They were to head to the manor the next day, so the maids began packing after their young miss had finished her afternoon rest.
Still haunted by the terrifying experience from their last visit, the group was feeling rather glum. They wanted to persuade their young miss not to go, yet this venture concerned the livelihoods of three branch families, and they did not dare interfere with her decisions.
Even so, the mere thought of the dangers that might await them at the manor filled them with genuine dread.
“That’s enough. We’re only going for three days — there’s no need to pack so many large bags and small bundles.” Hua Zhi finally could not bear to watch any longer and set down the book in her hands.
Bao Xia muttered, “You said the same thing last time — that we’d only be gone for a few days — and then you ended up staying for an entire month. We need to prepare more this time.”
“Hold your tongue.” Ying Chun shot Bao Xia a sharp look. What kind of thing was that to say? Was she actually hoping something would happen to their young miss?
Bao Xia knew she had misspoken. With a sharp crack, she slapped herself across the face, instantly leaving five red marks on her cheek.
Hua Zhi made no move to stop her. Only when Bao Xia raised her other hand did she speak: “Enough, Bao Xia. The Hua Family today is not the Hua Family of before — the kind that could shield you even when you caused trouble. Even I must now watch every word and action. Learn from this. Slowly rid yourself of the habit of speaking without thinking.”
“Yes.” Bao Xia stepped aside with reddened eyes. Fu Dong slipped over and clasped her hand tightly.
Ying Chun glanced once at Bao Xia’s cheek, then looked away.
Hua Zhi patted the back of her hand. “Just pack enough for three days. Given the Hua Family’s current situation, it’s not as though I can truly afford to linger there.”
“Yes.”
“Nanny Su, you and the others stay home. Help Fourth Aunt manage the household affairs. You know what I have on my hands — if anything conflicts with my arrangements, you must speak up. The household must not fall into disorder.”
Nanny Su dipped into a curtsy. “Young miss, why not take this old servant along? I know something of matters outside the house, and my legs are still nimble enough. I would not hold you back.”
Hua Zhi truly did not wish to burden any of the older women — they were all of considerable age, and it was right that they should rest comfortably at home. But Ying Chun did not see it that way. In years past, when the young miss rarely set foot outside her room, it made little difference whether a senior maidservant was present or not. But things were different now. The young miss was constantly going out, and if something were to happen, an experienced nanny would likely handle matters far better than the rest of them. So Ying Chun stepped forward and answered on the young miss’s behalf: “Then we’ll trouble you, Nanny Su. There is indeed much we don’t understand about life outside the household. We may well need to rely on you.”
“It is my duty.” She had only been following the eldest young miss for a few short months, yet she could not quite recall when she had begun calling her “young miss” rather than “eldest young lady.” What she did remember clearly was that it was from that very moment the senior maids had stopped treating her as an outsider.
These maids were not only capable, but truly devoted to their mistress. The warmth between them made others look twice in admiration. Whatever arose, they would talk it through and resolve it together. In three months, this was only the first time she had seen Ying Chun lose her temper — and it had been perfectly timed. Even Bao Xia bore no resentment. The eldest young lady’s way of guiding people was something truly beyond reproach.
“As for who will accompany me, stop picking and choosing. We don’t have many men in the household as it is — I’d be uneasy taking them all away. Knock on the door of Steward Xu and tell him to bring along the men who came with me to the north last time. That will be enough.”
“Yes, this old servant will go at once.”
Nanny Su had barely reached the doorway when Chun Xiang came in from outside. Compared to how she had been in the old madam’s presence, this maid was visibly more lively — which made sense. When the mistress herself was so bright and decisive, how could those who served her afford to drag their feet?
Chun Xiang first bowed to Nanny Su, then rose on her toes and hurried inside to report: “Young miss, the eldest young lady from Fourth Uncle’s household has come to call.”
Hua Zhi mentally cross-referenced the Hua Family members she had catalogued in her mind, and a face rose to the surface. The Hua Family daughters were almost all good-looking — blessed by their family name, they were born with a certain bookish elegance that set them apart. In years gone by, a Hua Family daughter never had trouble finding a husband, not only because of the family’s standing, but because of the daughters themselves.
“Please show her in.”
“Yes.”
Ying Chun quickly led the others in tidying the room, and the packed bags were whisked behind the folding screen.
Hua Qin walked in with small, graceful steps, her skirts swaying softly — yet the little bell hanging at her waist did not make a single sound. She was a young lady of noble family, raised to the strictest standards of refinement and propriety.
Hua Zhi suddenly thought that perhaps having a soft-natured mother was not entirely without its merits. Her own weeping, tender mother had shown both her and Bailin nothing but boundless, unconditional indulgence, never once asking anything of them.
The two exchanged greetings.
Hua Qin took a seat below Hua Zhi and looked up at this elder cousin of hers — older only by a matter of months — whose reputation had lately been quietly spreading far and wide.
“Grandmother is very pleased. She has always worried that if my dowry is too modest, I’ll be looked down upon by my husband’s family.”
“That is only natural.” Hua Zhi regarded her. “You needn’t feel burdened. Whatever I can offer is only what I can afford. If my hands were truly empty right now, I would never have made the offer to begin with.”
“In truth, if it could be helped, you need not give me anything extra at all, elder cousin.”
Hua Zhi looked at her with mild surprise, waiting for her to continue.
Hua Qin bit her lip. “Who in the capital doesn’t know the Hua Family’s situation? Wouldn’t appearing a little modest better fit what everyone already expects? There is no need to invite further attention on my account.”
The smile that spread across Hua Zhi’s face began at the corners of her eyes and seeped into every line of her expression. This was exactly why she was willing to do all that she did for the Hua Family, without complaint — the people this family raised were good at heart, right down to the root.
“Do you really think what I’ve been doing has gone unnoticed? They know perfectly well. Ordinary bystanders are merely watching the spectacle, but those truly keeping an eye on the Hua Family want to see what kind of stance we will take in all this. If I were to hide and conceal everything and let you leave for your marriage in shabby circumstances, they would only grow more suspicious — they would think we were plotting something and watch us even more closely. But if I lay our family’s means openly on the table, they’ll simply think the Hua Family is run by women without much foresight. And that kind of person always tends to lower one’s guard.”
Hua Qin had not considered this angle at all. When she had learned that her elder cousin intended to bring all three branch families along as she moved forward, her first thought had been that she must not add to the household’s burdens. With several hundred people between the legitimate line, branch families, masters, servants, and laborers, feeding them all was already no easy matter. If her cousin also spent money on her dowry, she worried it would make things even harder for those left behind.
She herself was marrying out, but the family still had elders and young children. What did it matter if she endured a little more difficulty? The household, on the other hand, could not afford a single misstep that might leave them without food.
“Won’t revealing the family’s wealth give others ideas?”
“I will manage the degree carefully — enough to satisfy expectations, yet not so much as to invite greed.”
Hua Qin nodded, then looked at her ever-composed elder cousin and voiced the question that had been sitting in her heart: “With the family in such straits, why do you still refuse to let each household dismiss their servants? Fewer people to feed would make things easier, wouldn’t it?”
“Because I need people to do work, and those the household is already accustomed to are far more trustworthy than strangers brought in from outside.” Hua Zhi explained gently, hoping to put her at ease. “The legitimate branch has already had more than half its people stripped away. I have had no choice but to purchase more servants recently, and I’m actually worried that the combined staff of your three branch households won’t even be enough for my needs.”
That truly set Hua Qin’s mind at rest. Between the three branch households, there were several hundred members of staff. If even that many people weren’t enough, just how much business was her elder cousin conducting?