On November 24, the capital city welcomed its first snowfall. Small snowflakes fluttered in the air, adding a thin layer of white to the roofs.
The snow on the ground could not stay and melted away in a short while, soaking the streets.
It was at this time that Hua Zhi entered the city. Although she was exhausted, she was excited.
Home is within reach.
If it were possible to ride a horse fast in the city, she would have wanted to whip her horse and rush home to see her family and then sleep soundly.
Before entering the city, the two of them did not ride together again. Hua Zhi looked at Gu Yanxi beside her and said, "Mr. Lu, if you have something to do, please go and do it first. When you are done, you must come over. I will ask Fu Dong to prepare a delicious meal to entertain Mr. Lu."
Gu Yanxi's eyes were deep, but in the end she said nothing and insisted on sending the person to Huajia Alley.
Watching her knock on the corner door, watching the person inside fall down in front of her and shout, "Big girl, you're back! The old lady is dying!"
Hua Zhi stood at the door for a moment, then she turned around, knelt down and bowed to Gu Yanxi, and strode into the house.
The cloak was blown up, and there seemed to be the sound of wind and thunder.
The servant inside the door also bowed hastily, closed the door hastily and chased after him.
Wang Rong jumped down from the roof and knelt in front of Gu Yanxi.
"How is it going?"
"He has not been awake yet. The doctor said he would not last more than two days, but today is already the fourth day."
Old Madam Hua couldn't let go of her anger before Hua Zhi came back. Now that Hua Zhi was back, Gu Yanxi looked up at the sky and thought that the snow would probably continue to fall for several days.
"go back."
"yes."
After taking one last look at the Hua family residence, Gu Yanxi rode away. He had to go to the palace. He had to let Chen Qing guard the place, as he couldn't trust anyone else.
From the corner gate to the inner courtyard, it was enough for Hua Zhi to know what was happening. She listened expressionlessly, her hand holding the whip tightly, her steps getting faster and faster, and the servants had to jog to keep up.
The atmosphere in the old lady's courtyard was solemn. The courtyard was full of servants. The house was filled with the descendants of the Hua family, and the inner room was filled with the fourth daughter-in-law of the Hua family and Doctor Chu.
Doctor Chu sighed and shook his head at them. He had already tried all the methods he could.
Zhu burst into tears on the spot.
Wu held the handkerchief tightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Doctor Chu, please do your best. No matter what, please delay it for a while."
Because Zhi'er hasn't returned yet, the person who can really make the old lady feel at ease is on the way back. The news she brings back must be what the old lady wants to know most.
Doctor Chu was about to speak when there was a sudden commotion outside and someone could be heard whispering, "Young lady!"
"Eldest sister!"
Hua Bailin's voice confirmed that it was really Hua Zhi who returned. Wu ran to the door faster than Zhu. She had never known how hard it was to support a family. However, Zhi'er supported the Hua family when they were in such a difficult time, and she looked as if she had lifted a heavy weight lightly. This was the difference between them.
"Zhi'er..."
Hua Zhi nodded to her and walked into the house covered in snow. In an instant, the whole house seemed to have become cold.
Chu Shitang stood up, turned around, met her gaze, and shook his head gently at her.
There was still no change on Hua Zhi's face. She untied her cloak, put it on the table along with the riding whip and gloves, and covered her face with her hands.
Then she walked to the bedside, knelt on the footstool, and gently held her grandmother's hand with her slightly warmed hands, calling softly: "Grandma, I'm back. Grandpa asked me to bring you a letter. If you don't wake up, I will open it and read it."
The old lady moved her fingers as if she was struggling with something. Seeing this, Hua Zhi kept calling her grandmother. After a while, the old lady finally opened her eyes slowly and moved her mouth, but no sound came out.
Hua Zhi stepped aside and looked at Doctor Chu. Without her saying anything, Chu Shitang immediately sat over. Just by feeling Doctor Chu's pulse, he knew that it was meaningless for him to stay here. The old lady... was running out of energy.
Chu Shitang sighed and shook his head at Hua Zhi.
Hua Zhi closed her eyes, turned around and poured a glass of water. Seeing this, Mrs. Wu hurried forward to help her up a little.
This time, the old lady was not unable to eat anything like before. She drank the whole glass of water and then looked at Hua Zhi with earnest eyes.
