“We trust Zhi’er.”
They trusted her judgment, and they trusted her character.
“No matter what happens, the whole of the Hua Family stands behind her.”
If she had misjudged this time, the Hua Family would help her carry the consequences.
Gu Yanxi rose to his feet and bowed deeply. If the Hua Family had chosen instead to invoke reputation and propriety to keep them apart, he would have thought less of them for it. Hua Zhi had never placed too much weight on her own reputation for the sake of the family — and when the family had needed to make use of her, they had not been particularly careful with it either.
It was fortunate that the Hua Family, for whom A’Zhi had given so much effort and worry, proved worthy of everything she had given.
With a first mutual acknowledgment reached between the two sides, something in the air between them eased naturally into greater warmth. Hua Yizheng rose with a smile. “Zhi’er is probably in there with her heart racing. Go ahead.”
Gu Yanxi lowered his head with a quiet smile. “Yes.”
In the courtyard, the tables had been set and the meal laid out. Hua Zhi was in the middle of talking with Hua Baili, glancing toward the main hall every so often, filled with the inexplicable anxiety of worrying whether her partner would pass muster with her father.
When she saw them come out of the building together, she stepped forward at once. As she went to support her grandfather’s arm, she stole a quiet wink at her Fourth Uncle. Hua Pingyang gave her a stern look — then gave her a small, affirming nod.
Hua Zhi’s heart unclenched. The ordeal of meeting the family was finally over, and from the look of things, the result wasn’t bad.
They settled at the head table, and Hua Yizheng looked toward Gu Yanxi. “Master Lu, please sit.”
“Please, call me Yanxi.” Once the elders were all seated, Gu Yanxi, with appropriate tact, took the seat at the very lowest end. Hua Zhi glanced at her grandfather, then sat down beside Yanxi. The sight of the leader of Qisu — who was otherwise a commanding presence wherever he went — now sitting there rather outnumbered and alone made her heart go a little soft with sympathy.
Hua Pingyang shot another look at that niece of his who was so blatantly taking someone else’s side — Hua Zhi smiled back at him in a placating way, which left him both amused and helpless.
He couldn’t say she didn’t care — this gentle, small-girl version of Zhi’er was something he was seeing for the first time. In the past, he had teased her about Shen Qi and she had always batted the teasing right back without a trace of embarrassment, let alone anything like the protectiveness she was showing now.
Hua Yizheng, for his part, had smiled. Whatever else there was, Zhi’er was happy — and that was what mattered. She had worked hard enough for the Hua Family’s sake. If there was someone who could bring her joy, he had no reason to stand in the way. And those social conventions that bound and confined women — perhaps they didn’t matter quite so much after all.
When one thought about it, Zhi’er had already broken convention by stepping out into the world as a woman. There was no need to wait until now to speak of rules being bent.
Once he settled his thinking, the old man found himself looking far more kindly on the young man before him. He raised his cup. “You’ve come from afar. A cup of humble wine, offered as a small expression of our gratitude.”
“I would not presume to call it gratitude — I act entirely of my own free will.” Gu Yanxi raised the cup with both hands and drank it down in one.
Every member of the Hua Family drained their cups together. Once upon a time, they would never have drunk such rough wine, nor held a meal so casually in an open courtyard without care for ceremony. But a year had been enough to change everything about them. They knew with absolute clarity where they stood and what their circumstances were — and they had adapted.
Gu Yanxi let his gaze sweep across the room, taking in the calm, settled expressions around him, and something in his chest stirred. This was the Hua Family that the Emperor’s uncle held in such wariness — a family as old as the Great Qing dynasty itself. They could rise to dazzling heights, and they could find the will to live in adversity. The Hua Family seemed as though it was especially protected by fortune — at every moment of crisis, a rescuer would appear, as once there had been Hua Jingyan, and now there was A’Zhi.
They ate a dinner that was not particularly filling but carried great weight. As the last of the sunset light washed over them, Gu Yanxi and Hua Zhi walked together toward the inn. Hua Pingyang had found an excuse not to accompany them.
But the two of them found no time for private conversation on the way. One after another, people along the road called out to Hua Zhi as they passed.
“Oh, the young lady from the Hua Family is back!”
