Chapter 681 - 683: Second Brother Gets Emotional
Bai Zehao understood his younger brother’s feelings. If someone he brought home committed such an act, he would also not hesitate to slap himself in the face. He patted Er Lang on the shoulder, saying, "Second brother, don’t blame yourself for this, socializing with your classmates is inevitable."
Bai Ruozhu, on the other hand, feared that his second brother harbored upset feelings. So, reaching out, she pulled at his sleeve saying, "Second brother, shall we take a walk in the backyard?"
Nodding in response, Bai Zepei indeed followed his little sister to the backyard.
"Second brother, that Fu Shengqing deserved it, I really let him have it." Bai Ruozhu said with a cheeky grin.
"I imagined so, he ended up with a broken leg, and it seems like he can’t...." Bai Zepei struggled to get his words out, "he can’t procreate anymore."
Bursting into laughter, Bai Ruozhu said, "Serves him right, he was plotting to accomplish the deed and even had the others watching. It’s not a big deal if someone like him becomes infertile."
A cold glimmer appeared in Bai Zepei’s eyes, "He can forget about taking the Imperial Examination in the future."
Biting her lip, Bai Ruozhu tried to stifle a laugh, "Maybe he can advance his career by joining the royal court."
"Oh?" Bai Zepei reacted late to her statement.
Already in fits of laughter, Bai Ruozhu managed to utter, "I mean, becoming a eunuch. It doesn’t seem like he needs surgery."
Blushing in response, Bai Zepei said, "How can a young lady go around saying such things? Show some restraint, don’t let others mock you. What would Chang Sheng think of you?"
Sniffing derisively, Bai Ruozhu thought to herself: if he doesn’t like it, he can leave. She wasn’t about to bend over backwards for him!
"Surprisingly, knowing that Fu Shengqing prefers men and has absolutely no interest in women," Bai Zepei suddenly stated, "And yet, despite being married, his lack of interest in women has led him to remain childless."
Taken aback, Bai Ruozhu wondered: isn’t she a woman? What is Fu Shengqing suggesting?
Upon noticing her widened eyes, Bai Zepei could not resist laughing, "During his confession, he admitted that he was entranced when he first to our home and saw you dressed in men’s clothing with your hair styled like a man’s..."
Bai Ruozhu’s lips twitched at that. She had just decided to give it a try that day, she didn’t expect it to lead to such a major headache. However, recalling that day, Fu Shengqing had indeed made eye contact with her. His gaze did appear strange at the time. Now it was all clear, that was the look he gave when he saw a good-looking boy.
"Truly disgusting, I should have kicked him a couple more times," Bai Ruozhu gritted her teeth and said.
After their conversation, Bai Zepei felt less guilt, Bai Ruozhu started to think about traveling to the capital. She pondered when would be the best time to broach the subject with her second brother.
"I heard that he wants to go to the capital to meet with the emperor; would you go with him?" Unexpectedly, Bai Zepei was the one who asked.
"I..." Bai Ruozhu met her second brother’s irritated gaze, and was momentarily at a loss for words. She felt that she shouldn’t abandon her family, but considering the current situation, if she doesn’t leave, what if Zhou Jue comes after her once again? Even without Zhou Jue, what if Chengshui Country sends someone else after her? Even with the protection of the followers of the chancellor, they could surely not defend her without Jiang Yichun, could they?
Furthermore, the chancellor’s office could see her as a threat and decide to get rid of her anytime soon. So, she had to go to the capital to change the current situation.
Her major concern was that in her attempts to stay strong and stand her ground, she might ultimately harm her family.
With these in mind, she decided resolutely, nodding forcefully as she said, "Yes, I agreed to travel to the capital with him."
Disappointment flickered in Bai Zepei’s eyes for a fleeting moment before he finally let out, "That might be for the best, Dengdeng wouldn’t want to part from his father either."
"Second brother, I’ll return as soon as the business in the capital is done," she said, smiling kind-heartedly at Bai Zepei.
