qilao, Master Li, Jiang Yichun, Mr. Xie, Wan Pei, and others, with Bai Yihong and Bai Lu accompanying them. A few other elders from the village also wanted to sit with Master Li, but there weren’t enough seats. Anyone who couldn’t sit at the main table had to take the side tables. Fortunately, all the tables were close together, so it was easy to propose toasts.
Many people only noticed Jiang Yichun then. Some curious people asked Bai Yihong who he was. Bai Yihong simply said he was a benefactor of their family, who had saved them. The villagers didn’t ask any more questions, but they could guess that Jiang Yichun must either be rich or noble.
Once the first wave of guests took their seats, Bai Yihong and Bai Zehao took care of serving dishes and drinks. After toasting, everyone began to eat and praise the food.
"Yihong, this wedding banquet is done really well!" someone shouted loudly.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yihong was very pleased and replied with a big smile, "As long as everyone is enjoying the food, that’s all that matters. Today is our day to thank our fellow villagers, so everyone must make sure to enjoy themselves!"
Everyone cheered in agreement. Someone then asked, "Where did you hire such a talented chef?"
Bai Lu laughed and replied, "We did hire a chef, but he couldn’t make it. All of this was cooked by Yihong’s sister, Ruozhu."
Many people were surprised to hear this. No one knew that Bai Yihong’s daughter was such a skilled cook. There was even more admiration in their eyes, and one even asked if they could hire Bai Ruozhu to cook for their own banquet, offering to pay her double the usual chef’s fee.
Fearing that his daughter would be overworked, Bai Yihong laughed and said, "I appreciate your high praise for Ruozhu. However, she’s still nursing and helping to sell pancakes. She really has a lot on her plate."
Hearing this, everyone stopped insisting, but the admiration in their eyes was hard to conceal. Looking at Bai Yihong’s family, all three of his children were outstanding. Although the eldest had not taken the Imperial Examination, he was skilled at farming, hardworking, and capable of handling household affairs. The second son, of course, had become a scholar at a young age and even received praise from Master Li, which was not something ordinary people could achieve.
And there’s Bai Yihong’s daughter Bai Ruozhu. She is knowledgeable, hardworking, and capable, not only able to help her family earn money but also an excellent cook. No wonder Bai Yihong’s family was doing so well.
Jiang Yichun had opened the mask’s mechanism and kept his head down, eating without talking to anyone. But he was very pleased with himself. Of course, his woman was amazing.
The more he thought about it, the happier he got. Every dish tasted incredibly delicious. If only he could eat Ruozhu’s cooking every day. They say if you want to capture a man’s heart, you must first capture his stomach. He felt that both his heart and stomach were firmly captured by now.
Having finished cooking a round of dishes, Bai Ruozhu finally had a chance to rest. She helped Lady Li and the others to bring out the soup. The moment she appeared, everyone showered her with compliments, making her feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Ruozhu, excellent job! We’re all in for a treat today!" Wan Qilao raised his thumb at Bai Ruozhu, and didn’t hesitate to compliment her.
"Yes indeed, if we had known that your cooking skills were so good, we should have come to your house for meals more often," Zhou Deshun jokingly remarked, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
The speakers were all her elders, so Bai Ruozhu respectfully bowed and then said with some embarrassment, "Thank you for your compliments, grandpas and uncles. But it’s not me alone who made this feast. My aunts from the clan helped as well. For example, this dish was fried by Zeji’s mother." Bai Ruozhu pointed to a dish on the table as she said this.
Jin’s lady had just finished serving soup and sat down. Mentioned by Bai Ruozhu, she gave everyone an embarrassed smile.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu’s humility and her refusal to take all of the credit, everyone nodded in approval and started complimenting Jin’s lady and Bai Zeji as well.
"Bai Zeji is a good kid. He takes excellent care of Mr. Wu, which allows Mr. Wu to teach our village children better," someone praised.
People started talking about Bai Zeji’s family. Bai Zeji’s father was seated nearby, and people started to talk to him. This way, Bai Zeji’s family got a lot closer to the villagers of Back Mountain.
Seeing everyone chatting lively, Bai Ruozhu quietly retreated to the kitchen. Jin’s lady also followed her into the kitchen and gratefully said to Bai Ruozhu, "Ruozhu, thank you for considering us." She was not blind, she understood that Bai Ruozhu wanted to help her family get acquainted with the people of Back Mountain, which would make it easier for Bai Zeji to study in the Back Mountain Village in the future.
"Why are you being formal with me?" Bai Ruozhu said. "I was telling the truth. I didn’t make today’s feast alone. If I took all the credit, that would be unfair to my aunts." Then she laughed and said, "I’d better take advantage of this break to breastfeed Dengdeng. It’d be troublesome if he starts crying later."
Jin’s lady and the others urged her to go, and they continued readying the cold dishes. The food for the next round would be ready very soon.
Lin Ping’er, who had been holding Dengdeng and greeting the female relatives who had come today, saw Bai Ruozhu appear and immediately passed the baby to her, saying, "Tired? You must be working hard today."
"I’m fine. Our aunts have been working hard as well. When this is over, I’ll throw a dinner to thank them properly," Bai Ruozhu replied, smiling as she held Dengdeng.
Lin Ping’er hurriedly nodded. "You’re right. Let’s do as you say."
Wang Su’s lady saw that Bai Ruozhu was busy and didn’t pull her into conversation. But she had heard the lively chatter outside and her affection for Bai Ruozhu increased. Not only was Ruozhu capable, but she was also humble and polite. Any family would be lucky to have such a wonderful daughter-in-law, a blessing cultivated over several lifetimes!
----
Dear readers, I apologize. Today I took my child out to get vaccinated and didn’t return until late, which delayed my updates. I could only upload five Chapters today. Tomorrow I will definitely adjust and update as early as possible, and I promise six Chapters~