Thinking of Shaoyao's unruly and lawless temperament when she got worked up, Hua Zhi felt helpless but didn't find it particularly wrong. Shaoyao wasn't someone unreasonable or lacking in moral principles.
"How is your injury? Is it serious?"
"Just a bit of blood, nothing to worry about. It's not as bad as that time at the estate." Yan Xi's pained expression was too obvious. Though Hua Zhi appreciated his concern, she felt somewhat uncomfortable and changed the subject: "The hot water should be ready. Go freshen up and change your clothes first."
Gu Yanxi suppressed the urge to hug her again. Some things, once experienced, made one crave them endlessly. But that would be too presumptuous. Having finally seen some emotional vulnerability from A Zhi directed at him, he didn't want to ruin the moment. He followed her suggestion and headed to the adjacent room.
Hua Zhi steadied her emotions, unsettled by Yan Xi's arrival, and went to the kitchen. She hadn't specifically intended to cook for him, but preparing food held no difficulty for her. Considering his exhausting journey and likely poor appetite, she asked Bao Xia to serve one portion from the previously prepared cold dishes and made him a bowl of sour and spicy noodles.
Just as she set the food out, Gu Yanxi finished tidying up and arrived. Bao Xia covered her mouth, laughing, "Our young lady personally made these noodles, Lu Xiansheng. You must finish every last drop."
Gu Yanxi was taken aback. These... were noodles made by A Zhi herself?
Hua Zhi shot Bao Xia an exasperated look. What was there to make such a fuss about? And what was that look in Yan Xi's eyes!
"It's not like you've never seen me cook before. I personally taught Fu Dong back in the day."
Bao Xia teased mischievously, "But that's completely different, isn't it, Lu Xiansheng?"
"Of course it's different." Gu Yanxi replied to Bao Xia while keeping his eyes fixed on Hua Zhi. "I'll finish it all, down to the last drop of soup."
Hua Zhi tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Take your time eating. I'm going to change my clothes."
Bao Xia turned away, chuckling softly to herself before suddenly feeling her nose sting with emotion. When their young lady had been engaged before, they thought Shen Qi was a well-matched partner from a suitable family. But when the Hua family fell into trouble and the Shen family stood by indifferently, they felt both angry and anxious for their young lady. Their young lady was so wonderful and capable, it seemed no one was worthy of her anymore. Yet who could say this was a good thing? If no one was worthy, would she remain alone forever?
Fortunately, fortunately Lu Xiansheng had appeared. He stood by her side during her most difficult times, becoming her support, yet unlike other men who would use affection as an excuse to confine her to domestic life. And fortunately, fortunately their young lady recognized true goodness - Lu Xiansheng's sincere feelings weren't wasted, finally waiting for the clouds to part and the sun to shine through.
If Lu Xiansheng were to become their young mistress's husband, their young lady probably wouldn't need to restrain herself to live the life she wanted.
With her back to her young lady, Bao Xia, her eyes reddened, made a deep bow to Gu Yanxi. Their young lady deserved the best treatment - she could only hope Lu Xiansheng wouldn't let her down.
Gu Yanxi watched the mistress and maid leave, then sat before the table looking at the four plates of cold dishes and the steaming bowl of noodles. The tenderness in his eyes was visible to no one, and true to his word, he didn't leave even a drop of soup.
In this lifetime, his only wish was to have Hua Zhi - beyond that, he desired nothing else.Perhaps it was the tangy and spicy flavor, or perhaps the warmth in her heart, but her entire body felt as if soaked in warm water. Drowsiness washed over her, and she stubbornly trudged back to her room before falling into a deep sleep. So at ease was she that she even let go of her usual vigilance. By the time she woke, it was already the next morning.
Outside, there was only a faint glimmer of light, and thunder rumbled ominously. Inside, the room felt unbearably stuffy.