With no expression on his face, Bai Zepei replied, "Take care of yourself while you’re away, I’ll look after our parents."
"Alright." She noticed that her second brother’s attitude had suddenly turned cold. However, she didn’t want to explain further, feeling a bitter kind of pain in her heart.
Things would gradually get better. Even if her second brother was a little annoyed, he would forget about it after a while. Her loving parents, older brother, and second brother, who wouldn’t hold a grudge against her, right?
The pair talked for quite a while, and when they returned to the front yard, everyone had already begun eating. Both of them took their places and started eating their meals.
Lin Ping’er was dining with Bai Ruozhu. She was feeding Dengdeng a bowl of millet porridge when she leaned toward Bai Ruozhu and quietly asked, "Why does your second brother still look unhappy?"
Twisting her mouth into a smile, Bai Ruozhu replied, "It’s nothing." How could she explain to her mother that her second brother was unhappy because she was leaving?
The meal was eaten in quite a subdued atmosphere. Not long after dinner, Jiang Yichun returned. When he entered the house, he greeted Bai Yihong and Lin Ping’er, and then turned to Bai Ruozhu and said, "Sorry for being late, I was held up at the office unexpectedly."
The fact that he didn’t shy away from saying it in front of others made Bai Ruozhu blush in embarrassment.
Sitting off to the side, Bai Yihong couldn’t help but chuckle. In his view, Chang Sheng must have been held up by official duties. It was understandable that he would want to apologize to Ruozhu for the delay, and this showed that he genuinely respected Ruozhu and was indeed a good-natured person.
Lin Ping’er also began to laugh. She was pleased that her future son-in-law was treating his daughter so tenderly.
Glaring at him, Bai Ruozhu blushed. What was he doing apologizing publicly for? Everyone was watching. Jiang Yichun gave her a warm-hearted smile in return, implying that it didn’t matter and there was no reason to feel embarrassed.
Seeing his dad, Dengdeng burst into excitement, indicating that she wanted to play with him. Jiang Yichun, grinning, picked up Dengdeng and lifted him over his head before asking, "Did Dongdong eat well today?"
Dengdeng’s joyous laughter filled the room, instantly lightening everyone’s mood.
Since the meal was just recently finished, Jiang Yichun wasn’t too raucous while playing. After a few lifts, he stopped and took out a paper package. The package contained four clay figurines. Then, smiling, he said to Xiaosi, Niuniu, and Rongrong, "Pick one each, whichever you like."
At first, Niuniu and Rongrong were a bit scared of him, but they were now quite familiar with him after a few days of interaction. The two girls happily came over to pick a figurine. Two of the figurines were of ladies dressed in fairy gowns, they naturally chose those. And, Monkey King and Erlang God were the remaining figurines. As Xiaosi still maintained his aged disposition, his excitement didn’t appear particularly extreme. He approached Jiang Yichun, thanked him first, then asked Dengdeng for his choice and only took the remaining one after Dengdeng made his choice.
"Chang Sheng, have you had your dinner?" Lin Ping’er asked, snapping back to reality.
Jiang Yichun gave her a warm smile, "No, do you have any leftovers?"
"Why settle for leftovers when we can simply prepare some fresh dishes for you?" said Lin Ping’er as she immediately stood up to instruct the maids. But then, Bai Ruozhu stopped her and said, "Mother, I can make him a bowl of noodles, it should be quicker."
Lin Ping’er squeezed her eyes shut as she laughed, "Alright, alright, Ruozhu has the best culinary skills, so let her cook for you."
Bai Ruozhu went into the kitchen and Jiang Yichun, holding Dengdeng, followed her. Efficiently, Bai Ruozhu used the homemade meat sauce in their house to prepare a broth. Soon, the bowl of fried sauce noodles was ready.
"There you go. You should always try to eat on time. Otherwise, you might end up with gastric trouble." Seeing that it was already dark outside and he hadn’t eaten dinner yet, she couldn’t help nagging him a bit.
"Okay, I’ll always listen to my wife." He replied, chuckling twice.