The crowd exchanged glances with one another, and the gleam of interest in their eyes grew stronger. She was indeed as beautiful as the rumors claimed — whether her temper was as fierce remained to be seen, but she was undeniably different from any of the others they had encountered.
That look — that look of hers had been clearly tinged with disdain!
How very interesting. Genuinely interesting!
None of them left. They settled in outside to wait, passing the time by looking over the newly renovated building. One glance at the structure made it plain this was not a residence — could this be the eldest daughter of the Hua Family’s new venture? They would have someone look into it later!
Hua Zhi could remain perfectly unperturbed, but the others in her party could not. The several maids were so anxious their hearts were nearly leaping from their chests. Nianqiu, bringing up the rear, immediately pushed the courtyard gate shut — as if that alone might make things somewhat safer, though even she knew they had only four guards while there were far more men out there.
Dongzi came forward to report. “Eldest young lady, please don’t go out. I’ll go back and bring more people.”
He said he would bring more people, but Dongzi had already made up his mind to fetch Steward Wang — with Steward Wang’s abilities, not one of those men would get within a step of her.
“There’s no need.” Hua Zhi looked up at the small building before her — its classical lines, built entirely of wood, exuding a quiet elegance she genuinely admired. “Let them look if they want to look. Once they’ve had their fill, the novelty will wear off. If we cover things up and hide away, that’s when they’ll really start pressing in.”
Dongzi dared not disobey, yet he was desperately worried those men might grow bold and frighten the young lady. He fretted so badly he was nearly ready to storm out and bring them all down with him.
The party moved inside the small building. Green met the eye in every direction — neatly tended plants at intervals of three to five paces, the floor laid with wooden boards, private spaces screened off on both sides by decorative partitions. The communal area held a scattering of rattan chairs; alongside one wall stood a bookshelf, empty for now. On the opposite side sat a chessboard with two boxes of pieces, and set a little further in, a small table surrounded by four rattan chairs — a place where one might, upon running into an acquaintance, sit a while and share a cup of wine.
At a single glance, the whole atmosphere was one of ease and comfort — even without taking a meal, one felt at peace simply sitting here.
And that was precisely the feeling Hua Zhi had wanted. It was like those refined establishments she had once visited — their offerings were not always exceptional, yet they commanded prices far beyond what they seemed to be worth, and all because they created an atmosphere that made patrons genuinely willing to spend. That was the secret.
Her establishment would be the same.
Like the first floor, the second was also filled with greenery — but it differed from below. Here were private dining rooms throughout, with none of that open, expansive ease. Yet the rooms were not entirely closed off either; there were no doors, only pearl bead curtains hanging in their place.
This was to be a place for eating. Hua Zhi had no wish for anything improper to occur. This half-open arrangement was the most suitable solution.
Tucked toward the far end of the floor, a small, separate space had been carved out. Someone would be invited to perform music there — the pipa, the guzheng, the guqin, instruments with a certain depth and feeling to them.
The others who had come along gaped wide-eyed at everything they saw. Watching their reactions, Du Cheng felt a faint swell of quiet pride — yet what he cared about most was still the young lady’s response. He had listened as she described her vision and had transformed this place, piece by piece, according to the drawings she had made. As many times as he had looked at it himself and found it to his satisfaction, he did not know whether it would pass muster in her eyes.
“Better than I had imagined. You’ve worked hard, Du Cheng.”
Du Cheng felt a weight lift from his chest, and his whole body lightened as though it might float. “It was nothing, miss.”
Hua Zhi gave a small nod. “How long before the custom-made items arrive?”
“I asked about them just yesterday — another six days or so.”
“Good. Get everything else in order. Fudong, will you go and choose the kitchen yourself?”
Fudong bit her lip and nodded.
“No need to wait for an auspicious date. We open in half a month.”
“Yes, miss.”
Outside, the men waiting had grown restless. One of them called out loudly, “Why is she still not out? I’ve half a mind to stop waiting.”
“Oh, as if anyone asked you to wait.”
“Exactly. Go on then — no one will see you off.”
The one who had spoken rolled his eyes in a less-than-dignified fashion and slumped over his horse’s neck, unmoving. He had been up all night; he had heard the news that morning and come rushing over from the Jinsi Establishment without even eating. Standing around this long, he was nearly falling asleep.
“I think I hear something moving…”
He snapped upright and looked toward the closed gate. And indeed — before long the gate swung open. A figure in white… no, a maid. The next one — also a maid. Then an older nanny. He yawned impatiently. He looked again, and the young woman in white — skin white as snow itself — had already climbed into the carriage. Out of reflex, he called out: “Miss Hua…”
A chill ran down Hua Zhi’s spine. Her mind was suddenly full of images of Japanese soldiers chasing village women screaming “Miss Hua!” She straightened where she stood in the carriage and turned to look at the crowd of men who had come to see her.
They were the natural victors of life — born with silver spoons, spending their youth in wild abandon, doing every foolish thing imaginable, and then gradually settling down to enter officialdom as their families arranged, stepping by measured steps into the centers of power, wielding enormous authority, standing above countless others.
Because power passed down through the hands of men like these, generation after generation, dynasties declined over time. Three or four centuries at most before they crumbled.
The Daqing dynasty would likely be no different.
Just as everyone braced for her to erupt in fury, she reached out, lifted the curtain, and stepped back inside the carriage.
Even after the carriage had long since rolled away, the men still had not moved from where they stood. They were trying to make sense of it — what had been the meaning of that look? Why had it left them feeling so strangely uncomfortable?
They glanced at each other. The one who had called out “Miss Hua” shrugged. He had seen her now — time to go home and sleep.
Well. She really was something.
Hua Zhi came home and immediately brought Fudong to the study. “These past days I’ve had you working on how to make many dishes from a single ingredient — all of it was for this shop. Do you feel confident?”
Fudong nodded, then shook her head. “When I practice at home, I feel all right. But to run an entire establishment on this alone… I don’t feel certain in my heart.”
“I understand your worry. Don’t fret — for the first stretch I’ll be there with you.”
Fudong waved her hands frantically. “No, no need — I can manage. There’s still half a month. I’ll be ready, I will.”
Hua Zhi sat down and beckoned for Fudong to sit across from her. “I need to be there. Once you’ve found your footing and can handle whatever ingredient is put in front of you, then I’ll feel at ease.”
Looking at this timid young woman who reminded her of a little white rabbit, Hua Zhi almost wished she could divide her own disposition in half and give her some of it. “How good do you need to become? Put it this way: if I were to hand you a flower right now, you should be able to make twelve dishes from it. How far do you honestly think you are from that?”
Fudong chewed her lip and thought about it carefully. A slightly crestfallen expression crossed her face. “I could only think of seven. And that includes the pastries.”
“So you still have a great deal of room to grow — and none of that growth will come from staying by my side. Only being there, in that kitchen, will allow you to improve.”
“I understand, miss. I’ll go.”