Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1233: Chapter 1235 What Kind of Gentleman_1

Bai Ruozhu immediately got up and went to meet the messenger; the letter from Beiyu City was either from her foster grandmother, Old Lady Meng, or Sister Hongxiu.

”Thank you for your efforts,” Bai Ruozhu said as she handed the steward a purse, then took the letter and began to read.

The letter was from Yu Hongxiu, who up to now had not arrived in Capital City. Bai Ruozhu estimated that she would arrive within a few days, and had been hoping to see Yu Hongxiu before departing for the Western Regions.

In the letter, Yu Hongxiu wrote that she had been unwell, with no serious illness, but minor ailments kept recurring. Xie Dun worried that the journey would worsen her condition, but he also feared delaying the Imperial Examination, so he had to proceed to the Capital first. Meanwhile, Yu Hongxiu would stay behind with their child to recuperate, planning to set out when the weather was warmer.

However, Yu Hongxiu mentioned that her health had not been good, and if things didn’t improve, she might have to wait until after the summer to come to the Capital.

Upon reading the letter, Bai Ruozhu felt a burst of urgency. Why was Yu Hongxiu in poor health and frequently ill? Although she had found that both Yu Hongxiu and her child were poisoned after giving birth, Bai Ruozhu had detoxified and treated both of them. At that time, Bai Ruozhu thought her recovery would not be an issue, and certainly didn’t expect recurring illnesses.

Bai Ruozhu grew worried, fearing that Yu Hongxiu might have been plotted against by someone. Although she could not write to tell Yu Hongxiu about her imminent journey to the Northwest, she had already secretly decided that she must find an opportunity to return to Beiyu City to check on Yu Hongxiu.

When Jiang Yichun came back, Bai Ruozhu told him about the matter, and he immediately agreed to her plan, saying, ”We’ll put up a front of going to manage the epidemic, and then we’ll head to Beiyu City. After you meet with Yu Hongxiu, we’ll go directly to the Western Regions.”

With the support of Jiang Yichun, Bai Ruozhu felt somewhat calmed down, but not a day went by without her worrying about not having seen Yu Hongxiu.

In the following days, Bai Ruozhu arranged for the management of the medicine field to be handed over to Sui Ge, and told him to consult her father about any decisions he couldn’t make, as her father was much more familiar with the fields.

Sui Ge did a good job, quickly grasping Bai Ruozhu’s intentions, and took his trusted subordinates to North Mountain before departing. Bai Ruozhu specifically instructed him to avoid getting involved with the Yang Family.

”Rest assured, my master, I will also remind the medicine farmers below,” Sui Ge had a good understanding.

Bai Ruozhu nodded her head; although she was not a petty person, she also did not want the Yang Family to gain any advantages.

Eventually, the Holy Edict was officially issued, ordering Jiang Yichun to lead a team, accompanied by his wife Bai Ruozhu, to the Northwestern Area to address the epidemic, with a departure scheduled for five days later, without any mistakes.

The Bai Family elders were very reluctant to receive the news, but since Bai Ruozhu had planned to send Dengdeng over for them to look after, to fill in for her and Yichun in keeping the elders company, Lin Ping and Bai Yihong were not so reluctant anymore.

The Jiang Family, on the other hand, did not show much clinginess when they learned that Jiang Yichun and his wife were leaving. Only Jiang Xuexiang, Jiang Zhihe, and Jiang Yihong truly felt reluctant. Even Elder Jiang Ge repeated a ”good” three times, and Madam Dou even ate an extra bowl at dinner. Unfortunately, they did not realize that once Jiang Yichun and Bai Ruozhu left, things would revert back to their pre-liberation state.

Some people are unappreciative of kindness; heartfelt gestures can turn into thankless endeavors. It’s better to handle them firmly so they learn to behave.

