Though Hua Qin was willing to help, Hua Zhi could hardly entrust something as important as the marriages of an entire household of girls to one person alone. After her midday rest, she arranged the household affairs and went to the Zhu Family.
The Zhu Family’s matriarch was in the middle of a conversation with her daughter-in-law when word came in. She was genuinely surprised. “What brings her here at this hour?”
The eldest daughter-in-law had felt a lingering unease around this remarkable young woman ever since the incident some time ago, and she certainly did not dare to say anything rash. She simply rose and said, “Then I’ll go make the arrangements…”
“What are you running away from? She has enough on her hands managing everything inside and outside the household — she has no time to remember that small matter. It’s long past. Just be a proper aunt to her, but do remember the lesson from before. If you’d behaved that way toward anyone else, you’d have made an enemy for certain.”
Zhu Family’s eldest daughter-in-law, Zheng Shi, was deeply ashamed, and bowed her head in acknowledgment.
The matriarch shook her head inwardly. Of her two daughters-in-law, the elder could only see what was directly in front of her, while the younger had a calculating mind and had grown noticeably bolder in her speech ever since her husband had taken charge of a large business venture. The daughters-in-law she had chosen so carefully had turned out to be without a single one capable of managing a household.
The doorway darkened, and seeing that it was her granddaughter coming in, the matriarch quickly set aside those thoughts and stepped forward to stop the girl from bowing, saying with a teasing smile, “You only ever come when something brings you here. The moment I see you, I want to ask if there’s something important going on.”
“I’ve come to pay my respects to you and Grandfather, and incidentally to mention something.” Hua Zhi was not one to stand on ceremony with those close to her, but with Zhu Family’s eldest daughter-in-law, she observed proper formality. Zheng Shi returned the gesture lightly and spoke before Hua Zhi could, wearing a smile, “Whenever our young miss comes, the Old Madam is delighted. Please stay for dinner tonight — the men of the household have all been coming home late these days.”
“Don’t laugh at me, Aunt, but that was exactly my plan — to come and take advantage of your kitchen.”
Hearing that, Zheng Shi let out a small breath of relief, and her smile became more natural. She rose and said, “Then your aunt will go make the arrangements. You stay and have a good chat with Mother.”
“Of course. Thank you for the trouble, Aunt.”
The matriarch had held back from interrupting, and now said, “Zhi’er is still in mourning — make sure there are a few vegetarian dishes prepared.”
“Yes, I’ve remembered it!” called Zheng Shi as she went.
Once Zheng Shi had left, the matriarch smiled. “She’s been too embarrassed to face you ever since that business earlier. Our Zhi’er isn’t so petty as to hold a grudge over something like that, now is she?”
“Well, since you’ve said so yourself, naturally whatever you say goes.”
The matriarch pinched her cheek, genuinely fond of this clear-headed child. “Are you in a hurry to see your grandfather? He’s been coming home late these past two days. I’ll send someone to let him know now.”
Hua Zhi did not refuse.
After the matriarch had made the arrangements and they had exchanged some idle conversation, Hua Zhi raised the other matter she had come to address. “There are quite a few girls in the Hua Family of marriageable age. One Hua Yan going to such extremes is already one too many — that cannot happen again. Hua Qin came to see me today and brought it up herself, willing to help ease the burden on the family. But there are so many girls, and the weight of it cannot rest entirely on her shoulders alone. I was hoping, Grandmother, that you might be able to help — to look for suitable families. I am not particular about status, but I am particular about character.”
“I had been meaning to bring this up with you myself, but you’ve been spinning like a top without a moment to rest, and I truly didn’t have the heart to pile another burden on your shoulders.” The matriarch sighed. Hua Yan’s situation was a genuine shame. If she had only been willing to wait, to remain peacefully at the Hua Family home, she might never have reached the point she had feared.
“The Cai Family has wide connections, and their willingness to help is more than welcome. As for my end, rest assured — I will treat this as my own family’s business.”
