Chapter 621 - 623: The Letter from Back Mountain Village
In the following few days, Bai Ruozhu didn’t receive any letters from Jiang Yichun. She was feeling a little impatient, but life had to go on. To prevent her mind from wandering, she concentrated on taking care of Dengdeng and her business.
Firstly, she completed the second version of the screen template and sent it to the old lady Meng, who was very satisfied, only hoping that this new technique of interweaving gauze and a hook needle would not be leaked before the product was given to the Empress Dowager. Bai Ruozhu naturally agreed without hesitation.
Then, she started to plan a new product launch for Hua Xiangrong. As long as Yun Xiaorong spread rumours that Hua Xiangrong was an imitator and copied their work, she would make a grand event to let the noble women and ladies of Beiyu City see who the actual copycat was!
In addition, she hired two guards. Although they were from a civilian martial arts school and could not compete with the guards of the Meng Residence, the old lady Meng granted two guards for her after learning about it. Now, Xiaosi has already started foundational training with the best guard.
She arranged for one guard to watch over Hua Xiangrong to prevent any disturbances and sent the other to supervise the construction progress at the Hot Spring Mansion, ensuring no unauthorized entry. The two guards granted by the Meng Residence were stationed at the Bai Family, protecting the house and occasionally accompanying Bai Ruozhu when she went out.
One day, Fusa returned and said excitedly, "Ruozhu, I saw the shop next door is available for rent. I quickly greeted them because I remember you mentioned expanding the store."
Bai Ruozhu laughed upon hearing this. "How lucky, there’s a pillow when feeling sleepy. I’ll go with you tomorrow to check it out. If the price is reasonable, we’ll rent it."
"Okay!" Fusa replied promptly.
After spending some time in Beiyu City, Fusa had become more confident, particularly with the booming business of Hua Xiangrong. She seemed to become younger. Together with her refined attire, she now resembled the wife of a well-off family.
While they were talking, Bai Zehao came home and said, "Father, mother, Uncle Deshun sent a letter."
Upon hearing it was a letter from Mountain Village, Bai Ruozhu immediately went to the main hall with her older brother. Bai Yihong, hearing the commotion, also came in from the backyard. Lin Ping said anxiously, "Open it quickly and see what’s written. Did the Zhou widow leave the old mansion?"
Seeing it was about Bai Family matters, Fusa quickly found an excuse to return to her room.
Bai Zehao opened the letter and started reading it aloud.
"Dear Brother Yihong, I initially wanted to write to you earlier, but the matter at your old mansion was unresolved. So I thought it would be better to write to you once there was a resolution. Unfortunately, it had to be postponed until today. On the way back, Aunt Bai made a fuss again, and ended up falling sick upon reaching the village..."
Bai Ruozhu could imagine how "making a fuss" would be like for the old lady. Zhou Deshun only briefly mentioned it in four words in his letter, demonstrating his politeness. She concluded that the old lady must have given them a hard time on the journey. Her nature was such that if she was not happy, she would ensure others felt the same.
"Some people in the village accused you of neglecting the elderly and refusing to support them, even driving them away. Chuang’s mother and I have been explaining everywhere that Aunt Bai wanted to return on her own. Thankfully, numerous people chose to believe in your characters. I delivered Er Lang’s two letters on the second day after returning to the village. The village chief supported Er Lang’s decision as they had long intended to drive Zhou’s widow away."
The letter was long, yet because of Zhou Deshun’s style, many things were briefly mentioned. Despite the abundance of matters, he still managed to fit it into just two pages.
The letter mentioned that the day after Aunt Bai’s return, she intended to divorce Zhou. The village chief was agreeable, and there was also support from Officer Li. However, on the third day, Aunt Bai suddenly halted her actions and was no longer eager to divorce Zhou.
This alarmed Zhou Deshun and his wife. They were ready to proceed with the divorce, so what was Aunt Bai up to?
Later, Zhou Deshun’s wife visited a neighbour near the old mansion and learnt that Zhou had bribed Aunt Bai and flattered her. Even Zhou’s third son spoke on her behalf. Upon receiving the money, Aunt Bai began reconsidering her decision.
When they reached this part of the letter, Lin Ping couldn’t bear it and protested, "Is Aunt Bai losing her mind? For the sake of money, she is willing to let Zhou and the third son continue their shameless actions? She’s throwing her face away!"
Lin Ping’s criticisms were harsh, but Bai Yihong didn’t defend his mother at all. He agreed that she was indeed losing her mind!
Then, Aunt Bai publicly announced that the child in Zhou’s womb belonged to the Bai family and could not be left homeless. They would decide after the child was born.
Later on, Aunt Bai chatted with others and mentioned that Er Lang was despised by the Turkic people, who might sneak into the house in the middle of the night to murder him, and that she didn’t want to stay in Er Lang’s house any longer. This quickly spread throughout the Mountain Village. Some villagers even asked Zhou Deshun and his wife if they were afraid of becoming implicated by Er Lang’s feud.
Eventually, after several attempts by Zhou Deshun’s wife to persuade Aunt Bai, she adamantly refused to divorce Zhou. Since Zhou Deshun was an outsider, he could only write a letter to inform Bai Yihong about the situation.
After finishing reading the letter, Bai Yihong heaved a deep sigh and said, "My mother is indeed blinded by money."
Bai Ruozhu squinted her eyes and said, "I’ll write another letter to Grandpa, maybe it’s time for him to intervene. He’s a man who values his reputation. Letting him hear the gossip will surely prompt him to make the decision to divorce Zhou. If he can tolerate not divorcing Zhou, then we don’t need to worry about this anymore."
Bai Zehao agreed, "Little sister, that’s a good idea. I’ll grind some ink for you."
"Yes, but this would trouble Uncle Deshun’s family again." Bai Yihong said with a sigh.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but sigh as well. Why did she have such grandparents? Why were there always endless troubles with the old mansion?
Once the letter was written, Bai Zehao sealed it and left to find the post station to send it. Bai Ruozhu didn’t worry too much about the old mansion’s affairs. She returned and started tallying up her funds to see if she had enough to rent the shop the next day.
Recently, there were so many places she needed to spend money. Upon this thought, she remembered she hadn’t paid the Du Family for the medical fee. Although she didn’t expect payment for saving Du Zhongshu, the cost of treating Du Fuling’s tooth was agreed upon. She had even reminded Du Zhongshu of the payment. Could it be that the Du Family was really that poor?
Bai Ruozhu pursed her lips and decided to mention this to Madam Meng when she visited the Meng Residence tomorrow. After all, she had agreed to the treatment for Madam Meng’s sake, and Madam Meng had also mentioned if the Du Family didn’t pay the medical fee, she could let her know.
To her surprise, Du Zhongshu personally came over in the afternoon. As soon as he entered, he said, "Miss Bai, I’ve brought the medical fee for Fuling’s treatment, and this month’s dividends."
Bai Ruozhu raised her eyebrows, hmm, was the Du Family trying to ingratiate themselves?