Hua Zhi truly longed for a good soak in the bath, but she had no time. Even if she did, Fu Dong, that stubborn girl, wouldn’t let her get into the water.
The injury on her leg looked severe but was actually not serious—only skin and flesh were wounded. Yet the pain was undeniably real.
Fu Dong wrung out a cloth to clean the young lady, then carefully tended to the wound with a fresh one. Seeing her hesitate, Hua Zhi simply snatched the cloth and cleaned it herself, treating it as if it were someone else’s injury. In a few swift motions, she finished, ignoring the faint traces of blood that seeped out.
“There’s medicine in the bundle on the cabinet. Go fetch it.”
This was the same medicine Shaoyao had used on their journey—highly effective. When applied to the burning wound, it brought instant relief.
Letting out a soft sigh, Hua Zhi looked up at Fu Dong’s tear-streaked face and felt a wave of helplessness. “Why are you like this? I told you it’s nothing serious.”
Fu Dong didn’t believe it. If it were truly nothing, her young lady’s face wouldn’t be so pale, nor would she be sweating from the pain. Yet despite these injuries, Hua Zhi had attended to Old Madam’s final moments, arranged countless matters, and even visited Song Jia.
If only the Hua family were still as it used to be—back then, the young lady had it so good. She could spend her days carefree, reading or daydreaming.
Now, it was nothing like that. The scars from last time hadn’t fully faded before new ones appeared. If this continued, the young lady would surely lose her life.
Wiping her tears, Fu Dong fetched fresh water, wrung out a cloth, and gently wiped Hua Zhi’s face and hands.
Hua Zhi let her do as she pleased. Fu Dong’s quiet, reserved nature allowed her a moment’s rest.
But it was truly only a moment. Hua Zhi didn’t sleep—she simply let her mind go blank for a while.
Fu Dong tidied the room efficiently and stood quietly by.
“Are you afraid?”
Fu Dong knew what her young lady meant. She nodded, then shook her head. “This servant heard everything. Old Madam refused Eldest Miss Hua Jing outright. Though I was a little afraid, I wasn’t too scared. I knew you’d return soon. Even if Old Madam had given me away, you would have brought me back.”
By then, it would have been too late. Hua Zhi squeezed her hand. Still, if her grandmother had truly given away her people in her absence, it wouldn’t have been Hua Jing who angered her to death—it would have been her, this granddaughter!
She had always repaid kindness with greater kindness. Likewise, if anyone wronged her, she would settle scores and seek vengeance without hesitation.
“I don’t have time to see Chen Liang. Go ask him how things have been in Green Moss Alley since we closed off the residence. Handle any issues as you see fit.”
“Yes, young lady.”
“Go now. Send Berlin in.”
But it wasn’t just Hua Bolin who entered—Madam Zhu came too.
Her delicate face, made even more pitiable by her mourning attire, showed genuine fear of Hua Jing. The moment she saw her daughter, she hurriedly pleaded, “Zhi Er, let your aunt in. You don’t know how relentless she can be. With her status, people will believe whatever she says outside. What will you do then? It’s fine for us to yield a little. Zhi Er, listen to your mother, won’t you?”
“Mother, Hua Jing angered Grandmother to death.”
“I… I know.” Madam Zhu’s tears fell freely. “But the departed are gone. You’re still here. I can’t think of anything else—I just want you to be safe.”Hua Zhi's heart softened, but she said, "Mother, I cannot retreat. I am not only your daughter but also the head of the Hua family. As your daughter, I could yield and retreat, even willingly give up many things. But as the head of the family, I cannot. The head must prioritize the interests of the Hua family. If I retreat at every difficulty, the family will decline. I cannot let the Hua family fall. I cannot let Grandfather and Father return to find no home."
Madam Zhu wept uncontrollably. If possible, she would gladly bear these burdens for her daughter.
Hardening her heart, Hua Zhi continued, "Grandmother held on until I returned, not because she wanted me to be a coward. I cannot betray her trust. You may not understand the saying 'a weak soldier only harms himself, but a weak general destroys the whole army,' but you must remember what happened to the He family."
Madam Zhu's sobs caught in her throat. How could she forget? No one in the capital could forget. When she was a young girl at her maternal home, her mother spoke of the He family most frequently.
Though the He family's lineage was not as long as the Hua family's, at its peak, it was even more prosperous than the Hua family, unquestionably the foremost clan in the capital.
But when the He family backed the wrong prince, and their supported prince fell, all the male members of the He family were executed. The female members were spared due to pleas from the entire court. Even at its zenith, the He family rarely engaged in dishonorable deeds and had won much goodwill in certain matters.
Yet, the He family's women failed to uphold the family. The He men were capable, but the wives they chose were shortsighted. These women were both weak and greedy. First, they tried to secure their position by marrying off their daughters, but they retreated whenever others bullied them. Later, even their married daughters would return to their maternal home to scrape off resources to please their in-laws.
When family members began to exploit their own, the He family was doomed. In her youth, Madam Zhu heard her mother repeatedly warn her not to follow the He family's example. She had always remembered, but when she realized her daughter would bear such consequences, she forgot everything.
Hua Zhi held the hand of the woman weeping for her and repeated, "Mother, I cannot retreat."
Madam Zhu opened her arms and hugged her daughter, weeping in disarray. Never before had she hated her own uselessness so much.
Hua Zhi gently returned the embrace. Though this woman was weak—prioritizing her husband first, then her son, and only lastly her daughter—these three were her entire world.
A moment later, Hua Zhi glanced at Lin Shuang. Lin Shuang curtsied and stepped forward, half-supporting, half-guiding the madam to lean on her. "This maid will take the madam back to change clothes."
"Take good care of Mother."
"Yes, Eldest Miss."
Hua Bolin, who had been silent all along, grew more somber. He looked at his elder sister, hoping for some guidance.
"Don't know what to do?"
Hua Bolin nodded. "I've done everything I can think of."
"Then go keep vigil for Grandmother."
"Elder Sister..."
"Berlin, a stone that only moves when pushed won't go far. It might even remain stuck forever, because the place it stays may never see anyone pass by."
Hua Bolin lowered his head, utterly disheartened. He had disappointed his elder sister.
"The most experienced person in this matter is not me, but Steward Xu." Hua Zhi's heart ached for him, unable to bear seeing him like this, and so she pointed him in the right direction.Hua Bolin abruptly looked up, catching the weariness in his sister's eyes before she could conceal it. Only then did he remember that his elder sister had just returned from the northern lands thousands of miles away, without even a moment to rest.
"Go ahead. Use your head more when facing situations."
Hua Bolin bit the tip of his tongue, using the pain to suppress the sting in his nose, and responded with an affirmative before walking toward the door.
Standing at the threshold, he turned back. "Elder Sister, will anyone come to pay respects?"
Hua Zhi calmly replied, "They will."
At the very least, the Zhu Family would certainly send someone.
Hua Bolin seemed reassured and strode away.
Hua Zhi walked to the bedside and pulled open the drawer, inside which two neat stacks of letters were piled.
These were brought back from the northern lands, and aside from giving one to their grandmother, she had kept all the others. During the mourning period, there was no need for joy to dilute the sorrow.
PS: Updated early today, ladies, don't rush too hard. The reason Kongkong's book has smooth sentences, few typos, and a relatively tight plot is the result of repeated revisions. Moreover, if two updates can't be posted simultaneously, Kongkong won't strictly count the word count but will definitely finish that segment of the plot—exceeding the word count is common. So, ladies, please take good care of Kongkong.
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