Receiving a dividend of fifty or a hundred taels was already splendid to Bai Ruozhu, but suddenly getting more than four hundred taels, that was truly a massive amount. She remembered how nervous she was when she went home with thirty taels of silver after selling fresh soup noodles, afraid of being robbed or stolen.
But Bai Ruozhu quickly thought of Du Zhongshu’s recent attitude, could the Du family really be willing to share such a large sum of money with an outsider? Thinking this way, she found it beneficial to have the medicinal materials deducted from the dividends, which saved her the trouble of taking out the money.
Du Zhongshu read Bai Ruozhu’s thoughts and said with a wry smile, "Don’t think too much, this dividend will be given to you no matter what."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t speak, but thought to herself: Now they are relying on my improved formulas, of course, they won’t withhold it. But what about later when they think the formulas are sufficient and no longer need her?
She was rather open-minded. If there ever comes a day when she had made enough money and could happily bid farewell, that would be fine. What she feared was the Du family’s greed, and them wanting to get rid of her once the cooperation has ended.
It was not that Bai Ruozhu was overthinking, but living in such an era, there were many things that needed to be considered.
"I naturally trust young master Du’s character, but if there’s any difficulty, feel free to talk to me, no need to always avoid me." Bai Ruozhu looked into Du Zhongshu’s eyes and said.
Upon hearing this, Du Zhongshu quickly averted his gaze, a faint blush appearing on his face.
"I... I didn’t mean that way, just... just ..." Du Zhongshu was at a loss for words, she had actually noticed his deliberate avoidance!
Bai Ruozhu raised an eyebrow, curious to hear how Du Zhongshu would explain.
"It’s just that I’m currently seeking a marriage alliance, so I need to avoid any misconceptions." Du Zhongshu gritted his teeth and confessed.
Ah? That was the reason? Bai Ruozhu was surprised and felt a bit emotional. Did her status as a divorced or widowed woman mean she couldn’t interact with people privately, otherwise it would affect the marriage prospects of ambitious young men?
She twitched the corner of her mouth, resisting the urge to stand up and give Du Zhongshu a piece of her mind.
Right at that moment, someone walked into the tea house. The shopkeeper greeted him with a smile. Bai Ruozhu instinctively turned her head and was stunned by what she saw.
The person wasn’t anyone else, it was Jiang Yichun, the man behind a mask.
Jiang Yichun also glanced in her direction and then towards Du Zhongshu, who sat across her.
Bai Ruozhu was quite uncomfortable; it felt as if she was caught by Jiang Yichun having a clandestine meeting, but how did he follow her? Was he keeping an eye on her?
As a modern woman, Bai Ruozhu was greatly annoyed by the idea of being watched by a man and restricted from going out freely. She turned her head away, pretending not to have seen Jiang Yichun.
Jiang Yichun’s gaze darkened. He ignored the shopkeeper’s inquiry and strode over to Bai Ruozhu.
"Miss Bai, we meet again; what a coincidence." Jiang Yichun said.
Bai Ruozhu gritted her teeth inwardly. ’Coincidence my foot.’
"Indeed, are you here for a cup of tea, sir?" Despite her irritation, Bai Ruozhu had to treat him courteously as her benefactor.
Du Zhongshu glanced at Jiang Yichun in surprise, then gave a small nod, "Du Zhongshu has spoken of you, sir."
"No need for formalities. A chance meeting is better than an invitation; since we’ve met, why don’t we sit upstairs and have a cup of tea together?" Jiang Yichun gestured towards the upstairs indicating to sit in a private room.
Du Zhongshu’s expression shifted, he seemed inclined to refuse. Bai Ruozhu frowned slightly, unsure of what Jiang Yichun was up to- his sudden appearance and the invitation for her and Du Zhongshu to have tea; was this a show of his magnanimity?
"I need to go help at the stall later." Bai Ruozhu replied, somewhat displeased.
Jiang Yichun looked at her deeply, a hint of something in his eyes, "Stay for a while, consider it as giving me face."
With that said, both Du Zhongshu and Bai Ruozhu found it hard to decline as it would be seen as disrespecting him.
Jiang Yichun turned and walked upstairs, Bai Ruozhu and Du Zhongshu had no choice but to follow.
The shopkeeper led them to a private room, asked what they needed, then quietly exited.
"Why so quiet? I hope my presence isn’t making you uncomfortable?" Jiang Yichun’s voice had a hint of amusement, but the mask made him seem anything but jovial.
Du Zhongshu bowed, "Not at all, it’s just the elders in my family have invited madam Bai to visit Beiyu City. They’re aware of the inconvenience it may cause to madam Bai as she has a child, however, due to my grandfather’s advanced age and heart disease, he couldn’t embark on a long journey."
Indeed, this was what Du Zhongshu was planning to tell Bai Ruozhu before Jiang Yichun showed up. He thought he would seize the opportunity next time, but Jiang Yichun’s sudden interruption stirred an unexplainable discomfort in Du Zhongshu’s heart, making him spill it all out.
Perhaps it was due to youthful competitiveness, or simply jealousy, Du Zhongshu found himself particularly disliking Jiang Yichun.
Jiang Yichun gave Du Zhongshu a cold look. Was this man trying to challenge him?
Bai Ruozhu twitched the corner of her mouth and asked, "Is it to discuss cooperation? Haven’t we signed the contract already? Isn’t everything done according to the contract?"
She didn’t understand what Du Zhongshu was doing exactly, his words making their meeting seem a lot like meeting the parents.
"My grandfather wants to discuss more cooperation with you. He wants to scale up the toothpaste business next year and thinks you’re full of ideas, so he wishes to meet you." Du Zhongshu casually said, "Also, I heard your second brother is going to study at the Study Palace in Beiyu City. Isn’t it better for you to familiarize yourself with the city beforehand?"
Bai Ruozhu didn’t speak, after a few seconds, she said in a low voice, "Let me discuss with my family first."
The room was quiet again. The waiter brought in tea and dim sum and the three picked up their cups to drink tea, not in a hurry to speak.
Bai Ruozhu stealthily glanced at Jiang Yichun, who seemed to be lost in thought, his attention wasn’t on the table.
Footsteps were heard from outside, it was customers in the adjacent private room. The sound wasn’t loud, but because of the silence in the room and Bai Ruozhu’s extraordinarily good hearing, she heard it clearly.
An elderly woman in the adjacent room asked for tea. Her voice was a bit hoarse. After the waiter left, she asked impatiently, "Does the medicine really work? Will people find out?"
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but perk her ears. Could this be a juicy bit of gossip? She instinctively imagined the "medicine" the old woman was referring to had some special function, not suitable for minors.