Chapter 870 - 872 - Helping Gu Xue’an_1
With that thought, Bai Ruozhu excused herself to Tu Ying, saying she needed to step away for a moment and hurriedly left. Tu Ying originally wanted to accompany Bai Ruozhu, but she didn’t want to miss Bai Zepei’s final match. Seeing Bai Ruozhu leave in such a hurry, she decided not to follow.
Bai Ruozhu called Jianqi to a secluded place and whispered a few instructions to him, then said, "You must be very careful, do not cause any trouble, and especially do not expose yourselves."
"Yes, your subordinate will proceed with caution," Jianqi promised and left with his men.
Bai Ruozhu was somewhat worried, but Jianqi was steady in his work and should be able to handle this little matter.
Just as Bai Ruozhu was about to return, she suddenly heard a woman’s pained cry from the distance. Startled, she thought, what if she had stumbled upon another troubling incident?
She peeked around the bamboo grove and saw a woman sitting on the ground, holding her foot in apparent agony. Another woman stood by her side, anxiously inquiring about her condition, while three self-satisfied women stood opposite them, with Xu Panrui, who had mocked Bai Ruozhu just yesterday, in the middle.
Bai Ruozhu frowned; it seemed that those three had hurt the woman opposite them, but this was none of her business. Should she intervene?
After some thought, Bai Ruozhu still pretended to go to the toilet and headed in that direction. That way happened to lead to the ladies’ toilet, which aligned with her stated reason for leaving her seat.
"Sister Xu, someone is coming. We should leave," a girl at Xu Panrui’s side whispered, tugging at her sleeve to draw her attention.
Upon hearing this, Xu Panrui quickly turned around but, recognizing Bai Ruozhu, immediately showed a look of disdain and whispered to the girl beside her, "Ajiao, don’t worry, it’s just a bumpkin from the Northland. She wouldn’t dare meddle in our affairs."
She thought she was speaking quietly, but could Bai Ruozhu possibly not hear it with her keen ears?
Bai Ruozhu sneered inwardly. Xu Panrui constantly derided those from the Northland as bumpkins, but the Capital City was in the Northland too, wasn’t she insulting the Emperor, the Empress, and all the Imperial Relatives as well?
She feigned surprise on her face and said, "Oh, isn’t this the same miss from yesterday? I didn’t expect to see you again. Why aren’t you participating in the competition?" She then showed a look of regret, "I thought with the miss’s elegance and demeanor, you would definitely be attending the Study Palace for ladies."
Xu Panrui’s sarcastic smile slowly shattered, but she managed to control her anger and forced another smile on her face, although it looked rather stiff.
"What are you talking about? All noble girls from Jiangnan attend female study palaces," she retorted.
Bai Ruozhu acted as if she had a sudden realization, "I must have misunderstood. Seeing you not participating in the competition, I thought you were no longer at the Study Palace. Oh right, I haven’t asked for the miss’s name yet."
Xu Panrui’s expression shifted again, but she quickly concealed it, "My name is Xu Panrui, and my father is the Superintendent of Canal Transport in Jiangnan."
Bai Ruozhu thought to herself, it would have been enough for the girl to just share her name, yet she had to mention her father, as if she was afraid others wouldn’t know about her distinguished family background. But indeed, the Superintendent of Canal Transport in Jiangnan was not a low position, and it was a lucrative post.
"I am Bai Ruozhu, here to participate in the competition with the students from Beiyu’s Study Palace," Bai Ruozhu introduced herself.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu not divulging any family background, Xu Panrui and her companions showed a hint of disdain, thinking she had no family status to speak of.
Then the other two also introduced themselves, revealing their family names. Only then did Bai Ruozhu somewhat understand that people here introduced themselves by declaring their families. She recalled meeting Lin Xufei for the first time; he had done the same, but she had thought that Lin Xufei mentioned it only to emphasize his reliability.
Bai Ruozhu smiled at the three of them, then turned to look at the woman who had fallen to the ground, and asked in surprise, "What happened to this Miss? Where are you hurt? My medical skills are quite good; how about I take a look?"
As she spoke, she squatted down and actually began examining the woman. It was only when she got closer that she saw the injured woman was Gu Xue’an, who had spoken up for them the day before.
The anxiousness was evident on the face of the woman beside Gu Xue’an, "Then we would greatly appreciate it, Miss. My friend was pushed down and injured her foot; we still don’t know how serious it is." She said, and with anger, she gave Xu Panrui a resentful glance.
Upon seeing Bai Ruozhu attending to Gu Xue’an’s injury, Xu Panrui’s dislike for Bai Ruozhu deepened. She said to the two people beside her, "We can’t be of any help here; let’s quickly go back to watch the finals."
The three of them left without a goodbye. Not far away, Xu Panrui still murmured contemptuously, "She’s probably just some low-born female doctor. Which aristocratic woman would learn medicine?"
The other two girls giggled upon hearing this.
Bai Ruozhu’s lips twitched when she heard them; birds of a feather flock together, none of those three were any good.
She examined Gu Xue’an’s foot and found it was just a sprained ankle. There were no broken bones, but it was significantly swollen, which made it extremely painful.
"There’s no bone injury and no dislocation; you just need to be careful with the recovery, otherwise it might lead to habitual sprains," Bai Ruozhu said as she took a medicine bottle from her person and applied some ointment.
Gu Xue’an felt a coolness at her ankle, and it seemed to alleviate some of the pain.
"I’m glad it wasn’t serious; you had me worried." The woman beside her said, patting her chest. After speaking, she looked somewhat embarrassed and hurriedly thanked Bai Ruozhu, saying, "My name is Bai Qizhi; we’re from the same clan. My grandfather is the Vice Minister at the Ministry of Rites, and my father is the county magistrate assigned to Jiangnan." Seeing Gu Xue’an in too much pain to speak, she spoke on her behalf, "Her name is Gu Xue’an, her father is the Governor of Jiangnan. We are from families in the Capital City and have often been bullied by Xu Panrui and her gang. Just now, it was Xu Panrui who deliberately tripped Miao An."
Having said this, Bai Qizhi looked at Gu Xue’an with a lamenting gaze and added, "I told you we shouldn’t always turn the other cheek. It’s their fault, and we should have made a fuss about it."
Gu Xue’an shook her head, "My family’s situation is complicated; avoiding trouble is better than courting it."
Bai Ruozhu felt that Gu Xue’an, who could speak up for them the day before, didn’t seem like someone with a feeble character who was easily bullied, so why did she appear somewhat submissive now?
Bai Qizhi pursed her lips and said no more; Bai Ruozhu could guess the issue probably lay with Gu Xue’an’s family, likely relating to her position as the wife of the Governor of Jiangnan.
"It shouldn’t hurt as much now. Do not walk on this foot for the next three days, don’t rub it today, and do not apply hot water to it. Starting tomorrow, use this bottle of medicine for massage, and the swelling should subside quickly," Bai Ruozhu said, passing a porcelain bottle to Gu Xue’an.
Gu Xue’an showed a look of gratitude, "Thank you so much, Miss Bai. If you’re not in a hurry to leave after the competition, you must come to my residence for a visit, allow me to throw a banquet in your honor."
"Miss Gu, you are too polite; it was just a minor effort on my part. We are not in a hurry to leave; we’ll catch up with you in a few days," said Bai Ruozhu, standing up to take her leave. She was eager to go back and see how Jianqi performed.
"Should I go over to the organizing committee and let them know to inform Miss Gu’s family to come and pick her up?" Bai Ruozhu asked before leaving.
The two of them nodded in agreement and thanked Bai Ruozhu again.