Old Madam Wu had already realized this plan wouldn't work. If Old Madam Yang were struck by a junior at the Wu family's tea party while the Wu family stood by idly, it wouldn't just damage Hua Zhi's reputation—the Wu family's standing would also suffer, greatly diminishing the value of their garden.
"Young lady, what are you thinking? How could our Wu family wrong you? We all saw clearly that the old lady fell on her own—it has nothing to do with you. Isn't that right, everyone?"
Though unsure why the Wu family would say this, since the tea party was jointly hosted by the Wu and Yang families, the guests naturally echoed the sentiment. The atmosphere suddenly became quite harmonious.
Old Madam Yang's moans abruptly grew louder. Everyone tacitly fell silent, yet no one stepped forward to assist.
With no other choice, Old Madam Wu sat beside her and softly offered comfort.
Old Madam Yang gripped her hand tightly with meaningful pressure, blinking her eyes until they nearly twitched. Yet Old Madam Wu pretended not to notice. She had agreed to support the Yang family, but not at the cost of the Wu family's reputation.
The doctor arrived quickly—and coincidentally, it was Doctor Chu.
Spotting Hua Zhi there, he paused slightly. Having frequented various households for years, he was extremely cautious and showed no special reaction toward Hua Zhi. After bowing to the assembled guests, he took a seat and began examining Old Madam Yang's pulse.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand and said, "The old lady has excessive liver fire and should take some cooling medicine. I'll write a prescription—please send someone to fetch the herbs."
A Yang family daughter glanced at Hua Zhi and pressed, "Is that all?"
"If you doubt my diagnosis, you're welcome to consult another physician. In that case, I won't bother with the prescription." As he spoke, Doctor Chu returned the paper to his medical kit. Though he never showed any anger, everyone could tell the Yang daughter had overstepped.
Doctor Chu was quite renowned in the capital, and households were always eager to invite him—not only for his discretion but also for his exceptional medical skills. No one wanted to offend such a physician, so he was always treated with utmost respect.
Old Madam Wu hurried forward to mediate, "The young girl is merely concerned about her grandmother's health—she meant no offense. Please don't take it to heart, Doctor Chu. We'd appreciate it if you could write the prescription. I'll send someone with you to get the medicine immediately."
With the host speaking up, Doctor Chu couldn't persist in his displeasure. He spread the paper again and wrote the prescription.
As for the Yang daughter's humiliated and angry expression, no one paid it any mind.
The moment Doctor Chu left, Hua Zhi also rose. "In that case, I shall take my leave as well."
Zheng Shi quickly tried to detain her, "There's no need to rush. Knowing you're observing filial mourning, I specially arranged a vegetarian feast. Please don't leave because of this minor incident, or today's tea party would be quite lacking."
"I likely won't attend such time-wasting gatherings in the future." Hua Zhi didn't care that her words had darkened several faces in the room. "Before coming, I was quite curious, but now that I'm here, I find it rather underwhelming."
She gave a slight bow to the assembly. "Farewell."
"Wait." Old Madam Wu instinctively called out to stop her, but once she did, she didn't know what to say. She worried—what if Hua Zhi went back and made things difficult for Haitang?
Hua Zhi gently smoothed her sleeves. "Before coming, Fourth Aunt told me that if the old lady said anything unpleasant, I should forgive her for Fourth Aunt's sake. I wonder how the old lady intends to face such consideration?"Since you've chosen to be a hypocrite, don't bother putting on a virtuous front. While harming Fourth Aunt, you still pretend to show concern. She had no intention of comforting her; she only wanted to make people as uncomfortable as possible.
After another curtsy, Hua Zhi turned and left.
No one noticed that from beginning to end, the control of the conversation had always been in Hua Zhi's hands. Everyone had been following her lead.
Old Madam Wu forced a smile and said to the crowd, "Today has indeed been... Perhaps it's best if we disperse for now."
