Chapter 827 - 829 Tao Hua is Jealous_1
Wu Xu’s mouth twitched, "This..."
The damaged must be compensated, and the medical fees must be paid too. Considering this is your first offense and you’ve been duped by others, just go back and take fifteen military sticks," Jiang Yichun said with a cold face.
Although Wu Xu was reluctant, he knew that fifteen military sticks were already halved; otherwise, it would have been thirty. He gave a signal to his men, and all of them thanked for the leniency together. Then Wu Xu handed over some silver to the injured guards and bent over to bow toward Bai Ruozhu, "Madam Jiang, I apologize for today’s incident. Please don’t take it to heart."
Bai Ruozhu said indifferently, "I won’t. It would be best if you can keep that Zhou Buren in check—consider it a good deed for the locals."
Wu Xu slapped his thigh roughly, his face full of murderous intent as he roared, "Rest assured, I’ll definitely discipline that brat when I get back."
After Wu Xu and his men left, Jiang Yichun dismounted and approached Bai Ruozhu, "My lady, I’m sorry you had to endure this. They were let off too lightly."
"These men are local soldiers; a lesson is enough. There’s no need to completely fall out with them. After all, the root of the trouble is Zhou Buren’s doing. But I imagine he won’t have good days ahead either," Bai Ruozhu stated.
"Then I will also return to the camp first to ensure they receive their punishment," said Jiang Yichun, his face growing colder again. Just thinking about those men leering at his wife made him feel even fifty military sticks wouldn’t suffice.
Bai Ruozhu smiled at him, "Go on with your duties; I will head home soon to accompany our son."
After Jiang Yichun left, Bai Ruozhu treated a few injured guards. Thankfully, they were only superficial wounds, so some bruise liniment would suffice. She also gave them silver for medical expenses, but they expressed shame, saying they hadn’t protected the manor well and didn’t deserve rewards from the Bai Family.
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, "I can still distinguish right from wrong. How could just a handful of you take on so many? You were outnumbered, but it wasn’t that you didn’t stay loyal. Don’t overthink it."
The guards, seeing that Bai Ruozhu didn’t mention that the assailants were veterans who could easily overpower them, felt their dignity somewhat restored and found peace of mind. Their admiration for the young mistress grew even further.
When Bai Ruozhu returned home with her father, she discovered that several guests had arrived—none other than Zhou Dehai’s family, whom they hadn’t seen for many days.
While Bai Ruozhu didn’t have a good impression of Tao Hua and her mother, she had a fairly good relationship with Zhou Dehai and was quite fond of his eleven-year-old son, Zhou Bin. Therefore, Lin Ping’er didn’t have the heart to keep them waiting outside and had them welcomed into the Main Hall for tea.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu and Bai Yihong return, Zhou Dehai’s face showed a trace of embarrassment, and he quickly got up to greet, "Brother Bai, Ruozhu, you’ve returned."
Bai Yihong patted his shoulder warmly, "Dehai, we haven’t seen each other for some days; you look more spirited than ever."
"Hardly," Zhou Dehai said with an awkward smile, "Brother Bai, you and your wife look even younger. We arrived in Beiyu City a few days ago and took the opportunity to come and see you. We also wanted Tao Hua and her mother to properly apologize to you."
Bai Yihong quickly looked at his daughter. Previously, Ruozhu had healed Tao Hua’s foot, but due to some rumors, Tao Hua and her mother distanced themselves from Bai Ruozhu. Later still, they insisted Ruozhu cure them, and when she refused, they caused trouble for her multiple times. In the end, whether to forgive them should be Ruozhu’s decision.
Lin Ping’er glanced at Tao Hua and her mother obliquely, speaking indifferently, "There’s no need to bring up past matters. Ruozhu isn’t one to hold grudges; she doesn’t have the time to remember these things."
Zhou Dehai’s smile became somewhat stiff. He signaled to Tao Hua and her mother, who quickly stood up and bowed to Bai Ruozhu, "Ruozhu, I was narrow-minded before. Please don’t take it to heart."
Tao Hua rose reluctantly after a glare from her father, repeating a similar sentiment. However, a flash of hatred in her eyes did not escape Bai Ruozhu’s notice.
She sneered inwardly, Zhou Taohua’s narrow-mindedness shone clear as ever, still clueless about her own faults, and Bai Ruozhu harbored no expectations of becoming real friends with her, so she couldn’t care less about her attitude now.
"Let bygones be bygones, I won’t take it to heart," Bai Ruozhu said with great magnanimity.
Zhou Dehai’s face broke into a smile once again, "That’s good, that’s good, now I can rest easy."
Zhou Bin, who had been silent, finally spoke up, "I heard Brother Zepei has been ill, may I go see him?"
Zhou Taohua’s eyes lit up instantly, her neck stretching longingly, clearly desperate to see Bai Zepei immediately.
"He’s much better now, reading in his room. I’ll have him come out to chat with you all," Bai Yihong said, and promptly sent a maid to fetch him. Zhou Taohua watched with a face full of envy and jealousy, wondering when her own family would have maids to serve them. "They’re from the same village, and the Bai’s second branch used to be inferior to her family. Why do they get to live so well now?" she thought.
Soon, Bai Zepei came out, his complexion still slightly pale, and he politely greeted the Zhou family before exchanging a few pleasantries with Zhou Dehai.
From the moment Bai Zepei appeared, Zhou Taohua couldn’t take her eyes off him, her gaze frighteningly bright, little different from that of an infatuated lunatic.
Bai Ruozhu watched from the side, feeling utterly disgusted. "Could Zhou Taohua be any less subtle? Does she have to be so desperate to marry?"
Just then, Jiang Yichun returned and, upon seeing visitors in the main hall, came over to greet them.
Bai Yihong introduced him with some pride, "This is Ruozhu’s husband, Chang Sheng, currently serving in Beiyu City."
He was implying to the villagers, "My daughter’s husband has returned, not like what you all said before."
The Zhou family had already heard from Zhou Deshun that Bai Ruozhu’s husband was back, but they hadn’t expected Chang Sheng to be such a handsome young man, especially Zhou Taohua who stared at him, spellbound. She couldn’t help but mutter, "How is this possible? Wasn’t Chang Sheng dark and unattractive? How could Bai Ruozhu have such a good-looking husband?"
"Tao Hua, mind your manners!" Zhou Dehai scolded her angrily.
Jiang Yichun glanced coldly at Zhou Taohua and said, "It’s true, I am Chang Sheng. I used to darken my face in the village to avoid drawing too much attention, that’s all."
Bai Ruozhu chuckled twice to the side, "Sometimes being too good-looking can be a bother."
She said it deliberately for Zhou Taohua to hear and indeed, Zhou Taohua’s eyes reddened with jealousy, her hands clenched tightly together. Screaming in her heart, she thought, "Bai Ruozhu was a woman abandoned by her man, so why should her husband return? And why should he be so attractive, even more so than Brother Zepei!"
She truly couldn’t accept it!
Zhou Dehai, noticing his daughter’s abnormal behavior, quickly bid Bai Yihong farewell, stating they didn’t want to disturb Bai Zepei’s rest, and prepared to leave. Bai Yihong didn’t keep them for dinner, only personally escorting them to the main gate.
Of course, neither Lin Ping’er nor Bai Ruozhu moved an inch. Lin Ping’er even whispered to her daughter, "Just look at Tao Hua’s behavior; I’d like to see what kind of family she ends up marrying into."