Shortly after lunch, Meng Qiu came to the Bai Family’s residence with a message: the elderly lady invited Bai Ruozhu to visit. Bai Ruozhu thought the elderly lady probably wanted to order some knitwear. She quickly got ready, left Dengdeng behind, and followed Meng Qiu to the Meng Residence.
Upon arriving at the serenely situated mansion, Bai Ruozhu presented a pair of gloves, promised earlier, to Nanny Lu, before proceeding to meet the elderly lady.
Nanny Lu delightfully handled the thin knitted gloves, finding them exceptionally fascinating. Were these produced by a loom? Not a single seam! Moreover, all five fingers were well-defined. No wonder Bai Ruozhu had insisted on gifting them.
Nanny Lu happily donned the fitting gloves, feeling the warmth radiating from them while it didn’t hinder her work.
As soon as Bai Ruozhu entered, the elderly lady addressed the matter of fixing Du Fuling’s teeth without beating about the bush.
"My eldest daughter-in-law has requested this. She publicly admitted her mistake last time. It would be preferable to take this opportunity and mend your relationship. Concerning the Du Family, it is better to reconcile than to maintain a feud. If it doesn’t inconvenience you, please help the child have her tooth fixed," the elderly lady suggested.
Understanding that the elderly lady wasn’t directing her but rather hoping to alleviate the tension between her and Wang Miaoshuang, Bai Ruozhu felt gratitude. She replied: "If the elderly lady asks, I certainly wouldn’t decline, especially when you’re looking out for me."
The elderly lady’s face lit with a gratified smile. As she had anticipated, this young girl was considerate and good at understanding others.
"I’m glad you think that way. If you encounter any problems, feel free to discuss them with me," the elderly lady added.
Bai Ruozhu indeed faced difficulties. Given the medical conditions of those times, fixing a tooth wasn’t easy. Even replacing it with gold was challenging, not to mention reconnecting the original tooth.
"Elderly lady, this is a challenging job. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have refused initially. Even for your tooth replacement, I haven’t found the right materials yet. In her case, reattaching her original tooth is even more complicated," Bai Ruozhu explained.
"What do you need for the procedure? I’ll have my people prepare everything for you. It should expedite the process," the elderly lady offered, her brows creasing.
Bai Ruozhu took a moment to consider before asking a maid to bring her some paper and a pen. She drew several tools including pointed tweezers, a polishing bar, and some small parts for fixing teeth.
Afterwards, she dried the ink on the paper and told the elderly lady: "These tools are necessary for the dental procedure. I doubt a regular blacksmith could create something so intricate. I sincerely have no other solution, otherwise I wouldn’t have persistently declined the Du Family."
Of course, this was merely a polite way of expressing her true unwillingness to fix Du Fuling’s tooth. But given that the elderly lady had made the request, she had to show some magnanimity.
The elderly lady examined the drawn tools with deep interest. She had never encountered these items before.
"What materials do I need for my tooth fillings?" asked the elderly lady.
"Currently, silver mercury, or silver paste as some doctors like to call it, can be used for tooth fillings. However, I’m trying to mix a better material. Moreover, your tooth is still undergoing treatment. We should wait for the perfect moment to fill it," Bai Ruozhu explained.
She knew about the fairly advanced tooth filling techniques of the Tang Dynasty from her previous life. Unsure whether such methods existed in this alternative dynasty, she had to make her recipe.
The elderly lady nodded, saying, "Inform me about anything else you need and don’t hesitate."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Yes."
After Bai Ruozhu had left, the elderly lady spent quite some time contemplating the drawings before instructing Nanny Lu, "Invite the eldest daughter-in-law to call the Du Family’s people here. Ask them to make the tools depicted in this drawing. They should understand the complexities and realize why Ruozhu initially refused."
"Indeed, elderly lady, you’ve thought this through thoroughly. I’ll relay this to the eldest daughter-in-law," Nanny Lu replied, heading out.
The elderly lady, with her keen eyes, noticed the gloves on Nanny Lu’s hands and asked: "What’s this on your hand? I haven’t seen this before, have I?"
Smiling, Nanny Lu removed her gloves, "You sent me to accompany Miss Bai at the last banquet. Noticing my hand was cold, she offered to gift me a pair of gloves. I was worried it would hinder my work, but the gloves she mentioned are quite distinct."
The elderly lady closely inspected the gloves then tried them on, commenting, "These are remarkable. I wonder how she came up with this."
Seeing the elderly lady impressed, Nanny Lu hastily offered, "If you like them, please keep them."
The elderly lady laughed and handed the gloves back to Nanny Lu, "At this age, am I really going to take your things? I usually stay indoors and when I do venture outside, there’s a hand stove. I have no need for gloves. You should keep your hands protected. We’re not getting any younger and can’t risk falling ill."
Nanny Lu quickly redonned the gloves, smiling, "As per your command."
Upon hearing that the elderly lady wished to meet with the Du Family, Wang Miaoshuang was somewhat annoyed. She hadn’t met them herself. Her family at home had merely communicated with them a couple of times. She intended to use this opportunity to show the elderly lady Bai Ruozhu’s indiscretion; treating others’ injuries reluctantly. Looking at Nanny Lu’s demeanor, Bai Ruozhu likely remained unwilling, and the elderly lady seemed to be in a peacemaking mood.
That evening, Wang Miaoshuang had a letter delivered to the Du Family. They were beyond excited. Du Fuling’s father was so overjoyed that he could meet the elderly lady of the Meng Family that he took the loss of Du Fuling’s tooth in stride. That incident was contributing positively to the Du Family’s reputation.
In the morning, Grand Lady Du, accompanied by Du Fuling, visited the Meng Residence to meet the elderly lady.
The elder woman found Du Fuling’s missing front tooth somewhat pitiful. Her advanced age made her more compassionate, and she didn’t have any negative impressions of Du Fuling.
Luckily, Du Fuling’s grandfather had instructed her repeatedly the previous night not to blurt out anything inappropriate and definitely not to speak ill of Bai Ruozhu. Given Du Fuling’s nature, she would inevitably have antagonized the elderly lady.
Not bothering with superfluous conversation, the elderly lady handed them Bai Ruozhu’s illustrations, saying, "Fixing a tooth isn’t easy. Preparing these tools and materials is necessary before Dr. Bai can help your girl. You should prepare these yourselves for reliability."
Fuling’s Aunt, who was actually Du Fuling’s elder cousin’s mother, received the sketch. If her aunt hadn’t returned to her family, she would have been there instead.
She complied and thanked the elderly lady while Fuling followed suit. Her obedience displayed her tactfulness.
Once they were outside the residence, Du Fuling immediately pouted and complained, "Bai Ruozhu doesn’t want to fix my tooth, does she? She even dares to set conditions. She made me look and not sending her to jail is already quite merciful!"
Aunt Du wanted to reprimand Fuling, but as she wasn’t her daughter, she couldn’t discipline her. She could only lower her voice and say, "You should talk less. What if the people from Meng Residence heard that? She isn’t intentionally making things difficult. If fixing a tooth was so easy, why would she necessarily be needed?"