On the official ship bound for the Capital City, Jiang Yichun stood tall. Unlike the others who faced the bow of the ship or were admiring the scenery on both sides, he was looking toward the stern. That direction was where Beiyu City was located- though he couldn’t possibly see it from thousands of miles away.
"Young Master, it’s time to eat." A bodyguard approached him on the deck and respectfully informed Jiang Yichun.
Jiang Yichun nodded and headed towards the ship cabin. As he ducked to enter the cabin, he was reminded that despite this official ship being significantly larger and more spacious than ordinary civilian ships, he still had to stoop due to his height.
As he bent over, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. It felt as if something was piercing his heart. He couldn’t help but reach for his chest in pain, and before he knew it, he collapsed uncontrollably. Just before losing consciousness, he caught a glimpse of the blue sky and white clouds above. Oddly enough, instead of questioning what was happening to him, he found himself thinking about how favorable the weather was for a swift journey to the Capital City.
...
At the restaurant, Xu Huilin’s face darkened. He glared at Bai Ruozhu, annoyed, "Didn’t you say you could handle her? Are you intentionally causing trouble for me?"
Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes and shrugged, "I wish I didn’t have to. The Du Family slandered me in public, forcing me to marry Du Zhongshu. I had no choice but to fight back. Besides, should you be scared of a Du Fuling? Weren’t you supposed to be good at dealing with people?"
Xu Huilin’s face changed slightly, he turned his head away and grumbled, "You’re a liar."
Bai Ruozhu pursed her lips and didn’t argue with him. But she was extremely curious about what he was hiding.
Xiaosi was mainly the one talking with Xu Huilin. Xiaosi’s eyes lit up and he became quite talkative whenever the conversation turned to martial arts.
Observing Xiaosi, Bai Ruozhu felt a pang of melancholy. She felt that stopping him from practicing martial arts would be akin to killing his hobbies and interests.
Just as they were halfway through their meal, a waiter’s voice came from outside, "Young Master Xu, a young lady is looking for you."
Xu Huilin stiffened. He thought it was Du Fuling who had come. He wondered how she had arrived so quickly. But when the private room’s door swung open, he was surprised to find Wu Wanqing standing in the doorway.
"Junior sister, how did you find this place?" Xu Huilin asked, slightly surprised.
Wu Wanqing gave him a bewitching smile, "I wanted to invite my second senior brother for a meal, and from the guards at the Residence, I heard that you had come to this restaurant. I thought, how could you enjoy delicious food without inviting me? I didn’t expect you to have another beautiful lady’s appointment. I hope I’m not intruding?"
After saying that, she stepped into the room and turned to smile at Bai Ruozhu, "Is Miss Bai the hostess here? I hope you don’t mind me joining in?"
Bai Ruozhu sneered inwardly. It was evident that Wu Wanqing had asked the guards in the Residence about Xu Huilin’s whereabouts and had deliberately come here. Besides, since she was already inside, could Bai Ruozhu ask her to leave?
"Miss Wu is the second son’s junior sister. How could I not welcome her?" Bai Ruozhu responded indifferently.
Wu Wanqing breezily took a seat next to Xu Huilin and chimed, "I’m also the third senior brother’s junior sister. So why did Miss Bai seem to mind me going to the Hot Spring Mansion?"
Oh, so she was here to stir up trouble?
Bai Ruozhu grinned brightly at her, "Miss Wu, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding. The Hot Spring Mansion is my private property. I plan to do business there in the future. Until its official opening, no female relative is allowed to enter. We need to maintain an aura of mystery, after all."
Previously, she had thrown the land deed of the Hot Spring Mansion at Jiang Yichun during a quarrel but he, not being a fool, promptly returned it to her when they reconciled.
"Really?" Wu Wanqing’s tone rose slightly, indicating her disbelief in Bai Ruozhu’s statement.
"Isn’t it just like how the newly opened restaurant is still under renovation and not convenient for guests to enter?" Bai Ruozhu replied.
Xu Huilin tried to hint at Bai Zepei with his eyes, suggesting they touch on this topic, to avoid Bai Ruozhu and Wu Wanqing from arguing, but Bai Zepei didn’t seem to understand his hint at all, continuing to enjoy his food and soup, and even served a bowl to Bai Ruozhu for her to moisten her throat.
He didn’t think his sister would be at a disadvantage in an argument, so why should he interfere at all?
"Junior sister, haven’t you eaten yet? Try this, it tastes quite good." Xu Huilin had no choice but to come up with his own solution. As he spoke, he served Wu Wanqing a small spoonful of a pearl white dimsum.
Wu Wanqing glanced at it, the dimsum was quite unique. It was arranged on a plate with individual spoons, each spoon holding a sphere of snowy pastry, much larger than a sweet dumpling, emitting a faintly sweet aroma.
Wu Wanqing took a cautious bite, which ended up turning into another small bite. The snowy sphere gave off a milky flavor, and it was filled with sweet orange pulp.
"Hmm, it does taste good." Wu Wanqing, who had initially tried just a mouthful, now wished she could have more.
Bai Ruozhu watched this unfold, a smirk playing on her lips. She took another spoon holding the snowy sphere and put it on Wu Wanqing’s plate, saying, "If Miss Wu likes it, have another. This dimsum was actually my suggestion. I didn’t expect it would suit your taste."
In fact, the snowy sphere dimsum was based on Bai Ruozhu’s favorite durian snow seductress from her previous life. Unfortunately, durians were hard to come by during this time, so she suggested making orange snow seductress instead. Even the oranges had to be transported from the south, making the cost considerably higher.
Regardless, this dimsum became extremely popular upon launch. Some customers even ordered extra to bring back for their wives and children.
"This dimsum is called Orange Snow Seductress. It’s made with the finest fresh oranges from the south, mixed with cow’s milk. It’s expressed gratitude amongst the ladies of Beiyu City." She continued with a deep smile on her face.
Wu Wanqing held the spoon but somehow couldn’t manage to take a bite.
She initially held a grudge against Bai Ruozhu and wanted to trouble her. Now not only did she fail to bother her, but she also fell in love with Bai’s dim sum, making her feel too embarrassed to like it.
She leisurely put down her spoon and said, "The first bite was alright, but having more is too cloying. I don’t love sweet foods. I hope I didn’t disappoint Miss Bai."
Bai Ruozhu thought to herself, what’s there for her to be disappointed? If she liked it but couldn’t eat it due to her pride, Bai Ruozhu felt great pleasure.
"That’s a shame; then I’ll have no reservations." She reached over and retrieved the Orange Snow Seductress she had given to Wu Wanqing, started eating it, appearing to enjoy it dearly. Meanwhile, Wu Wanqing’s expression turned increasingly cold.
Bai Zepei had a faint smirk on his lips. He had been afraid that his little sister and Xiaosi would get bullied when they came out. Yet when he arrived, there was no need for martial arts at all, and he was merely watching his little sister bullying others.
On the other side, Xu Huilin’s lips twitched. It was inappropriate for him to support anyone, so it was better to feign ignorance.
Just then, a waiter knocked on the door of their private room from outside, saying, "Miss Bai, another young lady asks to see you."
Bai Ruozhu was taken aback. How come someone else arrived? Was having a meal supposed to be this lively?