Chapter 392: Welcoming Guests, The Dong Family’s Visit
"My son-in-law knows nothing about it. If he did, he would surely divorce Cuicui. Please have mercy on Cuicui and please don’t divulge anything. They already have two children. If Cuicui is divorced, the children will lose their mother." Niu Pazi whispered her pleas to Bai Ruozhu in a low voice.
It’s not that Bai Ruozhu wouldn’t promise her to keep her secret, but Bai Ruozhu hadn’t managed to snap out of her stupor. According to Niu Pazi, Xiaosi’s real father was a heinous mountain bandit?
In this world, the only mountain bandit she had ever encountered was Xiao He, who seemed extremely cruel. Xiao He was also a bandit in the nearby mountains. Could he be related to Xiaosi in any way?
Bai Ruozhu’s mind was in a whirl. She didn’t know whether she should feel sorry for Xiaosi’s pitiful background or harbor hatred against those evil mountain bandits.
Both Officer Li and Jiang Yichun were policing the mountain bandits around, estimated to behead them all when caught. The man who had harmed Niu Cuicui should be put to death by then, right? Bai Ruozhu gritted her teeth. How could one recognize such a father? Better off dead!
"Enough, stop crying, or others will start to suspect. You must keep your mouth shut too, don’t mention this to anyone!" Bai Ruozhu harshly commanded Niu Pazi.
Niu Pazi nodded vigorously, "I understand, I won’t say anything."
Only after Bai Ruozhu and her father were halfway on their donkey cart ride did Bai Yihong finally seem to regain his strength. He sighed heavily, "How could we stumble upon such a thing while we only came to rent some land?"
Bai Ruozhu subtly shook her head at her father, implying that walls have ears. The coachman was from Linjiang Village, they could not let him hear this.
Bai Yihong understood and didn’t say a word throughout the journey until they got off, "Should we tell Xiaosi about this?" he finally asked.
Throughout the journey, Bai Ruozhu had been struggling with this matter too. Keeping it from Xiaosi didn’t seem right, but neither did telling him. He was only six years old after all.
"Father, you just need to tell mother about it. No need to mention it to anyone else at home, especially Xiaosi. He’s still too young. When he grows up, after he’s learned to read and reason and won’t be affected by this matter, I’ll tell him about it." Bai Ruozhu sounded extremely tired as she said these words. The trip to Linjiang Village had exhausted her both physically and mentally.
Xiaosi originally had symptoms of autism, which only recently started to improve. She truly feared that Xiaosi would be affected by this matter and might form a knot in his heart, which would influence his mentality or leave a shadow in his character.
Such as pessimism, hostility to the world, or even feelings of inferiority. She didn’t want any of these to appear in Xiaosi, who is so pure-hearted and brave.
She would always remember the time when Sanlang smashed her betrothal gift and Xiaosi rushed up to fight Sanlang in order to protect her, regardless of the danger. She would also remember Xiaosi bravely showing his injuries to the adults in the main hall, stating his wish to stay with his sister; she would remember Xiaosi’s love for drawing but, in order to save paper, resorting to drawing on the ground instead...
Every child is an angel descending to earth, and Xiaosi may be an angel set to experience more trials, but she will help him gradually unfold his wings until he can one day soar into the sky.
When they got back home, Bai Yihong went to help at the stall and Bai Ruozhu stayed at home to take care of Little Dengdeng and do some crochet work.
Just a short while later, Xiaosi came running over, showing her a piece of straw paper, "Sister, do you think my painting is good?"
Looking at the somewhat blurry, light black ink stain on the straw paper, Bai Ruozhu’s eyes subconsciously moistened, and tears swirled around threatening to fall.
The ink was so light because he added too much water, this silly boy was worried about wasting ink so he diluted it. This straw paper was easily susceptible to bleeding, so it was even more so now.
She could see Xiaosi using the tip of the brush to paint carefully, as the drawn lines were very thin, making it possible for people to determine what had been drawn.
"You drew Dengdeng?" Bai Ruozhu managed to hold back her tears and didn’t dare to look up at Xiaosi, afraid he would notice her sadness.
"Yeah, Dengdeng looks like a little dumpling, he’s easier to draw than anyone else." Xiaosi laughed as he spoke, he found Little Dengdeng extremely amusing.
Bai Ruozhu saw how sweetly he drew Little Dengdeng and couldn’t help but laugh, "Your drawing is really good. Let’s keep it, and show it to him when he gets older."
"Okay." Xiaosi nodded seriously, took the drawing back to his room to continue his calligraphy practice.
Watching Xiaosi’s straight back, Bai Ruozhu find herself letting out a sigh again. After the New Year, she would send Xiaosi to school. She’d make sure to find a good school and a good teacher for Xiaosi.
The following few days, Bai Ruozhu notices that there was increased patrolling happening in town whenever she went out. Jiang Yichun seemed to be very busy and didn’t show up. She guessed that Jiang Yichun was probably dealing with the bandits, causing her some concern. But on second thought, she found it funny as Jiang Yichun was highly skilled in martial arts; the bandits were just a bit vicious, but what could they possibly do to him?
Time flew and winter came. Even though the temperature was dropping, the Bai Family’s business wasn’t affected. In fact, people seemed to crave something warm during cold days, like meat pie, or a bowl of hot bone soup.
One day, while Zhang Liliang was discussing with Bai Ruozhu about hiring people to prepare the ingredients for fresh soup powder, there came a knock on the door.
Fang Guizhi ran to open the door. Upon seeing an elderly man standing outside, she asked, "Sir, how may I help you?"
"I’m looking for Bai Ruozhu. She should be home, right?" the old man asked, smiling happily.
Seeing the kind-faced old man, with Zhang Liliang in the courtyard, Fang Guizhi courteously welcomed him in. "Yes, she is. Let me call her out." She then turned to the yard and called, "Ruozhu, there’s an old man here to see you."
Upon hearing the news, Bai Ruozhu paused her discussion with Zhang Liliang. She stood up and walked out of the room. She was taken aback when she saw the old man.
About half a year ago, she met this old man. He was the one who helped her earn her first fortune after transmigration. This old man was the owner of the largest inn in town, Shen Lu.
"How is it that the revered lady Bai has forgotten about this old man?" Shen Lu chuckled and started talking, the middle-aged man with sharp eyes was still standing behind him.
Bai Ruozhu quickly gathered her thoughts and said with a smile, "How could I forget about Shen, the old master? Please come inside, I’ll pour you a cup of tea."
Fang Guizhi beat her to it, saying, "You go entertain the guest, I’ll pour the tea."
Bai Ruozhu nearly rolled her eyes at Guizhi. She knew that Shen Lu wouldn’t have made this trip without a purpose. The old man may seem kind and gentle, but he was extremely astute. She intended to think about how to respond while making tea, but a solicitous Guizhi had taken the task away from her.
Since Guizhi had volunteered, she couldn’t leave. Thus, she invited Shen Lu into the main hall.
Before she could ask, Shen Lu, laughing, said, "Madam Bai, I am a straightforward person and don’t like to beat around the bush. I believe you must have guessed why I am here."