Jiang Yichun answered in a daze. The guard outside said he’d continue with his tasks and when Bai Ruozhu heard his footsteps moving away, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She turned her head to see Jiang Yichun looking at her with a smile that was not quite a smile, a sickly beauty to his handsome face, brought on by pallor.
Bai Ruozhu cast him an irate glance. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have had to sneak around like a thief, would she?
"Alright, stop clinging to me. Let’s go meet my master." Jiang Yichun teased.
"..." Who was clinging to whom? She just didn’t want to stoop down to the level of the sick. Just a while ago, who was the solicitous one?
Ignoring him, Bai Ruozhu climbed out from the bed, quickly dressed in a padded jacket and donned the skirt given by Wu Wanqing.
Jiang Yichun also got out of bed, slinging the large banner in the room onto his back. He turned to Bai Ruozhu in her pink dress and asked, "Your junior sister gave that to you, right?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "When have you ever seen me wear pink? She said it was her new outfit for the New Year, but seeing as I had no clothes, she gave it to me."
Jiang Yichun’s face darkened unexpectedly, becoming unnecessarily gloomy. Bai Ruozhu wrinkled her brow, was he discontented with her wearing Wu Wanqing’s clothes?
"The senior brother just died a few months ago." Jiang Yichun seemed worried that Bai Ruozhu would misunderstand and explained with a furrowed brow, evidently very unhappy about it.
True, even if one doesn’t mourn their husband for three years, they shouldn’t wear such flashy clothes so soon after their passing. But, if they are considering remarrying, why would they care about what they wear?
"At least it’s not peach or bright red color. You shouldn’t be bothered by it." Bai Ruozhu gave him a slanting look, and Jiang Yichun didn’t say anything, but his eyes quickly shifted to her chest, a teasing smile in his eyes.
Bai Ruozhu noticed and couldn’t help but look down at her chest then immediately realized what he was thinking. She clenched her teeth in annoyance. Indeed, no good comes from men!
The two hurried to meet Wu Yunfeng in the front courtyard. Seeing Jiang Yichun’s pale face, Wu Yunfeng asked, "Has Wanqing been helping to drive out the poisonous insect poison? You’re bearing up, aren’t you?"
Jiang Yichun nodded, "Master, don’t worry, everything is fine."
Wu Yunfeng nodded with relief and turned to Bai Ruozhu, "Miss Bai, the Department of General Politics has issued an order to arrest Li Yi. He has also taken his trusted subordinates and fled to Xuantian Mountain. You can return home any time now."
Bai Ruozhu was delighted, "That’s great! My parents thought that Officer Meng had sent me to treat an official. If I don’t go back, they will certainly go to Officer Meng and ask for me back."
A sense of desolation flashed across Jiang Yichun’s eyes. He had hoped that Ruozhu would accompany him in his sleep. But he was also happy for her. Dengdeng and her family must have been worried.
Wu Yunfeng burst into laughter, "I’ll arrange for a horse carriage to take you home shortly. But you mustn’t mention anything about Li Yi. Pretend that nothing has happened in recent days. Just say that you’ve gone out of town to treat an officer."
Bai Ruozhu quickly nodded. Who could she tell? Even her family must be kept in the dark. Otherwise, wouldn’t her parents skin her alive? If she is out for a long time in the future, her mother is sure to worry.
She couldn’t wait to return home right away. However, seeing Jiang Yichun beside her, she was a bit worried and asked Wu Yunfeng bravely, "Sir, can I come to visit Yichun during his recovery?"
Jiang Yichun was injured and poisoned. He wouldn’t be allowed to leave the Wu Residence casually. She was not only worried about his condition, but also about Wu Wanqing who had her eyes on him.
Wu Yunfeng laughed, "Of course, you are welcome. Yichun has long wanted to marry you. You not only saved his life this time but also made a great contribution to the Department of General Politics. Why wouldn’t we welcome you?"
An an act of respect, Bai Ruozhu bowed to Wu Yunfeng, "Ruozhu thanks you, Sir Wu."
Jiang Yichun beamed at her from the side. He was somewhat downcast because she was leaving, but seeing that she was constantly thinking of him, he cheered up again.
With no gifts to bear, Bai Ruozhu bid her farewell to Wu Yunfeng and walked towards the Main Gate with Jiang Yichun. Wu Yunfeng watched their receding figures with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. Recently, Yichun was looking a lot cheerier, that’s how a young man should be - full of life.
"Come and see me tomorrow, bring Dengdeng along." Jiang Yichun said with a stern face.
"No, I just got back. I need to spend some time with my parents." Bai Ruozhu stole a glance at him, intending to tease him on purpose.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yichun suddenly grabbed her hand, standing over her. Bai Ruozhu was taken aback, trying to dodge and get away from him. But he held her hand tight and even more arrogantly pulled her into his embrace.
"Are you crazy? The guards can see us!" Bai Ruozhu tried to push him away, but even in his weakened state, he was far from being someone she could move.
His chin propped on the top of her head, he spoke with a triumphant tone, "Are you coming to see me or not? If not, I won’t let you go!"
Bai Ruozhu was speechless with frustration. How did he turn out to be so shameless? She’d never noticed this side of him, she’d been completely fooled by his cold exterior.
"Alright, let me go now, a lot of people are looking this way." Bai Ruozhu could only agree quickly. If she’d known he would pull a stunt like this, she wouldn’t have teased him earlier. The guards nearby were giving them ambiguous looks and laughing as they watched the two of them.
Bai Ruozhu was irritated and took the opportunity to pinch him hard, mumbling, "I thought you were a Painted Immortal, turns out you’re just a scoundrel and a lecher."
Jiang Yichun laughed upon hearing this, "Where did I act like a pervert? Or would you like me to be more of one, as you said?"
Bai Ruozhu ground her teeth, "Move along, I’m anxious to see my son!"
Jiang Yichun didn’t argue with her anymore, but a triumphant look appeared on his face. He’d heard her clearly just now, she’d called him a "Painted Immortal". So, in her heart, he was an admirable figure.
When they reached the Residence Gate, Bai Ruozhu got in the horse carriage and waved goodbye to Jiang Yichun. Jiang Yichun reluctantly let go of her hand, saying, "Come tomorrow morning."
"I’m just leaving now, and you want me to come running tomorrow morning? Won’t people laugh at me?" Bai Ruozhu chided him.
"What do I care? If you don’t come, I’ll go to your house to find you." Jiang Yichun stared back at her defiantly.
Bai Ruozhu had no choice but to nod and say, "You need to recover properly, don’t go anywhere. I will bring Dengdeng with me tomorrow to see you."
A smile returned to Jiang Yichun’s face. He let go of Bai Ruozhu, allowing the coachman to take her home.
Bai Ruozhu lifted the carriage curtain to wave at him. Only after the carriage had traveled a fair distance, did she lower the curtain. However, her heart was filled with excitement - she was finally going home!
On reaching the gate of the Bai Residence, Bai Ruozhu rewarded the coachman and sent him away. She then began to knock on the gate as she called out loudly, "Father, Mother, Dengdeng, I’m back!"