Chapter 426: Suburban Hot Spring Date
Afterward, Bai Zepei went out to attend to some matters while Bai Ruozhu stayed at the inn, playing with Dengdeng. People say that at three months, a baby should be able to roll over, sit unsupported at six months, and crawl at seven. Dengdeng was nearly four months old but still struggled with rolling over, most likely because of his thick, swaddling winter clothes.
She allowed little Dengdeng to lie on his tummy on the bed, supporting himself with his bent arms. He could hold his head up quite well, and then she would gently help him roll to one side. But that was about it; he found it quite difficult to roll over when lying on his back.
After Bai Ruozhu did a set of baby exercises with Dengdeng and played their little rolling-over game a few times, she planned to take Dengdeng out for a meal. However, she was unsure whether they would bump into Jiang Yichun today.
Just as she stepped out of the inn, a horse carriage pulled up in front of her. The coachman said, "Ma’am, please get in the carriage."
Bai Ruozhu was mildly surprised. Had there been a mistake? She’d never seen this carriage before.
The carriage curtain was slightly lifted, revealing a pair of pitch-black eyes within Bai Ruozhu’s line of sight. Inside, he mouthed the words: "Get in."
A smile tugged at the corners of Bai Ruozhu’s mouth as she got into the carriage, holding Dengdeng.
Just as she settled into the carriage, the coachman hastily set off, causing her to sway momentarily due to inertia. A large hand gripped her tightly, pulling her and Dengdeng into his embrace.
"Hold on tight." Jiang Yichun said gently, his gaze stuck on her face, unable to look away.
Little Dengdeng began to wave his arms and kick his feet at the sight of Jiang Yichun. He even gurgled with laughter, prompting Jiang Yichun to finally shift his gaze away and hold Dengdeng in his arms.
Previously, he’d never believed in the concept of fate between people. Yet, he had met Bai Ruozhu. He once looked down on Du Zhongshu, who held a special concern for Bai Ruozhu. He thought, what was so noteworthy about a widow?
Yet, in the end, he found himself completely entranced by her. Not only that, he especially adored her son. Although Dengdeng wasn’t his flesh and blood, seeing him tugged at his heartstrings, perhaps due to his love for Dengdeng’s mother.
Dengdeng started to play with Jiang Yichun’s chin again. Without the mask this time, he seemed even more delighted, babbling incessantly.
Watching them, a soft smile spread across Bai Ruozhu’s face.
"Where are you taking us?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
"To a manor on the outskirts. There’s a geothermal source there, I guarantee you’ll like it," Jiang Yichun said while pinching Dengdeng’s chubby hand. "However, Dengdeng is still too young to soak in the hot springs."
At the mention of hot springs, Bai Ruozhu’s eyes lit up. Yet, various amorous images started to emerge in her mind, causing a blush to creep up onto her cheeks.
With such inconvenient bathing conditions in the current era, it had been a long time since she had a comfortable bath, especially in this cold winter. So, her yearning for the hot springs overcame any bashfulness she had.
Seeing her blush, Jiang Yichun couldn’t help but chuckle, "What are you thinking about?"
His tone suggested a tease, and Bai Ruozhu glared at him before murmuring, "There’s someone else in the carriage."
Jiang Yichun rapped his knuckles on the carriage wall, smugly replying, "The carriage is soundproofed."
Sure enough, his knuckles produced a dull thud. It was undoubtedly made from dense and solid timber.
Seeing this, Bai Ruozhu lowered her voice, "Then, let me ask you something."
Upon seeing her sudden seriousness, he couldn’t help but lose his playful grin.
"Tell me."
"What’s the relationship between your senior apprentice brother and the eldest son of the Meng Family?" Bai Ruozhu’s voice was even softer.
Jiang Yichun seemed unsurprised, chuckling as he said, "You should know, from an outsider’s perspective, everyone in the communication bureau is terrifying. However, most aristocrats are reluctant to send their children into the bureau. Those posted there can’t appear in public for long periods, living like creatures dwelling in the shadows."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, allowing him to continue, "The communication bureau is also reluctant to employ people with complex family backgrounds. Since they investigate classified events, it is inevitable that some would have personal biases. Hence, many of those recruited into the bureau have very simple backgrounds, or they are individuals inconvenient for appearing in public."
His expression dimmed as he went on, "Like me."
Bai Ruozhu sympathetically reached for his hand, silently affirming that she was there for him.
He thanked her with a warm smile and continued, "Since he showed you his real face, it means he doesn’t fear you knowing his circumstances. His biological father is Meng Liangshen. Unfortunately, Meng Liangshen will never acknowledge him."
Bai Ruozhu had already suspected this scenario, but hearing Jiang Yichun confirm it was still a bit surprising.
"Why not?" Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but ask.
"Meng Liangshen was initially a scholar who passed the Imperial Examination. He had always been loyal to the then-crown prince. Someone tried to win him over by drugging him and making him sleep with an exceptionally beautiful woman who was then given to him. This was orchestrated by the mother of King Rui, who was once heavily favored by the previous emperor. By the way, King Rui is the current emperor’s brother, and his biological mother was the favored Yang Fei."
"Yang Fei thought that the young and lustful Scholar Meng would surely be entrapped by the beauty, but Scholar Meng sent the woman away and wouldn’t let her set foot in his residence. A few years later, he discovered that the woman had given birth to a son for him, who was even a year older than his legitimate eldest son. At that time, Yang Fei’s faction had already fallen. The child wasn’t a threat to Scholar Meng, but he adamantly refused to let the woman and child into the Meng Residence."
The child Jiang Yichun mentioned was undoubtedly his senior fellow apprentice. After hearing this, Bai Ruozhu felt a pang of sorrow for him. Should she pity his senior fellow apprentice for his pitiable fate or berate Scholar Meng for his cold-heartedness? But when she considered Scholar Meng’s own predicament, she could only blame the cunning Yang Fei.
"However, I don’t think Scholar Meng completely disregarded your senior fellow apprentice, right? If he didn’t give silent consent, I guess it would be hard for your master to accept him as a disciple?" Bai Ruozhu pondered.
Her words left Jiang Yichun momentarily stunned. He too held a tough view of Meng Liangshen, but upon hearing this, he started to see the Meng family patriarch in a new light.
If his memory loss had been a plot by his opponents, contriving to drug him into sleeping with a woman he had zero emotional attachment to, would he acknowledge a resultant child if he had found the love of his life now? Especially if the people who had insulted and smeared his reputation came knocking at his door, would he acknowledge them?
For the sake of Bai Ruozhu, he wouldn’t want to acknowledge them!
Suddenly, Jiang Yichun felt like laughing. What was he thinking? Did he consider himself the second Meng Liangshen?
The carriage quickly left the city, arriving at a manor in the countryside not long after.
Jiang Yichun helped Bai Ruozhu out of the carriage, saying, "One old man takes care of the manor. He saw me grow up, so you can rest assured. I will take you to the hot spring. You still have to return later, so we are on a tight schedule."
The moment she entered the manor, Bai Ruozhu fell in love with it. It was exceptionally serene with numerous winter jasmine trees planted, exuding an elegant charm. Unfortunately, the winter jasmine flowers were not fully bloomed. She imagined the sight of the blooms against a snowy backdrop, creating a unique and charming scenery.
When Bai Ruozhu saw the hot spring, she was more than just fond of it; she was excited.
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Is anyone worried about the female lead not being able to soak in the hot springs while breastfeeding? Actually, Mouka had taken a hot spring bath during lactation, with her child watching her and his father soak from the stroller. You could imagine how envious and eager the child was, hehe.