Hua Zhi understood, took out the oil-paper package from her bosom, opened it, picked up the letter on the top and handed it to her grandmother, "I'll read it to you."
The old lady shook her head, stretched out her frail arm and stubbornly took the letter. She tried to tear it open several times but failed.
Hua Zhi took it without saying a word, tore open the letter, took out the letter, unfolded it and placed it in her open hand.
The old lady read the letter slowly, smiling as she read, her eyebrows and eyes curved like those of a young girl.
After a long time, the old lady slowly folded the letter and pointed at the mahogany box.
Nanny Su had served her all her life and understood her feelings best. She wiped her tears as she took out all the boxes from the red box, placed them beside the bed, and opened them one by one.
"The Hua family doesn't have much left. You four can divide this box of jewelry equally. Just keep it as a keepsake."
The voice was weak and slow, but there was no hesitation at all. The old lady knew that she didn't have much time left.
"Give everything else to Zhier."
One box contained keys, one box contained indentures, and the other was the emptiest, with only two jade seals occupying a small space.
The seal looked quite old. As the old lady looked at it, she seemed to remember how she felt when she received it.
"The white one is the seal of the Hua family, passed down from generation to generation. They represent not only your grandfather, but the entire Hua family. This seal is only passed down to the head of the family. I will give it to you for safekeeping. Your grandfather will decide who to pass it to in the future. The chicken blood jade one is my private seal, and I will leave it to you as well."
Hua Zhi nodded vigorously, and no one noticed that her mouth was full of blood foam.
The old lady glanced at the four daughters-in-law again and said, "No matter what happens to the Hua family in the future, you should all live in harmony, help each other, and assist Zhi'er in restoring the Hua family. If anyone wants to destroy the foundation of our Hua family, I will not let her go even if I become a ghost!"
The four of them knelt on the ground together, "Daughter-in-law, please remember this."
The old lady turned to Hua Zhi for support. She was not a wicked mother-in-law, and her daughters-in-law were not wicked daughters-in-law either. It was just that their fate was not strong enough.
"That's it. Take good care of yourself in the future."
The four of them performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows with tears in their eyes, then backed out of the house.
The old lady rested on her granddaughter's shoulder, her voice weaker than before, "Zhi'er, are they all right?"
"Yes, your husband, your son, and your grandson are all fine. Grandfather does light work, and except for the weather being a little colder than at home, they don't suffer any other hardships."
"That's good." The old lady tried to turn her head to look at her, "Zhi'er, you have to forgive grandma. Forgive grandma for giving you such a heavy burden. Forgive grandma for being so naive. You have to forgive grandma..."
Tears slid down the old lady's face. Her granddaughter was only sixteen years old, the age for marriage like a flower, but now she was trapped in the Hua family and she didn't know when she would be able to be freed. Now she had to let go and leave, leaving her to shoulder everything alone. She felt sorry for her.
Hua Zhi looked as calm as usual, and even smiled as she spoke, "Go with peace of mind, I'm here for you! I remember my promise to you before, I will let the Hua family live in peace, those who need to study can study, those who need to embroider can embroider, and I will let the men of the Hua family come back. One day, the Hua family will surely restore all its glory, you will see."
"Grandma is waiting for that day to come." The old lady raised her hand, but in the end she only moved her fingers.
Hua Zhi put her palm to her face, "Grandma, let's go."
The old lady gradually closed her eyes, her palms slipped, and the letter that was tightly clenched in her other hand also loosened. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, as if she had entered a sweet dream.
That year, she learned that she was going to marry a man from the Hua family who was well-known for his talent in the capital. She secretly found out that they were going to go for an outing outside the city. She booked a box facing the street in advance and secretly watched him through the gap in the window. The young man in blue clothes was gently waving a folding fan, and he was so handsome and elegant that she could not tolerate anyone else.
That year, she got married in a grand ceremony wearing a red wedding dress. She held one end of the red silk and he held the other end. They worshipped in the hall and got married. When they got on the bed, he lifted the red veil with a wedding scale and looked at his bride with a smile. She blushed shyly.
That year, they had their first child.
Then, many years passed.
PS: If any girls cry after reading this, don’t be shy, because Kong Kong cried while writing it. There is only one update today because I went to another city to visit graves and was on the road all day.