With a solid foundation laid for her southern journey, Hua Zhi returned home and began preparing for her departure. The Hua Family members were naturally reluctant to see her leave, yet beyond subtle expressions of concern there was nothing more they could say. Even Zhu Shi bit her tongue and swallowed every last objection.

After finishing the handover of household affairs with Fourth Aunt, Hua Zhi added, “Ying Chun and Nian Qiu will stay home. Fourth Aunt, make good use of them.”

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” Wu Shi looked somewhat thinner, and her spirits were low, yet she forced herself to rally and asked, “Is this trip truly necessary?”

“It is. Where the Hua Family stands right now is far from enough. The branch families now have business to keep them occupied — you need only pay them a little extra attention. If they don’t come to you with problems, there’s no need to seek them out. Also, regarding Hua Qin’s matter — I won’t be here for her wedding, and though I’ve already given a gift privately, the Hua Family still needs to present one formally. How it is given and how much to give, Fourth Aunt, that is entirely your call. When handling matters, bring Second Sister and the others along. I’ve noticed they’ve all made great strides of late. I plan to have them take over the household management going forward.”

More than great strides — every one of them seemed like a changed person. With such an exceptional example leading the way ahead of them, who would not want to become a little better? Wu Shi agreed with a smile.

Ying Chun reported from the doorway. “Young lady, Tang Yong requests an audience.”

Tang Yong? Hua Zhi’s heart gave a start. “Bring him in at once.”

Tang Yong came in carrying a bamboo basket, his gaze lowered. He knelt and bowed all the way to the floor. “Your servant pays his respects to the eldest young lady.”

“Rise quickly.” Hua Zhi looked at the basket beside him. “Is this good news?”

“Yes.” Tang Yong lifted the cloth covering the basket, revealing a full load of freshly grown mushrooms — tender and plump. They were only the most ordinary variety of oyster mushrooms, yet this already proved that the methods she had improved upon were workable. It was only a matter of time before the other varieties began to sprout.

Tang Yong gently lifted the oyster mushrooms from the top layer and set them on the ground. It was only then that Hua Zhi noticed king oyster mushrooms beneath them.

“They had been sprouting in scattered batches for some time, but I felt the yield hadn’t reached the standard you set, young lady, so I didn’t come to report sooner. This batch looked good to me, so I brought it.”

Unable to contain herself, Hua Zhi stood up, took one of the oyster mushrooms, and brought it to her nose. That was the smell, all right. She pressed one of the king oyster mushrooms — firm, not hollow. She glanced at the water clock, then looked back at Wu Shi with a smile. “Fourth Aunt, today you get to taste something fresh.”

Wu Shi assumed she would send the mushrooms to the kitchen staff, and was quite taken aback when Hua Zhi herself carried them off to the kitchen. She stood for a moment in surprise before hurrying after her.

Hua Zhi rolled up her sleeves and secured them tightly, then gestured for Lan Qiao to watch closely from the side. She broke the oyster mushrooms apart petal by petal and tore them into small pieces, leaving them to soak in water. She washed the king oyster mushrooms and cut them into chunks, then prepared a small amount of scallions, ginger, garlic, and a few green chilis. Noticing a block of tofu in the basket, she sliced it into pieces as well. What came out of it all was a dish of green chili stir-fried king oyster mushrooms and a dish of oyster mushroom stewed with tofu. She was still in mourning — otherwise a bit of meat would have made it taste even better.

Wu Shi was by now unsure whether to be more astonished that Zhi’er knew how to cook, or that the two dishes smelled this wonderful. And the ease with which she moved left no doubt that this was far from her first time.

“Fourth Aunt, have a taste.” Hua Zhi scooped a small portion and passed it over. She had already sampled it herself. Whether it was something in the soil or the water she could not say, but in terms of depth of flavor it was far richer than anything from the world she had once inhabited. When there was enough surplus, she could dry them and grind them into powder — added to dishes, it would serve wonderfully as a seasoning. Yes, she could have some prepared early. When she went north, she would bring some along.

Wu Shi ate several spoonfuls, and the smooth, rich flavor was so good that she not only finished the small portion entirely but drank down the broth as well. She was about to say something when another voice cut in: “Something smells amazing — Huahua, there’s good food and you didn’t call me!”

