Chapter 733 - 735: His Abnormality
That morning, Jiang Yichun took her and the child to the ship. She was so exhausted that she didn’t even have the strength to write a letter, so she ended up passing on a verbal message to Lin Zhenghui.
Once on the ship, she stayed in the cabin to sleep, forbidding him to take the child on deck. So, he had no choice but to stay in the cabin with her. Though the official ship was larger than an ordinary one, they weren’t on a large official ship, so the conditions were limited and the sleeping quarters were small, making the space a bit cramped for the three of them.
Bai Ruozhu lazily shot him a glare from the bed, saying, "You’re a scoundrel hanging around here, a man who can’t keep his word!"
Jiang Yichun chuckled, "How am I untrustworthy? Didn’t I mention more than once? Weren’t you uncomfortable just then?"
"Uncomfortable! My back feels like it’s going to break!" she said through gritted teeth. Reminiscing their intimate moments in the inn that morning, her cheeks suddenly flushed.
It was the first time the pair had tried a specific position, =======a giant river crab crawling over======================crawling====================the river crab continues to crawl================lost in the novel sensation soon afterward.
"So, do you want to stop it?" Jiang Yichun teased, leaning over and playing with her hair.
Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes, a mischievous plan forming in her head. She said, "Next time, we do as I say." She refused to believe that she wouldn’t be able to have her way at least once. Humph.
Her cheeky expression amused him, and he chuckled, pinching her nose, "Alright, we’ll do as you say next time." He was quite interested to see what tricks she had up her sleeve.
As the ship continued its journey, Bai Ruozhu, fearful of danger, stopped going on deck. Except for using the restroom or washing up, she spent most of her time in the cabin, not allowing Dengdeng to go on deck either. Dengdeng, perhaps still rattled from the previous incident, didn’t fuss about going on the deck to play.
La Mei was the only maid Bai Ruozhu had brought along to help with the child. Despite her inability to speak, La Mei was industrious and earnest, which was why Bai Ruozhu allowed her to come along.
After four days, they passed a town called Wuyuan City. The town earned its name due to the frequent fog.
The official ship docked for maintenance and supplies. Jiang Yichun carried their son and accompanied his wife off the ship, suggesting they stretch their legs and explore the town, as staying on the boat for so long was stifling. Bai Ruozhu thought it over and decided to tag along, considering the presence of the numerous dark guards and that they were on solid ground, she wasn’t worried.
The family of three felt instantly invigorated upon stepping ashore, and even Bai Ruozhu couldn’t resist stretching, feeling much more relaxed.
"Let’s go check out the Commerce Association first. See if my master has left any messages," Bai Ruozhu suggested.
"Sure," Jiang Yichun replied with a smile, taking her hand as they made their way towards the Commerce Association in the city.
One hand carried their chubby son while the other held his wife’s; happiness written all over his face. With all the members of their family being so good-looking, they immediately caught the attention of passersby. Bai Ruozhu looked around, noticing that even the families with children out on the streets were carried by the women. She quickly offered to carry their son.
Jiang Yichun stepped aside, saying, "But your back is hurting, isn’t it?"
Bai Ruozhu’s face turned bright red. She hadn’t had a chance to execute her plan of getting the upper hand on him last night before she was overpowered again.
Wuyuan City wasn’t large, so it didn’t take long for the family of three to find the Commerce Association. Bai Ruozhu showed her token, establishing her identity.
"Miss Bai, there is a message from Elder Lin. He has already set off towards the capital and plans to meet you there," an authoritative figure respectfully informed her.
Bai Ruozhu was surprised and asked, "Did he mention why he’s going to the capital?"
"No, that was all he said in his message," the figure replied.
She next asked about the situation in Guqiu City, to which the man said, "Zhang Zhifang, the chief manager of Guqiu City, who secretly tried to collude with foreign enemies against his own people, has been dealt with by the Commerce Association. Zhang Deng has since replaced him as chief manager."
Relieved, Bai Ruozhu thought to herself how her selection of her master wasn’t for nothing. He’d settled everything within days.
Once they left the Commerce Association, Bai Ruozhu asked Jiang Yichun, "Why do you think my master decided to go to the capital suddenly? He never mentioned it before, did he?"
Jiang Yichun laughed, "You still don’t understand old Lin. He’s coming to the capital for you. He probably wants to send more people to join you. He can’t bear to see anything happen to his precious apprentice, a budding business prodigy that took him so long to find."
Even though her relationship with Lin Zhenghui was relatively new and they weren’t extremely close, she did feel a bit touched and appreciative of his evident concern for her after this incident.
"Your master is overly cautious because of his old age. He always says he can’t send more people with you, afraid to draw too much attention and cause trouble. He doesn’t realize that his apprentice is already a noteworthy individual," said Jiang Yichun, snickering. "Such a small team of guards will hardly help establish your authority."
On this journey, Bai Ruozhu had eight dark guards accompany her, leaving two behind to protect the Bai family, ready to notify her at any time through the Commerce Association if anything happened. The ten managers all decided to follow Bai Ruozhu to the capital. Since she didn’t want them involving themselves with her family’s affairs, she instructed them to depart later and rendezvous at the Commerce Association once they arrived at the capital.
It now seemed as though the ten managers should suffice for doing business in the capital, but there were far too few dark guards, not nearly enough even for ensuring her basic safety.
The family strolled around the city casually and had some local snacks before deciding to head back to the ship. On their way back, Jiang Yichun noticed something on the side of the road and suddenly stopped.
Bai Ruozhu sensed his change and quickly turned to see an unremarkable small bottle. After a careful look, she couldn’t help but ask, "A snuff bottle?"
Jiang Yichun recovered from his daze, looking at her in surprise, "You recognize snuff bottles?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded, looking at him in anticipation of the story he was about to share.
Jiang Yichun held her hand and continued walking, not sparing another glance at the snuff bottle. Clearly, it wasn’t the bottle itself, but the memories associated with it that had caught his attention.
"My father had a snuff bottle when I was young. At that time, no one in Danliang Country used them. He bought it from Western merchants," Jiang Yichun said, a hint of melancholy in his voice.
Bai Ruozhu knew he was thinking about his father. She tightened her grip on his hand and said, "Once we’ve finished our business in the capital, we’ll visit your father and present him with some snuff bottles."
Jiang Yichun nodded, not saying anything else. Holding Ruozhu’s hand, they headed back to the ship.
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Today, I can only do three updates. I have to attend a meeting for female authors tomorrow. I haven’t even finished packing my luggage yet, and various things have been delaying me. My child also clung to me all day when he found out I was leaving. Moreover, updates for the next four days will be tough to guarantee due to varied schedules. I don’t have any Chapters stored up, but I’ll ensure to have no fewer than three updates and will try to make it four. I’ll note down any missed updates and catch up once I’m back, okay?
The additional update for today will be posted a little later. As of now, I owe two updates... I haven’t forgotten...