It wasn't that Bai Ruozhu was worried about any foul play. She'd practiced traditional medicine in her previous life, so it was not in vain. Rather, she thought that tea was not good for the child.
The shopkeeper, Zhou, quickly had his assistant swap her tea for warm water. It wasn't long before Du Zhongshu arrived in a flurry.
Du Zhongshu, beaming, said immediately upon stepping into the backyard, "Shopkeeper Zhou, the contract has been signed."
"Congratulations, young master. Now you're officially qualified!" Shopkeeper Zhou happily responded.
Only then did Du Zhongshu notice Bai Ruozhu, and he promptly greeted her with a smile, "Mrs. Bai, apologies for making you wait."
"No matter," Bai Ruozhu said, pulling out a box and offering it to Du Zhongshu. "This is the toothpaste I mentioned."
Du Zhongshu, intrigued, accepted it, and took a whiff. "It smells nice. How should one use it?"
"Wipe your teeth with it using a cloth, then rinse. You both can give it a try." responded Bai Ruozhu.
Du Zhongshu had one of the boys bring a cloth and some rinse and immediately tried it out. Shopkeeper Zhou also tried it, and both agreed it was good, much more comfortable than tooth powder, although the effect couldn't be determined with just one use.
"I think the results should be clearly visible after a half-month of continuous use." Bai Ruozhu suggested, "You could gift it to the regular customers of your shop and tell them how to use it. If they find it effective, they will naturally be willing to purchase more, and this would also boost your reputation."
"That's a brilliant idea!" Ancient folks didn't know much about marketing strategies. Du Zhongshu couldn't help but marvel at Mrs. Bai's ingenuity.
"I wonder how the young master is planning to collaborate?" Bai Ruozhu suddenly asked. If it was just about selling formulas, she found it uninteresting. What if she sold a simple formula and later modified it to a better one, only to have people criticize her for being a fraud? But she wouldn't sell her most precious formula, either, as it wasn't easy to convince others of its merits.
Thus, it seemed a better idea to cooperate, launching a simpler version first and then gradually innovating to a premium version of the toothpaste for high-end customers.
Du Zhongshu stayed silent for a moment before saying, "Well, Mrs. Bai, I was initially worried about completing the task given by my family, so I was exploring various ways to make money. But now that I've secured a deal for medicinal materials, the family task is taken care of, and I might have to leave here soon."
Bai Ruozhu was taken aback. Did he mean he was not interested in the toothpaste business anymore?
"To tell you the truth, I hate complications. If not for my family's insistence, I wouldn't even want to get involved in business matters. So, let's drop the toothpaste idea. Here's five taels of silver for you, as compensation for going back on our deal." Du Zhongshu said, awkwardly rubbing his hands.
Whether it was her pregnant temperament, the hot weather, or Du Zhongshu's words that ticked her off, Bai Ruozhu felt a surge of anger.
She had gone to such lengths to prepare the toothpaste and then carted it all the way here, just for him to dismiss her efforts because it was "too troublesome." And his generous offer of "five taels of silver" infuriated her even more. Did having money excuse everything?
"Now I understand why your family sent you on this mission. Because of your irresponsibility, there's no other way around it. I thought you were a decent person who understood business, so I considered collaborating with you. But it appears I misjudged you!" Bai Ruozhu retorted, pulling no punches.
Du Zhongshu looked embarrassed and worried about upsetting her pregnancy. He quickly tried to pacify her, "Mrs. Bai, calm down, please. Are you in urgent need of money?"
"This isn't about the money. You were born into a wealthy family and live in comfort. Have you ever thought about whether you're deserving of your family who have given you everything? Have you ever tried to work hard to provide a better life for your loved ones? I'm sure you never thought about it because you're used to having everything handed to you."
Bai Ruozhu stood up and brushed the dust off her sleeves. "If that's the case, I'll take my leave!"
"Mrs. Bai …" Du Zhongshu was left dazed by Bai Ruozhu's rebuke. Seeing her leaving in a huff and worried about the pregnant woman's safety, he hurried to stop her.
"Let's talk this through properly. I admit, I didn't consider your feelings and I apologize for that. But you're with child, you mustn't affect your health because of anger." Du Zhongshu's attitude was indeed satisfactory.
"Step aside. Seeing less of you will soothe my temper." Bai Ruozhu wanted to leave, but at that moment, a voice sounded from outside, "Who dares to bully my sister?"
Bai Zehao appeared on the scene to pick up Bai Ruozhu. He had overheard her angry words outside and charged in without knowing the entire situation.
Du Zhongshu was blocking Bai Ruozhu's way and an enraged Bai Zehao lunged forward, grabbing Du Zhongshu by the collar, and roared, "What are you planning to do to my sister?"
Seeing her brother standing up for her instantly lifted Bai Ruozhu's spirits. She quickly pulled Bai Zehao back, saying, "Big brother, you got it all wrong. He was just apologizing to me. I was the one lecturing him."
Bai Zehao felt that his sister was probably too kind, and that's why people took advantage of her. He eyed up the young man in front of him suspiciously, "What did you do to upset my sister? Why else are you apologizing?"
Cornered, Du Zhongshu retreated a few steps, thinking to himself, 'This brother and sister are just alike, both so temperamental!'
"Big brother, let's just go." Having vented her anger, Bai Ruozhu felt much better. She was too tired to explain further and, pulling Bai Zehao, headed towards the exit while Bai Zehao shot Du Zhongshu a final glare.
Du Zhongshu scratched his head, murmuring to himself, "What a deep bond between the siblings… working hard for loved ones… handed everything on a silver platter?"
Once Bai Ruozhu and her brother exited the Du's clinic, they found their mother waiting anxiously outside with an armful of belongings.
"Brother, quickly help Mom with the packages," Bai Ruozhu urged.
Lin Ping'er closely examined Bai Ruozhu, and upon seeing her daughter was fine, finally let out a sigh of relief, "Let's get going."
The three of them left the Du's clinic, and their mother and brother began questioning Bai Ruozhu.
"Ruozhu, what happened just now? Why did you argue with those people inside?" Lin Ping'er asked.
"Yeah, Ruozhu, you're too kind. You didn't make a peep when bullied. That's not right," Bai Zehao chided.
A corner of Bai Ruozhu's mouth twitched. Where did they get the idea she was easily bullied? She had just given them a piece of her mind.