That nose of hers. Hua Zhi laughed despite herself and quickly scooped a portion to hand over. “Weren’t you glued to the sand table, refusing to budge?”

“The smell is ruining my concentration. I need to satisfy my appetite first or I’ll lose to Little Six.” With that, Shao Yao blew on it and sent it straight into her mouth, cheeks gleaming, eyes sparkling. “Delicious, Huahua, it’s so delicious.”

“I’m not delicious.” Hua Zhi shot her a reproving glance, then scooped another bowl and handed it to the Sixth Imperial Prince, who had followed Shao Yao in. She had never forced the Sixth Imperial Prince to attend the family school — if he was interested in the sand table, spending more time on it was no bad thing.

Eating from a bowl in the kitchen was something the Sixth Imperial Prince, Gu Chengqian, had never done in his life. He found it both novel and remarkably pleasant. Following Shao Yao’s example, he blew on it and put it in his mouth — then nodded vigorously at Hua Zhi, his expression saying it all: Delicious!

To have the approval of both a devoted lover of food and an imperial prince left little doubt that the taste was genuinely excellent. Hua Zhi was in fine spirits, and had Ying Chun distribute what remained so that everyone received a portion — even Tang Yong got a small share.

On the short walk from the kitchen back to the study, Hua Zhi had already drawn up a long list of dishes in her mind. She wrote all of them down, noting preparation methods for each, and had them packed together with the remaining mushrooms for Xu Ying to send over to Fu Dong.

Only a small yield had come in so far — she was not planning to sell yet. Sending them to Fu Dong for practice was just right.

“Are there still more at the farm?”

“Yes, about twenty jin remaining. The elders and I reckon that in another half month or so there should be a modest harvest.”

“Good. Take everything that’s left and send it to the restaurant.”

“Yes.”

“Later on the quantities should be much larger. Do not let your guard down for a moment. Unless I send word otherwise, of all the mushrooms produced going forward, except for the shiitake mushrooms which are to be brought here, the rest are all to go to the restaurant.”

“Yes, your servant will manage it properly.”

“You’ve worked hard.” Hua Zhi’s tone softened. “I hear you’ve already become betrothed to Nanny Chen’s daughter, and the wedding is set for next month. You may set up a room for the two of you at the farm. When the time comes, she can come with you there — husband and wife together, looking after that farm for me.”

This was an entirely unexpected stroke of fortune for Tang Yong. He dropped to his knees at once to give his thanks. His future wife served in the Second Madam’s household, and he had already sounded things out — the Second Madam had shown not the slightest inclination to let her go. He had fully expected that after the wedding the two of them would be living apart, and he had never imagined the eldest young lady would be the one to make it right for them. In that moment he did not even know how to begin expressing his gratitude.

After Tang Yong had taken his leave with a thousand expressions of thanks, Hua Zhi said quietly, “When they marry, give them a gift in my name, privately.”

Ying Chun agreed. Tang Yong was someone whose background they knew thoroughly, with both his parents in the household’s employ — there was nothing to worry about from him. They all felt at ease.

“When the shiitake mushrooms arrive the weather should be quite good. At that time, take some people, wash the shiitake mushrooms clean, and dry them in the sun until they are fully dried through — be thorough about it, or they won’t keep for long.”

“Yes.”

“If the quantity is large, send a portion to the restaurant. If it’s small, keep it all. I intend to bring it north with me.”

“Yes, this servant will remember.” She hesitated, then finally spoke her mind. “Is this servant truly not allowed to go along? Going by water, there’s no need to ride a horse — I promise I won’t be a burden.”

“I will have Bao Chun come with me. You must stay. Ying Chun, you are my chief steward. Every large and small matter in this household needs someone to hold it together, and the Hua Family is my home base. Only with you here can I be at ease. It’s just like the sand table — when I charge forward out there, it is precisely to protect my rear. The front lines can see chaos and retreat, and then push back. But if the home base falls, I lose everything. Do you understand?”

Ying Chun nodded, her eyes reddening, her lips pressed tight. “This servant will guard it for you.”