Glancing at the water clock, she saw it was already the hour of Mao. Gu Yanxi got up and stepped outside. Before he could even look up at the sky, he noticed someone standing under the corridor outside.
Their eyes met, and Gu Yanxi approached. "Have you been up long?"
"The weather is unbearably stifling," Hua Zhi gestured for him to look up. "It's going to rain."
In summer, the sky should have been bright by the hour of Mao, but now it was oppressively dark, weighed down by thick, heavy clouds. Once the rain started, it was unlikely to be light, and it wouldn't stop anytime soon.
Just then, Shaoyao and the Sixth Prince emerged from their rooms almost simultaneously. Shaoyao, holding a veiled hat, looked as if she were in a hurry to go out. The Sixth Prince was also dressed practically. Seeing the people outside, both paused in their steps.
The Sixth Prince bowed in greeting and addressed him as "Brother Yanxi."
Shaoyao also called out, "Yan Ge. The weather seems off. I need to go to the yamen."
Yesterday, Gu Yanxi had fallen into a deep sleep before anyone returned, so he hadn't had the chance to ask about certain matters. Seeing that she was about to leave, he stopped her. "Rushing won't help at this point. First, tell me about the situation with the river channels."
"I had them gather everyone to work on one channel at a time. Over the past few days, we’ve barely managed to clear two. And even that progress was only because I was cracking the whip. They all think they’re doing this for me! Who am I really doing this for?" Just talking about it made Shaoyao grit her teeth in frustration. But there was nothing she could do. While she could be strict with officials, she had no choice but to endure it when dealing with unarmed commoners.
"After years of statute labor, the people have long grown numb. They’re just trying to get through this year’s quota," Hua Zhi said with a sigh. The Daqing Dynasty’s corvée regulations stipulated that for a family of seven, three must serve; for six, two families must provide five laborers; and for five, two must serve. Xiangyang was a large county, and this time, with the Seven Constellation Bureau enforcing the rule that labor could not be substituted with money, the number of corvée laborers should have been around eight thousand. Yet, with so many people, only two relatively short river channels had been cleared in five days—a clear sign of inefficiency.
"Yanxi, about the matter I mentioned in my letter…"
"The members of the Seven Constellation Bureau must learn various skills to handle all kinds of situations. Among the people I brought this time, there are some skilled in engineering. Their horses aren’t as fast as Shadowtreader, but they should have arrived last night."
Yu Tao replied, "Yes, they’ve all arrived. After a brief rest, Wu Xing took some supplies and went outside the city. He hasn’t returned yet."
"I hope it’s not too late. Cao Cao, have all the Celestial Masters in the city been cleared out?"
"They were cleared out long ago."
"Have we still not received any Water Reports from upstream these past few days?"
"None."
Yet, clearly, the water level was receding slowly. Despite several days of clear weather, the water had only dropped by two strokes, and the river remained murky—clear signs of rain upstream! Hua Zhi felt a sense of helplessness. How common must floods be in this area for the response to be so sluggish?
Shaoyao put on her veiled hat. "I’m going to the yamen."
The thunder grew even louder, and lightning flickered faintly behind the thick clouds. Hua Zhi turned to Little Six, who was also preparing to take his leave and follow her. "Take some steamed buns from the kitchen before you go. Grab a few extra."
The Sixth Prince acknowledged her words, casting all decorum aside as he dashed off quickly.Gu Yanxi watched and said, "It was right to have him stay by your side. He's improved."
"Experiencing more things naturally leads to growth. He was injured before, but I didn't hear him complain once about the pain."
Hearing her proud tone, Gu Yanxi couldn't help but chuckle. Anyone unaware would think Little Six was her own child!
PS: This part of the plot isn't actually draggy, but updating just once a day might give that impression. Let me spoil a bit—this segment corresponds to the earlier plot about August in Xiangyang being the only breach in the river embankment. I'll volunteer for two more days, so please bear with it a little longer.
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