Hua Pingyang watched that faint smile on her face, and the trace of resistance he’d felt toward Master Lu gradually faded away. Whatever Zhi’er and Master Lu’s relationship was at present, he had to trust that every decision Zhi’er made had been thoroughly considered.

The inn was nearby, and they arrived in moments. Gu Yanxi had not only arranged their rooms but had also ordered the meals in advance. The moment the three of them arrived, the dishes were brought up — among them two that he remembered A’Zhi had eaten a few extra bites of the last time they’d come, a balanced spread of meat and vegetarian dishes.

Hua Pingyang saw that she was eating only the vegetable dishes and frowned. “After a journey like that, how can you not eat something nourishing?”

He reached over to pick up food for his niece, but Hua Zhi moved her bowl to the side. “Fourth Uncle, spare me, please. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough to eat along the way, so I packed plenty of dried meat before we left. My mouth still feels like it’s full of the stuff — let me have something light to wash it all down.”

Hua Pingyang didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. Getting her to eat a bit of meat was apparently as dreadful as asking her to swallow poison. Though he wasn’t particularly surprised — even at home, this girl had always preferred vegetarian food.

Gu Yanxi glanced at A’Zhi, picked up the serving chopsticks, and placed some braised dried bamboo shoots in her bowl. He had quietly instructed the innkeeper beforehand not to add any meat to the dish — the flavor suffered for it, but A’Zhi liked it that way.

Hua Pingyang’s impression of Gu Yanxi improved a touch, enough that he was willing to address him. “I’ve troubled Master Lu to make this trip again.”

“It is entirely my pleasure.”

“……” Perhaps it was better not to speak after all.

After dinner, Gu Yanxi went to the kitchen. In a short while he returned carrying a large wooden bucket in one hand, filled to the brim with water still steaming with heat. The uncle and niece, who had been in the middle of a conversation, both startled.

Watching the man head upstairs, Hua Pingyang shifted his gaze back to his niece. “He… and you…”

Hua Zhi smiled. “It’s just the way things are, Fourth Uncle. Don’t worry — I know what I’m doing.”

Hua Pingyang, who had been ready to launch into a proper talk, swallowed every word he’d prepared. He let out a long sigh. “It’s been a hard journey. Get some rest early.”

Hua Zhi bent her knees in a curtsy, grateful that her fourth uncle was not pressing her further. If there were really things to be said, she’d prefer to say them all at once with everyone present, rather than have to repeat herself in front of each person.

She soaked in a long, indulgent bath and slept soundly through the night. When she woke, the day was already well advanced — judging by the angle of the sunlight falling through the lattice window and casting its shadow across the floor, it was not early at all.

She tidied herself and opened the door to find Yanxi already waiting, as though he had timed it perfectly. In his hands he held a steaming bowl of noodle mounds.

Noodle mounds were a local specialty of Yinshan Pass — not much to look at, but quite good to eat. Hua Zhi had said so after trying them on her last visit, and Gu Yanxi had remembered it ever since.

“Have a bit before we head over.”

Hua Zhi smiled, her eyes warm and gentle, and obediently agreed.

Watching A’Zhi eat with such obvious enjoyment, Gu Yanxi’s expression softened further. “I’ll go see Wu Yong later.”

“Commander Wu?”

“Yes. There are some matters to discuss with him.”

Hua Zhi nodded without asking further. “There’s no need to try and win anything for the Hua Family’s sake. It’s enough for them to stay as they are now. Attracting too much attention wouldn’t be appropriate — after all, they still carry the status of convicted criminals.”

“I’ll keep it measured.”

Hua Zhi looked up with a smile. “It was actually you who helped Fourth Uncle get into the garrison commander’s residence, wasn’t it.”

“I only asked him to keep a watchful eye on things. That your Fourth Uncle has been put to good use is down to his own ability.”

That was true enough. Away from the capital, he no longer had to hold himself back for one reason or another — Fourth Uncle’s full range of skills had finally found a place to be put to use.

Gu Yanxi nudged the bowl toward her. “How many days are you planning to stay?”

“Three or four days or so. Feel free to go about your own business — it’s fine if you return later in the day.”

“That’s enough time. Eat up — it loses something when it goes cold.”

Hua Pingyang saw the door open and walked briskly over. He was just about to say something when he reached the doorway and took in the scene inside — one person working diligently through a bowl of noodles, the other watching with a quiet smile — and swallowed every word he’d meant to say.

