Chapter 977 - 979 No Room for Negotiation_1
Bai Ruolan seemed unable to understand anything, and after sitting down, she leaned against Plum Blossom with a somewhat frightened air, not fully comprehending the fact that her mother was gone.
Bai Ruozhu glanced at Ruolan and said to Wang Xiujun, "I can’t hand Ruolan over to you. Since you abandoned her initially, my family has been taking care of her all this time. Now, I cannot arbitrarily give her back to you, and besides, you cannot cure her illness."
"Don’t you trust us? I swear I’ll take good care of her. I am her blood uncle, after all," Wang Xiujun said anxiously.
Wang Qiang also chimed in, "I swear I will treat her well too."
"It’s not that I don’t trust you, but she has gotten used to being with us. Her condition isn’t incurable, but if she suddenly changes caregivers, she might feel abandoned, and her condition could very likely worsen," Bai Ruozhu explained.
Even a small cat or dog will become attached over time, not to mention a living person, and Bai Ruolan is related to them by blood. Although she wasn’t likable before, she now lives a quiet life in the Bai Family like a child most of the time, and everyone has gotten used to her presence.
The Wang Family grew silent, and finally, it was a young girl from the Wang Family who spoke up, "My grandmother is seriously ill and has been missing my cousin. Please, have pity on her and let her see Ruolan."
Bai Ruozhu frowned, "Although Ruolan is ill, she is a person, not an object or a tool to comfort Old Lady Wang. If you truly are her relatives, you should consider her perspective, not just keep her here to comfort the old lady."
For a moment, the Wang Family was speechless, realizing that indeed, from Bai Ruolan’s perspective, it might be better for her to stay with Bai Ruozhu’s family. Judging by Ruolan’s current condition, it was evident. Her hair had become blacker and shinier than before, she had grown taller and gained weight, her face also looked fairer, and she was dressed more finely. If it weren’t for her somewhat blank expression, she would look like a well-brought-up young lady from a wealthy family.
Bai Ruozhu’s family truly hadn’t been unkind to Ruolan, or else she wouldn’t have changed so much.
Zhao E bit her lip and then said, "Let Ruolan see my mother-in-law then, to fulfill the old lady’s wish."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Just don’t scare her."
"I’ll go talk to mother-in-law right now, prepare her and tell her not to get too excited," Zhao E said as she got up and went into the back room. After a while, she took Bai Ruolan with her.
Bai Ruolan seemed to sense Zhao E’s kindness. She allowed herself to be led by the hand without resisting, but she appeared to be very afraid of Old Lady Wang on the sickbed, shrinking behind Zhao E continuously.
Bai Ruozhu followed them to the doorway but did not go in, still holding Dengdeng in her arms. She did not want the child to catch any illness, plus she had no particular connection with Old Lady Wang.
When Old Lady Wang saw Bai Ruolan, her dim eyes suddenly lit up. She reached out her withered hand towards Ruolan and cried, "Ruolan, my good child, let grandma see you."
Ruolan was too afraid to approach, and only when Plum Blossom pulled her did she agree to stand beside the bed. Old Lady Wang jabbered endlessly at her, but Ruolan paid her no heed and seized a moment to break free from Plum Blossom’s grasp, darting out of the room.
"No! Don’t want!" Ruolan cried out, indicating that she didn’t want to go back in.
Bai Ruozhu, feeling helpless, shook her head at Zhao E.
Old Madam Wang sobbed in the room, a cry of such pain from an old person nearing the end of her days was indeed pitiable, but who was to blame? If she had not adamantly refused to take in her granddaughter Bai Ruolan back then, would the child not recognize her now, and be so afraid of her? What good was regret now?
Bai Ruozhu did not stay long and soon took Bai Ruolan away. The Wang Family members reluctantly saw them off at the Main Gate, watching Bai Ruolan leave. Unfortunately, Bai Ruolan did not remember them, not even glancing back, as Old Madam Wang’s suddenly amplified crying could be heard from inside. Was she thinking too much about her late daughter, or was it out of overwhelming regret?
Bai Ruozhu had someone send Bai Ruolan and Mei back first; she then took Dengdeng with her to welcome the guests.
All the guests had arrived for the midday banquet, with Lady Ding and Lady Li, who had the closest relationship with Bai Ruozhu, sitting on either side of her. Bai Ruozhu took Lady Li’s pulse and confirmed that her health was now problem-free.
Lady Ding held Bai Ruozhu’s hand and said, "You’ve become even more impressive now. I knew from the start that you were no ordinary person."
Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile, "When you think about it, you and Lady Li were my first customers. Our relationship is certainly not ordinary."
The other ladies laughed in agreement, stating that even if they weren’t the first batch, they were surely the second, and that Bai Ruozhu would have to give them discounts in the future.
Bai Ruozhu agreed to each request, and the ladies proceeded to present Dengdeng with gifts. A lot of nice things were given to the child during the meal, making his eyes curl into crescent moons with a smile. Bai Ruozhu felt even more that this child was a Money Freak.
As the gathering was coming to a close, Lady Ding spoke privately to Bai Ruozhu, "I might also go to the Capital next year. I’ll come to dine with you then."
"Of course, if you’re doing business in the Capital, perhaps we can see if there’s a chance for us to cooperate," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.
Lady Ding showed an expression of pleasant surprise; she had been worried that Bai Ruozhu, now of a different status, might find it presumptuous of her to seek her out, but to her relief, Bai Ruozhu truly treated her as a friend and even mentioned potential business cooperation. She had heard that Bai Ruozhu could make a profit in anything she did; cooperating with Bai Ruozhu would certainly mean making good money.
"Great, great," said Lady Ding, somewhat excitedly.
Lady Li looked on with envy, wondering when her own husband Li Shunsheng might be transferred to become a Capital Official—it seemed rather difficult.
Afterward, Bai Ruozhu headed to Fengye Village. Bai Lu had already been persuaded by Bai Yixiao and Lady Li, mainly after considering the development of the Bai Clan, and had agreed to go to the Capital with Bai Yixiao. He wanted to take Bai Zeji with him, but Bai Zeji refused, saying that his current priority was to study, and going to and fro the Capital might delay his education.
Once Bai Ruozhu heard this, she held Bai Zeji in even higher esteem—her cousin was indeed ambitious.
Having settled the departure date with Bai Lu, Bai Ruozhu then sent word to Bo Zheng, planning to leave early the next morning.
After returning to Mountain Village, Bai Ruozhu asked her father to come with her to the old mansion to inform the old lady about taking her to the Capital.
Lady Liu excitedly sat up from the bed, all her previous pains and aches seemingly forgotten, her eyes shining as if she had already seen mountains of gold and silver.
"Granny, but we can’t take the third brother, and we have to divorce Zhou Family," Bai Ruozhu said directly. "There’s no room for negotiation on these two matters; otherwise, you can stay behind with them."