“Haha, the wind has been fiercest at this time of year — you must have swallowed plenty of sand on the road.”
“Old Master didn’t go to the office today — must be overjoyed, I’d wager.”
“The Hua Family’s young lady looks in fine spirits.”
And so on, and so forth — an unbroken string of greetings, from people Hua Zhi didn’t recognize a single one of. Yet this did not stop her from smiling and answering each and every person who spoke to her.
When others offered goodwill, she returned it with sincerity.
Gu Yanxi walked at her side. He watched how effortlessly she held herself, watched her advance and retreat with perfect ease, watched her receive the warmth and regard of others, watched her meet everyone with a heart full of genuine gentleness.
This was his A’Zhi. In the beginning, she had wanted to make herself invisible, to keep others from seeing how extraordinary she was. But now — now he only wanted to announce to the whole world that this remarkable person was his.
They entered the inn, and just as Hua Zhi was about to say something to Yanxi, the innkeeper came hurrying over. “Someone sent over a few sand-skin melons for you today. Shall I have them sent to your rooms?”
Hua Zhi was momentarily surprised, then said quickly: “Please do. Thank you.”
“Not at all, not at all — it’s what I’m here for.” The innkeeper waved a hand, his dark face creased with a genuinely warm smile. “The rains have been scarce this year, so the melons are especially sweet — won’t find them anywhere else. Have a taste of something fresh.”
Hua Zhi thanked him again. She didn’t know who had sent them, but something inside her went warm and quiet. Most of the people here had been cast aside by the world — and yet they were not, at their core, irredeemably bad. Time had worn away their ambitions and exposed the layers beneath, and what lay inside was not so different from ordinary people after all. When all was said and done, they were nothing more than a group of people who longed for family and old friends to come and see them.
“They’ve probably taken you as a kind of anchor,” Gu Yanxi said softly as they went upstairs.
“That is my honor.”
Gu Yanxi pushed her door open for her and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her. The man who had had a few drinks still carried the faint scent of wine, but it was not unpleasant.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“I’m going to visit someone Zheng Zhi knows.” Hua Zhi went to pour a cup of tea and brought it to him. “Are your matters finished?”
“Mm — I happened to look up that person’s address today as well. I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
Zheng Bei’s acquaintance was a man named Zeng Xian. To call him an acquaintance was a stretch — Zeng Xian’s father had extended a hand of support to Zheng Bei’s mother after Zheng Bei’s own father died. With the Zhu Family already first in that regard, it was not a great kindness, but Zheng Bei had not forgotten it. This time, having come to know that the Zeng Family had fallen into misfortune, he had asked Hua Zhi to bring some things to them when he learned she was traveling to Yinshan Pass.
Zeng Xian had once served as a department head under the Vice Minister of Finance. Four years ago he was exiled here, convicted of embezzlement.
“Being in the Ministry of Finance, how many officials were there who were truly clean? Zeng Xian likely took the blame for someone else. The Qisu had no involvement in that matter, and I never looked into the details.” Gu Yanxi pointed ahead toward a narrow lane. “It should be down there.”
Once they entered this part of the district, Hua Zhi saw for herself that even in Yinshan Pass there existed the wealthy quarters and the struggling ones. The fact that the Hua Family had managed to find footing somewhere in the middle so quickly after being exiled was partly a testament to the family’s own ability — but owing a great deal, too, to the gold bars Hua Zhi had quietly tucked away for them.
In a place like this, gold bars were more useful than anything.
Gu Yanxi carried the bundle on his back and held A’Zhi’s hand as they made their way through the dim, damp alley, carefully reading the numbers on each door. “This is it.”
Low, cramped eaves; a doorframe missing a piece at the lintel. Everything about it spoke of the difficult circumstances of the people within.
The two exchanged a glance. Gu Yanxi stepped forward and knocked.
“Who is it.” A low, hoarse voice came from inside — with a note of quiet wariness beneath it.
Hua Zhi cleared her throat and called out: “We’ve been entrusted to pay a visit to an old acquaintance.”
A silence fell inside. After a moment, the door creaked open — and against all expectation, it was a child who stood in the doorway.
