Chapter 478 - 480: She Trusts Him, He Also Trusts Her
There was one thing that Bai Ruozhu didn’t say, and that was her firm belief that Jiang Yichun wouldn’t listen to rumors, nor would he distrust her.
They did not swear to each other eternal love on top of a mountain or next to the sea, but they had faced life-and-death situations together. They did not have a grand, passionate love story, but his soothingly quiet approach warm little by little her heart. Therefore, she believed in him, and he believed in her in the same way.
From another perspective, she had a tall, handsome, and relatively wealthy man; so why would she choose Meng Liangshen, who was just as old as her father? Why would she reject a man who was wholeheartedly devoted to marrying her, only to chase after an old man with a wife, concubines, and a bunch of children?
She mustn’t have water in her brain!
Only a person with water in their brain would entertain such thoughts!
Seeing such a confident Bai Ruozhu, Yu Hongxiu was taken aback for a moment. Afterward, she chuckled and asked: "Are you talking about that noble gentleman? Oh, I’m really curious about what he looks like. You must’ve seen him, right? How is he? Handsome?"
Bai Ruozhu immediately blushed and gave her a reproachful look, "Look at you. Weren’t you the one who said we shouldn’t judge a person by their looks? We should focus on inner beauty."
Yu Hongxiu pouted, "Humph, if he had an ugly face full of boils, I bet you wouldn’t have given him a second glance. Even if you don’t care, think about how it will affect your children.+"
She looked at Bai Ruozhu’s sweet smile, and her gaze started to drift, "Oh, I get it. He must be extraordinarily handsome. Your blush says it all."
Bai Ruozhu looked at her indignantly, "Who’s blushing now? Do I seem like someone who’s overly concerned with appearances?"
As she said this, she couldn’t help but feel guilty. The first time she noticed Jiang Yichun was when he was riding a tall horse. His chilly aura was even colder than his black hunting suit, but still, nothing could overshadow his handsome face. She was so stunned by his appearance that she thought he was an immortal descended from a painting.
Yu Hongxiu didn’t continue to argue with her, but gave a mischievous smile instead, "So it really is that nobleman. Even if you don’t want to admit it, you have to now."
Realizing she couldn’t hide the truth, Bai Ruozhu made a face at her, saying, "Just make sure you don’t let the cat out of the bag, especially not in front of my parents."
"Why? Do your parents oppose?" Yu Hongxiu couldn’t help but ask. She knew about Bai Ruozhu’s situation. Bai Ruozhu’s previous husband had disappeared without a trace, so couldn’t she remarry?
"Not really. But as you know, my previous husband married into our family and was saved by my Dad. They will feel somewhat uncomfortable if I find another man so soon after my husband’s disappearance," Bai Ruozhu replied.
Yu Hongxiu lightly patted her, "It’s you who feels embarrassed right? Listen to me, your first marriage was arranged by your parents, your second should be your choice. There’s no need to feel guilty about it. Besides, would this man also like your Dengdeng? You better not have regrets."
Bai Ruozhu blushed, but nodded seriously. She had hesitated, she had been afraid, but now she wouldn’t hold back anymore and definitely wouldn’t miss such a good man.
The two women were chatting and smiling when they arrived at Yu Hongxiu’s home. Bai Ruozhu suddenly remembered about finding a shop, and hastily mentioned it to Yu Hongxiu.
"It’s not easy to buy shop premises in Beiyu City. The better the location, the less people are willing to sell. However, renting isn’t difficult. I’ll ask around for you and let you know in a couple of days," Yu Hongxiu said.
"Thank you so much, but don’t exhaust yourself for my sake or I won’t be able to forgive myself," Bai Ruozhu quickly replied.
Yu Hongxiu couldn’t help laughing, "Doesn’t the matter still have to proceed through the right channels? Don’t worry."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t enter the Xie Family’s house. Yu Hongxiu tried to arrange for a horse carriage to take her home, but she declined as she wanted to stroll around the nearby streets, take a look at the shops, and understand the prices in Beiyu City.
She hadn’t been walking for long when she saw a horse carriage parked at an intersection. A maid got out of the carriage and helped a woman down. The coachman - her previously hired - also got out of the carriage and waited.
Recognizing a familiar face, Bai Ruozhu took a longer look. She highly appreciated the coachman’s integrity. He had allowed the Bai family to use his carriage for two days without any fees when they were in Anyuan Town. After Bai Ruozhu arrived in Beiyu City, she paid him in full and gave him an extra reward as before. He left effusively thanking her.
The maid took a copper coin from her purse and tossed it to the coachman. The maid seemed to either disdain the smell of horses on the coachman or was keen to maintain distance between men and women; she appeared as though she wanted to throw the coin from far away. However, in her haste to toss the coins, a few accidentally fell to the ground, rolling off to one side.
The maid paused for a moment, then turned around and walked away without apologizing or picking up the coins.
The previously smiling face of the coachman gradually stiffened, and his expression of disappointment and humiliation appeared. It wasn’t until the lady and maid were far away that he slowly squatted down and began to pick up the scattered coins, one by one.
When he picked up the last coin, a pair of deerskin boots entered his line of sight. He hurriedly looked up, his desolate face replaced with surprise.
"Oh, Madam, do you need a ride?" the coachman asked with a smile on his face.
"Not for now, but I happened to see you, and came over to say hi," Bai Ruozhu said, "I never asked your name, what is it?"
"Madam, my name is Wei San," the coachman replied.
Last name Wei, third in the family - Bai Ruozhu thought inwardly. But she remembered that he had previously mentioned that he had no one at home in Anyuan Town. Considering that he seemed to be in his thirties, wouldn’t he have a wife and children already? Could it be...
Bai Ruozhu did not proceed with her inquiries. Instead, she looked at Wei San and asked, "I remember you said that you don’t have any family. If I want to hire you as our coachman, would you be willing?"
She figured that after she finished asking, Wei San would accept the offer with the same smiling face as before. However, this time, Wei San didn’t say a word and seemed to be pondering over something. He seemed hesitant.
She didn’t get angry, nor did she rush him. She just waited quietly. After a while, Wei San finally opened his mouth, "I, Wei San, can tell that you are a good person. If you need me, you can call me anytime. However, I don’t want to be a indentured servant to anyone. My father repeatedly instructed me this before he died."
A simple and honest coachman, who revealed a sense of humiliation when customers threw the coins on the ground, showed that his pride and ambition hadn’t been ground down by life. This also suggested that his days had likely been much better in the past, with seldom instances of such disrespect.
His statement of not wanting to sell his body to anyone also confirmed Bai Ruozhu’s guess.
Bai Ruozhu laughed, "When did I ask you to sell yourself? Didn’t you hear me say that I want to hire you? You have a horse and a carriage, I’ll hire you to exclusively serve my family. I guarantee that monthly you’ll earn more than you currently do. Of course, your horse and carriage will still belong to you. No one will make you sign an indentured servant contract."