Chapter 1803: Chapter 1803: To Save or Not to Save

“I don’t believe such matters, and neither does Mr. Meng, but the incident escalated that day. The lord said if we don’t follow procedures, we’ll be criticized, so he sent me to inquire Mr. Ji about it,” Wang Ruizhi said with a fawning smile.

“Who filed the complaint?” Bai Ruozhu asked.

Wang Ruizhi glanced to the side, seeing nobody around, then whispered, “It was the person sitting downstairs who was almost hit.”

It’s probably not that simple. Either this person has some connection to the competitor of Yingerlaige, or they were temporarily bribed by the competitor.

Everyone knows the Lord of Beiyu City is her adoptive father, yet they dare to cause trouble. Such bravery is indeed commendable.

“I see, well, you can go ask Ji Ziyan then. If there’s anything you need, feel free to find me,” Bai Ruozhu said.

“Alright, I’ll be off then,” Wang Ruizhi said, bowing to the two before leaving.

Gao Zhou joked after seeing him leave, “Girl, you’re making too many enemies.”

Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes at him, “This is just people talking about me because I stand out. Besides, I’m not the Dong Family owner of Yingerlaige; I’m just a minor shareholder.”

Speaking of this, she couldn’t help but think of the elusive Grand Dong Family owner, Empress Dowager, and the newsless Shen Lu lately.

No news is at least not bad news. Perhaps Shen Lu will come to Beiyu City soon.

After saying goodbye to Gao Zhou, Bai Ruozhu returned home. Today was the day she studied mechanical technique with Jiao Ling.

She tidied up after returning home and went to the yard where Jiao Ling and Fen Jiu were temporarily staying. As soon as she entered, she heard Xu Huilin’s voice.

“Senior, are you afraid Ruozhu won’t study properly, insisting she make my mechanical arm? I’m telling you, don’t worry. She won’t be lazy and let her son surpass her, so help me make a mechanical arm for convenience’s sake first.”

“No way, I’m too old and lack the energy for making new mechanical items. If you don’t believe me, ask Fen Jiu,” Jiao Ling directly refused.

Fen Jiu stood aside, arms crossed, looking at Xu Huilin with disdain, and snorted, “After you finish speaking, scram and don’t disturb our peace.”

Bai Ruozhu chuckled, thinking Xu Huilin came at the wrong time, ruining something for Fen Jiu.

At this moment, Xu Huilin saw her and quickly winked at her, “Ruozhu, you’re here. Please help me persuade your aunt to make me a mechanical arm first.”

Bai Ruozhu slowly sat down, poured herself a cup of water, and said after drinking slowly, “Who was so confident telling me before that when I learn it, you can look for me to repair or make new ones, but now you’re changing your tune.”

Xu Huilin was choked for a moment, almost unable to speak, and after a long pause, he muttered, “Who knew you’d learn so slowly, the far-off water can’t quench immediate thirst.”

“My aunt already said she couldn’t do it, don’t force others,” Bai Ruozhu said, signaling him with her eyes. Naturally, she’d help Xu Huilin regarding this, but Fen Jiu didn’t see eye-to-eye with him now, and Jiao Ling seemed troubled, so it’d be better to let Xu Huilin excuse himself. She could then find an opportunity to discuss things with Jiao Ling properly.

“Oh, then I’ll excuse myself for now, sorry for bothering you two seniors,” Xu Huilin said, his shoulders slumped, turning around to leave, his back looking exceptionally desolate.

Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched; Senior Fox is definitely a cunning fox!

Jiao Ling seemed tempted, couldn’t help but sigh.

“Little Lingdang, I’m warning you not to be soft-hearted. You’ve already injured your vital energy, unsuitable for making precise mechanical items. Don’t hurt yourself for irrelevant people,” Fen Jiu said coldly.

Bai Ruozhu was taken aback; it turned out that her aunt couldn’t do it. She was about to persuade otherwise when Jiao Ling looked at Fen Jiu and said, “I never said I want to do it, isn’t there still you?”

Fen Jiu’s mouth twitched, “You know my strength is martial arts, mechanical technique is my weakness.”

“Isn’t there still Ruozhu to help you? Once she’s solid with the basics, she can start helping you. Plus, with my guidance, there shouldn’t be any problems. Even if what we make isn’t very useful, it’s better than a regular wooden prosthetic. When Ruozhu finishes her studies later, she’ll make proper arms for that young man,” Jiao Ling said.

Fen Jiu looked at Bai Ruozhu, fiercely saying, “Girl, did you hear what your aunt said? You must study well!”

Bai Ruozhu squeezed out a smile, “Yes, Uncle, I’ll definitely study hard!”

Fen Jiu’s face instantly turned from gloomy to bright, his attitude toward Bai Ruozhu improved dramatically. It seems she should call him “Uncle” more often.

Bai Ruozhu wasn’t just placating Fen Jiu; she had truly decided to study diligently. Previously, she held some naive hopes thinking, after all, Jiao Ling could make the mechanical arm. But now, how could she let Jiao Ling endure such hard work?

Moreover, since Jiao Ling could no longer make mechanical things, she had given Little Dengdeng two items; once given, one was gone, meaning she lost another treasure for self-defense. Thus, Bai Ruozhu silently resolved to make one for her aunt after her studies as gratitude for her aunt’s teaching.

During her subsequent studies, Jiao Ling noticed Bai Ruozhu’s increased efforts, feeling both comforted and deeply touched, knowing well what Bai Ruozhu’s intentions were.

“Master, someone tossed this into the backyard wall,” Jianqi’s voice sounded from outside, soon delivering something inside. Bai Ruozhu looked and saw it was Gai Yalai’s gauze cap.

“Is there anything else besides this?” Bai Ruozhu asked.

Jianqi hesitated before finally taking out a note with a line of words: If you want to save Gai Yalai, come to Fengpo Forest outside the city.

Fengpo Forest is a dense forest in the City North, very suitable for concealment.

“It might be Zhou Jue,” Bai Ruozhu said with a sour face, “Who knows if Gai Yalai is collaborating with him, setting a trap for me. I’m not going!”

She was rather angry, thinking why couldn’t Gai Yalai just stay put in the residence? She had to go out and cause trouble, even dared to curse the Bai Family’s in-laws. Now having just moved away, something happened; who knows if it’s real or fake trouble?

“Ruozhu, wouldn’t this be unwise?” Jiao Ling, concerned, spoke up, having recently gathered much information on Gai Yalai by discussing it extensively with Lin Ping’er.

“I’m pregnant, you know, going out means risking three lives, do I have to run around for her?” Bai Ruozhu said irritably.

Jiao Ling thought for a moment and advised, “She’s ultimately your husband’s birth mother. If you were unaware and she ran off and died, it wouldn’t be your fault, but if she died because you didn’t save her, wouldn’t this cause rifts between you and your husband, and what would people say about you?”

Bai Ruozhu had to admit Jiao Ling had a point. She feared Gai Yalai might indeed be captured by Zhou Jue. With Zhou Jue’s perverted means, killing her would be a lesser consequence.

Jiao Ling went over to hold her hand, “Don’t worry, we’ll accompany you with Fen Jiu to check it out; nothing will happen.”