Chapter 795 - 797: Private Transactions
Bai Ruozhu was taken aback, "Grandmother?" Does that mean she would have to accept Old Lady Meng as her grandmother?
Old Lady Meng saw her standing dumbfounded, and smiled, "Most people usually choose godparents, it’s quite uncommon to choose a god-grandmother. But I am old enough to be your grandmother, aren’t I?"
Bai Ruozhu was somewhat startled. In the past, the word "grandmother" didn’t have very positive connotations for her. But, if she had a grandmother like Old Lady Meng who truly cared about her, it wouldn’t be too bad.
"All right, Grandmother," Bai Ruozhu readily agreed.
"Good, good." Old Lady Meng was so happy she couldn’t shut her mouth. She signaled Nanny Lu, who handed her a box. Opening it, she revealed a tourmaline necklace and a paired set of matching earrings. She took the necklace out of the box and helped Bai Ruozhu put it on.
"This is a gift from your grandmother to you," Old Lady Meng said with a grin.
Bai Ruozhu smiled as she allowed her to put the earrings on her. Old Lady Meng then closely scrutinized her and commented, "You are truly beautiful, even more so than I was at your age."
Bai Ruozhu blushed at the compliments, and quickly said, "Grandmother, please stop praising me. Or else, I will become too conceited."
"Young Jiang is a fortunate man. Had he been a bit slower, I fear many would have been breaking down my door for you." Old Lady Meng laughed heartily. "This set of necklace and earrings was given to me by my mother before I got married. I was planning to gift it to a daughter, but since I don’t have one, I’m giving it to you, my granddaughter."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruozhu was filled with astonishment. She quickly responded, "I can’t accept this, Grandmother. You should give it to Jinse."
Old Lady Meng grasped Ruozhu’s hand that was about to remove her necklace, "Don’t, I have prepared other things for Jinse and all the rest."
Hearing her say this, Bai Ruozhu did not reject the gift anymore, and thanked her for the gift.
"In a few days’ time, there will be a banquet where I will announce that I have adopted you as my god-granddaughter. Prepare yourself and make sure to dress nicely," Old Lady Meng cheerfully said.
"Thank you, Grandmother, for being so concerned about me," Bai Ruozhu felt the warmth and care of a grandmother for the first time. Her heart was touched and she felt very comfortable.
After chatting with the old lady for a while, she intended to leave. But, someone entered in a rush.
"Grandmother, I heard you want to adopt Bai Ruozhu as your god-granddaughter?" The person who spoke was Meng Hanhong, the eldest grandson of the Meng Residence. He was so worried that he didn’t even notice Bai Ruozhu was in the room.
Old Lady Meng coughed disapprovingly. Only then did Meng Hanhong notice Bai Ruozhu. His face immediately showed surprise and embarrassment, and he swiftly veered his gaze away.
Still dodging Bai Ruozhu’s gaze, Meng Hanhong said, "Even with her here, I must say it: I disapprove. I am the eldest grandson of the house, and I don’t want an additional god-sister out of nowhere."
Old Lady Meng looked at him and suddenly laughed, "If you don’t agree, then I’ll make her my god-daughter. Then, she won’t be your god-sister."
Bai Ruozhu was originally trying to remain silent, but upon hearing the old lady’s words, she couldn’t help but laugh. This god-grandmother was definitely sharp-witted, clearly much more so than young Meng Hanhong.
"Grandmother!" Meng Hanhong blustered, his face red, "How could that be? Then she would be my god-aunt!"
"It was you who didn’t want her to be my god-granddaughter. It’s just as well since I don’t have a daughter. Making her my god-daughter works too." The old lady said with a smile.
Meng Hanhong stomped, childishly replying, "Grandmother, how can you do this? She can’t join our family, I don’t agree."
"She doesn’t have to move into the Meng Residence, she has her own family. She just needs to acknowledge me as her grandmother. I really don’t know what you’re so bothered about," said Old Lady Meng. She couldn’t help but sigh at this. Meng Hanhong and Bai Ruozhu were of the same age, with Meng Hanhong being just half a year younger, yet Bai Ruozhu was so much more mature. Meng Hanhong was still acting like a child.
Melancholically, she sighed to herself. After all, her grandson was raised by Wang Miaoshuang. She didn’t want to interfere, but unfortunately, her eldest grandson turned out this way.
Bai Ruozhu felt it was inappropriate to stay, so she excused herself and left. Old Lady Meng smiled at her, saying, "All right, get yourself ready. Once the date is confirmed, we will notify you."
"Okay," said Bai Ruozhu. As she left the room, she still heard Meng Hanhong’s resentful voice, "Grandmother, you moved so swiftly with this. You really should have thought it over more."
She didn’t hear his following words. She wondered why Meng Hanhong didn’t want Old Lady Meng to adopt her. She didn’t recall having any grudges with him. Could it be to protect her mother’s honor? But in Bai Ruozhu’s eyes, Meng Hanhong was nothing more than a child and she didn’t want to argue with him.
Upon returning home, Bai Ruozhu told her parents about Old Lady Meng adopting her as a god-granddaughter. Lin Ping’er was extremely happy and said, "Old Lady Meng truly cares about you. You should be filial towards her in the future and don’t let down her affections for you."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, understanding that as long as she didn’t cross certain boundaries, she would help the Meng family when possible.
Right then, Bai Ruozhu saw her elder brother returning. She was about to stand up and greet him when she noticed a pendant hanging from his waist that wasn’t there when he left in the morning. He was not the type of man to buy such a thing for himself. Assuming it was a gift from his wife, he should have worn it when he left in the morning.
It seemed to be a gift from someone else then.
Bai Ruozhu’s expression fell, but she hid her emotions, "Elder brother, do you have some free time? Let’s go and check the accounts." After finishing her sentence, she handed Dengdeng to her mother and led her elder brother to her room.
Bai Zehao had already started dealing with a variety of people and had learned some tact. He could clearly tell his sister was not pleased and worried if there was a problem with the clothing business. He could not help but feel nervous.
"Elder brother, please sit," Bai Ruozhu softened her tone upon seeing her brother’s apprehensions.
"Ruozhu, did something happen?" Bai Zehao asked nervously as he sat down.
Bai Ruozhu considered her words carefully, not wanting to hint that she knew about Xiaoning’s situation. She didn’t want her brother misconstruing that she was spying on him, causing a rift in their relationship.
"Elder brother, your wife’s pregnancy is getting bigger, and her family isn’t here with her. If you have some free time, try to accompany her more often. Business can wait, or you can delegate it to someone else. Your wife and child should come first," Bai Ruozhu slowed her tone and spoke gently.
Bai Zehao was stunned, and then replied, "You’re right. I’ll spend more time with Caiyue in the future."
"Oh, elder brother, your waist pendant is pretty. I haven’t seen it before, have I?"