Nanny Lin arrived swiftly. Hua Zhi dismissed the others, keeping only Ying Chun nearby to attend to her.

“Though it may not be a daughter’s place to arrange her own mother’s affairs, Nanny, you know my mother’s temperament well enough — without someone keeping a close eye on her, I’m afraid she’ll come out the worse for it and still be smiling, thinking she’s gotten the better end of the deal.”

Nanny Lin lowered her eyes. “Madam has always been one who doesn’t know how to be calculating.”

Hua Zhi held her teacup in hand, lifted the lid with one finger and drew it lightly around the rim, nudging the floating leaves to one side. She took a small sip, then raised her head. “Nanny has been with my mother for many years and has always had her best interests at heart. Even so, there are a few things I must say before I can set my mind at ease.”

“Please instruct me, First Young Miss.”

“I expect everyone in the household has their eyes on Green Moss Lane by now. I have no intention of keeping it hidden — I’ll be informing Grandmother about it tomorrow. But a profitable venture like this will naturally attract those who wish to take advantage of my absence to cause trouble. My mother has a soft ear and a guileless heart. I worry she may be talked into something, so I hope Nanny Lin will take on a little extra effort during this time — stay as close to my mother’s side as possible, and when it matters, be there to put a word of caution in her ear.”

Hua Zhi rose and walked to the doorway, gazing up at the dimming sky. “I am not afraid of what she might do. But she will grieve afterward, without fail. A woman like her — if she has lived this many years without ever learning those kinds of schemes, then there is no need for her to learn them now. I will always be able to protect her.”

“Madam is fortunate to have you and the Sixth Young Master.”

Who could say otherwise? Her mother was the very picture of a fool blessed by fortune — but then again, a person like her was rather impossible to dislike.

Ying Chun draped a light wrap over her shoulders. Hua Zhi pulled it snug around herself. “No matter who comes to see my mother, you are to be present and listen. Whether they are after Green Moss Lane or the preserved goods venture, refuse them to their face. Tell them to go and find Grandmother, or to wait until I return and take the matter up with me directly. If they still refuse to back down, tell them this: whatever effort they put in at the time, I will repay tenfold — and from that moment forward, the Hua Family’s rise or fall will have nothing to do with them.”

“Yes. This servant will remember.”

“One more thing.” Hua Zhi turned and looked at her directly. “Do not go to the Zhu Family for help unless it is the very last resort. The Hua Family must rise by its own hand.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry to put so much on you.”

Nanny Lin bent into a low bow. “This servant dares not speak of hardship. It is the First Young Miss who truly bears hardship. Please take good care of yourself out on the road, and be cautious in all things.”

“I will.”

Seeing that the First Young Miss had no further instructions, Nanny Lin gave a deep bow and withdrew.

Ying Chun poured a fresh cup of tea for her Young Miss. “This servant notices you treat Nanny Lin with great courtesy.”

“Does that make you feel I treat you all poorly?”

Ying Chun covered her mouth and laughed. “If you were actually formal with us, this servant would truly be alarmed.”

Hua Zhi gave her a sideways glance, and warmth crept into her own eyes as well. She did genuinely admire Lin Shuang’s decade upon decade of unwavering loyalty. The reason her mother could remain as artless and guileless as a young girl even at her age owed not only to the way her father had sheltered her, but also to Lin Shuang, who had quietly managed every trivial matter on her behalf.

Over the years, her father’s concubines had not been entirely without their small machinations — yet every such matter had reached her father’s ears first, resolved before her soft-hearted, naive mother ever knew a thing had happened. There was no way that could have unfolded without Lin Shuang’s hand in it.

With someone like that watching over her mother, Hua Zhi felt very much at ease.

The following morning, Hua Zhi brought the account book to her grandmother’s room at the earliest hour.

The old madam had not been at all surprised by her arrival. She had her stay and share breakfast first, and only then took the account book to look over. Even having sent someone to make inquiries the day before, seeing the numbers written out plainly in black and white still left her rather startled.

“It can actually earn this much?”

Hua Zhi smiled. “And this is only the opening days. Once word spreads, business will only get better.”

