Logically, since Bai Ruozhu had the land deed for the Hot Spring Mansion, there was no fear of presenting it. However, the Sentinel guarded her closely, and she did not dare to rashly take things out from her space.
"Where’s Fubo?" Bai Ruozhu saw that the gatekeeper, Fubo, was not there, and asked.
The sentinel, surprised that she knew Fubo, did not let her in regardless. He believed anyone could find out about these things if they aimed to infiltrate the manor.
"It’s none of your business. Leave now or don’t blame me for being rude!" The sentinel scolded sternly.
Bai Ruozhu was provoked, "Fine, I will take the land deed to the Government Office and we’ll see if there’s truth in illegally seizing civilian property!"
As she was about to leave, footsteps sounded from inside the yard. Bai Ruozhu stopped and looked back, only to see a woman dressed as a lady emerging, guided by Fubo.
The woman was around her twenties, dressed in a plain moon-white gown. Though not extravagant, she exhibited an air of nobility that commanded respect.
She possessed a pair of slightly upturned phoenix eyes, which, despite a stern face, portrayed myriad amorous feelings.
Bai Ruozhu suppressed the urge to furrow her brows, what could the arrival of such a beautiful woman here imply?
The sentinel then bowed to the woman, saying, "Miss, this woman insists that this manor belongs to her."
As the sentinel turned his head, Bai Ruozhu reached into her sleeve and summoned the land deed to her hand with a thought.
The woman furrowed her brows in confusion, looking towards Fubo, asking, "Isn’t this his manor?"
Fubo, looking troubled, stammered, "This old servant isn’t quite sure."
The woman ignored Fubo and walked towards Bai Ruozhu, her gaze fixated on her, asking, "Who are you? How did you get this mansion?"
Bai Ruozhu initially wanted to say that it was a gift from Jiang Yichun, but quickly realized that the identity of this lady was uncertain, and she had to maintain secrecy about Jiang Yichun’s identity and their relationship as well. What if she accidentally revealed any details?
After a thought, she took out the land deed, showed it to the woman, and said, "It was purchased by my family, I don’t know the specifics."
The woman’s gaze flickered, glancing at the deed, she said, "Oh, my apologies", then led the sentinel away, without bidding goodbye to Fubo or even pausing.
Once the lady’s horse carriage had left, Bai Ruozhu turned to Fubo, asking, "Fubo, you know that your master had given me this mansion, right? Why did you let outsiders in?"
Fubo shrank his head, looking distressed, "Miss Bai, I had no choice, she insisted on entering and brought the sentinel, how could I stop her?"
"Who is she then?" Bai Ruozhu found it difficult to believe that a stranger could intrude on the mansion.
Fubo’s eyes flickered as if he hesitated to provide more details, "Um, um, I shouldn’t say more. Miss, you should go ask the young master yourself."
Upon these words, Bai Ruozhu felt uncomfortable. If she could, she would storm the Foot of the Xuantian Mountain to bring out Jiang Yichun for a clear explanation.
However, she couldn’t, she had her family and her young child to think about. She could not impulsively leave, let alone put her family in danger.
Because this little incident, Bai Ruozhu did not feel like bathing in the hot spring, but she thought it wasn’t fair to let Guizhi make the trip for nothing. She asked Fubo, "Did she use the hot spring?"
Fubo quickly shook his head, "No, no, the old servant was stopping her. The young master said that this is specially built for Miss Bai."
His words made Bai Ruozhu feel slightly better. She remembered she brought dim-sum for Fubo and hurriedly said, "Wait here." She quickly went to the carriage. We San was quite observant and helped her to retrieve the food box.
"Fubo, here’s some snacks I brought for you, I’m not sure if they suit your taste." Bai Ruozhu asked We San to help Fubo take the food box into the house.
Despite her dissatisfaction with the situation, Bai Ruozhu did not want to vent her frustrations on Fubo. His reluctance to talk more could indicate that he had his difficulties.
Fubo rubbed his hands, embarrassed and guilty that he hadn’t answered Bai Ruozhu’s questions.
"You can go about your business now, Fubo. I’ll just take my sister to play for a while before leaving." Bai Ruozhu said with a grin and then headed inside, arm in arm with Guizhi.
Guizhi was still holding Dengdeng and asked uneasily, "Will that sentinel come back?"
Bai Ruozhu shook her head slightly, "No, even if he does, Fubo should be able to stop him. Didn’t you notice that Fubo knows martial arts?"
"Ah?" Guizhi expressed surprise, "But why did he say he couldn’t stop it just now?"
"That’s because he recognized the lady and was reluctant to take harsh actions." Bai Ruozhu explained.
Guizhi bit her lip, "Ruozhu is this property gifted by the benefactor?"
Bai Ruozhu gently nodded but her joyful mood disappeared.
"Ruozhu, maybe it’s not what you think. If she was really related to the benefactor, wouldn’t she have engaged in a dispute? Given how good the benefactor is to you and Dengdeng, he shouldn’t be that kind of person." Guizhi tried to advise quietly.
Bai Ruozhu nodded again. Yes, how could she doubt him? Even Guizhi could see the truth, was this the case of the person involved being too biased to see clearly?
Also, children were always sensitive to who genuinely liked them, and Dengdeng so fond of Jiang Yichun, he couldn’t be wrong.
In the midst of their conversation, they arrived by the hot spring pool, where Guizhi couldn’t help but exclaim, "Wow, this place is beautiful, like a fairyland!"
Bai Ruozhu finally smiled, replying, "I thought the same when I first came here. With the mist swirling around, it genuinely feels like a fairyland."
Guizhi was enthusiastic and passed Dengdeng to Bai Ruozhu, running to the poolside to test the water temperature, then exclaimed excitedly, "It’s warm!"
"This is a naturally formed hot spring, the water is warm and it’s very good for the skin. That’s why I brought you here to play. Aren’t I nice to you? I didn’t mention this to anyone else in our house." Bai Ruozhu said as she guided Guizhi towards the hot spring room.
"Nevermind bathing in the open air, there’s a room here with hot water piped in, for you to immerse in," Bai Ruozhu explained.
Earlier when she questioned if the lady had used the hot spring, it was because she felt repulsed by the thought. If anyone used it, she would drain the pool and refill it before using it herself.
Before, she even thought about opening a Celebrities’ Club with the hot springs and she didn’t mind other people using it. Obviously, she was uncomfortable because of the phoenix-eyed lady; somehow, she felt extremely unsettled.
"Ruozhu, can I go in now?" asked Guizhi whose eyes were already gleaming. Bai Ruozhu came back to her senses and replied with laughter, "Sure, you can go now."