Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1152: Chapter 1154: People Fear Fame as Pigs Fear Being Fat_1

It was the older woman who saw Bai Ruozhu first. She stood up with a face full of joy and said enthusiastically, ”Ruozhu is back. We were just talking about you.”

Bai Ruozhu was startled and thought, with such affectionate address, could this be a relative of her family? But how could she not know?

Lin Ping’er saw Bai Ruozhu’s bewildered face and hurriedly introduced, ”Ruozhu, this lady is Mrs. Lun Yuanwai, and this one is her eldest daughter-in-law.”

They weren’t introduced as relatives, so it was clear they were just ordinary guests. Bai Ruozhu greeted the two women with propriety, but inside, she was not particularly taken with Mrs. Lun’s overly familiar manner.

Mrs. Lun lavished praise on Bai Ruozhu, primarily extolling her medical skills. Bai Ruozhu quickly guessed that they had come seeking medical help.

Just as she thought, it wasn’t long before Mrs. Lun said, ”Ruozhu, we’ve taken the liberty to visit today because we were hoping you could take a look at my eldest daughter-in-law’s belly.”

Bai Ruozhu already didn’t want to entertain these requests; she had a pile of things to attend to herself.

”What’s wrong with your daughter-in-law?” Bai Ruozhu still managed to ask with patience. After all, it was her mother who had welcomed these people in, and she didn’t want others to say that the Bai Family didn’t know how to treat guests properly.

”Nothing’s wrong. We just heard that you have brilliant medical skills and wanted to ask you to help check whether the child in her belly is a boy or a girl,” Mrs. Lun said with a grin, not noticing the growing displeasure on Bai Ruozhu’s face.

Now Bai Ruozhu understood why she had never heard of the Lun Family before and had never seen them at any banquets. If they were from a notable family in the Capital, they certainly wouldn’t have the nerve to do such a thing.

Although people outside might say she had outstanding medical skills, having saved the imperial heir in Le Pinsheng’s belly, the noble families had some sense of propriety and wouldn’t dare bother her with trivial matters. After all, disturbing the doctor who treated an imperial consort was disrespectful not only to Bai Ruozhu but also to the masters of the Palace.

Yet a family like the Luns, unfamiliar with the ways of the world, dared to step forward even to inquire about the sex of the unborn child. Mrs. Lun really had some gall.

”Mrs. Lun, I think you can consult a well-known doctor in the Capital. You don’t need to come to me. Besides, I cannot determine the sex of a baby,” Bai Ruozhu replied with a hint of annoyance.

What difference would it make to know the sex? Would a boy be treasured inexcessibly? Would she start looking down on her daughter-in-law if it turned out to be a girl, perhaps even endangering the safe birth of the child?

”Oh, Ruozhu, don’t be like that. Everyone knows you’re a Divine Doctor. I’ve heard you have ways to even change a girl into a boy. Don’t worry, we can afford the consultation fee. As long as I can hold a chubby grandson, I’ll give you a big Red Envelope!” Mrs. Lun said cheerfully.

Nouveaux riches! That’s the typical attitude of the nouveau riche. Bai Ruozhu felt like spitting in her face, thinking, ’As if I coveted your money.’

No wonder Mrs. Lun insisted on coming to her to determine the sex of the baby. It was all about ulterior motives based on such baseless rumors.

Whether it’s a boy or a girl is determined by heaven; she wasn’t the Creator, so how could she change the sex of a baby at will? She couldn’t engage in such harmful scheming with drugs.

Lin Ping’er noticed Bai Ruozhu’s displeasure and felt a pang of regret. She had meant well initially, thinking about how Bai Ruozhu herself had been with child and presumed that Mrs. Lun’s daughter-in-law’s pregnancy was unstable. She thought saving a life was more meritorious than building a Seven-level Pagoda, not realizing that the old woman had such intentions!

”Mrs. Lun, where did you hear such rumors? My Ruozhu doesn’t have such abilities. Otherwise, wouldn’t all in my family have borne boys? Didn’t my eldest daughter-in-law also have a girl?” said Lin Ping’er with a stern face.

Mrs. Lun thought about it and realized the logic, but still not giving up, she pulled out a stack of silver banknotes from her bosom and slapped them onto the table.

”It was my lack of understanding, this is for your consultation fee,” Madam Lun thought that Bai Ruozhu had refused to offer help earlier because the silver banknote hadn’t been presented.

Bai Ruozhu felt a wave of irritation and directly said to the guards waiting outside, ”See the guests out, take their silver banknotes with you, and make sure you don’t miss any, so no one can accuse the Bai Family of coveting other people’s money.”

The two guards rushed into the room to hurry Madam Lun away, whose complexion drastically changed, ”What, the money is too little? I can add more, can’t you with your skills help us? I’ve been longing for a grandson until my hair turned white!”

The guards had no interest in listening to her complaints and simply carried her out, while the other one stuffed all the silver banknotes back into her hand. Lun’s daughter-in-law was a timid sort and had remained silent throughout, her face now pale as she followed her mother-in-law.

”Ruozhu, your mother shouldn’t have let them into the house, what kind of people are they?” Lin Ping’er sighed deeply, blaming herself for her recklessness again.

”Mother, it’s fine, traditionally guests are welcomed in for tea when they visit, but it seems that’s no longer permissible,” she said, a glint of Cold Light flashing in her eyes, aware that Madam Lun’s visit couldn’t have been without reason.

”As of today, the Bai Family will decline all visitors seeking medical attention, and say that I am indisposed and cannot receive guests,” Bai Ruozhu decided after some thought.

”What?” Lin Ping’er was taken aback; in those days, people were superstitious, and it was rare for anyone to admit to being sick when they weren’t.

Indeed, as Bai Ruozhu had predicted, that afternoon more people arrived, all seeking her medical attention, including stewards from wealthy families with formal requests and others bringing pregnant women directly, almost all with the same purpose: to ask Bai Ruozhu to change female fetuses into male ones.

Bai Ruozhu deeply despised the ancient preference for boys over girls and was troubled by the current situation, especially with no news about Achun’s affair yet.

In the evening Bai Zehao came home and was startled by the people waiting outside. Once he learned about the situation, he couldn’t help but laugh, ”Indeed, fame brings trouble as the fattened pig fears the butcher. My little sister must be quite bothered now.”

Upon hearing her brother’s reaction, Bai Ruozhu glared at him in anger, ”Your sister is being plotted against, and you can still laugh?”

This time, Bai Zehao was more lucid, ”It’s just rumors; as time goes by, they will fade away.”

She thought about it and realized that made sense; it was just that her frustration made her a bit anxious today.

...

Within the Bo Residence, an elderly woman approached Mrs. Bo saying, ”You know my family has only had one male heir for three generations. It would be wonderful if my daughter-in-law could give birth to a boy. You’re related to the Bai Family, so could you ask Bai Ruozhu for me? If it works out, my family will owe her a favor, and she can ask for anything she needs in the future.”

Mrs. Bo had already heard the news and knew that the Bai Family was turning away visitors, with the gatekeeper incessantly explaining that the young miss did not have a method to ensure the birth of a male child.

”You believe such baseless matters? Ruozhu said she doesn’t have such a method,” Mrs. Bo spoke with a smile.

The elderly woman glared, ”How could she not? She even helped Le Pinsheng give birth to a son!”

Mrs. Bo was astonished, ”Are you saying the child in Le Pinsheng’s womb is a dragon seed?”