Abandoned Woman Busy Farming
Chapter 590 - 592: Gratitude Is Not Love

Chapter 590: Chapter 592: Gratitude Is Not Love

Bai Ruozhu had seen Wu Wanqing’s horse carriage from afar. Her own carriage wasn’t traveling fast, so there had been some time before she reached it. The horse on Wanqing’s carriage was leisurely grazing, showing no signs of recent vigorous activity. This meant that the carriage had been stationed here for quite some time.

Wu Wanqing wouldn’t have known about Bai Ruozhu’s visit today. It wasn’t as if she was specially waiting for her at the entrance. If Wanqing was truly waiting, wouldn’t it be more intimidating to wait inside the manor?

Thus, the only explanation was that Jiang Yichun had ordered someone to stop her from entering the manor!

Ruozhu guessed that she wasn’t allowed inside due to her, Bai Ruozhu. Waiting at the entrance was probably both due to stubborn refusal and a hope to meet Ruozhu.

Upon seeing Ruozhu’s smile, Wanqing’s face instantly turned sour. But Ruozhu felt extremely satisfied. Her earlier anger towards Yichun had completely dissipated. Of course, she still needed to scold him later on, to make him understand he should avoid such situations and maintain good habits going forward.

"What are you laughing about? Do you believe you’ve already won? I will see how long you can keep that smile up!" Wu Wanqing suddenly exclaims through gritted teeth.

Ruozhu, somewhat surprised, looks at her and feigns confusion. "What’s wrong with you today, Miss Wu? You greeted me, and I responded with a smile. Isn’t that only polite?"

Wanqing was always skilled in presenting a front of grace and moderation. Why did she suddenly lose control? Ruozhu supposed that she must have been driven mad by Yichun. This thought cheered Ruozhu up a little bit more.

Now, Bai Ruozhu wasn’t unreasonable or overbearing, nor was she one to purely act out of jealousy, attempting to sever the connection between Yichun and her fellow disciple. Her main problem was with Wu Wanqing. She believed Wanqing harbored hidden feelings for Yichun which she expressed under the pretext of treating his poison. Also, there was a high chance that Wanqing was behind the love poison. Being so different in her public and private face, Wanqing was a dangerous woman.

See, aren’t her true colors revealed now?

Wu Wanqing sneered, "Let’s speak plainly. The bond between me and my fellow disciples spans many years. It’s not something you can disrupt."

"Yes, how can I, an outsider, compete with your camaraderie? Miss Wu, you’re worrying too much." Bai Ruozhu responded with a snicker.

"Don’t take advantage of his gratitude towards you and act as you please. Gratitude can be worn away with time, it is nothing compared to true feelings." As she spoke her final words, she emphasized "feelings" especially heavily, a strange smile crept onto her face.

Ruozhu raised an eyebrow, saying, "Thank you for the reminder, Miss Wu. But I have other matters to attend to, so I must excuse myself."

This was her trying to tell Bai Ruozhu that Jiang Yichun was with Bai Ruozhu because she had saved him. His feelings for her were more gratitude than real affection, and he had a real affection for another.

Ruozhu narrowed her eyes, Wanqing definitely knew about the love potion!

She quickened her pace, and as soon as she entered the gate, she saw the guards on both sides of the entrance. On seeing her, they didn’t obstruct her. But when Wu Wanqing tried to follow, a guard stopped her.

"Miss, please return!" the guard said coldly. Clearly, this man was loyal to Jiang Yichun and not Wu Yunfeng. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare speak to the young lady in such a way.

Wu Wanqing opened her mouth, perhaps unwilling to accept why Bai Ruozhu could enter while she couldn’t. However, she was smart enough to know that asking such a question would only embarrass herself. In the end, she tightly closed her mouth, turned around, got into her carriage, and left.

Recalling the look in Wanqing’s eyes as she left, Ruozhu was certain she wasn’t going to accept this lying down. There would undoubtedly be some form of retaliation. But when a soldier comes, an officer will resist; when a flood comes, the earth will consume it. It’s not appropriate to let her into the manor. It was not only dangerous, but if it stirred up unfavorable rumors, Jiang Yichun would really have to "take responsibility" for it.

