Chapter 82: Family Reunion (1)
Along the journey, Hua Zhi asked questions the entire way, and Chen Shan answered as thoroughly as he could. The moment he laid eyes on the eldest young lady, he knew she would become their pillar of support.
"Chen Shan, you're rather late today. Your master has been waiting for a while. Hua Da, Chen Shan is here."
Hua Pingyu emerged from the main gate and froze in astonishment when he spotted the person beside Chen Shan. Wasn't this... wasn't this...
Hua Zhi had always believed her bond with her father wasn't particularly deep, merely connected by blood ties. But now she profoundly understood the innate closeness flowing through their veins.
She hurried forward several steps and knelt in a deep bow. "Father..."
Hua Pingyu quickly helped her up, his lips moving several times without producing any words. His daughter's arrival was so completely unexpected that it left him utterly unprepared.
Meanwhile, someone nearby exclaimed in surprise, "Hua Da, is this your son? But that can't be right—weren't all children under ten in your family exiled? This would be deceiving the emperor!"
How could Hua Pingyu bear such a grave accusation as deceiving the emperor? His expression turned cold as he retorted, "Open your eyes wide and look carefully! This is my eldest daughter. The women of the Hua family were not sentenced to exile!"
This statement drew laughter from the surrounding crowd. A daughter of the Hua family traveling all the way from the capital to Yinshan Pass? Who did they think they were fooling?
"Hua Da, spin your tales all you want. Let's see if the general will believe you."
Hua Zhi turned around and slowly lowered her hood, revealing delicate features. Her cold gaze swept across each person present. "Do you gentlemen perhaps think the daughters of the Hua family are easy to bully?"
Though her tone was cool, none present were deaf—they could clearly hear the unmistakably feminine voice. Looking more closely at her features, even in male attire she couldn't conceal the distinctive grace of a woman!
Could it truly be that a young lady had journeyed all the way from the capital to Yinshan Pass?!
The laughter died instantly, replaced by wide-eyed astonishment.
A restrained, paternal smile appeared on Hua Pingyu's face. "Wait here for a moment. Your father needs to request leave from his superior."
Hua Zhi obediently agreed without questioning whether her father could actually get leave. Though he maintained a scholar's pride, after years in official service, he knew all the necessary maneuvers.
"Chen Shan, take good care of Zhi Er."
"Yes."
As Hua Pingyu hurried back inside, Hua Zhi pulled her hood up again, ignoring the growing crowd.
Gu Yanxi's expression darkened as he led Shadowtreader forward, blocking the numerous staring eyes.
Shaoyao sidled up to Hua Zhi, clinging to her arm while complaining, "These people are so annoying."
Hua Zhi held her hand without responding. She viewed them as mere ants—hardly worth being affected by.
Soon, movement came from within the compound. Hua Zhi looked over and met her father's gaze—frustrated yet faintly proud.
Hua Pingyu disliked his daughter being gawked at like this, but he was genuinely delighted by her arrival. For a moment, he wasn't sure what attitude to adopt.
Hua Zhi stepped out from behind the horse and performed a slight bow toward those inside the gate. She understood these were the colleagues her father would need to interact with going forward—they might not even hold official positions, but if they made trouble for her father, his life would become difficult. It never hurt to be excessively polite.The clamor instantly fell into silence. Hearing about it repeatedly was far less shocking than witnessing it firsthand. Everyone had relatives, and visitors weren't unheard of, but this was the first time anyone had seen a young woman from an inner chamber travel thousands of miles to this place.
Many who had initially felt discomfort due to envy or jealousy now felt deeply moved. One man patted Hua Yizheng's shoulder and said, "The journey here wasn't easy. Take the afternoon off."
Hua Pingyu had only managed to get one hour of leave originally. Overjoyed by this, he turned and bowed deeply.
Hua Zhi heard this as well and curtsied once more toward the man who had spoken. The man gestured to help her up, then left with his hands clasped behind his back. What a fine daughter the Hua family had raised! Her courage seemed no less than that of any man!
Shedding his usual gloom, Hua Pingyu stood tall and led his daughter toward his father's location. Along the way, he kept asking about the family's situation, and the more he learned, the more he realized how much he had previously neglected this daughter.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the woman walking beside his daughter wearing a Veiled Hat and another man who appeared exceptionally imposing. Though curious about their identities, he refrained from asking. After all that had happened, he now trusted his daughter implicitly.
In the small room, Hua Yizheng coughed incessantly, yet his hand holding the brush remained steady, his calligraphy flawless.
As the light in the room dimmed, he looked up to see his younger son entering with a food container. Setting down his brush, he went to wash his hands.
Having a separate room to work in, charcoal for heating—though inferior to what the Hua family once used—was never lacking. Food and clothing were still passable. Exile had turned out far better than expected, but achieving this had come at a great cost. Most of the silver Zhi Er had prepared had already been spent, yet Hua Yizheng did not stop his younger son from doing these things.
He had to survive and return alive to his elderly wife. If they were suffering, how could the women left in the capital, living in constant fear, be faring any better?
"How are they doing?"
Knowing whom his father was referring to, Hua Pingyang did not hide the truth. "Still unconscious. Little Si'er's fever hasn't broken yet."
Hua Yizheng fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "Do what you can. Our Hua family cannot afford to lose anyone."
"Yes, I understand." Hua Pingyang responded with a smile, masking the bitterness in his heart. Funds were running low, yet there were so many places where money was needed. Prioritizing one area meant another had to endure hardship.
These were once people accustomed to luxury and comfort. Now, with November just begun, several had already fallen ill. As the cold intensified, no one knew how they would survive the harsh winter ahead.
Father and son sat in silence, both finding it hard to eat.
When noises came from outside, Hua Pingyang put down his bowl and stood to check. What he saw nearly made his eyes pop out!
"Father, Father, come quickly..."
Hua Yizheng's heart skipped a beat. He knew his younger son's capabilities well. For something to startle him like this...
Hua Yizheng hastily set down his bowl, lifted the hem of his robe, and strode over. When he saw the person standing outside the door, he understood why his son had been so shaken. He had never imagined that his granddaughter, who should have been managing affairs in the capital, would appear here!
Seeing her grandfather, who though properly dressed had visibly aged, Hua Zhi's eyes reddened as she bowed deeply. "Your granddaughter, on behalf of all the Hua family descendants, pays respects to Grandfather."Even Hua Yizheng, who had weathered countless storms, now felt his eyes grow hot and his nose tingle. His beard trembled faintly as he stepped forward hoarsely to help the person up. "Get up quickly, get up quickly."
People emerged from houses large and small nearby, silently watching the scene. Those who had been chewing their food paused mid-bite, their cheeks bulging in a somewhat comical manner, yet no one laughed at this moment.
PS: Double update today.
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