The residence in the south of the city was nearly half the size of the old estate. With several hundred masters and servants crowded into it, the space was nowhere near as comfortable as before, and gathering everyone together only made it feel more tightly packed.
Most had already guessed why Steward Xu had called them all to the main courtyard — with the Hua Family’s circumstances as they were, it was only natural that some servants would be let go. What no one knew was what arrangements would be made.
“The Young Miss is here.” Someone murmured under their breath, and all eyes, whether openly or discreetly, turned toward the figure coming through the moon gate.
No one had expected that after the Old Madam fell ill, the person to step forward and manage the household would be this Young Miss — so unassuming in ordinary times, so self-effacingly dutiful. And yet, at least up until now, she had done so in a manner that gave every cause for admiration.
“We greet the Young Miss.” Everyone bent in a bow.
“At ease.” Ying Chun and Bao Xia carried out a grand armchair and set it on the steps. Hua Zhi took her seat with unhurried composure.
Her gaze swept across the gathered crowd. Hua Zhi laced her fingers together and rested her hands on her lower abdomen. “Is everyone here?”
Steward Xu bowed respectfully. “In reply to the Young Miss, all who are in residence have assembled. Per your instructions, those at the estate outside the city and at the two farmlands have not been notified.”
“Send someone to inform them afterward. Do not forget them.”
“Yes.”
Hua Zhi tilted her chin slightly upward. “Everyone, separate yourselves — those with limited-term contracts on one side, those with permanent contracts on the other.”
Steward Xu made a few adjustments, and the assembled group parted in silence.
“Those with limited-term contracts, go to Nian Qiu to collect this month’s wages. The Hua Family returns your freedom to you.”
The crowd exchanged uncertain glances. Just like that? Released so easily? Even those with years left on their contracts? And not sold off to someone else?
“Those with permanent contracts — if any of you wish to leave the Hua Family, you will not be kept against your will.” Hua Zhi took the casket from Ying Chun, opened it, and riffled through it with a light hand. “You have each served the Hua Family faithfully in better days, and stood loyally by your masters in this time of misfortune, without a single act of disorder. The Hua Family is grateful for what you have given — and in this way, let us part having fully honored the bond between master and servant.”
Hua Zhi rose to her feet. “There is no need to decide in haste. Simply report your answer to Steward Xu before noon tomorrow.”
The moment Hua Zhi left, the main courtyard erupted with noise. There were those overcome with excitement, those grinning in a daze, those furrowing their brows and deliberating in deep thought — but there was also a considerable number who, after watching others receive their bond contracts back with tears streaming down their faces, quietly turned and walked away.
The Hua Family’s generosity in releasing them was well-meant. But in a world like this, leaving the Hua Family behind did not guarantee one could survive.
Steward Xu stood at a height that afforded him a wide view. He watched the whole small world of human feeling play out before him and felt his admiration for the Young Miss deepen further still.
To say nothing of anything else — those who departed would have cause to speak a kind word of the Hua Family’s masters. And those who remained would feel more settled in their hearts. Once a person’s heart was at ease, the tangled, disloyal thoughts grew fewer.
The same number of people who had come from the Old Madam’s courtyard returned to it. Nanny Su hurried back inside and reported the Young Miss’s decision to the Old Madam.
Nanny Su was full of concern. “What if everyone takes this chance to leave? What shall we do?”
“Would you leave?”
“How could this old servant ever leave!” Nanny Su said without a moment’s thought — and then, in the silence that followed, she began dimly to understand.
The Old Madam smiled, her expression full of quiet feeling. “Youth may lack experience, but it has a boldness the old no longer possess. Zhi’er has made a wise move here. Those who wish to go may go; those who wish to stay may stay. Both sides are satisfied.”
Nanny Su made to say something more, but the Old Madam shook her head, the warmth in her smile gentling to something more sober. “From now on, when it comes to Zhi’er’s decisions, the people in my courtyard should be the first to stand on her side. If even I do not support her, how is she to manage this household? I know what you are worried about. Let us take it one step at a time. If she proves unequal to the task, I will naturally not allow things to go awry.”
