"Yes, I should be grateful to her, but times have changed. I've finally found a young lady I fancy, and she's insisted that I marry first before she'll agree to the engagement. She's your daughter, and I'm your son. You must consider my feelings." Bai Shuming said he should be grateful, but in reality, he didn't think so. His words were insincere.
"A woman who makes such demands before even marrying into our family, I don't think she needs to enter the Bai family's doors. Others may not know your sister, but don't you know her? Is she the type to make things difficult for people?" Old Master Bai thought his daughter was perfect and would not allow anyone to think otherwise.
"It's not surprising she'd make such a demand. Go ask around about Bai Yulan's reputation. I believe if such a demand becomes common in future marriages and funerals, will I ever get married?" Bai Shuming retorted somewhat irritably.
"She's your sister, how can you call her by name?" Old Master Bai was immediately displeased upon hearing his address.
Bai Shuming secretly rolled his eyes and said impatiently, "Fine, I misspoke. She's my sister. So, what do you want me to do?"
"What can you do? If someone agrees, you marry. If no one agrees, you wait. Your sister already has someone she likes. It's estimated that in a few years, that person will come to marry her." Old Master Bai considered these matters trivial and said indifferently.
"Someone will come to marry someone like her? Where did you hear that? Are they trying to fool you? In a few years, she'll be an old maid." Bai Shuming didn't believe it at first. In his opinion, Bai Yulan was simply a shrew.
"What are you saying? Your sister's affairs are none of your concern." Old Master Bai was angry. As expected of mother and son, their thought processes were different from others. If one didn't know better, they'd think he had a vendetta against his daughter.
Bai Shuming opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but Old Master Bai directly made a forbidding gesture, "If you've come to me today to talk about this, then we have nothing to discuss."
Bai Shuming stomped his foot resentfully and turned to leave in a huff. As he walked out the door, he secretly put some effort into it, causing the door to slam shut with a "bang."
Old Master Bai shook his head in disappointment. He felt fortunate that his daughter hadn't grown up with her mother, otherwise, she would have been spoiled too. It was his cousin's wife who knew how to raise children. Didn't he see how that child, Shujie, had protected her during the moment of danger?
Bai Shujie clearly felt that his father paid much more attention to him, began to care about his studies, took him along when socializing, and occasionally offered guidance on how to interact with people.
Bai Shujie was indifferent to this change, believing that with his talent, he would do well in the future. However, his concubine mother thought differently. She felt that after years of rivalry with Madam Bai, she could finally hold her head high.
Time passed quickly. In these two years, the two Bai brothers were delayed by Wu Caiwei and had not yet married. It was impossible to tell what Bai Shujie was thinking, but Bai Shuming would make sarcastic remarks whenever he saw her, secretly taunting her for being old and still residing in the manor.
Every time, Wu Caiwei would retort, "I just like the fact that you can't stand me, yet you can't get rid of me."
In two years, her business had expanded considerably. Every time she received money, she would send it to Youzhou. As for how he was managing things there, Wu Caiwei never asked, as the messages had to pass through many post stations to reach their destination, making it unsafe.
During these two years, she had also brought her Lin family, including the families of her two married elder sisters, to the capital. She feared that if war broke out, she would be unable to protect them.
Now, it was better. She had brought them under her direct supervision, and within the Bai family's estate, two courtyards were set aside for them to move freely between.
Just as she was wondering when the feudal lords would make a move, she heard that the Zhenguo General and his wife had returned.
The reason she received the news was due to Bai Shuxue's visit. Their current statuses were unequal. Upon meeting, Wu Caiwei curtsied and paid her respects.
In front of so many people, Bai Shuxue didn't make things difficult. Instead, she held Madam Bai's hand, her eyes glistening with tears, looking just like a biological mother and daughter.
Watching her, Wu Caiwei thought that the back courtyard of the Zhenguo General's residence was not an easy place to be. Hadn't Bai Shuxue's tactics improved significantly after being there for two years?
Old Master Bai took the two young masters of the Bai family to entertain the Zhenguo General. Only the three women were left in the room. Wu Caiwei felt she was disturbing their private conversation. She stood up and said with a smile, "Sister and Mother haven't seen each other for a long time and must want to spend more time alone. I won't disturb you."
"Don't go. I have something I want to discuss with my sister," Bai Shuxue quickly said, asking her to stay.
Wu Caiwei raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn't expected a day when she and Bai Shuxue would speak so cordially.
Upon hearing this, Madam Bai, being perceptive, said, "You sisters chat first. I'll go check on lunch preparation and see if anything needs to be adjusted."
Wu Caiwei watched Madam Bai leave, leaving only the two of them. She unceremoniously sat down on a stool and looked at Bai Shuxue curiously, "What do you want to tell me?"
"Sister, your business has been doing very well in recent years, perhaps making you the wealthiest merchant. I wonder how many more days your business can continue. My general said that a storm is brewing, and everyone knows those feudal lords are unwilling to be subdued. A hard battle is inevitable. We are all family. Could sister possibly provide some financial support to your brother-in-law? In exchange, we will guarantee your safety amidst the chaos." Bai Shuxue looked at Wu Caiwei intently. If she could facilitate this matter, she believed the general would look upon her with favor.
"Sister, you may not know, but although my business appears to be extensive, doesn't it require bribes everywhere I go? Furthermore, the reason everyone is eager to do business with me is that I offer a lot of money. If I give a little here and a little there, what's left for me is meager." Wu Caiwei quickly pleaded poverty.
"If sister doubts the truthfulness of my words, I can have the general come and talk to you personally. We can also leave people here to guarantee your safety," Bai Shuxue said somewhat anxiously.
"Sister thinks too highly of me. I'm just a weak woman. No matter how much business I do, how much money can I earn? After all, business has its profits and losses. Instead of this, sister might as well find those big merchants. They have more manpower, more experience, and accumulated wealth from their ancestors. You know the situation of our Bai family better than I do." Wu Caiwei had indeed earned a lot of money, but all of it had been sent away, and they couldn't find out. She just had to be careful when sending money recently.
Bai Shuxue suddenly stood up, her face darkening, "It seems sister is not planning to help."