Chapter 695 - 697: Can’t Be The Second Sister-In-Law, But A Friend
Cui Fan’s face lit up in satisfaction, "Great, as long as this can be proven, Wang Shuan can be saved."
However, Bai Ruozhu suddenly fell silent. In ancient times, without the sophisticated tools of modern era, how could they conduct a comprehensive examination and produce a detailed report?
"Can’t you discuss with me, your husband, when you have a problem?" Jiang Yichun’s voice suddenly rose, a hint of dissatisfaction and sourness in his voice, implying, ’You are willing to discuss with a guard, but you won’t even talk to me?’
Cui Fan, standing at the side, touched his nose in embarrassment, pretending he hadn’t heard anything. This young master from his household had a great background and, surprisingly, was also the jealous type.
Bai Ruozhu also coughed awkwardly twice and said, "Well, can I consult with you now? I thought you were too busy and I did not want to disturb you."
When asking for a favor, one must use a friendly attitude. At this moment, Bai Ruozhu’s voice even carried a hint of coquetry. Sure enough, a triumphant smile appeared on Jiang Yichun’s face.
Cui Fan stood on the side, pretending to know nothing. As the third wheel, it was indeed difficult for him to be here.
"I have a potion that could be smeared onto the food. It changes color to indicate if the food is poisoned. If the almond carries any poison, it will turn green around it and be strikingly clear. You can take this to the coroner of the government office for testing when necessary." Jiang Yichun explained.
Bai Ruozhu’s eyes shone brightly, "That’s wonderful, I’ll have to trouble you with this."
Jiang Yichun could tell that his wife must admire him a lot. As she affectionately referred to him as "hubby," his heart filled with sweetness. He quickly ordered someone to fetch the medicine for Bai Ruozhu.
Naturally, Bai Ruozhu trusted him and didn’t check for authenticity. She immediately handed the potion to Cui Fan, saying, "Take this and clear Wang Shuan’s name."
"Yes." Cui Fan took the medicine and ran off in a hurry.
By the afternoon, Jiang Yichun went out for business. Bai Ruozhu was going to take a nap with Dengdeng, but Tu Ying came to visit unexpectedly. So she simply left Dengdeng with her mother and went out with Tu Ying.
Because Bai Ruozhu did not know how to ride a horse, Tu Ying accompanied her in the horse carriage. Inside the carriage, she heaved a sigh before saying, "Do you know about the rumors spreading about you lately?"
"Oh?" Bai Ruozhu raised an eyebrow, "It is related to the Du Family, or the counterfeit shop?"
She was clever in her thoughts, considering these possibilities she could guess what these rumors were about.
"Both. They say you are very cunning, cooperating with the Du Family in toothpaste business and seeking to cut off the partnership once the business booms. And you set up the Du family, they are about to fall into destitution." Tu Ying quickly retold the rumors. Then she felt something was wrong and hurriedly added, "I don’t think like this. I am just sharing this with you in case someone tries to frame you."
Bai Ruozhu smiled and nodded, "I know, if you believed those words, you would not come to see me."
After hearing that, Tu Ying cheered up and continued, "They also said you schemed to eliminate the shop that was competing with you. They said you have a strong backer, and it is because Old Lady Meng supports you."
Bai Ruozhu heard this and shook her head smiling, "These people can really fabricate stories. Why they would want to involve innocent Old Lady Meng in all of this?"
"I believe the Du Family is spreading these rumors about you. I have heard about it. It is their own disgraceful behavior, and if they had conducted business honestly, how could the mayor have found their counterfeit goods?" Tu Ying retorted angrily.
"It’s alright, the Du Family is now nothing more than a joke. I don’t bother with them to avoid giving them unnecessary attention," Bai Ruozhu replied.
Tu Ying was of a carefree nature. Although she was worried, hearing Bai Ruozhu’s words, she decided to put the matter behind her.
Having nothing to do, the two went to a teahouse for some afternoon tea. Tu Ying also gave some self-defense advice to Bai Ruozhu, teaching her how to strike when an enemy least expects it and how to escape in dangerous situations.
However, Bai Ruozhu noticed that despite the lively conversation, Tu Ying did not constantly ask about Bai Zepei as she used to. Nor did she continually bring up Bai Zepei in their conversation. This surprising behavior led Bai Ruozhu to take an opportunity and carefully asked, "I now have a feud with the Du Family, and sadly, my second brother and Du Zhongshu were schoolmates. I wonder if it will be awkward for them to interact in the future."
Tu Ying’s expression turned awkward for a moment, but she quickly tried to cover it up, "Your second brother is very smart, he won’t suffer."
Bai Ruozhu’s ears perked up at this. Last time didn’t she call him ’Brother Zepei’? Why does the address sound so distant now?
Tu Ying met Bai Ruozhu’s inquisitive gaze, which revealed her embarrassment again. She coughed before saying, "Forget it, I prefer to be direct. Your second brother has made it clear about his feelings."
"Ah?" It happened so fast? Bai Ruozhu almost blurted out the second half of her sentence, realizing Zepei did not procrastinate at all with this matter.
But when she thought about it, she felt a sense of pity, and her heart ached for the two of them.
However, Tu Ying was more open-minded than Bai Ruozhu had imagined. She gave a bitter smile and said, "As clever as you are, you must have guessed I have a crush on your second brother. But you chose not to expose it, and for that, I should thank you. It is a pity your second brother doesn’t like me, and I cannot become your sister-in-law. But I admired you as a person, and I hope we can continue to be friends. Is that okay?"
No wonder she did not bring up her second brother today during their conversation.
Bai Ruozhu nodded vehemently, "We are certainly friends, and you must come visit me frequently. Don’t worry about anything else."
Tu Ying chuckled, "You’re right, I won’t worry about anything else. With or without him, I can still get married!" As she spoke, she picked up her tea cup and emptied it in one gulp. Her attitude and tone were utterly free and easy. Upon seeing this, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but admire her even more. The phrase "dressed in finery, as beautiful as a flower" indeed perfectly describes Tu Ying.
"Miss Bai, Miss Tu, a young master Xu requests to see you," a waiter announced from outside the private room.
"Wow, this Xu Huilin is coming to cadge another meal," Tu Ying laughed, "He was here with my brother a few days ago and ran into me."
Bai Ruozhu instructed the waiter outside, "Please invite Master Xu in."
Xu Huilin entered the room. Today, he was dressed in a moon-white spring robe, appearing especially neat and refreshing. He even held a folding fan in his hand, looking every bit the romantic scholar.
Bai Ruozhu squinted her eyes, her intuition telling her that Xu Huilin was here for Tu Ying. Even his dress and dazzling smile seemed to be prepared for Tu Ying. She felt uncomfortable. Although she learned that Tu Ying could no longer become her second sister-in-law, having been a potential love interest to her second brother at least, dismissive remarks about her by Xu Huilin made her heart feel a strange torment.
She felt sorry for her second brother, but what could she do?
Xu Huilin greeted the two and found a seat to sit down. He laughed heartily and requested a pot of tea.
Tu Ying, oblivious to Xu Huilin’s thoughts, laughed and asked, "Second Young Master Xu, did you manage to buy the items for your junior brother?"
Xu Huilin’s face changed slightly, and he quickly glanced over at Bai Ruozhu...
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There will be another update later...I’m having a really bad day today. I got a nose bleed for the third time after waking up from my nap. I ate dinner out and even drank some herbal tea, but my nose is still bleeding. I’m not even bothering to remove the tissue from my nose anymore...