Chapter 955 - 957: Pastoral Fun_1
Bai Ruozhu also secretly blamed herself for being too careless; in fact, she should have been more suspicious of Qin Kaichang. How did it just so happen that he was always the one to deliver goods to the Hot Spring Mansion? How was it that he constantly managed to meet Guizhi? And how coincidental was it that she encountered him begging for food in Jiuzi City?
Just like her second brother said, Qin Kaichang’s pursuit of Guizhi, how could he not mention it to her brother? Pursuing a friend’s sister but not sharing any information with the friend, wasn’t that a bit strange?
Moreover, Qin Kaichang had always been around them; he must have been able to gather a lot of information, right?
Still, she was quite certain that when she found Qin Kaichang, he really had a head injury unless someone else with superior medical skills to hers had treated him with medicine in advance, concealing any signs from her.
Bai Ruozhu felt a chill down her spine—the saying is true, there is always someone better; facing such a powerful enemy was indeed very stressful for her.
Feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, she returned to her room and shared Qin Kaichang’s situation with Jiang Yichun. Jiang Yichun gave her a sidelong glance and said, "You’re quite something, not mentioning such an important matter to me. You went to your second brother first and only willing to tell me afterward. Bai Ruozhu, you really can keep your mouth shut, can’t you?"
Towards the end, his voice rose, tinged with displeasure.
With an awkward laugh, Bai Ruozhu said, "I really wasn’t sure before. Jianqi thought he might have seen wrong and planned to investigate further. It was only on the way back that I suddenly thought of the effects of a disguise paste, and then when I got home, I found out my second brother had been drugged. I had to ask my second brother first, right?"
Jiang Yichun gave her another sidelong glance, "Fine, your second brother is not in a good mood; it’s okay to care for him more, but from now on, you are not allowed to hide anything from me."
Before Bai Ruozhu could reply, his cool lips pressed against hers, forcing all her words back down her throat. His kiss was fierce, and his lips soon turned from cool to scorching hot, the heat he breathed out even more intense, as if intending to set her entire being aflame. Bai Ruozhu made a few muffled sounds, quickly engulfed by his ardor.
Slap, slap, slap, giggle... Not far away, the yet-to-sleep Dengdeng happily clapped his little hands and even danced with laughter.
The two of them instantly froze, and then both burst into laughter, unable to hold it back. Although their intimacy was interrupted, warmth slowly filled the room.
"You little rascal, ruining your dad’s good time!" laughed Jiang Yichun as he walked over to the bed to playfully spank Dengdeng. But there was no real blame in his tone, only deep doting; even supposed punishment turned into jest, and there was not a hint of anger at his son.
Bai Ruozhu, blushing, scolded Jiang Yichun with a glance—it was all because this man suddenly acted recklessly, spoiling the child. Seeing the mischievously smiling Dengdeng, she worried he might actually understand what was happening.
After teasing Dengdeng a bit, Jiang Yichun went out to give the order to arrest Qin Kaichang. However, it wasn’t long before someone reported that Qin Kaichang had not returned to his former residence after leaving the Bai Family’s house; his home was too long uninhabited, covered in dust everywhere. Neighbors also reported having not seen him for quite some time.
Jiang Yichun, along with his men, searched the city but found no trace of Qin Kaichang’s whereabouts.
"It seems he had fled as soon as he left the Bai Family. Now, it’s probably impossible to catch him," Bai Ruozhu said with some regret.
Jiang Yichun snorted coldly, "He is the remnant of Prince Duan, he won’t get far."
Bai Ruozhu understood his meaning—if Qin Kaichang was going to meet with Prince Duan, he would most likely leave Danliang Country and flee to the Turkic territories, where the Imperial Court’s horsemen surely lay in wait.
Despite everything, Bai Ruozhu took the chance to inform her second brother about Qin Kaichang’s escape, thus his guilt was all but confirmed. Bai Zepei did not appear too dejected this time, merely nodding in response, as if he didn’t care about that person at all. Bai Ruozhu thought perhaps her second brother had made peace with his decision to handle matters impartially.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t dwell too long on this matter, nor did she mention anything to Guizhi, as her recent focus had been entirely on the "agricultural family leisure" project.
Of course, to cater to the aesthetic tastes of literati and aristocrats of the era, she renamed the renovated manor to "Rural Retreat" and even invited the dean of the literary academy to write these three characters, and he also penned two lines from Tao Yuanming’s poem:
Building a hut among the worldly’s reach, yet without the clamor of horse and carriage.
Gathering chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, leisurely beholding the southern mountain.
She had always intended to create a rural holiday village at the manor, but it had to stand out from typical estates; otherwise, how would it attract visitors in an age where fields were plentiful?
Therefore, the manor had been experimenting with winter vegetables, and she introduced some special varieties—such as cucumber plants, pa kui from Chengshui Country, and even a dedicated picking area that was planted with wild berries, small sour dates, "miss fruit," and various wild fruits from the mountains, their red and yellow hues especially appealing to the women.
Ladies who visited could personally experience the joy of picking, and taste unique flavors that aren’t commonly found elsewhere.
She also had peach, apricot, persimmon, and walnut trees planted, but it would take a few more years before they could flower and bear fruit.
In the center of the holiday village, she had had a pond excavated, filled with numerous fish, where guests could enjoy the pleasure of fishing—and of course, there were chefs on hand to cook the fish for guests, primarily using grilling as the primary method to maintain that rustic mountain flavor.
As the opening of Rural Retreat was approaching, Bai Ruozhu sent out invitations to many families in the city, not just inviting individuals but specifically mentioning that it was best if more family members came, to fully enjoy the happiness of family togetherness.
To avoid crowding, she sent out such invitations over the course of three days; on the first day, naturally, she invited those closest to her, such as the Meng Family, Xie Family, Tu Family, and others. There were also Kuai Minglang’s family, the dean of the literary academy’s family, Shen Lu’s family, Mr. Zhang’s family, and so on.
The dean of the literary academy felt particularly proud since his calligraphy was displayed above the main gate. Upon entering the holiday village, he felt even more content with the atmosphere, exclaiming, "This truly captures the essence of ancient literati leisurely roaming the mountains and fields."
Bai Ruozhu smiled and said to him, "This place is not as bustling as the city, it’s all about experiencing a return to natural simplicity. So, later on, anyone who enjoys fishing can go to the pond to try their luck. If you catch a lot, your lunch will be even more abundant."
She then turned to the women with a smile and said, "We ladies can go pick some fruits. Eating the fruits freshly plucked here can make skin more tender. I eat fruits from our own fields every day, and even after having a child, my skin is still nice."
Being a living testament herself, all the women present were intrigued.
"If anyone prefers not to be active, no worries, you can play chess or cards under the pavilion over there. Maids will be on hand to serve tea and dimsum," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.
Half the male guests went fishing, and those who didn’t like fishing gathered to play chess or just to watch, so no one was bored.
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Another Chapter will follow soon, Mouka will try to post it as early as possible~