Chapter 465: Leaving the City
Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Leaving the City
Nanny Pang wouldn’t overly interfere with Bai Suihe’s affairs, but she still felt a bit disappointed. Madam had such great talent, yet it was a pity that she couldn’t devote her entire life to studying medicine. Nanny Pang could only do her best to assist her.
"Alright, then I’ll head to the pharmacy by myself today," Nanny Pang said. Since they hadn’t hired a suitable resident doctor to inspect the medicinal herbs yet, she had to go personally. Besides, the other doctors were probably already waiting there; it wouldn’t do for her to break another appointment.
"Sorry for the trouble, Nanny. Tomorrow—I’ll definitely make time to go over tomorrow," Bai Suihe replied. She had opened that pharmacy specifically to familiarize herself with more herbs and to lay the groundwork for future medicine production.
In the end, she had merely started the project, only to end up making Nanny Pang work even harder than herself.
"Take care of your business first, Madam," Nanny Pang said. She then instructed the nearby maids to manage the household affairs for now and to find her at the pharmacy if anything urgent came up, before turning around and heading out the door.
"Mother, are you going out again today?" Gu Xingyang asked.
"Yes. I have an appointment with Mrs. Qian and the others. You be a good girl and stay at home today."
"Mother, I want to go out with you."
"Didn’t you say you don’t like going out anymore?" Bai Suihe felt it was best not to bring a child today; after all, the occasion wasn’t suitable. However, she had forgotten that this wasn’t an ordinary child.
"Mother, I know you’re going to watch the drama unfold. I want to go too." Although Gu Xingyang hadn’t tagged along over the past two days, she had certainly eavesdropped on their discussions. While she didn’t know exactly what her mother and the others were planning, she knew there was going to be quite a spectacle, or else they wouldn’t be so eager.
Previously, her mother loved running off to the pharmacy the most, but now she was even neglecting it for this.
"Oh, you. Today’s occasion is not suitable for children," Bai Suihe said.
Gu Xingyang gripped Bai Suihe’s sleeve tightly with her little hands and said in a milky voice, "Mother, I’m no ordinary child. I understand everything."
Bai Suihe blinked at her. In the eyes of the maids, it just looked like Madam was teasing the young miss again.
"And what exactly do you understand?"
"I understand how to watch the drama..."
"The place we’re going to today might be a bit chaotic. Be a good girl and stay at home."
"I’m not scared. I want to go! If you don’t take me, I’m going to cry," Gu Xingyang threatened.
"Then let me see you cry," Bai Suihe teased. This girl loved to wail without shedding a single tear—all thunder and no rain.
Gu Xingyang blinked, opened her mouth, and began trying to work up her emotions. Just then, she heard Zisu ask from the side, "Is the young miss hungry? I’ll go heat up some goat’s milk right away."
Gu Xingyang currently only drank goat’s milk. There were even a few ewes kept in the backyard exclusively for her.
The emotional buildup Gu Xingyang had worked so hard to muster was instantly punctured. Pursing her lips, she looked at Bai Suihe with a wronged expression. "Mother, you haven’t taken me out for days. Can you please take me with you today?"
"Didn’t you say it was boring outside?" Bai Suihe asked.
"That was days ago! Today is different.
"Don’t worry, I promise I’ll be good. I won’t make a fuss or cause any trouble."
Bai Suihe rolled her eyes. Whenever there was drama to watch, this girl’s addiction was even worse than her own. Just as she was thinking of a way to persuade the little girl, Mrs. Jiang sent someone over to notify her that the Lin Family had already set off. Knowing that this child really wouldn’t cause any trouble, Bai Suihe ultimately decided to bring her along.
Initially, Bai Suihe felt a bit uncomfortable about going to watch someone else’s drama like this. However, once they reached the city gates, she found that many carriages had already gathered there, lining up to leave the city. Lin Hua and the others went to inquire and returned with the news: these were all the female relatives from various noble households.
"This is going to be a massive scandal!" Gu Xingyang waved her little hands excitedly. "Coming here today was definitely the right choice."
Bai Suihe patted her back lightly. "Quiet down. Do you want to take the opportunity to catch a nap right now? If you fall asleep by the time we get there, I won’t wake you up."
"Don’t do that, Mother! If I fall asleep, please be cruel enough to wake me up," Gu Xingyang said helplessly. She was still just a tiny infant, so eating and sleeping were purely instinctual.
"Then you can sleep right now. Who knows how far we still have to travel once we leave the city."
Playing with her little fingers, Gu Xingyang suggested, "Mother, how about you press my power-off button?"
Bai Suihe lightly patted her little bottom and perfunctorily said, "Power off."
Gu Xingyang blinked. "Mother, I was just joking, but you took it seriously!"
"I’m not joking with you. For your physical and mental development, it’s best you follow your instincts—eat when you should eat, and sleep when you should sleep. What business does a pint-sized kid like you have meddling in so much idle gossip?"
Gu Xingyang felt aggrieved. If she were truly a baby, she could naturally justify sleeping when full and eating when rested. But she wasn’t! In this carefree infant life, she wanted to find some small amusements for herself, and listening to gossip was the only thing she could think of right now.
The line of carriages ahead began to move, but the ones behind suddenly came to a halt for some unknown reason. It wasn’t until Mrs. Qian, Madam Li, and Mrs. Jiang climbed into her carriage that Bai Suihe figured out what had happened.
It turned out that everyone realized going to gawk at the drama in such a grand fashion was slightly inappropriate. If every household brought their own carriage into the village, there probably wouldn’t even be enough space to park them all. Some bright spark had come up with the clever idea to carpool and squeeze together.
There was a good reason why Mrs. Qian and the others unanimously chose Bai Suihe’s carriage. The interior was specially designed, practically fully equipped with everything they could need. The comfort level was leagues ahead of their own carriages, so without a second thought, they abandoned their rides and squeezed in here. The attending maids from the various households squeezed into another carriage, making it convenient for them to gossip amongst themselves.
"Oh my, why did you bring our little lady out?" Madam Li was very surprised when she saw Gu Xingyang, but she couldn’t hide the joy in her eyes as she reached out to take the baby from Bai Suihe.
"Aren’t you afraid the scene will get chaotic later?" Mrs. Jiang disapproved slightly. "If a scuffle breaks out, how are you going to protect her?
"Our carriage hasn’t left yet. How about..."
"AH, AH, AH!" Gu Xingyang voiced her protests. This mean lady was trying to ruin her fun the moment she arrived! She absolutely refused to go back.
Madam Li hugged the child tightly. "Aw, we’re not going back. Since we’re already here, are you saying the few of us women can’t protect one child?
"Besides, we aren’t going there to fight. We’re going to stand behind Mrs. Lin and support her."
"Alright then. But let’s not park the carriage too close to the front later. How about we let the carriages behind us pass first?"
Bai Suihe knew Mrs. Jiang meant well, but the line ahead was already moving, so there was no need to cause a fuss. "Don’t worry. If anything really happens, I’m more than capable of protecting her."
Recalling the two young drivers they had seen before entering the carriage, the ladies decided not to say anything more. Given the Bai Family’s status, those two young men were likely far from ordinary. So, they dropped the subject and started teasing the child, inevitably steering the conversation back to Mrs. Lin up ahead.