"Once could be chalked up to luck, but twice probably means it’s not just luck anymore," Bai Ruozhu had always believed that luck was integral to success. Upon inquiry, she found out that Fang Guizhi was quite the smooth talker. She didn’t boast to the customers, instead, she pinpointed their demands, showcasing the products’ advantages impressively.
Bai Ruozhu once again split two taels of silver with Fang Guizhi, who chuckled so hard her mouth nearly split ear to ear. She handed the silver to Bai Ruozhu for safekeeping. Bai Ruozhu took out a small wooden box in front of her, stashed the silver in, and hid it under the bed in a hidden compartment.
"You can trust me with this. It’ll be your dowry later." Laughing, Bai Ruozhu slapped the hidden compartment gently.
At the mention of a dowry, Fang Guizhi’s face flushed, but her eyes lit up with excitement. Four taels of silver were plenty for an average family’s dowry for their daughter, far more than what her own mother could provide.
"Ruozhu, thank you," Fang Guizhi grew sentimental, her eyes reddening.
Unable to resist herself, Bai Ruozhu reached out to flick Fang Guizhi’s forehead. Probably tired of being flicked by her elder brother, she took every chance she got to extend the same courtesy to Fang Guizhi.
"Silly girl, you don’t need to thank me. Follow me, and there’s meat to eat," Bai Ruozhu proclaimed, patting her own chest with valor.
"What ’big sister’? You’re clearly two months younger than me!" Fang Guizhi dodged Bai Ruozhu’s teasing and looked at her bewilderedly.
Scratching her head sheepishly, Bai Ruozhu realized she had addressed herself as the elder one in her enthusiasm, although Fang Guizhi really was two months older than her.
"Well, it means I can look out for you, not that I have to be older," Bai Ruozhu explained while scratching her head.
Fang Guizhi accepted the explanation and once again giggled doltishly, "Not only is there meat to eat by following you, but there’s also silver to be had. Hehe."
In the days that followed, Bai Ruozhu felt no movement in her belly. She grew anxious. The harvest season was approaching. Was she going to give birth during that busy time? Will her child choose not to cause trouble, for once?
Bai Ruozhu was unable to predict her child’s due date accurately as her predecessor’s menstrual cycle hadn’t been regular, plus she hadn’t kept diligent track of her dates. However, given her estimates, she reckoned her due time had already come was wondering whether it was okay for the baby to be so inactive.
Could it be that she wasn’t active enough during her pregnancy? She did walk around every day, though.
Linpinger detected Bai Ruozhu’s restlessness and tried to comfort her, "Children who tend to stay long in the belly turn out to be the smartest. They are the closest to their mothers since they don’t want to leave their mother’s belly. I’m sure yours will be a very loving and caring child."
"Did my elder brother linger in the belly too?" Bai Ruozhu’s eyes darted around, suspecting that her cunning elder brother must have done so.
"He probably did. We were very busy at your grandmother’s place back then. I didn’t even notice I was pregnant. There weren’t any signs of morning sickness, either. So it took me around two or three months to notice. As I never had any clear calculation, the baby was not as premature as expected," Linpinger explained.
That explanation reassured Bai Ruozhu to some extent. Moreover, she remembered from her previous life that after giving birth she would have to further care for the child, so keeping the baby in the womb for a bit longer seemed like the easier route.
"Tomorrow is the Qixi Festival. You should meet your friends and have some fun. You never know, relaxing a bit might encourage the baby to come out," Linpinger suggested.
Bai Ruozhu hadn’t kept track of the Qixi Festival. This was a time when the girls celebrated their festival. She instantly thought of her adopted sister, Rongrong, and got re-energized.
"Mom, I’ll go to town tomorrow to meet Rongrong, and along the way, I’ll drop off some presents for the Zhang family."
"Right, it’s time to return a gift to the Zhang family. I’ll accompany you tomorrow," Linpinger agreed, nodding.
Bai Ruozhu wanted to say that her mother was too busy and she would be fine with just Fang Guizhi accompanying her. But then she thought better of it, knowing her mother would not agree. After all, she could go into labor anytime.
Early next morning, Bai Ruozhu, accompanied by her mother, hopped onto a donkey cart to go to town. After buying some festival gifts, Bai Ruozhu dragged her mother into a jewelry store.
Probably because the two didn’t look too conspicuous, none of the waiters attended to them. So Bai Ruozhu started browsing on her own.
"Mom, is it okay if I gift these earrings to Rongrong? I haven’t given her a meeting gift yet." Bai Ruozhu pointed to a pair of earrings, small but intricately crafted, "Last time, I noticed Rongrong wearing a pierced ear, but she was only wearing tea stalks."
Young girls in poor families usually got their ears pierced early, but as they couldn’t afford earrings, they would insert a tea stalk in each hole instead.
Appreciating her daughter’s taste, Linpinger promptly agreed. "Let’s buy two pairs, one for you and the one for Rongrong." As the future son-in-law was moving in, they were saved from offering a dowry, but it pained Linpinger’s heart to know that her daughter didn’t even own a piece of jewelry.
Quickly, Bai Ruozhu waved her hands in refusal, "I won’t get myself one yet. With this heavy body, wearing earrings will be troublesome. Besides, it would hurt if the baby pulls it. We can buy it later when the baby grows up a little."
Seeing her daughter’s insistence, Linpinger didn’t press the matter further, but her eyes were already set on silver bracelets. She thought about buying one for her daughter during the New Year celebration.
Having bought the earrings, Bai Ruozhu, arm in arm with her mom, left the shop and they started walking towards the Zhang family’s. Halfway there, Linpinger slapped her forehead in realization, "Look at my memory, I paid for the handkerchief the other day but forgot to pick it up."
Frankly, Bai Ruozhu was somewhat tired by this point, and if she continued along with her mother, her pace would only delay them. So, pointing to a teahouse nearby, she said, "I’ll rest my feet over there. After getting the handkerchief, mom, come find me."
"Alright, that works best. I’ll be back soon. Don’t go running around," Linpinger advised hesitantly.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help laughing, "Mom, I’m not a kid anymore. How could I run around?"
Linpinger chuckled, reassured. Hurriedly, she turned around and headed back.
Bai Ruozhu entered the teahouse, found a quiet spot, and sat down. She ordered a very light jasmine tea and a plate of osmanthus cakes, slowly starting to eat.
"Your dried fish taste quite good."
The cold, masculine voice echoed behind her abruptly. Shocked, Bai Ruozhu spilt the tea on her hand, but by then, it was not scalding. It was a good thing because otherwise, her hand would have been scalded by now.
Without turning around, she already knew who it was. How could she bump into this person by such a coincidence?
The man walked over, sitting down casually, and demanded, "Do you still have any of those dried fish left? I want to buy some as gifts."
"What dried fish?" Bai Ruozhu acted as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
Jiang Yichun was still wearing his mask, but Bai Ruozhu could see a teasing smile in his eyes, visible from behind the mask.
"Your friend mentioned that she was from the Back Mountain Village selling dried fish for a pregnant friend. Considering the only pregnant person that I know of from Back Mountain Village is you, it’s got to be you," Jiang Yichun spoke slowly.
Now, Bai Ruozhu felt green. What did he mean by a pregnant woman being so restless? She was compelled by life’s hardships to do business. How was that being restless? Did this person hold a grudge against her? Could he not vent it out without biting remarks?