Hua Rong returned to her room, buried herself under the covers, and wept bitterly. It wasn't that she wasn't anxious about her future—she was. She had once feared that her grandmother would marry them off to secure alliances for the Hua family. Later, when she learned that wouldn't happen, she worried about marrying poorly. Given the Hua family's current circumstances, if her in-laws tried to control her, she would have no way to resist. But she had never imagined her own birth mother would want her to become a replacement wife.
Though a replacement wife is also a legal spouse, she would have to kowtow to the original wife for the rest of her life. There would always be someone above her, a dead woman she could never compete with. A mother who truly cherished her daughter would rather marry her off to a lower-status family than subject her to such hardship, especially since she was a daughter of the Hua family.
How could her mother... how could she be so unfeeling toward her!
The news soon reached Wu Shi. To prevent Zhi Er from being distracted, she put aside concerns about being accused of power-grabbing and devoted all her efforts to managing the inner household. Though she was aware of the situation, she needed to carefully consider how to handle it. After all, Qin Shi was from the eldest branch. Even though the eldest sister-in-law didn't involve herself in affairs, the face of the eldest branch still had to be considered.
"Is the eldest young lady still in the front courtyard?"
"Yes."
Wu Shi thought for a moment. "If I recall correctly, four or five days ago, an old maidservant came to see Qin Shi?"
"Yes." Nanny Song brought over tea and gently set it down. "She was said to be from Qin Shi's maternal family."
The Qin family? Wu Shi picked up the teacup and took a sip. If that were the case, she needed to inform Zhi Er. Although the Qin family hadn't interacted much with the Hua family in recent years, they had come to show support when the old lady passed away. Even if Qin Shi's maternal family was only distantly related to the main Qin family, what if this matter was instigated by the Qin family...?
Wu Shi could no longer sit still. She locked the account books in a box and hurried out.
Hua Zhi was listening to Nian Qiu report on the number of items distributed and the silver spent when she noticed Fourth Aunt and signaled for her to pause. "Is something the matter, Fourth Aunt?"
"There's something I need to discuss with you." Wu Shi wasn't surprised to see Hua Ling there. Everyone in the household knew she had been following the eldest young lady lately.
Hua Ling stood up and bowed. "Elder Sister, I'll go check the storeroom."
Watching her leave, Wu Shi smiled. "Are you planning to train an assistant?"
"If she's willing to learn, I'm willing to teach."
"Some might say you're playing favorites."
"If they're willing to learn, I'll teach them too. I can't very well go begging them to learn." Hua Zhi rubbed her sore wrist. "Is there something you're unsure how to handle?"
Wu Shi carefully chose her words. "It's about Hua Rong. Qin Shi wants to send Hua Rong to the Xie family as a replacement wife. Hua Rong seems unwilling and clashed with Qin Shi, who even slapped her."
Hua Zhi immediately understood Fourth Aunt's concern, but to her, this was hardly a matter worth fretting over. "Since when does a concubine have the authority to decide the marriages of Hua family daughters? Can she override my mother? Or me? As for the Qin family, I'll send someone to inquire directly."
Wu Shi was taken aback. "Directly?"
"Why not?" Hua Zhi smiled. "This isn't a proper way to conduct affairs. Even if they were behind it, they'd have to deny any involvement. Once we confirm the Qin family isn't involved, it becomes purely a Hua family matter. Who could force me to agree to this?"
The logic was sound, but which family handled matters so... openly? Yet Wu Shi found it immensely satisfying. While she had been weighing pros and cons, Zhi Er's approach was far more effective."There's no need to rush though. Let's wait for Qin Yiniang to bring it up herself."
"That would be best."
But before Qin Yiniang appeared, Hua Zhi received a visit from Hua Rong the next day.
The swelling on her face had subsided, though she still looked somewhat haggard. Hua Ling tactfully excused herself.
"Elder Sister, I..." Hua Rong kept her head lowered, twisting her handkerchief into knots without knowing how to voice her concerns. She respected her elder sister, but reverence and fear often went hand in hand - she was also afraid of this sister.
No matter what, the concubine was still her birth mother. She feared that any misstep might make her mother's life more difficult, that the legal wife would dislike her for it and become even more negligent about her marriage prospects. She also feared that Elder Sister would grow to resent both her mother and herself...
There were too many things she feared, and the more she feared, the more paralyzed she became. Simply sitting before Elder Sister now had exhausted all her courage.
Hua Zhi set aside all her tasks and waited patiently.
The silence didn't last long before Hua Rong's courage seemed to resurface slightly. She stammered out her purpose for coming: "I'm only twelve this year, and there are three older sisters ahead of me. Even taking turns, it shouldn't be my turn yet. Elder Sister, could I... could I postpone marriage discussions for now?"
It felt like she had crossed a towering mountain. Hua Rong's chest heaved rapidly, her heart suspended as she awaited the words that would determine her future. She didn't dare speak too explicitly, thinking that if Elder Sister just agreed to delay her marriage discussions, it would be enough to silence her mother. Even if her mother wanted this marriage badly, she wouldn't dare oppose Elder Sister.
"Since nothing has been decided yet, and we're still in mourning, I hadn't mentioned this to any of you."
Meeting Hua Rong's anxious gaze, Hua Zhi spoke gently as if completely unaware of Qin Yiniang's schemes: "I've already asked the Zhu Family and Cai Family to help look for suitable matches. They might not be from wealthy, prominent families, but they'll certainly be from respectable backgrounds. The Hua family never needed to use marriage alliances to benefit the clan in the past, and we won't need to in the future. You can rest assured."
Her heart pounded wildly, and Hua Rong instinctively pressed a hand to her chest. So, while they were all unaware, Elder Sister had already been making arrangements for them?
"Don't overthink it. Even just to give Father a proper account, I wouldn't neglect your marriage matters."
Hua Rong covered her eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears, but this only made her appear more disheveled. Though she felt relieved, for some reason she also felt even more sorrowful.
Hua Zhi offered no words of comfort. Putting herself in Hua Rong's position, she knew that anything said now would only scratch the surface. Sometimes silence itself was a form of comfort.
After some time, Hua Rong finally calmed down. Her eyes were red and swollen, but seemed clearer, as if washed clean by rain. Even her spirit seemed restored after this crying session.
Having shown such vulnerability, Hua Rong actually felt closer to her elder sister. Things she hadn't dared say before now came more easily: "Elder Sister, may I come with Third Sister to learn business from you?"
"What suddenly gave you this idea?"
"It wasn't sudden." Hua Rong smoothed her hair. "Actually, Second Sister, Third Sister and I discussed this several months ago. We all want to learn more, thinking that perhaps... perhaps we could help the family in some way."
Hua Rong looked somewhat embarrassed. "But Elder Sister has always been so busy. If Third Sister hadn't gotten her wish, I wouldn't have dared mention it either."Hua Zhi propped her head and thought for a moment. "Let's invite Second Sister to join us. I'll have Ying Chun teach you both. After that, the canned goods business will be handed over to you to manage."
PS: Let me explain Hua Rong and Hua Ling's current state of mind. Readers might have noticed that at times they somewhat resemble Hua Zhi. This is intentionally written this way. When we have someone exceptionally capable or deeply admirable in our lives, we unconsciously begin to imitate their speech and behavior, aspiring to become like them. I went through such a phase myself. After careful consideration, I felt Hua Ling and Hua Rong should experience this stage too, hence this portrayal. They are all growing, and this is part of their development process.
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