Bai Zepei looked at Bai Zehao and asked: "Didn’t brother tell him to come find me or something?"
Bai Zehao chuckled twice, obviously admitting it was true. The whole family giggled in response. Bai Zehao had a kind heart, what else could they do?
"I didn’t dare promise him anything rashly. I just mentioned that you’re studying with the Scholar and I would check if you can help him or not." Bai Zehao explained, "But he refused as soon as he heard. He said he didn’t want to cause trouble for our family, and that his educational background is too poor to keep up. He was afraid he would get you in trouble, so I didn’t push further."
Everyone nodded, appreciating Bai Zeji’s sense of propriety and self-awareness. It was significantly better than Bai Yibo, who stole the nomination opportunity from Bai Zepei, shamelessly relying on his uncle’s reputation, without considering his own ability to pass the civil service exam.
"Brother is getting more and more prudent in handling things." Bai Zepei nodded, "I must have misunderstood you earlier."
Bai Zehao scratched his head foolishly, saying: "I should have learned something by spending every day with my little sister."
Everyone chuckled. Bai Ruozhu looked at her older brother, wondering what he could learn from her. She spent every day busy cooking, what was there to learn?
However, she soon came up with a plan. "I can recommend a good option for Cousin Zeji."
"Oh? Hurry up and tell us." Bai Yihong was quite eager. He sincerely hoped for more talented people in the Bai Family Sect.
"Didn’t Mr. Wu fall ill recently? He originally said he might not recover until after the New Year, but he healed earlier than expected. However, he looked a bit pale today. He’s all alone, and he needs someone to take care of him. So, I was thinking, if Cousin Zeji could become a disciple of Mr. Wu’s, not only could he learn from him, but also take care of him. It would be the best of both worlds." Explained Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Zehao clapped his thigh, "This is a good idea. Why didn’t I think of it?"
Bai Ruozhu tried to suppress her laughter, "How could you men compare to us women when it comes to being attentive?"
Scratching his head, Bai Zehao thought to himself that this wasn’t about attention; his little sister was just smarter.
The entire family approved of this idea. Bai Yihong said: "I’ll talk to Second Uncle about it when he comes to the stall in a few days."
Bai Zepei also nodded, "Considering Brother Zeji’s situation, studying with Mr. Wu is the most suitable option. I estimate that passing the civil service exam should not be a problem, it will just take time to accumulate knowledge."
Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment, then said: "I don’t know if the school has any extra rooms left. If not, we could let Cousin Zeji live in our yard. He could help us clean up as well. Then, if Dad goes back to look after the fields, they can keep each other company."
Bai Yihong was generous and had no objections. Lin Ping’er always listened to her daughter, so naturally, she did not object either.
Bai Ruozhu snickered to herself. She was afraid her dad might change his mind one day and insist they move back to Back Mountain Village. If Bai Zeji moved into their yard, it would be awkward for him to ask Bai Zeji to leave. She would have to persuade Bai Zeji to bring his parents over, that would be even safer.
Bai Ruozhu’s scheming was in full swing. Bai Zepei gave her a teasing look, chuckling at her cunning little tricks. Bai Ruozhu crinkled her nose at him. Did he want to go back to Back Mountain Village and endure the torment of living in the old mansion every day?
The family returned to the West Courtyard. Bai Ruozhu and Lin Ping’er quickly grabbed some pancakes to eat, then went back to tending their stall.
However, as soon as they arrived at the booth, they noticed the strange looks people were giving them. Bai Ruozhu wondered to herself, what would be wrong with them not setting up their stall in the morning?
Fusa quickly came over, pulled Bai Ruozhu aside, and said: "Ay, why did you come to set up your stall today?"
Bai Ruozhu was even more puzzled. There were customers in the afternoon too, why should they miss out on making money?
"Aiya, you don’t know yet. A group of people came this morning and made trouble, threatening to smash your stall. Fortunately, you didn’t come out today. They seem to be from your aunt’s family, but your aunt wasn’t there." Fusa said with a worried look on her face.
Bai Yihong tensed upon hearing this, asking: "People from the Wang Family? How many of them came?"
"Seven or eight men, and an old woman who seems to be Mrs. Wang’s mother." Fusa reported, "Since they didn’t see you, they wanted to smash the tables on the stall. I shouted at them, saying the tables were mine, and if they smashed them, I would sue them at the Government Office and they would have to compensate me. They then backed off, but they were still shouting about coming back."
Everyone’s brows furrowed. Bai Ruozhu had the baby with her. If trouble broke out and they got caught in a pushing and shoving match, it wouldn’t be good. What should they do?
"Should we... should we not open the stall today?" Lin Ping’er asked uncertainly.
Bai Yihong agreed, saying: "Let’s go back for now, especially since Ruozhu has Dengdeng with her."
"No," Bai Ruozhu shook her head firmly. "We’ll continue with the stall. You can’t avoid them forever. I hope they come today, let’s see who gets unlucky."
Bai Zehao rolled up his sleeves and said, "Worst comes to worst, I’ll fight them."
"Dad, mum, big brother, you guys set up the stall. I’ll be back soon. If they show up, try to stall them. Though, I think they are more likely to come back tomorrow morning." Bai Ruozhu proposed after some thought.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu leaving with the baby, Lin Ping’er cried out, "Be careful! Or else, bring the baby back home first."
"Alright, I’ll take Dengdeng home right now." Bai Ruozhu said, carrying Dengdeng and leaving without looking back.
She didn’t return to the West Courtyard immediately, instead, she went to the Government Office. There, she quickly found the officers-on-duty, Wang Luji, and Wan Minglu. She told them about the potential trouble from the Wang Family and asked for their help.
Wang Luji’s eyes widened: "The Wang Family hasn’t learned their lesson yet? They are asking for trouble. We just happened to be assigned to patrol the market these few days, so this matter falls under our jurisdiction. If they make trouble, we will catch them red-handed, which could earn us merit."
Wan Minglu chuckled upon hearing this. "Right, it saves us trouble. Ruozhu, don’t worry. We’ll patrol around your stall right now. If they dare to cause trouble, we’ll arrest them and take them to the office for punishment."
"Thank you, Brother Wang, and Brother Minglu." Bai Ruozhu thanked the two officers, then proceeded to walk back to the West Courtyard carrying Dengdeng.
She’d only gone a few steps when a voice behind her said, "I happen to be free, I can help you look after the child."
"Ah?" Bai Ruozhu stopped in her tracks, quickly turned around. The man behind her hadn’t expected her to stop and turn back so suddenly. Thankfully, he was agile and managed to step aside, preventing them from bumping into each other. Yet, for a moment, they were very close, and Bai Ruozhu could feel his chin brushing against her forehead.
Her heart thudded, as if a string had been plucked...