Chapter 240: Chapter 240: For Example
Bai Suihe did not let him go and asked coldly, "For example, if you were your second brother at this moment, what would you do?"
Gu Kaiyuan’s scalp tingled; this was simply a question of life and death.
After pondering a moment, he finally said, "With my skills, I wouldn’t let such a thing happen.
If any other woman wanted to take advantage of this to cling to me, that would mean they were challenging my marriage, and I could only send her to the afterlife."
Bai Suihe lightly frowned, "What if the other party has a high status?"
"Then it would be even more impossible; why would such people be interested in me? In the capital, there are so many handsome young unmarried men. If anything like that happened, it would be them avoiding me from a distance."
"Madam," Gu Kaiyuan pleaded repeatedly, "can we avoid such difficult questions in the future? It’s really putting people in a difficult position."
Bai Suihe chuckled, feeling she had indeed gotten carried away just now. How could she be so unreasonable? It seemed Gu Kaichen truly had left a negative influence, burdening all married and unmarried women with a tight shackle.
"This is my fault," Bai Suihe admitted, "Next time, I definitely won’t ask you such troubling questions. Actually, there’s one more question you can also consider: if your wife and your mother fell into the water, whom would you save first?"
After asking, Bai Suihe covered her mouth and laughed. After all, she couldn’t resist asking this question, which everyone traditionally asked.
Gu Kaiyuan, "...Madam, it’s better not to ask such questions in the future. Others would say it shows great disrespect.
Besides, with my skills, saving two people at the same time would pose no problem."
Bai Suihe, "..." Ah, she forgot to include the thinking of ancient people, a blunder.
Gu Kaiyuan immediately spoke earnestly, "At no time would I ever abandon you."
Bai Suihe’s eyes flickered, aware that the man in front of her was pledging loyalty to his wife. However, she was not, responding with a dry laugh, "We’ll discuss this later."
Gu Kaiyuan frowned slightly, but eventually sighed. When would his wife remember him?
He didn’t like this sense of estrangement, as if the two of them were familiar strangers.
Bai Suihe also disliked the current atmosphere, "How are those who were injured? Have you sent them medicine?"
Bai Suihe had previously secretly placed some medicine in the storage cabinet, not knowing whether it would be enough.
"They only have minor injuries; a few days’ rest will suffice."
Bai Suihe wanted to ask whether there was a risk of infection, since wolves are also canines. If they contracted rabies... Bai Suihe quickly shook her head, hoping it wouldn’t be so unfortunate, especially since there were no vaccines at the time.
In the end, she couldn’t help but quietly ask, "Do you know about rabies?"
Gu Kaiyuan, "Are you referring to mad dog disease, hydrophobia?"
Bai Suihe nodded, "Being bitten or scratched by a canine could lead to such a disease. Is there any medication for this now?"
"I’ll ask a doctor to check them carefully at the next post station." Gu Kaiyuan also paid attention, as these people were in this situation because of them.
Bai Suihe didn’t know if traditional Chinese medicine at the time had a treatment, but she believed Chinese medicine was at its peak and could at least offer prevention.
"The best course of action now is to squeeze out the blood from the wound. Everyone should have soap powder; use that, and it’s best to wash with running water for fifteen minutes." Bai Suihe tried to recall this common knowledge. As for anything else, she was helpless.
Gu Kaiyuan asked in detail about the symptoms of the disease and then left hurriedly, wearing a cloak.
Sitting in the carriage, Bai Suihe also noticed today’s temperature seemed a little better. The snowflakes in the sky had become smaller. She hoped the snow stopped soon so everyone wouldn’t have to clear the way as they traveled.
The speed these days was truly too slow; sometimes, three days weren’t enough to cover one day’s journey.
It was no wonder Liu Pingkang’s face had become darker these days, with increasing frequency of urging. He worried that without reaching Lingnan on schedule, they would all be held accountable.
Once they reached the boundary of Lingnan, the team’s speed would likely increase, posing real hardship for those without carriages.
Bai Suihe looked outside, lost in thought, while Dongmei and Chunxiang quietly hid in a corner, "The person sent by Madam, who knows where they are now. With so many dangers along the way, do you think they might encounter trouble?"
Dongmei shook her head quickly, "Probably not. Madam mentioned finding a major escort agency to travel with. We’ve seen the grandeur of those big escort outfits; they have numbers that far exceed ours."
"Had we known our master had such preparations, we should have let our people follow behind back then." Chunxiang was no longer as pessimistic about the future life.
The master had arranged everything properly. Was there any fear of not living well in Lingnan?
"There’s nothing wrong with following the major escort agency; at least it doesn’t attract too much attention." Dongmei wished for faster progress, hoping they could arrive ahead of the mistress and master to set everything up, sparing them any trouble.
However, organizing an escort agency trip takes time, and they might have just departed from the capital by now.
Unbeknownst to them, Mrs. Bai on the other side was also anxious, sending Wu Qingshui to keep a watchful eye every day, finally receiving good news today.
"Are you sure they’ll depart tomorrow?"
"Madam, I’ve confirmed it; they’ll set off early tomorrow morning, and they’ll be traveling along official roads, speeding up. They might reach Lingnan ahead of the young lady."
"Good," Mrs. Bai clasped her hands together, "May Buddha bless them with a safe journey."
It was rumored that there were many bandits in Lingnan, and not many trade caravans were willing to venture there.
It took several months of preparation just to organize one escort agency.
"Go check how the preparations are going. Thoroughly inspect to avoid any mistakes." Mrs. Bai, still uneasy, reminded again.
Wu Qingshui agreed. Although she had no children, she had watched the young lady grow up and had supervised daily for days, checking everything.
"About the baby’s items, Madam, should we prepare some more fine cotton cloth?"
Mrs. Bai, however, shook her head, "Weather in Lingnan is unpredictable; it’s snowy here, but there’s likely to be more rain the further south we go. Carrying fabric along isn’t wise; better to purchase more over there."
"By the way, has Mr. Bai returned home today?" Now that her daughter’s matters were settled, Mrs. Bai finally thought of Mr. Bai.
"The master hasn’t been out these days," Wu Qingshui replied softly, "He’s not as heartless; he asked me yesterday how the preparations were going and to access the storeroom if needed."
"Hmph, now he tries to act the good person. Since he’s made that offer, go and take 5,000 silver notes from the account as a gesture of his paternal affection."
