Chapter 83 - 083: Getting More and More Beautiful
"All sold out." Bai Ruozhu was filled with rage and straightforwardly voiced out.
Jiang Yichun was a rather cold person, but he could still tell whether someone was angry or not. However, he was in an especially good mood at the moment. Or perhaps, he found Bai Ruozhu’s failure amusing which was why he approached her and started a conversation with indifference about the dried fish. After all, it didn’t matter whether he could buy it or not. He was more than capable of buying other gifts.
"What a pity," he said, then turned and left, regardless of the fiery glare Bai Ruozhu gave him.
If Bai Ruozhu knew of Jiang Yichun’s wicked thoughts, she would stick out her swollen belly and swear at him for half an hour, letting everyone see how a big man bullies a heavily pregnant woman who can’t fight back.
But at the present moment, Bai Ruozhu was even more upset. His flippant comment made her especially irritated. Was he regretful about not buying or implying she missed a chance to make some money?
Bai Ruozhu started regretting it. She shouldn’t have been so rash. She should have sold it to him at a higher price, squeezing him dry, and that would make her feel better.
Then she heard footsteps from behind. Turning her head, she saw her mother rushing over with something. Lin Ping’er was sweating profusely. She sat down and drank two cups of tea before regaining her strength.
"Mother, drink slowly," Bai Ruozhu poured her another cup of tea.
The two of them settled the bill and left after a while, but Bai Ruozhu didn’t bring up the matter of running into the man with the mask. Just mentioning that made her blood boil, not to mention explaining to her mother about the so-called "benefactor" who not only was a sharp-tongued man but also a familiar face.
Lin Ping’er seemed to notice a difference in her daughter from before, so she furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "What’s wrong? Did you run into any trouble?"
Bai Ruozhu quickly composed herself, her face once again adorned with a smile, and said, "No, it’s just that this place is too expensive. It’s a bit painful."
"Yes, it is a bit expensive. However, having a safe place for you to rest is a good thing. If you were to sit at a roadside stall and get bumped or hit, that would be so bad." Lin Ping’er also found it expensive, but she put her daughter’s safety before anything else.
Bai Ruozhu felt a warm feeling in her heart. The previous unpleasantness was thrown to the back of her mind. She affectionately linked arms with her mother and walked towards the Zhang family’s house.
The two quickly located the Zhang family home. The door was opened by the cheerful Rongrong, whose past ordeal of being abducted did not seem to have left any negative effects on her.
"Sister Bai, I was just telling my mother about you!" Rongrong exclaimed jubilantly upon seeing Bai Ruozhu, clapping her hands excitedly.
Hearing the commotion, Rongrong’s mother hurried out. Upon seeing it was Bai Ruozhu and her mother, she warmly invited them into the house.
"Rongrong, it seems like you’ve grown taller again in just a few days, you’re becoming more and more like a big girl." Bai Ruozhu said, patting Rongrong’s head.
Rongrong’s mother’s smile became gentle, "Indeed, she’s been having a growth spurt these past few days. Look at her skirt, it’s a tad short now. I was actually thinking about adjusting it for her this evening."
Bai Ruozhu took a glance and could confirm it as so. She waved Rongrong over and gave her the earrings she had bought earlier.
Lin Ping’er also handed the gifts they brought along to Rongrong’s mother, who was startled and asked, "Why are you being so polite, why did you buy so many things?"
"It’s what we should do, don’t refuse. If you refuse, we won’t come back next time." Lin Ping’er deliberately put on a stern face, and Rongrong’s mother didn’t dare to refuse anymore.
She accepted the gifts and put them aside. By the time she looked again, Bai Ruozhu had already put the earrings onto Rongrong.
At this point, Rongrong’s mother could not help but sit up immediately. She immediately spotted the intricate workmanship of the earrings, made entirely of pure silver. This was no small amount of money. This family had saved her child’s life. How could it be right to let them spend so much money as well?
"Rongrong..." Rongrong’s mother wanted to scold her daughter for her unsuspecting behavior, but the sight of her daughter’s beaming smile stung her eyes. Words that were ready to leap out of her mouth became impossible to articulate.
"This...this is too precious." said Rongrong’s mother, wringing her hands nervously.
"Don’t be polite with me, I should give my little sister a welcoming gift," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile. At the same time, she looked at Rongrong, delighted with how the earrings shone on her ears.
Although Rongrong was young, she was already sensible. When her sister gave her the earrings, she hadn’t thought much about it and obediently let Bai Ruozhu put them on her. However, seeing her mother’s expression made her realize how precious they were. She became nervous too, intending to take them off.
But Bai Ruozhu playfully slapped her hand away, gently, then said with a grin: "Don’t move, they look so good on you. Be careful not to drop them while taking them off."
Seeing this, Rongrong stopped fiddling with the earring, gazing at Bai Ruozhu with her wide eyes, and said, "Thank you, sister."
Bai Ruozhu caressed Rongrong’s double buns, a maternal glow on her face, "Eat well and grow fast, I will also give you beautiful clothes."
Seeing Bai Ruozhu, Rongrong’s mother couldn’t help but mutter in a stupor, blurting out, "Ruozhu, you look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. This is the first time I’ve seen a pregnant woman become prettier."
Startled by the comment, Bai Ruozhu instinctively touched her face. Her skin was indeed in great condition, although she didn’t enjoy looking into mirrors now as they appeared blurred. But which woman wouldn’t like to hear they were beautiful?
"Don’t flatter me, I am almost like a ball now." Bai Ruozhu laughed, pinching her protruding double chin playfully.
"Hey, I am blunt and don’t speak insincerely, where are you fat? You are voluptuous." said Rongrong’s mother as she got more familiar with Bai Ruozhu, also beginning to talk more.
Lin Ping’er, looking at her daughter, her face full of pride, exclaimed, "Yeah, Ruozhu, you’ve gained weight in the right places during pregnancy. Your stomach is not small but there’s not much weight gain on your body. You wouldn’t know you’re pregnant from the back. Moreover, carrying a boy has not made your skin worse. Look at me when I was pregnant with her older brother, my face broke out all over." She pointed at her face, which still bore some marks.
Bai Ruozhu beamed after the compliments, feeling that she was not fat, but rather full-figured. Of course, the huge bump on her belly was not to be mentioned, even if it was ********.
The two families continued to chat for a while, only then did Bai Ruozhu find out that Zhang Liliang had gone out on business and would probably not be back until the evening. She found it quite convenient, as it was more lively to chat with the women at home.
The family enjoyed lunch at the Zhang residence. Lin Ping’er and Rongrong’s mother prepared all the dishes, but Bai Ruozhu ended up frying them. Who could resist her delicious cooking?
After lunch, Lin Ping’er chatted with Rongrong’s mother while Rongrong took Bai Ruozhu to her room for a rest. Once Bai Ruozhu entered the room, she saw a piece of paper on the table; there were haphazard strokes of writing over the paper. It seemed as though Rongrong was practicing calligraphy.
Rongrong immediately blushed at the sight of the table, rushed over, and tried to hide the paper, saying, "It’s ugly, sister, please don’t look."
But Bai Ruozhu had already had a good look. How much could Rongrong’s little hands cover?
"It’s good, when I was your age, I didn’t write as well as you." Bai Ruozhu said.
----
Oh yes, as for myself, I’m not boasting, but when I was pregnant, I only gained about 20 pounds. My arms and legs hardly got any heavier at all. However, my stomach became quite large. From behind, you couldn’t even really tell I was pregnant. My son ended up weighing around 6.7 pounds when he was born, delivered naturally.