Hua Zhi brought Hua Ling to the study.
"The scholar who saved you has also come. Did you see him?"
Hua Ling nodded. Among the crowd of refined scholars, a bruised face stood out—it was impossible not to notice.
"I had someone deliver a portion to him this morning, but he must have left early and missed it." Gesturing for Hua Ling to sit, Hua Zhi spread out paper and brushes, dipping the tip in ink. The seafood from the south had already lost much of its vitality and wouldn’t last more than a few days without proper care. Even the dying ones needed timely handling to ensure maximum freshness. These tasks indeed required someone with a strong sense of responsibility to oversee.
Chen Momo was an old servant brought by their grandmother from the Qin family. Her son had followed their grandfather to the northern frontier, and her daughter had married the son of a household steward. Since this involved food trade, having someone whose entire family was tied to the Hua family managing the stall made Hua Zhi feel more at ease.
Hua Ling hesitated but couldn’t hold back. "Elder Sister, may I watch?"
"There’s nothing you can’t see." Hua Zhi didn’t even look up, seeming genuinely unconcerned.
Hua Ling happily leaned closer, carefully reading each character and committing them to memory. She didn’t dare aspire to become someone like her elder sister; she only wished to learn as much as she could from her—more and more.
Meanwhile, a conversation was unfolding in Qin Yiniang’s room in the main branch.
Qin Yiniang poked her daughter Hua Rong’s forehead, her expression full of frustration. "You’re the eldest young lady’s own sister, yet Hua Ling has seized the chance to curry favor with her. Are you really content with this?"
Though Hua Rong felt somewhat displeased, she had gotten along quite pleasantly with her two sisters over the past half-year. She retorted, "How is Third Sister currying favor? You don’t know anything, so don’t speak nonsense!"
"Nonsense? I’m doing this for you! The Hua family’s affairs are all in the eldest young lady’s hands now. If you don’t build a good relationship, how will any benefits come your way?"
"Elder Sister even protects distant cousins—would she treat her own half-sister poorly? Before Third Sister’s incident, Elder Sister rarely spoke to her, but when trouble struck, she risked everything to shield her. I believe if something happened to me, Elder Sister would protect me just the same!"
Qin Yiniang was so infuriated she nearly spat blood. "Where do you get such confidence…"
"From my surname Hua, and from what I’ve seen and heard lately!" Usually docile, Hua Rong now spoke assertively. "If you scheme behind the scenes, you’ll only harm me. Yiniang, don’t use ‘for my own good’ as an excuse to do anything. Before you plot, remember what happened to Hua Yan!"
"Rong’er, I am your birth mother—would I ever harm you?"
Hua Rong’s heart trembled. Her mother truly intended to do something; otherwise, she wouldn’t speak this way.
Pressing her thumb firmly into her palm to steady herself, Hua Rong suppressed her panic and asked, "Yiniang, can you tell me what you plan to do?"
Qin Yiniang glanced back, and the maid understood, leading the others out of the room.
Qin Yiniang walked over and closed the door herself, dragging a round stool to sit beside her daughter. Her expression held a suppressed excitement as she whispered conspiratorially, "I’ve found you an excellent marriage prospect."
"Yiniang, I’m still in mourning! Do you want people to scorn me?"
"Keep your voice down!" Qin Yiniang hissed, speeding up her words. "It’s not like you have to marry right now. What’s the hurry?"Hua Rong's heart turned cold. In this household, the one who should be most sincere in mourning their grandmother was her mother. Her mother had been able to enter the household and bear the eldest son solely because she had their grandmother's support. The legal wife was weak and had never controlled the concubines, nor had she ever withheld anything from her, a daughter born of a concubine. While she might not have received everything equally with her legitimate elder sister, compared to the daughters of concubines in some other families, she had been living in a honey jar.
She had once entertained other thoughts under her mother's instigation, but over the past year, she had countless times felt grateful that she had never actually done anything and had always respected the legal wife. Otherwise, she might have suffered losses without even knowing who was behind them.
With her legitimate elder sister's capabilities, it would be all too easy for her to deal with her.
Precisely because she knew this, she was so afraid that her mother would bring disaster upon both of them.
Pressing her tiger's mouth even harder, Hua Rong lowered her head and softened her tone. "Which family has Mother been looking into?"
Qin Yiniang thought she was just being shy and didn't think much of it. "The Xie family."
The Xie family? Hua Rong quickly sifted through her memories. There were two Xie families in the capital. One was comparable to the former Hua family, which was unlikely. The other one was...
"The Assistant Minister of Revenue, Xie."
Indeed! Hua Rong didn't know much about that family and couldn't say whether it was good or bad, but what she wanted to know more at the moment was, "I haven't seen Mother leave the residence these past few days. How did you manage to connect with the Xie family?"
"Can't I have a few reliable friends?" Qin Yiniang chided lightly, steering the conversation back. "Don't look down on Assistant Minister Xie just because he's only a fifth-rank official. He's only in his early thirties and has a bright future ahead. As soon as the news of him seeking a second wife came out, many people were eyeing the opportunity. If I didn't have some connection with a concubine in the Xie family, this good fortune might not have fallen to you."
Hua Rong's heart turned icy cold. "A second wife? Good fortune? Mother, you want me to be someone's replacement wife?"
"We're going through the proper three matchmakers and six betrothal gifts. Don't worry about what the eldest young lady might do to you. It's not like Hua Yan, rushing to become someone's concubine!"
"Didn't you also rush to become Father's concubine back then... Smack!"
The crisp sound of the slap was especially loud in the closed room. Hua Rong covered her stinging face without moving, unsure how to face a birth mother who wanted to send her off to be someone's replacement wife.
After her anger subsided, Qin Yiniang came to her senses. Seeing the clearly visible handprint on her daughter's face, she was filled with both regret and resentment, tears falling drop by drop. "How could you say that to me? I'm your mother!"
"Yes, Mother. A birth mother who wants to send her daughter off to be someone's replacement wife." Hua Rong stood up and walked out without even looking at Qin Yiniang.
"Rong'er!" Qin Yiniang rushed over and grabbed her, crying bitterly. "Everyone might harm you, but your mother won't. Why would you rather believe that Hua Zhi would treat you well than trust your own mother? I can't just stand by and watch you miss your prime years!"
Hua Rong turned to look at Qin Yiniang. "Yesterday, Second Sister and I went to keep Third Sister company. Third Sister said she doesn't want to get married anymore—it's quite nice being protected by Elder Sister at home. I felt the same way at the time. With Elder Sister protecting us at home, why should we marry into another family to suffer? Mother, trust doesn't fall from the sky. We trust Elder Sister because she has never let us down. She doesn't say much, but she's always acting."“But women must marry eventually,” Qin Yiniang urged earnestly. “Do you think the Hua family still has many options left? Don’t look down on the Xie family for taking a second wife—the former wife only left behind a daughter…”
“I think the current Hua family is fine, perfectly fine,” Hua Rong said with a slight curtsey, pulling open the door and leaving without a backward glance.
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