Chapter 456: Chapter 458 - Whispered Sweet Nothings in the Ear
Meanwhile, Bai Ruozhu had prepared the antidote and sent it to the County Government Office, handing it directly to Mr. Li. She didn’t go to the Li family’s house directly, let alone want to meet Mrs. Li. Even though she helped Mrs. Li hide the truth, she figured Mrs. Li probably didn’t want to see her anymore.
"Take this ointment in four doses by swallowing it directly. Afterwards, follow this prescription to prepare the medicine—boil three bowls of water down to one bowl. Drinking it continuously for half a month should do the trick. It would be best to see me in Beiyu City when the time comes." Bai Ruozhu spoke as she shook her head slightly, "The poison Mrs. Li encountered later was easy to cure, but the slow-acting poison she was subjected to earlier is difficult to resolve, as it has even caused some damage to her body."
After only two days, Mr. Li had visibly lost a lot of weight. The incident must have been a hard blow to him, and he probably felt a great deal of guilt.
"Was the slow-acting poison administered at once?" He accepted the box of ointment and couldn’t help but ask.
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "I’m not sure how many times it was given, but it certainly could not have been done all at once. Moreover, the person behind your cousin is no ordinary character. I suggest that you avoid any further entanglements with her in order to avoid being implicated unnecessarily."
Mr. Li bowed to Bai Ruozhu, "Thank you for your reminder, Miss Bai. And also..." He faltered and his face paled further.
Bai Ruozhu knew what he wanted to ask, so she said directly: "I didn’t lie. Mrs. Li never came into contact with the poison. However, it seems that she knew about this whole situation all along. She was beguiled by Liu Xianxian. If you can’t put your mind at ease, perhaps it would be best to have a sincere conversation with her."
It seemed Mr. Li was relieved, but he still looked distressed. Bai Ruozhu thought that anyone who discovered their biological mother had conspired against their wife would be upset, wouldn’t they?
When Bai Ruozhu went to say goodbye, Li Shunsheng finally collected himself, quickly offering twenty taels of silver and said, "This is for the medicinal fees. Please accept it, Miss Bai."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t stand on ceremony and directly accepted the silver. The cost of preparing the medicine was indeed not small, and she was not so saintly as to offer free medical treatments and medications.
"Also, Mr. Li, please clean up your house thoroughly as well. Anything that was hidden by Liu Xianxian could be harmful to your wife, or even possibly to your children." Bai Ruozhu suddenly stopped and turned back to say this after a few steps.
Li Shunsheng was taken aback and asked, "What kind of things might there be?"
"I’m just speculating, but I vaguely feel that Liu Xianxian is very ruthless. Isolate anything suspicious and have someone bring it to me for inspection," Bai Ruozhu said.
Li Shunsheng thanked Bai Ruozhu again. After seeing Bai Ruozhu out, he hurried back to his residence.
By the time Bai Ruozhu returned home, she found several carriages parked at the entrance of the West Courtyard. She promptly sped up her stride, knowing that those carriages were most likely arranged by Jiang Yichun, who had indeed promised her so.
As expected, the moment she entered the yard, Guizhi was waiting, grinning broadly, clearly anticipating some amusing events. Bai Ruozhu thus suspected that Jiang Yichun must be inside the house.
She glowered at Guizhi and quickly walked into the Main Hall. As she suspected, Jiang Yichun was in the room, and her father was with him, looking very nervous, for baby Little Dengdeng was in Jiang Yichun’s arms.
Little Dengdeng liked being held upright now, so it was easy for him to reach for Jiang Yichun’s mask. Jiang Yichun dodged the baby’s little hands while simultaneously teasing him, causing Little Dengdeng to chirp and squawk in excitement.
Bai Yihong was extremely nervous on the side, fearing that Dengdeng, being too naughty, would actually remove Jiang Yichun’s mask, angering their distinguished guest. However, he was also a little hopeful, wanting to see what the face behind the mask looked like. A strange thought even crossed his mind: he wanted to see if the face behind the mask was as handsome as Chang Sheng’s and if it was a match for his daughter.
Bai Ruozhu stepped forward and picked up Dengdeng, smiling as she said, "Thank you for arranging the carriages, sir."
"Oh, no problem." Jiang Yichun answered cheerfully. His eyes lit up when Bai Ruozhu appeared.
Little Dengdeng was unhappy, wriggling in her arms and stretching his hands towards Jiang Yichun. It was clear that he preferred Jiang Yichun to his mother. Bai Ruozhu gave a vexed grin, spanked him softly on his little bottom, and softly chided, "You naughty boy, you have no conscience, rejecting your own mother like that?"
Seeing his mother’s hand coming down, Little Dengdeng pouted and seemed about to wail loudly. Jiang Yichun quickly took Little Dengdeng back into his arms and couldn’t help saying, "What are you hitting the child for? He was just happily playing with me! You’re too fierce for a mother!"
Little Dengdeng immediately stopped crying and his downcast little face brightened up!
Bai Ruozhu was left speechless. She was also somewhat annoyed. Jiang Yichun was actually chiding her. Does he really need to spoil Dengdeng that much?
Meanwhile, Bai Yihong was left flabbergasted. Even if he was slow to react, he could see how fond Jiang Yichun was of Little Dengdeng, and furthermore, his tone with his daughter was exceptionally intimate.
He felt awkward and out of place, just like the "third wheel" his daughter had described. He thought for a moment and said, "Ruozhu, why don’t you pour the gentleman some tea? I will go see if your mother needs help packing."
Without waiting for Bai Ruozhu’s reply, he hurried out.
Bai Ruozhu stared in disbelief at her father’s "hasty retreat." She wanted to ask her father, "Aren’t you worried about your daughter being bullied? Aren’t you being too carefree?"
Jiang Yichun chuckled quietly. In his eyes, his future father-in-law was quite interesting—a very good man indeed.
Deflecting Little Dengdeng’s flailing arms, he walked up to Bai Ruozhu and whispered, "Niu Cuicui is safe. Don’t worry about it."
"That’s good." Bai Ruozhu breathed a sigh of relief. Xiaosi’s mother was a pitiable woman, and she wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her.
Jiang Yichun’s eyes twinkled. He didn’t convey the situation of Niu Cuicui’s husband. As the damage had been done and was irreversible, he was afraid that telling her would agitate her.
"We’re going to leave tomorrow. Will you be staying in Anyuan Town on a regular basis?" Bai Ruozhu thought for a while before asking.
A smile appeared in Jiang Yichun’s eyes. Lowering his voice, he said, "Why? Are you afraid you won’t get to see me regularly?"
Bai Ruozhu glared at him. She shot a quick glance outside, fearing that the family might hear him.
"Absolutely not," she retorted angrily.
Jiang Yichun chuckled softly. He knew that she was saying one thing but feeling another. "I’ve been busy dealing with bandit issues recently and will mostly be staying around here. In a few days, I’ll be able to go to Beiyu City," he said, with a smile.
Pausing for a moment and lowering his voice even more, he said, "Don’t worry, I will find the time to visit you."
His voice was so soft it felt like sweet nothings whispered by a lover into Bai Ruozhu’s ear. She blushed profusely. This was the first time they had dared to speak so openly in the daytime. She was sweating in nervousness, worrying about how to explain it if anyone in the family heard them.
Seeing her cheek flush with embarrassment, Jiang Yichun found it even more amusing. Holding Little Dengdeng with one hand, he suddenly raised the other hand to gently stroke her blushing cheek...