Hua Xian stared in disbelief at the divorce papers Zhi Er handed over, her hands trembling as she took them. Tears instantly streamed down her face.
The marital family that had trapped her for half a lifetime was finally completely gone from her life.
Third Aunt's eyes also reddened. She didn't even dare ask how the eldest young lady had obtained these divorce papers. As someone who had married into the Hua family, she was no ignorant fool. Having followed the Old Master for many years, she understood perfectly well what it meant when "the tree falls and the monkeys scatter." Since the Yang family had dared to lay hands on Xian'er, they wouldn't have released her without scraping a layer of flesh from the Hua family.
She didn't know what price the Hua family had paid to restore Xian'er's freedom.
Hua Xian was too overwhelmed to speak coherently. "Zhi Er, I... I..."
"I'll have Fourth Aunt arrange another courtyard for you. From now on, you are once again a daughter of the Hua family, with no further ties to the Yang family."
"I can just live here..."
"Thank you for your care and efforts for Xian'er, Eldest Young Lady." Third Aunt immediately interrupted her daughter, her voice slightly trembling. "If not for you, Xian'er would likely have been dragged to her death by the Yang family."
"Such words are unnecessary among family. I have matters to attend to upfront, so I'll take my leave now. Fourth Aunt will prepare the courtyard for Aunt. Feel free to discuss any preferences with her."
Hua Zhi performed a slight curtsey and took her leave.
Hua Xian remained in a state of disbelief. She pinched herself and called out pitifully, "Mother..."
Third Aunt glared at her, though the smile on her face robbed the glare of any severity. With this major matter resolved, she felt all her heartfelt wishes had truly been fulfilled.
"When can't you come visit me here? But only with your own courtyard will you have truly returned to the Hua family—a place completely your own, not just an extension of mine. And Sui'an will finally have a proper place to go."
"I've already caused the Hua family so much trouble. I thought it wouldn't be right to make more demands..."
Third Aunt opened her mouth to say more but reconsidered. This was just her daughter's nature, unlikely to change. Having her safe by her side was what mattered most. She would protect her for as long as she lived, and if she were gone someday, Sui'an would remain, and the Eldest Young Lady certainly wouldn't abandon her either. She was truly content with how things had turned out.
It was already dark. Normally by this time, Hua Zhi would have long returned to the rear courtyard, and the second gate would be locked. But today was different. After being busy for so long, none of them had eaten yet.
The side room was filled with a table full of dishes, still predominantly vegetarian.
After eating with her head down for a while, Shaoyao suddenly looked up and asked, "Hua Hua, who replaced Fu Dong?"
"I thought you weren't going to ask." Hua Zhi smiled, using serving chopsticks to place food for her, then adding some for Yan Xi as well. "There's a young maid who's been learning from Fu Dong for four or five years. She's not as innovative as Fu Dong, but she's picked up some of her skills. She's perfectly capable of cooking for me."
"No wonder it tastes similar, but Fu Dong's cooking is still better."
Hua Zhi understood what she meant. Even with the same ingredients, same steps, and same heat, the resulting flavors could differ. One might say it's due to lack of attention, or that some people naturally have an affinity for cooking that enhances their dishes—making their flavors uniquely better. Fu Dong belonged to the latter category.
Having resolved a major issue and even managed to outmaneuver someone, Hua Zhi was in the mood to brew tea.Gu Yanxi often felt the urge to pick up a brush and paint whenever he saw her with lowered eyes, appearing obedient and gentle. Even though he had witnessed A Zhi's ruthless side not long ago, seeing her like this now felt completely natural.
No matter which side she showed, he felt it was exactly as it should be. A Zhi was precisely the kind of person who was ruthless toward enemies yet extremely soft toward her own people.
"Teach me this tea-roasting method."
Hua Zhi glanced up at him and pushed the teacup toward him. "Do you have time for this now?"
"You're running low on tea."
Indeed, she was running low. Hua Zhi sighed inwardly as she looked at the few jars. "If we start preparing now, we won't make it for spring tea. But autumn's new tea would be good too. Pick a few people, and I'll have Ying Chun teach them."
"Alright."
Meanwhile, the Yang household was bustling with activity.
As soon as Yang Qi returned home, he rushed straight to his parents' courtyard, shouting and wailing about how much pain he was in. His voice was hoarse, which made Old Madam Yang's heart ache terribly. She kept asking what had happened.
In the Yang family, the old madam had always favored the eldest son.
Yang Zheng frowned but remained silent.
"Hua Zhi, that Hua Zhi from the Hua family had me kidnapped today, beat me up, forced me to take poison, and made me write divorce papers!" Thinking of his miserable state at the time, Yang Qi's face twisted with hatred.
"That damned Hua Zhi! I'll tear her apart!" The old madam slapped the armrest of her chair, then immediately turned back to fuss over her son. "Where are you hurt? Let Mother see. Husband, quickly give your name card and have someone fetch a doctor."
Yang Zheng, after all, also felt sorry for his son and stood up to fetch his name card. But just then, Yang Qi lifted his shirt, revealing his pale, unblemished skin—not a single mark of injury in sight.
Yang Zheng's face instantly darkened. "Yang Qi, is this your injury?"
"Yes, my stomach is churning in pain." As he spoke, Yang Qi looked down. His eyes widened in disbelief. How was this possible? How could it be? Those powerful fists had pounded his stomach, and he was still in pain now—how could there not be a single mark?
He pressed down in disbelief and let out a sharp cry of pain.
"Qi'er..." Seeing him like this, the old madam immediately believed him and began wiping her eyes as she turned to Yang Zheng. "Husband, even if Qi'er is mischievous, he wouldn't lie about something like this. Think about it—what good would it do him? That Hua Zhi, from the rumors alone, isn't someone to be trifled with. A dog that bites doesn't bark—she's a viper. It's no surprise she'd do something like this."
Yang Zheng looked at his son. "Did you write the divorce papers?"
"I did." Seeing his father's stern expression, Yang Qi quickly defended himself. "If I didn't write them, she kept forcing me to take poison. I would have died there!"
"She wouldn't dare take your life."
"But she could make me wish I were dead!" Yang Qi retorted defiantly. He wanted to say, "It's not you in pain—try being treated like this yourself, and you'd probably be even worse off than me!" But he didn't dare. No matter how angry he was, he didn't dare.
He knew exactly where his carefree life came from.
In the end, Yang Zheng had the steward take his name card to fetch a doctor. But no matter how the doctor checked his pulse, the result was the same: "The pulse is floating and unstable. Your son needs to exercise restraint. Excessive indulgence harms the body."
"..." Yang Zheng politely saw the doctor out, then glared at his son. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"Yang Qi finally understood—no wonder Hua Zhi dared to treat him like that and still let him return, no wonder she had the audacity! She had long calculated her next move!
"Whether you believe it or not, Father, I truly wrote the divorce papers. From now on, Hua Xian has no ties to me or the Yang family."
PS: Seeking guaranteed monthly votes. The next chapter will be updated later.
An explanation of the term "Auntie": It isn't merely a title denoting seniority in the family hierarchy. In ancient times, married daughters were referred to as "Aunt" by their natal families. Interested readers can explore this further. Regarding the business transactions mentioned in the text, I could have elaborated extensively—originally, that was the plan. However, I decided to omit the details while writing. Most of the information was sourced from Baidu, and I felt it unnecessary to dwell on it. From Hua Zhi's position, she is the one issuing commands rather than executing every task personally. Over-describing would make the narrative cumbersome and less refined—though, admittedly, it would have been great for padding the word count! (Covering face—what am I even regretting?)
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