On another front, Fang Guizhi, now a powerhouse, almost spent every day immersed in work at the Beauty Pavilion, her days quite fulfilled. Bai Ruozhu had gone home several times without running into her. After receiving the Holy Edict, which made it convenient to announce her long journey, she went straight to the Beauty Pavilion to find Fang Guizhi.

Bai Ruozhu had traveled to the Beauty Pavilion by horse carriage, and just as the carriage was about to stop, she caught a glimpse of a man swiftly passing by the entrance. He was dressed like a scholar, and seemed familiar. It appeared as though he had spotted her arrival and quickly hid. It happened so rapidly that she didn’t get a clear view.

She felt somewhat puzzled in her heart and after getting out of the horse carriage, she entered the Beauty Pavilion without hurrying to call for Guizhi, but instead struck up a conversation with the maids in the shop.

”How has Second Miss been doing recently? Has she been too busy and neglecting to eat and rest properly?” Bai Ruozhu asked.

Chixin was the head maid Bai Ruozhu had brought with her from the Beauty Pavilion in Beiyu City, always meticulous in her thinking. She sighed upon hearing this and said, ”When it comes to business, the Second Miss is so single-minded. Not to mention her own hard work, watching her makes us anxious too.”

Chixin’s voice dropped a few notches, ”The Second Miss is not so young anymore. Last time, Madam arranged for someone to call her back for a matchmaking, but she flatly refused.”

At this moment, Lin Ping’er didn’t mention it to Bai Ruozhu, probably because she was afraid of worrying Bai Ruozhu as well.

Bai Ruozhu slightly furrowed her brow; she was somewhat concerned, mainly afraid that Guizhi couldn’t forget Qin Kaichang.

”Guizhi is excellent in every way, she must’ve had matchmaking proposals, right?” Bai Ruozhu tentatively asked, not knowing why, but she vaguely felt that the figure she had just seen was here for Guizhi.

Chixin looked around cautiously and hesitantly said, ”This servant should not speak of such matters, for fear of affecting the Second Miss’s reputation, but there has indeed been a gentleman seeking an audience with the Second Miss lately, and this servant is worried the Second Miss might be deceived...”

”What kind of gentleman?” Bai Ruozhu asked somewhat anxiously.

”I didn’t see the person myself, only a silhouette, but the maids who did see said he had a fair appearance and seemed quite respectable. But if he were really from a decent family, why wouldn’t he visit the master and madam at the residence?” Chixin spoke even more quietly, lowering her head, feeling it quite inappropriate for her to gossip about her mistress.

After thinking it over, Bai Ruozhu said, ”A modest and virtuous lady attracts a fine match; there is nothing wrong with that. Pretend you know nothing about this and also warn the other maids not to gossip. I will handle the rest.”

Chixin replied with some alarm, ”Yes, this servant understands.”

Bai Ruozhu then went to the back hall to see Fang Guizhi. Upon seeing her, Fang Guizhi immediately greeted her with a smile. Bai Ruozhu carefully observed her smiling face, sensing that Guizhi seemed radiant, clearly in the state of a woman in love.

At that thought, her heart tightened. Could that person be Qin Kaichang? She hadn’t paid particular attention to Qin Kaichang before, and just with the brief glimpse earlier, she really couldn’t be sure it was him.

But Qin Kaichang was a subordinate of Duke Duan, a traitor. If Guizhi was still involved with him, wouldn’t she be jumping into hell?

”Guizhi, you’ve become even more beautiful. Whoever marries you will be blessed from eight lifetimes of good fortune,” Bai Ruozhu pulled herself back from her thoughts, probing somewhat.

Guizhi’s face flushed red all of a sudden, ”What are you talking about? I don’t plan to marry anyone. I’m going to stay and serve my godparents.”

Seeing her smile shyly and timidly, Bai Ruozhu grew even more anxious, feeling that she really shouldn’t be beating around the bush, and it wasn’t right to keep guessing like this.

”Guizhi, I just saw a suspicious man outside the door. Is someone pursuing you?” Bai Ruozhu asked carefully.