Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2047: Chapter 2045: Scheming for Attention

Bai Ruozhu walked to the tree where Fen Cheng had been standing before and said, ”I saw him here; he even asked me where I came from. Could it be that he left now?”

”I’ll go ask if anyone in the clan has seen a man with gold eyes recently.” Fen Jiu, seeing that Bai Ruozhu wasn’t joking, said this and left.

Jiao Ling also felt a bit nervous because, after Wei Yu’s incident, she felt that the Jiuli Clan was not as secure as she had believed.

Bai Ruozhu stared dazedly at the peach tree. She felt that the man truly existed. But why didn’t Fen Jiu know him? Was he lying about being from the Fen Family?

She recalled those bright golden eyes, which were stunning and sincere. If he wanted to lie, he could have easily used a different name, so why claim to be Fen Cheng?

”Ruozhu, let’s go back first. Maybe it’s a prank by a young person in the clan,” Jiao Ling said lightheartedly.

”Mm.” Bai Ruozhu responded, and returned to the Diaojiao Building with Jiao Ling.

After half an hour, Fen Jiu returned. He said no one had recently come back to the clan with golden eyes. He told Elder Su to send people to search, but so far, nothing suspicious had been found.

Bai Ruozhu opened her mouth but in the end, said nothing.

The next day, Bi Tao came early, bringing some Jiuli girls. They were very polite to Jiao Yunyun and Jiao Ling, but their gaze towards Bai Ruozhu was less friendly.

Bi Tao introduced them and then said sweetly, ”Oh my, yesterday was exhausting for us. I heard Elder Su ordered a search in the clan all because Bai Ruozhu saw some gold-eyed man.”

Bai Ruozhu gave her a faint glance, realizing this girl was trying to make her unpopular.

”Bai Madam, were you seeing things? How could there be a person with golden eyes?” a tall girl named Qin Qin said discontentedly.

Bai Ruozhu smiled at her, ”I said I really saw him. Do you believe me?”

Qin Qin wanted to say she didn’t, but felt that would be too direct—after all, it’s said you don’t hit smiling faces—and Bai Ruozhu’s attitude was quite nice.

Bi Tao gave her a hard look, and after hesitating, she reluctantly said, ”I don’t.”

Bai Ruozhu laughed again, ”I don’t believe it either. I thought I was seeing things, so I looked closer. It truly was a special gaze. But when I was in the Western Regions, I saw people with brown or blue eyes, so it’s not strange to me.”

Another girl named Luo Xiang widened her eyes, ”You’ve been to the Western Regions? Isn’t it said that women from Danliang aren’t allowed to travel far? Have you been to many places?”

Clearly, the young girl was curious about the world outside. Bai Ruozhu smiled and said, ”Quite a few places. I lived in Beiyu, went to the Capital City, and represented the Beiyu Study Palace in the Eight Academy Competition in Jiangnan. I also visited the Barbarian Tribe, and have been up north where I have several medicine fields.”

The girls exclaimed in amazement. They had previously been somewhat unhappy with Bai Ruozhu, but now they were filled with envy and curiosity.

Bi Tao glared at them in frustration, but they didn’t notice. They were all looking at Bai Ruozhu with excitement.

Bi Tao could only grind her teeth and say, ”Bai Sister, aren’t Danliang women supposed to stay home and take care of the family? Why do you keep running around?”

Look, this was a hint that she wasn’t following traditional virtues.

Bai Ruozhu remained unbothered and smiled, ”That’s because you don’t know. I’m a fourth-rank female officer in Danliang Country, in charge of the Female Physicians Institution. I often travel under Imperial Decree, or to help my husband, contributing a little to the people.”

Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes sparkled. Qin Qin was the most excited and asked, ”What’s the Western Regions like? Do people really look different than us?”

Bai Ruozhu laughed and said, ”They are generally taller and have more pronounced facial features. The princess of the Western Regions is very beautiful and is now married in Danliang. Both she and her husband are friends of mine.”

The girls bombarded her with questions. Bai Ruozhu patiently answered them one by one, greatly changing the Jiuli girls’ impressions of her, even earning some admiration.

In her past life, Bai Ruozhu ran a dental clinic for a while, dealing with customers. She might not excel at other things, but she had some skills in socializing. She picked topics they liked, occasionally complimenting them like, ”You ask the right questions,” or, ”People there admire skilled women. Someone with your martial skills is greatly respected.”

As this went on, many of them lost their initial animosity and even grew closer to Bai Ruozhu.

Bi Tao glared until her eyes turned red. These were friends she’d known for over ten years, who had agreed to confront Bai Ruozhu, yet within half an hour, their attitudes had completely changed.

If it weren’t for the protection provided by the Jiuli Clan’s array, she would have suspected Bai Ruozhu of using demon techniques.

”Bai Sister said so much, but still didn’t explain the gold-eyed person. You’re not making it up to entertain everyone, right?” Bi Tao bit her lip, no longer caring if she seemed too deliberate.

”Perhaps I saw wrong, but I had no intention to entertain everyone. Why would I bring trouble upon myself? I’m not foolish.” Bai Ruozhu smiled even more brightly. ”Compared to all you sisters, I’m quite ordinary. Just as the legends say, Jiuli people are indeed extraordinary. Bi Tao, you said they lacked insight; isn’t that too modest?”

Well then, since Bi Tao repeatedly tried to alienate her, Bai Ruozhu would not be courteous.

”What nonsense! When did I ever say such things!” Bi Tao shouted in frustration.

Bai Ruozhu looked puzzled, ”You were pulling me yesterday and talked about it for half the day. Did I hear it wrong? Oh well, if you say you didn’t, then you didn’t. I thought you considered me a sister, turns out I was overthinking.”

In modern terms, Bi Tao was a manipulative girl. To be the most popular among her peers, she would often stir up trouble in secret. People now had a good impression of Bai Ruozhu, and upon hearing this, they began to think.

Suddenly, Luo Xiang looked at a girl and asked, ”Did Bi Tao say my poison techniques were poor, and I couldn’t protect myself on an adventure?”

The girl’s eyes narrowed, and she loudly retorted, ”Don’t listen to her nonsense. She said she wanted to go on an adventure with you, claimed your techniques were lacking, and wanted to look after you. I even praised her for her loyalty and said I’d help if needed. Did she tell you this?”

Bai Ruozhu feigned surprise, ”Did Bi Tao mix it up? How come the two of you say different things?”