Chapter 376: Women Have to Rely on Themselves
Wan Minglu indeed wanted to come. Hearing those words he happily nodded, "Alright, I’ll come as soon as I finish my work."
Watching Wan Minglu leave, Fang Guizhi sent him to the door with a smile, saying, "Thank you, Brother Minglu." But as soon as Wan Minglu had left, the expression on Fang Guizhi’s face changed, becoming immensely inquisitive.
First, she placed Dengdeng back onto the bed in Bai Ruozhu’s room, before hurrying over to help the limping Bai Ruozhu, worry in her voice as she asked, "Is your leg injury serious? Do you need some ointment?"
After Bai Ruozhu sat down and rolled up her layered pants to show her injured leg, they saw that it was indeed severely bruised.
"Was it that man who hit you? How could it be so severe?" A glance was all it took for Fang Guizhi to become anxious, asking with gritted teeth.
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, "He didn’t even get the chance to hit me. It was me who couldn’t run fast enough. I abruptly stopped and kicked him and tripped him over, but my frail legs are no match for his. One bump and they swelled."
Fang Guizhi stood agape, "You stopped to trip that man? You are incredibly brave. If it were me, my legs would have turned to jelly out of fear. I wouldn’t dare to turn around and kick someone."
"I was unable to outrun him, and in the heat of the moment I tried to trip him. I didn’t expect my legs to be this weak," Bai Ruozhu said with a helpless shake of her head, pointing to a medicine bottle on a shelf saying, "Could you pass me that? If I apply some, it should get better quickly."
Fang Guizhi hurriedly fetched the medicine bottle for her. After Bai Ruozhu applied a bit to her leg, she finally felt a little relief.
"From what I heard, were you targeted by the Wang Family?" Fang Guizhi helped Bai Ruozhu put away the medicine bottle, turned around and sat next to her, asking.
Bai Ruozhu narrowed her eyes, a fierce look in them, "If the Wangs still won’t give it a rest, then they can’t blame me for not being polite."
As she spoke, she began to massage her aching leg. Seeing this, Fang Guizhi quickly offered, "Are your legs aching from running? Let me rub them for you."
Bai Ruozhu felt somewhat embarrassed and declined, "No, it’s okay. I can do it by myself, you’ve also had a long day."
Fang Guizhi shot her a reproachful look, "Are you seriously being formal with me? I hardly ever leave the yard, so what’s there to be tired about? Let me do it now, because once you get married, it won’t be my turn anymore."
But Bai Ruozhu was not one who could easily be embarrassed. However, she felt strange hearing Guizhi mention marriage.
While massaging Bai Ruozhu’s leg and avoiding the swollen area, Fang Guizhi softly began, "Ruozhu, you must have noticed by now, I think Brother Minglu is pretty good. He has a decent job and the Wan Family are respectable people. Aunt Wan is also quite sensible. Why don’t you consider it?"
Bai Ruozhu was taken aback, and could not help but recall Wan Minglu’s earnestness just now, causing her to feel mildly guilty. She would ordinarily avoid Wan Minglu, but he had just saved her life, making it impossible to avoid him further – her conscience simply would not allow it.
She looked over at Dengdeng, who was playing on the bed, before sighing and saying, "Dengdeng is still young and I am not ready to consider remarriage. Once he gets older, any decision about remarrying will be up to him."
"I always thought you were joking. I know you love Dengdeng, but he’s just a child. How can you let a child decide your lifelong affairs for you?" Guizhi’s brows furrowed, "Or, is it that you still can’t forget Chang Sheng?"
Guizhi had bumped into Chang Sheng two or three times and only saw a young man with a dark complexion, bright eyes, but otherwise average looks as compared to Wan Minglu. Guizhi did not know that Chang Sheng had darkened his face as per Bai Yihong’s instructions. The sight of Bai Yihong’s absence for so long puzzled her as to why Ruozhu still thought about him.
Bai Ruozhu quickly shook her head, "Didn’t I tell you? After that fall, I can’t remember Chang Sheng anymore. I don’t even recall what he looks like, how can I possibly still be thinking about him?"
Thinking about it, Guizhi agreed, but her face quickly scrunched up once more, "It feels like you are using Dengdeng as an excuse. Do you already have someone in your heart?"
Bai Ruozhu’s heartbeat involuntarily quickened. She hurriedly replied, laughing, "Nonsense, what man could there possibly be?"
Fang Guizhi had grown up with Bai Ruozhu. Being of the same age and also having her own crush, she had a better grasp of such matters than many others. A worried look crossed her face. "You’ve not fallen for that masked gentleman, have you?"
A surge of pounding filled Bai Ruozhu’s heart – Guizhi had seen through her.
Before Bai Ruozhu could deny, Guizhi expressed her worries, "Indeed, he has saved you multiple times, but so has Brother Minglu, hasn’t he? I understand your thoughts, Ruozhu, but we don’t belong in the same world as him. I’m afraid you’ll be the one in suffering."
Perhaps it was the talk about being in different worlds, Guizhi thought about herself and Bai Zepei, her eyes reddening and tears falling. While she was warning Bai Ruozhu, wasn’t she doing the same herself?
"Guizhi, don’t cry. It’s nothing like what you’re thinking." Seeing her sudden tears, Bai Ruozhu didn’t know what to do.
"Wouldn’t it be nice if we women could find a good match and live the rest of our lives in peace? Even if we rise early and retire late, working under the hot sun in the fields, at least every day would be filled with anticipation. Brother Minglu is a good man. He would treat you well, and he wouldn’t neglect Dengdeng either. But that gentleman... his identity is a mystery. Can he really stay with you, look after you, and protect you?" Guizhi continued.
Bai Ruozhu was a little flustered, and for a time she didn’t know how to respond to Fang Guizhi’s words, she could only sit dumbfoundedly by her side.
"Like today, wasn’t it Brother Minglu who appeared next to you and saved you?"
Bai Ruozhu lifted her eyelids, looking at Fang Guizhi, and said, "I understand what you’re saying, but even if I married Minglu, he couldn’t possibly stay with me all the time to protect me. It’s better to rely on oneself than others. I’ve come to realize, only by becoming stronger can I better protect myself and my loved ones."
Fang Guizhi was stunned by her words, coming back to her senses only after a while, "You’re right, no one can protect you all the time. We women must also depend on ourselves."
For a while, the two women were lost in their thoughts - Fang Guizhi thought about the truth of these words, while Bai Ruozhu pondered how she would arrange her future situation.
When the Bai family returned from the market, Bai Ruozhu had already fallen asleep from exhaustion. They learned about Bai Ruozhu’s incident from Fang Guizhi. Bai Zehao was immediately incensed and rolled up his sleeves, "I need to teach the Wang family a lesson. Looks like they just can’t learn their lesson!"
Fang Guizhi stopped him, saying, "Big brother, Ruozhu asked us to not act rashly. The officials have been alerted about this matter, and Brother Minglu is going to arrest someone on their side. We won’t get anywhere without solid proof."
As they spoke, there was a knock at the door. Bai Zehao opened it hastily to find Wan Minglu standing outside, though his expression wasn’t very good.