“I knew that for something like this, coming to you would be the most useful thing I could do.” Hua Zhi smiled with well-behaved sweetness, offering no formal thanks. The matriarch liked exactly that attitude — treating her as true family meant there was no need for false politeness.
“And what about you? What are your own plans?”
“Pardon?” Hua Zhi blinked.
“Your marriage.” The matriarch spoke with gentle earnestness. “A match like the Shen Family is rare, but it is not impossible to find. Zhi’er, you are different from the other girls in the Hua Family. Compared to them, you have far more choices.”
Hua Zhi did not quite understand. “Why would I have more choices? Because I know how to do business? But is it not precisely the kind of thing the noble houses frown upon for a woman to be so visible in public affairs?”
“That depends on the manner of it. You do go out more often than most women, but it is not as though everyone knows you went to the Yinshan Pass. In the eyes of those who pay attention, your public appearances are actually not considered excessive. Among the prominent families, the more discerning ones look not only at bloodline, but at the person. You are intelligent, capable, and able to bear responsibility — in their eyes, you are the ideal candidate for an eldest daughter-in-law. Serving near those in power is like walking beside a tiger; no one can be certain their family will remain prosperous forever. If the household should ever fall on hard times, having someone like you at home means it will not collapse entirely. So do not underestimate yourself. If you truly wished to marry, there would be no shortage of families eager to have you.”
…She felt rather like a cut of pork, she thought — customers picking and choosing, deciding she was decent enough, and wishing to take her home.
Hua Zhi shuddered inwardly. When she thought of it that way, she might as well never have broken off that betrothal in the first place and simply become a daughter-in-law of the Shen Family.
“Grandmother, please, do not trouble yourself over this on my behalf.”
The matriarch’s eyes widened. “I worry over families I’m barely even connected to — how could I not worry over you?”
“I already have… someone I have feelings for.”
The matriarch instinctively glanced toward the doorway in alarm, then signaled to the head nanny beside her to stand guard outside, before pulling her granddaughter close and asking in a stream of rapid questions, “Which family is he from? Where did you meet him? Does he know of you? Have you been in contact?”
“There is no need to rush. You have met him before — it is that Master Lu.”
The matriarch remembered at once. The man had a scar across his face — anyone who had seen him would find it hard to forget. But knowing it was him only made her more worried. A man with a disfigurement could not enter officialdom, and no matter how hard the Zhu or Hua families pushed, that could not be changed.
The matriarch was thoroughly opposed, yet she did not let her feelings show immediately. Instead she asked, “Is he still working as the martial arts instructor at the Hua Family home? How did the two of you come to…”
Hua Zhi was the kind of person who, if given one measure of kindness, would return ten. The Zhu Family had treated her generously, and she was willing to respond in kind with sincerity. And so, though she had not even spoken of this to her mother, she now told her grandmother everything. “He has another identity. The one working as the martial arts instructor at the Hua Family home is actually someone under his command. We have had private dealings with one another. Both times I traveled north, he accompanied me and helped me enormously. Grandfather and the others have all met him, and on this last trip, I made everything clear to Grandfather as well.”
The matriarch was taken aback. This meant it had already been brought to the surface openly?
“Then the formal betrothal rites…”
“The time for that has not yet come.” Hua Zhi took her grandmother’s hand. “Please don’t worry. I know what I am doing, and he is not deceiving me in any way. You think highly of me, but truly, there is not much left about me that anyone would want to take advantage of.”
There is far more than you think, the matriarch thought, letting out a quiet sigh. She patted her granddaughter’s hand and asked nothing further. The girl did not seem to have lost her head over anyone. She could only trust that she truly did know what she was doing.
Author’s Note: The first chapter has been posted early. Don’t wait for the second — the loose threads from earlier weren’t coming together, and much of it had to be rewritten. There’s also groundwork to lay for the plot ahead. Not having a stockpile of chapters saved is really trying.