Chapter 507 - 509: The Special Female Customer of the Shop
Du Zhongshu did not expect his sister to be so impulsive. By the time he reacted, it was already too late. He inwardly cursed in frustration, knowing Bai Ruozhu’s protective nature, it was likely things would not end well.
Just as he was about to shout out, he saw Bai Ruozhu step in front to shield Fang Guizhi and tightly grabbed the hand Du Fuling raised to slap her.
"If you don’t want to lose another hand, you better get lost!" Bai Ruozhu frowned, could anyone casually hit her people? Did they consider her, Bai Ruozhu, a dead person?
Du Fuling tried hard to withdraw her hand, but to no avail. Bai Ruozhu’s grip was too strong for her to break free.
"Very well, you all are standing against heaven now. Do you really think our Du family has no one left?" Du Fuling shouted.
Fang Guizhi, hiding behind Bai Ruozhu, peeked out when she saw the situation had stabilized and said to Du Fuling: "Miss Du, aren’t you being too sensitive? I am a person who is naturally fond of laughing. When I see those lovely pastries in the store, I can’t help but smile. How does that imply that I am laughing at you?"
Lin Ping also couldn’t stand it and said, "Yeah, Miss Du, why are you thinking like that? If you always think that others are laughing at you, why not just stay at home and not come out."
Aside from the shy Wan Caiyue, the rest at home are articulate who learned from Bai Ruozhu, so they wouldn’t easily suffer in public.
Indeed, Du Fuling was somewhat self-conscious due to her missing tooth, so she got instantly furious when attacked that way. She kicked towards Bai Ruozhu’s leg, who, however, having trained in self-defense in her previous life, dodged quickly. But she also let go of Du Fuling’s hand.
"Du Fuling, your elders, at great length, asked in favor of the Meng family for me to fix your teeth. If you are still going to cause trouble, I will immediately withdraw my promise to them. You can keep showing off your missing tooth then." Said Bai Ruozhu, a smile on her face, not because she was not angry, but because she couldn’t help but laugh at the pitiful condition of Du Fuling.
Du Zhongsh seized Du Fuling’s raised hand again and said sternly: "Fuling, have you had enough trouble? Come home with me, otherwise you’ll be grounded and not allowed to step out of the house ever.
Du Zhongshu’s imposing manner startled Bai Ruozhu slightly. Du Zhongshu never had this ability to discipline his sister before. When they were in Anyuan town, he had only scolded Du Fuling, who was not afraid of him, only finally yielding when he brought her home.
Looking now, Du Fuling seemed to wilt, even looking somewhat fearful of Du Zhongshu, her hands obediently put back.
Bai Ruozhu realized that Du Fuling certainly was not afraid of her withdrawing dental treatment. If that were the case, Du Fuling from the beginning would not provoke her, since this girl was relying on the backing of the Meng family, believing that Bai Ruozhu would dare not refuse medical treatment.
But she was now frightened, which means she was afraid of Du Zhongshu.
Bai Ruozhu could’t help but look at Du Zhongshu more closely. How much had he changed, to strike such fear in Du Fuling?
Du Zhongshu dropped his stern face, bowed to Bai Ruozhu, and said: "Auntie Bai, Ruozhu, I apologize for Fuling’s offensive behavior just now. Please don’t take it to heart. I will discipline her well when we get home."
After saying these words, he paid Wang Niangzi the money, bid goodbye to Bai Ruozhu and her people, and then left with Du Fuling.
As they walked away, Fang Guizhi muttered, "They left so soon. Miss Du sure seems different. Wasn’t she always known to pester and trouble you?"
"Probably because she’s afraid of her third brother." Bai Ruozhu, watching the retreating figure of Du Zhongshu, casually remarked.
Seeing them depart, Wang Niangzi whispered, "Let me tell you something I heard. I heard that the second lady of the Du family was driven back to her maternal home, seemingly due to misconduct. It’s not surprising that she could raise such a daughter." She curled her lips, "Even though I run a small business, I’m not her servant, why is she shouting at me?"
"The second lady of the Du family was driven back to her maternal home?" Bai Ruozhu asked in surprise.
"Two ladies mentioned it when they came to my shop to buy pastry last time. They also said that the eldest son of the Du family was transferred to a remote location. It makes sense that the third son was disciplining his sister now." Wang Niangzi said.
Bai Ruozhu furrowed her brows. What could the second lady of Du Family have possibly done? Adultery was out of the question, as was the poisoning of Du Zhongshu. As far as she knew, Du Zhongshu was the youngest son in the family and typically, the youngest boys are the apple of their parents’ eye. Why would his mother get involved in poisoning him?
Suddenly, Bai Ruozhu’s eyes widened in realization. How could she forget about the assassination attempt with arrows that took place on their journey to Beiyu City? Had Jiang Yichun not been with her, even if she wasn’t hurt, she would have had a huge fright. Especially considering the pregnant Yu Hongxiu was in the same carriage.
A chill spread across Bai Ruozhu’s lips; the second lady of the Du family was absolutely unforgivable.
"Ruozhu, try this new Horse Hoof Pastry I’ve made, and give me some feedback." Wang Niangzi’s voice snapped Bai Ruozhu back from her thoughts. Bai Ruozhu quickly directed her attention towards the Horse Hoof Pastry, then tasted a small piece Wang Niangzi had cut for her.
"Mm, it’s good. But don’t make too much, it gets damp and less tasty if left out for a couple of days in this weather," Bai Ruozhu commented.
Wang Niangzi hurriedly nodded, saying, "Then I won’t recommend it to customers too much, in case they can’t finish it and the taste changes when it’s left out."
Bai Ruozhu laughed, "Yes, lest it tarnish the reputation of your shop."
Wang Niangzi chuckled a few times, Bai Ruozhu was already familiar with her disposition. Seeing Lin Ping’s curiosity about how the two of them got to know each other, she enthusiastically recounted the story of how her extraordinary sense of smell had identified the secret ingredient in the Green Bean Cake, her excitement apparent. She had never met anyone with such an amazing nose; a pure prodigy.
Lin Ping and the rest laughed as they listened, joking that Bai Ruozhu’s smell sense was almost comparable to a dog’s. Upon hearing the ’dog’s nose’ analogy, Bai Ruozhu’s face fell. She regretted bringing the people from her house to the Ronglang Pastry Shop. She knew they would tease her, just like her second brother.
After chatting for a while, Bai Ruozhu had some Horse Hoof Pastry and a few other preserved pastries packed, paid Wang Niangzi, and the group returned home.
The next day, Bai Ruozhu went to the shop with Lai Fu to help. Apparently, a female customer wanted to place a special order and Lai Fu was unsure if she could fulfill the request, so she wanted Bai Ruozhu’s help.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t think much about it and accompanied Lai Fu to Hua Xiangrong. While staying until almost noon, the woman that Lai Fu talked about strolled in with grace, her maid slowly folding the parasol that was shading her.
The sight of the parasol stung Bai Ruozhu’s eyes; it was the same parasol that the woman in her dream carried.
Indeed, Lai Fu’s female client turned out to be the same woman with the phoenix eyes that Bai Ruozhu had met once before.
The woman also looked surprised when she saw Bai Ruozhu, apparently unaware that Bai Ruozhu was the owner of this shop.