Chapter 415: Visit the School, Encourage Second Brother
Luckily, Dengdeng didn’t have any teeth yet, so his bite was not painful. He merely left some saliva on Jiang Yichun’s chin. But the smell from a baby’s mouth is quite fragrant, with a faint milky aroma. So it wasn’t annoying at all.
However, Jiang Yichun’s face stiffened. Bai Ruozhu paused for a moment before she realized that he must be thinking about the first time he kissed her. Didn’t he gnaw on her without understanding anything? Did that mean he thought of himself as clueless as baby Dengdeng?
Unable to hold back, Bai Ruozhu burst into laughter. Dengdeng, seeing his mother’s reaction, also giggled joyfully while waving his chubby little hands.
Seeing his wife and son laughing, Jiang Yichun’s face darkened, then reddened. He feigned a stern face and warned, "No more laughing!"
But Bai Ruozhu didn’t fear him, and his words didn’t affect her at all. Dengdeng was still a child and didn’t understand fear, so his laughter only intensified.
Jiang Yichun could only stare in futile anger, and in the end, he couldn’t help but join in the laughter himself.
...
When Bai Ruozhu returned to the inn, her elder brother had already come back. Seeing her glowing with happiness, he immediately understood what had happened.
Bai Ruozhu felt a little embarrassed being watched by her brother like that. She quickly said, "I went to the market just now. Turns out nobody sells scallion pancakes here, so maybe we should start making them in the morning."
Bai Zepei responded with a noncommittal "Oh," but there was an undertone of other meanings in his voice.
"We should move here as soon as possible," Bai Zepei finally sighed.
Bai Ruozhu gave her elder brother a pat on the shoulder, "You should focus on your studies and the Imperial Examination, brother. Leave matters like renting a house, moving, and running the business to me."
Bai Zepei looked embarrassed. He ruffled Bai Ruozhu’s hair affectionately and said, "I’m sorry for all the hard work."
Bai Ruozhu smiled brightly, "The hard work now will pave the way for our comfortable future. Soon, our whole family will be living a good life."
They spent the rest of the night in peace. The next morning, after having breakfast with her brother, Bai Ruozhu planned to visit the Academy. They certainly could not enter, but they could stroll around the vicinity to get a feel of the atmosphere.
When they arrived, school was about to start, and the entrance of the academy was bustling with students.
The academy of Beiyu City is situated in the southeast corner of the city. It is surrounded by tranquility, like a paradise in the middle of the chaos. The buildings here were the most elegant Bai Ruozhu had seen since her transmigration. The entrance was grander than the county government office of Anyuan Town, but it was not overly decorative. Tall pine trees lined the entrance, and a plaque with vigorous and powerful calligraphy hung above the door, inscribed with four large characters: Beiyu Study Palace.
In Danliang Country, only official schools could be called study palaces. Beiyu Study Palace was the official academy of Anxi Residence, while private schools were called private schools and larger ones were referred to as academies.
"]Beiyu Study Palace was very famous in the northwest. Despite being an official institution, it did not carry a stale aura. Many students had passed the examinations with high scores and the current prime minister was also an alumnus.
Moreover, Beiyu Study Palace was one of the eight major academies in Danliang Country. As for the remaining seven, aside from the Royal Academy, Bai Ruozhu didn’t know about the others. She had heard about these during her meals at the Linjiang Residence, from the waiter who was chatting with other guests.
On seeing such a prestigious academy, Bai Ruozhu felt tempted to enroll. Unfortunately, she had a child to take care of, or she would have loved to disguise herself as a man, like Zhu Yingtai did, to see the world of academia.
Bai Zepei signaled to Bai Ruozhu, "See that person over there? He ranked second in our county’s tests. He entered the academy right after the examination. The first child student exam didn’t affect him much, because when the results were cancelled, he had already taken his second exam. I saw him in the examination hall."
"Should we greet him?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
Bai Zepei shook his head slightly, "No need. I don’t really know him. I just heard him talking with others about studying at the academy."
Bai Ruozhu looked at her brother’s expression, and then at the somewhat arrogant figure in the distance. She could guess how this person must have flaunted his accomplishments before the examination. It was no wonder her brother didn’t feel like dealing with him.
"As for Du Zhongshu, he confirmed his success this time. His family probably won’t feel at ease with him going back to Anyuan Town. He will likely have to study in the academy as well. Even Mr. Xie may have to return to Beiyu City," she said softly. "Brother, let’s not wait until after the New Year. Let’s move as soon as possible."
After a few seconds of silence, Bai Zepei responded, "Alright, the only thing is, our expenses will increase."
"That’s alright, I have some savings," Bai Ruozhu winked at her brother. "I’ve been managing people’s money, of course I can reap some benefits."
Bai Zepei understood immediately. He sighed and said, "I’m not very good at making money. I’m so ashamed."
"Having money without a reliable backup is bound to get you into trouble someday. In the future, you will be our family’s pillar of support, brother. There’s no rush," Bai Ruozhu reassured him.
These words did comfort Bai Zepei. Everyone has their specialty. If he studied well and became an official in the future, he could protect his family better.
Just then, they overheard some people’s conversation.
"Have you heard? That Du Zhongshu brat got ill from something," a group of three young men were walking and chatting together. They seemed to have known Du Zhongshu for a long time.
"What kind of illness? Did he contract it from the brothel?" another one of them joked, his laughter carrying a hint of malice.
Bai Ruozhu and her brother heard the men’s conversation. They exchanged a glance, both feeling it was quite a coincidence.
The one who spoke first laughed, "That’s unlikely. I heard he got poisoned. His grandpa was livid. There must be some quarrel happening."
The third young man who hadn’t spoken yet advised, "You guys should stop gossiping about this before it gets you into trouble."
The three men walked further and further away and eventually entered the academy. Bai Ruozhu couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore.
"Brother, let’s go and see if anyone around here is selling a house," Bai Ruozhu suggested, feeling bored. She pulled her brother away.
Bai Zepei was worried about the cost of buying a house, but Bai Ruozhu argued, "Most of the larger yards are not available for rent. We have no choice but to buy. After all, our family is not small."
Upon hearing this, Bai Zepei chuckled. His little sister had quietly arranged to have a concubine room and Zhang Liliang, a man who had seen the world, admired her greatly. Should he be proud or nervous?
The two of them found a legitimate broker and asked him to recommend some properties. They viewed a couple of houses but were not fully satisfied with any of them.
Actually, the main point of dissatisfaction was price. Even though Jiang Yichun had given Bai Ruozhu two thousand pieces of silver, she didn’t want to spend it all so casually. She had promised to make Jiang Yichun’s money work for him, and she intended to keep that promise. Therefore, she certainly needed to keep a large amount of the silver to use as capital for her business.
The broker, last name Deng, probably understood that the pair were tight on funds, so he said he would keep looking for them and bring the news to them at the Linjiang Residence in the next few days if he found something suitable.