Chapter 151: Double Standards

Because Jiang You had previously warned her that Father Jiang was extremely loyal to Mistress Zhao, Baihe had truly thrown herself down with full force when she fell in front of him just now, all to prevent him from detecting any trickery.

And when she fell, Father Jiang had not caught her, resulting in her knee being scraped and even bleeding. Not only did the man before her show no chivalry, but instead he asked her where she had bought her hairpin.

Having been chosen by Jiang You to seduce Father Jiang, Baihe did not possess an aggressive appearance; rather, she was the epitome of gentle and demure.

Seeing Baihe staring at him with wide eyes, looking both astonished and pitiful, Father Jiang foolishly scratched the back of his head, a hint of embarrassment in his voice: "I thought this little lantern hairpin looked rather nice, and I wanted to buy one too."

Hearing Father Jiang speak thus, Baihe experienced a complicated mixture of emotions. The man before her was truly exceedingly handsome. Although rustic in his attire, his features were genuinely striking—just a bit foolish.

"Big brother, my knee is scraped. Could you carry me to the apothecary?" Remembering her mission, Baihe spoke to Father Jiang once again.

Father Jiang looked up at the sky, shook his head, and said very decisively: "No, miss, I have to go buy glutinous rice. If I'm any later, it'll all be snatched up."

Baihe pleaded: "Big brother, but my leg really can't move anymore. Won't you please show some kindness?" She was practically on the verge of tears, looking tearful and exceedingly docile.

Yet Father Jiang no longer paid any attention to Baihe. A fresh batch of premium glutinous rice had arrived at the grain shop, and he needed to hurry and buy some, or else he wouldn't be able to make sticky rice chicken for his daughter tomorrow.

Thinking of the rush, Father Jiang had no time to spare for Baihe and strode away quickly.

Lowering her head to look at her bloody knee, Baihe was, for a moment, consumed by anger and resentment.

.........

Mistress Zhao had a very fiery temperament, while Father Jiang was exceptionally honest and simple-minded. The two of them played good cop and bad cop, yet they managed the carpentry workshop exceptionally well. Coupled with the booming business of the workshop, the assistants were all busy making money, and none of them gossiped about the couple. Consequently, outsiders all believed that an expert strategist was behind Hengfeng.

Mistress Zhao and Father Jiang now lived permanently at Hengfeng and rarely returned home. Knowing they could go back to see their daughter tomorrow, Mistress Zhao had been busy packing up her things since past noon.

During this time, Father Jiang had carved a delicate little wooden mallet for Bai Yan, which he also intended to bring along.

Just as Mistress Zhao was busy with her tasks, Father Jiang returned carrying a small bag of glutinous rice.

"You managed to get it? Why are you back so late today?" Mistress Zhao asked casually. However, because her attention was entirely focused on the bundle, her foot slipped, and she pitched sideways.

With one hand holding the bag of glutinous rice, Father Jiang quickly reached out with the other to steady her.

Then he said in a calm tone: "The queue was a bit long, which is why I'm only back now."

"Glutinous rice isn't easy to buy. I've warmed up some soup for you; go eat first, and I'll be right there as soon as I finish packing." Mistress Zhao spoke as she continued packing, while Father Jiang did not leave; he set down the glutinous rice and stayed to help.

The workers all lived in the front courtyard, which was spacious. The couple lived in this secluded back courtyard; although kept very tidy, it was truly extremely humble.

Just as the couple finished packing and were about to go eat, their sharp ears caught the creak of the door opening, and they saw a small head poke out.

"Mother," the little girl called out softly and sweetly.