Abandoned Woman Busy Farming
Chapter 1517 Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers_1

Chapter 1517: Chapter 1517 Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers_1

Bai Ruozhu gazed at Du Zhongshu, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, and a sinister premonition slowly started to rise in her heart.

He had changed a lot.

First of all, his charisma had altered; when they first met, he was an idle young master who desired nothing more than to finish the tasks arranged by his family before shirking any further effort. But as the Du Family’s insatiable greed led them to devise schemes against Bai Ruozhu, and as she and he gradually shifted from friends to adversaries, he became more and more somber, until the day when old Master Du’s underhanded plot against Bai Ruozhu backfired, sending himself to the grave instead, Du Zhongshu harbored nothing but hatred towards Bai Ruozhu.

Yet now, standing before her with a calm and composed demeanor, where could one detect even a trace of that hatred?

Therefore, she felt that he had changed greatly; the Du Zhongshu of the past had never possessed such grace, nor the cool composure he now displayed.

What exactly could cause such an immense transformation in a person? Had his family encountered misfortune, hence his maturation? But how had he become a disciple of Wang Chengen?

Additionally, Bai Ruozhu found it peculiar that when Wang Chengen last confronted her, he didn’t have any disciple by his side, and he hadn’t triumphantly claimed to have a disciple either. If Wang Chengen hadn’t been extremely secretive, then this disciple must have been taken on after that day.

"Indeed, it’s been a long time," Bai Ruozhu replied with equal lightness. Could such a scene startle her? Then little of what she had been through would count for much.

Du Zhongshu greeted Bai Ruozhu and Lin Zhenghui with all due ceremony, and judging by what was immediately before her, he seemed more courteous and amiable than his master Wang Chengen.

However, Bai Ruozhu was not fooled into believing that Du Zhongshu was just as he appeared on the surface. A person who had changed so drastically and now stood before her was probably here to exact revenge on behalf of the Du Family.

Lin Zhenghui, aware of some of Bai Ruozhu’s affairs and recognizing Du Zhongshu, had initially shown a displeased face, but seeing his disciple appearing unperturbed, the anger in his heart also dissipated, and with a chuckle, he said to Wang Chengen, "You’ve taken on a fine disciple, more composed than you. Truly, ’the pupil surpasses the master.’"

Wang Chengen’s face grew a shade colder, but he quickly replaced it with a smile, "That’s why your disciple must be careful. With her talent, facing my disciple will be tough."

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t know where Wang Chengen got his confidence, and she wasn’t offended. She bowed to Wang Chengen and said, "If Elder Wang’s disciples are now excelling the master, and there’s still so much I need to learn from my own master, naturally, it wouldn’t be proper to compare."

"You both flatter us too much. Without the blue, how could there be cyan? Without the earnest teachings of my master, I’d still be a senseless, young lad. Even now, there’s so much I need to learn from my master," Du Zhongshu replied with a warmth in his smile, speaking with utmost humility.

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but take another look at him; his articulation had improved.

Wang Chengen burst into hearty laughter, patted Du Zhongshu on the shoulder, and said, "Haha, I didn’t misjudge you, my disciple. Not bad, not bad at all."

At that moment, an elder approached to greet Lin Zhenghui, and Bai Ruozhu also stepped aside after offering her respects. She noticed a glimmer of triumph flash in Du Zhongshu’s eyes; he had the upper hand in their first encounter since reunification.

But what of it? The one who laughs last is the true victor.

The elders greeted each other, and Lin Zhenghui took Bai Ruozhu to meet people. Bai Ruozhu had a good memory; she remembered the names of those she had met before, leaving a good impression on many of the elders.

"Old Lin, that disciple of Elder Wang from the Northwest is quite impressive, I hear he’s also a Scholar, but had to stop the Imperial Examination to mourn a deceased family member. Otherwise, becoming an Advanced Scholar wouldn’t have been a problem. You should be careful." A Southwest elder said to Lin Zhenghui with a chuckle.

Previously, Du Zhongshu had been arranged to study under Master Xie, who also said that if he worked hard, becoming an Advanced Scholar shouldn’t be an issue. Thus, even when Wang Chengen mentioned this everywhere, it wasn’t considered bragging.

Lin Zhenghui blew his mustache in dissatisfaction and said, "Being good at studying doesn’t mean one has a business acumen. Many scholars are mere bookworms. On the other hand, my disciple, at such a young age, has already started making toothpaste and opened a Weaving Pavilion, with branches in several cities."

Bai Ruozhu watched her master puffing with pride and couldn’t help but snicker inside. Her master was like an old child, not willing to lose to anyone.

Sometime later, the president of the council arrived, and the formal meeting began.

"The brand protection we launched earlier this year has done well. It not only ensured conscientious business development in the market but also brought in considerable revenue for the Commerce Association. Elder Lin, Ruozhu, you’ve both played significant roles, and we’ll need to keep up the good work in this council meeting," said the president with a smile.

"Elder Lin, what good proposals do you have this time? Tell us first; we’re all ears!" someone chimed in. Whether they genuinely wanted to hear or were just jealous of Lin Zhenghui’s disciple’s performance and were making a scene was unknown.

Lin Zhenghui was not in a hurry and replied with a chuckle, "At my age, my head doesn’t work as fast as the young ones. I can’t think of new proposals, so I have to leave that to the younger generation. But here, we’re among elders, and it’s not her turn to speak yet. Everyone else should speak first, and then let her speak when it’s her turn."

Wang Chengen snorted, "Old Lin, stop beating around the bush and just have your disciple speak."

"Rules mustn’t be discarded. No matter how outstanding she is, she can’t overstep her elders in speaking. Everyone else continue; respecting elders and the young is also important," Lin Zhenghui said, still in good spirits.

The crowd nodded, finding Lin Zhenghui’s words reasonable, and Bai Ruozhu, sitting solidly by his side, gained even more favor from everyone.

Thus, following the order, the elders shared their own ideas in succession. Some ideas were indeed good, but they were mostly suggestions for improvement and lacked completely new concepts.

Ruozhu discreetly took note of everyone’s words.

Soon, it was the disciples’ turn to speak. These disciples were being groomed as future young elders, and though young, they also held their own status.

Ruozhu didn’t know everyone there, only having met Li Dan and the youthful-looking Zhou Shibin, along with Du Zhongshu who appeared out of the blue today.

This time, Li Dan was surprisingly low-key, not even glaring provocatively at Ruozhu, hanging his head as if lost in thought, while Zhou Shibin stood up to bow, being the first among the younger to speak.

"I am Zhou Shibin. I don’t have any particularly good ideas either, just after listening to the words of my elders, an idea occurred to me, which is that the Commerce Association can lend to businesspeople, offering loans to those with certain collateral, and in return, the Commerce Association would charge interest," Zhou Shibin calmly explained.

Isn’t this the same principle as modern banks lending to companies? Ruozhu nodded inwardly, thinking it a good idea.