The capital had always been a place where rumors spread like wind turning to rain.

Though no one believed it, Yang Qi’s words still made their rounds.

But as the story circulated, it somehow changed shape along the way. Some said Yang Qi had gone to the Hua Family to collect someone and been beaten out the door. Others said Hua Zhi had personally led people to attack the Yang Family and left Yang Qi injured. And there was one version that came closest to the truth — it said outright that the Yang Family had set their eyes on whatever little fortune the Hua Family had left, and was going out of its way to throw mud at Hua Zhi.

In any case, no one believed it.

Even Old Madam Zhu, who would normally grow anxious at the slightest ripple concerning her granddaughter, did not come calling this time. Such rumors were truly absurd!

And these rumors could not penetrate the inner courtyard of the Hua Family at all. They circulated briefly in the outer courtyard before vanishing without a trace. Hua Xian walked about with a smile she could barely contain, cheerfully tidying her belongings and preparing to move into her new courtyard. She walked on the tips of her toes, carrying herself with the lightness of a young girl — a stark contrast to the timid and shrinking woman she had once been as the Yang Family’s wife.

Now that all four branch wives were at leisure, with Hua Zhi presiding over everything above them, and with Hua Zhi treating all branches fairly so that each had benefited, every one of them had set aside those little scheming thoughts. Their relationships with one another were far warmer than they had ever been back at the old residence.

Knowing that it was the eldest young lady who had made the decision to grant the divorce to their young aunt, they suppressed even more of those petty thoughts they had harbored. Except for the fourth branch, which had no daughters, both the second and third branches had daughters of their own, and their future marriage prospects would all be decided by the eldest young lady who managed the household. Bluntly speaking, even if a daughter married out and had a difficult life, it was not as though there would be no road back.

And all of these decisions rested in the eldest young lady’s hands. Seeing her attitude now, they could tell she truly protected her own. Even for the sake of their daughters alone, they ought to hold back on their squabbles.

With everyone thinking this way, the atmosphere naturally became pleasant. They chatted and laughed as they helped carry lighter items, and each contributed something from their own rooms to add a few pieces to Hua Xian’s new quarters. Their warm manner put Hua Xian deeply at ease.

The courtyard was still nothing as grand or magnificent as the Yang household, yet Hua Xian was simply happy — so happy that she found herself humming a tune, and when no one was around, she even spun in circles several times.

She was truly happy. Those who had never experienced it would not understand how wonderful it felt to have a home to return to.

At this moment, Yang Sui’an rushed back. This young man, who normally carried himself with composure and steadiness, was taking every step at a run. He did not go to the inner courtyard to see his mother — he went directly to the front courtyard study. He knew that most of the time, his elder cousin would be there.

Hua Zhi was not surprised to see him. “You’re already sweating. Did you run back?”

Yang Sui’an licked his dry lips and replied, “I rode back on horseback.”

Yet he had still broken into a sweat, which showed how anxious he was about this matter.

Hua Zhi gestured for him to sit. “What did you hear? What’s the hurry?”

He had heard a great deal, but he knew none of those versions were true. If he were forced to choose, he leaned toward his father’s account. He did not know why, but he simply felt that such a thing was not beyond his elder cousin’s capabilities.

“Elder Cousin, my mother, she… my mother, she…”

Hua Zhi did not have the heart to tease such a filial child. Smiling, she nodded and answered him, “Yes, your mother has obtained a divorce. I have already given her the letter of release.”

“Then my father…”

“Everything your father said is true. I did deal with him, and dealt with him quite severely at that. Do you resent me for it?”

Yang Sui’an shook his head. His elder cousin had always handled matters with a generous hand. She must have gone to speak with the Yang Family beforehand, and only resorted to such means when they refused to release his mother or made excessive demands.

Hua Zhi gave a small nod. “Your mother is probably overjoyed right now. Go and see her. I’ve given her a courtyard — have a maid take you there.”

“Yes.” Yang Sui’an took a deep breath and bowed deeply.

