Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1449: Chapter 1450 Almost Hurt Dengdeng_1

Bai Ruozhu didn’t sleep for three days and nights, and by the next morning, she was awoken by the chirping of cicadas outside the window.

She stretched languidly and, finding no one beside her and the official uniform also missing from the room, realized that Achun had already gone to attend the morning court.

”Nanny, speak softly, don’t wake up mother,” came Little Dengdeng’s deliberately lowered voice from outside the room. Despite his babyish tone, he spoke with a serious manner, which was truly amusing. Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but chuckle aloud.

”Dengdeng, mother has already woken up,” Bai Ruozhu called out from inside the room.

”Mother! Are you feeling better?” Little Dengdeng, hearing his mother’s voice, burst into the room like a joyful little leopard, startling Nanny Zhang with his speed.

Bai Ruozhu, embracing the little bun that had dived into her arms, said with a smile, ”Mother is well-rested and no longer tired.”

”That’s great! Then let’s go see Grandma and Grandpa together; they are worried about you.” Little Dengdeng put on a grownup air. Bai Ruozhu smiled and reached out to ruffle his head, appreciating how the child already knew what filial piety meant and that he shouldn’t let the elders worry.

”Alright, just wait for Mommy for a moment.” Bai Ruozhu got up to put on an overcoat and quickly washed up, keeping it casual since she wasn’t going out today, so her attire and hair didn’t need much attention.

Little Dengdeng seemed to have boundless energy, pulling her towards the main courtyard to run. Despite his short legs, Little Dengdeng ran quite fast, and Bai Ruozhu, being pulled along, had to quicken her pace.

Lin Ping’er, seeing the mother and son duo running over, couldn’t help but laugh, ”Do we have something delicious this early morning? Look at you two rushing over.”

Little Dengdeng, with a beaming smile, said, ”Grandma, my mommy is better now, you can rest assured.”

Bai Yihong burst into laughter upon hearing this, ”Dengdeng is worried about us getting worried. Good child, you’re becoming more and more sensible.”

Bai Ruozhu bowed to her parents and said, ”I’m the one who keeps worrying you day in and day out, not as sensible as Dengdeng. Our Little Dengdeng is already becoming a little man, and soon he’ll be able to take care of mommy, daddy, grandma, and grandpa.”

Little Dengdeng puffed out his chest with pride, ”I’ve been eating well, I’ll grow tall and protect all of you.”

Everyone was amused by Little Dengdeng’s childlike words. Lin Ping’er smiled and asked Bai Ruozhu if she had breakfast yet. Upon hearing that she hadn’t, Lin Ping’er immediately instructed the maids to bring over some breakfast.

The others had already eaten but sat down to keep Bai Ruozhu company and took the opportunity to catch up on recent events.

”Everything at home is going well, and the business is good too, except that someone tampered with your second brother’s examination papers. If the Emperor hadn’t discovered it, wouldn’t it have been an injustice?” Lin Ping’er remarked with indignation.

”Mother, don’t worry, sooner or later that person will receive their comeuppance,” Bai Ruozhu’s mouth curved into a smirk, thinking about how Jianqi’s purchase of Xiangrui must have made its mark.

Lin Ping’er and her husband didn’t quite understand what Bai Ruozhu meant and continued to discuss family matters.

”There’s another thing, mother noticed that your sister-in-law has been somewhat downcast lately. I suspect it has to do with your second brother’s marriage arrangements,” Lin Ping’er said, sneaking a glance outside the door as if afraid Wan Caiyue might suddenly appear and overhear.

”As her mother-in-law, I’m afraid of saying too much in case she misunderstands. You’ve always had a close relationship with her, so find a chance to talk to her, won’t you?”

On the day Bai Ruozhu returned, her attention had been fixed on practicing the Heart Method, and she hadn’t observed the reactions of the household members. However, reflecting on it now, it seemed that when they spoke of matchmaking for her younger brother, they always mentioned Noble Ladies from aristocratic families, and Wan Caiyue’s expression did indeed seem somber.

