Chapter 364: Bustling Scene
Chapter 364: Chapter 364: Bustling Scene
Bai Suihe thrived in the county town. The weather cleared up on their second day there.
She finally had the chance to stroll through an ancient marketplace. Although the Imperial City was prosperous, it had too many stifling rules and too many nobles, making it impossible to do as one pleased. However, small towns in Lingnan were much less restrictive. Along the way, Bai Suihe saw many female shopkeepers and even young ladies from good families chatting and laughing freely on the streets.
Dressed in local attire, Bai Suihe and Gu Xingyang quickly blended in with the crowd. She bought some local homespun cloth and unique hair accessories. Her only complaint was the lack of street food, which made the outing feel a bit lacking.
"Mother, we can go back and make some ourselves," Gu Xingyang said. Having spent so much time in the modern world, she easily guessed what was on Bai Suihe’s mind.
"Unfortunately, I’m not good at cooking. I doubt I could even replicate the recipes," Bai Suihe replied. With delicious food available everywhere in the modern world, she had never needed to cook for herself. If she had known she was going to end up here, she would have absolutely taken some culinary classes first. Other time-travelers managed to earn their startup capital just by selling recipes.
Thinking of this, she curled her lips. With thousands of years of culinary heritage, and considering that all the ingredients here were natural and authentic, she realized that modern food relied heavily on artificial seasonings. It would be a pity to ruin these high-quality ancient ingredients with such overpowering flavors. Everything required trade-offs. Bai Suihe felt that the food here suited her tastes well enough; at the very least, it was free of artificial additives and heavy processing.
Gu Xingyang didn’t expose her mother’s self-consolation. She tried her best to observe her surroundings, as she was also curious about this marketplace. However, she gave up after looking around for a short while. It was nothing special. Aside from the storefronts on both sides, there were only a scattered few stalls selling a very limited variety of goods. The stalls either sold thread or steamed buns; the selection was incredibly monotonous.
Nanny Pang followed closely behind them. She had tried several times to take the young miss from Bai Suihe’s arms, but was refused every time. Consequently, she focused on acting as a bodyguard, ensuring that the pedestrians on the street didn’t bump into her two masters.
A commotion erupted up ahead. Without a word, Bai Suihe carried the child and squeezed her way to the front of the crowd.
Nanny Pang hurriedly followed with the two maids. She wasn’t worried about her madam getting hurt. Before they left, she had seen the young miss pack plenty of the medicinal powders she had been grinding recently. If anyone dared to provoke them, it was hard to say who would end up suffering. The madam truly had a gift for learning pharmacology. Perhaps it had something to do with her memory, but she had already memorized many prescriptions in such a short amount of time. This was especially true for the prank powders. She could now whip them up quickly and proficiently. Although their effects hadn’t been tested yet, Nanny Pang’s experience told her that a few of them were even better than the ones she made herself.
Bai Suihe pushed her way to the front with the child in her arms. She thought she was just going to watch a spectacle, but to her surprise, she spotted a familiar face. Who else could the man lying in the middle of the street be but Gu Kaichen?
Several burly men surrounded him, kicking and punching as Gu Kaichen curled up on the ground, shielding his head with his arms.
"What’s going on? Why are they beating someone in the middle of the street?"
A bystander acted as her mouthpiece, asking the exact question Bai Suihe had in mind.
"What else could it be? See those men? They’re from the casino. It’s probably just another degenerate gambler who owes money."
"Tsk, tsk. Then there’s no need to pity him. These degenerate gamblers never stop until they lose everything and destroy their families," a bystander remarked.
"You’re wrong about that," another speaker chimed in, drawing a finger across his neck. "Even if they destroy their families, they still won’t stop, unless... That’s the only way they’ll behave."
"How terrifying. The ones who suffer the most are their family members. Being related to someone like that is truly..."
Bai Suihe was left speechless.
Nanny Pang naturally recognized him as well. She stepped forward to shield Bai Suihe behind her. "Madam, there’s nothing worth seeing here. Shall we head back?"
Bai Suihe nodded. Just as she was about to leave, by some stroke of terrible luck, Gu Kaichen managed to spot her and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Suihe, please save me! We’re family!"
The burly men stopped beating him and followed Gu Kaichen’s gaze toward them.
Bai Suihe really wanted to curse. She knew she was destined to be cannon fodder, which was why she had hidden away in this county town. Yet, on a rare sunny day when she finally went out, she still managed to run into him. Holding the child, she turned to leave without looking back. Unexpectedly, the crowd of onlookers blocked their path.
"Madam, he’s calling out to you," someone in the crowd pointed out.
With a flick of Nanny Pang’s finger, the speaker suddenly felt his mouth go numb. He squatted on the ground, clutching his mouth, completely unable to utter another word.
Bai Suihe, who had been a second too slow, looked at Nanny Pang with a grieved expression. Such a perfect test subject had just been snatched away from her... She didn’t think the man was innocent in the slightest. He could have just minded his own business and watched the spectacle, so why did he have to chime in and stir up trouble? Since he loved talking so much, he could keep his mouth shut for a while. This was the tacit understanding between her and Nanny Pang.
As she pondered this, the burly men hurried over. The crowd of onlookers quickly parted to clear a space for them. Being directly involved, Bai Suihe was in a terrible mood.
"Madam," the leader of the thugs, Fang Dayong, said, staring at Bai Suihe with malicious intent. Although the woman was dressed simply, she was followed by maids and servants, which meant she had money. "This Second Young Master Gu just claimed you’re family. Since you ran into each other, why don’t you settle his debt?"
Bai Suihe stared coldly at the men before her. Fearing that the baby in her arms might be frightened, she handed her directly to Nanny Pang. Nanny Pang wasn’t just skilled in medicine and poison; she was also a trained martial artist. The child was much safer in her hands than in Bai Suihe’s.
"You are mistaken. I have absolutely nothing to do with this Second Young Master Gu you speak of," she replied.
Fang Dayong looked suspicious. He immediately turned to Gu Kaichen with a fierce glare. "You dared to trick us!"
His face bruised and swollen, Gu Kaichen crawled over to Bai Suihe. "I wouldn’t dare trick you, sir! We really are family. She is the legitimate daughter of the wealthy Bai family from the Capital City. She has silver, ask her for it!"
At this, it was Fang Dayong’s turn to be doubtful. Would the legitimate daughter of the Bai family dress so shabbily? Sure, she might have some wealth, but whenever women from merchant families went out, weren’t they always dripping with jewels?
"Suihe, please save me! I am Gu Kaiyuan’s biological second brother," Gu Kaichen begged.
Bai Suihe looked down at him. "What does the Gu family’s business have to do with me? I have already established my own independent household, and Gu Kaiyuan has completely severed ties with your family. All of this can be verified at the government office. If you don’t believe me, it isn’t far from here. We can go there and clear things up."
After speaking, she looked up at Fang Dayong. "Whatever business you have with him has nothing to do with me. If you insist on pestering me, I don’t mind taking a trip to the government office with you. The magistrate will judge the matter fairly!"
Hearing this, Fang Dayong backed down. Seeing how confidently she spoke, he figured she was probably telling the truth.