Chapter 602 - 604: When a Scholar Meets a Soldier
"What are you doing? Miss Tu, please behave yourself!" Bai Zepei said with a tinge of anger in his tone.
The lady did not let go, glaring at him, she said, "I won’t. Who’s the one who ignored me when I called out to you?"
Bai Zepei’s words got stuck in his throat, he turned his head and looked at Tu Ying, then took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, quickly regaining his usual calm.
"Well, may I know what brings you here today, Miss Tu?" Bai Zepei’s tone was calming, he no longer looked at Tu Ying, his apathy left Tu Ying nowhere to vent her frustration.
"You and my brother were classmates, is it not appropriate for you to greet each other when you meet? Or is this the manners taught in the Study Palace of Beiyu City?" Tu Ying asked stubbornly.
Being in no hurry, Bai Zepei dismounted from his horse, stood before Tu Ying, made a salutation and politely said, "Zepei greets Miss Tu."
Tu Ying was momentarily stunned, she eventually dismounted, she made a salute like men usually did and said, "Tu Ying greets Master Bai."
"Now that we’ve exchanged greetings, I’ll take my leave. I have another appointment." After making a salutation towards Tu Ying again, Bai Zepei mounted his horse and left.
Tu Ying was flustered, quickly got on the horse and said angrily, "Who is it? Couldn’t I tag along?"
Bai Zepei’s expression instantly changed again, he almost lost his cool, took a deep breath and said, "I’m afraid that’s inconvenient, I’ll be with the elders."
Tu Ying sighed, her face full of disappointment.
"Miss Tu, take care." Bai Zepei quickly left after uttering the words.
Bai Ruozhu watched as Tu Ying pursed her lips in frustration before eventually turning her horse around and headed towards her direction. As she passed by her carriage, Bai Ruozhu managed to get a good look at her face.
This Tu Ying could be considered quite attractive, at least in Bai Ruozhu’s eyes, she really liked Tu Ying’s heroic look, although it wasn’t quite in line with the aesthetic standards in Danliang Country.
Especially with her sword-like eyebrows above her bright eyes, she looked exceptionally unrestrained in her horse riding outfit. It is often said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, just by looking at them one could tell Tu Ying was a straightforward girl.
Nevertheless, having managed to entangle her elder brother in such a way, this girl was truly not simple, Bai Ruozhu covered her mouth and giggled secretly.
"Wa San, let’s head home, but you must not mention today’s events to anyone, don’t let my elder brother know that we witnessed his embarrassing moment," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.
"Haha, the scholar can’t argue with the soldier, our young master was really at a loss!" Wei San said, laughing as he drove the horse carriage in the direction of the Bai residence.
Bai Ruozhu smirked, thinking to herself that Tu Ying was actually not bad, as compared to Yu Hongxiu if she had encountered Deng Shi, she would really be a scholar who met the soldier and was unable to argue.
Once Bai Ruozhu returned home, she started pondering over the matter of the screen the old lady spoke about, crochet works have holes and different density levels, which indeed could cause some stretches over time. Although she knew that the Queen Mother would not use a screen for an extended time, she still needed to consider such situations.
She pondered over this for a whole night, but the next morning it suddenly became clear to her.
In her last life, she bought a LV scarf abroad. It had a very exquisite craft. One side of the scarf was thick wool, and the other side was very thin silk. The wool threads ran through the silk, interwoven in such a way that brought up a pattern. As such, parts of the pattern displayed the color of the thin silk, while other parts displayed the color of the wool threads, this combination looked absolutely chic.
She was particularly amazed that the thick wool thread didn’t cut through the thin silk beneath, which also indicated the excellent toughness of the silk.
Now the threads in her crochet were much thinner than the ones in the scarf she had in her previous life. If she used the same method to weave the two materials together, wouldn’t it achieve the original plan, and furthermore, stabilize the silk screen, preventing it from drooping?
Feeling delighted, she immediately went out and selected the right, thin silk. Fortunately, the Silk Satin Store in Beiyu City was large, and she soon found the thin silk she needed. As it was winter, there were few purchasers of thin silk, so the shopkeeper even gave her a good discount.
Bai Ruozhu had Wei San carry several silk pieces, and then they returned home.
However, she did not immediately start her research because the Meng Family’s banquet was the next day, and she was already preparing for it.
In a blink of the eye, it was the next day. Bai Ruozhu was dressed in a new outfit. Over her top, she wore a special crochet overcoat she had made. The overcoat was decorated with designs of large and small snowflakes, which suited the season quite appropriately.
The theme of Wang Miaoshuang’s banquet was plum blossoms appreciation. Originally, Bai Ruozhu had intended to make an overcoat with plum blossom patterns on it, but then she assumed that several people would have plum blossoms embroidered on their dresses, so she set aside the thought.
Freezing plums that stood proudly amidst the snow had its own unique charm; she thought that snowflakes would be more special.
Guizhi accompanied her this time. Bai Ruozhu even helped Guizhi dress up. However, as she had never attended a banquet like this, Guizhi was very nervous. Guizhi said, "I might as well pretend to be your maid, if people questioned me, I wouldn’t even know how to respond. Wouldn’t it be too embarrassing for you and my elder brother?"
Her elder brother was also invited, but the men were in the outer garden, enjoying the plum blossoms with drinks.
Bai Ruozhu frowned at Guizhi, and said, "Doesn’t everyone have their first-time experience? Even those noble ladies from renowned families had the first time to attend a banquet; how could you get timid before you even went there? Once you left Anyuan Town, you are Bai Family’s second daughter, don’t ever mention being my maid, who treats their sister as their maid?"
Hearing this, Guizhi didn’t know what else to say. She quietly allowed Bai Ruozhu to dress her up. After getting dressed, she nervously looked into the bronze mirror and was stunned.
"Oh my God! Is that me? Am I seeing things?" Fang Guizhi shouted.
Bai Ruozhu laughed and said, "You, of course, it’s you. The bronze mirror is just blurry."
"I’m not talking about that, I mean, how can I be so beautiful?" Fang Guizhi exclaimed like a child who had gotten some candy.
Bai Ruozhu chuckled and said, "You would be even better if you were more composed."
Guizhi chuckled awkwardly a couple of times, feeling somewhat embarrassed, she wanted to scratch her head, but remembering her hairdo, she stopped herself.
The two of them checked their preparation once more before they got on the horse carriage and set off for the Meng Residence.
They arrived quite early, so they went directly to the Yuanran Residence to see the old madam. It just so happened that they also bumped into Yu Hongxiu. Yu Hongxiu was also invited to the banquet, but her health was poor, she planned to go and pay her respects, sit for a while, and then leave early to rest in the Yuanran Residence.
Yu Hongxiu looked healthier compared to the previous day, probably because she had let off the steam, the quality of her meals and sleep improved, and she seemed more spirited.
"I heard the servants gossiping this morning, they said that my second aunt had went to see my second uncle, they waited outside the Meng Residence gate from day to dusk and still couldn’t get inside," Yu Hongxiu whispered to Bai Ruozhu with a bright smile on her face.