Chapter 421: Generous Spending
By the time the two of them came back to their senses, a number of "red plum blossoms" had bloomed on Bai Ruozhu’s chest, their bright redness startling against her snow-white skin.
Jiang Yichun’s face grew red involuntarily. He had just gotten carried away, his actions much too forceful.
Bai Ruozhu flushed, pulling her clothes together and bemoaned, "You should go and rest. We, we aren’t married yet."
At the hear of her words, his face reddened even more. He cast a deep look at her and said, "I won’t get out of line. I promise I will marry you soon."
"Wait wait wait!" Bai Ruozhu suddenly remembered something and immediately cut him off. She stared at him fiercely and said, "I’m not opposed to marrying you, but I will not share my husband. If you can’t guarantee that you won’t take any concubines in the future, then let’s just put an end to this and pretend we don’t know each other."
Jiang Yichun looked at her arrogant demeanor and a smile appeared on his face. Her possessiveness towards him filled him with joy.
He grabbed one of her hands and raised his other in an oath, "I, Jiang Yichun, swear to only love Bai Ruozhu, and will never take in another concubine. If I break this oath, may I be struck by thunder and suffer unbearable abdominal pain."
Now it was Bai Ruozhu’s turn to be dumbfounded. He not only swore without any hesitation but also swore such a terrible oath. Didn’t people of ancient times have a reverence for ghosts and gods and would not lightly swear an oath?
Her heart was filled with sweetness at the thought, and the way she looked at him became even more affectionate.
Taken by her gaze, heat spread through Jiang Yichun’s body. He bent down and kissed her lips again, but this time he only pecked lightly, not daring to go too far. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
However, he suddenly thought of breaking his virginity after his memory loss. Didn’t that mean he had been with another woman at some point? The thought of explaining this to Ruozhu left him unsure, and the heat previously spreading through his body gradually cooled down.
The next morning, Bai Ruozhu held a small mirror and inspected her chest. She was afraid that the red plum blossoms would be visible through her clothes, even though they were far down enough and her collar so high that they were impossible to see. She was just feeling guilty.
During feeding time, Dengdeng reached out to touch one of the red plum blossoms on her chest, looking at it curiously. Bai Ruozhu’s face flushes immediately. She hurriedly took a nursing shawl to cover her skin and said grumpily to Dengdeng, "Stop being mischievous and drink your milk!"
Soon she found herself daydreaming. Last night was indeed dangerous. She was gradually being influenced by him and could even do such embarrassing things now. She had taken the liberty to pinch his butt cheek just like they would do in ****, wailing in her mind that she could never again face people.
Soon after breakfast, Deng Zhongren, the middleman, came looking for them. He claimed that there was a nice little mansion available and asked if the two would like to see it.
Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment. Going to see Lady Meng at the moment might be inconvenient because she might not have gotten up yet or the family was still paying respects. It would be better to visit the mansion first and then go to the Meng Residence.
She packed her medicine box and decided to deliver medicine to the Meng Residence directly from the mansion.
If Lady Meng didn’t use the medicine diligently, her teeth would begin to hurt again soon.
The siblings followed the middleman to view the mansion. The place was not big, but was conveniently located near the Beiyu Study Palace, which pleasantly surprised them.
"The location of this mansion is not in a bustling area, so the price is not high. The house owner is more inclined to rent it. They might not be willing to sell unless the price is right." Deng Zhongren explained, "I think if you urgently need a place to stay, you might consider renting first and buy a property later."
Bai Ruozhu had asked about purchasing a house in Beiyu City from the innkeeper yesterday, and it was not an easy task, especially for bigger mansions. Therefore, Deng Zhongren’s suggestion was not wrong. It was indeed better to rent something first.
Upon seeing that the siblings were interested, Deng Zhongren continued, "Why don’t I arrange a meeting with the house owner tomorrow, and you can negotiate the price."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "That would be great. Thank you." After saying so, she gave some reward money to Deng Zhongren.
Deng Zhongren was elated and promised that he would make a case for them during the price negotiation to secure a good deal.
After bidding farewell to Deng Zhongren, the siblings headed to the Meng Residence.
As soon as they announced their names, the gatekeeper immediately smiled and said, "The Old Lady has said that Miss Bai doesn’t need to announce her arrival. You can go straight in."
Bai Ruozhu found it amusing. The Old Lady was quite eager.
The gatekeeper led them into the front yard, where they soon met the steward who had greeted them at the inn the day before. He greeted them with a smile and told the gatekeeper, "I’ll take them to see the Young Master. You go about your business."
The gatekeeper quickly excused himself, and Bai Ruozhu and her brother followed the steward to Meng Liangshen’s study. However, Meng Liangshen did not make Bai Ruozhu stay and chat, but said, "I will have a talk with Zepei. Meng Qiu, you take Miss Bai to see the Old Lady."
"Yes." Meng Qiu gave a respectful salute.
Bai Ruozhu, holding Dengdeng, also bowed to Meng Liangshen and then followed the steward out.
Soon enough, she arrived at the courtyard she visited the day before, and finally had the chance to take a closer look. The courtyard of the Old Lady was called Leisure Residence. She nodded to herself. It seemed that the Old Lady sought a relaxed and comfortable life, not honor or power.
The steward did not enter the inner courtyard, and the Old Lady’s personal nanny led Bai Ruozhu in. As soon as Bai Ruozhu was free, she asked softly, "What should I call you, Nanny?"
"You can call me Nanny Lu, the Old Lady has been mentioning you since this morning." Nanny Lu said with a chuckle. It seemed that just like the Old Lady, she was a cheerful person.
Of course, Bai Ruozhu would never underestimate her just because of this. The fact that she could serve as the personal nanny of City Lord’s wife meant she was definitely someone remarkable.
Bai Ruozhu gave Nanny Lu a purse, saying, "Thank you for your trouble. This is a small token of gratitude, please use it to buy some dim sum."
Nanny Lu declined a couple of times before finally accepting it. Inside the purse were silver coins, it seemed to weigh about two taels.
As someone who had served the Old Lady for years, Nanny Lu had seen all sorts of rewards. But she was surprised at Bai Ruozhu’s generosity given her humble background, as she heard she was merely from a common farming family.
Even if you were trying to show off by paying in silver, it should have caused a bit of heartache. However, the girl didn’t blink an eye. She didn’t seem to mind parting with her money at all.
If Bai Ruozhu knew what Nanny Lu was thinking, she would have laughed. Just thinking about half a year ago, wasn’t she wide-eyed over 30 taels of silver and even sent 25 taels home with her brother out of fear they might get stolen?
Indeed, the past was too painful to recall. The Bai family’s conditions were getting better, and so was Bai Ruozhu’s financial situation. Therefore, she definitely wasn’t going to be stingy with money that needed to be spent.
Bai Ruozhu followed Nanny Lu into the Flower Hall. Not only was Lady Meng in the room, but also a woman in extravagant clothing with a stern face.