Just as Ying Chun finished fretting, Uncle Zhu arrived at the door. The moment he entered the room, he brought up the matter of the shop. "To be fair, they aren't the first to do this, but no one else has been as blatant as them. If it weren't for the fact that there are no other suitable lanes like Green Moss Alley and Oriole Cloud Alley in the capital, I'm afraid others would have copied them and created two similar lanes."
"Do you know which family is behind it, Uncle?"
"It's the Xie family, which once produced an imperial consort. They've been quiet for many years but have recently regained some prominence with Xie Jin, who, despite being only in his early thirties, has already become a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue. I've met him before—young and accomplished, with considerable ability. But what's most remarkable about him is that he was clearly Fang Hongzhi's lackey, yet he managed to escape unscathed after Fang Hongzhi's downfall. My father doesn't think highly of him."
"What a coincidence," Hua Zhi said with a faint, mocking smile. "A few days ago, I had a confrontation at home. My stepmother was secretly colluding with her natal family to arrange a marriage for my half-sister—with this very Xie Jin."
Zhu Haodong frowned. "What is he scheming? In the capital, even those with physical ailments arrange marriages early. How could he be over thirty and still unmarried? Wait, I seem to recall he was married. Could it be that, like the Feng family, he wants a daughter of the Hua family to be his concubine? Does he have the gall of a lion and courage of a leopard?"
As he spoke, Zhu Haodong stood up, looking as though he wouldn't hesitate to storm the Xie residence. Hua Zhi wasn't surprised. This was what family meant.
Pouring tea for her uncle with her own hands, Hua Zhi said, "He was married before, but his wife passed away early. He wants my half-sister to be his second wife."
"Your stepmother..." Zhu Haodong hesitated, not wanting to outright say that his brother-in-law's concubine was foolish. After a pause, he continued, "I assume you didn't agree."
"Of course not. The Hua family hasn't fallen so low as to force a daughter into being a concubine. Besides, Hua Rong herself is unwilling." Hua Zhi leaned back, lost in thought. "I was careless. I thought it was just someone trying to kick us while we were down, so I stopped it without looking deeper. Hua Rong is Qin Yiniang's own daughter. No matter how ruthless she might be toward others, she wouldn't push her own daughter into a pit of fire unless the other party promised something—or perhaps the marriage proposal came from them in the first place?"
"Exactly. The Xie family has been in decline for years, so their finances must be nearly depleted. Is Xie Jin trying to gain some business support from the Hua family?"
"Outsiders don't know the true state of the Hua family. If he managed to extract information from Qin Yiniang, he would know that for the past six months, the sisters have been learning household management from Fourth Aunt. He might assume Hua Rong knows some recipes for food. If my guess is correct, if I hadn't intervened, the Xie family would have found excuses to finalize the marriage within the year and hold the wedding as soon as our grandmother's mourning period ended. In that case, their shop would likely have opened around the same time."
Zhu Haodong sneered. "Wishful thinking.""This is just one aspect. I suspect he may have set his sights on the Zhu Family as well. Nowadays, everyone knows the Zhu and Hua families are on excellent terms. Even during the Hua family's most difficult times, the Zhu Family never distanced themselves. If Xie Jin marries into the Hua family and happens to serve under Grandfather, even if Grandfather dislikes him, he'd likely have to show him some favor. Second Uncle, you also said he's shrewd. If he uses this position to do something, at best he might gain some advantages, but if he harbors ill intentions, he could employ tricks to drag Grandfather into a quagmire."
"What a clever two-birds-with-one-stone scheme." Zhu Haodong now felt extreme disgust toward Xie Jin, thinking he must warn his father upon returning. Such a person was too unpredictable to guard against; it would be best to find a way to have him demoted from the Ministry of Revenue.
"Perhaps I'm overthinking it." Hua Zhi considered asking Yan Xi to investigate when she saw him later and changed the subject. "Second Uncle, did you come for something?"
"It's about the soap." Zhu Haodong unwrapped the package he brought, revealing several carved boxes. "You said production would ramp up after the product passed inspection. These are newly made boxes—what do you think?"
"They look quite nice." Hua Zhi picked one up and sniffed it; it was fragrant, seemingly with a magnolia scent.
"Bring a basin of water."
Soon, Liu Xiang steadily placed a basin of water in front of the young lady. Hua Zhi wet her hands, picked up the soap, and rubbed it on her palms. It lathered a bit slowly, but the foam was fine—quite good for this primitive era.
After washing her hands, she brought them to her nose and inhaled. A subtle, pleasant fragrance wafted in. "Maintain this quality, and we can start selling widely."
Zhu Haodong agreed enthusiastically, "Don't worry, it'll only get better from here."
Seeing her second uncle so spirited made Hua Zhi happy too, and she teased him playfully, "That's great. I'll just sit back and wait for the money to roll in."
"As if you're getting such a great deal from the profits—it'll all go to Berlin in the end." Zhu Haodong suddenly chuckled. "Once our families are joined by marriage, the Zhu Family will truly be taking advantage of you."
These words felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over her head. The thought of Berlin's marriage gave Hua Zhi a headache. Refusing was inappropriate, accepting was undesirable, but delaying wasn't an option either—Zhu Shan was already twelve.
"Second Uncle, has Eldest Uncle mentioned Cousin's marriage recently?"
Zhu Haodong initially wanted to joke, but seeing Zhi Er's troubled expression, he pondered more deeply. "Still concerned about Sister-in-law's attitude? Don't be. She doesn't call the shots in this family."
"It's not about Eldest Aunt, Second Uncle. It's that I don't want this."
"Because our families are no longer well-matched in status?"
Hua Zhi shook her head. "It's not that, Second Uncle. I'll be honest with you—I never approved of this marriage from the start."
Zhu Haodong couldn't understand why his niece would oppose something so beneficial to the Hua family. If it were about pride, someone as narrow-minded as that wouldn't have accomplished so much.
But he knew well that if Zhi Er said she disapproved, she truly meant it. It was only because it involved the Zhu Family that she couldn't refuse outright.
"Zhi Er, you need to give your grandmother and Eldest Uncle a convincing reason."
"I...""No need to tell me, I'm on your side." Zhu Haodong interrupted her with a wave, almost explicitly stating his opposition to the marriage alliance between the two families. He had previously found his elder brother's attitude strange, and only recently had he figured out what scheme his brother was plotting.
His brother had taken a fancy to Berlin's lack of elders to exert pressure—if Zhu Shan married into that family, she would become the mistress of the household. Berlin was bound to pursue an official career and wouldn't interfere with business matters, leaving everything in Zhu Shan's hands. With such a daughter, why would his brother still fear him, his younger brother? If Zhu Shan showed more consideration for her natal family, it would be even more troublesome.
Zhu Haodong, however, found it utterly ridiculous. Even if such a day were to come, did he think Hua Zhi was dead? With her temperament—if others respected her, she would return the respect tenfold; if others wronged her, she would repay it a hundredfold—if Zhu Shan dared harm the Hua family's interests, Hua Zhi wouldn't hesitate to divorce her outright!
The more he thought about it, the more he felt this marriage should not happen. This wasn't an alliance—it was a potential feud!
"Zhi Er, go convince your grandfather."
Hua Zhi's mind suddenly cleared. Yes, as long as her grandfather supported her, the problem would be solved.
PS: I've noticed many readers often ask how much longer the story will be. Actually, Kong Kong mentioned on Weibo that the plot has passed the halfway mark, likely totaling over a million words. Rest assured, the story won't be unnecessarily extended just because it's performing well. So, remember to follow Kong Kong's Weibo for updates.
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