Hearing the commotion, Jiang Yichun came out of the house and went over to pick up Dengdeng. Smiling, he said, "You’ve finally arrived. I’ve been waiting since early morning."

Bai Ruozhu was no longer angry at him, in fact, she was even feeling a bit impressed. But having just finished being angry not long ago, suddenly switching to a smiling face felt a bit awkward. So, Ruozhu just turned her head away and whispered, "I ran into Wu Wanqing just outside."

"She hasn’t left yet?" Jiang Yichun furrowed his brows in displeasure.

"She got off her carriage, exchanged a few words with me, and then left." Bai Ruozhu laughed in her heart, as it seemed that it was indeed Yichun who had chased Wanqing away.

Jiang Yichun’s frown deepened. He walked over, took Bai Ruozhu’s hand and asked, "What did she say?"

Bai Ruozhu wanted to pull her hand away, but didn’t have the heart to in the end. She let him hold her hand. With one hand holding Dengdeng and the other holding Bai Ruozhu, to anyone who saw, they looked like a happily content family of three.

"She said that gratitude can’t compare to true feelings. She claimed I’m taking advantage of your gratitude towards me without boundaries, and that gratitude will eventually fade away." Bai Ruozhu said in a disgruntled manner.

Jiang Yichun, who was leading her into the house, stopped in his tracks when he heard these words. He looked at her seriously and said, "Don’t believe her words. Don’t you know very well how I feel about you?"

Seeing how nervous he was, Bai Ruozhu thought to herself that her angry outburst the day before must have been a bit too effective.

"But it’s true I did save you twice," she couldn’t help but chuckle.

Jiang Yichun suddenly pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist then, their bodies pressed closely together.

"It seems I have to prove whether my feelings for you are genuine or not," he said, with a smirk playing on the corner of his lips. He then moved his lips closer to Bai Ruozhu’s.

Bai Ruozhu jolted in surprise. They were still standing in the yard, and nearby guards were in full view! Her face turned a deep shade of red, and she hurriedly pushed him away, saying, "Don’t mess around! There are so many people watching. Even Dengdeng is watching you!"

Seeing her blushing, Jiang Yichun immediately laughed. Bai Ruozhu realized he was purposely trying to make her shy. She was a little bit annoyed, and gave him a small pinch on his waist, before turning around to head indoors.

Once inside, she saw Elder Shougu present. Recalling Jiang Yichun’s flirting in the yard, she cringed at the thought that Elder Shougu must have heard everything. This was beyond embarrassing!

Despite feeling awkward, she gritted her teeth and greeted Elder Shougu, "Ruozhu pays her respects to Elder."

Elder Shougu smiled kindly at her, lifted his hand, and said, "No need for such formalities. You’re still recovering from your injury." He then gave Bai Ruozhu a once over, and asked, "Haven’t you been resting properly? Your recovery can’t be messed up with poor sleep."

Jiang Yichun, carrying Dengdeng on his back, entered shortly after, and upon hearing this, he immediately looked at Ruozhu, "You’re not sleeping well because you’re angry with me?"

Bai Ruozhu broke into a cold sweat. When did she ever lose sleep over being angry? Jiang Yichun needs to watch his words. Can’t he see that Elder Shougu is laughing at us?

"You’re overthinking. It was because my grandmother caused a disturbance last night. Our neighbors reported her to the Government Office for disturbing the peace. An officer arrived and took her away. We only managed to get her back home early this morning." Bai Ruozhu let out a sigh.

Jiang Yichun thought about the tactless and pretentious Old Madam Bai. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. Should he say she deserved it? After all, she is an elder of the Bai family, so it would sound disrespectful. But to sympathize with her, he just couldn’t do it.

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Sorry for my lack of updates yesterday everyone, I wasn’t feeling well and fell asleep while trying to put my child to sleep. Without saying more, I’ll give you five Chapters today!