Chapter 491 - 493: A Different Approach to Destroy
Bai Ruozhu did not know this woman’s identity, but given her rich attire and elegant demeanor, her husband must have some influence in Beiyu City. However, her status could not be too high; if it were extremely high, she would not dignify Bai Ruozhu, a commoner, with a personal, sarcastic remark.
Of course, there are exceptions such as Wang Miaoshuang. When the news of the "adultery" scandal in the Meng Residence spread, people who looked down upon Bai Ruozhu, the "homewrecker", also mocked Wang Miaoshuang for lowering her status.
Bai Ruozhu glanced at the woman, remained silent, and chose not to retort. Considering their different statuses, an argument would be pointless. She would wait and see how this woman reacted when Wang Miaoshuang publicly apologized later.
Bai Ruozhu, with a sarcastic smile playing on her lips, walked confidently into the Main Gate. She deliberately went in ahead of the woman, refusing to give way.
The woman, choked with anger, was just about to reprimand Bai Ruozhu when a finely dressed Nanny at the entrance approached, smiling at Bai Ruozhu, "Dr. Bai, we were eagerly waiting for you."
Surprised to see Nanny Lu waiting, Bai Ruozhu replied apologetically, "I didn’t mean to make you wait. I wouldn’t have dawdled on the way had I known."
"No worries, I just got here myself. Let me show you to the Old Lady." Nanny Lu, with a fake assist, led Bai Ruozhu away, leaving the angered woman standing there, grinding her teeth and swallowing the words of rebuke she’d planned.
Even if this woman was close to Wang Miaoshuang, she did not dare upset the Old Lady of the Meng Residence.
Bai Ruozhu followed Nanny Lu to the Old Lady. Seeing Bai Ruozhu had put some extra effort into her appearance, the Old Lady expressed her delight, "You are at the prime of your youth. You should dress up like this. It is pleasing to the eyes."
Bai Ruozhu had always been considered one of the most beautiful women in the Back Mountain Village due to her natural beauty. After she’d taken care of her health following childbirth, her skin now glowed and her figure was well-rounded. Her inherent elegance, coupled with a little dressing up, easily caught people’s attention.
"Old Lady, stop flattering me. I’m a mere countrywoman and have nothing worth showing off. I owe a lot to your favor." Saying this, she presented a forehead ornament that she hadn’t had a chance to gift last time, "I don’t have anything valuable to gift the Old Lady. I crafted this forehead ornament myself. I hope the Old Lady won’t find it distasteful."
The Old Lady took the forehead ornament and examined it carefully. It wasn’t made of common satin but seemed to be woven with fine cotton. But how could woven fabric bear such a beautiful pattern?
The forehead ornament was a deep red. On closer inspection, a brighter red thread formed the character for ’luck’ in the center. The inside was lined with dark red silk for added comfort.
This type of forehead ornament provided better warmth and absorbed sweat better than a typical silk one. Not only did it look elegant, but it was also very comfortable to wear. Bai Ruozhu didn’t add jade or pearl to the ornament. Given the Old Lady’s taste, such trinkets wouldn’t be appreciated. Instead, she put extra care into its design to express her feelings.
"How did you make this? It’s great craftsmanship!" The Old Lady couldn’t help but praise.
Bai Ruozhu laughed, "This is a weaving technique I developed when I had spare time. It turned out to be quite popular."
"Good, good, I’ll accept it. Thank you." Not only did the Old Lady say she would accept it, she also had Nanny Lu fasten it to her forehead right away. She clearly showed her fondness for this forehead ornament.
"Oh my, Old Lady, you can see some additional characters from a different angle!" Nanny Lu exclaimed in surprise.
"Really? What other characters?" The Old Lady wanted to take off the forehead ornament to have another look, but she was afraid to mess up her hairdo.
Nanny Lu gave Bai Ruozhu a look, full of admiration in her eyes.
"There’s a ’longevity’ character on both sides. It’s all thanks to Dr. Bai for being so thoughtful and skilled!"
The old lady was very pleased, wanting to take a look in the bronze mirror, but unfortunately, the image was blurry, and she couldn’t see clearly. She pointed to the box, and Nanny Lu carefully took out a pocket watch. The old lady gently opened it to reveal a small mirror inside the cover. Looking at herself in it, she indeed saw the ’longevity’ characters on both sides.
Bai Ruozhu watched this in silence, thinking to herself that the old lady’s mirror was even smaller than hers. The way she handled it so cautiously, that mirror must have cost her quite a bit of money, right?
No wonder Yichun claimed he was unable to save any silver. He gave such lavish gifts; how could he save money? But, although the gift was expensive, she was very happy with it.
Once the old lady finished using it, feeling very satisfied, she said to Bai Ruozhu, "You must know what this is about. I know you are understanding, and you wouldn’t hold grudges against your sister-in-law. But you must also be careful of other people scheming against you, Beiyu City is not a peaceful place."
Bai Ruozhu nodded. Anywhere there are women, there would be conflict. As long as she did her business well and avoided getting schemed against, it would be fine.
Seeing that Bai Ruozhu was sensible, the old lady nodded and asked Nanny Lu to accompany Bai Ruozhu to the banquet. While she would attend later, she didn’t want Bai Ruozhu to appear with her today. She didn’t want others to think Wang Miaoshuang apologized under the pressure of her mother-in-law, which might undermine the fact that Bai Ruozhu was truly wronged.
Seeing that Bai Ruozhu did not have a maid by her side, the old lady asked Nanny Lu to accompany her. With Nanny Lu present, no one in the Meng Residence would dare to bully Bai Ruozhu easily.
Bai Ruozhu took Nanny Lu’s hand and said apologetically, "I’m so sorry to trouble you, Nanny. Let me check the size of your hand, and I’ll knit you a pair of gloves in a few days."
"I work all day, and where would I have the convenience to wear gloves? Do not waste your effort. You have to take care of children, manage the household and even treat patients. You work so hard," Nanny Lu said, with love in her eyes. Like the old lady, she also favored Bai Ruozhu a lot.
"No worries. When I get them for you, you’ll understand," said Bai Ruozhu with a smile.
In Danliang Country, rich women use hand warmers during winter, and the common people would wear thick cotton gloves when it gets too cold. These gloves are not finger-separated and are inconvenient for work. Therefore, the gloves Nanny Lu had in mind must be different from what Bai Ruozhu was thinking about.
By this time, they had arrived at the banquet hall. Since it was cold outside and it wasn’t a party to admire the snowy scenery or plum blossoms, the banquet was held indoors.
Many of the female relatives of officials had already arrived. As Bai Ruozhu entered, the volume of the conversations dropped, and all eyes were on her.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t like the feeling, but she knew she couldn’t appear weak. She hadn’t seduced anyone’s husband, so she couldn’t show any signs of guilt.
With that in mind, she straightened her back and walked confidently into the room.
Yu Hongxiu was talking to someone and signaled to Bai Ruozhu when she saw her, "Ruozhu, over here!" Then she turned back to the woman she was talking to, "This is Bai Ruozhu I mentioned. Thanks to her treatment, I became pregnant."
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Please enjoy the recommended excellent article "A Strange Love Affair in the Rich Family: My Ghost Marriage Husband" by my friend Bitan.
Summary: She had never dated for 23 years, feeling like there was always someone waiting for her. He only knew, after seeing her, that she was the one he had been waiting for over 60 years. An arranged ghost marriage turned 23-year-old Mo Ziran into a grandmother overnight. The respected chairman became her son, and the admired general manager became her grandson.