Chapter 385 Too Honest, Too Weak
Bai Ruozhu was taken aback. Mistress Wang? Her lover? Was it referring to her previous senior aunt, Mistress Wang? She had always thought that Mistress Wang was so infatuated with Bai Yibo, and she had never expected that Mistress Wang would have a lover.
The man seemed to be mad, shouting at Bai Ruozhu through the iron cage, his hands desperately reaching out from behind the bars, as if he wanted to tear Bai Ruozhu to pieces.
"It was you who harmed Xiuxiang, it must have been you! She is now neither human nor ghost, it must be your fault!" the man roared. By the sound of his voice, one could tell how much he hated Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu secretly rolled her eyes in resentment. She, of course, understood what the man meant. So it’s okay for Mistress Wang to kill her, but it’s not okay for her to fight back against Wang?
Jiang Yichun shook his sleeve. A powerful force hit the iron cage, and Xiao He fell on his butt.
"Xiao He, behave yourself, or I will make sure you suffer!" Jiang Yichun’s voice was very cold. He was extremely upset with the way this man was staring at Bai Ruozhu. How could anyone threaten his woman?
Seeing how protective Jiang Yichun was of Bai Ruozhu, Li Shunsheng’s eyes widened slightly. But as a man seasoned in officialdom, he quickly managed to conceal his surprise.
"Miss Bai, he is referring to Mistress Wang, who has recently come down with a hysteria and begun to lose control of her bodily functions," Li Shunsheng explained to Bai Ruozhu in a somewhat flattering manner.
Bai Ruozhu nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, sir. So that’s what happened. But why should he blame me? Maybe Mistress Wang has done too many guilty deeds and was easily frightened by any slight movement?"
The corner of Jiang Yichun’s mouth, concealed behind the mask, lifted slightly. This woman was truly calm.
Now that she had recognized the man, Bai Ruozhu excused herself and was about to leave. Wan Minglu hurriedly followed her and said, "Ruozhu, let me escort you out."
Jiang Yichun’s face darkened as he said to Wan Minglu, "You stay and continue questioning the prisoner. I have some business to attend to and can escort Ruozhu out."
Bai Ruozhu sneakily glanced at Jiang Yichun. Ha! This guy was abusing his power for personal gain. Poor Wan Minglu had no choice but to stay silent.
Li Shunsheng wouldn’t be able to hold his position as prefect of Anyuan Town if he couldn’t understand this situation. He shot a glance at Wan Minglu and demanded, "Get on with your work and bring out the prisoner."
Bai Ruozhu had sympathy for Wan Minglu who was bullied by Jiang Yichun. However, she couldn’t interfere as she might bring more trouble to Wan Minglu. She glared at Jiang Yichun and walked away on her own.
Jiang Yichun quickly followed her, whispering, "Don’t you want to know about the affair between Mistress Wang and Xiao He?"
Ultimately, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t resist her curiosity and slowed down. "If you want to tell me, then tell me. If not, forget it."
"Xiao He was a neighbor of the Wang Family more than 20 years ago. He and Mistress Wang grew up together and it was said that they had a secret pact to marry each other. Both families originally agreed, but during a big drought year, some refugees became bandits. Xiao He was unlucky and was captured while he was out on business and was subsequently turned into one of the mountain bandits," Jiang Yichun walking alongside Bai Ruozhu, started to narrate slowly.
"Later, Xiao He finally managed to leave the mountains. Upon returning to Anyuan Town, he found that Mistress Wang had been married into the Bai Family. At the time, he didn’t blame Mistress Wang or the Bai Family. However, over time, when Mistress Wang wasn’t doing well in the Bai Family, they somehow met again and got together."
Bai Ruozhu, intrigued by the gossip, stared at Jiang Yichun and asked, "Whose children are Mistress Wang’s? Are they Bai Yibo’s or Xiao He’s?"
Jiang Yichun’s eyes were filled with amusement. Her demeanor was far from the reserved nature typically associated with a maiden, and even seemed a bit crafty and cunning. Yet, to his eyes, this made her exceptionally lively and intriguing. He could never get enough of her. As a result, the amusement in his eyes gradually revealed gentle affection.
"How would I know? Should we capture them for a blood test?" Jiang Yichun shrugged.
Bai Ruozhu thought of a certain drug that could determine lineage, but it was not entirely accurate. After some consideration, she abandoned the thought. After all, what difference did it make to her who was Bai Yibo’s actual son? However, she couldn’t help but maliciously hope that none of the children were Bai Yibo’s biological offspring. That would serve him right!
Jiang Yichun offered to help when he dropped her off near the West Courtyard, "Do you want me to interfere in the matter with Yang the Third?"
"How did you find out?" Bai Ruozhu pouted, feeling like she had no secrets left.
"The Zhou family was crying and cursing at your stall. If I hadn’t heard about it, it would have been a waste of time." Jiang Yichun’s tone carried a hint of disdain, as if he didn’t think highly of the Zhou family.
"Not for now, I can handle it myself." Bai Ruozhu grinned at Jiang Yichun, revealing a set of bright white teeth.
Jiang Yichun was taken aback. Unlike other women who would suppress their laughter, Bai Ruozhu boldly grinned ear to ear, showing all eight of her teeth. Nonetheless, she looked stunningly beautiful, far better than those who feigned a pretentious giggle.
"If you need anything, feel free to tell me," Jiang Yichun said with a smile.
Deep down, Bai Ruozhu really appreciated his concern. However, she scowled at him and said, "In the future, try to be more discreet and stop causing trouble for me."
Jiang Yichun knew Bai Ruozhu was referring to the incident where he sneaked into her bed. The memory stirred pleasant emotions within him. How wonderful would it be to share a bed with her every night?
"Don’t worry, at the worst, I’ll go ask your parents for your hand in marriage." His eyes were serious.
Bai Ruozhu was taken aback and quickly said, "I, I haven’t thought it through yet."
Jiang Yichun looked a bit dejected, but didn’t insist. "Alright then, I’ll wait for you."
After Bai Ruozhu had entered the courtyard, her heart pounded in her chest. Was that a marriage proposal just now? As a modern woman, she subconsciously believed that one should date before getting married. How could one make such a hasty decision?
In the afternoon, people from the Zhou family of Linjiang Village came. As Bai Ruozhu was a female, the wife of the Zhou family was the one who had been speaking to her in a tearful manner, which irritated Bai Ruozhu.
"Alright, you go home first. We’ll go to your fields tomorrow to assess the damages, and then see if we can solve this problem as soon as possible," Bai Ruozhu said.
The wife from the Zhou family didn’t seem to fully trust that Bai Ruozhu could handle the situation. "Is it really possible to resolve this? What if it continues like this?" she asked worriedly.
Bai Ruozhu was getting impatient. She thought the Zhou family was also too timid. Yang the Third was playing up just because he saw them as an easy target, right? Why couldn’t they just fight back? Their whole family was about to starve to death, and they couldn’t muster up some resentment?
Isn’t there a saying, "the barefoot are not afraid of those with shoes"? The Yang family also had land. They could simply destroy each other’s fields and see who would give up first.
However, she could only think such things, as she couldn’t instruct others to act this way. Besides, the Zhou family was too honest and timid to do anything even if they were taught.