Chapter 794 - 796: Call me Grandma from now on
Sure enough, Chu Hai appeared over the top of the wall next to her, probably feeling somewhat embarrassed about his wall-scaling escapade. His expression had turned even colder.
"Bai Ruozhu, if you won’t take me as your disciple, then you’ll have to duel with me. You’ll poison me and I’ll find a way to antidote it myself. If I can cure myself of your poison, then you must accept me as your disciple," Chu Hai declared.
Bai Ruozhu felt a headache coming on, she massaged her temples and said, "I really don’t have the time for this, nor do I have any interest in casually poisoning people. Please leave me alone."
"What if we limit it to three poisonings? If I can’t cure myself at any point, I’ll concede and ask for your help, and I won’t bother you anymore." Chu Hai tried again.
Bai Ruozhu felt somewhat tempted. A particularly potent poison could solve her problem once and for all, but...
She was cautious by nature. Her poison scripture from her past life had added a few lives to her lifespan but was also a double-edged sword. If others knew about it, it would certainly bring trouble. Furthermore, either out of laziness or lack of interest in poison skills, she never intentionally studied or improved upon the formulas. To truly challenge Chu Hai, she had no choice but to use formulas from the poison scripture. That would make things too obvious.
Having thought of all that, she looked at Chu Hai coldly.
"I don’t have the time, even if you stay next door, it won’t do you any good. I advise you to stop pressuring me, my subordinates aren’t to be trifled with," Bai Ruozhu proclaimed.
Diao Yao was surprised at Bai Ruozhu’s firmness, her little mouth bobbing open, "What’s wrong with you, Sister Bai?"
Even Diao Yao noticed her displeasure, Bai Ruozhu hoped Chu Hai would get the hint and give up.
Bai Ruozhu turned to go back inside the room, wanting no further entanglement with Chu Hai. Her mother followed her in and asked quizzically, "That boy seemed even younger than your second brother, and the little girl is quite young too. Aren’t their families worried about them?"
Bai Ruozhu thought about it, it was strange indeed. Was the Bihai Sect letting them roam freely? Previously, Elder Wu had disagreed with Chu Hai leaving the sect.
"Don’t worry mother, they’re part of the martial arts world, they’ll be alright," Bai Ruozhu consoled, not having the heart to tell her mother about Diao Yao’s surprising prowess. Diao Yao was far from the frail image she portrayed herself as.
That evening, Jiang Yichun returned home to hear that Chu Hai had made a home in the Zhang residence next door. He stormed about, almost ready to have the Zhang household upended and chase Chu Hai away; however, out of respect for their relationship with his mother, he restrained himself. After all, the Zhang family were innocent bystanders.
"Deng Shi and the midwife were both exiled, Xie Dun’s second uncle went to Xie Dun to plead for mercy. He requested to discipline Deng Shi and prevent her from being exiled," at dinner, surrounded by his family, Jiang Yichun related the information from the Government Office he’d visited that day.
His mother was alarmed, "How could that be? Deng Shi’s actions were outrageous, how could she simply get away with it?"
Everyone concurred, saying Deng Shi was too malicious and must not be shown leniency.
Wan Caiyue gently caressed her belly, feeling the motion of the child within. Despite her usually placid nature, she felt an uncommon rage, believing that Deng Shi deserved a thousand cruel cuts. She considered herself extremely lucky to have found such a wonderful husband and kind in-laws.
"Luckily, Xie Dun didn’t agree, saying that someone who’s broken the law should be punished," Jiang Yichun continued, "Also, Hao Baishuang who injured Ruozhu was stripped of her qualifications as a female doctor, flogged with twenty rods, and sentenced to half a year in prison."
Everyone felt a sense of justice being served and praised Magistrate Lu for his integrity and fairness.
Bai Ruozhu had a small smile on her face, but felt a hint of regret deep down. Hao Baishuang had been a talented female doctor, but she had strayed from the right path.
That night, in their room, after their baby Dengdeng had fallen asleep, Jiang Yichun curled up with Bai Ruozhu and asked, "Do you think Hao Baishuang was sentenced too harshly?"
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, "She deserves the punishment she got. It doesn’t matter if she committed the error due to emotional stress from her cousin’s suicide; she inflicted harm and must be punished accordingly. Otherwise, she may continue to harm others in the future, and not everyone will be as fortunate as I was."
Jiang Yichun’s large hand gently caressed the scar on her waist. Despite using high-quality scar-removal medication, it hadn’t completely faded.
Bai Ruozhu felt a bit uncomfortable and tried to shift away, then lowered her head and said, "Stop it, it’s too ugly."
He removed his hand but dropped his head down and chuckled, "Not at all, you’re beautiful everywhere."
Bai Ruozhu’s face turned beet red and she laughed while pressing him away, "Stop it, you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she abruptly stopped speaking. She felt a tingling sensation at her scar, his tongue was lightly licking it! His actions sent a wave of warmth radiating through her body. He... he actually licked her scar!
"What was that again?" Jiang Yichun raised his head and gave her a mischievous smile, "Pervert? I could be more lecherous."
Before she could refuse, he pressed her underneath him and they tangled together until the early hours of the morning.
The next day, Bai Ruozhu visited Lady Meng. As soon as Lady Meng saw her, she held her hand tightly and said, "Dear girl, thank you for your contribution at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet. I’ve heard all about it. It seems you’ve gone through a lot of trouble for us."
Bai Ruozhu laughed, "It was my pleasure. I put a lot of effort into that screen, I wouldn’t let anyone destroy it so easily. Also, as I once told Wanhua, this is what I called after-sales service. As for the others, they are just being petty and ended up not benefiting at all."
Lady Meng kept holding Bai Ruozhu’s hand tightly, her fondness for her growing. Not just because Bai Ruozhu helped the Meng Family regain their dignity, but also because of her admirable character.
In such a situation, many people would try to protect their own interests and not take risks. Despite the massive contribution she made, she simply referred to it as "after-sales service", never boasting about her effort, as if it were something she naturally had to do.
But how could the Meng Family accept her help guilt-free without remembering it in their hearts? Madam Meng silently made a decision, one she hadn’t shared with Bai Ruozhu yet as she knew Bai Ruozhu would not agree.
"Ruozhu, I heard Xiaojiang has been assigned to work here in Beiyu City, where he has encountered many obstacles. While women can’t interfere with court affairs, many times, the wives have had quite an influence," Madam Meng indirectly advised Bai Ruozhu. She then smiled at Bai Ruozhu and said, "I am planning to hold a banquet soon, inviting all the city officials and their families. This will help them better understand the current situation, so that they don’t pick the wrong side."
Madam Meng was as cunning as an old fox. Bai Ruozhu knew that Madam Meng wanted to help her and graciously smiled back at Madam Meng, saying, "Thank you, Madam. I’ll look forward to the banquet."
"We have known each other for quite a while, and you always address me as ’Madam’. From now on, why don’t you call me ’Grandma’ like Jinse does?" Madam Meng jokingly suggested with a smile.