Chapter 510 - 512: Red Lips, White Teeth, Graceful Demeanour
"Doctor Bai, do you think it could be a misunderstanding, that this item was left by my cousin at my mother-in-law’s place?" Madam Li didn’t even believe in her own words, but she wanted to find some evidence from Bai Ruozhu, to prove that her mother-in-law had long cut off ties with her cousin.
Bai Ruozhu wanted to comfort her, but she couldn’t lie about such things, nor did she want to. She had already helped to conceal it once for Li Shunsheng’s mother, she couldn’t possibly do it a second time.
"This type of pill is volatile, as it mainly harms people by emitting a smell. If it was present when Liu Xianxian was around, it wouldn’t still be in such a well-rounded shape now." Bai Ruozhu furrowed her brow, "Do you know about Liu Xianxian’s situation? Has she been released?"
Madam Li shook her head, "I don’t know, nobody in my home has mentioned her since that day. My daughter naively asked where our cousin had gone, and was scolded to tears by my husband."
Bai Ruozhu felt it necessary to ask Jiang Yichun about this, because Liu Xianxian was taken away by the Communication Officer. Now there were these kind of pills in Li Shunsheng’s mother’s room, could they have been given by Liu Xianxian or someone related to her?
"You haven’t told Master Li, have you? Are you planning to tell him when you return?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
Madam Li was silent and, after thinking for a while, shook her head. "Let’s not discuss it for now, revealing it would only add to the troubles. Perhaps, my mother-in-law is also unaware of what it is. After all, I haven’t been affected by that poison, maybe it’s not targeted at me."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t say anything after hearing this. The most important thing in life is filial piety. If Lady Li was really planning to poison her daughter-in-law again, how would Master Li handle it? Plus, if this matter spreads, it would ruin Master Li’s reputation and his connections with Liu Xianxian’s party, making promotions even harder to come by.
When Master Li finished his conversation with Bai Zepei, Madam Li left with him, leaving the pills with Bai Ruozhu, who had initially planned to dispose of them but eventually hid them away. She was thinking of showing them to Jiang Yichun later as they might serve as evidence.
Master Li, due to his official duties, was planning to stay in Beiyu City for just three days. However, due to time constraints and because he wanted to meet a few friends and colleagues, he decided to throw a banquet during the New Year celebrations. Naturally, Bai Zepei and Bai Ruozhu were invited.
Madam Li only organized a single table for the women, hence she only invited Bai Ruozhu. As a result, Bai Ruozhu felt it inappropriate to bring Fusa along. When the guests had left, Bai Ruozhu informed Fusa about the banquet. Fusa immediately laughed and replied, "If it’s appropriate, I will go along. If not, I can’t just crash the party, right? You should go over there and expand our customer base."
The phrase ’expand customer base’, was something Fusa learned from Bai Ruozhu.
Master Li’s banquet was scheduled for the following day. As it was held at the Welcome Guesthouse, those who were invited felt highly honored.
Bai Ruozhu made plans to go to the banquet with Yu Hongxiu. Soon, they were ushered to Madam Li’s table by the shopkeeper. By then, some of the wives had already arrived, and over half of the seats were filled.
Seeing the two women arrive, Madam Li warmly greeted them, saying, "Hongxiu, Ruozhu, glad you could come. Please sit beside me."
The arriving wives were curious, as Madam Li seemed particularly warm towards them, indicating that the two had significant statuses. Some of them recognized Yu Hongxiu as she was often invited to the City Lord’s Banquets, but no one could guess Bai Ruozhu’s identity.
Bai Ruozhu wore a brand new tailor-made dress, which was designed according to the latest fashion in Beiyu City. She wore a cotton thread half-skirt on top of her plain dress, which did not obscure the dress but added elegance to it. Her dress gave off an ethereal and elusive flavor due to the cloud patterns on her skirt.
Bai Ruozhu had well-maintained skin. She did not apply make-up, just lightly filled her brows and added a dash of rouge to her lips. When she smiled at Madam Li, she revealed her pearly white teeth, thus drawing the attention of many wives.
Some thought women should not reveal their teeth when smiling, questioned Bai Ruozhu’s identity and her unorthodox behavior. It might be beautiful, but showing one’s teeth while laughing isn’t very refined, is it?
Despite these thoughts, they had to admit that Bai Ruozhu’s radiant smile was stunning.
Bai Ruozhu had asked her sister-in-law to arrange an exquisite hairdo for her. She didn’t stick a bunch of hairpins like others, but instead just wore the gold hairpin gifted by Lady Meng. The singular hairpiece was enough to make a strong statement.
After she took her seat, someone couldn’t help but ask, "Madam Li, is she your younger sister? Why don’t you introduce her to us?"
Madam Li laughed heartily, "I wish she was my sister, but how can I match her elegance?"
The woman who had asked was quick with her words as she laughed and said, "Don’t be so humble. If you cannot match her, then what hope do the rest of us have?"
The others agreed, laughing in unison.
Madam Li laughed heartily, "What flattery all of you are giving me. This is my benefactor, Bai Ruozhu who has marvellous medical skills and cured a tenacious disease of mine. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here talking with you all today. By the way, the toothpaste that is fashionable nowadays was made by her and she has given the sales rights to the Du family."
When Bai Ruozhu’s medical skills were mentioned, some of the women did not quite believe it. They all see Bai Ruozhu as too young. People generally think a doctor should be someone quite old or even an elderly with white hair, and most of them assumed that Bai Ruozhu might have just lucked out while treating Madam Li’s disease.
The toothpaste, however, was a different matter. As it was very fashionable in Beiyu City, anyone who hadn’t used it yet would certainly be labeled as a bumpkin. There were both ordinary and upgraded versions, and any noblewoman who was too stingy to use the upgraded version would definitely be ridiculed by others.
"Surprisingly, young Miss Bai here made the toothpaste!" exclaimed one of the ladies.
Bai Ruozhu smiled gently, nodded and replied, "You’re too kind, madam. I only studied medicine and herbs and happened to discover this. I only wanted everyone to enjoy cleaner, brighter teeth."
With her bright smile revealing her white teeth again, all the wives present envied her. Some even returned home and brushed their teeth excessively, hoping to achieve a bright smile. How beautiful that would be!
Even if they couldn’t laugh like that in public, smiling like that in front of their husbands at home would surely earn them some extra attention.
Madam Li then proceeded to introduce Bai Ruozhu to everyone present. She first mentioned Lady Gao, whose husband was the Vice Minister of Finance in Beiyu City. She then introduced the others, and Bai Ruozhu greeted each person, secretly noting down the families’ surnames and the husbands’ official ranks.
Lady Gao was a lively woman who loved to chat, with the introductions out of the way, she started to speak, "Ruozhu, where did you get this half-skirt made? It looks so beautiful!"
Bai Ruozhu smiled at her and replied, "The female shopkeeper of my knitting shop made it."