The old madam could not contain her delight. If things continued like this, the Hua Family would never again need to worry about their livelihood. With just these little food stalls, they could get by comfortably — and still set aside money to send north to their family there.

Thinking on this, the old madam gestured for Nanny Su to bring out the lacquered box from the chest, and emptied it of all the banknotes and jewelry inside. “Take all of this with you.”

“I have already made some preparations, and I will be bringing along the lane’s earnings from these past few days as well. Please keep the jewelry for yourself, Grandmother — the Hua Family has not yet come to the point of needing to pawn these things.” Hua Zhi accepted the banknotes but gently pushed the jewelry back, aware of how precious these pieces must be to have been kept through everything.

The old madam did not insist. Her fingers moved slowly over a gold hairpin in an old-fashioned style, and her voice took on a tone of wistful memory. “This belonged to my grandmother. She gave it to me on the day of my wedding. It is a very old piece.”

“All the more reason to keep it safe.”

The old madam smiled softly and tucked it back into the box. “Grandmother knows what a great many arrangements you have made these days. The Fourth daughter-in-law owes you such a great debt of gratitude that she will take your request to heart. And Grandmother will keep a firm watch over the household — I will not let them ruin what you have set in motion.”

“With Grandmother holding down the home, I can go with my mind at ease.”

The old madam patted the back of her hand. The skin there had grown increasingly thin and dry, the hand showing every sign of old age, with faint spots spreading across it. Hua Zhi knew her grandmother had truly grown old — old with a swiftness she had not been prepared for and could not stop.

That afternoon, Hua Zhi went to the physician’s hall to collect medicine. Shao Yao, utterly determined, insisted on going along to see for herself just how skilled this Dr. Chu that Hua Zhi had spoken of truly was. Left with no choice, Hua Zhi brought her along.

Dr. Chu produced the prepared bundle of medicines and drew out one vial to show Hua Zhi. “The last time I examined the Old Master Hua, I noticed signs of a heart ailment. I have prepared a supply of this medicine for him — one pill each day. I have prepared enough to last a full year. Please make sure the Old Master does not forget to take it.”

Shao Yao moved with swift fingers, taking the vial, pulling out the stopper, and tipping a single pill into her palm. She brought it to her nose and sniffed, her brow faintly creasing.

Dr. Chu watched her with some surprise. By her dress she was clearly a young woman — yet the way she carried herself suggested she understood medicinal theory.

“Does the young lady have a question about this medicine?”

Shao Yao asked without the slightest hesitation: “Why is the herb Giant Knotwort included here?”

“Precisely because Giant Knotwort has the properties to break up stagnation and promote circulation — when flow is unobstructed, there is no pain; when flow is obstructed, pain follows. In a formula for a heart ailment, it is entirely fitting.” Chu Shitang saw that she had identified that particular herb by smell alone and recognized he was dealing with someone knowledgeable, so he offered a brief explanation before asking, “Does the young lady study medicine?”

Shao Yao reached up a hand to lift her veil-hat. Hua Zhi, quicker than thought, seized her hand. “Forgive us for the amusement, Dr. Chu — my friend here has quite a passion for medicine. Please don’t take offense at her forwardness.”

“Those who are passionate about medicine are rare indeed.” Chu Shitang asked no further questions, turned back to his desk, bent over it, and wrote for a few moments. He returned with a sheet of paper covered in characters and held it out to Shao Yao. “This is the formula for that particular medicine. You are welcome to study it if it interests you.”

Asking about someone else’s formula in this world was akin to stealing their livelihood. Hua Zhi had been about to step in to buy it instead, but the brilliance of the eyes visible even through the veil-hat made her unable to bring herself to interfere. She was just drawing breath to offer payment when she watched Shao Yao bend over the desk in turn, write for a few moments, and present Dr. Chu with her own sheet of paper. “This formula is one I have recently been working on. I offer it for Dr. Chu’s consideration.”

Hua Zhi wanted to cover her face. Exchanging one formula for another — this was precisely the sort of thing Shao Yao was capable of.

Author’s Note: Shao Yao has stolen my heart again. And once again, my sincere thanks to all you darling readers.