Chapter 305 — Something to Hold Onto
“We trust Zhi’er.”
They trusted her judgment, and they trusted her character.
“No matter what happens, the whole of the Hua Family stands behind her.”
If she had misjudged this time, the Hua Family would help her carry the consequences.
Gu Yanxi rose to his feet and bowed deeply. If the Hua Family had chosen instead to invoke reputation and propriety to keep them apart, he would have thought less of them for it. Hua Zhi had never placed too much weight on her own reputation for the sake of the family — and when the family had needed to make use of her, they had not been particularly careful with it either.
It was fortunate that the Hua Family, for whom A’Zhi had given so much effort and worry, proved worthy of everything she had given.
With a first mutual acknowledgment reached between the two sides, something in the air between them eased naturally into greater warmth. Hua Yizheng rose with a smile. “Zhi’er is probably in there with her heart racing. Go ahead.”
Gu Yanxi lowered his head with a quiet smile. “Yes.”
In the courtyard, the tables had been set and the meal laid out. Hua Zhi was in the middle of talking with Hua Baili, glancing toward the main hall every so often, filled with the inexplicable anxiety of worrying whether her partner would pass muster with her father.
When she saw them come out of the building together, she stepped forward at once. As she went to support her grandfather’s arm, she stole a quiet wink at her Fourth Uncle. Hua Pingyang gave her a stern look — then gave her a small, affirming nod.
Hua Zhi’s heart unclenched. The ordeal of meeting the family was finally over, and from the look of things, the result wasn’t bad.
They settled at the head table, and Hua Yizheng looked toward Gu Yanxi. “Master Lu, please sit.”
“Please, call me Yanxi.” Once the elders were all seated, Gu Yanxi, with appropriate tact, took the seat at the very lowest end. Hua Zhi glanced at her grandfather, then sat down beside Yanxi. The sight of the leader of Qisu — who was otherwise a commanding presence wherever he went — now sitting there rather outnumbered and alone made her heart go a little soft with sympathy.
Hua Pingyang shot another look at that niece of his who was so blatantly taking someone else’s side — Hua Zhi smiled back at him in a placating way, which left him both amused and helpless.
He couldn’t say she didn’t care — this gentle, small-girl version of Zhi’er was something he was seeing for the first time. In the past, he had teased her about Shen Qi and she had always batted the teasing right back without a trace of embarrassment, let alone anything like the protectiveness she was showing now.
Hua Yizheng, for his part, had smiled. Whatever else there was, Zhi’er was happy — and that was what mattered. She had worked hard enough for the Hua Family’s sake. If there was someone who could bring her joy, he had no reason to stand in the way. And those social conventions that bound and confined women — perhaps they didn’t matter quite so much after all.
When one thought about it, Zhi’er had already broken convention by stepping out into the world as a woman. There was no need to wait until now to speak of rules being bent.
Once he settled his thinking, the old man found himself looking far more kindly on the young man before him. He raised his cup. “You’ve come from afar. A cup of humble wine, offered as a small expression of our gratitude.”
“I would not presume to call it gratitude — I act entirely of my own free will.” Gu Yanxi raised the cup with both hands and drank it down in one.
Every member of the Hua Family drained their cups together. Once upon a time, they would never have drunk such rough wine, nor held a meal so casually in an open courtyard without care for ceremony. But a year had been enough to change everything about them. They knew with absolute clarity where they stood and what their circumstances were — and they had adapted.
Gu Yanxi let his gaze sweep across the room, taking in the calm, settled expressions around him, and something in his chest stirred. This was the Hua Family that the Emperor’s uncle held in such wariness — a family as old as the Great Qing dynasty itself. They could rise to dazzling heights, and they could find the will to live in adversity. The Hua Family seemed as though it was especially protected by fortune — at every moment of crisis, a rescuer would appear, as once there had been Hua Jingyan, and now there was A’Zhi.
They ate a dinner that was not particularly filling but carried great weight. As the last of the sunset light washed over them, Gu Yanxi and Hua Zhi walked together toward the inn. Hua Pingyang had found an excuse not to accompany them.
But the two of them found no time for private conversation on the way. One after another, people along the road called out to Hua Zhi as they passed.
