Hua Zhi picked up her tea and took a few unhurried sips, her composure more settled than many people twice her age.
The Old Madam forced herself to rein in her astonishment and cleared her throat lightly. “Your decision is nothing but benefit to the Hua Family, and yet for you personally…” She paused, then continued, “Even so, this shameless old woman will accept it. Still, there is no rush — if anyone should be in a hurry, it is the Shen Family first.”
The Old Madam still harbored some tenderness for Hua Zhi, and was inclined to delay things a little and see if the situation might somehow shift — though she could not for the moment think of where any such shift would come from.
Hua Zhi, sensible of the kindness, responded with a good-natured compliance and moved on to other matters. “We now have only the two estates that are above board. It seems I will have to find a way to work with what we have there.”
“Estates can do little more than provide enough for the household’s own use. What is there to work with?”
“One of the estates borders a stretch of woodland, Grandmother — do you recall?”
“I do indeed. By my reckoning, it should be nearly time for the fruit to ripen. If we were to sell it, there would be some income.”
“I do intend to sell — but not simply picking and selling as-is. This time of year, fruit is plentiful everywhere. The price one can fetch is poor.”
“That estate has mostly peaches, does it not?” The Old Madam glanced toward Nanny Su.
Nanny Su nodded. “White peaches, yes. Young Miss, white peaches do not keep long — among fruits, they are among the quickest to spoil.”
Hua Zhi smiled lightly. “I have a way.”
“If there is a way to make them keep longer, there will be more to be earned.” The Old Madam asked no further questions, only said, “You mentioned before that you wanted to prepare some food products — I think those things ought to sell well.”
“I will do both. The fruit must be brought in first, and preparations must begin now.”
“Good, as long as you know what you are about. Do as you see fit. If the silver runs short, tell Grandmother — Grandmother will find a way.”
Knowing that her grandmother was trying to be her support, Hua Zhi softened her voice. “I have a little silver set aside, and there is more than a thousand taels that everyone contributed. For the moment, it should be sufficient. But Grandmother — the Hua Family is a family that has been subjected to asset confiscation. We must find a way to account for all this money properly.”
The Old Madam nodded slowly. “That is right. We cannot afford to give anyone another handle to use against us. What do you have in mind?”
“I am thinking of selling either the residence outside the city or one of the estates. But since those were gifted by the Empress Dowager, I am not certain whether I may dispose of them.”
There was a long pause before the Old Madam sighed. “Sell the residence. We are managing well enough here. Even if the Empress Dowager were to hear of it, she would surely understand our difficulty.”
“Yes. I will go out there within the next day or two and bring back whatever should come back.”
“Go.” The Old Madam held her granddaughter’s hand and patted it gently, her tone gentler than Hua Zhi had ever heard from her. “Going forward, whatever you decide for the household, you need not come and consult me. A family can only have one person in charge — otherwise, there will always be those who try to find openings to stir up trouble.”
This was precisely the outcome Hua Zhi had most hoped for. She did not demur, but accepted readily and directly. “Grandmother, rest and take care of your health. I will not act recklessly.”
“Grandmother believes you.” — and even more so, she believed in the Old Master’s eye for people. Without some exceptional quality, how would he have devoted so many years to personally guiding her?
“There is something else I wish to speak with Grandmother about — something that concerns the Hua Family’s future.”
“Go ahead.”
Hua Zhi held her grandmother’s hand in return and ran her fingers softly over it. “The clan school has been closed, but the Hua Family’s children cannot simply be left to drift. I believe the clan school must be rebuilt. Finding a teacher will take some effort, but it does not mean it cannot be done. Grandfather is a great scholar of his generation — his descendants need not surpass him, but they cannot be people who cannot even write a coherent essay. Where would Grandfather’s honor be in that?”
The Old Madam’s eyes reddened at once. These past days lying in bed, this was the very thing she had dwelt on most. The Hua Family had always distinguished itself through scholarship — how could the Hua Family’s descendants fall behind in learning?
Only, with the family in its current circumstances, who among men who cared for their own reputation would dare to involve themselves? And those lacking in learning would have no business teaching the children of the Hua Family.
“It is not as though Grandmother has not wished to rebuild the clan school — but Zhi’er, some things are not so easily resolved.”
“One must try before one knows.” Hua Zhi produced several name cards, then gestured to the maid to bring ink and a brush. She also helped the Old Madam to sit up a little. “You need only write your name — that is enough.”
Looking at one name after another on the cards, the Old Madam, even knowing the chances were slim, wrote the three characters of her name — Hua Qin Shi — at the signature line with reddened eyes, not wishing to dampen her granddaughter’s warmth and sincerity. For someone who did not truly have the Hua Family’s interests at heart, this was not something one would think to do.
But Hua Zhi was not so pessimistic. She had some knowledge of the former clan school teachers — over years of accompanying Grandfather in his games of chess, she had heard him speak often of the scholars he admired. To teach at the Hua Family’s clan school, scholarship alone was insufficient; character and conduct had to pass muster as well. She could not believe that among more than a dozen teachers, every single one had forgotten all sense of past loyalty.
Taking leave of her grandmother, Hua Zhi sent word to summon the steward and went herself to the small side courtyard to the east, which had by now been arranged as the place where she conducted household affairs.
Xu Dong Jin arrived quickly.
“Young Miss.”
Hua Zhi set down her brush and blew gently on the ink to dry it, gesturing for him to sit. “The household now is nothing but women and children. Security must be given greater care. Review the existing arrangements and make a new plan — it would be best to have two teams taking turns patrolling each night. Being able to sound an alarm when something occurs would also be worthwhile.”
“Yes, this servant will see to it at once.” Xu Dong Jin presented a ledger with both hands. “The new roster is ready. Please review it, Young Miss.”
Nian Qiu took it and placed it on the desk. Hua Zhi flipped through it briefly. The Hua Family now had one hundred and eighty-three servants in total: ninety-nine male attendants and eighty-four female servants — all holding permanent contracts. Of those with permanent contracts who had chosen to leave, there had been only twenty-two.
“I naturally have full confidence in Steward Xu’s work.” She closed the roster and looked at the steward, still standing respectfully before her. “I have spoken with Grandmother, and we have decided to sell the residence outside the city. It is fine if we take a loss on the price — there is no need to be secretive about it. Let all those who are watching the Hua Family know that we have sold a property to raise funds. My other plans cannot be set in motion until that sale is through, so speed is important.”
“Yes. If there are no other instructions, this servant will see to it at once.”
“There is no need to rush quite so much. There are still some things there that must be brought back first.” Hua Zhi glanced at Bao Xia. Bao Xia understood, picked up the name cards from the writing desk with both hands, and held them out to Xu Dong Jin, who quickly rose to receive them.
“Deliver these cards personally, and let no one feel that you come with your confidence shaken. The Hua Family has suffered misfortune — but the Hua Family has not fallen.”
Xu Dong Jin straightened his back without quite realizing it. “Yes. This servant understands.”
“In addition, I will need a few people who can move about outside the household. Would Steward Xu kindly ask whether Xu Jie, Zuo Fei, and Liu Yueming would be willing to come and work under my direction?”