Chapter 698 - 700: The Bai Lianhua is pretentious
It took Xie Dun quite a while to recover from the shock. His face showed an array of emotions, from anger and embarrassment to guilt towards Sister Hongxiu.
Ji Ziyan, standing next to him, couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He had initially maintained a "not-my-business" demeanor, but he hadn’t expected Bai Ruozhu’s scolding to be so satisfying. This was the first time he’d seen Xie Dun being arrogantly silenced by a woman, and he couldn’t resist laughing.
Even after laughing, he felt it was inappropriate and spoke again, commenting, "This really is like your aunt’s style."
He only commented on Deng Shi, not mentioning whether Xie Dun was right or wrong. However, his laughter alone was enough to make Xie Dun ashamed.
"Ruozhu, what you said is correct. From now on, this kind of thing will never happen again," Xie Dun said to Bai Ruozhu, his face red.
Bai Ruozhu snorted and said, "Remember what you said. If I see Sister Hongxiu being mistreated again, no matter how many concubines you bring into your home, I won’t let her come back."
While they were still talking, from outside came the sound of delicate footsteps, and a sweet voice rang, "Cousin, I came to bring tea for you and Master Ji."
Well, speak of the devil and the devil appears.
Xie Dun’s expression became even more awkward. He was caught off guard by Deng Jiayin’s words and couldn’t help but cough a few times.
"Thanks, cousin," Xie Dun said awkwardly.
The curtain rustled, a bead curtain was lifted, and Deng Jiayin swaggered in, holding a teapot and two teacups in her hands. Seeing Bai Ruozhu, she showed a surprised look and said, "I didn’t know Miss Bai was here. I’ve brought one less teacup. I’ll go get another."
"No need, I don’t eat or drink from unfamiliar people," Bai Ruozhu said coldly, nearly causing Deng Jiayin to lose face.
Her large watery eyes showed a hurt look. She quickly glanced at Ji Ziyan. It was then that Bai Ruozhu realised she was here to try and court Ji Ziyan.
Even so, she still found Deng Jiayin revolting. Her very presence here was a nuisance to Sister Hongxiu.
Ji Ziyan seemed to have noticed her gaze, hastily turning his face back to his book, feigning as if he hadn’t seen a thing.
"Cousin, you can go ahead with your work. Friendship here can help with picking up the water," Xie Dun said, his voice a little cold. He thought his cousin was really embarrassing - sticking to him in the past and now sticking to Ji Ziyan.
"Yes." Deng Jiayin replied in a listless voice, seeming to have suffered a great grievance. She walked away staggering, appearing pathetic.
Watching this, Bai Ruozhu felt incredibly sick. Indeed, the white lotus was always being overly dramatic.
After Deng Jiayin left, Xie Dun once again assured Bai Ruozhu that he would not give his relatives a chance in the future. Then he mentioned Ji Ziyan’s health, saying, "Ruozhu, you can check Ziyan today. I think he’s still a bit weak, and he’s going to take the rural examination this year. If his body can’t resist, he needs to get adjusted as soon as possible."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "I will check Mr. Ji."
She signaled Ji Ziyan to reach out his wrist, and then she began to take his pulse. Upon this examination, she was shocked once again. She couldn’t help but give Ji Ziyan another look. Why wasn’t his body showing the signs of exhaustion from a few days ago? His vitality was stable, and he was healthier than ever.
"Mr. Ji, has someone been helping you adjust your body these past few days?" Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but ask.
Ji Ziyan paused before saying, "Not exactly adjusting, but a relative from my wife’s family came to stay and has been making nutrition soup for me every day."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Mr. Ji’s body is fine. If you keep it like this, it won’t be a problem to take the rural examination. Just don’t overwork or catch serious diseases."
"That’s good," Ji Ziyan smiled and thanked Bai Ruozhu.
Xie Dun was very puzzled. According to Bai Ruozhu, does that mean Ji Ziyan’s health has recovered?
Bai Ruozhu saw that it was about time and she excused herself to see Sister Hongxiu in the inner courtyard. Not long after she left, Sister Hongxiu woke up. She took Sister Hongxiu’s pulse and checked her condition- she was in a good state and both babies in her belly were healthy.
"Oh my, oh my, Ruozhu, look at these two little monkeys fighting again. They’re having such a good time. Was your baby Dengdeng naughty when he was in your stomach?" Sister Hongxiu asked with a smile.
"Of course, he was. He kept kicking my stomach, deforming it. That’s why I named him Dengdeng." Bai Ruozhu laughed.
"In that case, my two seem to be pretty gentle."
The two laughed together. Seeing an opportunity, Bai Ruozhu explained her plans to go to the capital with Jiang Yichun. Upon hearing the news, Sister Hongxiu became anxious, saying, "Who will be my midwife when you’re gone? I can’t do it without you. I’m scared!"
Bai Ruozhu smiled and looked at her belly, saying, "You’re about six months along now. I think I should be able to come back before you give birth. But you should also prepare a midwife and a female physician just in case I don’t make it back. Once you give birth to the first one, the second one will be easier. Don’t worry."
Even though Sister Hongxiu kept nodding, she still looked afraid. Finally, she sighed and said, "When a woman marries, she follows her husband. You should go with him. Go ahead, I’ll take care of myself."
Bai Ruozhu was delighted with Sister Hongxiu’s understanding. After chatting for a while, she departed back to the Bai family residence.
When she returned home, Jiang Yichun was about to step out to pick her up. Seeing her return home, he beamed.
"Achun, I ran into Xu Huilin today. He told me that your teacher will be sending Wu Wanqing to Jiangnan to recuperate. It sounded like he was trying to warn me to be careful," Bai Ruozhu softly said, looping her arm around Jiang Yichun’s.
Jiang Yichun was intoxicated by her tender voice. He leaned towards her, taking a deep whiff of her delicate fragrance.
"I will order increased defense, you should try not to leave the city," he said, while leaning closer to inhale her aroma.
Bai Ruozhu blushed, slapped him playfully and softly said, "We’re in the courtyard. Watch yourself."
The storm was already brewing in his eyes, "Then let’s go back to the room."
He didn’t wait for her to agree, and carried her back to their room. He placed her on the bed, flashing a naughty grin, "You said it’s okay today. I’ve been patient for a whole day."
A low chuckle escaped Bai Ruozhu’s lips; she reached out with both arms and hugged his neck...
The next day, Madame Wang still had not turned herself into the government office. In the end, she couldn’t let go of her pride. She even went to the Xie residence to beg for mercy, but since Bai Ruozhu had informed the housekeeper of the Xie family beforehand, no one let her in. As a result, she couldn’t see Sister Hongxiu at all.
Some people truly are selfish to the extreme, estranged from their own kin. Upon receiving Bai Ruozhu’s orders, Cui Fan passed the message to the Zhou family. The Zhou family sent people to try and persuade Madame Wang to surrender for the sake of the family, but it was all in vain. In the end, the person Madame Wang loved most was herself.