CHAPTER 2157: CHAPTER 2155: NO LONGER SERVING THE IMPERIAL COURT

Her son is so adorable, what if he gets taken advantage of by bad people? These matters need to be taught early, otherwise, what if the child suffers and ends up with emotional scars?

But unexpectedly, the first one to be considered a strange aunt was Bi Tao...

Bi Tao laughed, "It’s right to call me Aunt Bi Tao, but I’m not a strange aunt. At worst, I won’t pinch your cheek, I don’t want to be thought of as a bad person."

Dengdeng stuck out his tongue at her and hid behind Bai Ruozhu.

Seeing Bi Tao genuinely laughing with joy, Bai Ruozhu knew she had truly let go, and she felt sincerely happy for her.

But Bi Tao and Sun Xu had just started, merely developing feelings for each other, whereas she and Achun had experienced so many ups and downs, she was already deeply involved, how could she let go so easily?

Every time she looked at her son, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. They were still so young, yet their father was not by their side, and the thought of it made her heartache.

Especially when yesterday Dengdeng asked her why his father didn’t hug him when he came back, if he didn’t love him anymore.

Bai Ruozhu almost burst into tears at that moment; she barely held back her tears and told Dengdeng a little white lie, which finally calmed him down.

Thinking of this, Bai Ruozhu glanced at Little Dengdeng beside her, feeling a bit more sour in her heart.

After bidding farewell to Bi Tao, she took Dengdeng home. As they reached the door, Dengdeng looked towards the Peach Forest and said, "Mom, let’s go play over there, the peach blossoms are beautiful there every day. When will they bear peaches?"

Bai Ruozhu had never thought about this before, she just felt that the constant peach blossoms made the scenery incredibly beautiful. But now, thinking about it, it was just beauty without fruition, a beauty with a flaw.

Actually, she didn’t want to go to the Peach Forest because of what Feng Cheng said last time, which made her feel awkward, as if going to the Peach Forest was like going to see him, inevitably leading to misunderstandings.

"Dengdeng, let’s go home..." she had just started to say when Little Dengdeng had already dashed into the Peach Forest, and she couldn’t stop him.

"Hey, is it you again?" Dengdeng looked at the white figure not far away, tilted his head, and said with a mischievous smile, "You’re my mom’s friend, right? Can you play with me?"

Feng Cheng laughed, "Sure."

Bai Ruozhu was still frozen in place, somewhat blaming her son for being mischievous, but soon she heard her son’s tinkling laughter and couldn’t blame him anymore.

Children are the most sensitive, perhaps he sensed her unhappiness? These days, Dengdeng stayed quietly by her side, very well-behaved, but he was still a child, who liked to play wildly and preferred male elders to play with him.

What he hoped for the most was his father’s company, but the father left without a word, and the uncle was nursing wounds, so him seeking out Feng Cheng to play was normal.

Bai Ruozhu felt her nose sour; Bengbeng and Tiaotiao were still young and knew nothing, but Dengdeng, being clever and sensitive, might feel very sad in the future.

Enough, even without a father’s love, he still had three uncles to accompany him, which could compensate for the lack of fatherly love.

As Feng Cheng played with Dengdeng, he secretly observed Bai Ruozhu’s reaction, noticing that she didn’t want to pay attention to him, his heart sank even more.

That day he was too impulsive, although it wasn’t a good time. He wasn’t usually an irrational person but was disturbed by her sobbing.

Soon it was the next day; Bai Ruozhu had arranged to go shopping at Duanyang City with Jiao Ling, who had gathered many people, even bringing Xiou Shao, the head of Wei Hall, and another person from Wei Hall, saying they were bored in the tribe for too long.

Bai Ruozhu brought Jianqi, Muyu, and Jing Lei along. Although she’d told Jiang Yichun that she didn’t need Muyu and Jing Lei, after so long together, she wouldn’t really dismiss them.

Besides, they were not at fault.

Because Lanlan was also going, Bai Ruozhu called Chen Feng, but Chen Feng was reluctant to move, and he spoke very little even with Muyu and Jing Lei.

Bai Ruozhu knew about his knots and couldn’t let him stay shut off, so she used a commanding tone, "Didn’t you want to be my guard? When I give you tasks, you refuse to do them. Who was the one who wanted more tasks before?"

Now Chen Feng couldn’t refuse and had to go with them.

Plus, Little Dengdeng clamored to go, so Bai Ruozhu asked Nanny Zhang to accompany them out.

"Second brother, your body isn’t fully recovered, why are you going out?" Bai Ruozhu said deliberately when she saw her second brother and Si Yihuan appear together.

Bai Zepei coughed awkwardly, "My health is much better; I’ve been cooped up these days. It’s just as well to get some fresh air."

Obviously, he wanted to accompany Second Sister-in-law out, such a considerate good man. Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but feel a bit disheartened; the Bai Family was full of good men, but she hadn’t met one.

The face of Jiang Yichun flashed in her mind, scenes from the past appeared suddenly, and she shook her head vigorously to shake off that image.

A large group of people left Jiuli Clan in grand fashion and then went to Duanyang City, the scene was truly astonishing, even Fen Jiu couldn’t help but sigh, "It’s been years since so many people from the tribe have gone out together, right? If we say we’re from the Jiuli Clan outside, probably no one would believe it?"

He couldn’t help laughing, and the others laughed along, having been too cautious before, now this was satisfying.

Maybe it was the fresh air, Bai Ruozhu felt much better, even had a genuine smile on her face, not a forced one.

Everyone said they wanted to eat something first, so Bai Ruozhu suggested going to a restaurant next to the Duanyang City Commerce Association. The result was a group sitting at three tables, and since it was early, the restaurant was almost empty, effectively making it a Jiuli Clan exclusive event.

Bai Ruozhu ate a bit and said she wanted to check out the Commerce Association next door. She then took Dengdeng and had Jianqi accompany her there.

Si Yihuan watched her back and whispered to Bai Zepei, "Ruozhu seems a bit better."

Bai Zepei’s eyes darkened, "Don’t let me find out where that kid is, or I will peel his skin off."

"You can’t beat him," Si Yihuan said frankly.

Bai Zepei glared at her, "I’ll use my wits."

He paused and added, "After attending grandma’s wedding banquet, we need to go handle affairs. There might be outcomes soon in the Capital City, and we should return."

Si Yihuan couldn’t hide her joy; it had been a long time since she had seen her maternal family.

At the Commerce Association, Bai Ruozhu saw the latest news, which was something Jiang Yichun hadn’t told her.

She slammed the record book on the table with a loud "thud," angrily saying, "Why is it that bastard Du Zhongshu? I really didn’t expect he could become a strategist for the Yueqiu Tribe and then return to Danliang, transforming into a prince with a different surname, and the emperor actually conferred that upon him!"

Jianqi was also somewhat angry, "Master, are you still planning to return to be a Chief Doctor? I fear you’ll be targeted by him in the Capital."

"That isn’t a real concern, he only has a title, not real power. It’s not easy for him to target me. Moreover, I don’t want to go to the Capital City, with the Prime Minister watching, no one dares to bully Second Brother. I won’t meddle in imperial matters anymore." She sounded weary; yes, her heart was too tired.