Gu Yanxi wiggled his hooked finger with a faint, cool smile. "If I hadn't met you, I never intended to marry anyway. There are plenty of people to carry on this family name—my branch isn't needed."
"So you wouldn't take concubines for the sake of having numerous descendants either?"
"I won't let my mother's tragedy repeat itself in my life. Back then, I swore at her graveside that I'd avenge her, and I also told her I'd never become someone like Ling Wang."
Hua Zhi felt that if possible, Yanxi would rather return his bones to his father than acknowledge him as a parent. In his heart, he probably no longer had a father long ago—hence he always referred to him as Ling Wang, never as father.
"My father may be somewhat old-fashioned, but he's a good man. My mother's a crybaby, yet she's straightforward and easy to understand without all those convoluted schemes."
Gu Yanxi gazed quietly at the unconsciously bashful expression on her face as she continued, "If that day comes, they'll surely treat you very well. We could live close to them—close enough to talk over a ladder. My father would drag you off to appreciate ancient paintings, and my mother would complain that you spoil me..."
Hua Zhi found herself unable to continue. Her original intention had been to comfort Yanxi, but as she spoke, she became captivated by the future she was describing. If they could truly reach that stage, if they could truly live such a life...
"A Zhi."
Hua Zhi looked up.
Gu Yanxi's eyes burned with intense brightness. "One day, I'll appreciate ancient paintings with your father and give him my entire warehouse of calligraphy, paintings, and antiques. I'll listen to your mother's complaints, then spoil you twice as much so she'll have more to complain about next time she sees me. And Berlin—I'll give him whatever he wants."
"Giving him alone won't be enough. Little Six would object first, and there's Sui'an, Xiao Han, Baiyu... they all call me elder sister."
"I'll give them all whatever they want, as long as they're willing to call me..." Gu Yanxi silently mouthed the word "brother-in-law" without voicing it, thinking how wonderful such a life would be—so wonderful he wished he could have it immediately.
Their eyes met, and no one could tell who laughed first before the other joined in, filling the room with joyous laughter.
"Two fools." Hua Zhi's eyes glistened with amused tears as she looked at Yanxi, her gaze so moist it seemed to hold little hooks that made it impossible for Gu Yanxi to look away. He was actually exhausted—having rushed back nonstop from Yuzhou, reported to the palace, and come straight here. By his count, he hadn't slept for three days, yet now he felt he could make another round trip to Yuzhou.
Ying Chun reminded them at the doorway with a lantern, "Young lady, it's getting late."
"Has the rain stopped?"
"Yes."
Hua Zhi stood up. "You should go back. The sky won't collapse anytime soon. Get some proper rest."
Gu Yanxi had wanted to ask about the Wei Family matter, but now he felt it wasn't important anymore. Even when he wasn't around, A Zhi hadn't been bullied—knowing that was enough. If A Zhi were someone who constantly needed him to fight her battles, she wouldn't have come this far.
"You can relax and get a good night's sleep too. No matter what happens, I'm here."
"...Alright."
That night, Hua Zhi indeed slept soundly, as if knowing her protector had returned, her heart at peace until dawn.
Early the next morning, Hua Zhi had Fourth Aunt summoned and spoke with her about Hua Qin's situation."May the Bodhisattva bless us." Wu Shi couldn't contain her joy as she clasped her hands in prayer. Having a married daughter so fortunate would indirectly benefit the other girls in the Hua family. "That midwife is quite renowned in the capital, but bringing her into the residence immediately might not be possible. I'll send someone to inquire about her availability first."
"We should hire another one besides her. Spending extra silver doesn't matter - the primary requirement is that she must be kind-hearted. As for the wet nurse, we can search among the farming families. If we truly can't find one there, we'll expand our search elsewhere."
"I understand." Wu Shi genuinely comprehended - to the eldest young lady, nothing was more important than people.
"Fourth Aunt, I'll trouble you to visit Fourth Uncle's mother and inform her of my arrangements, so we don't duplicate efforts later."
"Of course." Wu Shi couldn't help smiling. "Qin trusts you more than her own mother, and you truly take on the responsibilities that a mother should. I suspect this will become the norm in the Hua family. You, my dear, will have much to bear in the future."
"It will be better when the men return." Whether a household was supported by women or men made a world of difference. If the Hua family hadn't fallen, how would Lady Cai dare to hint at taking concubines just two months after Hua Qin's marriage? The mere presence of Hua family men would have been their confidence, unlike her current situation where she had to patiently counsel Hua Qin.
"Hua Hua Hua Hua Hua Hua..."
The voice arrived before the person - typical Shaoyao behavior. Hua Zhi couldn't help but smile.
Wu Shi stood up. "I'll go make that visit now."
"Please give my regards to Fourth Uncle's mother for me."
"I'll remember." After greeting Shaoyao who had just entered, Wu Shi turned to leave. Before she even left the room, she could hear Shaoyao dragging out her words in a coquettish tone behind her: "Hua Hua, I'm exhausted to death!"
Wu Shi smiled to herself as she stepped over the threshold and strode away. See? Not just the Hua family, but even outsiders had grown accustomed to relying on the eldest young lady. With her nature, she would shoulder all these people as her own burdens - how could she not be weighed down?
Inside the room, Shaoyao clung to Hua Zhi without letting go. Though she hadn't been in the palace for many days, it felt like a century since she'd last seen Hua Hua, and two centuries since she'd tasted good food!
"Very busy?" Hua Zhi patted her back, feeling like her bones were more prominent. "Have you lost weight?"
"Yes, yes! Fu Dong needs to nourish me back." Shaoyao immediately seized the opportunity, nodding emphatically. "I need to eat lots of delicious food to recover."
Hua Zhi poked her forehead and pushed her away. Shaoyao wobbled like a roly-poly toy before leaning back in, inhaling Hua Hua's scent deeply to cover the cold, impersonal atmosphere of the palace. Only then did she feel truly alive again.
That damned palace - she didn't want to spend another moment there. But the problem was she couldn't stay long with Hua Hua either. Yan Ge had only given her one hour, and even that was only because he had fabricated an excuse to deceive the Emperor.
The more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt. Shaoyao even considered going into the mountains to find her master - where the mountains were high and the Emperor far away, where no one could find her.
Seeing her so worn out, Hua Zhi felt both amused and heartbroken. She took a jar of dried meat from a drawer and stuffed it into Shaoyao's arms. "Eat this first. Liu Xiang, go tell Lan Qiao to start cooking immediately. Make more dishes. Cao Cao, when do you need to return?"
Stuffing dried meat into her mouth, Shaoyao mumbled indistinctly, "One hour."
"Then skip the complicated dishes. Make some simple ones for now to eat, and prepare some that keep well for Cao Cao to take away."
"Hua Hua, you're the best."Hua Zhi wasn't currently occupied with urgent matters, so she set aside other tasks to chat with her first. "I thought you only needed to look after that person's health?"
"He drags me along with him every single day, even when there's nothing to do. I haven't had a single chance to slack off. After all these days in the palace, it was only yesterday when I clung desperately to the doorframe that he finally agreed to let me stay in the medicine room for a day."
Speaking of this, Shaoyao felt utterly wronged. She felt she hadn't gone there to be a physician, but to serve as a eunuch—the kind that provides close personal service, yet without needing castration.
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