Chapter 374: Find a Man to Shelter from Wind and Rain
"Uncle Zhang, please get up. If you keep kneeling, I won’t dare to agree." Bai Ruozhu said as she helped him up to his feet again. Only then did Zhang Liliang finally stand up.
"Please do not hesitate to order me around from now on," Zhang Liliang politely remarked.
Yet, Bai Ruozhu’s face fell. She sighed heavily and said, "Our families have always been close, like relatives. I still remember how, during the busy farming season, you and my aunt dropped everything to help out. Even little Rongrong helps out with chores. If now you wish to revert to formality and distance yourself from us, wouldn’t it damage the bond between our families?"
"If you want to join me in business, I am agreeable. But remember, you are just an employee, receiving your monthly salary and share of the profit. You don’t owe me anything. If this relationship causes you to treat me as a superior, more distant than a relative, we can put an end to this now. I wouldn’t want the relationship between our families to grow cold."
Zhang Liliang was deeply moved by Bai Ruozhu’s words, even feeling a bit embarrassed. He sniffled and nodded, saying, "Ruozhu, you’re right. I won’t treat you as such from now on. But remember, as your employee, I have to do my job properly. You shouldn’t hesitate to give me orders just because we’re friends."
Bai Ruozhu laughed and replied, "Don’t worry, I have always been good at separating personal feelings from business. Your primary task now is to discuss this with Aunt Zhang and Rongrong. This is a significant change, you no longer run your own business but work for me. If you worry they’ll fret about the money for medication, don’t mention it. Just say you lost money in your business and don’t want to take that risk anymore."
Zhang Liliang nodded, saying, "I will discuss it with them. I think they’ll be willing."
Bai Ruozhu said no more, took Dengdeng and left. Everything else would be handled by Zhang Liliang. She was in a good mood. With Zhang Liliang’s help, she could expand her business to other cities and earn more.
Why didn’t she ask Zhang Liliang for a partnership earlier? She worried that if something went wrong, it might damage their family relations. Now that Zhang Liliang is her employee and acted under her directions, and the capital is all hers, there was no worry of his family being affected if she suffered a loss.
With Dengdeng in her arms, Bai Ruozhu headed to the West Courtyard. She planned to take the child home to rest and think about how to make more money. She decided not to go to the stall to avoid being asked for pulse readings.
But, something felt off. She swiftly looked behind and saw a figure. Her vision and hearing had improved after drinking the pond water regularly. With just one glance, she recognized the man who claimed there were bugs in the soup at her stall!
Bai Ruozhu’s heart raced. The man was muscular. Though she knew some self-defence, she was just a woman, and she was holding Dengdeng. It wasn’t easy to fight back. What if Dengdeng got hurt?
With these thoughts, she suddenly started running towards the crowded streets where the man would not dare to openly attack her.
Bai Ruozhu was running as fast as she could without looking back to avoid losing time. However, she could hear the man getting closer. She couldn’t run fast enough while carrying Dengdeng and was about to be caught by the man.
She took a calculated risk, gritted her teeth, and suddenly stopped and turned to kick the man. He wasn’t expecting this and couldn’t stop in time. He stumbled and fell flat on his face.
Seeing him fall, Bai Ruozhu felt a surge of joy despite the pain in her own leg from the kick, probably resulting in a bruise. She didn’t hesitate and kept running forward, but her speed was slower because of the pain in her leg.
"You wretch! I swear I’ll kill you!" The man spat out the dirt that got into his mouth when he fell, then started chasing Bai Ruozhu again.
Exhausted, Ruozhu was carrying a now awake and crying Dengdeng. Fear gripped her heart, and she silently called out, "Yichun, where are you? Please come and rescue me!"
She wasn’t sure if she began to rely on Yichun or if her hopes were unrealistic. He was busy with official duties, and might not even be in Anyuan Town. Would he come to her rescue? All she knew was that she needed a man to protect her and her child.
This thought filled her mind more powerfully than ever, leaving her tired and worn. The pain in her leg grew worse, and her legs felt heavier with each step she took...
Just then, a stern voice called out from behind, "It’s broad daylight, and yet you dare to harm others?"
She widened her eyes. She recognized the voice. Wasn’t it Brother Minglu’s voice? Excitement surged in her heart. After all, Wan Minglu was an officer responsible for capturing bad people, wasn’t he?
As Minglu shouted, he charged forward. He was patrolling the nearby alley when he heard a child’s cry, which he thought was eerily similar to Dengdeng’s. Following the cries, he discovered Bai Ruozhu being chased by the muscular man. Recognising Bai Ruozhu’s figure despite the distance, he chased after them.
What excited him more was the brutish man pursuing Bai Ruozhu. He shouted and dashed forward.
Bai Ruozhu, too tired to move, finally stopped and sat down on the ground. She was panting heavily and tried to calm a sobbing Dengdeng, saying, "Sweetie, don’t cry, it’s okay. Uncle Minglu will save us. He is an official who catches bad guys."
Possibly because Bai Ruozhu had stopped running and Dengdeng felt less jostled, he quieted down.
Minglu attempted to catch the man but was outmatched. The man slipped away and ran deeper into the alley. Minglu chased after him but soon returned, defeated.
"Ruozhu, I’m sorry. He got away," Minglu confessed guiltily, his face red.
Vigorously shaking her head, Bai Ruozhu replied, "Brother Minglu, don’t say that. You saved us."