“This old servant was wrong.”
“I know you have the Hua Family’s good at heart. Go and let everyone know — follow the Young Miss’s instructions.”
“Yes.”
The various masters and mistresses who received the news reacted in very different ways. Those whose interests were little affected were naturally relieved — and also somewhat inclined to watch how things would unfold.
Of the four Madams whose interests had been most severely affected: the Second Madam smashed a cup; the Third Madam sat in stony silence, grinding her teeth. The First Madam, though not particularly capable, knew which way to stand when it mattered — she sided with her daughter without a moment’s hesitation. The Fourth Madam, after a brief period of deliberation, also chose to stand on the Young Miss’s side. There was her husband’s influence in that decision, but also the confidence the Young Miss’s conduct over these past two days had given her.
Hua Zhi sipped her flower tea and waited for the maids to finish tallying the accounts.
Bao Xia came in carrying a plate of fruit, her expression a portrait of things left unsaid.
Hua Zhi, with deliberate mischief, chose not to ask. The other maids in the room stifled their laughter. This was not the first time their Young Miss had let Bao Xia stew like this — and yet she never seemed to learn.
Bao Xia shot them all a glare, then, throwing caution to the wind, spoke up of her own accord. “I heard that the Second Madam was so furious she smashed her bowl. Miss, are you not afraid she will try to trip you up later?”
“With all the men of the family gone, what leisure does she have to bother tripping anyone?” Hua Zhi was not at all surprised by her second aunt’s reaction. Second Uncle was a son born of a concubine, and though his wife, Qi Shi, came from a family of some standing, she too was a concubine-born daughter. She had learned all the proper manners that were expected of her — her only flaw was that she was a little narrow-minded and petty. It was probably a matter of background and upbringing shaping one’s character: among the four daughters-in-law of the Hua Family, the Second Madam had always been the most small-minded. Having her maids released would naturally put her in a temper. And not just her — the Third Aunt would probably give Hua Zhi the cold shoulder for a while as well.
“Miss, the tally is complete. The Old Madam gave eight hundred taels, the First Madam two hundred, the Second Madam sixty, the Third Madam one hundred, and the Fourth Madam also two hundred.”
“Record it. Once all is settled, the distribution will be made proportional to what each gave. Ying Chun, how much do I have left?”
Ying Chun smiled and smoothed a strand of hair at her temple. “Bank notes totaling two thousand two hundred taels, twenty gold ingots, and some jewelry and silver pieces.”
Bao Xia’s eyes went wide. They had hidden this much? And that was after already sending some over to the Old Master’s party!
Hua Zhi, however, knew that in truth it was not quite so much as it seemed. Over the years she had quietly set aside a little here and a little there, thinking of it as a precaution against whatever might come. She had never imagined she would actually need it.
“Record only one thousand taels in the accounts.”
Bao Xia opened her mouth to ask why, but Fu Dong moved with swift precision and covered it with her hand. “Miss, this servant will go and see whether the kitchen is in need of anything.”
Hua Zhi watched with a faint, amused smile as the two were dragged away. Among her four maids, Bao Xia was the most straightforward in temperament — a little recklessly bold when trouble arose, and most often the one she sent running between the various courtyards. Ying Chun was careful and steady, overseeing everything in the room. Nian Qiu was meticulous and kept the account books. Fu Dong was timid and introverted, and would happily spend every waking hour in the kitchen — the reason Hua Zhi was so well fed each day was entirely due to Fu Dong’s natural gift for cooking.
Each of the four had their own shortcomings: Ying Chun’s caution sometimes became excessive; Bao Chun was a little headstrong and impulsive in her rushing about; Nian Qiu, perhaps from managing the accounts, had grown slightly tight-fisted; and Fu Dong was far too easily frightened, prone to bursting into tears at the slightest thing. Hua Zhi had always indulged these traits without any thought of changing them. She had no need for four women pressed from the same mold. That they had each grown into such lively, distinct people — that was just as it should be.