Having grown up in the Hua Family and seen so much of the world, he had witnessed many things and known many people. He had even seen love that was sworn to last a lifetime, faithful until death.

But none of it compared to what lay before him now — a simple, quiet beauty that no words could adequately describe.

And yet he worried too. Couples who were truly able to walk hand in hand for a whole lifetime were rare beyond reckoning. With his own eyes he had watched two people who had once loved each other with desperate, burning intensity, only for one to remain rooted in place while the other grew tired and drifted away — concubine after concubine brought into the household, until the more beautiful the beginning, the more wretched the end. He feared Zhi’er would one day face something like that.

Gu Yanxi had been aware of his presence for some time. Seeing that he still hadn’t spoken, he looked up. “Fourth Master Hua.”

Hua Zhi heard the name, looked up, and set down her chopsticks. “Fourth Uncle.”

“Keep eating — nothing urgent.”

“I’m finished.” Hua Zhi wiped her mouth, picked up a sizable bundle from the side, and rose to her feet. “Let’s go. Everyone must be getting impatient by now.”

They were indeed impatient — but no one had come to hurry her along. They had all made the journey from the capital and knew well enough how far it was. Riding on horseback may have looked swift, but the hardships endured along the way were no fewer for it.

“Yanxi, you go ahead and take care of your matters. I’ll be at the residence — I’m not going anywhere.”

“Understood.”

Hua Pingyang took the considerable bundle from her, stepped over the threshold, and then paused. He turned back. “The family has prepared a humble meal and some wine. If it’s convenient for Master Lu, please come by for a drink.”

Gu Yanxi and Hua Zhi exchanged a glance. Gu Yanxi accepted at once. “I will come to collect A’Zhi this evening, and at that time I will certainly share a cup with the elders.”

Hua Pingyang gave a soft, dismissive sound, turned, and left.

Hua Zhi’s eyes curved with laughter. She gave Gu Yanxi a one-eyed wink, then hurried to catch up.

Gu Yanxi stood there for quite a while, before finally letting out a long, slow breath.

The Hua Family, old and young, had gathered all together, filling the main hall well past its comfortable capacity and then some — a number of the younger generation had no choice but to stand outside the doorway.

“Elder Sister is here!” Hua Baili called out in a low, eager voice, already moving toward the entrance.

Every head turned at once. Hua Zhi smiled at the assembled family. After yesterday’s travel-worn appearance, a well-rested Hua Zhi today was radiantly lovely.

“Zhi’er is here? Come in, come in.”

She walked through the path the family had opened for her and took in the room with a sweep of her eyes — she had to admit, the Hua Family was truly flourishing in its numbers.

“Zhi’er pays her respects to Grandfather, to Father, and to all the uncles and elders.”

Hua Yizheng stroked his beard and nodded. “Sit and talk.”

Hua Zhi settled into the one empty chair at the lower end of the room and looked up to meet the many pairs of expectant eyes watching her — and felt a warmth bloom in her chest. Families were not all the same. There was the kind she had known in her previous life — where each person schemed against the others and would have gladly seen them dead. And then there was this, a family that, even amid misfortune, still ached with longing for one another.

Then let her begin with something good.

“Great-Fourth Uncle should have received Qin Meimei’s letter by now. A few days before I set out, she was married. I met her husband once — he is exceptional.”

The Fourth Branch elder, Hua Yichen, broke into a wide smile, nodding repeatedly. “Yes, I received the letter. Qin’er also wrote that you took wonderful care of everyone, and spent a great deal of silver to prepare her trousseau, so she could have the dignity she deserved. Great-uncle thanks you.”

Hua Qin’s letter had been thick with pages, and she had written about far more than that. She wrote of how things now stood at home — how the boys attended the clan school every day, their spirits not crushed but sharpened by the family’s fall from grace, each one burning with resolve. She wrote of how Hua Zhi had shared the profits from a business venture among the branches so they could make ends meet, and that the worst of the early hardship had passed. She wrote of how Hua Zhi had traveled south not long ago, also for business, and had rested at home barely four or five days before setting out north again…

She wrote a great deal, and it was plain that Hua Qin held deep admiration for this elder cousin of hers. Her words also shifted Hua Yichen’s fondness for the eldest granddaughter of the first branch from something merely surface-level to something genuine. You could tell a person’s character by whether they spoke more than they did or did less than they claimed — and Hua Zhi was unmistakably the latter.