Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1450: Chapter 1451: The Half-Year That Second Brother Begged For_1

Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment, then said to Nanny Zhang, ”Don’t let Dengdeng go to see Ruolan for now, I’ll check on her first.”

”Yes, madam,” Nanny Zhang responded.

Bai Ruozhu told Dengdeng to play with Lin Pinger, then she went to Bai Ruolan’s residence.

Seeing Bai Ruozhu, Guizhi immediately smiled, saluted, and then gestured that Bai Ruolan was sleeping.

Bai Ruozhu went over to take a look, Bai Ruolan’s sleeping face was very serene, just like a child who knows nothing. She gently felt Bai Ruolan’s wrist and took her pulse; Bai Ruolan’s body was fine, it was probably still an issue with oxygen deprivation in her brain.

She made a gesture to call Guizhi out and quietly asked, ”Has Ruolan been sleeping until now without waking up?”

Guizhi nodded, took a pen and paper, and wrote: Lady Ruolan cried till late last night, I don’t know why.

”Has she encountered anyone or anything recently? Or has anyone said anything to her?” asked Bai Ruozhu further.

Guizhi shook her head and wrote: Except for getting suddenly angry at the young master yesterday, there has been nothing else.

Bai Ruozhu fell silent for a few seconds. For so long, Bai Ruolan had rarely had collapses or fits of shouting, so why did she suddenly lose her temper with Dengdeng?

Could it be that Dengdeng did something to upset her? Did Nanny Zhang pity Dengdeng, so she didn’t tell the truth?

”Guizhi, tell me the truth, did the young master do or say anything to upset Ruolan?” Bai Ruozhu asked sternly.

Guizhi hastily shook her head and gestured with her hands, writing: The young master just came to invite her to play in the garden, which he has done many times before, and all was well.

It seemed it wasn’t because Dengdeng was naughty and upset Ruolan, so why did she suddenly explode?

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t figure it out and could only instruct Guizhi to take good care of Ruolan, observe her carefully, and report back to her immediately if anything unusual happened.

After leaving Ruolan’s yard, Bai Ruozhu went to see her elder sister-in-law.

”Ruozhu is here, Chenxi was just fussing about wanting to play with her brother,” Wan Caiyue said with a smile upon seeing Bai Ruozhu.

Bai Ruozhu walked up and took her arm, saying, ”Elder sister-in-law, the customer flow at our Beauty Pavilion is so great, we always run out of spots, so I plan to open another branch in the southern part of the city and put you in charge of it, how about that?”

Wan Caiyue seemed nervous, ”Will I be managing it alone?” She had some experience with business in Beiyu City and later, when she was pregnant and in poor health, she stopped in order to focus on her pregnancy.

”Yes, this store will give you a twenty percent stake, and from then on it will all be your private money,” Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.

”No, no, I don’t want any stake, I’ll just help you manage it,” Wan Caiyue hurriedly said.

Bai Ruozhu feigned a stern face and said, ”If you don’t want any shares, then I can’t let you work so hard for nothing. Look at Guizhi, she also gets a twenty percent bonus from managing the branch.”

”That’s family money, you just give it to mother,” Wan Caiyue still refused.

Bai Ruozhu sighed deeply, and said earnestly, ”Elder sister-in-law, we women, regardless of whether we have a husband or children, must have our own private funds. That way no matter what happens, we can take care of ourselves and won’t feel anxious. Plus, if you have money and a business, others will only have to admire and respect you. Even when the second sister-in-law comes into the family, she will have to respect you as well.”

Wan Caiyue’s face flushed red, ”I-I’m not...”

”Alright, sister-in-law, you’ve done a great job with the shop, earning money for the family. It’s only right that you have your own personal earnings. Even the second sister-in-law, when she joins the family, should learn from you how to manage a business,” Bai Ruozhu said with a chuckle.

Wan Caiyue hung her head even lower, her voice as small as a mosquito’s, ”If she’s a noble lady from a prominent family, there’s no reason for her to learn from someone like me.”

”Then you’re mistaken. Look at Gu Xue’an and Leng Wanhua, they’re noble ladies too, right? When they saw that I could make money, they were eager to learn the secrets of doing business from me. No matter how noble one’s status, one always needs to spend money on food and clothes, right?”

Wan Caiyue thought it over and it seemed to make sense, suddenly feeling confident again. She nodded at Bai Ruozhu and said, ”Alright, I’ll take this on. I’ll work hard at it, and if there’s anything I don’t do well, you must tell me straight. Just because I’m your sister-in-law shouldn’t make you hold back.”

Bai Ruozhu stuck her tongue out at her, ”Sister-in-law, when have you ever seen me shy away?”

With that, Wan Caiyue couldn’t help but laugh, and her mood improved significantly.

Just then, Bai Zehao returned from outside and, hearing the laughter of the two, smiled himself, ”What’s so funny that you’re both so happy? Quick, tell me about it.”

Bai Ruozhu said with a smile, ”I was just saying that now the family and business have grown, it’s inevitable someone might get flustered. I told sister-in-law to keep an eye on you, so none of those foxy temptresses get the better of you.” She finished the sentence with a wink at Wan Caiyue, sure that Wan Caiyue didn’t want her husband to know about her troubles.

Wan Caiyue covered her mouth and laughed, ”Yeah, you better not let those foxy temptresses get to you again.”

She repeated Bai Ruozhu’s words, but added an ”again,” which immediately made Bai Zehao’s face turn red. He had been cautious enough about that incident last time to last a lifetime.

Bai Ruozhu and Wan Caiyue both snickered. It was good for a man to be triumphant, but they also needed to remind them to be careful, lest they stumble over a woman again.

...

Inside the Imperial Study Room, Tang Yin had Bai Zepei draft a Holy Edict, and as before, Bai Zepei prepared to write, only to realize that Tang Yin was ordering a Holy Edict as an award for Bai Ruozhu!

Bai Zepei felt a surge of emotion, nearly causing a drop of ink to tremble off the tip of his brush. Fortunately, his heart nature was steady, and he earnestly drafted the edict as the Emperor had instructed.

”Prime Minister Jiang, your sister has also returned. Have you received any advice from her regarding choosing a principal wife?” the Emperor suddenly asked.

”Sister told me to choose someone I like, but this subject is not particularly interested in matters of men and women, so I don’t know what I like,” he said, lowering his head and hiding the flicker in his eyes. How could he not know what he liked? He was too clever and too clear-sighted, which brought him to his current predicament.

If he hadn’t realized that his sister was not his true sister, he wouldn’t have had those wild thoughts. Regardless, no matter who she was, from now on, she would be his sister Bai Zepei, and it would be enough for him to see her happy.

Tang Yin laughed, ”It seems you are still young and have yet to become savvy in matters of the heart. However, let me advise you, in choosing a wife, one should seek virtue. Find someone kind-hearted and virtuous, someone with a good disposition who can also get along peacefully with your family.”

”What the Emperor says is true,” Bai Zepei replied respectfully.

”Now both the Virtuous King and the Prime Minister have shown interest in you, even the Ding Family from the Empress Dowager’s maternal side has expressed such intentions. I do not wish to force you, so choose one for yourself,” the Emperor put down the papers in his hand, another seeking an imperial decree for marriage.

Bai Zepei’s body shook. The moment had indeed come.

”Your Majesty, I have just begun my service, without any accomplishments. At this time, I am really not concerned with marriage matters. Perhaps it would be better to give me half a year’s time. Allow me to make some contributions to the Imperial Court, and then we can discuss marriage. It won’t be too late then.” He knew he couldn’t avoid this forever; this was his way of seeking one last half-year for himself.