Everyone took the hint, exchanged a few polite words, and left one after another. Old Madam Yang stayed until last, clearly wanting to say more. Seeing her mother-in-law's expression, Zheng Shi knew Hua Zhi's words had hurt her. She quickly intercepted her, guiding her out while dismissing the servants.
Almost as soon as everyone left, Old Madam Wu covered her mouth and burst into tears. Her daughter, her daughter...
Outside the Wu residence, Doctor Chu was still there. Hua Zhi was about to approach him when a carriage suddenly rushed over, slowing down only when it reached the gate before entering through the side entrance. Someone jumped off the carriage, ran to Doctor Chu, said something to him, and took his medical kit. Doctor Chu nodded at Hua Zhi and hurriedly followed.
Hua Zhi didn't care whether someone in the Wu family was ill. They weren't on the same boat anyway—if their boat capsized, it had nothing to do with her.
After boarding her own carriage, Hua Zhi ordered, "To Green Moss Alley."
This was her first visit there this year. She didn't go in, instead having the carriage stop by the inner canal, watching the crowded alley as if looking at strings of coins.
Nian Qiu, who managed the accounts, knew best how much profit this alley brought her mistress. Her voice was filled with laughter as she spoke, "Steward Chen has mentioned several times about increasing manpower, but the household is short-staffed. With the food studio taking away some people earlier, Sister Ying Chun didn't agree. However, Sister Ying Chun is already intensifying training. I think they should be ready in about a month."
"She doesn't need to handle this matter anymore. Su Momo, you take overall charge of this. Have Stewardess Zhao and the others responsible—they're skilled in this area."
Su Momo quickly agreed. They were indeed all experienced in training servants. She was fine, spending her days by the young lady's side, but her old sisters had been rather idle lately. Their idleness actually made them uneasy.
"Nian Qiu, remember to tell Ying Chun when you return to continue buying people for the household and have the senior stewardesses vet them."
"Yes."
Hua Zhi looked at the other side of the inner canal where the alley was still temporarily closed off. When the time came, she would directly convert a shopfront like in Green Moss Alley, create an opening, and build a bridge over this inner canal. Business would surely thrive.
However, she still needed to train another group of people to make new snacks, along with the seafood business. None of this could be done without Fu Dong. How could she extract her from the food studio operations?
Rubbing her forehead, she thought if she had known it would come to this, she would have trained more chefs in earlier years.
"To the Zhu Family."
Even when the Hua family was doing well, Hua Zhi only visited her maternal family during festivals throughout the year. Back then, the Zhu family cared more about Berlin—whether she came or not wasn't such a big deal.
This was her first visit since the Hua family's misfortune, nearly a year already.
Yes, in the blink of an eye, the Hua family had collapsed so long ago. Hua Zhi was momentarily dazed, only snapping back to reality when the carriage stopped moving.The carriage stopped in the back alley of the Zhu Family. By the time Hua Zhi alighted, she had already transformed her appearance—the white flower in her hair was replaced by a silver hairpin, and a pale blue outer robe substituted the plain white one. Only in such attire would her visit be considered proper.
The servants of the Zhu Family, recognizing her, hurriedly welcomed her inside, while another swiftly ran to the rear courtyard to announce her arrival. By the time Hua Zhi reached the second courtyard, Old Madam Zhu was already waiting, accompanied by Zhu Shan.
"Cousin."
Hua Zhi smiled and nodded at her, then curtsied to her maternal grandmother.
Old Madam Zhu pulled her up, her eyes crinkling into slits with laughter. "It's rare for you to visit—is there something the matter? You could have just sent a message; no need to stand on ceremony with your grandmother."
"I was invited by Eldest Uncle for a game of chess to avenge Grandfather."
"You've picked the wrong day, I'm afraid. It's a major court assembly today—your grandfather won't be back until mid-afternoon." The old madam led her further inside. "Your second uncle is here, though. We'll have a meal together later."
"Understood."
PS: Still double updates today. My son is no longer feverish today—hooray! Many thanks for the ladies' concern. I'll take a moment to catch my breath before starting to repay the owed chapters. The plot also needs some sorting out.
OpenNovel