“Oh, the young lady from the Hua Family is back!”
“Haha, the wind has been fiercest at this time of year — you must have swallowed plenty of sand on the road.”
“Old Master didn’t go to the office today — must be overjoyed, I’d wager.”
“The Hua Family’s young lady looks in fine spirits.”
And so on, and so forth — an unbroken string of greetings, from people Hua Zhi didn’t recognize a single one of. Yet this did not stop her from smiling and answering each and every person who spoke to her.
When others offered goodwill, she returned it with sincerity.
Gu Yanxi walked at her side. He watched how effortlessly she held herself, watched her advance and retreat with perfect ease, watched her receive the warmth and regard of others, watched her meet everyone with a heart full of genuine gentleness.
This was his A’Zhi. In the beginning, she had wanted to make herself invisible, to keep others from seeing how extraordinary she was. But now — now he only wanted to announce to the whole world that this remarkable person was his.
They entered the inn, and just as Hua Zhi was about to say something to Yanxi, the innkeeper came hurrying over. “Someone sent over a few sand-skin melons for you today. Shall I have them sent to your rooms?”
Hua Zhi was momentarily surprised, then said quickly: “Please do. Thank you.”
“Not at all, not at all — it’s what I’m here for.” The innkeeper waved a hand, his dark face creased with a genuinely warm smile. “The rains have been scarce this year, so the melons are especially sweet — won’t find them anywhere else. Have a taste of something fresh.”
Hua Zhi thanked him again. She didn’t know who had sent them, but something inside her went warm and quiet. Most of the people here had been cast aside by the world — and yet they were not, at their core, irredeemably bad. Time had worn away their ambitions and exposed the layers beneath, and what lay inside was not so different from ordinary people after all. When all was said and done, they were nothing more than a group of people who longed for family and old friends to come and see them.
“They’ve probably taken you as a kind of anchor,” Gu Yanxi said softly as they went upstairs.
“That is my honor.”
Gu Yanxi pushed her door open for her and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her. The man who had had a few drinks still carried the faint scent of wine, but it was not unpleasant.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“I’m going to visit someone Zheng Zhi knows.” Hua Zhi went to pour a cup of tea and brought it to him. “Are your matters finished?”
“Mm — I happened to look up that person’s address today as well. I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
Zheng Bei’s acquaintance was a man named Zeng Xian. To call him an acquaintance was a stretch — Zeng Xian’s father had extended a hand of support to Zheng Bei’s mother after Zheng Bei’s own father died. With the Zhu Family already first in that regard, it was not a great kindness, but Zheng Bei had not forgotten it. This time, having come to know that the Zeng Family had fallen into misfortune, he had asked Hua Zhi to bring some things to them when he learned she was traveling to Yinshan Pass.
Zeng Xian had once served as a department head under the Vice Minister of Finance. Four years ago he was exiled here, convicted of embezzlement.
“Being in the Ministry of Finance, how many officials were there who were truly clean? Zeng Xian likely took the blame for someone else. The Qisu had no involvement in that matter, and I never looked into the details.” Gu Yanxi pointed ahead toward a narrow lane. “It should be down there.”
Once they entered this part of the district, Hua Zhi saw for herself that even in Yinshan Pass there existed the wealthy quarters and the struggling ones. The fact that the Hua Family had managed to find footing somewhere in the middle so quickly after being exiled was partly a testament to the family’s own ability — but owing a great deal, too, to the gold bars Hua Zhi had quietly tucked away for them.
In a place like this, gold bars were more useful than anything.
Gu Yanxi carried the bundle on his back and held A’Zhi’s hand as they made their way through the dim, damp alley, carefully reading the numbers on each door. “This is it.”
Low, cramped eaves; a doorframe missing a piece at the lintel. Everything about it spoke of the difficult circumstances of the people within.
The two exchanged a glance. Gu Yanxi stepped forward and knocked.
“Who is it.” A low, hoarse voice came from inside — with a note of quiet wariness beneath it.
Hua Zhi cleared her throat and called out: “We’ve been entrusted to pay a visit to an old acquaintance.”
A silence fell inside. After a moment, the door creaked open — and against all expectation, it was a child who stood in the doorway.