Chapter 429: The Scheming Old Master Du
By the time Bai Ruozhu returned to Linjiang Residence, her second brother was not back yet. She heaved a sigh of relief, afraid of being caught by him without a way to explain herself.
After saying goodbye to Jiang Yichun, Bai Ruozhu took Dengdeng back to her room. Her hair was not completely dry yet, and she thought about loosening it for drying. But thinking of Yichun’s tenderness when he had styled her hair, she halted her hand at her ear. She did not have the heart to break apart the hairstyle he had created.
When Yichun had styled her hair, he had stood in front of her, and she could feel the warm breath from his nose on top of her head. Her smooth forehead and his chin seemed to be stuck together in an ambiguous manner.
The feeling was so charming. It was also very ambiguous.
Bai Ruozhu lightly touched her burning cheek. Even in her previous life where she resided in the twenty-first century, she feared she had never experienced such romantically delightful love affairs. God arranged this transmigration and gave her a happy family and a perfect lover. How lucky she was!
That night, Bai Ruozhu slept soundly. She didn’t know if it was because of the comfort of having soaked in the hot spring, or whether because of the day’s exciting experiences. If it weren’t for the need to feed Dengdeng at night, she was sure to have slept through the night until dawn.
The next morning, she shared breakfast with her brother at Linjiang Residence, and then they headed to their appointment with Old Master Du, choosing the timing carefully.
They didn’t want to arrive too early, to avoid waiting there. They also didn’t want to arrive too late in case they had to stay for lunch. Because of their poor impression of the Du family, primarily due to the behavior of Second Madam Du and Du Fuling, they didn’t intend to get too close. The cooperation agreement was already signed, so while they would give face to the Du family, they also did not wish to engage too much with them.
Although the Du family was a merchant’s house, their style was no lesser than the Meng family. It took some waiting time even after showing the invitation card they held, before they were finally led inside. Thankfully, the Du residence was not as massive as the Meng residence, and didn’t take them much time to reach Old Master Du’s yard.
Old Master Du greeted them with a smile as they entered, Bai Ruozhu and Bai Zepei walked up and greeted him courteously, calling him "Elder Master Du".
Bai Ruozhu quickly observed the Old Master Du. He looked about the same age as Bai Fu, his hair has turned white. It showed he either didn’t take care of himself or was worrying a lot causing the aging.
There were also two men standing next to Old Master Bai, a middle-aged male and a man who seemed to be older than Du Zhongshu. However, Du Zhongshu and father Du Wenbin, weren’t present.
After the pleasantries, Bai Ruozhu voiced her doubts, "Why doesn’t Master Du and Lord Du make an appearance? We have heard their return to the city, aren’t they back yet?"
The man who appeared older than Du Zhongshu showed a slight displeasure in his eyes, while the other middle-aged man kept his face stoic, no change in his expression.
Master Du chuckled, "Zhongshu had to fall back on his journey for recovery from his internal injuries. This is my eldest son, Du Wenyu, and my second grandson, Du Zhongshi."
Bai Ruozhu understood, it seemed that Du Zhongshu has been sidelined.
She and her brother greeted the two, "Greetings Lord Du, and Young Master Du."
Du Wenyu appeared quite amiable, he cheerfully said, "Don’t be formal, please sit and talk. Let’s serve some tea."
Du Zhongshi however, managed to squeeze out a smile. It was apparent that he didn’t much like Bai Ruozhu and her brother. He didn’t seem to be good at hiding his emotions either.
Bai Ruozhu and Bai Zepei sat down and tea was soon served. They each took a sip and put down their teacups, waiting for Elder Master Du to talk first.
Unexpectedly, he asked with a cryptic smile, "What do you two think of this tea?"
Bai Ruozhu muttered to herself, they were landowners and could not afford to indulge in such luxuries. Was he trying to put them in a tight spot, or making an attempt to belittle them?
She was about to openly claim she had no knowledge about tasting tea, but before she could, she heard Zepei say nonchalantly. "The quality of this Da Hong Pao is indeed excellent. However, the preparation technique is lacking, it rather wastes the original aroma of this tea."
Surprisingly, Bai Ruozhu was amazed that her brother could appreciate tea. She thought he must have learned it from Mr. Xie.
Du Zhongshi wasn’t pleased. He retorted, "Do you know how to appreciate tea? If you can’t, then don’t act knowledgeable. If my house servant’s tea making techniques aren’t up to the mark, then you can probably guide us?"
"Zhongshi, You cannot be rude!" Elder Master Du sternly rebuked.
Bai Ruozhu grew a little annoyed at Du Zhongshi’s tone. "Since Old Master Du asked for our opinion, aren’t we supposed to speak the truth? Is this the way you entertain your guests?"
Du Zhongshi glared at Bai Ruozhu and exclaimed, "You rural folk think too highly of yourselves..."
"If you keep spouting nonsense, I want you to leave immediately!" Old Master Du shouted, now visibly angry.
He didn’t value the Bai family as much. However, he knew the Bai siblings visited Meng’s residence twice already. He thought it was because Bai Zepei had caught the eye of the Senior Minister Meng. Even if he could not tie closer relations with the Bai family, he didn’t see the need to annoy them unnecessarily.
Bai Zepei was always reserved and aloof. He side-glanced towards Du Zhongshi and spoke. "Most of the scholars fancy tea and many even master the art. Since Young Master Du doesn’t believe my words, I can brew a cup of tea to show I wasn’t boasting."
He then turned to Old Master Du and said, "We unintentionally embarrassed the Elder Master."
Bai Ruozhu held down her surprise, her brother usually maintained a low profile. Today, however, it felt as though he was intentionally attracting attention. On normal occasions, he would merely draw scorn upon Du Zhongshi, rather than purposely demonstrate his skills.
"Good, the young always have vigor. I will get someone to bring the tea utensils." Old Master Du replied.
Du Zhongshi glared at Bai Zepei with a look that said, "I’m waiting to watch you make a fool of yourself."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t know when her brother mastered tea art, however, she trusted him unconditionally. Therefore, she moved slightly, blocking Du Zhongshi’s line of sight. As Du Zhongshi continued to stare, she raised an eyebrow, challenging him. As expected, he was on the verge of jumping up in anger.
Bai Ruozhu could control her eyebrows independently, her challenging expression annoyed Du Zhongshi. If Du Wenyu hadn’t held him back, he would probably have started cursing at Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu smirked, Du Zhongshi wants to compete with Du Zhongshu for a position in the family? What a dreamer. She understood why Old Master Du didn’t stop other people from sidelining Du Zhongshi, perhaps he wanted someone to take the fall.
She noticed a flicker of approval and satisfaction in Elder Master Du’s eyes and guessed his intentions. He deliberately asked that question in order to give her and her brother an opportunity to win over the elders and the young master, so as to avoid them being looked down upon in future dealings with Du family. But, how was he so certain about her brother’s competence?
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Uploading the fourth part now. I am taking Dengdeng to the seaside, though I’m currently stuck inside the room typing to provide you more updates. This is the most I can do as I am about to head out for some food!