“There is no need for that. She was always a daughter of the Hua Family. Protecting her is what I ought to do.”

Yet this simple sense of duty was something many households could not bring themselves to fulfill. Yang Sui’an silently added another heavy mark to the debt of gratitude in his heart. His mother could accept this as a matter of course, but as her son, he must keep it in his heart, and when the day came that he had the means to repay it, he would do so with everything he had.

That day would come. Yang Sui’an told himself this inwardly.

Yang Sui’an had reached the doorway when he heard his elder cousin speak again: “Although this matter has nothing to do with you, you carry half the blood of the Hua Family in your veins, and you have had frequent dealings with the Hua Family. On that account alone, Yang Qi is certain to take out his anger on you. You should prepare yourself mentally. Elder Cousin will also be frank with you — life in the Yang household will likely not be easy for you from here on.”

Yang Sui’an turned back around. Perhaps because his mother was no longer being held over him as leverage against the Hua Family, his own feelings toward the Yang household had shifted. “If the Yang Family welcomes me, I will naturally fulfill the responsibilities expected of a Yang Family member. If they do not welcome me, I trust that Elder Cousin would not turn me away either.”

“Your mother is here at the Hua Family. It is only natural for a son to seek the shelter of his mother — who would dare turn you away? You are welcome to come at any time. If the Yang Family uses this matter to come after you, and as long as you do not mind that the Hua Family is presently lacking in influence — even if it comes to changing your surname to match your mother’s, I would agree to it.”

Yang Sui’an had already known the answer, yet hearing his elder cousin say it aloud made him feel a great swell of confidence from deep within. If no trouble was stirred up, so be it, but if this matter truly led them to treat him as an outsider, what was there to stop him from leaving the Yang household behind?

As for the Yang Family’s meager fortune — he didn’t think much of it.

Yang Sui’an bowed deeply once more, then straightened his back and walked toward the inner courtyard. He wanted to see what his mother looked like when she was truly happy. As far back as he could remember, he had never once seen his mother genuinely at ease.

A smile curved at the corner of Hua Zhi’s lips. Witnessing someone else’s happy reunion was truly a fine feeling.

She only wondered when the Hua Family’s own true reunion would come. The smile on Hua Zhi’s face gradually faded, and she lowered her head to look at the open notebook before her.

This was one of the three thread-bound notebooks she had brought with her from the old residence — all written during the more than ten years of peace she had once known within the Hua Family, in a cursive hand only she herself could decipher. Some of the things recorded within were practical in this world; others could only ever be idle musings. At the time, she had kept them merely as a memento. Now, she pulled them out to search for business opportunities.

She needed to move forward.

Things that were too conspicuous she had no wish to introduce. Anything that might alter the course of history she wanted no part of either. And those that would be so shocking they would place her in opposition to the world at large were entirely out of the question. After weighing one option after another, she found that, as expected, matters related to food and drink were still the safest territory.

Food!

Hua Zhi leaned back in her chair and gazed up at the ceiling, lost in thought. It was not that there was no food she could produce — it was that she did not know in what form to bring it out.

Hot pot was probably the idea that every woman who had crossed through time would think of, but not only was the technique simple enough that it would quickly be imitated by others — the bigger problem was that the available ingredients here were far too limited, nothing like the vast variety of a later era.

Mutton was still available, but beef was out of the question. She could find ways to make various types of meatballs, but seafood and the like was not something one could easily come by. Many dishes brought from foreign lands were nowhere to be found either. Come winter in a northern place like this, only napa cabbage would be a regular fixture on the dining table — one could hardly have a pot with nothing but napa cabbage in it.

When she thought about it, how pitiful was that? Hua Zhi laughed to herself. But no, it was not only napa cabbage — once her mushroom cultivation reached maturity, there would be something to eat in all four seasons.

After letting her thoughts wander for a while, Hua Zhi finally reined them back in and returned to flipping through the notebook.

If not hot pot, she would have to find another path to profit.