It was midsummer, and the sun was hanging low in the sky, so hot that people would sweat profusely if they moved the slightest.
The Hua family, which occupies half of Hualin Lane, is as quiet as usual. Maids and servants walk everywhere with their skirts swaying, without making any sound. Servants are busy coming in and out, and no matter how anxious they are, they only dare to walk quickly and dare not run at all.
The Hua family is a century-old noble family with strict rules and famously strict requirements for servants. However, because the Hua family has always had a good reputation, countless people still look forward to recruiting people into the Hua family every year. Compared with those wealthy families who have countless affairs of bribery, the Hua family's strict rules are nothing, not to mention that the Hua family's servants have the opportunity to learn to read. Unfortunately, the Hua family does not often hire people into the mansion.
As the sun gradually rose higher, the cicadas' chirping became louder, making people feel even more restless for no reason.
In a courtyard in the south, Hua Zhi, the eldest daughter of the Hua family, felt a little tired from reading. She put down the book and gently rubbed her eyes. She turned back to look at the maid who was fanning her, "It's not that hot if you sit still. Take a rest."
The maid smiled and said, "I am not tired."
The maid who was doing needlework at the side hurriedly washed her hands, brought over the iced mung bean soup, watched her young lady drink it slowly sip by sip, then turned behind her and pressed her cervical vertebrae.
The door curtain rustled slightly, and a maid in pink clothes lifted the curtain. Another maid in green came in with water. The two of them worked together to wash Hua Zhi's hands, and took out bottles and jars to care for their young lady's hands.
The ten fingers are slender and round, with almost no knuckles, and the skin is fair and smooth. Just by looking at these hands, you can tell that she must be a young lady from a wealthy family who has never had to do any housework.
Hua Zhi raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and asked in the silence, "How is it? Do you four have someone you like?"
The four of them were doing their own things and no one spoke.
"Yingchun, you speak first."
The massage paused, and then continued with moderate pressure. "I will listen to you, young lady. I will marry whoever you tell me to marry."
This answer was not unexpected by Hua Zhi at all, "Bao Xia, where are you?"
The maid who was massaging her fingers raised her head and took a look, then lowered her head and continued to work, "I said I will not marry, and I will serve you all my life."
Nian Qiu, who was massaging the other hand, nodded in agreement without Hua Zhi asking, "My thoughts are the same as Bao Xia's."
There is no need to ask any more about the last one, Fu Dong. She is timid and obedient, and always follows the lead of her three sisters.
Hua Zhi was somewhat helpless. "Only you two know whether you can live together. It's not up to me to say who is better. It's better for you to see it yourself than to have a hard life in the future."
"You are still an unmarried girl, but you speak as if you are an experienced person." Bao Xia muttered, "Anyway, I will not marry, so don't even think about abandoning us in the Hua family. I will follow you wherever you go."
"What's the point of marrying with me? No matter how good the Shen family is, can it be as good as the familiar Hua family? If I could choose, I would rather be an old sister-in-law in the Hua family."
Nian Qiu scooped up a piece of ointment and rubbed it on the back of Hua Zhi's hand, saying with a smile: "If Madam heard what you said, she would definitely cry with you."
It was true that women were made of water, and this statement was best illustrated by her mother. Her tears came easily, and her fragile appearance made Hua Zhi speak very carefully whenever she saw her mother, for fear that a wrong word would hurt her mother's feelings, and she would have to coax her for a long time.
This is also the reason why she never expressed the slightest reluctance to get married, as she just couldn't get past her mother.
"You can follow me to the Shen family. I will take whoever finds a partner. If you marry there as my maids, what will you do if my future husband takes a fancy to any of you? Are you really willing to be my sister?"
The four of them immediately stopped what they were doing and knelt in a row in front of Hua Zhi. Yingchun, the most stable one, spoke for the sisters about their plans, "We maids will never think of doing that, but you have only had us maids to serve you all these years. If we all get married and live our own lives, you won't even have anyone to talk to when you arrive at the Shen family. Don't tell me you'll take us with you after you get married. We maids don't trust ourselves. After we get married and have children, we're afraid that we'll have to use all our strength at home and won't be able to serve you wholeheartedly. We maids have decided that when you get married, we'll all dress up as women to let the Shen family know that we don't have that intention. I think they don't need a few more of us in their house. Please agree, young lady."
"Anyway, we will do this whether you agree or not." Baoxia's eyes turned red. When they first entered the mansion, they were only four or five years old and knew nothing. They spoke in their hometown dialect. It was the young lady who took them to her side, gave them names, taught them how to read and count, and instructed them on how to behave in society. No other maid was as lucky as them. They would not even frown if they were asked to give their lives to the young lady, and it was absolutely impossible for them to leave.
"The Shen family is not a dangerous place..." Hua Zhi suddenly stopped talking, "Bao Xia, go outside and see what happened."
Bao Xia stood up and walked out quickly, but Hua Zhi stopped her again, "Don't meet him."
"yes."
The intermittent sounds coming from outside made Hua Zhi feel a little uneasy. The Hua family was used to quietness, and for such a large family, abnormality was not necessarily a good thing.
Seeing that the three were still kneeling, Hua Zhi motioned for them to stand up and walked towards the door by herself.
Before she reached the door, Bao Xia ran in. She really ran. Seeing her out of breath, Yingchun swallowed the words she was about to scold.
"Miss, there are officials, a lot of officials have come..."
Hua Zhi's heart sank. With her grandfather being a second-rank official, who would dare to come to her Hua family? She was afraid...
Hearing the noise outside, Hua Zhi made a prompt decision, "Baoxia, go to the door and watch, don't show up. Yingchun, pick up half of my banknotes and all the gold bars, don't touch anything visible. Nianqiu, Fudong, the two of you move that box away, take away the bricks and put the things in, quickly."
"Yes." The three of them had their hearts beating wildly, but when they saw how calm the young lady was, they calmed down and went about their own business.
Hua Zhi was extremely grateful that she had not lost her sense of crisis even if she lived another lifetime, and she had made a secret compartment in the most inconspicuous place early on. The space was not large, just enough to store some gold and silver, but as long as the brick was put back, no one outside could tell that the brick was movable.
Several people quickly tidied up the mess, and then looked at the lady together, waiting for her next instructions.
Hua Zhi sat back on the couch and held out her hand, "Continue."
The three of them returned to their original places, but since they had never experienced such a thing before, their hands were shaking slightly.
PS: I promised a new book, did Kong Kong keep his word? I hope you like it.