Chapter 459 - 461: Just Like When We First Met
"Taking care of Ruolan for a lifetime will put a heavy burden on you and Caiyue. When you get back, you should have a good talk with Caiyue about it." Lin Ping’er said.
Bai Ruozhu quickly replied, "Ruolan is so attached to me. Even if I remarry in the future, I will take care of her. If my in-laws disapprove, I could allow my future husband to live with us. I, Bai Ruozhu, am surely capable of that."
Seeing Bai Ruozhu bragging so confidently without blushing, Lin Ping’er and Bai Zepei couldn’t help but laugh. Bai Zehao interjected, "Little sister, don’t try to handle everything by yourself. As the eldest son of the family, I should bear the responsibilities I’m supposed to. Your sister-in-law won’t object either."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t argue with her elder brother as all of that would be future matters.
When they returned home, others who saw Bai Ruolan being brought back couldn’t help but ask what had happened. When they learned about Wang Jiapo’s conduct, they couldn’t help but curse and wish for her unpleasant demise.
If their family really can’t take care of Bai Ruolan due to difficulties, they could talk nicely about it. The Bai family could not force them, but Wang Jiapo was extremely rude and kept calling them "fools". It was clear that she didn’t see her granddaughter as a human being at all.
"How come Mrs. Wang is collaborating privately with the mountain bandits?" Bai Zepei, who had been silent all along, suddenly brought up a key issue.
Bai Ruozhu thought for a while before whispering, "It was the man who caused trouble at our stall and later attacked me on the road. He used to be a neighbor of the Wang Family, and he has unusual feelings for Mrs. Wang."
Because Jiang Yichun was still busy dealing with the bandits, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t say too much and just briefly explained the situation.
Bai Yihong was fascinated, and couldn’t help but ask, "How did you find out? I have never heard you mention this before."
Lin Ping’er used her elbow to poke him and gave him a covert glare. Isn’t it obvious? It must have been the important person who told Ruozhu. He is unobservant and axing blindly.
Bai Yihong recognized the meaning in his wife’s eyes and retreated, realizing he had asked thoughtlessly.
Feeling awkward, Bai Ruozhu said, "Didn’t Officer Li get involved in the matter? When I was treating Lady Li, he mentioned it to me."
This made Lin Ping’er feel awkward. Bai Yihong laughed at her, indicating that she was overthinking.
That night, everyone went to bed early. However, it seemed that everyone was a bit excited, eagerly looking forward to starting a new life.
Jiang Yichun didn’t show up that night, which disappointed Bai Ruozhu a bit. She went into the Space and organized her belongings, placing all the important things into the Space, such as the medicinal materials she had prepared for Rongrong and her mother, in case they were left behind during the move.
Early the next morning, as the sky was just starting to turn light, two horse carriages left the Xie Residence and set off towards Beiyu City.
Bai Ruozhu sat in the horse carriage, holding Dengdeng with one hand and casually flipping through a book of poetry with the other. Yu Hongxiu, who was sitting next to her, softly stroked her not-yet-protruding belly and grumbled, "Why are you still reading books so early in the morning? Stop being such a bookworm. Just chat with us."
As Yu Hongxiu insisted on sharing a carriage with Bai Ruozhu, the carriage only seated Bai Ruozhu, Yu Hongxiu, Wan Caiyue, and Fang Guizhi. The carriage didn’t go too fast, afraid of shaking Yu Hongxiu too much.
"Aren’t you sleepy getting up so early? Close your eyes and take a rest. Let me tell you this, pregnant women need to get enough sleep for their babies to grow well," Bai Ruozhu said, stuffing a piece of Dimsum into her mouth.
Yu Hongxiu frowned and also picked up a piece of Dimsum. She then told Wan Caiyue and Fang Guizhi, "You two should eat as well. Don’t be overly formal just because I’m here. Otherwise, I’ll feel bad."
How could Wan Caiyue and Fang Guizhi not be formal? In their hearts, Yu Hongxiu was a lady of a prestigious family and also their teacher’s wife, not a peer of theirs.
Yu Hongxiu sighed and said grumpily, "Marrying an old man makes me feel old too. When I try to make friends with people my age, they all see me as an elder."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but burst into laughter, "What if Mr. Xie hears you? He’s just over thirty. How could he be considered old? My dad is of the age where he can only be called middle-aged. Only someone of my grandpa’s age can be called an old man."
Wan Caiyue and Fang Guizhi also giggled, thinking Yu Hongxiu was quite humorous and fun.
Yu Hongxiu then suggested, "Let’s not talk about that anymore. It’s boring just travelling around like this. How about we play some Leaf Cards?" Saying this, she pulled out a deck of Leaf Cards from her sleeve excitedly.
The card game was obviously very different from poker. Neither Bai Ruozhu nor Wan Caiyue knew how to play. So, Yu Hongxiu patiently explained it to them. Fortunately, all of them were intelligent and quickly understood how to play. They set up their card table and even gambled a little, with only one or two coins per round, just for fun.
Initially, Yu Hongxiu won a few rounds, but she soon found out that Bai Ruozhu was a quick learner and started to win big, thumping them all.
"Ah, Ruozhu, do you have to be so formidable? Can’t you go easy on a pregnant woman?" Yu Hongxiu complained.
Bai Ruozhu chuckled and looked at Yu Hongxiu’s flat belly, asking, "Where’s the pregnant woman?" Seeing Yu Hongxiu getting annoyed, she quickly added, "I’ve come up with a new way to play. Maybe we can make a new deck of cards and change up the game a bit. It’s even more fun when two people team up."
Yu Hongxiu was intrigued, but Bai Ruozhu said she didn’t have the means to make it at the moment. Yu Hongxiu couldn’t help but feel itchily curious and complained about Bai Ruozhu teasing her and leaving her hanging.
Just then, the sound of talking came from outside the carriage, "Sir," a coachman called out.
Bai Ruozhu’s heart raced. Was the coachman calling Jiang Yichun? She couldn’t help pulling the curtain aside, poked her head out and looked out of the carriage. Sure enough, it was Jiang Yichun!
He was just as she first saw him, riding on a solid black horse, with shiny fur that made it clear it was a good horse. He was dressed in black, his hair neatly tied on the top of his head, looking aloof and mysterious.
The only difference was that the first time she saw him, she was a bit stunned, thinking how could a person be so good-looking, like a fairy in a painting. But this time, he wore an ugly black mask that covered his incredibly handsome face.
Also, this time, his gaze was not as aloof as the first one. As soon as he noticed her looking at him, a look of contempt immediately appeared. But this time, he was definitely smiling at her, his eyes bright and affectionate.
Mr. Xie and Bai Zepei prepared to step out of the carriage to pay their respects, but Jiang Yichun raised his hand to stop them, saying, "I happen to have some business in Beiyu City, so I’ll travel with you. I’ll ride my horse, no need over-courtesies."
After that, he rode on ahead, his horse leading the carriage from the front.
Bai Zepei saw Jiang Yichun go to Bai Ruozhu, the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile and he turned back to the carriage. Mr. Xie looked curious and quietly asked, "This important person seems to have a good relationship with your family, doesn’t he?"