Chapter 344: Do You Have Moon Silver? Do You Have a Reward?
Seeing the widow Zhou act so desperate, Bai Ruozhu was laughing internally, thinking to herself, ’What kind of person do you think official Li is? If he wanted to have a fling with a beautiful woman, he could choose from many beautiful and talented ladies in the brothels. Who would be interested in a second-hand item like you?’
"You’re carrying my elder uncle’s child, his whereabouts are unknown, how could my grandparents bear to see his child abandoned? My grandpa was just upset because you kept asking for money. If he can make peace with it, wouldn’t he let you in? Besides, my grandma hasn’t objected to it yet."
Bai Ruozhu figured that the old lady surely wouldn’t object. It would be extremely difficult for Bai Yibo to find another woman now. More so, this widow not only carried a child of the Bai family but was also a rich woman who could shell out a hundred taels of silver at once. It would be surprising if the old lady wasn’t envious.
Seeing the situation, Lin Ping’er also spoke up, "Yeah, now that his elder uncle can’t serve the elderly, it would be a good thing if you help take care of them."
By this point, widow Zhou was dumbfounded and didn’t know what to respond. After a while, she finally said, "Oh, right, then let me go back and think about it." After that, she practically ran away, forgetting even to take her leave from official Li.
"Finally, she’s gone, that shameless, low-quality woman." One of the matrons started cursing, unable to bear it.
Lin Ping’er, standing next to Bai Ruozhu, whispered, "If that child really is your eldest uncle’s, then this Bai family heir would have such a mother. It’s really quite worrisome."
Bai Ruozhu raised her eyebrows. The truth was still unknown.
"Mom, you should go and attend to the guests. The dinner was delayed because of all the commotion. I’m going back to the kitchen to get busy." Bai Ruozhu ducked and took her leave, then turned and headed back towards the kitchen. But just as she turned around, she saw that her father seemed somewhat distracted, and his frown was deep enough to trap a fly.
Bai Ruozhu sighed helplessly. After all, her father was Bai Fu’s biological son, so it made sense that he was feeling uncomfortable.
When she returned to the kitchen, the dishes she had prepared earlier had cooled. Bai Ruozhu quickly stir-fried them again to warm them, then served them on plates for the Li ladies to bring out. Lady Jin had also already cooked a dish and quickly brought it out.
The banquet carried on jubilantly, and everyone had the good sense not to bring up unrelated people again.
For the second round of dishes, Bai Ruozhu set aside some from each dish, then told the Li ladies, "Auntie, Lianhua, take advantage of this break and eat quickly. Only after eating, you’ll have the energy to work."
They didn’t see a need for formality and immediately took a seat in the kitchen to eat, while Bai Ruozhu took the portion she’d set aside to the main hall.
"Sister Hongxiu, I’ve brought you some food." Bai Ruozhu walked in with a pleasant smile.
Yu Hongxiu was just here to enjoy the show, but hadn’t expected so many guests. Worried about her safety in the crowd, Lin Ping’er arranged for her to enjoy the show from the main hall.
"Wow, I’m getting special treatment. That’s not bad." Yu Hongxiu laughed.
"Have a look, let me know if the food suits your taste. If not, I can make you something lighter." Bai Ruozhu said.
The banquet catered mainly for local villagers, hence the dishes were heavier in taste.
"I do prefer lighter food anyway, so this is perfect." Yu Hongxiu took Bai Ruozhu’s hand, whispering, "Will old master Bai be all right after being taken away? Do we need to bribe a doctor to avoid any potential blame later?"
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, "Don’t worry. He had it coming. What he has done is beyond ordinary. It’s best that the clan pays attention to him to avoid further trouble."
Seeing Bai Ruozhu had everything planned, Yu Hongxiu said nothing more and started eating.
Fang Guizhi, dressed in the maid’s uniform from the Xie Residence, looked a lot brighter with her rounder, fuller face. However, she seemed quite distressed at the moment.
Bai Ruozhu glanced outside and saw Fang Guizhi’s mother hiding in the yard and waving at her. Her smile was so tender, so flattering, it was quite off-putting.
"Guizhi, you need to handle that," Bai Ruozhu said quietly, seeing Fang Guizhi’s predicament.
Fang Guizhi nodded, said something to Yu Hongxiu, and left the main hall to meet her mother.
The minute Guizhi’s mother saw her, she grabbed Guizhi’s hand and didn’t seem to want to let go. Seeing this affectionate scene made Fang Guizhi feel extremely uncomfortable. She tried to pull her hand away, but her mother’s grip was too tight. So, she had no choice but to call out softly, "Mother."
"Oh, my dear child, are you still upset with your mother?" Guizhi’s mother wiped the corner of her eyes, "I had no other choice. I can’t choose between the two of you. I do love you, but we are poor, and your elder brother insisted on marrying that wasteful wife, I couldn’t stop him."
Fang Guizhi remained silent with a cold heart. What was the point of mentioning it now? Who was it that tied her up and forgot to untie her till midnight, not letting her sleep peacefully?
"Look at you now, you’re doing fine. Your face has filled out and your skin has lightened up. It’s better to be a maid in a big house than a field worker on a farm, right?" Guizhi’s mother even gave a pout.
"Mother, I used to work myself to death for our home." Fang Guizhi reminded her mother.
"Yes, yes, I know you are the most dutiful. How are things at the Xie Residence? Are you being paid? How about rewards?" Guizhi’s mother started poking Guizhi’s clothes.
The clothes were borrowed from another maid, provided by Yu Hongxiu on short notice, so Guizhi afraid of them getting ruined, quickly pulled her mother’s hand away, "Mother, I was sold as a maid, and I haven’t got anything yet. Even these clothes belong to the Xie Residence and shouldn’t be damaged arbitrarily. Plus, madam is pregnant, and I can’t leave her side for too long, so I have to go."
Upon hearing this, Guizhi’s mother was displeased and grabbed her arm, "So, you’ve only been there a few days and already think you’re too good for us now?"
How quick she was to turn the tables!
Seeing Fang Guizhi couldn’t handle the situation, Bai Ruozhu excused herself from Yu Hongxiu and came out of the main hall.
"Guizhi, madam is calling for you, hurry up, don’t upset Ye Ye, or else your family will get blamed too." Bai Ruozhu said.
Seeing they still feared Sir Xie, Guizhi’s mother reluctantly let go. Fang Guizhi didn’t even want to say goodbye; she turned and headed back inside.
"Ruozhu, look at her, does she seem like a dutiful child? She is really ungrateful," Guizhi’s mother began to complain.
Suppressing her distaste, Bai Ruozhu put on a polite smile and said, "Don’t worry auntie, you should line up over there, as the tables are getting set again."
Upon hearing this, Guizhi’s mother hurried towards the gate. She didn’t want to miss the chance of getting an early seat at the table, as she had heard that the portions became smaller towards the end of the banquet and would not be as bountiful as at the beginning.
Bai Ruozhu sighed as she watched Guizhi’s mother walk away, then she went back inside the kitchen. She added some water to the pot, made a few dumplings, and sent them to Wan Caiyue. Traditionally, the new bride was not supposed to eat much. She was only allowed to have one bowl of dumplings, semi-cooked ones at that.