It wasn’t surprising that Wan Caiyue had such concerns; she was the eldest sister-in-law in her household and was also in charge of domestic affairs. However, if a Prime Minister’s daughter or a princess were to marry into the family, she feared that getting along with her sisters-in-law would become problematic.

In those days, a woman’s status in her husband’s home was also determined by the strength of her natal family. Back in Mountain Village, the Wan Family indeed had a reputation and status, but compared to the aristocrats from the Capital, it was unclear how many levels behind they were.

”Mom, don’t worry, I’ll go find my eldest sister-in-law in a moment. She too is far from her natal family and lacks confidence,” Bai Ruozhu said softly.

”That’s why I don’t intend to find your second brother a bride from too high a family background. Our Bai Family isn’t the kind to seek status through marriage, and I wouldn’t want Caiyue to be in a difficult position. When our family was going through tough times, the Wan Family never looked down on us. Now that our family is making a name for ourselves, I regard Caiyue as my own daughter and I don’t want to see her mistreated,” Lin Ping’er spoke her heart. The Bai Family, regardless of their varying personalities, had one thing in common: they were kind and grateful.

Bai Yihong, standing beside her, also said, ”Yes, if your second brother’s future wife dares to bully Caiyue, we will never tolerate it.”

Bai Ruozhu was amused by her parents’ comments and said, ”You two, second brother hasn’t even taken a wife yet and you’re already imagining her to be difficult and unreasonable. Why would my second brother have to marry a shrew? Don’t let your minds wander!”

Lin Ping’er and Bai Yihong both laughed. They were also needlessly worried—it wasn’t even a sure thing yet.

Little Dengdeng looked on, puzzled, and asked, ”Mom, what is a shrew?”

”Um...” Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched, ”It’s a woman with a very bad temper who loves to scold and hit people.”

”Like Aunt Ruolan?” Little Dengdeng inquired curiously.

Bai Ruozhu looked surprised at her parents, wondering if something had happened to Bai Ruolan during her absence.

Lin Ping’er looked at Little Dengdeng in shock and asked, ”Dengdeng, why do you say that?”

”Yesterday Aunt Ruolan yelled at me and wanted to hit me, but Nanny stopped her,” Little Dengdeng’s dark eyes showed fear, ”Aunt Ruolan always used to play with me and was never like this. She’s not a shrew, is she?”

Bai Ruozhu hurriedly touched his head to comfort him, ”No, your Aunt Ruolan is sick; she can’t control herself. That’s not how she usually is.”

Little Dengdeng nodded, ”Yeah, she never used to be like this.”

What Bai Ruozhu meant was the way Bai Ruolan was before she attempted suicide, while Little Dengdeng referred to how he remembered seeing Bai Ruolan.

Lin Ping’er said somewhat worriedly, ”Talk to Nanny Zhang, ask her to be careful with Dengdeng and to keep him away from Ruolan for the time being. What if the child gets hurt?”

”Mom, rest assured, I’ll ask Nanny Zhang what happened. I’ll also go check on Ruolan later,” said Bai Ruozhu, thinking that she must not have been aware of the incident because she had fallen asleep upon returning home the night before. Nanny Zhang should have reported it to Jiang Yichun by now.

After eating breakfast, Bai Ruozhu went to ask Nanny Zhang.

Nanny Zhang showed an ashamed expression and said, ”It’s my fault for not taking good care of the young master; he was almost scratched by the young lady from the other branch. I don’t know what came over her, but suddenly she clutched her head, started shouting, and then seemed like a completely different person, trying to scratch the young master’s face.”

Bai Ruozhu listened, her heart pounding with fear; such a scratch on the child’s face would be so painful. Even if scars could eventually fade, what if it left a psychological shadow on the child?