Chapter 985 - 987 - : Encounter the Handsome American Uncle Again_1
Before departure, there were still some business matters to handle, such as who would take responsibility for the stewed noodle business since Zhang Liliang and his family were leaving with her.
After careful consideration, Bai Ruozhu decided to change the delivery location for the upgraded version of the stewed noodles she provided to Shen Lu to the Capital City. She planned to set up a stewed noodle processing workshop in the suburbs of the Capital as well.
Shen Lu had no objections to this, as he had to distribute the goods he collected from Beiyu City to various branches anyway. The traffic in the Capital City was more convenient for shipping.
As for the stewed noodle workshop, Bai Ruozhu assigned it to one of her managers. In any case, the noodles produced in the workshop were for public sale and didn’t require any extra ingredients, so there were no secrets to keep. The managers of the workshop and the shop just had to send her letters reporting the situation every half a month.
What really gave Bai Ruozhu a headache was the pure white Xuan jade cream needed for the Hot Spring Mansion, which couldn’t be produced but had to be extracted from her pond.
She could leave a portion of the pure white Xuan jade cream for the Hot Spring Mansion in advance and then regularly ship goods to Beiyu City. Although this was not only troublesome but also posed safety risks, there was no other option for now.
In this manner, the group set off for the Capital, feeling very much like a family on the move.
The journey to the Capital went smoothly, and they soon arrived at Jiangzhou City, where they would switch to a water route.
This time, Bai Ruozhu had the experience and had prepared seasickness decoctions for everyone in advance. After taking the medicine, no one showed noticeable signs of seasickness, though Lin Ping’er and Liu Family’s first time on a boat made them still somewhat uncomfortable.
Bai Fu was extremely excited, as if he were the one heading to the Capital to take his exams, not realizing he was basking in someone else’s glory.
Because of Jiang Yichun, everyone was traveling on an official ship. Bai Ruozhu repeatedly stressed to Liu Family the importance of not causing trouble on the boat. However, for safety, she also arranged for a shrewd maid to attend to Liu Family, essentially to ensure Liu Family wouldn’t stir up any trouble.
After two days on the boat, in the afternoon, Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun took Little Dengdeng out to the clamboard to enjoy the sun. With autumn setting in, the early morning and evening breezes on the deck were too chilly, but the sunny afternoons were quite comfortable. Little Dengdeng also wanted to come out to bask in the sun and move around.
By now, Dengdeng could walk very well without holding on to anything, and since the official ship was large and stable during calm weather, his movements, though wobbly, were quite safe.
Jiang Yichun stayed by his side, while Bai Ruozhu sat down to have a rest, watching the backs of father and son with a happy smile on her face.
Dengdeng laughed as he walked forward and somehow ended up heading straight for a person in a blackish-green robe, even grasping the corner of the person’s clothes.
Jiang Yichun intercepted him and quickly picked up his son, but the disturbance made the man turn around, revealing the handsome face of a ’beautiful uncle.’
Bai Ruozhu, watching from afar, was taken aback. Wasn’t that Yao Yuxuan, famous for his unparalleled medical skills?
"I apologize, my son lacks understanding and has disturbed this gentleman," said Jiang Yichun. Though usually quite reserved, he was a reasonable and polite individual, so he immediately nodded slightly to the man as an apology.
"No harm done, the child seems very bright," Yao Yuxuan observed Dengdeng and, spotting Bai Ruozhu approaching from a distance, he understood whose child it was.
That day when Bai Ruozhu and her mother went shopping without Dengdeng and later went to deliver the Caladium Lily to Yao Yuxuan, it was highly unlikely they would have brought Dengdeng along. However, seeing Dengdeng’s eyebrows and eyes, Yao Yuxuan felt he was seeing Bai Ruozhu herself.
"Mr. Yao, I didn’t expect to meet you here again," Bai Ruozhu said, hastening towards Yao Yuxuan and curtsying.
Now that Jiang Yichun knew that the middle-aged man before them was Yao Yuxuan, he also paid his respects.
"Officer Jiang is young and accomplished, I’ve long heard of you, and today I have the honor to see you in person," Yao Yuxuan appraised Jiang Yichun, with a look of admiration in his eyes.
Previously, when Prince Duan rebelled, Jiang Yichun and the Main Camp of the Northwest seized the leading merits. Therefore, his reputation has been very strong lately, and since Yao Yuxuan had grievances against Prince Duan, it seemed that Jiang Yichun had thwarted Prince Duan’s plans. Naturally, Yao Yuxuan found Jiang Yichun particularly appealing.
The two quickly hit it off, and Bai Ruozhu excused herself to take the children for a nap, leaving for the time being. By the time dinner came around, to everyone’s surprise, Yao Yuxuan joined their table, clearly having formed a close friendship with Jiang Yichun despite their age difference.
Bai Ruozhu had always thought Jiang Yichun was too cold and not easy to befriend. Now she realized that he was just proud; he would make friends only with those he took a liking to, and then he was no longer aloof.
Before long, Princess Diao Bin, dressed in white and wearing a gauze cap, also appeared. Bai Ruozhu hurriedly looked at Jiang Yichun. What was going on, did Jiang Yichun call her out?
Because Princess Diao Bin’s appearance was so conspicuous, she tried to avoid crowds throughout the journey and even had food delivered to her cabin during meals on the boat.
Jiang Yichun shook his head slightly, indicating it wasn’t him who had called her. Both were perplexed as they turned their gaze towards Princess Diao Bin.
"Ruozhu, Chu Hai is unwell. Diao Yao is taking care of him, and she asked me to call you over to have a look," Princess Diao Bin didn’t pay heed to the others at the table and spoke directly to Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu was startled and quickly handed Little Dengdeng to her mother to take care of. She said to everyone, "Please go ahead and eat, don’t wait for me."
Of course, when it came to treating illness, she did not consider seeking Yao Yuxuan, since the medical order given to him was unique and not to be used carelessly.
She left with Princess Diao Bin. The Liu Family matriarch huffed in displeasure, muttering under her breath, "All so secretive, scared to show their faces—are they criminals or what?"
The maid next to her quickly served some dishes to the matriarch and whispered, "Old lady, try this, the young mistress has instructed that you should eat and not talk, as it will affect digestion."
The matriarch wanted to retort, but the maid again thwarted her with another helping of food and a word of advice.
Yao Yuxuan, however, took another glance at Princess Diao Bin’s retreating figure, a faint gleam of recognition flashing through his eyes. Her posture and aura were somewhat reminiscent of the woman he hadn’t seen for many years.
Bai Ruozhu hastened to see Chu Hai and, upon examination, found that Chu Hai and Diao Yao had bought some fish from soldiers on the boat to eat. The ingredients of the fish had affected Chu Hai’s suppressed poison, which was now flaring up again.
Hearing Bai Ruozhu’s analysis, Diao Yao berated herself for her gluttony, saying, "It was all my idea to buy them. Chu Gege didn’t want to eat, but I insisted he try some. It’s all my fault!" Diao Yao began to cry as she spoke.
Princess Diao Bin was very close to Diao Yao and hurried to comfort her, while Bai Ruozhu immediately ordered Jianqi and Chenfeng to get ready, disembark at the next port, and perform the Ancient steaming method to detoxify Chu Hai.
"Sister Ruozhu, didn’t you say the next detoxification shouldn’t be for another twenty days? Otherwise, it might harm Chu Gege’s health," Diao Yao asked worriedly.
Bai Ruozhu shook her head helplessly, "But now we have no other choice, or the previously suppressed poison will flare up again, and our prior efforts will be wasted."
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