Leng Wanhua hurried over, her face adorned with a bright, radiant smile. Bai Ruozhu took a closer look; this girl had incredibly fair skin and a pair of apricot eyes that shone vibrantly. It was hard for anyone to feel a hint of annoyance towards someone with such captivating eyes.
"Miss Bai, I’ve been expecting you." Leng Wanhua approached with a smile, greeting Bai Ruozhu as if she knew her quite well.
Bai Ruozhu was a bit surprised and responded with a smile, "I ran into some situations on the way here and was delayed for a few days. Are you the granddaughter of Old Lady Meng, Miss Leng?"
Leng Wanhua patted her head, laughed and said, "Look at me, I was so caught up in my excitement that I forgot to introduce myself. I imagine it must have made you feel perplexed. My paternal grandmother is Old Lady Meng from the Meng Family, I’m Leng Wanhua, the eldest in my family. Everyone is accustomed to calling me ’Eldest Miss Leng’. But you can just call me Wanhua, Miss Bai."
Bai Ruozhu liked the girl’s straightforwardness and replied, "Alright, why don’t you come in and sit with me, Wanhua?"
"Sounds good."
The two women entered the main hall and sat down. Bai Ruozhu instructed her maid, Lamei, to serve the homemade flower tea that she brought. She also inquired whether Leng Wanhua could have honey in her tea. Upon confirmation, she sent Lamei to prepare the tea.
"Actually Miss Bai, I’ve known about you for some time. During the New Year, my grandmother sent me this dress, which is simply exquisite. It’s one of a kind in the Capital City. I’ve been wondering about the kind of woman who could come up with such a great design. Finally, I’ve got to meet you today." Leng Wanhua said with a laugh.
Seeing her interest in knitwear, Bai Ruozhu laughed and said, "Since we’re meeting for the first time, let me give you a gift. Wait here."
She picked up Dengdeng, went over to her luggage, searched for a moment, and pulled out a knitted jacket adorned with small pearls according to a pattern. It wasn’t extremely valuable, yet it appeared incredibly delicate.
"I want you to have this. It’s newly made and should fit you well." Bai Ruozhu had prepared some gifts for her associates in the Capital City, and this jacket was one of them. Most of the gifts were small items, and there weren’t many sizeable ones like this.
Ecstasy swept across Leng Wanhua’s face as she accepted the jacket. She immediately tried it on, exclaiming, "Wow, thank you so much, Miss Bai! This jacket is simply stunning!"
Leng Wanhua was eager to put on the jacket. Seeing that she was already wearing a half skirt, Bai Ruozhu felt that adding the jacket might disrupt her overall look. She was about to comment on it when they were interrupted by the arrival of another visitor. "Miss Bai," the servant announced, "Miss Wang is here to see you."
Miss Wang? Bai Ruozhu frowned slightly, wondering when she had become acquainted with a Miss Wang.
Her gaze turned to Leng Wanhua, the Capital City-connected visitor. Why not ask her instead?
The smile disappeared from Leng Wanhua’s face, replaced by a look of contempt. Seeing Bai Ruozhu’s look of inquiry, she said, "Some people are so narrow-minded, you must be careful. Even the ones who wear a constant smile aren’t necessarily good people." She lowered her voice and added, "The Wang Family is tied to my Uncle Meng through matrimonial bonds."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but smirk at the information. She had been received warmly by Old Lady Meng upon her arrival in the Capital. It was normal for her to send a letter to her family in advance, asking them to take care of Bai Ruozhu. But the Wang family’s visit indicated that Wang Miaoshuang had also sent a letter, hadn’t it?
She thought that the Wang family was too impatient; waiting a few more days before visiting would not have suggested that Wang Miaoshuang was the one who sent the letter. They really lacked patience.
While the two women were talking, the young Miss Wang was led in. She was petitely built; her eyebrows and eyes resembled Wang Miaoshuang’s, making it easy to identify their familial relation.
At that instant, Bai Ruozhu felt a surge of distaste towards this young woman.
"Miss Bai. I’m Wang ZhenRu. I was passing by the Commerce Association and happened to hear about your arrival in the city. Curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to come over to visit you," Wang ZhenRu giggled, her voice leaning towards the coquettish side, "During the New Year, my aunt sent me a waistband from your home. Since then I’ve been curious to see the ingenious person who crafted it."
Surprisingly, Miss Wang’s remarks mirrored those of Eldest Miss Leng. The visibly annoyed Leng Wanhua shot a glare at Wang ZhenRu.
As the saying goes, ’Don’t hit a person who is smiling at you.’ Not wanting to offend the Wang family upon her arrival, Bai Ruozhu could only laugh and say, "Miss Wang, please take a seat. Let’s have some tea."
Wang ZhenRu acted as if she’d just noticed Leng Wanhua and said with a hint of surprise, "Even the distinguished Miss Wanhua is here? I would have never thought."
"Miss Bai is a distinguished guest of our Leng Family. It’s only proper for me to welcome her myself. I never thought Miss Wang would be so well-informed," Leng Wanhua retorted under the cover of a faint smile.
Feeling the heat on her cheeks, Wang ZhenRu’s face flushed. She was obviously embarrassed. As her made-up excuse was a bit of a stretch and she was known for her persistence, she was not willing to back down, especially not to Leng Wanhua.
Right then, Lamei brought the tea. Because she didn’t know that another guest had arrived, only two cups had been prepared. Bai Ruozhu asked them to drink first while she asked Lamei to pour her another cup.
"What kind of tea is this? It’s really delicious!" Wang ZhenRu sipped the tea and exclaimed. Her excitement was quite exaggerated.
Dengdeng, who was playing with a toy his father made in Bai Ruozhu’s arms, startled at Wang ZhenRu’s outburst, and the toy slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor. Without his toy, Dengdeng was unhappy and began to cry out.
Wang ZhenRu’s face turned red as she said, "I’ll get it, I’ll get it."
She went down to pick up the toy, and in doing so, her whole head lowered considerably, exposing all her jewelry right in front of Dengdeng. Before Bai Ruozhu could react, Dengdeng’s swift little hand reached out and yanked off one of Wang ZhenRu’s pearl hairpins.
"Ah..." Wang ZhenRu let out a low cry. The hairpin had brushed against her hair when it was pulled out, disturbing her entire hairstyle.
"Dengdeng!" Bai Ruozhu scolded in a low voice, "You naughty boy, it’s not right to take others’ belongings!"
Bai Ruozhu felt a bit awkward at this moment. Whether the scolding was just or not, Dengdeng was still a little kid and didn’t understand much about manners yet. But not to acknowledge this somewhat impolite gesture also seemed improper.
Looking up to find that the culprit was a small child, Wang ZhenRu suppressed her anger and masked her irritation with a smile, saying, "This child is quite clever. I was just thinking about giving him a gift. Isn’t this just perfect if he likes it?"
Bai Ruozhu snatched the pearl hairpin from Dengdeng regardless. These things were not suitable for children to play with; what if this sharp thing stabbed him or worse, he put it in his mouth?
"Kids often don’t understand things well, I hope this didn’t bother you. Although Dengdeng can’t have the hairpin, you should wear it again." Bai Ruozhu handed it back.
Wang ZhenRu accepted the hairpin without a word, casually inserted it back into her hair, and handed Bai Ruozhu a brocade box, "Since I am not allowed to gift the child, I have a present for you instead. I hope you won’t think less of it."
Bai Ruozhu took the box and gave it a quick look. A mocking smile crept onto her face. Had she become some sort of prized possession? What was the Wang Family trying to accomplish with these gifts?